Troisnyx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The_Imaginary_Sword]

This is a NGAUC review.

Right off the bat, I hear choirs... which could sound wider, wetter and more humanised. They sound like Vocaloids without any volume changes........

Your instrumentation is good, and not out of place. Your chords and sense of tonality are alright. I can see the vision of what you are trying to compose.

But your mixing and lack of volume control throw the whole thing out of balance.

Now imagine this being performed in a room. You wouldn't have the instruments playing at the same volume with each note, would you? You'd vary each note's volume in the piano roll, to achieve the desired effect. Then, you'd add the necessary reverberation, to make it sound like it's been played in a natural setting. For the choirs in particular, you'd imagine the conductor would instruct them to go loud and soft in some places.

Then come the uses of volume envelopes. Some parts in the song would be soft early on, and then getting progressively louder. Tempo envelopes also could be used to that effect, for instance with the choirs, if you want them to sound solemn.

Mixing is also about recognising the frequencies of each individual instrument, and making sure they do not overlap (so that they don't get 'swallowed'.) For instance, your drums are barely audible, and sometimes other instruments tend to overlap (strings and vocals, etc.). Then this is where equalisation comes in. Give each instrument its best frequency range (for instance, basses about 50Hz, drums about 100 Hz or slightly higher, and so on and so forth) until each can be clearly heard.

I feel painfully for this piece because I can imagine its epicness already. I can hear the final result in my head. But it sounds heavily automated, very much like the humanisation work isn't done.

4/10.

Possibly responds:

Ouch :)

Thanks for taking the time to review.

Yeah, I was trying to treat them as 'phantasmagoric instruments' so for me there was to be a certain sense of the timbre as a whole with individual instruments emerging from the depths only to subside.

I will take on board your points about the volume and mixing etc and your more general points as well - I have to admit, that in terms of the volume, specifically the choirs I had deliberately curbed the variance in volume as it just wasn't working as points of emphasis, I found the more subtle changes worked better for me, but I take your point that it's not quite there for you. It's only the second time I have used them, and this is better than the first at any rate.

The drums as well, I kind of just wanted them there, accenting but not dominating. I'll come back and take a more objective look down the line perhaps.

The actual title I was working with was 'minds, like hearts, break' but I didn't use it for fear of my pretensions being too much on show, but perhaps if I had used it, that would have placed more of a limit on your feeling painfully for a particular brand of epic.

I only used automation a couple of times - but I think this was more related to an artificiality you heard which I will definitely consider in future.

I wouldn't make any claims to being fantastic or perfect in any particular regard - but some of the flaws you mention were stylistic choices, rightly or wrongly.

Anyway, thanks again for the review, I'll certainly bear it in mind in future.

Cheers!

[Tavern theme]

This is a NGAUC review.

Oh gosh, I love this. Jazz, when done well, has been known to bring the best out of a composer -- chords, melodies, flourishes, rhythm. And you have NAILED ALL OF THEM! You've put a smile on my face. The foundations have been nailed out -- the drums are crisp, the bass plays quite a bit, the chords do vary (they are not as repetitive as in many submissions I've come across), the melody is singable.......

Mixing is tastefully done; the strings (?) here are a bit too wet for my taste, but everything else has its proper place.

Another slight complaint is that the loop point is a tad iffy.

If I ever have a suggestion, it'd be perhaps that you vary feel of it just a *little bit* -- hi-hats, more syncopation on the drums (e.g., kicks and snares coming in on offbeats) -- and just a little tasteful syncopation on the other instruments. While it will be in keeping with the atmosphere you have here, it is a wonderful way to tell people there's a bit of a dynamic change about the piece. Then resolve back to your main theme. It feels like A-B-A to my ears, the way the song structure goes -- what about A-B-A-C-A? Switch things up a little.

Overall well done. Props to you.

8.7/10.

Jernemies responds:

Hey, thanks for the detailed rev :)
Glad you liked it, points noted. The loop might not the THAT fluent, because I didn't carry on the decay of the instruments in the end to the beginning.

[All Minds Obsession]

This is a NGAUC review.

The whole piece sounds whimsical, and yet serious all at once. It feels to me that you've taken a leaf off ZUN's book. It could be seen in a Touhou game, at least parts of it -- but it's not quite Touhou, it's something different.

You have an amazing sense of progression, chords, melody, you switch everything up a lot, and then you return to familiar ground towards the end of the piece. While I can't tell what key this is in, I could imagine this as a key-ambiguous, yet melodic piece of battle music. It ends a bit abruptly though: a bit of decay would have worked there.

That piano reminds me of Touhou, the way it's played, but still gives me the sound of it being automated. A mellower sound? Still: props to you for writing it. I had the feel of it sounding like background music for when you see a curtain of shimmering shooting stars. I was awestruck by it.

Most of your mix is fine, and part of your foundations are nailed so well. The drums are crisp and clear, but the basses are only slightly audible and need to be upped a bit more in volume. Everything else is beautiful.

I think upon the title of your piece and I like the vibe this is giving, very much. You've succeeded in taking me down a freaky trip down the stream of consciousness, giving me a bit of everything and anything and yet holding the piece together. I feel both weirded out and in a sugar rush at the same time. Props to you for a piece well done!

8.5/10.

Blacklawn responds:

Thanks for the review! I'm really glad that the effort I put in the mix paid off. I do agree that I turned the bass down a bit more than I should have, so I'll be more mindful of it in the next one.

[Loss]

This is a NGAUC review. Points of interest and points of improvement will be brought up, and as such, the review will be stricter than usual.

Right off the bat, you start off with sinister low strings that remind me of the music used in films about WWII. The air is bleak, and atmospheric.

Your chords are STUNNING. And your mixing has improved by leaps and bounds since I last heard your work, I notice a wider sound than usual. When the violins come in, it is chilling, haunting, and almost brought tears to my eyes. Only downside is the repeating chord sequence, I suggest that it be varied a bit, as sections change. With that comes another down point, the melodies are equally repetitive.

New chords could pave the way for new melodies, and even theming (as in the case of sonatas and symphonies, for instance) -- where you could use fragments of what you originally started with.

The pounding contrabass is powerful and reminds me of the enemy's constant campaign, but in the midst of all the other strings, it cannot be heard. I suggest that you equalise your instruments a bit better -- frequencies tend to overlap, and the contrabass would sound at its most powerful at 100Hz or lower. In a piece like this, your basses are the foundation, and need to be heard clearly for solid grounding.

Your cymbal rolls sound natural, and you end very naturally, a bit of a dying away.

Overall, a powerful piece and a commendable effort in bringing an atmosphere, a memory, to listeners' ears. Bit of variation, bit of EQ, and you're on your way.

7.9/10.

Bardash responds:

Thank you very much for your comments! This composition once again took form on its own and was inspired by a recent tragedy in the United States, but also speaks for tragedies across the globe. EQ'ing is a new frontier for me and I have quite a bit to learn in that field. For that reason, I can only hope that I have a real orchestra at my fingertips some day. This time the theme is eight bars long and once I have a theme that I fall in love with, it becomes difficult to move beyond that theme and explore other variations. I tried to put a little variance in when the horns came in to help counter the repetition of the main theme. Anyway, thank you again for your review! I always hold what you have to say in high esteem because of your extraordinary knowledge and talent.

[Cloudburst]

A word of warning, my review is going to pick out points of interest and points for improvement, and will therefore be stricter than usual.

As LunacyEcho said, this needs a structure. At th moment, I hear the same chords played over and over again, with a little variation here and there. Changes in chords can make the difference between monotony and something mind-blowing.

Your percussions (the breakbeat drums) are amazing in terms of rhythm. But they are sunk so far back in the mix that I barely hear them. Often the foundation for many pieces, especially electronic ones, are the drums.

You have good instrumentation that needs a bit of humanisation. Volume of individual notes needs to be emphasised a bit more.... like you're giving a human touch to a keyboard or synth. In some cases I find that the instruments you use make the piece sound full-bodied to my ears.

Your melodies are this song's weakest point. Sometimes you have two melodies competing for attention, and they make the song sound awfully busy. Sometimes, they clash with your background chords, ie they are not in tune... A lot of people beginning to sequence music or compose it on a keyboard..... well, they often run into this problem.

When that happens, consider listening to some songs that blow your mind. Listen again. Pick out the melodies, especially what's good in them. Highs, lows. Melodies, even in chillstep, shouldn't sound monotonous. Then, when you've got a grasp on what makes a good melody, try again -- and you'll notice a whole new world of difference.

4:37 was an unexpected change of phase, but suffers predominantly from the same issues I mentioned above.

Finally, about the voice sample. The voice was an archive from the White House. I was very disappointed with it being only at the beginning of the song, and not a consistent, repeating theme throughout. The sound served to tell me a story, but it felt as though the story was cut short. Please, if you want to use a sample, either 1) use it throughout or for a major part of the song, or 2) make the music fit that sound, not in terms of length but in terms of atmosphere. This didn't really sound like something worthy of the political conundrum that is the White House, or the majesty of it, or the gravity of the conversation going on...

4/10.

adieuwinter responds:

I've never gotten such a critical review, but I appreciate it immensely.

I will definitely take into account the issue with repetition, I haven't actually taken the opportunity to listen to much of this genre's music so far, so I'll get to that ASAP.

As for the mixing, I'm still figuring out bits and pieces of the DAW I'm using (Logic), so I'll make adjustments according to your suggestions and see how that goes.

I think that with adding structure to the piece the conflict between melodies should be resolved (to some degree) as currently I tend to have a buildup of instruments for one climax. This is one example of where that hasn't been particularly successful. Your instructions about sample usage are valuable for me as well.

Thanks!

[Cracked Pavement]

I can't say what this reminds me of, apart from a throwback to dance hall kind of jazz. Regardless, my fiancé and I listened to it, and I've gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It may be just me, but I was listening to this on 2.1 speakers -- and I didn't notice anything amiss with the sample quality. There is much variety to be found here, and that piano is brill. Sparkly highs and solid lows and mids; I like that sound.

I cannot preempt what the judges will say, nor can I properly say for myself what's lacking here, especially with my mixing ability (or lack thereof).... regardless, I commend you for your outstanding musicality. All the best to you. : )

ChronoNomad responds:

Wow, thank you so very much, Troisnyx! Suffice to say, I'm fairly blown away with all the positive reaction to this track. I enjoy experimenting in a wide variety of genres, as well as mixing and matching at will, but this is just so different that I figured it would end up getting positively hammered with negative reviews. Oh my goodness, was I wrong! And you know what? That makes me extremely happy. ^___^

Happy to be wrong. Weird, huh? C'est la vie. I'm funny like that...

No one knows what the judges will do or who will continue in this crazy Audio Deathmatch, but what I do know is that I sincerely appreciate your kind words and thoughtful review. My cup runneth over no matter what the outcome may be, and I will be ecstatic for whomever continues on to the next round. Excelsior!

[Focus]

Right off the bat, I notice a drop in sample quality, which could be countered with the right reverberation, and possibly the right instrument volume. Both these things give a great sense of depth. I hardly hear basses in some sections, either because it's tinny, or because to my ears it's ducked behind the synth. BooBass? It sounds like that to me......

Speaking of which, the low synth that you've used gives a sense of warmth, life and depth. Towards the end I find that the sense of depth is missing.

That aside: your rhythms, chords and melodies are STUNNING. Your piece is one of the more musically sound ones for this round. I favourited this piece because of just how much variety there is in it, and there are sections I can remember and sing to. You weren't kidding when you said your effort for this one went up by leaps and bounds. Some sections give me a feel straight out of Final Fantasy X-2, which is nothing to be ashamed of: I thoroughly enjoy that game's soundtrack. The bass moves quite playfully too, which is something I'd love to hear in more songs, and you nailed it quite well.

Overall wonderful piece, but I somehow feel there needs to be a "bigger" sound, so to speak, about this piece. Dance-hall reverb perhaps?

4/5.

Nimble responds:

Upon looking at this and testing it out in FL -

JESUS CHRIST

I need to get better at this whole 'mixing' thing. I'm glad you appreciate the composition. Thanks for the listen :)

[Path to the Eilan Tree]

Sample quality and harmonies and feel remind me strikingly of Final Fantasy X's soundtrack. Superb.

SilverPoyozo responds:

What can I say... I'm an old school JRPG guy. Thanks!

[Rise]

You have a wild way of playing with basses and synths, I'm impressed.

I'd have appreciated a gradual increase in volume when new synths are introduced... it otherwise sounds abruot. The chorus section, so to speak, really heightens the feeling of being lost in the music. You have an otherwise amazing sense of buildup and resolution, inspiring highs and lows, and leaving us to anticipate climaxes.

Your piece ended really abruptly...

I have no complaints about mixing.

This is trance, this is what it should inspire. A feeling of being lost in the dance, not wanting it to end. There was a bit of repetition, but not unduly so; you switched your atmosphere quite a bit.

8/10.

larrynachos responds:

Aw, I thought I concluded with a smooth outro. Maybe I should have let the reverb ring out a bit longer. I'm surprised that you said there were no problems with mixing. I think mixing is my weakest link. To me, the instruments seem to just pile on top of each other, instead of blending. Eh, as long as you like it. Thanks for an 8/10! ^_^