FinnMK's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shades]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Ah yes, the spooky one. On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: Very neat sounds executed well. My main criticism is...how best to describe it...Shades suffers from bringing along everything but the kitchen sink. There's a LOT of different sounds going on (mostly from 2 minutes in), and I think a good number of them don't add much to the track or blend together particularly well.
I'll get into the compositional consequences of that below, but in terms of production it means a bit of a messy mix. It's a bit hard to track everything that's going on, but more importantly there's such a variety of sounds at once that it makes it hard to appreciate the piece.
Generally speaking there could have been a bit more clarity in the mix. Be very careful when you're EQing instruments individually and make sure those pitch ranges work together as a group. Some instruments are stepping on each others' pitch ranges and it make them both sound muddy (the organ and the rhythm guitar for example).
Other than that just some little things. There could have been more punch in the kick and bass drums, the distortion could have been toned down a bit on the synths near the end, little bits like that.

Composition: Super ambitious. There's a lot going on, a lot of different sections, a lot of different instruments. My main reason for docking points here was that it was maybe too ambitious haha. As mentioned above, the kitchen sink syndrome means that there's so much going on, so many unlikely instrument groupings, that it's hard to just sit there and appreciate the piece. I really had to work to listen to everything and try and appreciate it all.
My main recommendation here is to ask yourself before you add an instrument: "Does it make sense for this instrument to be here?" You've got organ, piano, strings, electric guitar, distorted synth percussion, woodwinds, soft pads, pitched wooden mallet percussion, and more. It's a real, real weird blend of instruments. I think instead of changing instruments so frequently, you could have picked half of those instruments and focused on making them work together.

Hope this all helps!

Azhthar responds:

Hey! And also thanks a lot to you for the detailed constructive feedback! I really appreciate all the work you people are doing in listening, judging and reviewing all these tracks.... I definitely know what you mean. I´m sometimes getting a bit too ambitious when I start to arrange a track. And everything started with a little minimalistic piano part, lol... I´ll try to keep the arrangement a bit more limited in the future, because you are totally right that some instruments get redundant otherwise. I like to use weird blends of instruments, though ;) I have definitely respect that you heard the soft pads in the background, because I kept them so quiet, just to backup the harmony a little! Thanks again!

[Losing my mind]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Good electro times. On to specifics...

Mixing, Mastering and Production: Generally speaking, pretty good. There are no huge weaknesses here. It comes down to some little mixing and mastering things.
I felt like you could have used panning and stereo splitting a bit more - there's a lot going on right in the center of the mix. The main melodies, bass, kick, snare and hi-hats all feel like they're right on 0, or maybe a max of L10/R10. Splitting all those sounds up would let the listener hear everything more clearly (although kick drum and bass right on 0 of course works very well).
In terms of mastering, things feel just the slightest touch overcompressed. This can come from Newgrounds' limited audio quality upload limits (ie. only being able to upload compressed file formats). There are ways to counteract this. You'll want to make sure that your final master is in a 16-bit uncompressed file format, and that you have a dithering plugin at the very end of your mastering chain. If you're planning on uploading your track to somewhere where you must use .mp3 or a similar file format, I would also mix down a master mp3 version right from your project, as opposed to just using a sound file converter afterwards. All that should help your quality when being played back on different sound systems and websites.
It's a long discussion that I won't go into, but the bottom line is that nearly all modern masters are in 16-bit because most sound systems/website encoders/etc. can't read anything bigger (ie. 24-bit and 32-bit file formats). So with that in mind, make sure you gear your master towards 16-bit.

Composition: Again, no standout weaknesses here. I think your selection of instruments was pretty good and your song progression was ultimately good. My nitpicky thing here is that while 6 minutes is not long for a typical trance song, it IS pretty long for a song submitted to a showcase competition like the NGUAC. From a production and compositional standpoint, you could probably cut half the song and not have your score affected too much.
Basically, you want to have every second of your track count and adds lots of value to the overall track. Some genres are better suited for this; long-form trance is not. To reiterate and make sure I explain myself clearly, this is a great trance piece - but it's not a great competition piece. If you condensed all the best moments of Loosing my mind together and made it into a cohesive 2.5-4 minute track, I likely would have scored it higher.

Otherwise, nothing too much to say. Keep on keeping on!

[Nescada's Theme]

*This is an official NGUAC 2017 review *

It HAS been a bit of time since I first listened to this, so I hope I can remember why I gave the scores I did haha. Regardless, this is really great, generally speaking. On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: I only have one real criticism in the production side of things, and that's that 90% of the instruments are pretty obviously virtual. You've done great EQing, reverb and mastering on all of them but to someone who works with lots of vsts I can still tell, and that takes me a bit out of the piece. Granted, I think most people wouldn't be able to tell. There's no easy way out here, as the solution is actually recording all of those instruments live.
All I can say is that when I'm judging a piece and there are instruments that are intended to be real - such as most orchestral instruments - but are not, I can't bring myself to give a perfect 10.

Otherwise, everything is great!

Composition: Great use of instruments, really solid chords and textures. I docked a few points in the atmosphere and originality sections for - surprise, surprise - the use of lots of virtual instruments that would be better off live. I hate to seem like a stickler on this account but it's something that's very important for me in terms of being as authentic as possible as a musician. That's one of the risks of writing music that demands a great deal of material cost. A rock band doesn't have the same production issues an orchestra does because it involves about 60 less people (not to mention hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars less equipment). So unless I'm fully convinced there's an orchestra actually playing, I can't fully emotionally commit.

Adding the guitar in at 1:48 is a refreshing move. The way you did it was a good way to work guitar in on a client request.

I don't have too much bad to say about this (despite this feeling like a particularly negative review, sorry)! You have a great sense of musicality. Looking forward to what you bring to the table for the knockout round.

[One More Hint OST - Generation Y]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Oh yeah, this one was fun! On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: One of the main areas this suffered for me was that many of the instruments didn't sound like yours - they sounded very preset-y. It's hard to give points for technical mixing and originality when it doesn't feel like you've built the instruments from scratch.
I think some more punch and volume from the percussion would really have been great. They're useful for atmosphere right now but I think they could fulfill that role and still provide some good rhythmic backing if you increase their volume and bass impact.
Generally speaking, good use of effects - reverb and delay were used well!

Composition: Most of my thoughts on the composition aspect of things can be summed with 'I was waiting for more". There are some good ideas here, good little riffs, instrument usage, etc. but it never really goes anywhere with them. The ideas are presented and then that's it.
With that in mind, I would suggest adding more in. You've got the foundations here, so add some more in and create some distinct sections with the new instruments. Then you'll really have a piece with some flow and some fully fleshed out areas.

Keep on composing!

[Sea Quest]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Good thing my dolphins and I were able to defeat the alien menace, or this world would have been doomed! On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: Really, really fantastic creative work on the mix. The effects, their implementation, the panning and reverb, all of it stellar. The basic mix was solid too - everything was fairly clear and effective. The only real area where I docked points was in the mastering. This was just for some little balancing things:
Dynamic variety is a great thing to have, especially in a longer piece like this. The problem in this case was that it was difficult for me to set a comfortable listening volume. If I wanted to get the highs and melodies clearly, I'd need to turn up to the point where the droning bass was fairly overpowering. And then when things built up at 3:50 I had to turn down a bit again. Individually, all of these sections sound great. And dynamically, it's a great journey. But it was a little difficult from a volume perspective.
The droning bass could have been a little quieter if you're going to use it throughout most of the track in the way you did. It starts to wear on the ears a bit. Or, if you want to keep it at that volume and intensity, then an option is to not have it run through 75% of the track.

Besides those things, there's not too much else I can pick out here. The end mix is never dramatic and in your face, but it's not supposed to be - it's a subtle journey done well.

Composition: Very original, great atmosphere, very cool textures you've built. Solid journey structure as well. My only real points off were for melody. This track is super for a number of reasons, but melody is not one of them. Naturally, with a piece like this, having catchy melodies is not really at the forefront of your goals, nor should it be. But you can't ignore melody entirely and expect a perfect score, either.
You don't need to have melodies throughout, but I think a good, clearly defined melody at a couple points here and there would really have made Sea Quest pop and excel. A good example I can think of is 1f1n1ty's track 'Peaks' (also in the NGUAC audition phase) - it's a similar journey piece, but there are a couple moments with some fantastic melodies.

Ultimately, good stuff though! A very mature kind of track. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with for next round.

[The Laughing Sun (Remastered)]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC track review *

Ah yes, the cinematic choir. This one was interesting. As a side note, check out the soundtrack for Heroes of Might and Magic V; I think you'd really like it, based on this piece. On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: Generally speaking, everything is pretty solid - no huge weaknesses. At some bits the virtual nature of the instruments came through (as in when I was listening I could tell I was listening to a virtual instrument and not a real one) but nothing severe there. Honestly, listening to this again I probably would have given you a bit of a higher score in the production section.
I can't really pinpoint other things to improve on, except that overall the mix and master didn't really 'wow' me. There was never any moment of production that was unexpected and added a lot, or a point where an effect or instrument really stood out. Naturally, with orchestral pieces this is less likely to occur, but here's something to consider: You've gotten the production well enough that all of your musical ideas are being conveyed. So now you can consider other steps to take with the mix - perhaps a creative effect here or there, perhaps a moment of extreme panning. This is a tricky zone as you don't want to undermine the power and tradition of orchestral instruments. But it's at least an avenue to consider. Even if you try these bits and don't end up using any of them, you'll be more for having tried them.

Composition: I really enjoyed it. Some excellent atmosphere, and good use of exploring each chord. Great use of the choir. My only real nitpicky elements here are structure and progression. Every section in The Laughing Sun is very good, but some of the transitions between them are pretty awkward. At 2:41 for example, we have the horns dying out, then 4 seconds of pause, then piano starts. It felt to me a little lazy, like you couldn't find a better way to weave the transition in.
There are a couple areas like that, where the orchestra stops, there's some pause, and then the piano begins. Or vice versa, where the piano stops, a few seconds of pause, and then the orchestra comes in. Having one, maybe two of these moments would work well, but I feel like there are too many of them - they break the flow of the piece, and although that can be a good dramatic tool, it feels like the momentum in The Laughing Sun gets stopped over and over again.
Otherwise, very good stuff. Good dynamic variety, good showcase of different instrument groups. The only reason I didn't give higher scores than 9s for most of the composition section is because I wasn't truly, completely blown away or flabbergasted. 9 is basically the highest score I'll give if I haven't fallen off my chair in my amazement.

I think it's a bummer you're not in the next round - kind of surprised at Samulis' low score for you. But don't let it faze you - keep on composing, my friend!

[Hoes]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Haha yeah what @TaintedLogic said - you definitely caused a stir. I for one loved the lyrics. I get such a Slim Shady-era Eminem vibe. Anyways, on to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: This was the real killer for your scores. In terms of mix, I can hear that all the IDEAS are there - but the execution isn't. Really great ideas.
So first thing in a mix is we want to look at base quality. Every instrument should be clear and audible, and ideally sound satisfying. With a rap song, this is super, super important for the vocals. I could hear all the words but it's pretty obvious that you were just recording with a very basic mic. There were also several points where you caused some clipping. So be careful with your recording, especially when you're close to the mic. Once you're done recording, make sure you listen to everything you recorded and re-record it if it clips at any point.
Once you're recorded, the vocals definitely need some work in post-production. Good use of EQing, reverb, a compressor will go a long way.
Every instrument you use should be carefully EQ'd and reverbed so they sound consistent, together, and clear (unless you're intentionally making them sound fuzzy or something).
Generally you panned stuff pretty well but I could've used a bit more in the verses where you were doubling vocals or doing callbacks with yourself. You've got 100 to the left and 100 to the right to work with so make sure to use them! Don't be afraid to pan all the to one direction if you need to.

Mastering is another crucial step. Good use of a multiband compressor, EQ, maximizer and limiter will go a long way. For a song like Hoes, you want a big, thick, tasty master. So play around with mixing and mastering and never stop trying to improve!

Composition: Real solid lyrics and flow. Awesome rhymes too. Seriously. Two of my favourites: "You fargin' iceholes" "I'll make you sick of me - I already am (awesome callback)"
Pretty good harmony and texture too. It sounds full, it's got that kind of goofy, bouncy, character that matches the lyrical content.
The structure and progression was decent, but it didn't do much to surprise me. Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, outro. I've heard it a million times before. Don't be afraid to experiment!
The atmosphere and emotion were okay, but they suffered from the mixing and production issues I mentioned above. It's hard to get in to the track and be in the emotional headspace when there are technical issues holding you back.

Hope this all helped! Keep spitting bars.

[Catalyst]

* This is an official 2017 NGUAC review *

Mm, the epic journey. I love me an epic journey piece. On to specifics...

Mixing, mastering and production: I really don't have too much bad to say here. Great EQing, panning, and volume balancing. Your subtle use of effects really shines in Catalyst - just the right amount of reverb on each instrument. I only would have given higher scores if I was absolutely blown away and pleasantly surprised by bits of production here and there. That's trickier to do in a long piece like this.
I suppose if I had to say one really nitpicky thing, I could have used some more hutzpah from the drums, especially the kick. The way you've mixed and mastered them right now is great in the way that they don't wear on the ears during such a long piece. But they don't stand out much in the bigger sections.

Composition: Super ambitious, and for the most part you pull it off.
The main areas I docked points in were structure and melody. Here I was looking for something to hold on to, to remember, to be catchy, or for some obvious repetition. Ultimately I didn't feel like there was a lot of melody going on. When there's a melody to focus on, what's really happening is it's an aspect of enhancing chords or atmosphere - arpeggiating chords for the most part. There was never a point where a true, strong melody came in (at least for me). And because of that lack of melody, it was somewhat difficult to track the progression of the song. Every section is done excellently, but there's a lot of sections and some of them are different only in subtle ways.

Hope all this helps, and really looking forward to what you come up with for the Knockout Round!