This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

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Good:
- Excellent vocals (aside from the mix).
- Cool lyrics and a GREAT chorus!
- Super catchy and quite memorable.
- Loved the break at 2:59!

I was really impressed by the way you blend each instrument; the guitar riffs and the bass sound particularly nice! Also, your lyrics are incredibly clever and meaningful. To be quite honest, if the mix was tidied up a bit, I wouldn't be surprised to hear this track on the radio.

What to consider:
- The biggest issue with this track is the mixing. Everything sounds washed out and partially distorted -- especially the vocals and drums and ESPECIALLY at 2:26 to 2:58!
- Odd audio clipping/distortion at 2:08 and 2:10 (drum crashes?).

Alright, the mix could use work. I've already said things sound distorted and slightly washed out. But, good news -- there are a few ways that you can fix it up! Watch your instrument levels while you go about the mixing process. Are they hitting a ceiling above 0 dB? If that is the case, scale back your volume levels and if you are using samples for your drums, try editing the velocity of different notes. In terms of EQ, there are certain frequencies you can cut in order to make instruments or samples sound far more clean and in some ways realistic. It really depends on the instrument! If you're using compression or any mastering plugins, then be careful of how much you crank up the gain, attack, etc.

If you have any questions about mixing at all, feel free to send me a PM. I'll share (what little) I know haha! Keep it up Jacob, I'd love to hear more tracks with this sort of sound. :)

Score: 7.9/10

I love it man. You did good here. Keep up the awesome. :)

- V

I liked the atmospheric intro. I thought the kick was a little weak, and I’m not sure I liked your hat and snare samples too much. That said, your voice had this smooth and soothing quality to it that I really liked. I also appreciated the chorus at 1:12. I liked that you aimed for a texture that was nice and full there, although I think the lead guitar and kick could’ve come through a lot clearer in the mix there. You might’ve needed to do some more careful equalizing. The “heartbeat” part at 1:29 was clever. I liked how you then created some structural contrast with another relatively soothing verse. I also thought that the transition into the second chorus at 2:11 was a little rushed, though. The post chorus at 2:26 was a valued addition to the structure as well. I thought you really overdid the crashes at 2:43, and they quite noticeably duck under the mix at 2:49. I didn’t think you needed that last chorus (it was sort of just extraneous repetition), although this piece did feel pretty conclusive by the end. I like the vocals (as well as the lyrics themselves) and structure. The main problem here is the mixing. Fix that, and you’ve got a really solid piece, my friend! Keep at it! ;)

7.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015

Stop being a critic on your own work after uploading. Only be a critic when mixing it all together. Also, the real-guitar and stuff you suggested sounds pretty good.

The vocals and music are good. Good job. <:

Idk what you're talking about, dude. The vocals are awesome. Not as deep and sexy as some of the other songs, but beautiful nontheless.

Sorry to hear about your Celiac's Disease. Looking at the NGADM thread, it looks like this round was kind of a disaster. A lot of people with technical difficulties. Does that happen every year? All I did was procrastinate, so I had to compose mine entirely in like 4 hours. I also should have taken it seriously haha.

This song is incredible! I haven't had time to listen to all of the entries (I've just listened to the submissions from my favorite people), but I'm confident you can make it to the next round!