ducks
i love ducks. i think your comment fits the song perfectly. i can see in my imagination:ducks walking to this song... nicely picked theme.
Reviews for "Retribution (Mac8)"
Quarl responds:
thank you : 3
Mastering
First off, Extremely polished with your mastering... everything sounds clear and professional.
Now I'm not a drummer, and clearly it is where i lack in my song writing as of now.
I enjoyed the intro, i wish that melody was repeated more... that same melody in some different synths coming in and out, maybe throwing it to the bass to play with as well.
Other than that, I don't "get" the drums/percussion in this piece.... I'm not one to be able to criticize when it comes to this.... but just as a listener, i don't get it.
But anyways, enjoy a 5 from me.
PS - I made some changes to my MAC 8 submission (mind of madness) and used your review as a backbone to the changes I made - really appreciate that. - Wish I could give similar advice.
Quarl responds:
I listened to your song and I like the aesthetic changes you made, but I think there's something you need to know about a thing called "clipping." In digital audio workstations, when things get a little too loud, the sounds tend to get choppy and suck and it has the ability to take a good song and make it shitty. I'd recommend taking the sliders on your track and knocking em down a few pegs... unless there's a specific sound that's doing that, in which case I'd recommend removing it from the track, but I really feel like the problem here is too much amplification.
Every DAW has a clipping indicator that lets you know when your track is clipping. You said that you were using fruity loops... now, I don't know SHIT about FL so I couldn't tell you where the clipping indicator is, but I can tell you that in the mixer, it's a good idea to get the track as close to the red as possible with out hitting it... someone else can probably give you better advice here, but that's just how I do it... this link might give you a better idea of what clipping is and how to fix it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping _(audio)
Also, to be perfectly honest, I don't entirely get the drums in this song either. As a drummer, I would never play this rhythm, I would never even think of something this bad, but I just love it so much. There's something to be said about it's simplicity that while no one else gets, I do. No one likes this rhythm, I do. When it comes right down to it, I do, and that's all that really matters. My crit on your song; worthless. Unless you feel otherwise. It's all opinion, it's all preference, it's all just... dunno... personal and that's what makes a review so special, and that's what a makes a review worthless.
Criticism, take it as you get it. Thanks for the review! I give it a 10/10 and a 5 in the bank! I don't think I've ever given any one such a high review score! :D :D :D D:DDD:D D:DDDDDDD :D
Wears me down
I really dug the intro, given the concept that it was a madness MAC I knew it would heat up, and I appreciated not being punched in the face with sound as soon as it began. However something in the high strings really bugs me, I don't know whether there is an actual issue there or if it's personal preference but something about it doesn't sit right for me.
Once the drums kicked in, I actually liked their erratic feel. I agree with other reviewers that it lacks a real groove, but that is what I liked about it. That said, it could have been a bit better plotted out. I understand the sort of organized chaos you were going for, but it felt a little ... forced?
Then the real problem hit. It doesn't really go anywhere, your main drum beat didn't change at all, very little new material was introduced and it was just outright boring in the middle. At first I really did like it, but while I was eagerly anticipating where the tune would go, I eventually had to face the truth that it wasn't going anywhere. I mean, there is the part where you revisit the intro, but every time I hear that specific drum beat it just reminds me of what I didn't like
I liked the ending, and that you contrasted the chaos with a grounded beginning and end works well.
Overall, I did like it, but it just didn't go the distance for me
Good luck in the comp however.
Quarl responds:
It's all preference. Dunno. Live I'm more of a funky drummer, here I'm an dnb producer. I should start taking the view that there really isn't much of a correlation.
Ok.
The very beginning piano sounded very nice with the violins. Of course this has been done before in many other songs, but I am not going to judge the song by originality or some crap like that. I was very surprised to hear the synth and beat come in with the piano. Personally, I didn't think it sounded very good with the piano. But when the lead up came in at 52 seconds, I wanted to get up and start head banging. It was a very strangly mixed song, but the beat mixing was very professional. Although it was professional, it didn't sound very good altogether. I only wanted to headbang for about 5 seconds. The song really dragged on after that. If you were to use a diffferent synth or piano with the beat along with more sounds, it would sound 100% better. Good job altogether and good luck with the contest. Sorry I can't write a 1000 word review like the guys below me, I just don't have anything more on my mind at the moment. Of course I could go into depth with what you could use to make it sound better... but that would take hours and you probably wouldn't bother reading it anyways.
All in all, I recommend changing around the mix and put the same concept of piano and beat in a better organized song.
By the way, in case you were wondering I quit music. Until I find a suitable program that I can master my skills with, I can not continue in Garageband. I might produce a view more songs.. but I can not possibly create a custom beat like you did in this song.
Quarl responds:
Thanks <3
heh
Its quite funny that you criticised Sanryd's Mac8 submission, and yet yours has a rating .50 below his. I believe his has more depth and texture. Yours is more random beats. Cheshyre's madness tunes were not as spastic as your creation. Not feeling the "madness" in it.
Quarl responds:
Never criticized it. He's clearly an amateur, as am I. Feedback is feedback and you take it as you get it. End response :P