Neon-Bard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Modern Day Hero]

NGAUC Review
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First off, my apologies for the extremely late review -- but, better late than never!

What worked well:
- Great vocals!
- Use of 80's-style rock works remarkably with your voice.
- Catchy bassline and nice guitar work.
- Cool lyrics!

What to consider for next time:
- The effects that you used, mainly reverb, really washed the song out. As a result, your mix could use quite a bit of work. Things sound muddled throughout, but not to the point where the sound is overbearing in any way. I think that by removing the reverb (like Skye mentioned -- 50%) on the vocals and instruments would really help! That being said, the heavy reverb gives this track its sound.
- The drums are hidden behind the other instruments in the track, you could try bringing them out a little by equalizing and increasing the right frequencies (experiment with both the high and low-end).

This is a super catchy track Zac, keep at it!

Score: 9/10

[An Alternate Solution]

NGAUC Review
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First off, my apologies for the extremely late review -- but, better late than never!

What worked well:
- Very interesting and relaxing track.
- Great (but subtle) melodic content!
- Excellent use of pads to augment the bass, arp and beat.
- Very pretty (but short) ending!

What to consider for next time:
- More melodic work!
- The overall production is good, but the mixing is a little lacking. I agree with Skye when he says that after the 1:47 mark, things get a little swamped.
- The ending, while nice, was just far too short I think. Furthermore, the sound just cuts to nothing! I would have loved to hear more of that piano in other parts of the track, too.

Great song! I really enjoyed sitting back and listening to it, and I did so more than once. Keep it up!

Score: 8.2/10

[A New Future]

NGAUC Review
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First off, my apologies for the extremely late review -- but, better late than never!

What worked well:
- Expressive instruments (guitar, recorders).
- Very pretty-sounding, especially around 1:53!
- Relaxing to the core.
- Wonderful melodies and harmonic content.
- Excellent atmosphere.

What to consider for next time:
- The mixing is a little touchy in places, especially from 1:05-1:28! Be careful how you implement your effects in parts of the song in order to create an overall better sounding mix.
- The reverb and delay, while nice, creates an inorganic sound to an otherwise marvelously organic song. Acoustic instruments sound just fine with a touch of reverb, but too much and it is overbearing. The reverb isn't so bad for majority of the song, but when strumming (0:35 - 1:28) the 'trailing effect' causes issues. HOWEVER, it sounds just fine despite seeming too wet!
- Post 3:00 recorders are repetitive, try mixing it up a little in order to close the song in a more interesting manner than repeating the same notes.

Wonderfully done! Keep at it!

Score: 9/10

[Breathe]

NGAUC Review
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First off, my apologies for the extremely late review -- but, better late than never!

What worked well:
- Touching, relaxing track.
- Excellent use of instruments.
- Harp and choir sections sounded fantastic.
- Highly atmospheric.
- Good mixing.

What to consider for next time:
- Dynamics: work on dynamics, and you'll be golden! This goes mostly for the strings and the velocity of those notes, but I don't want to beat a dead horse though, so I'll leave it at that.
- String sections could be a little more emotive! You could consider using the oboe a little more to augment the harmonies in the track.

I couldn't help but feel like I was temporarily wisped away to another land (a surprisingly Elder Scrolls-esque world)! That's always a good sign, when a song can do that. Keep up the great work DSyk!

Score: 8.8/10

DSykMusic responds:

Thanks for your review Neon-Bard! I'll likely go back and touch up this track with your (and others) suggestions in mind.

[Some of My Foolishness]

NGAUC Review

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First off, my apologies for the extremely late review -- but, better late than never!

What worked well:
- Super organic Ceevro-styled track!
- Great, meaningful lyrics.
- Fantastic guitar work (clean solos)!
- Nice mixing overall.
- Great blending of instruments/vocals (not including 2:03 - 2:37).

This goes without saying, this track has your clean-cut style written all over it. Your guitar playing is a hallmark of your songs, and this one is no exception. The lyrics, as mentioned, are certainly meaningful and in a way I think they are quite heartfelt. The mixing is clean, and I think you've recorded each element of the track well!

What to consider for next time:
- The vocals are very hit-and-miss here.
- The 'raw' quality of the song is entirely negated at the 2:03 marker.
- The conclusion, as others have mentioned, leaves a lot to be desired.

Some notes sound great, some notes not so great. It seems that you aren't making use of breathing techniques to facilitate full notes. For instance, the line: "And all of my everything just came down today" was sung in a relaxed way, your voice works well here! However, the next line: "but all of my nothing is hangin' around" sounds quite stretched. In particular, the "NUH" in nothing and the "AH" and "OU" sounds in around are sung incorrectly; the notes are falling flat. Furthermore, at the 2:03 marker, your vocals don't quite blend well (but this is mostly due to various notes being sung off-key).

The mixing was also weak from this point until 2:37. I think it was just far too busy, and a simplistic approach would have worked far better. From 2:37 onwards, you settle back into a simple sound again but the track ends abruptly and as a result, things are left feeling a little unbalanced.

I enjoyed listening to this one, and I am baffled at the fact that you wrote and recorded this in ONE day. Major props! Keep at it, Ceevro!

Score: 8.5/10

Ceevro responds:

I think that might be my Canadian accent coming through there. I definitely have to get some vocal coaching (I have already taken steps towards that). Yeah, I have to do a lot more work to bring in some more organic sounding instrumentals...I did what I could with what I had...Thank for the detailed review, though!

[Wind Waker Medley]

A beautiful rendition of a few of the very best tracks from Wind Waker. Everything about this is great and it brings back a lot of good memories! Excellent work man! :)

stunkel responds:

Thanks man!

[Aurore]

This is a NGAUC Knock-Out Review.

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This is a really catchy tune! The sounds blend nicely, the mixing is quite good and the overall progression of the track, while relatively modest and predictable, is great. I think my favorite part of the song is from 0:49 - 1:20; the build during that part is awesome! The percussion is definitely one of the highlights of the track -- it allows for a nice flow throughout. The melody is silky smooth and I found myself tapping along to it while listening.

I wasn't overly fond of the synth vocals that you brought in at 1:21. However, don't get me wrong, they work in tandem with the other sounds. It's just a taste thing! The ending was cut a bit too short, perhaps by deconstructing the track instrument-by-instrument towards the end would work well (plus, it would fit with the laid-back vibe of the song).

Great work adieuwinter, keep it up!

Score: 7.5/10

[Mihai Sorohan-Forward]

This is silky smooth work, sorohanro (and company). The mix is super clean, the track is ridiculously catchy, and honestly, it's just plain fun to listen to. Every single instrument shines in its own way -- though I am definitely partial to the keyboards and sax! Just excellent stuff, well done! :)

sorohanro responds:

Thank you very much. There is another track from the mini EP up here on Newgrounds ;)

[Endless Night]

Oh yeah! This definitely has a Castlevania sound to it, and I can definitely hear a hint of inspiration from Uematsu.

Actually, the more I listen to it, the more it sounds like an area before a final boss. There's a sense of subtle urgency that is brought out by the combination of the synths, guitar, bass and percussion. The melodies throughout the track are varied and memorable without becoming repetitive, and I can guarantee that I will be humming portions of the song now for the rest of the day! I really like the 5/4 time signature, it definitely adds a spin on how things turn out with a track.

You mentioned that the overall mix isn't as 'amazing' as other songs, well, it's actually pretty good! All of your instruments are quite balanced for the most part. Honestly, as you keep writing more music, you will find that your ears adapt in order to implement new techniques. I know that's an odd way of interpreting it. It is what it is, I suppose haha! I'm still in the midst of learning mixing techniques myself -- it's a long journey, but the more you practice, the better your mix will sound. I will mention that you could try a few things to help you on your way: adjusting the velocity of notes, using the parametric EQ tool to cut frequencies, and altering the volumes of instruments in your mixer are fantastic ways to create a clean mix. You may already be aware of these techniques yourself because the mix in the track is fairly balanced. If not, please feel free to send me a PM and I will do my very best to explain what I know (which isn't much haha).

This is a great track, and I'm really looking forward to hearing what other kinds of music you'll cook up. Keep at it, ILG. :)

ILG924 responds:

Thanks for the encouraging words! I'm glad you like the melodies, that's what I focus most on.
I'm aware of cutting certain frequencies, I did that quite a bit for this track. There's a certain clarity that I hear in a lot of music, including yours, and listening to this again, I think I might be missing brightness. The synths have plenty, but I'm not so sure about the rest. I don't know if that falls under EQ category or not, maybe a harmonic exciter. I'll experiment with that in my next song

[Dancing Flowers]

This is one catchy tune! I like the softness of this track -- the piano is on point, the bass line is groovy, and those string staccatos towards the middle of the song really accentuate the melody. The beginning reminded me a little of a Plants vs. Zombies track, but as it goes on, the melody in particular reminded of more upbeat RPG songs. What inspired you to write this song anyway? :)

The overall pacing of the song is great, and you build and deconstruct each instrument well. The kick comes in at just the right time, as does the bass. Speaking of the bass, I did notice that it sticks out in the mix quite a bit more than any other instrument. As a result, you can hear that great bass line well, but it overshadows everything else -- especially the piano, the main instrument of the track. This hampers the melody! Now, all that being said, the bass doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, and every instrument can be heard just fine. Perhaps you could try turning the bass down just a tad.

I really enjoyed the addition of the choir, by the way. The choir adds a nice touch of extra softness to the song as a whole, so you get that feeling of peace. I have to say, at least one more time, that you really know how to build a track. Well done! :)

VideoGameManiac responds:

Thanks! Yea I guess I should lower the bass volume a bit. I was listening to some of Pogos music and thats what inspired me.