Ceevro's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mission]

Thoughts while listening:
Love the opening beat. The backward violin sound is a bit loud for the mix, kinda buries the piano.
Interesting change-up at 1:00. Some nice jazzy chord choices on the piano.

Thoughts after listening:

Some improvements;
-The backward violin sound (might not be what you used, but what it sounds like to me) is too prominent in the mix. Almost drowns stuff out, and it goes on a bit too long in the intro...not on the first listen, but quite quickly, it would become grating, I feel.
-Would it be possible to adjust the piano up an octave? You've got everything in the same sound-space, so it's difficult to hear the melody.

Some Good Things;
-Great vibe going here!
-The piano solo is wonderful...would like to hear it a little more clearly!
-Awesome adjusments on the percussion. Great to hear someone giving it the attention it's due!

Overall, very original-sounding piece you've got here. Kinda what I'd expect out of an eccentric Anime, like Akira. I very much likes! Double-plus-good!

4/5, R4R
-Ceevro

JandreParis responds:

A doozy! Highly appreciative of this!

A) Ah, the reversal sound is the same piano you hear in the track. You're right, it's a tad too loud and goes on for quite some time. Certainly can be changed.

B) Surely an octave up would make it much easier to hear! Good suggestion.

The overall theme I was trying to go for here was to make it as acoustic sounding as possible, even while using artifices of the real counterparts.

On the percussion: I love drums, even though I'm not a drummer or bongo player (hope to be someday in the future, coordination permitting) and I wanted to create that same sound you'd get out of a real kit - meaning total manual velocity changes and full use of everything at your disposal. Makes for some pretty dynamic stuff!

Thanks ya kindly, fine sir!

-J.P.

(P.S. - Suggestions have been addressed!)

[Lido]

Thought while listening: Sounds very early-techno. One minute in is a long time for an intro in a 3 min song. However, when the melody drops, it's quite lovely. Wait! There's more than 2 chords (1:33). Nice, cool piano lead. Kinda feels like the type of music one would have in a flying game...or The Neverending Story. The strings fill the ambient space nicely.

Thoughts after listening:

Some Improvements;
-Percussion is almost never touched. Gotta get those drum-fills in there. Gives the song something for the listener to anchor to.
-Intro is too long. While I'm not quite on the mainstream's assumption that you must drop your hook within 15 seconds, 1/3 of the length of the whole song is too long for the listener to wait, in most cases.
-If you're only switching between 2 chords, your lead needs to be there to maintain interest. Listen to Katy Perry's song "Teenage Dream," paying attention to melody and rhythm. The song is genius at keeping the listener's attention while repeating 2 chords and never deviating. Good place to get some cues on how to do it.
-The lead-line is pleasant, but has little or no hook. If someone were to hear your song, and couldn't remember the name, what would they hum to a DJ to help them figure it out? How would you hum this to a producer to get them to give your demo CD a listen? These are essential questions for any musician to ask themselves.

Some Good Things;
-Steady, pleasing to the ear, quite toe-tappy.
-Instrumentation was spot-on, as was the mix.
-Enough breaks to keep it interesting.

Overall, this is fine background music, but it is ultimately unmemorable (apologies here, I know this is a bit harsh, but I truly want to help you get better) in the massive clutter of songs whipped-up in FL Studio. You have managed to copy a specific soundscape, which is an essential skill in your toolbox, and now it's time to use it for something. What is your message? What are you trying to say that hasn't been said in ways so close to yours as to be indistinguishable? You have an audience here at NG, however small, so what are you going to show them that will keep them coming back? When you can answer that question, you will make some truly outstanding music, I have no doubt.

3/5 R4R

-Ceevro

Lethal-Input responds:

Thanks for the informative response! Especially the last paragraph. I'll take it to heart.

[Guitar project]

Thoughts while listening: WAAAAAAY over-distorted lead. Not badly played, slight screw-ups on timing, but hell, I do that too. I think you may have your compression thresholds set wrong as well. I'm noticing clipping on the quiet-end, which shouldn't be there. Punk section is a reasonable chord progression, needs the lead back.

Thoughts after listening:

Keep in mind that I am massively biased towards live guitars, but I'm an acoustic player, so my admonitions here may well be fairly off.

Some improvements:
-Your lead is ridiculously distorted. The lead guitar should be the least distorted sound in the band. You gotta get those notes to ring clear so that the dynamics of your playing can come through.
-Also, remove the compression, and work with your volumes instead. You're seriously clipping any light sounds, which makes your notes come in late at times.
-Like you said, the track isn't finished, but you still have much work to do. Hopefully putting in some bass and vocals, right?

Some good things:
-You play quite solidly. Appreciation.
-Nice composition. Sensible lead, good chord progressions, appropriate percussion.

Overall, this need to be recorded again, unless you wired your raw feed directly into the computer, like I do it, and added your FX digitally. If you did it that way, you may be able to save the original lead recording by adjusting all your settings in your DAW. I find that the best way to record a guitar, even heavily distorted electric, is dry. No FX, no pedals, nothing. Just put the raw feed into your mixing program and record it right there. Most DAWs have guitar settings, amps, and FX built right-in, and you can change them even after the recording is done. Helps so very much with the mix!

Unfinished, so please forgive the low rating. I will gladly review the finished product when you get it done. Just lemme know!
2.5/5 R4R

-Ceevro

lantaren responds:

Thank you for taking the time to review this!
I've recently re-adjusted my amp settings so that the drive isn't ever more than half-full at any time.

I probably should re-record it - this is a mostly dry recording. I only fixed some timing errors and arrangement in general, but for the most part it was just line-in > record > arrange > export, very little work was done as far as mixing/mastering (at this point). Looking back, I agree with almost everything you've said. No amount of tweaking has really fixed anything though, unfortunately.

[In Your Time, Always]

Thoughts while listening:
Ooooo...theramin sounds! And actual vocals! Very relaxed sound, nice ambience...Don't like the low vocal on "I won't be shaken..." sounds stringy. Nice spicing on the "Take your time..." vocals. Tricky to mess with .wav files like that. I've tried myself, and they always screw up on me.

Thoughts after listening:

Well, I'm an atheist, so commenting on the content would be counter-productive...I have no intention of making enemies when we're all just musicians saying what's important to us. So I'll go on the technical side.

Some Improvements:
-I'm not big on the organ sound (first instrument heard). Sounds a bit too retro to fit in the futuristic/techno soundscape presented.
-Vocals were a bit shaky in the bass-range. Personally, I find this happens when I'm trying to go to low, too loud. I usually whisper bass vocals, and record with a Meteor Mic really close. That way, I can get the volume without sounding like a slowed-down Mickey Mouse.

Some Good Things:
-So refreshing to hear vocals! Damn, I've been reviewing tracks all day, and yours is the first one to include a vocal at all! And you sang them well.
-Loved the theramin-type lead you had going on there. People should play more theramin. Especially me. By which I mean I want to get a theramin. Don't know if that's what you used, but I liked the sound anyways.

Overall: Screw the people who don't give a proper review in the R4R thread. We're here to help eachother become better musicians, not take without giving first!

4/5 R4R

-Ceevro

-

SoulSecure responds:

That first synth is a rhodes. I use dated sounds all the time, mostly because I'm dated (beside the fact that rhodes/wurlitzers are extremely common in this genre). I really am not sure how you get a futuristic feel from this considering the instrument selection, but aight.

Vocals shaky on the bass range...? I go lower than that, easily. I sang them quietly and was allowing my voice to creak on purpose for a specific effect.

It was actually REALLY hard to do the chorus high, cuz my voice kept cracking and going off pitch due to singing so quietly (had to record several times). I also didn't want to use vibrato on the high vocals as I hadn't on the low take, but I couldn't help producing a vibrato a couple times, so I stuck with it.

[(F) _One Last Distinction_]

Thoughts while listening:

19 minutes! What? I hope I don't get interrupted. OK...one minute in...and very slight changes...kinda hypnotic...it's a long song, so you have the time to build, I guess. I recognize the sound of Saturn there...so we've got sounds recorded by radio telescopes. Always a creepy ambience. I can recall spending an hour listening to Jupiter with my brother once. Wonderful to hear that kind of power. Simple build at 330...just what it needs. At 5 mins now...enjoying the ambience. Very hypnotic in quality. 630...begins to sound like something Phill Glass would do. 7 minutes...majour change...and yet so subtle. 9 minutes...just chillin' here...recalling how small I am. This is wonderfully rich, and simple. I'm loving how you really give me time to just sit with and absorb the chords as they come. It's the exact opposite of what jazz players do. 13 minutes. Feels darker now. I don't know if I'm more sitting in the arctic, or floating in the void of space. Dark background sounds at 14 minutes. Like a super-rapid pulsar, or something. Radio telescope sounds to close out, I'm guessing. There is an awful lot going on here, but I don't know that it's you that really gets the credit, to be fair.

Thoughts after listening:

This was rich, powerful, moving. Quite the soundscape. My only problem with it is that I have listened to hours of space sounds, and I'm not sure just how much credit you should really get for this use of them. Where is the line between copying and art, I guess? Now, to your credit, the end result is incredibly moving, so you'll get little complaint from me as a listener. I could sit back and stare into the sky all day with this in a set of headphones. My issue is as a composer, this is minimalistic in the extreme, and perhaps I feel some envy at how simple it truly is to make. But there's the rub, right? I could paint for days and not have the impact of three lines done by Picasso, no matter how much effort went into each. Perhaps the truth is that skill counts more than effort. If effort made one rich, every rickshaw driver in India would be a billionaire.

Overall, this was a fantastic listening experience, and I thank you for it.

4.5/5 R4R

-Ceevro

Fubaka responds:

You are free to give me as much credit as you think I deserve.

Ambient is a fickle beast, and if you feed it too much, it grows stale and confusing. Apart from the space sounds used, however, everything in the song was my own creation.

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I will take your implications near the end as a great compliment. However, I'm sure you will agree that the people who originally provided the space sounds deserve more credit by far than I do.

I will addend one last thought though, in accordance with your painting metaphor. Picasso may be able to make moving art with just 3 lines, but he needed the paint in the first place to do it. The space sounds are my paint in this instance. Without them, I couldn't have made this song, but had I not used the paint, it would still just be paint, lovely as it may be.

[Trepidation]

Thoughts while listening:

Not sure I'm big on the initial faux-bass sound, but it does have a certain ambience. Reminds me of the type of music in the old Sega game, Streets Of Rage 2. Kinda feels a little understated. OK, finally we get a lead line at 2 minutes. Aaaaand it's gone by 2:30.

Thoughts after listening:

Well, you've created the title mood, so that's good. I'm not sold on the composition, if I am to be honest, and here's why;
-In a 3:30 second song, there were 3 minutes of, well, repitition. It sounds like you wrote a loop that you liked, and cut/paste it for several minutes, then tried to add slight changes to make it work for the whole time.
-The lead did not work, melodically. I know that you're going for a tension-building sound, but there's a difference between tension and plain wrong notes. It feels like it wasn't planned out, or practiced. It's far too short, and it doesn't go anywhere. There's no resolution. The song definitely needs a lead, and it needs to be the reason for the tension-build-up you have created in the background.
-The original bassline is cool, but it just goes on too long without alteration. A key change or bridge or chorus/verse structure would help a lot here.

Some good things:

-You have a very good background mood. This project is not wasted effort, and could be developed much further.
-Your mixing is quite well-done. Nothing is overdone or lost in the mix.
-The instrumentation actually works well in the song, despite my initial misgivings. That only shows my own bias towards live instrumentation.

Overall, this song is a decent start, but I don't feel that it is a fully finished project. Spend some more time developing a coherant lead, and perhaps look at your structuring. This song currently has only one section, and it could really use some change-ups to bring the original feeling you're trying to express home. Contrast makes the picture clearer.

Hope this helps. 3/5 R4R

-Ceevro

cheezz responds:

The fact that you and I were in the middle of dispute when you wrote this makes me doubt it's entirely objective. I find it a little odd that someone would submit a review at such a time.

[Skeleton ship]

Thoughts while listening:

SHADES of Tim Burton! Not many people are composing in 3/4 lately. The build-in at about 30 seconds is wonderful! Love the tuba sound in the waaaaay low! You know, I can tell that you're using synths, but I don't care! I'm having a ball listening to this! Great mood change at 1:30, and then yet ANOTHER at 1:45! WOW! This is so flawlessly composed that it should be in a film! ...You're not writing an actual score, are you?

Thoughts after listening:

Yeah. It was OK.

Just kidding! This was brilliant! Like, the only thing that would make it better would be an actual orchestra! And even then, it's still perfectly fine. Lots of great scene changes, lots of attitude and precarious tension notes. Everything changed constantly, but it all felt like it truly belonged in the piece. Azhthar, my friend, I salute you!

5/5 (first one I've given) R4R

-Ceevro

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Thanks for the nice review. Didn´t get that positive feedback since a while ;) Glad you like it. Yep, an actual orchestra which plays my tracks is not that easy to find sometimes...Maybe I should think about hosting one in my cellar ;) It would great actually.

[Divine Procrastination]

Thoughts while listening:

Can't say I'm a big fan of the increasing tempo thing...sounds like someone cranking the speed dial on a previously recorded track. I'd recommend a slow intro with a break into the final tempo of the song. The notes are also lacking dynamic...sounds too mechanical when all the piano notes are played with the exact same attack...try shifting volumes to give it the punch it needs when the song calls for it, and the softness that it needs when it's softer.

Thoughts after listening:

Honestly not sold on this one. It feels incomplete. Don't get me wrong, it's a great piano/drum line, but it feels like it requires more orchestration. Which is tricky in this case, because piano is traditionally an orchestra instrument, while the drumkit is more associated with modern rock-type music. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing - you've just gotta decide which direction you want to take it: Classical or Rock. Toss in some strings and brass, or electric guitar and bass, and either way you've got a much more complete piece.

As well, I'd favour scrapping the slow tempo increase. That's a nightmare for most compositions, in terms of listenability. I can see that you wish to make it more intense as time goes on, and that's a good thing, but tempo increases almost never work. I'd personally go for complete tempo changes. As far as I'm aware, there's only one song with a slow tempo increase to ever make it on the BIllboard Chart, and that was 'Those Were The Days.' Everything else has either kept the tempo steady, or changed it abruptly.

Finally, the volumes for the chords and the lead-lines were not in sync. Could just be the speakers I'm listening on, but the chords were much quieter than the arpeggios...doesn't hurt to check your mix, am I right?

R4R

-Ceevro

Blacklawn responds:

I get the problems you've mentioned, but you're absolutely wrong about "all notes having the exact same attack". That's not the case, at all.
Also, about the "classical/rock" thing: it's an experimental track. I usually don't care about genres, and I'm not the first to mix DnB drums with piano, either.

[Paradisium]

Thoughts while listening:

Decent wind effect. Doesn't sound cheesy, which is a plus. Piano volume is too high, relative to the rest of the track. Reminds me of Phillip Glass...wait for the changes to happen...they're subtle...I'm thinking that this needs to be longer than 4 mins...we'll see what you do with it to resolve...I love the delay effect on the piano...makes it sound so tappy...

Thoughts after listening:

Great little tune. Again, piano volume was too high off the get-go. You might try easing it in...up the volume as the piano enters. I also feel that while this is minimalist, you have something that you could really milk for a while. Why not push the envelope and make it 20 mins long...add subtle stuff, pull subtle stuff...see how long you can keep this up? I love the mood of the piece, and would like to see it sustained a little longer. There's a lot of potential here, and it's a great tune already!

-Ceevro, R4R

NyxTheShield responds:

I have never exprimented with something so long (Like Philip Glass, i love him hahaha <3) , i would like to give it a shot, maybe something interesting will come out.

[ALLOWED]

Thoughts while listening:

Initial instrumentation is annoying....and then that beat happened, and totally redeemed it! For a bit. You're switching between two chords...that's all fine...where's the lead?

Thoughts after listening:

This isn't complete. You have a good build-up (I love how it was just long enough to get me annoyed at it, wondering if you intended to go anywhere...would lose you any chance of getting radio-play, but it's actually really endearing) and the sudden attack is perfectly executed.

...And then you didn't do anything with it! You've got a great backing here, don't get me wrong. But your backing is there to support a lead line, and you don't have one! ACK!

More work needs doing on this one.

2.5/5 - R4R

-Ceevro

xxxZigZagxxx responds:

Thanks for your review Ceevro, it's really good. It points out what might be needed to make this track better.

Cheers!
ZigZag