johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dark Forest]

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

Wow, that's the first 7/4 I've heard this competition. Cool! This piece is really something else. With almost no discernible melody at all, it instead builds off of tension, release, atmospheric noise, and excellent orchestral instrument choice. It's hard for me to critique because it's so different than the other tracks I'm hearing in the contest (and that is of course always a good thing!). I'll say that as an accompaniment to a game or movie, this would be awesome, but as a standalone piece, I feel that it might lack a little melodic development that would otherwise keep a track interesting. It's still a very good piece. 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: 4/4
* Mixing: 3/4

Azhthar responds:

Huh... just browsed my feed and saw that I totally forgot to respond here, but I guess with all the reviews you did for the NGAUC you didn´t evene realize ;) Thanks a lot for the detailed review. I should do some more 7/4 or experiment with odd meters in general. Glad you like it. It wasn´t really my intention here to make a melodic piece but you are right that as a standalone piece it wouldn´t be choice no1. Maybe I could have developed the violin theme which appears at some points (for example at the end)... Also thanks a lot for the good grades here. I guess I wouldn´t have passed without them ;)

[Naco Bueno]

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

I was really liking this, but the little flute(?) melody at 1:10 really jarred me out of my appreciation - it seems out of tune, and worse, it doesn't gel with the vibe of the song at all! The rest of the song is great, though. I kinda wish there was someone rapping over the beat, but hey. The atmosphere and the background effects are very well done - it feels very authentic. Score: 8

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: 3/4

[It's Compo Taimu!]

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

The piano sounds very mechanical - one of my pet peeves as a pianist - vary those velocities! Compositionally very cool - the riff you open with is just unique enough to keep me engaged through the song - but the sound design (that saw wave in particular really stands out) and mix need work. Score: 7.5

Mini-scores (Note: See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)

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

Czyszy responds:

Thanks a lot! About that piano thing, well... it's the sample library's fault in a way. It uses samples at the same volume in different velocities, which makes it sound stiffish. I'm still saving to buy a better piano plugin. Sound design/mix on the other hand: definitely blame me for that. My ears don't seem be trained enough to catch little flavorings such as the saw being too loud and things. I just sandwich sounds until it sounds full, not paying attention to how different instruments sound together. Now, I'm certain that I really should be working harder. So, yeah... thank you very much again.

[Warmth and Numbness]

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

Oh my god... I don't know how you knew, but I have a secret love of stoner rock. Kyuss is such a great band. But I digress. After the really epic and amazing opening (those drums!), I feel like the song stagnates - it takes a little too long to evolve and keep going, and the riff is repeated a little too often. Eventually we get into a solo at 4:14, but it needs to be more compelling. The little motif that we get into 5:45 is exactly what I wanted - it's a great riff with a brooding feel! But it needed to come a few minutes earlier. (I also wish you would have built it up more and outro'd on it - it's a very strong riff - but that's just me.) Good work, but needs a tighter arrangement. 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

[Reflective Dungeon Theme]

This is pretty cool! The mixing is a little off - sometimes the lead gets buried - but dang, you have a pretty good grasp on theory (or a great ear for good sounding chords :-). The orchestral sound choice, too, is well done - nice use of different string articulations, percussion, bells... all of that tasty stuff. The ending 30 seconds are great. 8

Mini-scores (Note: See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)

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

LloydeSorrow responds:

I'm very glad you enjoyed it and thank you very much for the detailed review! It's very helpful. I've looked at how you derive the scores and I've also looked at the guides you have on how to improve and I find them really helpful! You're awesome! Thank you again!

[Patience]

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

Let's get it out of the way - some of your instrument samples sound AWFUL. I mean, right from the opening notes, that synth bass just clashes horribly with the organs, because it's just not a good synth bass - at least, not in that context. I *know* you can find better ones - heck, we even have 3.5gb of not-too-crappy samples just lying around on Newgrounds - but it’s also a matter of properly choosing instruments that go well with others. And while I'm complaining, quite a few transitions come out of left field, like 1:05.

And yet you'll notice that I'm still here talking, which is because although this piece is definitely flawed, it has a lot of very interesting ideas. It goes through so many different, varied sections, and it has a lot of really cool solos that show some real creativity! I want to hear more of those next time. So yeah: flawed, but compelling. Score: 7.5

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

Birdinator99 responds:

Thank you for your honesty, John. I often underestimate the importance of a good arrangement, thinking "it's all about the mix", being the technically oriented person I am, but I know that the arrangement is very much part of the mix -- I have yet to drive this point home to myself, but please know that I am aware of it as a weakness of mine. Your complaint on the transition is valid as well.

That's my trouble. Some decent ideas, but poor execution... I need more practice, which is precisely why I have come to this contest -- so I can have a deadline, and therefore force myself to improve, lest I succumb to the competition!

Glad you like the solos. Thank you for taking the extra time to write this; I appreciate it!

[Nastenka]

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

Ah, trap. I always think that entering trap/dubstep to a Newgrounds contest is a bit risky, since NG is so orchestral/melodic focused. I'll try to be unbiased. I like the trap section - it's got a good rhythm to it - but I feel like the drums are not hard hitting enough! And I know that trap is all about obnoxiously low sub-bass, but in this case, the bass is *so* low that it actually bothers me (sub bass that's too low can actually cause people to feel weird and be disoriented :p). You've got some good riffs in here, and I like that a lot, but I think that you repeat them a little too much - the song should be shorter. Still, not bad. Score: 7

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

etK responds:

Thanks for the review :D
It really helps me ;)

[Never Let You Go]

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

This piece is difficult to judge. On one hand, the vocal quality is excellent - one of the best I've heard - and the vocal melody is very good too. On the other hand, the accompaniment - the techno instruments in the background, the beat etc., do not do justification to it at all. I mean, the vocal does not mesh well with the background sounds at all, and they fail to give proper drive and energy to the song. So it's a hard song to judge, because if it was *just* the vocals, I'd give it a very high score, but if it was *just* everything else, I'd give it a pretty low score. As is, I think I'll compromise. Score: 7.5

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: 3/4

spot1techno responds:

Thank you!! I appreciate the review. :)

[Galaxy Trail]

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

Let's just get mixing over with right off the bat - it's very bad. The song is definitely clipping when all the elements come together. You need to take any limiter off your master track and adjust your levels so that they aren't so loud. The piano gets so buried behind the other elements that I can't even tell if it's there sometimes, which is no good either. On the positive side, the composition has a sort of dark brooding feel to it, and the melody at 4:24 would be really nice if it wasn't so buried! (You could also have gotten to that point earlier in the song ;-)) You have good ideas for music - but need to be aware of and work on the details. Score: 6

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: 1/4

NGKFlower responds:

Thanks! I'm trying to improve with each track I make, so hopefully I'll get better. =)

[Swing For A Special Lady]

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

I don't even know what to say. This piece is so ridiculous and dumb and yet good. Somehow! The lyrics are a bit of a stumbling block for me, admittedly. I mean, they're definitely hilarious, but I feel like they also stop me from fully appreciating the piece. I love the bass groove and the vocal melody is really solid - in a fuller song with e.g. drums this could be super solid. It's already very good. Score: 8

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: 3/4

Ceevro responds:

Yeah, I wasn't going for the super-serious here! Everything was live-recorded, meaning there aren't any electronic loops. What I had was a guitar and a mic...glad you had some fun listening!