ForgottenDawn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[JustnotEnough]

Sometimes we don't need elaborate pieces to enjoy beauty within simplicity. Even though you claim to be a beginner, you have the potential of becoming a skilled artist given enough time and experience.

The composition is varied and enjoyable, but it is marred by a below-average production value and a general lack of cohesion between the various sections. The quality of the samples themselves don't constitute my verdict, although I would definitely look for a better hi-hat and a less edgy bass sound.

As a final note, it is not the picture itself that makes it a questionable choice, rather the relatively upbeat track you've composed inspired by the not-as-friendly picture.
//FD

bolisa responds:

Yeah you are right, the hi-hats and the bass are not that good. And its true. I AM a beginner. But thanks for saying that i have the potential of becoming a skilled artist given enough time and experience. I'll keep producing, and hopefully i'll get better. ;)

[Crime FighterZ]

It is indeed an interesting and fun piece that could work in one of those "casino" stages in the Sonic franchise. What may lack in depth, it compensates with a catchy dance groove that stretches through the whole song. I enjoyed the somewhat varied structure of the piece as well as the melodic, bouncy vibes that it gives, although I wished it would offer something slightly beyond that formula.

Perhaps a more complex progression and the introduction of more sounds would have helped keeping this song fresh enough, without giving around pattern recycling too much. Background ambiances and synths can also create some interesting undertones. In fact, giving the listener the opportunity to "switch" between different layers of focus is a sign of great attention for detail, as well as definitely enhancing the experience because by then, you'd want to play it again just to hear a detail you missed.

Overall, good job
//FD

DuttonsaysHi responds:

Hey thanks for the helpful tips man! Yeah I totally agree with the repetition issue :c The original idea was to have vocals so I structured the song as such. I wanted to have some glitchy rap style vocals (something like Hideki Naganumas work) but that backfired since I couldn't find any fitting samples or anybody to work with.

I tried restructuring it by adding new segments but they all felt disjointed and out of place but I figured that would loose me some points so I tried playing it safe, I guess that backfired xD

Still thank you for the honest review! I 'll try more variation next time.

[Glitch,Blues.Baby!]

It's an interesting track, I'll give you that. Jazzy, lounge-like vibes meet modern electronic music. I absolutely love the glitched drums throughout the whole track with those rare dubstep bass wobbles here and there, and I think the fusion-oriented sound overall seems to work in this context.

I must however point out a couple of flaws, such as the general mix being a little too over compressed and loud that doesn't give much rest to your ears, and I definitely would have loved a more dynamic track speaking of mastering. The vocal samples while fitting, they suffer from the aforementioned problem and they sound a little too prominent compared to even the drums. The piano does its job quite decently although it doesn't really offer much in terms of composition and atmosphere. Smoothing the transitions could have also helped making this song more flowing and organic, perhaps by adding some sound effects and glitching them out, playing with stereo panning and bitcrushing. Just suggestions for the future.

Keep on experimenting with this idea, as I'm looking forward to hearing more.
//FD

YouriX responds:

Thank you very for the indepth review. You gave some very usefull information. Mixing was always a weak point of mine. But i am working on it. Thanks again for the wonderfull review and hope to see you review my work again in the future!

[The Audio In Claudio]

Daw, I love you so much bro~
Now bend over, brother, I wanna show you something...

Insanctuary responds:

Oh, I see. I can see my reflection in the pool water! I lovez you too.

[Real Life Absurdities]

Fact is, I really enjoyed this. It evokes many childhood memories and it's something this track is able to convey quite remarkably, in my opinion. While the structure seems sort of minimalist with a few variations on the same theme, it is indeed a solid piece where its minor problems would only be related to a coherency of sound compared to the overall mastering of the track (too much reverb on the brass instruments compared to the percussion?) which is at a professional level. So well done, good luck in this round and I'm glad to have a worthy opponent.

steampianist responds:

its always heart warming (if i had one) to know that people are reminded of their childhood!
and i love minimalism (erik satie)

ah it seems you are not sure? if the brass reverb is too much? hehe kidding anyways thanks for listening and im glad you enjoyed it, that was unexpected considering the kind of music you make and im looking forward to your track

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

I can see an improvement from your first round entry, as I think this track feels more coherent and solid as a whole, with a jungle-like atmosphere that is definitely spot on - nostalgic, if you'd like, sending me back to the '90s speaking of video games and why not, TV shows. I've never seen the series you took inspiration from, but overall I think this track is pretty well made with some minor problems related to EQ and transitioning which may feel a bit jarring/sudden to the ear.

SourJovis responds:

Not sure if it's improvement. I'm still on the same level. It's just a coincidence I did something different this time. The style is more continuous but that's one of the reasons why this song is shorter. The production of this was much harder than that of the first round. Hopefully people like this better. I'm not at all sure myself. The transitions were a problem from the start. I think I fixed them quite well compared to how they were, but it's still not perfect. The panning volumes and EQing were also difficult. You can work for days on a song without hearing anything wrong with it only to discover some settings should've been very different all along. When you change one thing, you have to change a cascade of other things. Creating music made me stop believing in perfection. I hope I can later fix some of the flaws.

[The Great Ocean]

It's a nice piece, indeed, and I'm personally a fan of atmospheric DnB as I find it compelling and inspiring. There is quite some atmosphere in your track and I definitely enjoyed the spacey feel throughout the sections, although I think it suffers from over-repetitiveness since you basically stuck the same riff for 4:30 varying your instrumentation very little considering the amount of possibilities such style could potentially allow to express, and last but not least, I think the lead synth could have needed some more articulation - for instance, some vibrato or any other effect that kind of "refreshes" the experience before looping back to the theme. I enjoyed the structure of the piece and it's pretty solid, though I think some parts could have been slightly more synthetic and to the point, like the intro which in my opinion stretches for quite a long time and it's ironic since you then introduce the beat which lasts for a minute or so before getting back to the texture again. Overall, it's an uplifting song whose minor discrepancies may or may not detract from the experience you brought on the table, nonetheless enjoyable and filled with "summery" ambiance. Thanks again for leaving a review to my song, good luck with the contest.

Hurks responds:

Thanks for the review man! Good luck to you too :).

[Punctured Frames]

I think this is one of your most melodic tracks in your repertoire. The strings are definitely a nice touch here, before letting the downtempo bloom in a new age heaven. The various intertwined themes battling to one another are very expressive in my opinion and they never feel empty or unfinished, as I keep adding thoughts and visions of inner conflict, a constant clash between reason and instinct. You've painted a canvas full of lively shades reminding us of our time in this tiny world we inhabit and pretend to govern.

Insanctuary responds:

Most music people create are scaled over onto the edge, as to express the light side or the dark side. With my music, I awaken both worlds co-existently, to give people the experience between themselves, and that other "self", to show that even the monsters that dwell within us can feel emotion as much as we can.

Music so deep, that even the beasts within us can hear it; feel it.

[Gnawing At The Moon]

You always have a way to bring musical expression to another boundary, that feels different but never alien or isolated. I love how the lo-fi instruments that slowly build the atmosphere of this piece seem to improve their quality the more you listen to them. It's amazing, and it's why you're one of my constant inspirations. The sounds at 2:35, with the screaming guitar and the underlying rumble, it's simply wonderful. Good job, mate.

Insanctuary responds:

As composers, we are beyond judgement, but for the music we compose, that is where many alterations of judgement proceed to express the details we've covered diligently throughout the entire musical plane.

I am always looking to give people something new, while staying true to myself.

[~SW~ Winter]

This piece would be great if it didn't feel like a subwoofer kicking waves deep down the ocean in a stormy day. While I enjoyed the overall atmosphere and progression throughout the whole track, I think it hardly stands to your catalog of tracks due to how mastering and muddy the final ensemble sounds. I think the drums are possibly the most out of context here, and they feel as if they're burdened by all this overwhelming reverb, and every other instrument hardly breathes enough space to tell its own story. The vocals are possibly the most refined instrument here, and I definitely enjoyed the whispering at around halfway in the piece. I suggest you to take a little step back and listen to your older pieces, as I feel they're a lot more immersive than this unpolished experiment, and this is like less than 0.1% of your potential. You can do it, man.

SkyeWint responds:

Muddy? Jeez man, I don't know how to satisfy ya. :< I thought this was pretty damn clean.

...I'm also surprised that so many people are saying "THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH REVERB" since there's actually barely any, most of the instruments are pretty darn dry. If you read what I used each effect for, that should show it (though for GlaceVerb it's not obvious. I only had two instances of that up, one of which was for an effect and the other of which was used to expand the vocals VERY occasionally).

I guess I do know why people are saying it though. I also separated the stereo channels on multiple instruments, which can cause the illusion of reverb while being NOTABLY less muddy.

>The vocals are possibly the most refined instrument here
All of my wat. All of it.

>this is like less than 0.1% of your potential
Well holy shit, that's one hell of a compliment. I'm going to have to work a hell of a lot harder to satisfy you. Here's hoping my other musical ideas will flourish enough to keep you... well, to keep you from being so disappointed. :<