johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Uplifter]

== I wasn't your judge for the NGAUC but then you send me a PM asking me to review this track so I figured that sounded like an acceptable thing to do ==

First things first. You gotta get better instruments. Consider this your official commandment to learn sound design, or at least find some good presets. Honestly, when I do sound design, 80% is finding a close preset, and 20% is tweaking that preset to get what I want. So you could get 80% of the way there with practically no effort, hehe.

The sounds that you're using currently have 100% maximum cheese factor to them. That can work... sometimes... usually if your song is really sad. This song is not sad. Not in the slightest. :P

I would normally point you in the direction of some similar songs here, so that you have a direction to go in, but in this case I'm not really sure of any super happy upbeat techno. Well, there's obviously chiptune, so you could do something like https://soundcloud.com/ko0x/never-alone or https://soundcloud.com/jayster6721/foreign-grove But I assume that you don't always want to write chiptune (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU).

There's also the interesting case of the melody at 1:33. It's actually a pretty good melody in that the way that you end it by going downwards is well done. And yet it doesn't captivate me as much as it should, which is weird. What a mystery! And it's not just related to that melody. In fact, I think that all melodies are being dragged down a little bit, for some mysterious reason. What could it be, detective johnfn? Well, I'd say that the #1 suspect is...

THE CHORD PROGRESSION. (In the midrange with a tonic.)

Behold the following mathematical chart based in 100% mathematical reality and following mathematical laws (which I actually dreamed up the other day, not even having heard this song):

Sad Chords + Sad Melody = Sad Song
Sad Chords + Happy Melody = Dancy/Edgy song (my song Light Up is a good example)
Happy Chords + Sad Melody = Wistful song
Happy chords + Happy Melody = DANGER: CHEESY ZONE

(To be 100% accurate, happy + happy doesn't always equal cheese, but it's pretty darn hard to avoid until you get really good.)

Your song has the happiest chord progression ever, and then you put the happiest melody on top... it's too much happiness! (That, and the sound design.) I'm just imagining if you did your progression now, but every other bar you did iii -> IV -> V -> I instead, I think that would add a bit of variation and make the song better. And if you varied up your progression even more, it could be EVEN BETTER.

The melody is not bad. But if you tweaked the progression to be more moody, then the melody would really shine. As it is, I can't really get into it because it's too happy. Also, it gets repeated a little too often, but that could be helped with a different progression, too.

Other assorted nit-picks: I think that I hear some clipping around 1:09.

Also, the song needs a little more bass. You have a bass instrument, but it's not as low as I'd hope.

Hypothetical overall score: 7 or 7.5 depending on how generous I was feeling, hehe. I see that every other judge gave you a 7.5 so who am I to disagree? :P

Hypothetical mini-scores
* Mixing: 3+/4
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 4/4

LunacyEcho responds:

BIG REVIEW ALERT

=> better instruments =>

I guess I didn't have enough time to tweak them to the right sounds. :P I don't have much of an ear for sound design; that's a goal I really ought to work towards in the future :D

=> maximum cheese factor =>

This is something people have been saying to me for YEARS :D

=> similar songs =>

Ah, both of those I've already listened to from your brilliant newspost! But I get the idea of what you're talking about.

=> you don't always want to write chiptune =>

I was originally going to write a chiptune song for the round! Okay, and orchestral song that turned into an orchestral/chiptune hybrid that just turned into chiptune. But then I came up with this melody and that all fell apart :D

=> 1:33 melody going downwards =>

Yes I definitely did that on purpose because I am a theory god and it was no way unintentional

=> THE CHORD PROGRESSION =>

Uh oh.

=> mathematical chart =>

I talked to LSD about this, and he seems to disagree with it :D But I can think of examples for each of the things you mentioned and see the reason behind them, and that's something I'll definitely have to consider in future songs!

=> too much happiness =>

Well, if you like being grumpy and sad all the time :3

=> iii > IV > V > I =>

Hmm, lemme try this.

...

Wow, that's really good! Although the V>I thing at the end kind of gives it a feeling that it's finishing there, whereas the melody repeats a lot, so I'd kind of want to give it that continuous feeling. I would definitely use this as an ending for each chorus, though!

=> 1:09 clipping =>

HOW?! Just... how did you hear this? You are a true mixmaster.

=> bass =>

I set the bass when I first started writing the beginning, didn't change it, and got used to it :/ It does need a better bass instrument, I agree.

=> Arrangement: 4/4 =>

?!!?!?!!??!

Thank you so much for the amazing review! I'll take all of this advice to heart and make future uploads less... dangerously cheesy. :D:D

[Panic Attack [NGAUC]]

== This is an NGAUC Knock-Out Round Review ==

Ah, more heavy metal!

Man, I have to say that the riff that you lead with is pretty great. You’re using some weird scale that I can’t even identify. I love this stuff. And then you lead into another riff, and that one is good too! The whole song segues through different heavy metal parts really well, and that leaves the song sounding very varied and interesting throughout.

However, I did find myself wishing you’d break away from the insane riffing just a little more than you did. A breakdown with, say, acoustic guitar, or maybe something crazy like piano, could really do wonders here to make the song even more varied and interesting.

Like other people mentioned, the drums in this track are lacking a lot of umph. The best way to fix this is going to sound so simple that you might not even believe me, but just bear with me: turn the volume of the drums UP, and turn the volume of every other channel DOWN. :P Yes, it will really work. Just don’t go overboard and make the drums too loud.

The other thing you should know is how to get that kick to come through. You can fix the kick in particular by high passing all your non-bass instruments, so that only the bass of your kick and your bass guitar are coming through in the low end. This will make the kick come through much better!

All in all, this is a pretty great song - it just needs the mix to be tidied up a little, and perhaps a breakdown or two, to be really solid. Keep it up!

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Mini-Scores (see here: http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953):
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 2/4

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the in depth review :) glad to hear you enjoyed it! Nice idea trying to work some piano in, sounds like a challenge but it's worth thinking about.

Will definitely try upping the drums a little! If it's really as simple as volume levels and giving the kick a bit of a boost like you mentioned then that's great news lol

[Aokigahara]

== This is an NGAUC Knock-Out Round Review ==

Whoa, heavy metal! I always thought that metal was fairly niche, but it’s having a pretty darn large showing in the Underdogs group - and I have to say, your song is one of the strongest metal contenders. It's long, but varied, and it’s an excellent showcase of excellent riffs interspersed with acoustic soloing.

The mixing in this track is pretty darn excellent. You do a really excellent job with utilizing the entire stereo width, which makes the gigantic metal sounds even larger, and the drums are precisely as loud as I’d expect them to be, which is awesome. The only thing that seems a little off is the bass sound - it seems like it could be just a tad louder.

I have to say, this reminds me a lot of Opeth. If you haven’t heard of them before, you should definitely check them out. They seem like they’re right up your alley.

The chord progressions in this song are all great, but if there’s one thing I’m missing from it (well, I admit I’m also missing a vocalist, but I can understand that) is a bit more melodic development. With such nice chord progressions and choice, I really find myself wanting some sort of melodic line on top of them that I can really grab onto. The heavy metal riffing sections come close, but during the acoustic sections I really find myself feeling like the song is just a tad incomplete. It’s still a dang good song, though.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Mini-Scores (see here: http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953):
* Composition: 4/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 4/4

[The Faceless Man - A Clash of Kings]

== This is an NGAUC Knock-Out Round Review ==

Seven minutes of heavy metal! And a Game of Thrones reference in the title! Oh man!

You start out with some chugging guitars, and that’s pretty awesome! And then the guitars keep chugging… and chugging… And then I get 3 minutes in the song and they practically have never stopped chugging. And although the pattern does change up a few times, by the end of the song I’m left feeling like, aside from a few quick breakdowns, that the entire darn song was chugging guitars.

Now there’s nothing wrong with chugging guitars, but there’s a point where *anything* becomes too much. I’d say that this song *really* needs some structural variation. Slow parts, maybe parts with other instruments like piano, different chords, modulations, etc.

Suddenly at 5:30 I noticed that there’s a baseline to this song! It was really hard for me to hear before, since it’s been buried under all the chugging, unfortunately. The good news is that that’s the only big mixing issue that I’ve noticed with this song. The drums and the guitars all seem to be relatively well mixed - it’s just the baseline which is not really in the picture.

And the truth is that I haven’t really been persuaded by your composition either. I really wanted some sweet melodies or shredded solos or something to really flesh out this piece. As is, it’s just a sequence of chords, and while some of them sound alright together, in sum it’s not super compelling as is. It needs more! (And by that I mean, it should be shorter, but it should have more variation and interest.)

So, all in all, I think that this track is a good start, but it needs to be tightened up quite a bit, and it needs a lot more variation. Keep at it!

Overall Score: 4.5/10
Mini-Scores (see here: http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953):

* Composition: 3+/4
* Arrangement: 2/4
* Mixing: 4/4

[Redline]

== This is an NGAUC Knock-Out Round Review ==

DANG. That riff that you open with is SOLID. Not only that, but your vocals are pretty darn solid as well. I have to admit, I don’t listen to the growly heavy metal lyrics too often, but I recognize excellent vocals when I hear them, and you definitely have them. Well done.

I have to say, while I’m just throwing out all the things I like about this song, that the transition into the chorus, e.g. 1:55, is just really well done and satisfying. The first time I heard it, I got super pumped up!

Not only that, but the spoken word sections, like 1:40, that gradually get more intense into the shouting in the chorus, is just SO satisfying. Yes, it’s kind of a cliche, but You actually got me thinking that I need to listen to more music with growling vocals, which is a singular feat, let me tell you.

I’m actually having difficulty coming up with things to critique. Honestly, the riff may have gotten *slightly* overdone towards the end, but only slightly.

All in all? I gotta say. The vocals are definitely an acquired taste, and you might be distancing a few people who don't like them, but personally? I think you did a REALLY good job here. This was my favorite track in the Underdogs.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Mini-Scores (see here: http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953):
* Composition: 3+/4
* Arrangement: 4/4
* Mixing: 4/4

[_Clouds]

== This is an NGAUC Knock-Out Round Review ==

Whoa! Even on the first listen, I was really taken aback by this piece. All the set pieces of EDM are there, but you take it in a much different direction - a direction that has really cool sounding chords and melodies.

I have to say, your melodies and solos are really unique and cool. The melodies and chord progressions are probably my favorite aspect of this piece, and that is just SO satisfying to say in a genre where melodies and progressions are usually eschewed in favor of loud obnoxious build ups

I really enjoy the processing that you’ve put on that lead. There is this really bizarre effect that happens when you pitch-bend it - it’s almost as if it splits into a bunch of little leads and they pitch-bend at different times. I’ve never heard anything quite like that, and it’s a very cool, effective idea that adds to the trippy atmosphere of the piece. The sound design is great, which I could tell almost immediately upon opening your track and hearing the nice plucks.

The mixing is on point as well. The kick and snare are loud as heck - almost too loud, perhaps?

I have to say, this piece is pretty friggin' good. The way that you’ve taken EDM and turned it inside out, with interesting chord progressions, cool effects and processing that I’ve never heard before is pretty impressive. Well done.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Mini-Scores (see here: http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953):
* Composition: 3+/4
* Arrangement: 4/4
* Mixing: 4/4

trunotfals responds:

Thank you for your great review! And thank you so much for being a part of choosing me to be in the knock-out round! To be honest I would've liked to hear more of how I could've improved! Haha but nonetheless it's good to know the strengths I can focus on. Thank you so much.

I'm very glad you appreciated my take on EDM. I love to hear artists like FEED ME or VARIEN or WRLD do much more complicated things with their music. I love to hear unique complicated chord progressions, the ones that grab your ear like "ooooooooooooh whats that" and then force you to pull out your old theory notebooks and figure it out yourself. (If you're a theory nerd like me) That kind of feeling was my biggest inspiration for the chord structure of this song. Which is what I started with and built off of as well. The melody was one of those things where you play the chord progression over and over, and have an idea of your drop, and then you just sit there and listen over and over, until you start to hear a melody. and then slowly let it form into the program. One that just....speaks to you xD 0.o.

The effect you're hearing on the lead is simply a delay on the voice, automated to turn up JUST on the end of the voice, so that it only delays that little tail end of the phrase when i pitch bend it up and down, and timed just right so it sound unnatural and kind of makes you not realize it's a delay at all. I'm glad you appreciated it it was a big effect I wanted to sell. YAY. Wanted to add that kind of transcendent out of body experience-likeness to it, the kind of feeling you'd have if you were actually free flying. Like "is this really happening?"..."Descending back to reality...." (?)

And as I said with SkyeWint, I'm glad the mixing was appreciated by you guys, I'm going to make sure I use similar techniques and levels in my knockout round piece, cause this was the first time I think I hit the sweet spot in my mix. I can't forget how to do that. (yay FL 12 for being so streamlined)

Well once again, Thank you for being a part of choosing me to be one of the ones to move on. I'm a little shocked, extremely happy, and very nervous to start my next song.