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

[_-={The Deads Witness}=-_]

Excellence. Nothing less.

I really like your subtle, soft, not massive, yet grand sounding composition in your latest track. It creates a vision exactly like you described in your description.

The opening strings are real nice, with some great tom/bass drum section with an excellent use of dynamics to capture the perfect feel. (is this stormdrum?) Drums were well composed with their battle-esque rhtyhms to retain a nice battle atomsphere. Especially like the triplets in transitions. The strings and brass progression is of exceptional quality, containing a mainly upbeat theme but utilizing some chords to retain some sense of seriousness, as the battles ahead will not be no easy walk. The choir/yells add a very nice touch indeed.

Flute soloing is great as well, very peaceful melody indeed, slow and simple to be a rememberable theme yet not too distracting from the rest of the mix.

I like how there's a small relaxing section that starts at 1:24, and how you lower the volume on all the instruments to make for a truly soothing interlude. And then you raise the volumes at the end of this section (and transitioning into around 1:20ish) with some heart pounding drums. I like the windchimes-adds a vibe of happiness, and how the drums perfectly work there way back into the mix as a cluster of sound developing more into definable instruments. So some really great stuff up to 4:02..I just want to point out that I like the choir mixed into here! and the conclusion is another damn great part, which mirror the intro but with more power to make a dramatic finish to such a truly epic track.

Loads of intensity, visual imagery, authentic, professional sound, I could definetly see this in a Hollywood theme!!!

MaestroRage responds:

This was not storm drum but a patch in East West RA, African drums! There was simply no other substitute to their log drums. There is a mix of other percussions found in EW Orchestra, but largely from RA.

If I recall correctly, this is actually the very first project I used shouts in. It added a burst of energy, a vibe of unbridled anger which just had me planning for more. The first rendition had them at every other measure, but thankfully I got over my fascination with them and erased a good deal of it out. Otherwise it would have been sorely overused and as a consequence damaged the song.

You've broken the song down rather effectively S-3rd-C *wow your name is SO awesome in acronym format!!!*, there's not much I can add onto it, well done on ears well tuned!

Thank you for the review, i'm glad you liked it!

[{^} The gates of Heaven {^}]

Cool Experimental sound

First thought was this was a collaboration of ideas that were developed quite originally. The percussion sounds really unique, from the ethnic sounds that your friend used and the unique rhythms that don't have a continually active base. I also like how each sample has it own level of reverb and place in the speaker. The swelling bass sounds are pretty cool and a bit of spookiness, complimented by those muffled feedback noises.

I guess the main flaw in this track is that it feels overall empty- I guess emptiness can subjectively be good or bad in one context, but in my opinion this never really developed into anything big, despite having an interesting, enjoyable sound. It sounds mostly looped during the entire two and a half minutes. If you listen closely, it sounds like there may be some minor, different variations, but I would appreciate a more noticeable, drastic change in here and then create some meatiness to the track.

I guess this could use another synth or instrument that has a sharp, lead-oriented sound and really just a riff to fill a void to make this a kickass track. And then maybe add some lower and higher based percussion to develop a fuller sound too, once the track starts kickin. But for what it is, enjoyable piece here mate, certainly not too shabby for being made in just 10 minutes :P

Omninescience responds:

Thank you for the thoughtful review, you are right, this needs to be re-edited in the studio. Perhaps with new equipment I'll be getting soon, I can re-do the song all over once again, this time I will add more to the overall content for sure, hopefully I can make it more epic.

[++ Underwater Observatory ++]

1st!

trance isnt exactly my style, but I very much do like this one!

The two melodies that you open with are such a damn nice feel, so relaxing. The synths and pad that you use are a perfect choice, as they sparkle and slowly swell to correctly compliment an ocean theme.

the percussion is very nice, and once again very suitably chosen. I like those ambient and light snare that are panned on the left and ride. The harp sounds so graceful when it comes in, and plays a long, striking arpeggio. The interlude without the pads and the bassline going by itself is a good relief, and then you bring all back into perspective when you finish this track.

You always do a good job with creating you're lead melodies. The one you use here is so nice and soft, not too loud, or too overcomposed were you cant enjoy- just perfect, and I like how it bends at the end of the phrases.

still some minor "flaws" if I can say that, in this track, but nothing really major. It also seems complete for the most part, well balanced ideas and again sequenced together with finesse. With the pads in the background, the harp kinda just sifts into the atmosphere, to make a more apparent sound, I would raise the volume just a tad during that section. and maybe to mix up the drum sequences somemore, put some light, wooden ethnic percussion that pans from the left to the right during some point in the track.

Brilliant composition, some truly kickass parts!

kelwynshade responds:

Well, I guess I couldn't ask for a better 1st review if I tried.

I messed with the volume a ton because some sounds wanted to overpower the others like crazy and eventually I got everything to work out just fine.

I think my biggest problem is that when I get to working on the drums, I almost....lose interest if that makes sense. Basic beats here and there I can do, but the crazy complicated stuff that requires some good time usually causes me to quickly find something that sounds "good" then leave it at that. I do need to work on changing that.

Thanks again for the raving review. I enjoy reading all of them.

[++ Two Smoking Roses ++]

¡Es Fantastico!

quite a marvelous job and spanish-themed sound which is a refreshment to hear on NG. It does fit the RPG Sandy Town theme very nicely! The chord progression is very nice, has a nice latin touch, and sounds good with the plucked sounds you use for it. The bassline sounds brilliant too, and I like how the two rhythms play in accordance smoothly with each other. Claps are a good fit, and I like the simple but upfront beat in the later portion of the track. The brass sounds are real nice (and was what I was hoping for when I heard the intro :] ) and calm over the top, and together they just blend together with quite an exceptional sound.

it is a bit short and repetive though- but its damn nice for what it is and the 45 minutes that you worked on this for. Again, such a great creation that is quite well polished, but has the potential again to be an amazing track. some repetivness in the chord progression, like you could try changing the voices in the progression a bit more- and incoporate an authentic spanish sound by using a chord progression based from the phyrgian and the harmonic minor scale (if you know music theory). There's also room for a melody or two more in here, on a lead instrument that plays a relatively fast riff (a perfect fit would be a nylon guitar or solo trumpet player in maybe an interlude). and again, percussion is great in here and overal l sounds well-rounded, but if you were to work on more- look into including some latin based percussion such as castanets, maracas, guiros, etc. should be a great fit! and some latin based rhthyms with some triplets would be cool too-i think ive gone overboard with suggestions..

but really man, great job with developing another sweet composition. you always develop some very memorable themes. did you have three songs in the top 30 this week as well? congrats!

kelwynshade responds:

Thanks again for the wonderful review.

I suppose in the future I may turn this into something much fuller and completely remastered.

Your suggestions make perfect sense. I just became a bit lazy and grabbed a few sounds to finish it quickly, haha. Thanks again for checking out the goods.

[Farewell To Axiom]

hella tight!

soft yet hectic DnB? dont think ive heard a composition like this before....Didn't know a sound like this was necessary possible, since DnB's usually are a loud and packed with energy, yet you managed to include lots of power in here and pulled it off.

Like man, this a very very cool composition. I like that creepy round synth you open with, with a touching catchy melody....open with some drum mixes...and then when you get to main DnB's gig is just becomes tight as hell. Sounds much more complex than an original DnB drum mix...it really sounds good the way you chopped everything up, through some sick glitch on it, and I like those different crash samples, and those hand percussion bits it sounds like. Anyway, just a nice, varied well mix of drum sounds. and I like how they are lowered to blend with the overall soft sounds.

The piano sections in the interlude are really touching and soft. when the scream comes in, an unexpected furious comes in which sounds really nice. Here though- I would have just raised the quality on the drums-make them louder, more punchier and give them a touch more of reverb to end on a more epic note. Also, a reese in here would be sick too.

So great stuff man, this was an original DnB mix you got here, I enjoyed the blend of styles in here, keep up the good work!

nubbinownz responds:

Now if i could get people to write reviews like this all the time i'd be the happiest man on the earth .. not necessarily because it's Got compliments but because it is accurate. And very informative. Most people that comment on anything are like .> sux > GREAT..
Or something along those lines, but never actually tell me why. I Heard what you mean about The final break after the scream. I was thinking of using a reese actually but i didn't want it to detract from the overall vibe of the song.

[Nav - Terran (Mastered)]

REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPZ

could this qualify as some type of ambient DnB? its got a creepy nice, floaty background with the upfront DnB stuff.

so I like the open pad/sound effects thingy you used in the intro...some interesting noise and some nice decaying string things that sound a bit like ghost voices, and I love the reverb you use. The percussion is really nice, and to me is kinda a foreshadowing element for something more energetic to come- I think you could have builded up the intro more by throwing in another percussive sample around 1:00, in addition to the bass kick- maybe like some deep 808 kick or somethin.

The main meat of the track is very tight. That reese is one of the best I've heard from you- it sounds vicious as hell and kinda reminds me of a violent dog with glowing red eyes barking. Those swelling strings in the background are a nice touch too, and the beat is what it is. to me it personally feels like somethings missing in here, like some lead, sustained instrument in here to carry some crazy ass melody. The thin sounds in the end were a cool fit, too.

nice touch navij!

Nav responds:

Thanks for reviewing man!

Something missing? Well, this stuff is usually designed for club play, so yeah, it could seem a bit boring. I too thought that it felt a bit slow there, maybe I should consider adding something.

[Three Leaf Clover]

O:O

this is a weird but decent piece. I really enjoy the melodical style in this one, lots of interesting dissonant sections and an overall spooky composition. Piano chords are arranged in a unique and unpredictable manner, to work quite well with the pad. I like the synth you used here, sounds like a mix between a vox and some type of whistle/bell thingy, and it has a nice wobbly LFO (if thats what it is). The piano is pretty dark too, which compliments the general theme.

I do feel that it is overly redunant as well, and also somewhat empty, like its one long intro. You pretty much use the same basic rhythmical structure throghout on both instruments, which will make your track sound repetive over two and a half minutes, especially when you don't progessively add new instruments and sounds throghout the track. So maybe try to break the pattern a bit by throwing in a sharp, lead instruments that varies quite a bit in rhythm. And maybe put some thicker chords on the piano, and add some high note riffs, whihc would add to the creepy imagery. That should probably break the redundancy a little :P And maybe an instrument or synth with loads of reverb and some delay would sound scary as hell too. Also, the track ends abruptly, try gradually increasing the note velocities on the piano to make a more epic finish, and then maybe end on a big, extended dissonant chord, and lower the ending pad note to make the sound resolve more.

Cool stuff here, keep on it!

dejota responds:

That was a thoughtful review. You made several suggestions, and I will keep your comments in mind when I improve this piece.

[apeman]

how'd you come up with the title?

There's quite a very unique, weird, but alltogther sweet sound in here man-but thats always the case with you. :)

Vibes melodies are weird and dissonant, not a bad feel but I cant say I like the tone too much (a tad too loud and screechy). What I do like is that straw like reverb effect in background, and the minimalistic drum beat buildup, and the distorted kicks. Sub/bassline sounds really nice, and those telephone quality EQed vocals are a nice rhythmic fit. I like the thin chippy synth too-very cool. That reverbed synth sounding thingy is ultra cool too man, the second half is just trippy as fuck and I love it! That feedback sound in the background is a bit droning tho, maybe you could change the pitch up a bit.

anyways, not you're best, but still a kickass track. I really think this one has some really exponential potential. as always, I'm always compelled by your personal style, some real original mixes from you, I just wonder how you do it from your development of ideas to your mastering techniques. Keep it up most underrated artist on NG!

snoballandthmonyshot responds:

thanks for the useful critique sir sus3, points are noted.
i have a day off tomorrow so i'm gonna get cracking on this.
i think the originality (arf) in my style comes mostly from not having any real ideas b4 i start making a tune, i tend to just start em and let them run their course, adding layers and progressing as it seems right to my ears.
thanks again
;ped

[Golden Horn]

The sultan approves

this is a really cool composition man haha. you used middle easternish sounding melodies-harmonic minor sounds are my favorite haha. Good selection of string instruments and the bongos give it a real nice touch. The beat is pretty good, and I love when it does the "galloping" rhythm. The riff that you use for the intro was unexpected- and throughout the composition was quite unpredictable yet flows pretty well. I love how you battle between the sitar and the other stringed instrument (harpischord?), and fuse them together in the end, making for some very exotic sounding harmonization. I love the chromatic descending arpeggios and the hooks you use to wrap the solo sections, they also connect quite well.

So yeps, quite a unique sounding piece, but it is a bit empty. Without a centered bassy, thick sound centered in the background this sounds unbalanced. Some soft lowered strings and maybe lower pitched sitar melodies would make a much more fuller sound. The percussion could be more as a bongo by itself is a bit dry-why not some tabla pitchbend slaps for the lower spectrum and a sustained triangle "ding!" for the higher end?

otherwise man, excellent sound here, its always nice to hear something original!

m00z responds:

tnx!
ill deffinitly work on it more!

[Red Menu]

Has Potential

the thin arpsynth you use in the intro was a nice way to catch my ear in the start. The beat is satisfactory but needs more variation and dyanmics. Bassline has a slick sound- but sounds overly familiar O.o.

the hi hat samples and loose snare are alright, but the overused dance kick doesnt work in here. It sounds bad IMO when you use the 16th notes riff as a transition fill, and it really just has a plain texture. Try EQing the bass levels differently from the actual bassline, or just replace it with a more fitting acoustic/real kick sound with more of a midrange as that would be more fitting with the other drums, atleast I think so. Try aiming for an accented hi hat note at the beginning of each bar, and more variation wouldnt hurt, such as a moderately used crash, tom fills, and alternate a bit more between open and closed hi hat samples.

What I also think you could do is try variating the background arpsynth melodies a bit more, maybe add a cool phaser effect on them in the end. A lead instrument would also be nice in here, you can start of by mimicing the bassline.

Pretty cool track, has a fairly decent feel and flow. Its listenable as theres no volume spikes or harsh sounds, but there could be a little bit more gloss here to make this sound more interesting. Just keep up the good work and good luck with your game dude.

Maximizor responds:

thank you for the outstanding review! definitely need to work on tunning my tracks up. your valued tips are very much appreciated.

-Gustavo.