johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Syzygy (NGUAC Entry!)]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Yo, Coolasp1e! This is a neat track. If you’re doing one thing right here, it’s definitely that you’ve got the arrangement down. The transitions are well done, and you constantly move from section to section. The song is never boring! What’s really missing here, however, is a stronger melody or chord progression. The song stays interesting, but it needs some way to be memorable. 

(Not going to lie, however, that one instrument at 1:35 really stands out like a sore thumb.)

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 3/4
Arrangement: 3+/4
Composition: 2/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6.5/10

Coolasp1e responds:

Gee, thanks man! I agree that instrument pops out...and I also do realize that I need some sort of good melody to be rememorable. Thank you for your review man!

[The Power]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Hey, ChronicBurnR! There are some really neat chords in this piece. I instantly get the feeling like I’m exploring an abandoned enemy spaceship or something. (Don’t ask how it could be both ‘abandoned' and ‘enemy’.) The mixing is also pretty well done. However, what’s really missing here IMO is the composition side of the piece. I want you to do more with melodies. Also, switching up the chord progression at times could be nice, too.

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 3/4
Arrangement: 2/4
Composition: 1/4
Overall (this is not an average): 5/10

[I can finally breathe]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Ooh, this is really pretty! You mentioned working on the production; I think your biggest production issue is that everything is reverb-ed a little too much. The composition, on the other hand, is pretty nice. The main melody is pretty solid, and the whole piece has a slightly wistful and sad feeling to it. Sometimes I wish there were *more* melodies, or perhaps more intricate ones, as the piece seems really slow. Still, nice work!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 2+/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 3+/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7.5/10

[Deceiving Death]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

I can tell you spent a lot of time making sure you got this song right. It’s pretty well constructed! The melody is kinda neat - I like the slides on the notes. I also have to say the drop into the dubstep section was both unexpected (I thought you had used up all your ideas!) and really refreshing. My big problems with this song are that it is a little too repetitive/long, and the mixing is rather aggressively full (though that’s more of a manner of taste). 

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 3/4
Arrangement: 2/4
Composition: 2+/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7/10

BlastBeats responds:

I'm so happy to read all this. Thanks for those compliments! I might keep repeating myself here, but I'm fairly new to music, and I have to learn a lot to make decent songs. I didn't want to go all out on variation, because I'd mess up due to lack of experience. I like my mix to be thick and full. Although, I hate and like it at the same time. I'll take all of this into account whilst making the KO-round track. And again, thank you ever so much for this useful review!

[Cavesong]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

This song is just weird. Like, so much of it doesn't seem right. All the sound design choices are questionable at best, and the melodies seem insanely trivial. AND YET. That one ascending descending melody (C-D-E-F-G-F-E-D-C) is actually quite infectious! It seems so simple, but it's actually very effective. The way that you kind of hint around it at points and then finally play it at the climax is very clever, too. 

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 3/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 3+/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7.5/10

[A Bountiful World]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Uplifting techno! I can definitely tell that you put a lot of work into this one. I like the uplifting chord progression quite a bit. The song has quite a bit of variance to it, though I'm kind of surprised that you never tossed in a gigantic buildup, knowing that that's pretty much all that the genre's about ;-) One big problem with this is that very often the mix feels empty. There is quite a bit of space for a bassline, panned hihats, or other small details that flesh out the mix. The sound design needs a bit more work here, too - some of the sounds don't fit well together.

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 2/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7/10

BeeFef responds:

I think those are problems with many of my past songs. You give some good ideas for how my song could be better. One of the things I think I sound designed wrong is the kick and maybe the lead in the middle of the song because it sounds somewhat mono.

But thanks for the review, I really appreciate it. I hope I do well in the KO round.

[In Control (Remastered)]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Huh, this is a really interesting piece. I was expecting stock orchestral from the first couple of notes, but what I got was anything but that. In terms of arrangement, I really have to commend your very unique approach to an orchestral piece! My problem with this piece, however, is that the energy level stays flat pretty much throughout this piece, and there is no particularly strong melody that stood out to me. Work on those, and I bet this piece will be really cool!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 1/4
Composition: 2/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6/10

Baumarius responds:

Hey John, thanks for the review! I'll work on this again once I start wrapping up the soundtrack for Tenera. While the second half of the song really illustrates what I wanted it to, I can see what you mean in the first section and will do what I can to improve that.

[SkullCandy - Lover's Enigma]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Yo! This track is really cool! I don't think I've ever really heard anything quite like it. I have to say, the mix is really good!  I really like the quieter sections. 1:39 onwards through 2:00 is a standout. You do atmosphere really well. The singing has a great tone, but a few notes fall flat - be careful. Your sound design is also awesome! What is not awesome about this song is that it doesn't actually sound like a *song* - it sounds like a bunch of separate ideas that don't really fit together so well. It needs more progression and better transitions.

This one was extra hard to score! It's a bit of a mess, but it shows a lot of promise. Keep it up!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 2/4
Composition: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7/10

Akaruhime responds:

Thanks! I'll be sure to work on my cons n keep the pros living alive! I'm new but still learning so it's greatly appreciated!

[Phoenix]

=== This is an NGAUC Audition Round Review ===

Alright, I have to admit, this was not what I was expecting when I started judging my first NGAUC track. It's a totally insane blast of psychedelica, with a high dose of distortion to match. The mix is great - the guitars have proper presence and the drums work fine. As much as I love the aesthetic, what I think needs work here is the composition. There are a few solid riffs here and there, like the bass groove you get into at 2:27 (which is really great), but for the most part the melodies you stay on are not super fascinating to me. Keep it up!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 2/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7/10

[Stand Still (Original)]

I'm not judging your group this time so I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to tell you how much I love this piece!!! <3

Peachy's singing is on point! Your song makes me want to cry :(

Suggestion: use less intricate piano lines when there's singing. Like chords and stuff mostly. The song sounds a lil busy/confusing right now.

Great stuff keep it up yay

Jabicho responds:

hi jonhjn, man! thanks for your review! :D
I'm very happy you like it!, I'm sure peachy will be too :)

Thanks for the suggestion!, I'll try changing to chords when there's singing, I'm sure it can sound great!
Thanks again for taking the time, and for your words! :D