johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Velcro]

This is really fun. :>

> You're a lot kinder than johnfn when it comes to judging sound design, it seems. :P

YEP. I still don't like the sound design at all. That's my biggest complaint. Seriously, just write a chiptune song. I would be soo happy :>

Also, I want to take a comb to some of your melodies and tighten them up a little. Sometimes, particularly at the ends of little melodies, you use a few too many notes. It seems redundant, like you're over-explaining the melody. It might be a fun exercise for you to try to take off a couple of notes on the end of random melodies, to see if the point still gets across (or is improved).

This is one heck of a step up, though. The 1:30 transition and then the triplet section is so good :3 Kind of reminds me of Waterflame actually, he used triplets all over the place lolz.

LunacyEcho responds:

=> sound design =>

Well... (tbh though there are lots of sounds here that i don't particularly like, either, especially that chordy synth at 1:51 :P)

=> chiptune =>

Okay, okay! Ironically, sound design is one of the things that scares me the most about chiptune though, since I can never get any of the tracks to sound chippy enough. :D

=> ends of melodies =>

Y'know, I've actually never thought of doing that before. :P Now that you mention it, it sounds like such a natural thing to do! I guess I really like sixteenth notes or something :D I am DEFINITELY doing this for my next few tracks.

=> Waterflame =>

Hoo man, that guy is one of my biggest inspirations (at the top of a long list including you, ofc). I'm honored to hear you say that! :D

Thanks for the review! And I hope you get your musical mojo back soon so you can go back to uploading ear candy into the Internet! :D

:>

[Escape]

Fake gchat noise at 2:40. Got me checking my tabs.

I really like these chords. I used to use them all the time. :> Also I think this song has more bass now. At least in the "chorus" sections, so good job.

[~SW~ Data Transfer]

This is really good and all, but I can't actually hear any bass. Did you forget to add any?

SkyeWint responds:

I swear I'm gonna slap you one of these days

[Majestic They Are]

Bro.

BRO.

You have gotten a LOT better over the years. GREAT PIECE. :D

papkee responds:

THENKS MANG

U da best

[Wings]

WOW. I am really impressed by this you guys. You did so good! It needs a lot of detail work, I think, and the mixing is not so great (I can just imagine how amazing this track would be if the ending of this song was properly mixed. My jaw would be further down on the floor than it already is.) But man. This song is atmospheric, moody, varied as heck, and catchy! :D

MAJOR props on the switchup in the latter half of this song. That was one of the most satisfying things I've heard in a long time. Kinda reminds me how Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" suddenly bursts into this crazy energetic section with a minute to go.

One of those songs that I just have to give 5 stars, even though it is very flawed, because the core is so good.

TheMoebiusProject responds:

Hey! Thanks a lot! Yeah it needs lots of work on the mixing, but i spent all day recording those guitars and vocals that I just wanted to share it already hahaha. I see you are an awesome musician so it means a lot that you wrote that review. I'm always learning so all those pointers are reaaaally helpful! Good luck on the Deathmatch and now...to the mixing!!! (or maybe tomorrow, I'm tired hahaha)

[Friction Point]

Good GOD. This is a really great track! I forgot just how good you were. If only the mixing was a little better though. D: The drums are too quiet and stuff. Still though, awesome track. I love the switchup at 2:25.

PirateCrab responds:

Cheers for that! I've mixed this at really quiet volume late into the night with really fatigued ears so I'm gonna be remixing them tomorrow, needed that confirmed ahaha :P

Thanks buddy!

[One of Those Days]

I was gonna leave you a comment saying to compress your vocals but then I felt like a jerk criticizing your song so quick out of the gate. And then midimachine did it. Hehe. Jerk status: AVOIDED.

I really like the bluesy stuff. The main riff is good! :D

My biggest complaint is that the vocals clash too much with the piano. (How ironic that even with 2 instruments it's still possible to have mixing issues!) They are both on the lower end.

Anywho, I do really enjoy listening to your music. It's always something cool! And slightly unexpected.

ChronoNomad responds:

I was beginning to question your overall level of reticence, but that explains it! Et tu, johnfn? Totally kidding. I don't think it's a jerk thing at all since I really appreciate the insight, but I do get what you mean. It's a new experience, so I'm ultimately destined to foul it up somehow. ^__~ Compression has since been added however, and I managed to keep some of the dynamic quality, so hopefully the improvement is notable. It is to me, at least.

Glad to hear that you dig the bluesy attitude and main riff. I wish you had some suggestions to offer for fixing any vocal/instrumental clashing issues, but I suppose it's more of what midimachine said previously about wanting to hear me sing in a higher octave. Sadly, with this filthy cold messing with my vocal cords, when I try to sing too high my voice randomly cuts out while attempting to hit certain notes. I know it clashes a bit with the piano, but I still feel like nice and low fits the vibe. *shrug*

It makes me happy to know that you enjoy listening to the stuff I make! And honestly, getting a solid four stars from you doesn't make me unhappy. I'm pleased to be able to offer cool and somewhat unexpected tunes. Kinda sounds like me in a nutshell, really. Looking forward to great things from you in the ADM!

[Caliginous Newcomer]

This is pretty cool! Really groovy. I just have this feeling like at the climax the mix kinda falls flat (e.g. 4:16). It needs more bass. And stuff. You know. Honestly it almost sounds like it's clipping. Also, I'd really like for there to be more than one section.

Adjeye responds:

I mostly let a friend master my tracks for me ( I thinks its fun, don't know why) but because this is a contest featuring "me" I excluded any help from outside because I think that's cheating.

I had a hard time mastering this track. Thanks for pointing out where exactly it went wrong!