CryNN's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Inquisition - ADM'22 Round 3]

This an official NGADM review

A stunning piece from the start to finish. The entire composition resembles of a main theme soundtrack from some fantasy movie. The leitmotif is easy to remember and it really stands out from the composition and those "tempo mutations" you made on the melodies are really clever and they work outstandingly well.
I really wish the structure was more clear and progressive, but im just speaking from my personal perspective. The breakdown elements could be used more frequently in the chorus parts and so on... Otherwise I love the fact that you kept on adding more details to the composition.
As for the mixing, the brass instruments alongside with the flute rolls are a bit sharp around the 1-5khz area. Now, thats my main complaint. The ear is very sensitive at those areas and id reccomend to notch some resonances out in that areas. The width of the mix could be also bigger and I wish it had more movement. Im missing having those (on the other hand really epic) flute rolls more convoluted with reverb and effects. Might be an artistic preference though.
In short; apart from some details in the mixing and structure, I really much enjoyed the whole composition and I cant wait for more submissions like this one from you!

I wish you the best of luck in this contest.
-CRY

Santi-Montali responds:

Hey, thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you find this a good composition. I really get what you mean with all those mixing tips since I had to hurry to finish and didn't have the time to mix it. Besides that, listening to the track retrospectively, I think my brain actually molded to compensate these and now I can definitely tell it's too bright which is actually pretty weird since libraries tend to sound opaque. I did somehow managed to miss the convo reverb and that would explain the convoluted runs you were hoping for (and also the lack of warmth). I don't know if you are into this kind of music but the width is actually a problem when it comes to orchestral libraries since you have 4-5 mics that were pre-panned and messing up with the stereo image is often a problem more so than an artistic preference. You were probably expecting this to sound more on the modern style of cinematic music which tends to be ginormous, and I'm often looking for some kind of mid ground between that and the classical orchestra sound (might be too hard haha). Anyway, sorry for the long response. Again, thank you so much for listening! :)

[X3ll3n - Madness 2022]

that really sounds like some of Boom Kittys work. very nice job! the breakdown especially
i probably found the elephant siren hahahaha

X3LL3N responds:

I'm glad you liked it !
If you're up for the task, my track "Tropical Vibes" has a horse sound effect hidden in plain sight (and it works way too well) :D

[Year]

Official NGADM audio review

Although i had different submissions to review on, i particularily wanted to take a bite off yours as well. It is very bold of you to make an extraordinarily structured track for a contest like NGADM. I even think it is unusual to hear it in prog house scene, but I like your guts with an attempt do create and submit something like this.
I have to be very critical about your submission since progressive house needs to be as precise and clean as possible. To be exact, I need to balance out the categories with other submissions. Maybe yours isn't that focused on sound design, but on atmosphere and structure.
The track starts right off the bat with a pretty complex groove right away. I think it would be more natural to start it with a singular kick drum and the shaker pattern to make it even more progressive and interesting. The progression kicks off pretty fast, and thats alright, but make sure you're adding the elements consistently. What I think about too is probably making the transition more prominent and with some hints that another element is coming. For example the percussion groove starts playing abruptly at 01:02 and the break at 01:48 does it too. What I'd reccommend is adding risers or automating the reverb of some elements.
I like the resonant BP acid stabs in the background and the pads coming after the second minute however they don't really make me excited throughout the entire 2 minutes. What I mean is that moment is very bland in terms of arrangement and progression even with some crashes here and there, the pattern sounds the same and its predictable. Make it more intuitive and saturated with elements. I think you maybe overdid it of making it super minimalistic.
The part after 4 minutes is though what makes the track interesting. The transition to piano with the kick being removed was a nice little touch and the sound choice is great. I think the percussion is a bit too loud in that part though and it should be regulated with automation whether its filters or gain. The outro is very soothing, maybe richer pads and more bass could make the outro more dominant and prolific. The pads sound a bit cheap imo. Really like the automation you've put there in the end.
From a mixing standpoint the track is very clean, almost perfect. The hats have some resonance over at 13.5K and that's what makes the ears a bit tired. It would be good to add a low mid dip on the master over around 200hz to make the mix less boomy, and maybe balance out the stereo field. There are no phasing issues whatsoever, but it's very inconsistent in some parts. The pads are less mono compatible than other elements.
So with a little bias, I think it's very hard to judge a track with a structure like yours, and what's making this complicated for you, is that you need to maintain your listener's interest throughout the entire track until the outro. It's not really clever to submit a track that needs to have this type of criteria to a contest, when other submissions make a regular spoiled GP listener way more excited in a span of 3 minutes and less. I kinda know progressive house you do, it's very hard to understand it as a regular listener. I wrote some points a bit too harshly on purpose so you can think how much can your track affect the listeners experience, and honestly I had to re-listen to it a couple of times and change my score because of some changes I did not even notice at first. For a contest, make atleast the changes a bit more unpredictable yet a lot more prominent, "with a little bias."

wish you the best in this contest. hope youll make another house track next round ;D
-CRY

Sequenced responds:

thanks for your review, I write music for the progressive crowd, not really the newgrounds listener. forgive me if I will ignore the "keep normies interested in 3 minutes" remark, but I will take your other critiques in mind

just having a kick and a shaker as intro seems rather bland to me.

what system are you listening on? I don't notice any thing too boomy on my end and no real complaints from others.

[Fortress]

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL NGADM REVIEW

Industrial with complextro and trance elements? That is a combination id never think to witness in NGADM but here we are! And youre lucky that i specialize in those genres haha.
The first introducting part starts right off the bat. Has that EBMish/Techno groove which i wish that it would last a lot longer. The next part sounds a bit too sudden and chopped off. So as the next sections. The transitioning leaves a bitter taste, either its too static (or staticly automated) or just a bit too abrupt. Add effects like reverb and filter out some elements. Youll reach a better outcome from the climax. I like the melodic changes and the MIDI construction. its creative, spooky and all. I like the very bold idea adding triplets in the middle of the track, pretty cool.
When it comes to categorizing and comparing this track to the genre stereotypes (whether its complextro or industrial,) In my thought i feel like the track is losing the perfect color as the specified genres would have.
First of all if you listen to the the genres in general. Mostly youll get a pretty damn loud master. I think thats the main problem of this track, its not loud enough for listeners to enjoy the sound design they want to enjoy. I analyzed the loudness and its on -19 integrated LUFS which doesnt really fit the standard. Make your master atleast -12LUFS to have more elements to peak out through the mix. You dont have a limiter in the master, so just turn down your volume on your headphones and make the track a wee bit louder ;)
Another thing that should be kept in mind is track referencing. Im talking about elements and sound choice. Industrial tracks dont need a clean mix. Complextro tracks on the other hand mostly do. Now what to filter and distort right? :D For example, imo the kick deserves a tighter, cleaner sound so you could make up a striking contrast of the harsh synths. Id recommend playing your favourite tracks in that style and use their ideas. Its not strictly copying if youll blend the ideas together ;)

Hopefully this review comes out helpful for you. Im looking forward to hear more from you! Good luck!
-CRY

deepfriedfiend responds:

Thank you for the advice and happy you found the triplets!

[NGADM 2022, Round 2 - U S E D T O F E E L]

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL NGADM REVIEW

VodouQueen! Was super excited to hear your submission. Last years finalist bringing his revenge upon the next contest hahaha.
The outrunny mood and mysterious synth patterns are a classic combination in this genre. Id say youve definitely mastered the ways of synthwave when it comes to picking your sounds and creating an atmosphere. Very good! The vocals are super cheesy, but in the best way possible. I dig them, but they could be less harsh on the ears, especially if a sound hits the 1 - 4khz region.
I miss a powerful euphoric drop on this track, which i think its a shame when the entire track plays a bit too far in the back in terms of arrangement. Might be a bit cliche to create it in this style of music so im welcoming the fact that you made it less predictable. The intro is nicely put in terms of structure, the progression is amazing.
The main problem of this submission is the mixing. Id overlook the kick being a bit less powerful when you have a huge bass playing in the track. Atleast sidechain it. And i feel the kick has a way too loud transient, careful with the Transpire tool! If id generalize the entire mix, its super phasy and resonant. The super wide, reverbed-out bass and the flangy FX are a not healthy combination for the mix. Always make the bass under 120hz mono. Thatll fix the muddy lows. Turn down the width of the reverb and unison on the elements and avoid using flanger and phaser effects. They cause phasing issues and are a complete hell for the mix ;-;
Last but not least, i hear some clipping in the intro. Its tough to balance a panned guitar with a piano that are hitting frequencies super hard. Notch them on the EQ to fix the problem, and turn the reverb down ;)

EDIT: Ahh, then it might be other elements clashing and causing mischief to each other. The FX definitely can cause phasing, and try to look at some high end sounds alone with the phase correlation meter to see if theyre phasing as well. Thanks for the response ;)

I wish you the best of luck in this contest!
-CRY

TheVodouQueen responds:

Thank you so much for taking precious time out of your busy schedule(s) to write this review. :) I very much appreciate it, and am glad you were super excited to hear this latest submission!

I am unsure really how to fix some of the issues you mention. I can hear what you mean--even before I made the decision to post it with some of the reverb and effects--however, a good majority of the critique I did hone in on for this. I did a lot of EQ of both the vocals and bass/low-ends. The kick & drums are side-chained to the basses when they appear in the latter sections of the song. The low-ends (including the kicks) are all in mono, as well. So I'm not sure if its just the phasy resonance that's interfering with the mixing work I've done (so, basically, I counteracted my own efforts to curtail some of the issues you've pointed out), or what, but I am assuming it's just too much FX going on in the low-ends.

*Sigh*...I really need help when it comes to mixing and melody variation. xD I've spent all this year, for days and hours on end between SkillShare and YT trying to learn the art of post-production, but issues still crop up. Unsure if it's me being too experimental...

Regardless, thank you so much for the review! o/ Don't think I'm going to make it to Round 3 (on the Winners' Side), but if I don't, I'll try to implement better judgement for the song on the Losers' Side.

[Wrath]

57 hours wtf x.x

AceMantra responds:

Yeahhh lol. I have to work on speeding up my workflow.

[Escape]

what youve been watching Stranger Things lately?
massive work. could be a bit more meatier around the lows on the drop ;)

RedCocoa responds:

As a matter of fact yes, I had just finished volume 1 of the latest season when I made this :D
Frequency balancing is something I'll keep in mind more should I make it into the contest. I agree that my mastering process is kind of unpolished overall so that's something I definitely want to work on with this.
Thanks for your feedback :D

[BEST DROP OF ALL TIME]

certified mosh pit material

Demonicity responds:

YES

[AIM - The Storm]

amazing work on connecting the track atmosphere with the art. really love the storytelling youve put on this piece. tells how much you had fun with it :D

Accel-yo responds:

Yoooo im so hype you liked the storytelling, i really tried to emphasize that aspect. and ur right, I had so much fun making this track :) thanks for listening

[KiazoKen]

massive energy! wish the kick had more prominence. might be unusual. patterns like Nedaj uses would sound really great in the drop. the breakdown was perfetto <3

HypercubeRecords responds:

Thanks for feedback!