MaliciousWyvern's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bydohalberd]

Quick Edit: I listened to this track on a pair of studio headphones with a relatively flat frequency response. I just listened through on my pair of gaming headphones which seems to boost bass. It still sounds great!
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I tried to be thorough with this review so I apologize for its potential length. I hope you find it helpful nonetheless.

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TIMESTAMPS / POINTS OF INTEREST:

0:00 - I like the fade in of the synth since it adds a nice bit of tension right off the bat.

0:04 - The distorted/detuned synth that fades in alongside the pad is a great addition. Very nice and airy.

0:22 - I do like the low pass filter that's applied to the drums here but it does get slightly muddy in the low end here. It's a little hard to hear the snare and I wonder if letting just a little more of a narrow band of presence/treble through might help, or at least lowering it instead of seemingly cutting it completely. The mud only lasts for about a second or a second and a half, so it's not really a big deal at all.

0:25 - First solo of the track here. I listened to the loop a couple times and this particular arrangement just didn't grow on me; however, this really is just 100% personal taste.
I like the first couple of seconds of the solo. It has a nice variety of intervals in it but then it sort of tapers off and I find it gets a little bland, almost like listening to someone practice scales. The last few seconds with the two sets of bent/slid notes, however, are great. I think that they add a lot of flavor and the sudden jump in pitch from the first set of bends to the second isn't really expected on the first couple of listens, but I think that's what makes it so appealing. It also serves as a great transition into the next section of the loop.

0:42 - I love this part of the song. It's extremely melodic and the distant, airy synth gives it this great dreamlike atmosphere.

1:10 - Big fan of the sudden shift here. Cool backing arpeggio that sits underneath/behind the soloing instruments.
In regards to the solos here, I like the difference in timbre and the whole "call and response" thing you've got going on with them. There's a decent amount of variety in note duration so each lick the instruments play is noticeable and differentiable. Strong end to the loop here.

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Mixing - Very well done here. Each instrument is fairly clear and easy to pick out. Not too much low end or high, piercing, shrill sounds that don't seem like they're supposed to be there. There's a very small window where the track gets a little muddy but, again, it's just for a second or two and isn't a big deal. The reverb on some of the channels/instruments isn't overbearing and fits the song well.

Composition - Again, well done. It's frantic but I also feel that it's not so intrusive as to completely distract someone from whatever they're doing in the context of a video game environment. The thing that I think this song does extremely well is remaining interesting while being able to sit in the background; however, it also has these great moments in the transition where it can pull someone's attention back to the track for a moment so that it doesn't completely fade into the background.

Overall - I like this track a lot. You say that it made you think of an intense level in some game and I think that I would agree with that sentiment. It does what you seemingly wanted it to do while also being good enough to listen to on its own.

Joeyag responds:

Damn, that's a hell of a review! Thanks a lot!

[Steppin' on Legos]

What the hell have I just listened to?

I love it.

DigohD responds:

Thanks man!

I take no responsibility for mental issues that might arise from listening ;)

[Fat Dog]

I'm surprised you haven't yet been scouted for the audio portal yet.

Anyway, overall, the track is composed well, though I'm a bit iffy about some of the instrument choices, namely the one used for the melody which begins at 0:30. This might just be that I don't listen to a lot of club music, so I can't really say much about it. Fade-ins are used well and allow the song to transition smoothly from section to section. The part at 1:45 is probably my favorite section of the song; it's powerful and the build-up really sold it.

I don't really have any concerns about the quality of the track. One only has to listen to see that you put a lot of effort into this.

Well done.

[Monolith 1 (Work in Progress)]

I think it's a great start! The dramatic, building effect of the reversed instrumentation definitely peaks around the time the track ends, which would be a great place to come in with something powerful.

Since the track is so short, there's really not much else I can say about it. Overall, it sounds pretty good for the opening of a song. I'm looking forward to seeing what future updates (or the finished track) are like.

[Chiptune Colony]

This track sounds great! It's mixed well and has a great groove with a sweet melody to go along with it. It's like chiptune rock.

[Red Tea (Ft. Solicia Sancti)]

This is very well-done. The track has a nice driving melody and rhythm, and the more bassy instrumentation that comes in near the end adds a great layer of texture to the sound. Overall, the track is mixed well and sounds good.

What programs did you use to create this?

Deidara responds:

I used Logic Pro 9 to create this piece. Unfortunately, it was my first time using Logic Pro, and I had no idea what I was doing. This would have been much easier to realise in Ableton (my main DAW).

Cheers for the review!

[The House by the Cemetary]

The quality of this track is simply astounding. I love every part of it, especially the ambiance and acoustic discord near the middle, just before the orchestral instruments come in. I don't think I could ever write something as amazing as this; I know nothing about music theory or audio mixing, and I've only ever purchased the Fruity edition of FL Studio.

In any case, this is a wonderful production, full of vigor. Awesome work.

*Stands, claps*

Azhthar responds:

Thanks a lot for your nice review. It means a lot and is very motivating if people really like your music.... I´m just listening to your track and you really don´t have to hide yourself. If you would hear the stuff I did when I started you would see you are already much better than this now ;)