acxle's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ethereal]

gave me goosebumps when the drums came in. love this so much!

[Posterized]

gave me a feeling of bliss. great work :)

BeeFef responds:

Thank you!!! I hope I do well in the tryouts this time around

[Ghosts]

such a cool and unique vibe. love it!

[Sentimentality]

score: 7/10

what I liked:

• I really like the drum pattern in the beginning, and the marimba that goes with it, sounds a lot like Mura Masa
• 1:30 the reversed guitar is a good idea, but not sure that it was executed to full potential
• 2:34 this delayed drop is very effective
• I like the variety of drums you used

what I think could be improved:

• might be the timing of certain notes, but for some reason I feel like this track is overall a little "messy"
• 0:24 the fast-plucked synth sounds a little dull, I think adding more resonance would help it come to life more
• the drop had more potential, I feel like it didn't hit as hard as I expected
• maybe use brighter pads, use more sidechaining, louder drums?
• the transition at 1:17 was a little rough, especially switching between different speeds of subdivisions, and the change in main instrument
• 1:52 this cutout of instruments was also a little awkward, as if someone playing this live made a mistake
• the marimba feels super close in the stereo space, and everything else is far away, and that kind of detaches the marimba from the rest of the music
• overall, the sound is missing a little bit of life, I would suggested adding an exciter and/or more reverb to the entire track

great job, this is definitely one of the more unique tracks I've heard!

[Wertw - Universe Travellers]

score: 7.5/10

what I liked:

• clean A section, sounds very professional
• I like the switch in style at 3:14
• good idea to modulate at 3:43, though it's also the same as the first drop, it's not as redundant as the 2nd drop is because of the new key
• interesting way to end lol (in a good way)

what I think could be improved:

• because you more or less used the same instruments for the "drop" as you used in the A section, the drop wasn't as impactful as I expected
• the second drop is basically an exact copy of the first, and I think a better choice would've been to just remove the second buildup and drop completely (1:24 - 2:19)
• not a fan of the harmony/dissonance around 2:30, but maybe just personal preference
• 3:26: this little riff is cool! I would've liked it to be louder

beyond the critique I mentioned, this is very well produced and an enjoyable listen overall, great work!

[Be Gay Do Crime]

score: 7.5/10

what I liked:

• I like the chaos and constant energy that somehow isn't too tiring
• I like the constant recurrence of the half-step pair motif
• overall pretty well produced
• I like the occasional sound effects you add in, helps add to the chaos
• the 3:26 guitar solo is really cool, but I think a little reverb on it would've made it sound more distant and ominous (which I think would match well with the overall piece)
• I like how the last note transforms into a large foghorn sort of sound, cool way to end the piece

what I think could be improved:

• I couldn't really sense any development throughout the piece, it was sort of more or less just "flat" in a sense
• because of that, I feel like this piece is a little too long for my liking, because it didn't really lead anywhere

this would make a cool soundtrack for an action sequence in a film, I like the overall picture you painted with the sounds, good work!

zybor responds:

Thank you for your review!

[Ataraxia]

score: 8/10

what I liked:

• I LOVE the tremolo in the beginning, the pause at 0:12, and the reentrance with reverb; just think it sounds very cool
• I like the subtle dubstep elements in the buildup
• good choice to cut out everything in the middle, gave me time to breathe in preparation for the 2nd half

what I think could be improved:

• there's slightly too much sidechain for my liking when the pads are playing
• the drums during the drop are a little too loud and distracting
• I think you could add a little more reverb to the drums during the drop to match the reverb level of the pads in the background

besides my personal preferences in regards to mixing, I really loved this piece overall, great job!

[Hole In The Sky]

score: 6.5/10

what I liked:

• the introduction piano is very captivating
• the strings fit with the piano very well and create a nice cinematic feel that I really like
• the groovy section at 1:48 doesn't really fit with the mood of the piece you set in the beginning, but I would really like it by itself
• again, the individual sections sound nice, but I can't say that fit very well together

what I think could be improved:

• I'm not a fan of the piano chord progression starting at 0:40, it sounds a bit awkward to me
• I think a bit more reverb on the piano would have added an even more cinematic feel
• like mentioned above, I feel like this track is like a collection of 5 different songs rather than 1 coherent one
• especially for this piece, I think being strictly cinematic, or strictly rock, etc., would've been a better choice, instead of stitching together the different genres

overall though, I did really like many parts of this track! good job :)

Glassedhouse responds:

Thanks for the response! Although I can't help but strongly disagree with nearly everything here.
Cinematic music, while often technically and compositionally impressive, I often find very boring to listen to on its own. I find that its identity is mostly formed from the piece of media it's meant to be presented with, rather than from itself. Rock as a genre, naturally opens itself up to other genres I find. That's how the progression of rock has gone on so long, and why the branched sub-genres are so striking and unique. I'm not about playing it safe that way, rather combining two or more to make a more unique sonic piece of music. I don't necessarily understand what you mean by sounding like "collection of 5 different songs" either, since all portions have instrumentation used at least 2 other sections, as well as utilizing the same tempo and key. Granted, you have to change chords obviously, but without that, it seems like your piece would quickly flatline and lose interest. I'm trying to make my instrumental music sound as little as background music as possible (which is the death of most like it) by utilizing just, musical change I guess?

Again, thank you for your feedback, I'm not complaining! It's just that whenever I receive it, I can typically see where the person is coming from, and I figured I needed to explain my creative choices here since what you brought up is rather big and something I've never been criticized for before.

[Raindrops]

score: 6/10

what I liked:

• I love the new piano sound at 1:24
• interesting to hear a piece based in triple meter!
• I definitely hear the storm you're trying to convey, good job translating a story into music

what I think could be improved:

• the piano is too robotic for me, try adding more humanity into the keys!
• the tambourines at 0:21 are a bit distracting, try putting it further away in the background
• if I'm not mistaken, I hear some clipping in the 0:41 section
• I prefer my pianos to have more reverb, I think it would make it sound a little more lively (and also mimic the "raindrop" theme you're going for)

good job still, and congrats on making it to the finals!

[Incise ~ Starburst]

score: 8/10

what I liked:

• the ambiguous chords in the beginning do a good job of keeping me on edge, waiting for something to happen
• interesting drum pattern at the beginning!
• sound design in the first minute or so is great, I feel immersed in the music
• you led into the drop very well, and the overall structure and pacing is great in general
• I love the new drum pattern at 2:30ish
• the key change at 3:30 was a little abrupt but I like the idea and new key
• great way to close the piece, the ending manages to diminish energy over time quite subtly

what I think could be improved:

• I think the pads at 1:00 could have less attack to make it more "pumpy"
• starting 1:15, I think it's a little muddy (maybe you could use more sidechaining)
• especially the drop can be cleaned up a little, there's a little too much going on for comfort
• same comment for the 2nd drop, everything is a little too slurred together

great job! all in all a very enjoyable listen.