Ceevro's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Eterna Comedia]

Thoughts while listening:

Not what I was expecting at all. There is a bit of a downside when composing directly through FL Studio - everything you do will lack dynamics. I would love to hear this played on an actual piano.

Thoughts after listening:

This sounds very much like an old console RPG tune. Sort of like the music for when our hero is recalling a conversation he had with his mother years ago, before she died. It's well composed, and maintains a constant flow. What it lacks is dynamics. There is no build-up, no tension, no attack or relief. It stays exactly where it starts...that is to say, if you listen to the first 20 seconds, you've heard pretty much all the song will give you.

I would really like to hear this played on a live piano. As a solo, the composition is solid, but the performance is lacking, because digital. If you have to do everything digitally, you need to be really milking each note, which means a LOT of pointy-clicky work...you could save a bit of that by placing some orchestration around it...just a thought.

3.5/5 - R4R

-Ceevro

LexRodent responds:

Thanks for reviewing dude.
I wish I could play piano and record it live. I've been practicing on how to do "digital dynamics" but I have started just a little while ago, so I still have a way to go.

[Cool Song 1]

Thoughts while listening:

Interesting fade-in intro...don't know if I'm sold on it, but it's unique. Good digital bells...what on Earth is that weird bending two-note thing? Not liking that at all...reminds me of a whining kid. The digital bells are much more pleasant. Percussion is a bit too simple. I know it's supposed to be, but it needs more complexity.

Thoughts after listening: This feels like a backtrack for something more. It's got a nice, relaxed feel to it, but it definitely needs a lead of some sort to tie it together. Probably a vocal is the way to go with this particular piece. I wanna hear some sexy lady caterwauling, or something. Maybe a few samples would do some good here. You might also want to play with crowd noises, street sounds, laugh-tracks...stuff like that.

And yeah, the two-notes with the rising bend really gotta go. They are totally out of place, and they honestly made me cringe. The secret with two-note solos is that they can't be based on the notes, which are boring, but have to be played like a drum solo - all about the rhythm. It can be effective, done right (Under Pressure, by Queen), but here it's just too simplistic, and thus it grates.

All-in-all, this is a nice start, which could stand a good bit more development. You've made a decent background, now it's time to fill out the soundscape with details.

3/5, R4R

-Ceevro

TheAudioGuy responds:

interesting review.

i feel like you are generally suggesting with all the advice you've given that i should change the song to be more conventional.
suggesting that all 'two-note solos' can't ever be based on notes and that this song needs 'some sexy lady caterwauling' is you telling me what you want the song to be, not what the song actually needs.
your dislike of elements of this song comes across to me as a personal preference more than anything.

thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Euphoria {Dj-Abbic}]

Thoughts while listening...
Damn, good build, love the chord progression. Not my genre per se, but I can definitely hear the talent. Lead line is a bit quiet in the mix. Nice mixing around with the percussion...definitely not a lazy mix here. Change up of the entire beat at 2:07 was perfect. Piano little quiet in the mix. Piano needs chords...'cause piano! Two lead lines at 3:20...not good...feels a little lazy. If you're putting two leads together, they have to work together, not just both play in the same scale.

Thoughts after listening:

Very pro-sounding mix here! You've clearly pulled out all the stops on the back track, which is refreshing...too many people think that just playing a chord progression is enough. Your lead lines aren't quite popping out enough...they're getting lost in the sheer volume of the rest of the mix. They need to be about 10% louder, methinks.

As to what I said about the dual-lead section: If you're using two lead instruments, they have to play off each other. There needs to be either a motif, or a mutual solo, perhaps played in harmony, in order to make it sound deliberate and not random notes in a scale.

All-in-all, this is an excellent track, which I think I shall happily push play on again!

-Ceevro, R4R 4.5/5

DjAbbic responds:

The lead line was initially louder than it currently is, but I lowered it as it sounded a bit too loud. Perhaps it was from listening to the same thing over and over, but I felt like the volume was fine as it is. I definitely agree with the piano needing chords. I normally have chords for piano but for some reason...not this time apparently :p

I also agree with the lead mashing. It would've sounded much better if I changed the notes on the both leads rather than just one of them, it seems that I missed that (curses).

Anyway, you were spot on with all your criticisms, thanks so much for the helpful review!

[Settle it IN SMASH]

Thoughts while listening:

Damn, you got control of how to put together a beat! Great FX on the intro. You've certainly got dynamics. Don't like the trumpet...midi trumpets always sound fake...if you're going to use a fake sound, it shouldn't be trying to sound real. LOVING the groove, though! I really like the techno lead-line around the 2:15 or so mark. Strings work better than the trumpet. I can certainly hear the effort that went into the drums, though....like...holy shiznit! There's no lack of interesting beats in that line! I may call upon you to do the drums for an upcoming track of mine! Lemme know if you need a guitar anywhere! I love how you make use of the volume to create build-ups.

Thoughts after listening:

You are, without a doubt, one of the most talented techno mixers I've heard on NG (provided that you didn't just re-instrumentalize a pre-made track...I trust you didn't, but some on NG have). This was wonderfully arranged, the dynamics were spot-on, and the flow just kept building. Not a dull spot anywhere!

Which leaves our dear, omnipresent friend: The midi-trumpet.

Yeah, that sound NEVER works. For anyone. The issue is best described as the same thing that makes those hyper-realistic Japanese people-robots creepy. It's a sound that's just close enough to real to be heard as attempting to emulate reality, but because it's so close to the real thing without actually being there, it just sticks out as being horrifically fake. A real trumpet in there would be spectacular, but barring that, I would recommend swapping out the instrument entirely for something that is either a sampling of a real instrument, or something designed to be totally technological. The strings sections worked much better.

You done well, dude!

R4R: 4.5/5

-Ceevro

CeeeX responds:

"You are, without a doubt, one of the most talented techno mixers I've heard on NG"

And that's where my heart dropped from all of this bliss, I want to thank you for that!

About the trumpets, yea, I never minded, listening to clear midi-fake-instruments in tracks in game soundtracks, because it all began with 8-bit music, so I felt like it wouldn't hurt, but I would expect that some people that probably would not mix midi-orchestral instruments with ones that would sound more realistic.

Great review and thanks!

[Heartsteps]

Notes while listening:

-Intro needs a bit more complex of a chord progression...mostly in the rhythm of the chords. Think of your chords as a drum beat, and you'll see how the same chords with a less predictable rhythm can really enhance your song.
-Lead line...pleasant...to alter it a bit more, try adding a bit of flanger to it.
-Drumbeat: Where are the fills? I know there are a couple, but fills are where you can REALLY get creative and show your chops!

OK, now for the full review:

This is a wonderful start! There's so very much that can be done with the gorgeous melody here that I almost wanna steal it and do it all acoustically! The overall feel of the song reminds me of the end of a Sega Genesis-Era videogame. It sounds very much like the over-happy type of ending, where you get some pretty pictures of the heroes celebrating. Yeah, sentimental is the word.

Now, it needs some edge. It's very simple, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I've found, as a musician, that when one plays a simple note, it can't just be held, but it needs to be MILKED for everything it can be! If I were to try this sort of melody on acoustic guitar, I'd have to pull out every single dynamic trick I know to keep it interesting, and that's what you, as a mixer, need to be doing as well. I recommend going over the whole. damn. track, note-by-note, and messing with volume, tremolo, bend, attack, EVERYTHING in order to make every lead-line note a special and memorable one.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh...I really do love the overall composition. It's solid already. But to take it from solid to pro, there's more work to be done!

R4R. 3.5/5

-Ceevro

LunacyEcho responds:

=> Intro =>

Yeah, the intro is kinda bad. I was going to go back to it later, maybe add a few more rhythms, maybe add some background synths, but then my dad came home and i had to show it to him. :P

=> Lead line =>

In hindsight, there's many things I could have done to make it sound better. (I'm hoping by lead line you mean the chorus synth!)

=> drumbeat =>

I didn't really want to go too complicated here. It's a simple song! And that's sort of what I like about it (although that fill that transitions to the outro definitely could've used a more noticeable drum beat).

=> melody =>

Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much.

=> MILKED =>

Yeah, I knew I should've added some sort of tremolo. One of my biggest issues with this song is that the synth at the chorus sounds so static, which you obviously heard as well. Time constraints, man. :(

Thanks for the positive review!

[I<3DnB!]

Thoughts while listening: Love the minimalist sound off the get-go...I gotta learn how to make techno sounds...Good build up...find the melody one minute in to be just a little too easy....Lead line at 1:30 is more interesting, but lacking dynamics. It's important to tweak those little notes the same way you tweak the long ones...love the quick-outro!

And after hearing the whole thing: Like many, many electronic trax out there, this one needs a human touch. Thing is, it's incredibly difficult to mix a completely original and memorable track with melody only. Find a couple screams or choirs hits or a bit of a comedy routine or grab a mic and record a sample or two yourself.

I think that I'm not alone when I say that eventually, every mixer realizes that they also have to be a sampler...

PrognoiseBIG responds:

=) 2 Easy and no variety. More Dynamics.
Lets get it together and i defenitly take your advise to my new Project.

Thank you for your time. !

[Festival Day]

My, my...how the tables have turned, Step. Once you were reviewing me, but now THE POWER IS MINE!!!! MWAHAHAHA!!!

...but in all seriousness, I have nothing at all to complain about, in either composition or mix. This is pro quality, well-thought-out work. It belongs in cinema. This could easily grace the soundtrack of pretty much any Celtic faerytale.

My one complaint is actually the thing you seem most proud of, though: your lead flute! Sorry, but it still sounds artificial when played on its own, as most wind instrument plugins do. You totally sell it like a boss, but without the band blurring the edges, you can tell that the flute lacks the imperfections and dynamics that make a flute real. I might suggest experimenting with some tremolo to get ya through, but that trick would only hide a few notes...

Other than that, it might be time to send the score to an actual flutist...

Step responds:

"My, my...how the tables have turned, Step. Once you were reviewing me, but now THE POWER IS MINE!!!! MWAHAHAHA!!!"

You should have posted an NGADM-styled review with the headline and the decimal score at the end and everything, to really highlight the irony :3.

"...but in all seriousness, I have nothing at all to complain about, in either composition or mix. This is pro quality, well-thought-out work. It belongs in cinema. This could easily grace the soundtrack of pretty much any Celtic faerytale."

Damn, I'm honoured! Getting praise like this is very heartwarming and encouraging for me because I'm just a lowly amateur who merely dreams of getting his music in a high-budget film or game haha.

"My one complaint is actually the thing you seem most proud of, though: your lead flute!"

Hey, you said you have nothing to complain about! Haha I'm joking, complain all you want.

"Sorry, but it still sounds artificial when played on its own, as most wind instrument plugins do. You totally sell it like a boss, but without the band blurring the edges, you can tell that the flute lacks the imperfections and dynamics that make a flute real. I might suggest experimenting with some tremolo to get ya through, but that trick would only hide a few notes..."

You know, I think the best way to create realism isn't necessarily in the sound of each note, but the amount of articulations and grace notes used. My East/West Ra VST comes with a bunch of woodwinds that sound pretty good on their own, but it's when I break out the trills and the pitch altering and the other kinds of musical ornaments do I think "wow, this sounds real". Unfortunately, the version of the flutes VST I was using to make this had nothing of the sort (yet) since it was still under development.

I totally agree about vibrato though. It really helps in the longer notes. Funnily enough, the older version of this track had a piccolo from East/West which had TOO MUCH vibrato in the longer notes! But yeah, should've given that pitch vibrato. Pitches loooove vibrato.

Thanks a lot for dropping by mate. I'm really glad you like this.

[Made of Stars (Unfinished)]

Well, you are indeed a better electric guitarist than I....And I disagree with TheDoor6: I think your ending is very deliberate, and a sudden cut-off is a valid musical choice. Mozart was criticized often for it. I kinda wanted the piano to continue in some form throughout the song, though. Like it was the building block for the song, and then it just vanished. It's almost like it didn't need to be there, and was just an add-on thrown in to prove to the judges that you could use one.

Finally, there was one thing I felt was really missing from the vocals: Intensity. There was no spot in the song where I could hear you really pushing your voice to the max, as any good rock song should do. One thing I've learned about singing is that if there's no razor's-edge note or progression or speed line...SOMETHING that taxes you to the absolute limit of what you can sing, the song ends up sounding a little too easy. I wanna hear your voice crack with the strain! This is RAWK, dude!

All-in-all, very well orchestrated, flawlessly clean guitar riffs, and good save on the computer mixing. I know how bad it sucks when your equipment fails in the middle of a project. I've had a freeze that erased 8 hours of recording. That was a bad day.

-Ceevro

MetalRenard responds:

I absolutely agree with you, I was not satisfied with the vocals in this at all, I couldn't seem to find that thing you were talking about, that edge, it just wasn't there for this song. In all honestly, I lost inspiration for this piece after writing the main guitar riff and the rest was just done as I went along. I'm not pleased with this track like I have been with others in the past but I'm glad I got through to the next round of the contest with it.

Trust me when I say that my next one will not be the same though, I've really pushed myself in the vocals for the final round of the underdog contest and I love what I've come up with.

Thanks for the honest review!!!

[Up and Up]

Thoughts while listening:

Great dynamics in the opening effects. The 'bell-type' effect attacks a bit too fast...kinda harsh...syncopates with the beat in an interesting way. The mainstream wouldn't like the syncopation, but those in the know would love it. Change-up is harsher than I normally like, but that's personal preference, and this actually works well. Too short.

Those were my notes while listening. And here's my commentary:

You've been doing this for a bit, clearly. You have a very good sense of melody, and to work that bell-line over those drums in such a complex way was either extremely skillful syncopation, or a dumb-luck error in computer composition (I do jazz, so off-beats are kinda a showy-offy-thingy).

I hate to say this, given the difficulty most people have in finding/becoming one, but you need a vocalist. For this piece, anyways. It's got a great, airy-type feeling, and my brain wanted a soaring vocal so badly, it started to superimpose a female Celtic singer overtop. At least a choir FX. Something to bring it just a little more into reality, and out of the computer-scape.

All-in-all, solidly composed, a bit on the short side (I realize it's a loop, but I want more of it!), and quite toe-tappy.

asid61 responds:

Thank you for the input!
The short intro got to me a little, but I wanted to get to the melody faster. Plus, I couldn't think of anything to put in that would still sound good.

Vocalist... not sure on that. Not much of a vocals guy, and I don't know what I would add. I might looks for a good synthesizer then.

[Ecco512 - Forget the past (v2)]

Listening...so far, love the airy theme...drum build-up/intro is too Nickelback...do like the overlay of the chords with the orchestral, but it sounds like you didn't tune your guitar precisely. Don't sweat it...I've had to redo whole songs because I forgot to tune up first.

Now, the melody is pretty repetitive, and you're a bit over-distorted. Try adding a second guitar part in harmony with the first.

Nice alteration at 2:41...change is really sudden though...could use a build-up/lead-in to the changes. Change to clean distortion at 4:10 kinda comes outta nowhere there...

OK, so those were my notes as I was listening, and here are my overall thoughts:

Solid concept, nice chord progressions, great mixups. But this track feels incomplete and underdeveloped. I can tell that you're a solid guitarist who has put in a lot of hours to play like you do, and as one guitarist to another, this might sound a bit harsh, but it's with the intention of helping you get better - if you are playing the same thing over and over, it is not a solo. That's the rhythm part. When you were chording the solo bit, it actually sounded like it was time for the real soloing to begin. I'm willing to bet that you would actually have come up with a better lead line if you had improved the whole thing.

Next: I can't hear anything at all resembling a bass-line. Your low-end is completely unfilled, and if you want epic sound, you need to fill the whole soundscape. Trick for poor-man's-bass: Play a bass line on your guitar, and use a tone-modifier to drop it down an octave. Barring that, you can also achieve a poor-man's-bass by running a guitar bass line through a female to male vocal transformer (your software has those things, I guarantee it).

This is a solid idea, and can be expanded, reworked, and mastered well. Don't give up on it, but do do some more work with it!

Cheers,

-Ceevro

R4R

Ecco512 responds:

Hi!
Nickelback? Interesting I never listened to Nickelback.:)
It was my first recorded song 2 month ago. I wanted to try my new soundcard, but I didn't have any experience with studio work. I've played everyday in this summer, and recorded things. maybe now I could make better mastering/mixing, (but I am still shit in solo writing:)

I used guitar pro RSE bass. It's a good idea with the bass, yes it has these functions. I am planning to rerecord it later, but before it I want to buy new strings, and ask someone to set up my guitar right. I see more potential in this song this song too.

Thank for this review, and your time.
You helped a lot. :)