vekoN's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[In Neon Lights]

cool song! i just feel like the mix is a bit empty. i'd try adding more reverb, ear candies, breaks, risers/fallers, etc. also the synth that comes in at 0:11 sounds very out-of-tune to my ears. i don't know if this was intentional, but it's certainly very difficult to follow

the glitchy section at 1:45 sounds really cool! the idea is quite unique for a synthwave tune.

overall it's good!

[Pico vs. the White Cobra]

i really like the egyptian theme here, although some of the acoustic/multisampled instrumentation sounds a bit robotic. also pico's voice is a bit too loud in the mix; the way some of its component samples are distributed sound a bit strange rhythmically. the tempo shift halfway through is really cool though, and so is the sidechained supersaw pad in the beginning of that part. lastly i feel like some sections could be trimmed a little bit in terms of length, i don't think this had to be nearly seven and a half minutes

TheMusicalManiac responds:

Honestly I respect that you want it shorter. Were it anyone else, they'd probably ask it for longer. I originally began with the idea that it was going to be a boss theme remix without the extras but then I went with the extras anyway. The reason why Pico's vocals are a bit on the louder side is due to the volume of everything else so its tricky to manage...trust me I had to deal with the finickiness of the thing...and yeah. It does sound kinda weird hearing it back, but I think it makes it unique. Thank you for the feedback, from one musician to another! Really appreciate it <3

[Funkin' Halloweeniverse - Philly Nice (Halloween Mix)]

cool song! admittedly the harmonies in the beginning and the arp that follows it are a bit hard to follow functional harmony-wise, but the instrumentation sounds pretty neat. at some point in the future you could also work on your mixing as well, this sounds a bit flat atm

TheMusicalManiac responds:

Yeahhh this one I kinda cheaped out on right away lmao. I was in such a hurry to get this out in my excitement that I kinda underlooked the thing. I'll probably come back to this track in the future to fix it up a bit. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it!

[This Is Not Lostwave]

the remaster of "aimless wandering" and the space song are very solid, i like them! had you still had the projects to them i'd say they need more polish, but that's not possible anymore is it?

TheJayJay responds:

thanq yuo and unfortunately not unless I just somehow am able to replicate them from the ground-up. With the Untitled Space Demo I very much plan on remaking it as it's part of someone else's project.

[Mood Swings (Untitled) [NGADM 2024]]

damn! very Savant-esque, with all the happy melodies juxtaposed with the hard glitch hop instrumentation. it sounds quite polished to me!

[MSG]

cool idm/dnb! i really like the chiptuney instrumentation and cute but thoughtful melodies. the tempo switchup and spoken word near the end is really cool

you could've titled it "MSEG", then it could refer to the synth envelope standard

good luck in the contest!

2keg responds:

the og project title was "MSG Supplements" but thats not even a thing

[Solenne [NGADM]]

jesus... really fucking good for being made in such strained conditions

[walking in the neighborhood AND LITERALLY SWEATING BUCKETS BECAUSE IT'S 32 DEGREES OUTSIDE]

not bad for a first attempt at house :) the melodies are cute and sweet, but i feel like there needs to be more ear candy in the mix. try risers/fallers, sweepers in generals, impacts, atmospheres, and whatever else you can think that'll fill up the mix. also maybe a more prominent bassline would have been appropriate too

[Meuny - xfx silk fm_attk 14.3 (eth mix)]

cute idm! i really like the major key vibes in the melodies and harmonies. the analog bass sounds really cool, and so does the transition into the drums with the decimator