johnfn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Unfortunately Unforgettable]

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

Holy... so I almost wrote this off as terrible, but then all this awesome stuff started happening. (In particular, 0:28 to 0:44 is just phenomenal.) So I almost called this song awesome, but then it got really messy again. To me, it sounds like you are a very talented composer - some of your melodies are just fantastic here. However, and this is a very large however, your approach to sharing these melodies in the world is to take the worst possible instruments you can find and PLAY THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME. So, like, please please spend some more time on sound design in the future! Because I love a lot of your melodies (this is very rare for me), but I just can't get over the sound design and arrangement aspects of this song.

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: 4/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6.5/10

mrcoolisimo responds:

Thanks for the critique!

[One More Time]

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

Hi there, MavMusic! This is a pretty cool song - it starts with a neat riff. However, I have to say, this song sounds a bit like it's *too* compressed - like you've taken an entire 3 minute song and only shown us the most important bits. The song is so short, and so repetitive, that it's a bit hard to critique because there's almost nothing to say about it! It just needs to be longer, and it needs to be developed more.

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: 1+/4
Overall (this is not an average): 5.5/10

MavMusic responds:

cool, thanks for the review ill be sure to make my next song longer and better thanks for the tips

[Unseen]

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

First of all, I love that intro chord progression on the piano. Second, although I'm not totally sold on the drop which follows immediately after, I do actually like the chord progression a lot. So I guess you make good chord progressions! The melodic section that starts at 1:00 unfortunately falls into the trap of melodies that feel somewhat random, and then we suddenly go into this orchestral thing at 1:25?? Man, this song has so many crazy different sections. The impressive thing is that you actually transition between them fairly well. The section at 2:10 with the chords is actually awesome. I wish you had stayed on that section for longer (or just repeated it somewhere else in the song) rather than transitioning wildly away from it again. All in all, I think this song is cool and you're a good songwriter, but you need to learn which parts of your song are the best and repeat them a little more rather than transitioning between 100 different parts!

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: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7/10

littlelamp100 responds:

i agree, thank you for taking the time to write this review and i will take this into consideration in the future :)

[Mannequins]

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

Well, if you say that this is different from your normal stuff, then I wonder what your normal stuff sounds like! I have to commend you for the fabulous drop at 1:11. The mixing is really working well here. Towards the latter half of the song you start making those cool dubstep noises (hah, I have such accurate terminology), and it's also very effective. All in all, I'm very impressed by your sound design! What I'm not so convinced by, however, is the composition. While the main melody is not bad by any means, it didn't really convince me that it was awesome, either. Still, this is a very solid song overall.

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 3+/4
Composition: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 7.5/10

Leelius responds:

I am more than honored to actually score 4/4 mixing wise! And I thank you for being thorough and indepth with your judgement as well. I will keep working hard on arrangement and composition to really hook the listener in the future.

This is more or less my first actual electronic dance song attempt. I've mainly produced heavy metal tracks with very similar electronic and dubsteppy sound design (like in this track) for the past 1,5 years.

I wanted to enter the contest with this track, because the metal tracks I produce are collaborations with a guitarist/vocalist guy.

[Johanna]

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

I have to admit, these instruments just sound awesome! The drums in particular are just lovely. They are deep and boomy and they just sound awesome. However, the composition is really lacking here. It almost sounds as if you just chose random notes! The notes don't seem to form any sort of melodic contour at all, they just happen in bursts. Maybe this was intentional, maybe not, but it leads to a surreal and disorienting listening experience.

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 1/4
Overall (this is not an average): 6/10

JourneyJaybeats responds:

Thanks for that.

I feel like I just do solo after solo, with a random arrangement for that data.

I can identify a struggle that I believe you to be observing in my work.

I would say that we have reached a consensus.

[Shi And Silence]

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

Wow, this is a really nice piece! The sound choice and design is just immaculate. The drums sound fantastic - I love whichever pack your using. (That's right - I don't even know what it is, but I love it!) Furthermore, they're mixed really well. The vocals, too, sound pretty awesome. Both the whispered sounds and the higher female vocals add a bunch of atmosphere. Yes, that's what defines this piece: ATMOSPHERE. I would have liked a more solid melody or at least a bit more defined chords so I could really love this piece, but even as it stands, it's a really fantastic piece of atmospheric and ambient work. Great job!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 3/4
Composition: 3/4
Overall (this is not an average): 8/10

JeremyKingVA responds:

Thank you kindly! :D

The drums are from Soundiron's "Apocalypse Elements" library. Atmosphere was definitely what I was aiming for when I composed this, haha. Glad you enjoyed the piece!

[G4CE'sz - Travel]

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

So this was a really ambitious piece! A nine minute long song is a rarely seen feat. Furthermore, you have multiple different sections, which is a good idea, because they keep the song interesting and moving along. However, I felt like there were some problems with this track. To me, the worst was probably that some of the chords felt a little dissonant at times, and the pluck sample does not work so well with the longer strings.

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

KayJay-Artique responds:

Thanks for the review :)

[/Across Universes\]

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

When I first saw your track, I was like, "Hmm, this guy's name is EverReverb. That does not bode well for mixing." Well, congrats on making me EAT MY WORDS. This track is a really really solid techno track. The composition is really solid and the mixing (ha) is stellar. Right when I was starting to think it was getting tiring, you totally switch it up (at 3:30). I would perhaps prefer a new chord progression to be introduced at some point or maybe a stronger melody, but I'm not going to lie; this song is very good. I feel like in the old days of the portal, you could have been one of those guys who got really popular making energetic, speedy techno (like dimrain47 and the rest). Instead, you're in the underdogs division. Bummer. Well, whatever. Congrats on the great song!

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
Mixing: 4/4
Arrangement: 3+/4
Composition: 4/4
Overall (this is not an average): 9/10

AED4 responds:

Yeah, I know my name xD Actually i came up with it back when i still abused reverb. Thank god I seem to have grown out of it :P (But i will still keep it cause I think it sounds cool...)

One of the biggest obstacles I'm always facing with composition is indeed switching chord progressions smoothly. Often it tends to sound almost as if the song would fell apart... But that's only something to practise!

I was afraid that the section at 1:57 was sounding too muddy with the arp piling up with the saw, but fortunately that seems to not be the case.

And I am deeply honoured by your thoughts. Newgrounds techno acts as a major source of inspiration and energy for me :)

Thank you for your detailed review and encouraging words! This really keeps me motivated :)

[AIM The Legend of Uncle Dave]

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

!!! THIS SONG IS AWESOME. I freaking love the “wall of acoustic guitar” approach that you took. Perhaps the recording quality is a little low, but that’s fine. The composition is really, really good! It’s made of multiple different sections that are all really interesting. You have also arranged the piece really well. My only real complaint is that this song may be like :30 sec too long - you repeat the main melody perhaps 1 time too many.  That is a small complaint, however! I looped the song three times when I first heard it. Then I got into arguments with other judges about why they hadn't given it 10/10. Sooo goooood. I want more pls.

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

Daveisgr81 responds:

Thanks so much for such a positive review!

I am working on upgrading my recording equipment, just bought two C1000s and a mixing desk to improve the quality of my recorded sound. I'll see if can develop an arrangement that does more with less of the material too!

There will be more - I strongly recommend you check out No Regrets in the meantime!

Also, I love the amount of feedback you're providing. Super useful.