johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[I was never really here]

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

So, let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the mixing here is pretty darn bad. By 1:30, this track is clipping (or just being squashed under a limiter - I'm not totally sure) horribly. To fix this, you really need to turn down how loud all your instruments are, until it’s no longer clipping. This makes the whole song very difficult to listen to. The main melody of the track is somewhat interesting, but the song is so long and the melody is repeated so much that it gets pretty tiring towards the end. You should really shorten this song to give it a bigger impact. The melody *is* creative though - I think you’ll be able to write better songs in the future. Score: 4

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 2/4
* Arrangement: 1/4
* Mixing: 1/4

SlaughterClub responds:

ok well
it was recorded live at the same volume & compression as all my other live tracks pretty much which i have no problem with the master volume at all ..?

i wow see what i should of known that the competition was going to be main stream stuff accepted only
like all your perfectly sequenced notes in your Nintendo ds-10 software (just sticking to the rule book) i guess

draining the fun ,creatively & life out of music...

thanks 4 the heads up
i will not bother with the competition now at all

[Livid Hue]

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

This is a really interesting song. It has a really cool, dark vibe, and the beat (although sounding somewhat mechanical at points) supports it very well. I think the melodies need work though - although they sound at times like they have some sort of meaning behind them, at other times they sound quite directionless. Score: 5.5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 2/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 3/4

[More Than Human]

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

So first of all, this track is somehow panned all the way to the left. That kinda wrecks any ability to listen to it on headphones.. :P The cool thing about this track is that you have some really good vocal melodies - they are actually pretty catchy! Unfortunately, the mixing is just - I’m sorry to say - terrible. It’s incredibly distorted and straight up difficult to listen to, and it's panned 100% left. With better mixing, this track could be a lot better, but as of now, it’s hard to know for sure. Score: 5.5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 0/4

Gergaloth responds:

Yeah that was a fuck up on audacity, I recorded it in stereo and didn't swap any of it. Used to default to mono but had factory reset my computer and forgot to change it back. I'm pretty ashamed because I didn't save the project to fix it.

[EnNinja - Journey]

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

It’s fairly apparent to me that you are pretty new to composing music. That’s fine! This song is a bit too abrasive in sound design and loudness for me to really enjoy currently, unfortunately. I’d recommend to try to cover some of your favorite songs, so that you can learn how they do what they do and pick up some of their skills. Keep at it! Score: 2

EnNinja responds:

I am using a new program as FL stopped working and I haven't really got the hang of it yet. That could explain a little. Anyway thanks for telling me what you think :3

[Steps]

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

This track is pretty darn awesome. I mean, the sound design is just great, from the plucks to the pads to the occasional vocal sample to the wubs, which just sound really cool! The biggest critique I think I have on this track is that, by the end, it starts to get pretty repetitive. The drop section itself feels a bit repetitive - the wubs need to be varied more - and then when we go into the smooth, chill section, it’s nothing we haven’t heard already, which is unfortunate, because I kinda want some more interest or variety. Also, for a dubstep song, I kinda expected this to have a little more bass - in the drop, outside of the kick I don’t hear any at all. Still though, your sound design managed to keep this track interesting and compelling to me. Score: 8.5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 2/4
* Mixing: 3/4

[Anxiety Attack (mastered)]

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

The mixing is pretty darn solid, but unfortunately the composition and melodies don't hold up. The melodies seem to just go around randomly, without any sort of direction or contour to them. The piano break is a good idea to allow some relief to the techno section, but the piano melodies have the same problem: they don't really have any direction either. Keep working at it! 5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 2/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 3/4

Daydream-Anatomy responds:

Thanks a ton for the critique, I appreciate the analysis and honestly:3

[Space Empire Rising]

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

Not bad, it has nice brooding chords and a dark evil feel to it - but it kind of just drifts around and doesn't really develop. Yeah, it would work fine for a video game level, but as a stand alone piece i really need that development to hold my interest. Some of the high frequencies on the synths hurt my ears (and I listen to chiptune!). The mix, also, needs a bit of work - it sounds like it's going into the red and then shoved under a limiter, so it could be a bit clearer. Still, not bad work here. Score: 6.5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 2+/4
* Arrangement: 2/4
* Mixing: 2/4

DESHIEL responds:

"but as a stand alone piece i really need that development to hold my interest"

Hehe, maybe I'll make something for you if I get bored enought. :D

[Survival Gangster]

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

This is weird as heck. In a good way. Some of the tones (like the horns and that one weird synth YOU KNOW WHICH ONE) sound off to me, but that's all I can really complain about. The amount of ideas stuffed in a 4 minute piece is just ridiculous, but the song never sounds disjointed somehow! How is that possible. Kor-rune magic - that's how. The transitions between different parts are sublime. That 1:05 solo takes me by surprise every time. It's just awesome. One of my favorites of the audition round. 9.5

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 4+/4
* Arrangement: 4+/4
* Mixing: 4/4

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you so much Johnfn! I have never shown those shitty horns love and i have no regrets LMAO

I appreciate the nice comments and all you do to review!

[For Honor]

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

I think the biggest problem with this piece is the arrangement - it’s just a nonstop 4 minute barrage of riffing. A breakdown or two to give the listener a breather would really make a big difference. On the other hand, the riffing that I was just talking about? It’s really good! So it could have been worse :-) You’ve got a couple of great riffs that you switch between and the track generally stays interesting - though, again, breakdowns could make this track *more* interesting :) (I admit, I was hoping for some really epic soloing…) Score: 8

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 3+/4
* Arrangement: 2/4
* Mixing: 3/4

[Spagoots]

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

The mixing really suffers on this one - especially when the arps come in, the bells are almost inaudible, and then later when multiple instruments are dominating the mid-range. The melodies are nice and happy, and the sound choice does a good job and bringing an overall happy feeling to it, but i think they could be a bit more interesting and compelling. Keep working on the mix! :) Score: 6

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 2/4
* Arrangement: 2/4
* Mixing: 1/4