vekoN's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[triganopolis]

pretty cool! kinda detroit-esque too, the popcorn synth is neat

m8chnix responds:

Glad you liked it, thanks a lot!

[ETERNAL]

vicious! i like the sweeping sustain, and the gun sound design is pretty cool too

the tempo change in the second drop sounds amazing too

EDIT: really? that's clever! cool trick

NEON-SKIES responds:

Thank you! There was actually no tempo change believe it or not. It just went 3/4 to 4/4 same bpm

[future bass/melodic dubstep experiment]

i do admit, this sounds rather rough, i can see why somebody would rate this low. the arrangement is too minimal, repetitive, and not very rhythmically interesting. the sounds are alright, but the composition is really holding them back

the drums (esp the snare) are rather buried, which could be fixed through turning the competing instruments down or eq'ing down the clashing frequencies. the mix is also too distorted, i can hear the low mids really pushing the mix hard into clipping. i'd suggest going through the instruments and eq'ing them to make sure they fit well together

but, i have to say, the fundamental idea here is cool! it just needs refinement

ZedzyMusic responds:

you don't have to read this WHOLE thing lmao

I absolutely SUCKK at mixing and mastering my songs. I try to EQ out the invisible force that so kindly makes my lead synth more "full" (by adding unwanted frequencies) and I try to sidechain the bass to the kick, but it never really sounds that good :P I have been trying to improve on that type of stuff for a while, but it's SO HARD to get it right. but luckily, once you do, it should hopefully get better.

I can't make drums myself unless it's a kick or a hi hat, mostly because they're both really easy to make, so I end up just using the Logic Pro kit.. things.... idk what to call them, and then mixing up sounds that go together and add some effects, so that I don't feel like I'm just STEALING the drums.

Thanks for commenting :D I'm ALWAYS open to constructive criticism. also, the only person that rated this low was someone who was 0-bombing me (I made a news most about that, but you don't have to read it) I'm sure more people would've, cuz I wasn't really proud of anything I made while I was making it (I ALSO made a news post about THAT, but you don't have to read any of them) but im a really small producer.

tldr: I suck at making drums and mixing even though I try everything to make sure nothing clashes.

[AIM - Animation]

i really like the ideas at play here, although the production could be a bit more refined - the choppy drum work is unique but feels a bit sloppy and unorganized, especially in the first drop. the synth keys and chords are also quite loud compared to the drums. the lack of rhythmic sync between the drums and chords is interesting, i could see that working with better execution but it just sounds chaotic in a bad way

the mix sounds pretty full and clean, except for the chords being very loud. the melodies and harmonies are also pleasing to listen to! overall not bad

4ttitude responds:

Unsolicited feedback?! How dare you! (thank you lovely, appreciate you)

[can it please be over?]

you've outdone yourself by a ton here! it all feels like a natural evolution of your sound but also something completely new

the sliding harmonies are gorgeous, the spectral effects and microsampling are a pleasure to listen to, the concise rhythm section fits perfectly into everything else, and the idea to sample everyday objects is just genius!

emotionally this is quite cathartic too, the work and sheer passion you put into this definitely paid off! it's just so good, well done

OVERSCORE responds:

Thank you! I definitely feel like I’m evolving in a direction I am truly excited for.

There are a lot of spectral effects sprinkled throughout the VAST instrumentation. Microsampling, granular synthesis, and a LOT of experimentation with the Haas effect. I’m really enjoying just learning more about music production techniques, and I feel like my music has started improving much faster now that I am so eager to learn. I’m in the best state I’ve ever been in my music!

The emotional significance, though, is the real reason I make these tracks! That cathartic passion I poured into this song is what I hope sets me apart. Thanks for stopping by, vekoN, it’s always a pleasure to see a new review from you!

[区別する Kubetsu-suru]

the sound design is quite unique and captivating, i enjoyed the glitch basses! however, some sounds are mixed too loud. the flow and arrangement is also all over the place, it's rather incoherent imo

to start i'd research call and response in dubstep, as well as basic balancing in mixing. this sound has a lot of potential, it just needs a solid foundation

maysiie responds:

Hey man, really appreciate you taking the time to listen and give feedback that means a lot.

You're totally right about the mixing and arrangement. I'm still pretty new to that side of things, especially mastering and balancing levels. I tend to get carried away with the sound design and forget to step back and clean everything up properly XP

Thanks for pointing out the call and response stuff too, I hadn't really thought about that much, so I’ll definitely start digging into it more. I'm gonna go back and work on building a stronger foundation like you said. Thanks again for the honest input!

[PEAK]

awesome! quite savant-esque with those saw chords and tonality

LeruoME responds:

thanksssss!!!!!

[Come Together or Get Fucked]

this one feels a bit... all over the place. but i think that conveys the mess we're in as a society

i do feel like the dialogue is too loud and the musical elements too quiet. also i'm iffy about it going on throughout the entire song...

libbyshimmz responds:

Thanks for the review!

Yeah, America is not in a good place right now. :'(

An instrumental version will be available once I figure out what I want to use for Album Art. I'll post it up on my Bandcamp and make a news post about it on here once I do.

[Flowers Don't Water Themselves [AIM]]

nice! i enjoy the aphexy fm pads and the accenting chiptune bloops! i think ambient piano hip-hop pairs well with the sepia nostalgia of el's art

i will say the the sub is somewhat too loud around 120hz in the "drops", i can hear it distorting everything else. i think a narrow 1-2db bell cut around there should help, or cut more in that region out of the other instruments

btw what's the piano library? i feel like i've heard that specific timbre before. i guess that makes it more nostalgic for me :)

Quarl responds:

Might be the layering interplay between the subby kick and the sub bass that's creating distortion? I couldn't hear it but I'm basically half deaf in one ear. Subs have always been my weakness D:

Pianos are from Reason's stock library, I've been using the patch for decades cause I I just like punchy pianos xD

Thanks for the listen friend!

[Skri.De-araakskra]

crazy awesome! i love the thematic development and orchestration! the melodies are especially quite catchy and inspiring! i wish i could buy some orchestral libraries so i could import them into sunvox and make music like this

nice to hear that you're finding a new path too!

Logickin responds:

Thank you! This melody has been in mind for quite a long time, and with the frustration of my study and my decision, it definitely pushes me on finishing the track with a bit of touch.

If you want to buy orchestral libraries, remember to do researches before pressing the buy button because it is a rabbit hole and many people has impulsively poured so much into those libraries. I remembered there were some free orchestral soundfont in newgrounds, and hopefully, I will spend some time on writing tutorials on how to make some expressive sample orchestral instruments. Let's push SunVox and Trackers in general beyond their "limit"!

Lastly, wish me luck with my new decision, and hopefully I could achieve something cool in the future!