samthejokerman's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Power Hungry -hardstyle-]

definately hardstyle; hardstyle needs bass

you get more bass in some of the synths and the end of the bass hit you use, rather than feeling much of anything in the main kick. i'd recommend a) boosting that kick with some EQ, (also a friendly plugin for making kicks bassy is maximus; just throw that on an tune down the highs a bit.) and b) try throwing staccato bass synth to hit WITH the kick at the same time.

I can see that you put a lot of work in to syncopating the kick, though i'm not sure at certain parts where it's obviously trying to be a triplit, but it's juust off (like 1:33). i'm not sure if you noticed or not, but of FL, what i assume you used, in the top right of the piano roll box there's a 'snap to grid' option with magnet icon. there, you can choose to go 1/3 or 1/6 of the bar -or- the beat. very useful :P

at the end of the song, i appreciate the break that you threw in, but it's just a bit -too- quiet, so i'd recommend either throwing reverb and delay of the bass hit to fade off, or throw in a very quiet bass with a free filter on it in the background to keep the time (as in 1, 2, 3, 4 hit).

the whole song generally has too much distortion IMO so that it ruins a bit of the clairity of the song; i do recognize that hardstyle's characterized with a lot of distortion, it's just a bit too much.

The bass hit you used groans with a tinny sound which you can fix with some detailed EQ work or just throw a unifying filter onto it (you've gone and made the pool girl cry! try using a 'woody' word. much better).

i like the transition to the swing synths from the intro, that was very well handled. i like the general song and the melody, along with the chord progression; well made as far as that goes. i thirst for the bass in a hardstyle song and i'm just not feeling it! (and don't worry, i put on my Monitor headphones for this review, had to make it accurate :P)

Therm0 responds:

Well, the main thing I need to address is the distortion. It's not distorted at all--the limiter ceiling is set to 0 DB, you need to turn down your headphones or get a preamp because they're distorting and it's not the fault of my mastering. As for the kick, I'm working on mastering it so that it won't be so blended in with the rest of the song. At 1:33 I was having trouble with the actual rhythm of the kick--I understand the 1/6 and 1/3, if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to have made these melodies, Sam. :P
So yeah I do agree with the kick, I need to fix that. The distortion is.. Sorry, it's just not me. As to the bass hits, yeah, I should probably make them more defined. Thanks Sam. :)

[[T] Fourthworld]

Potential!

had to listen to it again on repeat a couple of times and really listen, cause i like the potential in this song, and i guess that's why said it was a question of whether you would continue it or not, as you see the potential as well :P i hate starting a song that you love the feel of but having no idea how to continue the idea. >.<

for starters, i would boost that kick and, if it's not already, throw the master under a limiter. i'd add a saw, or square-based pad into the back, especially for the soft parts where the lead and arp take control.

The "hits" as i call them (something like a "boom" after a reverse crash), need to have some more delay and reverb on them, or extend the decay if you already have delay (that rhymes, how fun! >.<).

i know what you were trying to do with syncopation the lead in the second part, but instead of just syncopation on the same note, throw some down the octave, and maybe even add some harmonies to the lead to complete the feel of the build. cause, as it is, the build in the second part doesn't build up enough, in my opinion (keep in mind *everything* i'm saying is "in my opinion" and obviously disregard it or everything cause it's your song XD).

A lot of songs can be more memorable if they have something along the lines of a SFX or a sample that's sliced up all pretty like, playing around with it to get an original sound. this can, oftentimes, make a big difference in the impact that the song has to the listener. in my song, ever (and i'm not claiming to be amazing, i'm not that good), has an sfx that i played around with, the most noticeable being the free filter on it, that i worked to sound a little like a roar or whatever it was XD. but i find people remember that, people say: and that part: the *imitates sound* part!

a small change would be that i'd keep the bass you have now strictly as an offbeat, you have some work on the pickup to the bar and it detracts, i feel, from the 'jump' of the song. also, make it a bit more sine and squelch, i feel the wave shape is a bit too jagged.

the kick i'd change a bit, boost the mid-low end, the part just before the bottom in whatever parametric EQ you use. also, i find that throwing on maximus on top of that can really even it out into a trance-worthy kick, but be careful that, on maximus, an often-occurring problem for me is that it extends the end/decay of the kick too much, so you might want to consider having 2 kicks on the same pattern, one with maximus, and the other not, and try using a different sample for the kick too. look in the "used by demo projects" section for some good kicks and/or sounds.

so, overall, i just wrote a long-ass review XD but i hope it's helpful enough to take *something* from :P i'd love to see it continue! great flow!

Therm0 responds:

:3 You know, I agree with you entirely. The funny thing is that I actually do a lot of the things you mentioned in most of my other songs, just, I didn't in this one, for whatever reason. Maybe I was just lazy? That could explain why it's so short. Haha. Thanks Sam. I really appreciate those suggestions, and that monster of a review. :) I wish I could tell you more in response but.. Haha well I completely agree with you. :)

[[T] Runaway Cover]

good for fun!

i don't always like super bubbly stuff, but if i was in that mood , it sure would hit the spot good choice of lead ;)

though i would have put some type of effect on that snare, maybe reverb, maybe some compression, i don't know, but, it's just a bit... flat for my tastes ;) overall though, good song :):)

Therm0 responds:

xD; that's why I love the original. It's fun. :) That snare could be fixed up, I see what you mean. It's just that the original song didn't have that, so I wanted to try to stay true to it a little bit (even though I've already got a lot of differences in this one already haha) But, thanks Sam. :D

[[T] Blue Soul]

very original song!

very original melody, sound, gating, and simple drums and bass all together to make a very original composition that very nice to listen to! the gated saw in the bridge made me think of 'flashing lights' by tits mcgee. it's actually a very awesoem, artistic video that makes the song!

and this has real original power and emotion! awesome flow on this song, really appreciated listening! the one feeling i has was a vinyl sound int he background cause the snare has it, but i think it'd add to the feeling, but that's me :P awesome song, man!

Therm0 responds:

D'awww. Thanks. :) I appreciate all of this haha thanks man

[D0t]

repetitious, play with the EQ

k, so, as it happens, i have Audio Technica ATH M50s so i can, in fact, as you suggested, hear the bass, and it's not loud enough! :P let me tell you, if i may, a mixing trick i employ to diversify your EQ: for each of the instruments, find a frequency, i'd recommend the parametric eq 2, so you can see the frequencies easier, and find one for each instrument that sounds good. by that i mean, each instrument will sound different and better or worse at different frequencies ebcause most have many things going on. pick a frequency and boost it it for that instument just so that you can both get a bit more use out of unused frequencies, but, also, it will bring out that instrument in a frequency it doesn't have to share so much with others. this will give some focus and clarity so it's a little less muddled (though this was pretty ok).

boost the bass on the both the kick and the bass synth. to me, this is almost sounding synth so i would personally as song extra bass in some parts that is almost like an arpegiator is places like the middle where there's not very much going on. also, int he part that you played with the pitch, i'd make that whole build up last a lot less, becuase as it is, it's just kinda slow and annoying. it can work, just not over 16 bars, you know? the build up gets lost in the fact that you're not in an particular key.

i would defiantly add something to root the song down in the bass department, something more than what you have now. maybe go with some type of hypersaw? something rough with maybe a string-type inlay and, heck, go classic and make it off beat XD.

but anyway, i am liking the song, and i'd like it more if you maybe incorporated some more ambient sounds just to make more going on, but really, it is a good song overall, would just a take a little work to refine into a great song :)

Mans0n responds:

thanks for the advice man, ive been practicing and made some more songs that i think are pretty awesome.
and i was wondering if you could check them out when i upload them.
since you gave me such a helpful review for my song D0t.
which in my opinion was good but not that good.
though my 2 newest songs are pretty cool, pretty detailed and have a good flow.
i will get back to you when i upload them since i dont have my camera charger at the moment..
peace bro

[Here at my H0use]

short, not repetitive

nice and chill, i could see this being a game menu cause it's not in your face, as you said chill and sort of, like, in the background, just int he back of one's mind.

liking the spacey feel of the main synth. it's not repetitive though becuase it's not too long and not forward. i only really find it repetitive if it's a strong synth soun or melody, this club stuff you have going on, you can really feel it as just something the background, i'm liking it.

Mans0n responds:

thanks alot :)

[What I Found (Mans0n Rework)]

choppy, repitious, but chill

some points in the song you can feel where it's a little choppy, more in that direction was some of the time you're change your gate mid-bar, such as after the 3rd beat of a bar abruptly and only for that beat, which was kinda choppy in my opinion, disrupted the flow. I thought the beat reminded me so much, specifically the high hats, of something in my mind that i can't quite remember, but i don't now, British sitcoms are somehow vaguely there, my mind's weird XD

i felt that some of the instruments should have had a bit more work on the EQ, maybe a bit more done in that sense, just felt like all the ranges weren't being played with enough...

the whole thing sorta lost material half way through, like, i don't know if there was enough raw material to make a 4.5 minute song, y'know? ;P

though, as i said, the beat really creates a chill feeling of an old club but one that's chiller, with a bar, maybe a fashion show after party? i'll stop rambling -.-

all or parts of what i say, remember, can be disregarded because it's all from my point of view and if you wanted something different, felt something different, then that's your style vs mine and always go with your style!

Mans0n responds:

thanks for the honest review :)

[beet box]

MORE EFFORT

i work a lot with garageband... and i can hear the premade loops, i know them... before i made my own loops i works tons with the loops... get some orginal material and put a LOT more effort into this.

apple32 responds:

dude I WAS BORED B-O-R-E-D

[Dissolving the Past]

nice work

it was a nice pleasant feel to it... and is a nice ambient piece

[Circuit Melt]

hmmm

it's definatly interesting, but a big repedative.

JohnnyCellulose responds:

ya true.