johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[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

[Reaper's Song]

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

This piece has a very cool, dark vibe - it fits the title perfectly, and it sounds very evil! (I think it could also be a Halloween song :-)) On the other hand, the sound design needs work, and the instruments, e.g. the saw bass at 3:07, are sometimes too loud or too quiet (too loud, in the case of the bass) in the mix, which makes the song feel unbalanced. This is a good and interesting attempt - keep at it! 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: 2/4

Lone-X responds:

I appreciate the review! I've checked your guides as well and will try them out!

Peace and love,
Lone X

[Death of a Prodigy]

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

This piece definitely has a lot of emotion to it. You have a really good sense of arrangement - you add and remove energy almost effortlessly, and it works really well. It definitely has a really strong and somber feel to it which perfectly matches the title. I’m also impressed by how you do so much with so few elements - just strings, and a tiny bit of piano and horns. On the other hand, I find that sometimes the melody can be a little undirected, and since the piece is already so subtle as it is, the piece loses a some interest. The piece is pretty darn good, though. Score: 8

P.S. I noticed you said this in a response to someone’s review: "if I add too much stuff my computer can't handle it, and Kontakt starts dropping samples when exporting.” That’s not a limitation! You can bounce down your tracks to waveforms, and then you (obviously) don’t need Kontakt for that instrument any more, so you can add MORE instruments! :D

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: 4/4

larrynachos responds:

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed this piece :) As much as I love keeping things simple, you're right. It can lose some interest.

I've tried the method you suggested before, but even just exporting ONE instrument can be a challenge (my computer SUCKS). I just need more ram lol.