Jacob's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Push the Big Red Button [BroStep]]

Good shit! The dub could've maybe used a li'l less reverb for the most part, and maybe a stereo effect (from a quick, single delay), since I can really hear that verb sticking out. It does sound super good for spots like 1:14, though, so it might be a good idea to automate.
Fading out on the dub was super weird. I'm not sure if I've heard that before. A bigger climax and more of a resolution would be cool.

Really nice, though! And Cymatics pulls through. I'm subscribed to their emails, but I've never actually tried their material. I should really give it a perusing.

Lot7even responds:

Wow, thanks for the review! Looking back, I should have auto'd that reverb.

[-Space pirates-]

I love this song so much. This and Jumper are two of my all-time favorites.

[XS - Fellaria]

I really like how it all comes together, especially once the plucked strings play alongside the piano chords, around 1:47. The woodblocks sound so nice when enveloped in a full mix. The operatic background is also really nice - what'd you use for that? It sounds recorded, but if there's a library or vst, I'm sold.

Jimmypig responds:

Thank you! The woodblock riff was the thing thing I wrote and the last thing I edited, the whole song is really built around it.

The choir is a preset in Omnisphere. If you haven't heard of it it's a sample based VST with tonnes of really cool, really high quality sampled instruments.

[Creo - Slow Down]

I like this a lot! The slightly narrower space you chose for most of the distant reverb is interesting (made room for the guitars and the ring of the drums). I thought it would muddle the mix's breadth, but instead it created a really cool space, where the excitable wash is constantly turned into something calming and sentimental as the guitars strum an introverted tune.

Great vibes here, constantly opening up doors into the light. Like taking flight for the first time, particularly at 2:55.

Good shit.

[Crypt Freeks]

I love the way that drum moves and resonates.
Really great world you've got here. Would've liked a little more new biz going on in the right ear to offset the constant changes in the left. Just moving the sitar would do it, I think. It's fighting with that beeping arp.
The snare might be a bit sharp, too.

Beautiful, though. I'm gonna loop this bunches.

Bradley-Pittman responds:

I appreciate it man. That's some really solid advice. I remixed it a bit with what you said in mind and replaced the file uploaded here. I think those small changes made it sound a lot better. Cheers!

[∀malgamation - Berseepon]

I think this is the best thing I've heard from you yet!
I'd quiet down the entire first section in general, maybe give it some ebb and flow, EQ stuff to make room, quiet the kick at that point, as well as all percussion, allow plenty of room to swell into the beat when it drops. I'd also recommend finding a drop by the time you reach :45-:100, but if not, then I'd hit it at 1:13. The synthesizer you added there sounds like it'd come in after the drop, or maybe halfway through. Given how hard this hits on the beat, I think the drop would benefit from focusing heavily off of it. Think about it as jumping and dancing its way back to the beat. That'd be a great time to use a heavier sidechain, as well, which has the added benefit of maximum loudness without peaking.

This is a great start! You've got something building, now take me awayyyyy.

Skiddle responds:

Heh, thanks dood. This is my only good song made in the software we call Caustic xd. I know that it has problems, but whenever i have an idea for a good song I never know how to pull it off .3.

[Thingadoodle v1]

Add some hi-pass to that bass to separate it from the rest of the mix a little, it'll help provide the jumping effect with the higher stuff you've got playing off the beat. I think I'd also add one quieter layer to the bass, an octave higher than the highest one you have in there right now. Square wave, probably.
I'd also have added a higher synth rather than or on top of what you put in at :22.

You've got some chops for drops, man. Keep working on your form.

[sine waves]

I love where you ended up at 1:06, and I would have really liked to have heard that section built upon further. The sudden ending bummed me out.
Not a big fan of how much the synth stuck out at the beginning - maybe do a little more hi-passing on it? I see what you're trying to do, and that might help you open the track up a little better.

You should seriously run with the beat at 1:06. Some chord changes, some sfx thrown in on the offbeats, panning around - a couple of glitches and empty-beat slots, I really think it could be great.

gdalkali responds:

Thanks for the review Jacob! Yeah the "drop" right after the build up was made cos i had this idea of turnig that sample into an instrument and wanted to get it down in FL before I forgot about it. Unfortunately that lead to me forgetting to extend the buildup, so that's why it ends so quickly. But yeah I agree, it would have been better with an extended buildup, might get round to updating it when i get the time/motivation. Thanks again for the detailed review, honestly wasn't expecting that on this song! :D

[Your Everyday Happycore]

The middle was actually my favorite part, by far! But the whole thing is a lot of fun. It's interesting that the resonance of the chord, reinforced by several voices, is almost always louder than the leads. It puts me in a trance, despite being so upbeat.
Really nice work!

Noisysundae responds:

The meter actually told me its level was equal to other instruments, but I trusted my ears more. I guess I did a bit too much. Might be because of my new KZ ZS6 which is biased toward trebles.

(Off-topic) I had to buy the ZS6 for using it in summer. Summer in the tropics (in my case, Thailand) means hellfire, man. it's far too hot to use my usual over-ear. The ZS6 has obnoxious trebles but I like the sound when I lower them enough.

[Electric Vibes]

Ha! 80's as heck. Those toms are hilarious.
I really like all of your leads - the EQ in particular. They sit in a really nice spot, so it feels good to listen to. Except maybe the arp at 1:01, which might have felt better panning from side to side. It's a little too harsh to remain in one narrow space. But that's nitpicking.

It would have also been cool to hear this strip back down before the end, and build more at the climax than in previous iterations of the pattern. Might've provided better resolution. Then you could strip it back down to the bass and the drums before hi-passing it down and fading it out.

Great world you've created, man. I like it a lot.

EddLioni responds:

Hey thanks for that long review, I will take your suggestions in consideration for future projects. Thanks!