johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Road To Eternity]

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

Hehe, I recognize a lot of these presets from Sytrus ;-) (I also recognize FL Keys, which I really don't like, but I won't ding you for my pet peeves.) This is not a bad song, and I definitely think you did a lot better at most than mixing. What's lacking to me is the composition. The melody isn't random or anything like that, but it doesn't really catch my ears, either; it's kind of middle of the road. The song is also a bit repetitive; it could do with more, different sections.

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): 6/10

krimbe responds:

Thank you for the review. :) I was happy to be invited to the NGAUC. Too bad this wasn't good enough for the knockouts, but I'll do better next time. I ain't even mad. ;)

[Gargoyle's Cry]

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

Oh man. So actually you did pretty well on the arrangement here - you do a good job of introducing sections and varying up the energy level. What really bothers me though is the melody. It just sounds totally random to my ears - it's very directionless. I'd definitely say that the composition needs the most work here. The instrument choice is not that bad, though perhaps it could be better, but the melody is definitely the first thing to focus on.

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: 1/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6/10

kenki responds:

I appreciate the rating! I'm currently working on exactly what you're criticizing. This was the first time I actually ever used scales in my work, and I think my inexperience limited the sound that I was going for. I do try to compensate with mixing as much as possible, but obviously to the trained ear this doesn't matter.

[Jovds - Pirate-ish]

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

PirateStep, huh? That is definitely a new one. I'm not really a huge fan of the melodies in this piece, but I have to say that the drop itself is not bad! It's definitely better than a lot of the drops that I've heard here. (I'm actually not so much convinced by the second drop as I was by the first; I think the first was better!) Still, not a bad song here. I think with a more hooky main melody and a bit more work on the drop, this could be pretty neat. It's already a bit original!

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): 6/10

[Eclipse]

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

Ok, so first things first, don't put reverb on a kick. It just sounds wrong. :P This is an interesting take on EDM; it totally discards all the hard instruments and goes for more pleasing sounding synths, so that's always a plus. Unfortunately, the composition is what is really letting you down here. You repeat those 3 chords a little too much throughout the song, and the melodies in between them sound fairly random and directionless. Cool idea for a song, though; keep at it!

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

[Child's Play]

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

This is a nice little song. Unlike a lot of songs, it does not really explode with energy or aggressiveness, and yet it still develops quite well. The melody on the bells at one point towards the end of the song is also quite nice. Unfortunately, the rest of the song, while not being frustratingly repetitive or anything like that, lacks interest; the composition is not quite there. Still, the bells idea was cool - you should work on that a little more.

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): 5/10

[AIM - Inheritance]

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

Whoa, for a second there I think I heard 13/4, but then it switches back to 12/4. Neat little time sig trickery! The piano playing is really nice and this is a really nice and meditative piece, but unfortunately, it does not really develop at all. While it would probably be fine for a video game level or something of the sort (perhaps underwater!), as an entry to a contest you might want to submit something with a bit more of an arc to it. Still, it's not bad for what it is!

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: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6/10

HoraceGreenley responds:

I'll keep notes of your constructive criticism. Thanks.

[In the Land Beyond]

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

You've got a nice start to a song here. I used to really dig the arpeggiated intros like you've done a while back when I was composing. The biggest problem with this track, unfortunately, is that it's just *way* too repetitive. You pretty much repeat the same idea throughout the entire song! With a little more variation, this song could be much better, though I think that the composition needs a bit of work as well.

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

[PacBoy]

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

This song... is just totally crazy. I can definitely tell that it's a hodgepodge of a bunch of different ideas you had. Unfortunately, I'm not too convinced that the ideas gel together all too well. The dry vocal samples (I recognize the "go" guy from FL Studio!) just sound out of place, and the massive drop about a minute in just comes out of nowhere. Unfortunately, the chords also don't really fit with the song. I look forward to you continuing to experiment in the future!

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): 4/10

[-Firecrypt-]

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

So one thing that this song has going of it is the neato chord progression that you pull out right in the beginning of the piece. The vi-vi-vi-V thing on the piano definitely has a neat, catchy feel to it. Unfortunately, as the song goes on I feel like it starts to lack interest. You actually do a fairly good job with arrangement - you definitely introduce new sections and switch up the song fairly consistently. What's lacking is a strong melody or other compositional aspects that would keep me interested.

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: 2/4
Overall (this is not an average): 5/10

GlitchmasterMusic responds:

Thank you for the review! I had a fun time composing this piece, and it was too bad I didn't make it to the knock-out round :P. I'll definitely use this advise for improvement on future tracks :D. Thanks again!