RESULTS - LIQUIDOOZE
midimachine - Thief of Heaven (8-Bit)
SUMMARY: Oy old-skool!
REVIEW: There aren't many pure 8-bit songs on NG that I like, but this one is an exception for sure! I love how you used so many different synths. I can't believe you synthesized all this with a GameBoy, I can imagine that must take very long to do (I have no idea how it's done so I could be mistaken).
A slight detail I noticed is that the white noise hit you use as your cymbal (I hope you know what I mean) seems to have some delay on it, which makes it sound like it's out of sync. I'm pretty sure there aren't many people who would hear it, but once you hear it, it can get annoying. II also noticed that it doesn't happen all the time, which is strange. Unless this was all intended, then you can scratch everything I just said.
What I also found pretty innovative is the dubstep-ish part at 3:32. I don't think I've ever heard dubstep made of 8-bit synths only before. It's a shame that part is so short, you could've extended it or used it in another part of the song (like the break at 1:40). Is that a bitcrusher I'm hearing by the way?
Great job!
SCORE: 9/10
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LogicalDefiance - - LD - Doomsday Brigade
SUMMARY: Is that you, Hans Zimmer?
REVIEW: Yep, it's epic. Not the most original orchestral music I've heard, but it's epic.
I have a feeling you like to pan things a lot. I see this already has been pointed out, but I'll be saying it again: the panning is a biiiiiiiiit extreme IMO. I see midimachine said things about how in concert halls the panned drums are reflected so they're still stereo and stuff, but for me it's just annoying when something is panned fully to one side. Don't worry, you're not the only one, even professional producers do it.
The electronic synth in the beginning is a great tension builder, it's a shame it kinda fades away after the intro. I also noticed the Japanese arpeggio thingies you in the beginning, it would've been cool if you used more of those. The rest is pure perfection.
SCORE: 8.5/10
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F-777 - Backstabber - F-777
SUMMARY: Pretty neat.
REVIEW: I've never heard dubstep that contained classical instruments, so good job on experimenting with that. It's also pretty good for a first dubstep submission.
But HOLY SHIT that kick is freaking heavy! I don't know if it's sidechain or just too much overdrive (it sounds like it's overdrive, though) but that kick is made way too heavy. So you should either drastically decrease the sidechain (in case it really is sidechain) or just compress the living shit out of it, because now it just stamps the song into the ground.
The synths were pretty cool and I'm also glad that they all differed from each other. The melody you chose for was a bit cheesy in my opinion, but if you like it I'm okay with that. I think the song as a whole could use a bit more variation though, those classical breaks don't really add anything, they're just there so that the song isn't just full of dubstep.
So, good song, but that kick seriously makes it sound much, MUCH worse (and if you closely listened to 0:55-1:02 I can't believe you didn't notice).
SCORE: 7.7/10
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Birdinator99 - Superfluous High (NGADM '11)
SUMMARY: Funny stuff, in a good way.
REVIEW: I thought this song was funny, the synths were pretty cool (especially the lead synth) and there was a lot of variation in here. It almost felt like you randomly did something at some parts, but because that kinda was your intention, I didn't base my score on that.
Two out of the three problems you anticipated people would find are correct: the loud kick drum and the bass levels. The kick drum isn't that bad, it just needs to be toned down a little more. But the bass, dear god, whenever it got pitched up a bit, I could hear it buzz through my head. I think you need to equalize some shizzle there.
The break at 1:33 gave me a wtf-face. I'm glad you just used it as a small intermezzo, because if you added a few more bars to that I think I would've lifted my headphones from my head until it was over. But as a break it has a cool effect, really. ;)
Some other small details: the ride that comes in at 1:09 and stops at 1:14 is a little too loud, the guitar-ish synth at 2:15 needs to be less dry, in addition to some reverb that would probably make it sound more realistic. Also, the organ-ish synth at 1:15 and the pads are fantastic. :)
SCORE: 8/10
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SineRider - SR - Tecino (NGADM)
SUMMARY: Mmmmm...
REVIEW: Ahh, great ambient track, man, the synth's long release and it's slight reverb create a great atmosphere. This would probably fit well in a dream, just lay back and look at the figures dancing in front of your eyes.
Couple of issues: the ride cymbal is a bit too loud sometimes. It really adds to the song, but at places like 2:40 it's just a bit too much. Same goes for the snare. You're using it a lot, and that's fine as long as you don't make it too present. Add a slight reverb, make it less dry, that should not only make it less loud, but also add to the atmosphere. I think the bass could use a slight boost, too.
But really, this song is absolutely amazing, I actually don't wanna talk about it much because I'm afraid of ruining it.
SCORE: 8.7/10
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aliaspharow - ~Delta~ Quantum (WIP)
SUMMARY: Very smooth.
REVIEW: This is a great track to chill out to. I can't believe it isn't finished yet (it's so long!). I didn't listen to this one on headphones, which I probably should have done to totally get into it (and hear your mixing skills).
What really is a shame about this track is that the kick is so damn loud. It's not like it's overpowered, but it doesn't fit the song. It's a good kick, really, but not in this song. I'd recommend a more bounce-y kick with less of a punch and more of a click, that would probably fit better.
Apart from that, this song is actually great. The synths are all very bright and warm, the beat is very full and solid (and that's not only because of the kick) and you've create a very nice atmosphere. Normally I'd complain about how some segments of your songs are so long, but this time it's not that bad because I can really chill out to it. Great work, dude.
SCORE: 9/10
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ProudAardvark - NP - Death of a Dream
SUMMARY: Shudder...
REVIEW: Holy shit, dude, did you write this at midnight at the graveyard or something? Every second of it scares the crap out of me. I think it would perfectly fit in a movie, probably in one of those death scenes were one of the main characters dies and everything is in slow-motion and when that guy dies everybody's screaming but there's no sound so it only gets more intense. Like the one at the very end of LotR 1, when Gandalf falls in the pit and Frodo is like 'OMG GANDALF!'.
Anyway, I think this piece needs some more of an ending. Now it ends really strange, I'd prefer a long deep note on the tonic. Also the hit at 1:14 needs to be a bit better. It served its purpose (I jumped out my chair twice) but now it's like 'Flop!' while it needs to be 'TAC!', it needs to be a bit sharper, like a hard smack on the snare drum.
Other than that, this track is a good one, even though it's scary. I would NEVER listen to this to fall asleep or something (no offence of course ;)
SCORE: 9/10
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Next - djInTheDark
