blackattackbitch's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Hanii - Broken Star (vocals)]

The organs are a lil overbearing

They make the rest of the mix hard to hear, including the lyrics, which should probably be the most audible part of any mix, at least imho.

When the guitar came in, I could barely hear it.

Personally, I would have used a piano instead of an organ in order to avoid this problem completely, but it feels like the organ is an integral part of your composition, so I just recommend that you turn the volume of the organ down.

The mixing isn't all that great on this song. But the chords and the melodies are all pretty good.

Sorry for the score, I really am, cuz I hate to give out scores lower than 7 cuz I know how much it hurts to recieve stuff like that, but I can only give this a 6.8 at the most when everything is wrapped together.

However, I will say that the emotion of this track is unique, that's pretty awesome if I say so myself.

Also, kudos for a 7 minute composition. I'd imagine that took ages to do. And the lyrics are pretty good too, Deanna has a nice voice.

HaniiPuppy responds:

Thanks ^_^

I want to go over this song in the future when I'm better on the production side - I consider myself more of a writer than a producer - of music, I'll keep this in mind.

The reason the organ was so much louder - and the reason I used an organ in the first place - was because according to the story told, the organ's really the only thing instrument that's actually there, seeing as it starts off and ends at a funeral.

Once again, Thanks ^_^

[Instrumental #4 (Karco Remix)]

Givin' a thorough review to the review god...

Don't know why I didn't do it sooner. You'll know why you're getting this review though if you read the AF Lounge.

Now to commence:
One of the main things that stand out for me is the weakness of the main snare. It gets drowned out by the hi-hats.

The ambience of this track is amazing though, and I like the bassline in the fact that it's noticable but not overbearing.

That's pretty much all I can criticize on this track, the piano is absolutely amazing, as well as the ambient synths. The amount of work you put into this song blows me away. Great job with this, I'm absolutely awestruck.

Kudos, that's all I can say, this song is amazing, beautiful, just great.

You're gonna be the first trance artist to ever make it on to my favs list!

Karco responds:

So apparently I'm a review god, even though I haven't reviewed in two months? :) Will go read the AF lounge right after responding to this review here!

There's no snare in this track, I used a clap instead, and regardless, it was hardly meant to be the focus. Not everything can be front and center in a good track. ;D I understand where you're coming from though, thanks for pointing that out.

Well, I'm a bit flattered now. :D Thanks for the rest of the review (mostly praise, but you took the time to write it after all), glad you liked it!

[[S:C] Gigantic Pentameter]

Nostalgia

Rap beatz were my shit before I went all film-score, but reviewing this brings back memories hahaha

The main thing that gets me is the quality, but knowing that I personally have significant problems reaching my desired level of quality, I know how it can feel. If you're looking for good orch samples though, stop by my newspost and check out what I have posted.

The drum sequence, with the exception of the snare, is pretty sickening tho, the bass drum is perfect, imo. I could spit some crazy verses to this!

The attack on that tuba section was kinda weird tho, and when the tuba starts playing long legato, it doesn't really seem to fit. Other than that tho, the mix is pretty damn amazing!

That last trumpet sounds really weird though, not nearly as a trumpet should sound.

That pretty much sums up this review, this song is pretty freakin sweet. All in all, I'd give it an 8.6/10, which rounds up to a nine. I won't vote cuz I'd have to give it a 4, which would drop the score, but at least you got the review hahaha

If you can, can you check out my most recent song, Abbadon's Army WIP #2? I used a few techniques that are new to me, so I need some help on that one. Thanks in advance!

SymbolCymbal responds:

I recently went by your news posts and RAPED THE SHIT OUT OF THEM!.. i had no idea how well something can sound with use of samples.. i feel weird using them but it is a legitimate wizardry of music.

YEAH.. last trumpet is kinda cheetos.. and chester the cheetah cant help out. Pure cheese .. i need a real trumpet played to play that line and i need to upload it.. i have a trumpet player in my band. I would have to set up a good recording rig though.. and as this song is oldschool.......... so am i .............. i jimmy rig EVERYTHING live.... duct tape.. i got ROLLS OF IT.. But anyway im completely off point.

Dude i have been checkin your stuff lately and to be honest i really think your capable of getting out there and becoming part of the advertising world. You have great samples, you have awesome structure, just get some money together from Mcslave and dope your shit out man. Ill be listening to your stuff .. you put out something worth listening to almost every 2 weeks... IMPRESSIVE!

Look at me talking about you in my review response LOL.

[Journey to the East ~P~]

Hmm

I'll review this one as I listen.

start-1:00
The first thing that I notice is the FL bassdrum hit. I wouldn't suggest using that because it's not the best orchestral sound out there, in my opinion, and especially not in the way that you used it. The reverb on the actual original sample is way too high to be used with most mixes. Roland Orchestral Rhythm has a bass drum that fits much better with the way you wanted to use it, and there's tons of other soundfonts out there that fit also.

Excellent slowdown at the end of that section though. And the strings for that section were pretty nice-sounding. However, I'm more impressed with that slowdown, as you articulated it well.

1:00-2:00
Right at the beginning of this section, the strings end a bit too quickly. I personally would have stuck to a slower fadeout on the strings in order to avoid that moment of silence.

Everything else about that section, the chords, the melody, the mix, all was good ^_^

2:00-3:00
Nice job articulating the buildup. However...

The section after 2:31 sounds lower in volume than the section before it, although that's supposedly a built-up section. That might just be me though. And I wouldn't suggest using those FL core hits, as the one you started using in that section actually sounds more hiphop-ish than orchestral.

And that's expressed further when that other solo instrument (the name escapes me, but it's a plucked one) starts playing.

3:00-end
Flawless except for one thing, which is when the strings fade out. That's all.

Overall, I liked this piece though. Good use of leitmotiff and the mix was okay. And you stuck with the theme really well. Also, the instrument choice was great!

Rating: 7.7/10

Good job on this!

Congrats on being the first audio reg to be placed under scrutiny by myself tonight.

Phyrnna responds:

I guess the drum could've been better. I didn't have any other samples though that had that heavy drum sound, so that one fit the bill the best. I'll look into the Roland one though.

The strings for the section are nice I agree. I had to EQ the samples out and put effects to get them to sound that way though. :P

I actually did like the silence... just not the way I led into it. :/ I might fix that later.

The part at 2:31 isn't actually quieter than the buildup, but I suppose it would sound so since the singular Guzheng stands out a lot.

Again, the core hits were all I had. I should really look into better samples.... >_>;

The part from 3:00 to the end was actually what I considered the MOST flawed part of the song since the strings were hell to work with. I had bad samples so I had to mix around to get them to sound good. I'm glad you liked them though.

Thanks for the listen and review! I really appreciate it!

[MH16: The Big Change]

Nice, the feeling is awesome....

I'm not a big fan of the sliding flute sound, nor the sinewave beep, nor the transition method into the A-minor section. The a-minor section was pretty much flawless though, I loved it.

Excellent mix here, I can hear every instrument almost completely perfecly. The drums, as always, are enviably nice, the chord choices were pretty damn good, it's very very nice.

Nice use of dynamics, I see you've improved greatly on that front *thumbs up*

That last section feels particularly powerful, especially when the brass instrument comes in, I just want to say. At least, it was powerful and emotional to me.

Really nice job on this. Excellent, really!

FairSquare responds:

Thanks!
I think i made a few mistakes in this song, but i only learn from the mistakes that i make.
I really appreciate the review so, thanks again :-)

MH16

[Full Force (Contra Force)]

Excellent!

Beautifully mixed, composed, everything!

The bassline is sickening, and the strings were excellently mixed with the guitars which also sound excellent together.

The only thing that this song could use is a slightly stronger kick, the kick feels weak to me.

Everything else is in order. Nice work on this. I might have to check out your more original works now.

[Drum and Piano WIP]

roflcopters flying around

The crashes aren't too bad, they just lack punch. Maybe a little more dry signal is needed.

I like the chill ambience. The background ambience adds depth to the song too even though you used the I-VI-III-VII progression in the beginning, that everyone else uses. Oh well, there's a good reason everyone uses it hahaha

I predict that this song will be unbelievably amazing when it's done. Make sure to send me a PM when it's done!

SessileNomad responds:

lol thanks to my keyboarding lessons, i actually know what your saying now with the I-VI-III-VII stuff

BUT, my pc has(as i guessed) started fucking up again, so it should probly be a while b4 its done

thx for review, ill def add more dry to the crash, and probly time it better, cuz i remember doing somthing stupid with the timing on this one

[MH16: Take A Seat]

Yeah, I definitely hear a bit of clipping....

in the left speaker.

I noticed you used a minor Ist instead of a minor 4th as your base chord. This isn't because of what I said, is it? Cuz I would hate for that to be the case. I was just making a comment about how you separate yourself from the pack.

Also, excellent drumbeat, as always.

Things I would do personally are these:

- I noticed that the piano bassline and the low piano melody were generally on the same octave. I would separate them by one octave to keep them from blending together.

- The section around 1:19 has some powerful strings. I personally would have saved them for the last section for the big big finish.

Other than those, this song is pretty damn good. I like it alot. And I'll be adding it to my favorites. Good job MH16!

FairSquare responds:

No, it's not because of what you said.
I don't even know what minor and major is :P
Oh, and look out for tuesday, i'm releasing a new song then and i think it's pretty cool :D
Thanks for the review!