Drewpy's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Just in Time]

Pros:
It's a chill song and wouldn't feel out of place on a beach or something like that
The drums are pretty fantastic (besides maybe the crash, I'll get to that in a bit)
Mastering for sure was pretty good, and it isn't over compressed which is a common issue
It's not too repetitive, it stays interesting for the most part

Cons:
The crash symbol 1:05 seemed really out of place and out of time
For an experimental song, I might have wanted to be a little more on my toes about what I'm hearing.There isn't too much of a wow factor. This isn't a very big issue, it's more of a personal thing.
The guitar wasn't always quantized right, and it sounded a little imprecise at times because it wouldn't play at the same time as the drums, which stayed consistent.

Overall, not bad. It's not a song I would just want to turn on and listen to, but I certainly don't mind hearing it. It's really relaxing, it's just that there are a few issues with it that need to be addressed. Keep up the good work!

GotWeez responds:

Thank you!

I agree with the crash symbol at 1:05... though that's actually there as a que in for an accompanying video. I really should fix it though.

The reason why the guitar was off from the drums at times is actually because I added the drums as an afterthought. When I originally recorded the guitar samples, i was planning on a percussive guitar track. I didn't like how that turned out, but was so pleased with the samples I had already recorded that I created the drum track and then tried to sync the existing guitar samples to it. That, and in one of the longer "lull" moments towards the middle of the song, there was going to be a violin track; but my violinist never came through to record so I kept the lull moment in for length, and I kind of spaced out during it while I was tripping so I decided I loved it lol.

I'm really pleased with how the drums came out. I actually used Ableton's "Vintage Bright" samples for their very natural sounding acoustic decay, and imported them into Fruity Loops to sequence. For the snare, I alternated between a hard hit and a soft hit in order to emulate a left and right stick. This definitely helped make it sound more natural or recorded and not sequenced. A little reverb polished the effect. There are a few parts where I actually doubled the drum track and added a beat repeat on the the double for a more disorganized (though still in-time) and electronic sound. For the hi-hat, I did the same thing, and alternated between a closed foot, and a soft closed stick hit.

I placed it under experimental largely because of it's unconventional timing. The beat for the song actually falls on the first and third counts; similar to DnB or early Dubstep. To me, it sounds like post-rock... but would be closer to jazz as far as it's timing. That's how I felt anyhow.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for reviewing!

BTW... I love how you mentioned it sounds like it belongs at a beach; I live in Myrtle Beach XD

One more thing to note: I'm not a fan of mixing with compression. Compression is a great tool when you're backed into a corner, but if you can avoid it; you should. Mixing/Mastering, at least in my style, is 90% volume, 10% Everything else.

[The Beautiful Power]

Here from R4R thread:

As always, your melodies here are outstanding. They're super engaging and fun. This would be great as a boss fight theme. I only have 2 issues with it: the first is the overall lack of clarity, but this isn't huge because, well, the C64 doesn't have the clearest audio anyway. The second is that some of the synths don't feel like they really belong together, particularly the transition just before 1:00. I don't know if this is just me being picky, but it kind of threw me off a bit. Nitpickiness aside, this is a great track with great melodies, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

littlelamp100 responds:

thank you for the feedback! really glad you enjoyed it :D

[Mega Man Y+1: Phoenix Man]

Wow! This really sounds like it belongs in a Mega Man game for sure. It truly mimics that classic retro feel more than the vast majority of songs I find here on NG. The synths work really well together, the compression is nice, the mastering is great, the energy is high, what's not to love? The melodies are all so engaging and I really enjoyed it!

Oh, also those tom fills were savage.

Keep it up!! This is a great track, so please don't stop making them!

littlelamp100 responds:

thank you! it was made in a program that emulates the NES hardware, similar to what paragonx9 did with chaoz fantasy 8 bit. that's why it sounds so authentic. i really wish more people on NG used famitracker

[Theme of Worlds III - Carrie St. Dress-Code | 2013]

This song would honestly sound perfect in an indie game. I like the part with the music.

Seriously though, the mastering is really good, and the melodies and harmonies are stupendous. The leads are all very well engineered and well equalized. It's not in-your-face or straight ambience, so it's really pleasant to listen to. So thanks for the listen!

Bertn1991 responds:

Whoa, that... was lovely :-)

Thank you so much for your very kind a thoughtful review. That really meant a lot to me. You can check out my art submission for this song, too, if you care. Anyways, thanks again, sir. You seem like a cool person. I'mma give you a follow

[GTB - Ascending To Heaven (Instrumental Mix)]

I really like the pulsing chords you have! The part after the buildup is my favorite (2:22ish), and you did a really nice job with the sounds you used! The drums were present, but not overpowering, just as it should be in a trance track. I also really like the guitar sound you added later, but it felt maybe just a little bit to harsh. Maybe you could have added some stereo spread to that guitar too. Other than that, it's a great song! I really enjoyed the listen, so thanks!

Dj-Gonzo responds:

Thanks to you for checking this out! I realized the guitar was a bit too distorted after some other reviewers told me, I had a headache trying to make it fit with the rest of the song, giving it a stronger uplifting feeling. I will try to improve the next time I work with a guitar. Thanks again for your interest.

>GTB

[Gratuitous Space RIde]

Wow, the lead you used is really cool (for lack of a better word)! I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the song, and it put me in a good mood! The track wouldn't sound out of place in a short animated film about space or something like that. I really like the drums and the melodies, especially at 2:14. Your style is really cool, so keep refining your sound and writing new tracks!

DJstorm903 responds:

Thanks! ya, now that I have computer that can handle audio production there'll be a lot more to look forward to ;) the lead is, surprisingly enough, a super-square wave. A saw sounded out of place so I used a square and it was perfect

[The Force Awakens]

This is mind-bendingly, astoundingly, unbelievably amazing. The best song I've heard on Newgrounds for sure. Or my personal favorite at least. Force Awakens should be proud to have a song like this that shares its name. Honestly, this is track is awesome. 10/10

KamillasRainbow responds:

Wow, thank you so much! :D