Birdinator99's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[OL - Brighter Days]

Better than my junk lol

First off, I just want to thank you for your continued support, and this great opportunity to test out my new headphones! I won't judge you on how loud the bass is, given that I'm still getting used to them.

At the beginning, it's clear that this is going to be an uplifting song. The melody has this cool feel-good quality to it, and is well written. Good subtle use of portamento (glide) here; fun to listen to!

The kick sounds pretty solid. Don't change it, as we know what happened last time I suggested something of that nature :3 Its rhythm changes up at 1:01 -- a welcome variation.

I'm noticing now that the delay/echo on the background/rhythmic synths is getting a little annoying. It was good in the beginning, but I think you could have at least toned it down once the song got going at about 0:30. I think it's drowning out some of the percussion, which is an essential part of the overall drive of the song. It's not terrible, though; don't sweat it too much.

You are also reusing a lot of synths from your earlier tracks -- when I got to 0:46, I was like -_- Try and make some new ones.

The jumpiness of the melodies are definitely a strong point of this piece. My favourite part so far.

At 2:02, there is a change of mood. Good little build there up to 2:49. The song's a bit too repetitive still overall, though.

The ending isn't half bad -- it could've been a lot worse (like with a rushed fadeout like I sometimes do >_<), so you made a decent choice there.

These headphones have let me in on a little secret -- all your stuff is EQed way better than mine. It's bright, a tad punchy, and more fun to listen to. Kudos to you, sir.

To summarize, this isn't the best track I've heard from you, but it's far from the worst. I would focus on making some new instruments to keep listeners more interested.

Keep up the good stuff!

OpenLight responds:

Haha I use Electric 3 for a lot because it's become a signature synth for me in a sense. I wanted to mod it, but I could never get it to sound right with the rest of the song. Believe it or not, all of the synths in this song (other than the percussion) are mods of Electric 3 haha. It's very versatile.

Thanks for the step-by-step! It helped a lot, and hopefully future tracks are better haha.

[Escape from Nothingness]

Retroman's right

You're definitely getting better. This sounds nice and clear; very flowing and well-paced.

The melody/lead at 0:55 is really awesome!

OpenLight responds:

Thank you! I honestly was not too impressed with this song but I'm glad it seems to be doing as well as it is!

[OL - Tension]

Ohhh

OpenLight's gettin' a little glitch lead going! Cool stuff; it was just a little distracting at times.

OpenLight responds:

Yeah I wrote this as a sort of club song. The glitch is not as emphasized in stereo headphones and I imagine it wouldn't be as exaggerated in stereos in general either haha. Sorry if it was distracting, I tried hard not to make it like that. Any particular instances?

[<MWA> Skittles on Crack]

lol

Great title; made me lol.

Good harmonies and sounds used. Nothing wrong here; don't know what that other guy was talking about.

mjattie responds:

haha I actually saw that title somewhere on a youtube comment. (a)

thanks a lot! Yea I worked my ass of mastering (and it's still not wonderfull) but at least it's not clipping. xd

[LO - Bang-O-Rang (MD2011)]

Bang-O-What?

God, I have no fucking clue on how to make dubstep, but it's such an interesting genre to listen to!

The first 7 seconds or so are a little loud compared to the rest of the song, but other than that, it's a good intro.

The main synth in the first section is so crazy; I've got no other word for it -- it really fits the theme (madness!) well. How do you go about making things like that? Is it in fact two synths? I must know!

The bass in this opening part is nice and beefy, and it compliments the other instruments wonderfully.

The percussion really got my toe tapping. Good patterns, and even better EQing.

Transition section at 0:41 is neat. It fooled me at 0:54; I thought that was the start of the next part, but you were just building the suspense more!

The kick drum starting at 1:01 could stand to crescendo into the peak of the transition. It seems like it just stays the same volume for the few seconds it's there. This takes a bit of energy out of the song for me.

Why the hell would that guy make a sample of someone (presumably him) saying "bang-o-rang"? It's weird to me, but it's not that out of place, so whatever.

The section at 1:08 is really groovy. Good use of some odd, but ear=pleasing sound effects. I noticed that the bass changes here, which was alright, I suppose, but I eagerly anticipated the original bass's return at 1:36.

That five note riff that the main synth has at 1:13 and other places is GENIUS. It totally solidifies the funky beat you've got going on.

This isn't as aggressive as most dubstep songs I listen to. It's quite nice to see a change from what I assume is the status quo. Congrats on being different!

I love the massive pitch bending going on at 1:56. That kind of stuff is a favourite of mine, but I understand if others don't prefer it, or find it disruptive.

That riff I mentioned earlier comes back at a perfect time (2:15). Man, that's sweet.

This track just continues to be pure awesome-sauce up until 2:56. The outro is awkward, with all other sounds except the vocal sample cutting out rather abruptly. Putting that delay on the sample is the perfect way to make me dislike it -- it's alright when used sparingly, but here it shows what an annoying voice that guy has. Sorry :3

Overall, I still really like it! Everything sounds nice and clean, like it should. Not quite traditional dubstep, but that doesn't matter -- if anything, that makes it more enjoyable to me.

Oh, yeah, nice job on reviewing all those NGADM submissions! You auditioned, right? How did you not make it in? You're loads better than me, no joke.

Oakwood responds:

Yes I auditioned for NGADM, but I think I just used the wrong song for my audition. xD
You're right, the first few seconds are a bit loud, that's because I increased the treble when mixing on speakers. It would've been better if I lowered the volume there...
As you can read in my response to DJHeat's review, the main synth in the first part is the same one as the five note riff at 1:13. I made it in Massive. I could send you the bank if you want too. ;)
The crescendo kickdrum is, indeed, weak, but that's only because I didn 't want it too be overpowering.

Also, the 'bang-o-rang' vocal isn't even the weirdest vocal in the sample pack. You should download it just to hear how funny it is. if you search for 'sample pack' on the forums I'm sure it'll pop up.

Thanks for the review!

[~Beta~ FlyNaut]

Ah, house

I gotta say, your groovy backgrounds and melodies are getting me more in to house every time I listen.

I can understand why you think this is rough sounding, but it only really is compared to your other songs. If I made this in any amount of time, I would be quite pleased with myself.

Love the little section at 2:07 that kind of pulls, then pushes the music forward. That's a drop, correct? Sorry, I don't work in this genre at all.

The chord progression is one of your better ones for sure; ear-pleasing! The side-chaining is not too heavy, not too light -- nice.

The hi-hat hits have a wispy and airy quality to them. This fits well in contrast to the much heavier bass.

The white noise building up and up towards the end (starts at about 6:00) is a good way to end the piece. This instrument releases very calmly, and works in conjunction with the extended delay from the plucking synth.

The best part about this tune is the addicting melody. It distracts me, in a way, from my usual complaint about house, which is the repetitiveness (sort of the definition of house though, isn't it? How would I know :p)

Great job; I can't find anything I don't like about this track, and I'm sure it'll only get better after your later revisions. I'm also impressed you did this in only 5 hours!

Keep up the good work!

aliaspharow responds:

I... Love... You... Writer of the best reviews. I only feel bad because mine wasnt as epic =,=. Its for reviewers like you that i started making music. Believe it or not. I'm really glad you enjoyed this :D. Yes That is a drop that is currently much too short for it to have any real effect.i always seem to do it too short or too long... And yes Distracting Melodies are definitly my strong suit ;D. Thanks for the epic review. Enjoy this on your Ipod perhaps :D

[~Beta~ Downpour (2nd Edit)]

Listen

Not to be a pessimist, but I've already started making other songs for fun again, because I'm just that sure that I'm going to lose to this fantastic track.

IT'S GONNA HAPPEN BRO YOU WAIT 'N SEE

Congratulations haha -- I'm going to go work on my mixing/mastering skills for next year ;)

Seriously though, you earned it! Nice job!

aliaspharow responds:

Lol idk. I can still think of allot of reasons why someone might like yours more then mine. Still good luck to you!

[Edge of Hysteria]

yeaaaa boiiiii

This is really energetic and fast-paced from the beginning, I love the synth you used at the start. The organ stabs that start at 0:20 are nice and bright -- good choice!

The snare at 0:40 is alright -- I didn't appreciate it much until the later, more intense parts of the piece. Maybe it could've used, dare I say it, REVERB?!?!?! Only a bit at most, though.

That cymbal at 0:50, you use a lot in your songs. I would try changing it up, whether by EQ, FX, or whatever you have at your disposal.

The kick drum is a little "round around the edges" (sorry, that's what comes to mind :p). It could use an EQ change to tighten it up, or maybe just pick a different sample altogether.

The string entrance at about 1:00 is really nice. You used this instrument well throughout the piece with great effect. No frequency/leveling issues here. The riff they play at first reminds me of something from Star Fox 64, but I can't quite place it. Damn.

The lead melody at 1:21 is great, and the sound effects give it a good boost, but not too much in my opinion.

Good to see a break at 2:01 from all the action going on. Nice build with that edgy synth -- pretty tasty.

You surprised me at 3:22; it just stopped, and I was like, "Okay, where's this going?" and then BAM, 3 seconds later, this powerful, evil, angry ascension of notes occurs. It got me so pumped up, ha!

The last chord is great, but I can't help but wonder what it would've sounded like without that filter fade you added in. It could've been really epic, perhaps. I'd like to hear it without the filter and compare the two if I could.

Overall, this is awesome: fast, edgy, synth-filled, high-octane thrills and chills. Well, okay, maybe not chills lol. Just see what you can do about that kick drum.

Oh, and I am pleased to announce that this track did NOT have that odd, wavy effect some of your others did :3 yay!

Even though I only gave it a 9/10, I think I might like this more than the Falling Further Redux. *GASP*

OpenLight responds:

Haha yeah the wavy effect is probably part of a mastering issue on my part in previous songs. I'm working hard to get rid of it lol.

And that last sentence is a huge compliment haha. I love Falling Further for some reason and to think that something may be better to someone who felt the same way is great.

I'll try to edit the part at the end and if I get down to it I'll let you know!

Thanks!

[[dB] Acknowledgements]

House really isn't my thing...

...but that doesn't mean there can't be good things going on here!

0:47 -- I love the jumpy synth used for a lead here. Really happy and uplifting stuff!

All the transitions are well done. No complaints here.

The bass sounds little mid-heavy, or muddy, or whatever it's called, in some spots.

Outro is good too -- the cool static-like waving sound is a nice touch!

Not my genre, but I still enjoyed listening to it. Good luck in the contest!

Decibel responds:

I'm glad :)

thanks for the review mate :)

[Black Widow]

Wow dude

This track is crazy -- really all over the place, in a cool, maniacal kind of way. All the really articulated synths help with this.

My favourite aspect of this song is the choice of choir for the background. It just completes the atmosphere for me.

Also, the buzzing noise from the intro -- how can you make something like that? It's really interesting, and a smart addition.

Great job overall, and I for one, enjoy random piano roll riffs!

Quarl responds:

mur <3