ErikMcClure's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[_I Promise_]

LIMITER ABUSE

Even with the seriously massive production problems in this song (as a suggestion, next time you don't have time to mix a song, just lower the volume), I like many of the melodies that are going through here. The melody really makes you feel like things will get better, and it's got an amazing soundscape behind it. I can feel that there's a story behind this song, and it's done in a very creative manner.

The intro synth could use a bit of release, and i think the intro in general could use a bit more buildup via filters or something else. The flute in the intro is absolutely brilliant though. The outro, on the other hand, starts getting the right idea but ends far too abruptly and leaves the listener a bit confused. Some of this might be influenced by the serious equalization problems, of course.

So, even though the execution of this idea was absolutely terrible, it was such a beautiful idea that you still get an 8/10 and a 5/5.

vanguard182 responds:

yeah, i've always had trouble getting the mix right and then mastering afterwards, i'm still working on it. points well taken though, thank you for taking the time

[MH16: Nowhere To Hide -NGAD-]

Needs a little work

The underlying melodic ideas in this song are very impressive, however. I think that the song would be better if it had higher production, but high quality orchestra songs are bitchingly hard to make, so I'm going to leave that out of the equation for right now.

The intro is very good, the middle is a bit questionable, and the end is wonderful, bringing the song in a complete circle. The hit at the end could be a bit stronger, though.

I think the instruments in this could use a few more dynamics, since the volumes seem a bit stiff, especially on the flute, which would have sounded far more authentic with volume changes in accordance to how it would be preformed. Overall, this is an impressive song.

8/10
5/5

FairSquare responds:

Thanks for the review!

[Astral Travel]

Creative, but lacking

This is an interesting ambient song with a fairly good landscape, but it's hurt by its dissonant notes that are thrown all over the place. The instrument choice is actually very well done, as is the basic idea, and the pitch bending is very creative. Unfortunately the piano notes are in a completely different key, which is just random, and there isn't enough stuff in the song to really keep it going for 3 whole minutes.

The production could use a bit of improvement, as well as the reverb, which is important in ambient songs like this. The drums are all mono except for a single isolated hat and a ride sample, which is really really weird. They also do not change for the entire duration of the song, and considering the significant part they play in the overall song, this is unacceptable. The vocals are slightly annoying because they're completely incomprehensible and seem random.

6/10
3/5

eatmeatleet responds:

Ok, I think the score is pretty fair. I used reverb on most of the instruments but didn't abuse because it would sound too obvious

About dissonance. I am stick to using scales only, the piano seemed to fit in there, but I guess I will not do it anymore since you say it was just random. I don't see why vocals are incomprehensible. Maybe they just don't fit to the song name or something

[Let the Games Begin [ADM]]

Noise

...but I have to admit, this is extremely well crafted noise. There is no melody whatsoever, the distortion makes the song sound like its raping the speakers, but its still tolerable to listen to, which I consider an impressive feat. When you aren't abusing the limiter to hell and back, the production is very, very well done. Sadly you waste this once the song starts distorting itself into insanity.

6/10
4/5

djInTheDark responds:

The reason why it is so distorted is because of the time constraints of the contest I had to get it in before I could properly master it. And does a song always have to have a central melody? This is contributed to the time limit because I didn't have enough time to sit down and right one. And also, I don't use a limiter, or compressor. I believe that if you can't control your own levels and values, you leave the song to fate.

[Osher - Trantastic]

Superb

Even for trance, the intro to this is going overboard a bit. A minute in and its not changing very much anymore, its just the same thing over and over and over and over... Things start getting better once we hit 3 minutes though, and the intro is very impressive.

The production in this is top-notch, and the mixing is sublime. I really like a lot of the creative chord progressions running around in this song, that don't sound like they should work but yet somehow do. After the 3 minute mark you do a really good job of transitioning between elements and keeping the listener interested with variations and new melodies.

At 5 minutes I can hear the faint hints of a really impressive soundscape but you don't seem to elaborate on it, which disappoints me. Either way, we start entering into the outro at about 6 minutes with some really clever hi-hat work that I'm really liking. This whole song has the feel of a professional mix and is probably one of the few songs submitted to this contest that I've actually downloaded. This is extremely well done.

The outro is superbly done and the subtle synth melodies are perfectly executed. The ending is smoothly done and flows perfectly, avoiding the repetitive trap that the intro fell into.

9/10
5/5

Osher responds:

The intros are a bit difficult to do in progressive trance because in the first minute is suppose to be for the DJs to mix into the song.

Thanks for the review, glad you liked it.

[I-Saved-The-World: Some Day]

Unfortunately...

This is not a particularly impressive song. The intro leads the listener to believe that we might be treated to something impressive, but then the song actually starts REMOVING things from what was previously believed to be the intro to the song, and then it just repeats the intro again, runs around with the bas synth and stops. That's not really a song.

The drum line is interesting and creatively done, but the base synth line is really generic and not very interesting to listen to, yet it is a major centerpiece to this song, which makes it really annoying, because all the variation is focused on one of the WEAKEST elements of the song! The single melody that you included might have been really good if it was really utilized, but the bass synth is just random sounding and doesn't really fit a chord progression all that well. There isn't enough atmosphere in this song when the entire song can be summed up with: A bell synth, a bass synth, plus drums. That's it. That's your entire song.

That's just not enough stuff to keep your listener interested, and the cliche'd bass synth does not help matters.

6/10
4/5

I-Saved-The-World responds:

Thanks for the review, lots of criticism i can work off of, much appreciated

[Mellow Man]

Very well done

This is a superbly executed song. It's got a catchy melody, an intro, a breakdown and an outro. Some of the production could use a little work, along with some very questionable use of drums during the quiet part. The synths are very creative, and overall this is a song that has a style all its own and is quite addicting.

I think the beginning synth could use a work since its just a generic saw pad and doesn't lend itself to the excellence that the rest of the song is. That is, until the end, at which point things start getting repetitive. I would also suggest that for the outro, that the drums get filtered out (or just stick in a final melody to finish off the song with). The panning is really good with the synth, but this doesn't transfer over to the drums, which are all completely mono. Some additional atmosphere would probably help the song out as well.

Overall, very good work.

8/10
5/5

Skela responds:

Thanks.

[SR - Sleeperhold -final-]

Repetitive beginning

This song starts out very well, with an addicting atmosphere and a good drum line... and then it doesn't change for a minute. At this point we're treated to a new melody, which also doesn't change for another minute. Then we have a breakdown with some really weird chord processing going on that's a bit too random. When you're processing chords in ways like that you always have to pay attention to the beat so that you are strengthening it as opposed to destroying it.

At the 3 minute mark the song really shows off its incredible atmosphere, which continues into a soft and slow ending. This song is bursting with creativity and clearly shows a large amount of work has gone into it. Sadly, a lot of this is ruined by a lack of good melodic structure and the songs extremely repetitive nature early on.

I think you could benefit from some EQing on several of the instruments, a few of which sound like they're being played from behind a wall due to a lack of high frequencies. The overall production ijavascript:submission_controller.Get ReviewController().SaveReview();s otherwise fairly good. Again, the melody is what's lacking in this song.

7/10
4/5

SineRider responds:

hey thanks for the honesty. I like these kinds of reviews. I do have to agree with you, I didn't focus on melody too much. I'll have to rework it a bit before I release it on my album :)

[)Structured Chaos(]

Well at least it attempts a melody

The bassline is not very imaginative, the drums are very samey throughout the song, although they were at least slightly decent at the beginning before dissolving into a giant mess. I am actually impressed by some of the guitar effects done in the early part of the song, which do appear to have melodic structure to them. Sadly, while I was hoping the song was off to a good start, at the first minute mark it sounds like you have no idea what your doing, and the whole thing is terribly amateur.

After this, things just start getting worse and worse and worse, as the guitar that was once melodic is now an offtune dying sound. The drums are also extremely questionable. All your drummer is doing is hitting a hit hat and then randomly hitting a snare drum. That's it. For almost 2 entire minutes. Meanwhile the guitar has been so incredibly distorted its barely even identifiable as a guitar.

Bad idea for an ending. It was a bad idea for an intro to start with, and to END the song on that kind of a breakdown makes it even worse. Since you just had a relatively slow section in the middle, you'd want to at least climax the song instead of letting it die. As a side note, you don't sound like you know how to play the guitar well... but at least you didn't overcompress everything to the point of absurdity.

4/10
3/5

Kirbyfemur responds:

I would have probably gotten more out of a review that just said "Sucks" than this. There was nothing honestly helpful about this. I'm glad you can point out that I'm terrible at the guitar, that REALLY helps me learn more and build upon my musical knowledge. (Feel that sarcasm)

Also where are you hearing this random snare, no where in the song does the drum part hit random noes. Maybe a lot of off beats, but not random.

Where you trying to help me, or just point out the bad parts? You've pointed out some parts that are bad, but then don't really say anything useful. Same goes for the decent to good parts. And i've noticed this on some of your other reviews.

So please, next time you review something, try to actually help rather than just give an elaborate version of a "This sucks" Or "Oh I like this" review.

[Deathmatch (Updated again)]

No.

This is a piece of crap. I'm sorry, it just is. I've heard decent heavy metal, and it usually does actually have some semblance of a melody, or at least better production. This is closer to some kind of death metal grunge kind of thing that is no longer music and has degraded into a noise contest.

It's kind of hard for me to criticize specific portions of the song when the entire first 3 and a half minutes are literally just insane drums and random guitar riffs with horribly done, incoherent guttural... whatever the hell you call it. I did actually hear some sort of guitar solo at about 3:30, but it was completely out of tune and sounded like the guitar was dying. Actually this entire song sounds like its dying, but that part really managed to stand out in being utterly and completely horrible.

The production in this song is unbelievably terrible. You can't hear anything because the compression destroys everything, the drums become a giant mess, what is left of the guitar is clipped into nonexistence, and it's kind of like your ears are swimming through a giant pool of crap.

2/10
2/5

I need a gigantic bucket of brain bleach now.

Pure-Metal-UTA responds:

Hmmm, I'm thinking of a way to respond to this...
I will admit, for this song, my EQing was poorly done, but this reason can be easily explained, as it probably can for any other of my songs with this bad EQing.
My computer is a POS, I have the money to get a much better one, and I will be very soon since it's the holiday season.
Elaborating on my POS computer, it runs on 512 MB of RAM, has a 40 GB hard drive, and is really old. It was made from used computer parts.
Because of my computer, I have to listen to 2 tracks at a time, which means that I EQ two tracks at once, otherwise it gets extremely laggy and you can't make out anything. I do usually render the piece and then see what issues lie from there, but it doesn't help a whole lot, and would be much better if I could just listen to all the tracks at the same time before rendering. But like I said, POS computer.
I personally really like this piece, and now that I think about it, yeah, there are some bad things about it. That doesn't neccisarily mean that it sounds like crap. It's still listenable, as seen from the reviews before this one. Also it depends on what kind of metal you listen to. This one in particular is DEATH METAL. Think about that.
To be honest, your review didn't help much at all, but thanks anyways.
\m/