acxle's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Desert Fever]

sounds like a real soundtrack from a movie, good work!

[A Journeys End [NGUAC 2020 Final]]

love the piano and the extra "ffpt" noise that goes with each note, very well written and produced.

[Wertw - Far Away]

score: 9/10

what I liked:

• reverse piano in the beginning is very captivating and beautiful
• very powerful drop and a nice buildup leading up to it
• unique use of guitar in the next section, not a follower of dubstep but I feel like not many people use acoustic guitar
• I like the chords you used, I think it fits the story you wrote well
• I like that you didn't simply copy and paste the first drop into the second, they were both unique and pack the same amount of energy
• good structure overall, the quiet sections help create room for the intense ones to shine
• great production quality overall as well

what I think could be improved on:

• personally not a fan of the vocals, think it would've been cool to use a vocoder synth instead which I think would fit better
• I would prefer more sidechaining or a pumping bass, I think it would help bring out the drums more
• 2:51 - I don't this screamed section fits well in the context of the entire song
• 4:20 - this piano is too robotic; since you used a nice acoustic guitar, I think you should match the human-ness by at least having slight variations in velocity here and there, and maybe offset the position of each note (add imperfections)
• the Ab final chord was a little unexpected, I think to match the overall mood of this song I would've chosen a Db (iii - IV half cadence) to end the song to emphasize the "distant" theme

Wertw responds:

Thanks for the review! I'll keep improving myself :D

[Racer]

score: 4/10

what I liked:

• the guitar on top starting 0:46 rides a nice melody, and I like the fadeaway downward gliss when it exits
• the tremolo in the bass adds nice energy to the track
• 1:01 - this little slide sounds really cool, added something interesting to this section
• nice switch of harmonic progression at 1:01
• your solo guitar/lead runs are very impressive!

what I think could be improved on:

• 0:04 - there is this pump of noise that might be intentional but doesn't sound that way
• the first section is repeated twice with almost no variation, maybe try switching some things up!
• the synth melody starting at 0:28 is a little chaotic, I would like to hear lines that flow better (less leaps and smoother lines)
• 0:52 - the harmony in this section is a little awkward, with too many 3rds on notes where a 3rd might not be the best choice
• this track is 4 minutes straight (more or less) of the same level of high energy; it gets tiring to listen to after a while, and I would have liked to hear a break from the loud guitars, a slowdown, a guitar cadenza, etc.
• the pattern of going from a monophonic melody to a version with an added 3rd is a little predictable

Catpocalypse responds:

Thanks for responding and writing out your reasons for my score. I appreciate the clarification. I do disagree with much of what you said, and I'm not sure you really grasped the idea of what I was trying to do with the song.

There's supposed to be a constant sense of energy, and the leads and synths were made the way they are to keep things fresh and interesting. To me, they sound just fine and this is a song I would regularly listen to. A break would have killed the action and energy I was trying to pursue with this, and ultimately that would be what would make the song less interesting. When writing a track, it's important to pick a theme and to stick to it. Straying too far could potentially mess things up. I wanted to keep my track as heavy and fast as possible so I could keep the listener engaged with the high-intensity theme I was trying to portray. In any sense, a break or a relaxed bridge may confuse or discourage the listener who wants to rock the whole way through.

For the song diversity, I'm not sure how you perceive much of the track with little variation. Having the song be in 4/4 times with a fast tempo meant to help sections accelerate and not drag on for too long. Four minutes in general is not very lengthy, and the only long part, the solo, was kept fresh with periodical harmonies, lightning fast runs, and a key change to emphasize a new phase of the bridge. Yes, I understand that the rhythms weren't as dynamic as they could have been. But the leads, transitions, and changes of instrument/technique should have made up for that quite effectively.

Your critique on the synths, well... I just don't get it. They flow beautifully to me. I like how they are mixed, and how that touch of reverb really makes it blend in well with the rest of the track, while keeping it the focal point of the section. The 3rds, I think, were what made the synth verses most interesting. What it did, was it introduced the second verse in such a way, as for it to pave a path for the new, more dynamic synths that would quickly follow, which would then transition into the bridge/solo.

As for your critique about the chorus, I understand what you're saying about the melody going into the 3rd being predictable, but there's inevitably going to be common techniques that everyone uses in their preferred style of music at some point. Whether they like to admit it or not, everyone gets ideas from somewhere. You can't just create something from nothing in that way, it's just not possible. Everything is influenced by something else.There's really no need to be critiquing a small detail that in no way effects the quality of the piece itself, and hardly at all diminishes its originality.

Oh yeah, that part at 0:04 you're referencing, I'm pretty sure I made it very clear in the track that that is the engine of an automobile. It's to help establish and develop the overall theme of the piece, which, as the title suggests, is racing.

[Departure from Remorse]

score: 3.5/10

what I liked:

• I like the percussion and the downsampling applied on it, it's not too much that it's distracting, but still gives off the video game feel
• this groove is pretty unique and I respect that you did something different
• some cool digital effects you have going on, helps add flavor to this track

what I think could be improved on:

• the melody starting at 0:12 sounds too random to me, would've liked better voice leading
• similarly, the melody at 0:32: for example, chord tone 2 should probably pass through 3 before hitting 4, instead of leaping directly from 2 to 4 which sounds a little broken
• the syncopated groove would sound better with more "punch" (i.e. louder downbeat, more bass, more staccato, more noise, etc.). it just sounds a little plain to me, a sort of awkward feeling where I don't know if I should feel energized or calmed
• the first 2 minutes are kind of just the same energy level all throughout, and I expected more to happen (at least some variations in melody, harmony, instrumentation, etc.)
• overall, I would suggest working on crafting more fluid melodies, and adding more of a story to your work

[Street]

really cool track, I love the variety of styles and your choice of instruments!

[really shouldn't rush]

score: 7.5/10

what I liked:

• cool intro! mysterious vibes, caught my attention right away
• I like the reverb on the rims, for some reason it reminds me of clock ticks, a cool effect
• some interesting harmony in the background with the pads, little ambiguous and I like that
• I like the subtle echo-y effects in the background, barely noticeable but adds a nice touch
• 1:48 switch-up was unexpected for me (in a good way), interesting melody, nice improv lines, great way to keep me interested
• overall sounds cool, was able to get me to picture something in my head, which is a huge plus from me

what I think could be improved on:

• I know that it's typical of this genre so I made sure not to be biased, but personally I wasn't a fan of the synth lead, it was a little loud for my liking and a bit sharp-sounding compared to the texture you set up in the intro
• some parts of the melody didn't flow too smoothly into each other, and in my ears caused a little lack of cohesion
• the ending was too sudden for me; I thought it would've been cool to still keep the sudden cutout of the melody, but bring back the ensemble from the intro and end the piece with that quiet, mysterious groove while fading out slowly

[Overworld Song]

score: 7/10

what I liked:

• right off the bat, the first 8-bit (I don't know the correct term, sorry lol) synth bells I heard were already unique (might be because I don't normally listen to this genre, but either way it caught my attention)
• the arpeggiated pattern sounds really nice, I like how you accented the top notes to create a separate melody
• nice kick drums! packs a big punch
• good choice of snare/effects on the snare, it fits very well with the bells, and overall all your instruments blend well together
• while the IV - I progression sounded nice on its own, your second IV - ii - vi - V progression also fit well within the song, smooth transitions too
• somehow you made the crunchy, 8-bit style sound calming and sweet, and to me that was unique and I enjoyed it overall
• overall good production too!

what I think could be improved on:

• looping IV - I is kind of an easy progression, while I get that you probably liked the simplicity of it, I personally am a fan of more complex harmony, so I would have suggested throwing in a V in between sometimes to switch up the feel a little bit, adding some extensions to warm it up a little, etc.
• I would've liked to hear more of a story, whether it be a buildup to a more powerful section, or temporarily enter a quiet section to clear our minds, etc.
• as far as I can tell, it sounded like the second half was more or less a repeat of the first half; I would have liked to hear more variation (slightly different melodies, different effects on the instruments, etc.)
• the ending was a bit sudden for my taste, I would suggest doing a slow volume fade, or a slow high-cutoff, or a slow growing reverb

BeeFef responds:

Thanks!!! I hope I do well in the knockout round

[Nifty]

switch of meter at the drop was so satisfying, good work :)

[Shock and Awe]

cool work! and love the subtle bells during the drop, adds such a nice touch.