Suspended-3rd-Chord's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Battle Music [Synth]]

Pretty nice

This is a pretty solid track dude, at first it reminded me of an old genesis game, during a fast pace racing scene of some sorts. Bass line groovs pretty well, lead synth is a good fit playing a cool, battlesque melody. I like the very fast arpeggio in the second phase and then the next synth working into the mix and then the sick harmonies. So you sequenced this track pretty damn well and arranged the riffs to make for an effective battle composition. Drum beat is a swell fit and keeps the rocking groove moving, but if you could replace the FPC stock samples that would be great. Wouldnt be bad if you incorporated some fast tom rolls in transitions too.

the mixing could be polished a bit more. The lead synth is loud and apparent, but during the more layered parts, you may want to lower the overall volumes a bit more and maybe put some light compression on this. (although I hear no clipping from my headphone standpoint) its just sounds like the other instruments in the background are competiting to be heard, and it drowns some of the drums out in some sections ( in the first phase I can barely hear the hi hats, the crash is nearly inaudible, and during the end I didn't even realize there was double bass drums pounding until you faded the instruments out). it might be pretty cool if you introduce a different lead, which I would think would add some diversity and room for cool harmonization in the end.

Kickass composition here though, could definetly be used in a battle flash of sort.

r0bz0r responds:

thank ya very much for your review (again :D), yeah, volume balance/mixing is a weak point of mine, still trying to improve it.

anyway, you're right about the drums (I admit, I have a tendency to neglect them), so once again, I'll take what you've said into consideration for my new music :D

thanks again, your reviews are helpful and appreciated

[Melodic Erotica]

ill as hell

this kinda has a hip hop feel to it, atleast to me, I love it.

I like the first section the most, with that little blip and the upbeat dream, and the reecey things whatever they are. someone could lay some ill rhymes over the intro.

when it gets frantic it sounds really cool, and the entire mix is really mixed well. I love the drums, the hi hat bits, and when you put certain sections in a phaser. Hell when you keep it variated by adding those crash cymbals and tom rolls it sounds real sick too. The synths are real sweet too, very cool DnBish melodies. I like that echoing arp too.

anyways, real cool track, no real criticism, you used GB to its fullest!

Quarl responds:

Thanks! Probably the kindest review i've ever received :P

[World's Bounty]

fun and cheery

I like making 8bit music too, this is a nice mix you got goin on here. I do indeed enjoy the main melody that you use in here, its very happy and peaceful and happy, kinda brings a childish calm. The little bass tones are a nice complent, and I like that drifting round tones in the background to make some pretty interesting harmony in here. the composition kinda cut off in the end, you need to finish the melody on the main square synth and probably extend the note for a bit longer.

one thing this could definetly use is a bit more diversity- through using more changing rhythms to make your track less repetitive. you have some good melodies but it gets annoying when you dont convey your themes through establishing a rhythm scheme.

this could use a centered, warm bassy and fuzzy pad to make for a more fuller sound. I would say pan your synths too, but 8bit is all mono so there wouldnt be much sense in that eh? most of all, my favorite part about 8bit tracks is the bitcrushed, lofi drums, did you think about including any in here? try googling bitcrusher if you're interested, I personally think that would add a good element to this track. i might be able to put some in here too, if you would like.

sweet melodies and nice thinking with the 8bit themes. keep making music.

-Review Request Club-

TheReno responds:

Well thanks for the tips man. This is my first attempt at making 8 bit, so Im used to instruments that carry their note a bit farther then this ending did. But for this song I did something diffrent. Instead of using the main melody as a base, I used the starting pattern. That is to say, instead of using the melody after the start that has alot to it, I used the starting melody to guide how this song would develop, and it came out nicely, but the problem you just mentioned came up on me unnoticed. It lost some of its diversity. But I like this song, and Im glad that it was a success. I dont care that it got a 3, it wasnt a 1,2, or 0 so Im happy. It means Im on the right track. Thanks for the review, I will definately defer back to it when I make my next 8-bit song.

[MusicBox - Forest Theme]

intensive :[=]

this is a pretty good loop, does indeed fit for the forest hunting theme. I can imagine some tribal warriors sneakily circleing a tiger and ambushing it to bring home to their families for dinner.

nice use of percussion. The timpanis/bass drum/log drum whatever you are using is really sick, lots of varied dynamics, well variated battle-esque rhythms and the heavy hit at the start of each bar just adds some hair raising emotion. shakers/rainsticks add the nice ethnic feel, maybe try making them a bit louder, and if you were to continue with this make them play more consistently. some mid range percussion like a conga would be a good fit for a forest theme.

anyways, sick percussion, maybe if you were to make this longer it could use more melodical content. Some sparingly used strings and maybe a solo pan flute would be could addition in here.

good sound quality, interesting loop, keep up the good work!

MusicBox responds:

Wow, thank you. You seem to have a high sence of art.
I am really pleased of your compliments.
I haven't got a pan-flute, but maybe i'll ty out a piccolo-strings mixture.
Your review really helped :)

[Fairy Fountain-Glitchified Mix]

only 3 reviews 10 downloads!?

this is pretty damn sick dude, love the glitched drums.

The filtered saw in the background is real slick, the 8bit synth is a nice fit, and my favorite part of this track is the drums. I love the sound of them, and the effects that you put on them. (maybe the entire drum section could just be a tad louder tho to maximize its effectiveness) basskick probably could use more oomph at certain parts- but from hearing your mastering/mixing skills on other works its probably just me and my headphones. the beat is pretty sick, it just sounds a bit sloppy when you end on the blastbeat IMO. Strings/choir carry the drums quite well, I would love to see a longer version of this track, maybe with some less intensive but more melodical verse sections, and then bring in the rapid drums back in during the chorus.

awesome job here dude!

itsameyayo responds:

Thanks for the inspiration, I might continue this one, but it'll have to be a lot later, I'm on a tighter schedule these days :)

-ImperfectDisciple

[A Night Underground]

yo kevs

I think the best two words to describe this track would be "weird" and "different". Quite an original track right here. i cant say i'm a huge fan of the ideas in this track to much until the climax point, but its got quite a unique touch, which I can definetly respect. The textures and synths are not the most attractive sound, as they were a bit too fuzzy and mostly noise-based (maybe try putting a more noticeable sine wave in here to use a smooth base). thats just what I personally like, but its a nice vintage sound (I believe you said you use an 80s keyboard of sorts?). I do like the noisy drone around 1:05, at the gated/chopped synth around 1:55 adds a nice creepy touch. everything was sequenced quite well with the drums and variated quite well enough to the climax point. there was no real chorus secton from my perspective, if you took like a rock/metalish touch by utilizing the melody at 2:10ish and the laying it down on a heavy distorted guitar I think that would be pretty damn tight, and then maybe after bridge into the 2:40ish part.

and then the main climatic part was very enjoyable- i really like that drum beat a lot, nice use of claps and layered hi-hats- I find these beats more catchy then the march-esque beats that you seem to use more often from hearing a few of your tracks, so IMO maybe it would be a cool if you had just one track that used them more consistently? the smooth gated synth works quite well, and I like the noise-based synths in the background. conclusion is pretty decent too with the keys and strings harmonization, maybe put a touch of reverb on the keys to add some depth tho.

pretty sweet track tho! respectable style indeed.

kevs91 responds:

Thanks for the very in-depth review.

The general noise of the synths are by design...it's just how I prefer them to sound. Obviously I need to work on balancing that out with some less noise more substancey sounds.

And yeah, I know that I really should improve on my drum tracks. Of the two things I'm working on now, one has the more typical marching beat that I tend to use, but the other has much more movement. So I think it's just a matter of putting in some more work on the drums than I'm used to.

I like the climax too because it's the same synth sounds that are used throughout the song, just with the arp on to make that cut up sound. (same thing with the 1:55 synth you talked about).

Again, thank you for such a great review.

[pet's ghost]

real nice sound bro

I would have to agree with fatkid though, definetly raise the master volume just a tad tho, it gets at a good distinguishable level around the middle of the track tho, but it probably took a little too long. you should also try to put a bassline and center it in the middle of the track, (or center the lower guitar frequencies) to put a nice warm tone to balance the panned guitats on.

i like the guitar chords quite a bit, some interesting harmony bits, dreamy and happy chords sequenced to make a moody feel. some natural harmonics would work wonders in here, i would have kept the soloing going just a tad longer in the end. The clean chorus tones are nice, and dont bring out any unwanted tone so decent clarity here.

pretty good track, would be nice to see this developed into something further, and maybe raise the volume just a tad too.

LfunkeyA responds:

ok, ok, i was being a bitch in that last reply :P, i'll post a fix

[Forest Melody]

weee

sounds more like a village theme, i'd have to go with divixmage. still a pretty good piece, with a great childish tranquility type of feel. it actually reminds me of a Nickelodeon Junior kids show, when they frolic through their homes playin hide and seek lol (i dont mean this in a bad way at all).

cheerful nylon string chords in the background, melded quite well with the lead flute melodies and slowly moving string sections. I like how you rhythmically wrote them, it kind adds a "skipping" type of motion to just compliment the over all themes of the track. so solid overall composition; it just ends to abruptly, you need some conclusion of sorts (or just loop the track) , maybe slowdown the rhythm guitar in the background and then end on a nice major chord.

overall instruments used are not the most authentic sounding and could use more stereo usage to make it fuller track, but there's no real unwanted sounds in here so I cant say thats a real flaw. though- if this was forest-esque I would just personally be looking for some deeper, bassier sounds, maybe a tribal touch like a pan flute (like you mentioned below), maybe some mallet percussion and some actual ambience, like crickets or such. I think it would be a good idea, no? This is still a nice, serene audio piece here tho man!!

r0bz0r responds:

Wow, well firstly, thanks a lot for your in depth review. You've made a lot of good points, and I'd definitely like to go back to the drawing board on this one. I do agree though, the instruments do sound too artificial, and there could be a more "hollow" sounding flute.

Eh, I'm reviewing my own work! But anyway, thanks again for the review, it's always good to have someone tell me how to improve :3

*ranks your review as helpful!*

[§haded in Blood (Bad Man Inc)]

I wish I was this badass

Such a great track! This could be used in a movie with three guys riding Harleys with long beards and leather jackets riding down a highway, then busting into a building, firing machine guns at their enemies, working there way through unflinching and expresionless.

anyway, I absolutely love the main riff, interesting construction, its not a generic chugging riff at all. I love how it starts off as the palm muting part and then turns into an interesting arpeggio. The lead guitar has some pretty sweet harmonization and soloing. I like the tapping sections followed by the tremelo picking, very well executed and utilized- not overly fast, sloppy, boringl. A lot of the solo guitarists from what I've heard on here at NG just try to play as fast possible and as much as possible to try and show off, which I usually cant respect as much. so its really nice that you included the slower parts in your solo and then worked into the more intense bits. ditto for the drum parts, i like the triplets on the ride cymbals.

your production is also crisp as fook, real nice distortion tones and clear, authentic sounding drums. the lead should be made more distinctive IMO, i would have panned it a little more to the left or right and then added a touch of reverb. but really good EQ to make everything sound fresh- what guitars and effects do you use for your production if you dont mind saying?

Yeaaaa!!!!!!!

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

Thank you very much for the in depth review. I agree with the leads not standing out. haha.

I've been really working on my lead playing, as I have no real prowess really, when it comes to soloing. I play pretty much the same scale all over. My main reasons for wanting to learn more leads are...Variation, and Metaljonus. haha.
IT was suggested by a good friend,(DarKsidE) that I learn some more scales. He's right,
and Metaljonus : http://metaljonus.newgrounds.com/ is the best friggin shredder I've ever heard, I look there quite often for inspiration to keep practicing. (thanks Jon) haha. And I don't even think he is showing off. I'd like to see it though.

I read an interview with Randy Rhodes once, that pretty much said: "if you are a good rhythm player, practice rhythm. If you are better on the leads, practice leads, as one type of player will always be able to find another..then, you make music together" Or some shit like that. I've pretty much lived by that...practicing my rhythm more than leads. However, this is 2008. If you can't multi task, then you can't keep up. I ain't that old yet. haha.

Anyways, glad you found the recording nice and clear. I'm still searching for a good bonecrunching tone, but this is satisfying for the moment.

My guitar, is an old ass beast. 1984 profile. Mint though, and I'm running through a pod 2.0. These were basically just some stock settings. So I'll be uploading lots of experimental crap. haha.

Thanks again for the cool review and support, man! Sorry for the huge story.

[Rig - Reverb Project]

Nice 1

I wish I had classes that were cool like this =/

Rig responds:

You can still make a soundwalk, man - go for it! :)