Saltbearer's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Undo! Undo!]

Like how much fresh jungley stuff I've been encountering lately. Nice slicin' here. The bright, steady vocoded "undo" and moderate-tempo beat just *click* together, and the metallic reverberations on the distorted voices fit right in. Satisfying scratches at the minute, approve o' them good ol' pitch-shifting chord stabs and swirling ambience in the second half as well.

Drums are heavy in the lows and dull in their upper ends - surely stylistic and totally subjective, but the ratio feels *slightly* over the top to me.

Funny thing, just this past evening, I actually had a dream where I was working on similar music and I ended up mashing undo after a massive screw up! I think I had cleared out a project vs. opening an actual fresh one (I don't think that's even a thing you can do with SunVox, thankfully) and started a new track in it, and I was about to confirm an overwrite when I realized it... so I just undid the whole new one instead of using Save As?! Whatever, I looked on the bright side, recalling *another* mistake that I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to undo, involving an accidental project merge. That one really happened with my (soon to be second-) latest track, though… wasn't a huge deal, just ten minutes individually deleting about 200 modules I effectively duplicated. still would've been nice to just freakin' UNDO

cthrn responds:

I've been trying to think of something to reply with for like 10 minutes and I don't even know where to begin lmao

1) Thank you very much for the compliments~ I'm super happy you enjoyed my track

2) "the ratio feels *slightly* over the top to me" This is absolutely true. I don't know why, but that has been my absolute favorite thing do to in music lately lmfao. I love exaggerating the fuck out of all the ends and honestly I'm just an unstoppable force at this point

3) I love having dreams about making music so much,,
I recently had a dream that I made an album, the genre was like a mix between jungle and gabber, and all the songs were super passive aggressive lmfao.
Each song was about a person I disliked, and I just got all my anger out by making songs about how much I hated them, without actually saying who they were lmao

[Blizzard (Remastered)]

It's an improvement! Definitely a bit fuller, and more dynamic. Strings at 4:09 sound less awkward. Better selection for the jingle for sure - still repeats a little flatly per-section outside of the intro, but it matters less because the sound of it is richer and less stilted, and the timbre/shape gets switched up a few times. "I finally got one thing to sound like I wanted!" - Ain't that a great feelin' though? Motivating.

Retouching old stuff is always difficult, in my experience. If you're doing it in the first place, chances are it's something that's stuck with you the whole time, both as something you love and something you feel is unsatisfying. It's been in your head, telling you that *it* is and should be exactly what it sounds like it is in its current state, rather than a living idea with greater potential. It can be hard to choose to sacrifice old charm for newfound beauty, and if you don't know going in how to achieve exactly what you want, making improvements at all can seem like it would be a fool's errand. But art is only "done" when all authors have settled for the last time, and there will always be room to improve it further still.

So, next tier of criticism:

The FM synth at 4:18 is rather simple, messy in the low end, not enough to fill out its section, and kind of unfitting with the overall palette. Given the more organic qualities of the other instruments, a straight-up harpsichord might work, with some understated sixteenth notes thrown in because I think that's what people do with harpsichords, and maybe some layered sound design in the low end with the same sort of impact you get from slamming down a low note on a piano. If it's intentionally set apart as less organic, I'm not sure what to offer, specifically...

It would probably help to know exactly how the boss fight you're picturing goes, and for what sort of game. It doesn't seem like an "epic" battle so much as tense and calculated, like you're being fought off effortlessly, even gracefully, and while you're not overwhelmed, even one misstep would be a disaster.

The whole thing sounds a bit incohesive from section to section, though it would make more sense if each one were a different attack phase. My usual cheap trick to tie things together is to just let instruments and melodies bleed across borders, but these seem somewhat deliberately separated. Maybe some ambient buildups/bridges would work.

… uhhh ear fatigue is setting in and my brain is getting tired, so I need to just dump thoughts less articulately.

Bass drum. Automate the high end for some less-flat reverby clicking? Replace its low end with a slightly longer bass at the start of each measure?

2:14, jingles perhaps too loud.

Offbeat section-capping impacts kind of hollow now. Scooped-out bass? Stereo width conflicts?

I remember it seeming like some spots had too much activity in some low-mid frequency range on my first listen, maybe even like there was overcompressed reverb or something. Ear fatigue is making it hard to distinguish though.

~

Well, again, keep doin' sound stuff ("just for five minutes" any time you go a while without an urge). Obviously, you are free to keep iterating on this, but don't get hung up on perfecting it at this point in time - it'll still be around to pick up, assuming you KEEP SAFE BACKUPS and nothing unusual happens. Suitable arrangement of letters for one last line to close this thing off!

annie4star responds:

Thanks for the response! I was actually thinking of changing that one pad because it was jarring. I was thinking something similar to bells, though a harpsichord is available with Miroslav.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around high end vs low end, but I can tweak it over time. I don't have the most optimal headphones at the moment, but they're serviceable.

[thelane & Øneheart - Sunset]

Condensed future bass wireframe with instrumentation as thick as spray paint. Percussion is clear, yet even thinner than the saws overpowering it. If the saws fidgeted/got swept around with any rhythmic complexity/had sharp slices taken out/dissolved/etc. vs. just sidechaining and an LFO, I'd get the impression that the instrumentation is meant to be as minimalistic as it is, but as it stands, it's not effectively communicating that to me. The only thing that suggests this is anything but the most basic attempt at replicating a formula is the fact that it's filed under "Experimental".

… I'm really struggling to find constructive feedback because there's so little to work with. There's just percussion, chords, and an arp. Not much in the way of compositional detail, or melodic interplay between instruments, or any complexity anywhere. I can't tell if you even have anything to say with music like this. And this was a two-man effort? … All I can say is I think you've got a decent enough handle on mix clarity to get a little more daring with layering.

[Takeoff (ft.fractilx) [BIG BEAT]]

Kinda half-and-half on this one, between yee and haw. Acidity, beat, and general atmosphere each get their own raised thumbs, easily. Love the fluffy kneadable parts, squispy/schomfy wide friends, 0:58 smlapulousness, andmmmmmbass. You bet I love the strong classic BEMANI vibe - which somehow doesn't seem to be easy to come by... still trying to pin down all of the particular qualities that make tracks seem more BEMANI-like.

On my first listen, my ears wanted a smidge less fogularity, and a touch more upper-mid stabbity to the perc, but because sensory processing is fun and manageable, my ears have adjusted to the space over multiple listens. This renders all criticism of all music invalid. do you want me to eat peas

DynamiteGrizzly responds:

Sure, why not?

Thanks for the BEMANI comment. I'll admit I was trying to ape LASER CRUSTER just a lil' bit on this one.

[WL - Data Tension]

Relentlessly hammering several layers of sounds + airiness + pleasant harmonies is a winning combination.

• It doesn't feel like the reverb is adding weight in the right places though... needs EQing/pushing out to the sides/toning down, something, and then the synths hiding underneath it would need some other form of fluffing.

• The breakouts from the overpowering distorted synth parts are sitting in an awkward spot. Maybe give them an extra measure to exhale with at least a couple beats without percussion, or just a clear tail, or make the transition even more of an abrupt cut with or without a lead-in.

• Could generally go for s'more fine tweaks, like mixing up the snare velocities in the middle section.

Faving for the "winning combination" though - I really want more of this general vibe around. Particularly like how the notes of the vocal sample(?) fit in at its wildest. I'm about to finish something with some shared qualities. 8)

SUNSCREECH responds:

Thanks for the helpful review !

I've got one thing to say tho.
I used the reverb mainly in a sound design perspective, and not only as a mastering tool. But you're damn right with the rest
Also if you want more of this vibe, check my other stuff, especially rare hemisphere.

Thanks again,
WL

[Blizzard]

Like the atmosphere you're going for, and the general ideas coming through with things like the (offbeat) booming, section-capping kicks.

I get the impression that this is a bit thinner and more sparse than you'd like it to be, and the solution to that is to just pile things on, really. Imagine 2:04, but with continuous, wide, echoing jingling, and something like this croaky saw's lowpass sweep 24 seconds in: https://youtu.be/hUtypA3kT6g?t=24s … 2:14 sounds like it's calling for some sort of ominous low-end – maybe a cello, maybe something more overtly digital like the sound I linked to. Some form of background instrument tracking chords alongside the main melody might help it sound less dissonant. Anywhere throughout could stand to have a very subtle additional layer of ambience. You get the idea.

The flatly-repeating samples, and similarly flat volume envelopes (especially 4:09) are uncomfortable for me. I suggest experimenting with granular synthesis - it's a MAGICAL thing. You could take a sample like the jingling, set a range for playback to start within, and trigger a bunch of layers with random variations to make each instance more unique (and give it a little tail while you're at it). ~ For volume shaping, just enough manual adjustments to suggest that there is change going on can go a long way, if you don't want to go all out on it.

s'yeah, keep on experimenting. I'LL FOLLOW TO MAKE SURE YOU DO. 8) And don't let go of those old melodies. I still have my own helpful little 10+-year-old GarageBand doodles floating around in my head and slipping into things I make…

annie4star responds:

Thanks!

I'll have to take a look because I still have the FL file and I return from time to time to tweak it. I remember wanting more, but I wasn't sure what sound I was looking for. I think I have been playing with the track and individual channel effects as I learn FL Studio more. I'm going to grab a screenshot so I can access this more easily.

I can look up the terms and maybe find some tutorials on YouTube. I mostly just jumped in and looked online as I came to technique snags.

Oh, GarageBand! My 2007 MacBook Pro refuses to die so I may still have access to those. I made a remix of the source song for this, and it has some peaking issues. I want to remake it in FL Studio but that I can't find an equivalent to one particular circuit synth.

I tried making a 20+ minute fantasia once and parts of it are a mess! My favorite part out of it is still a dark interlude from one character. I went into that one with a bass and bassoon, followed by cello.

[Ethereality (Ethereality EP - 2/3)]

Looovely harmonies in the main synths and resonances alike, with a tasteful level of textural sharpness. Cool fidgeting and layered sound design going on, above and below. Everything in the soundscape meshes well. It's possibly even *too* smooth? I feel like I'm left wanting a larger shift in energy, even a bold climax somewhere, but some of my absolute favorite music of all time is similarly smooth in this regard, so it's far from a fault! Also feels a little narrow in stereo for my personal taste, but I've been told I go too wide. (and I *always* kill mono playback via careless stereo delays. :^𝔻)

Good work. Seamlessness is always worth an appreciative mention, too!

[RIDDIM]

Intro: Conceptually, a solid fit. The instruments themselves sound nice, you did a good job with layering, mixing, etc. It all feels just a little rigid and pointy. Softening/humanizing the choir attacks and note timings/velocities more would particularly help IMO.

Drop buildups: Probably the weakest point. The first one especially needs a couple more layers of instrumentation and/or automation. Feels like it goes on a bit long with thin, static-sounding repetitions. The detune for the last bar of each build does feel appropriate, at least.

The meat: SOLID. That bass is *fun* to listen to, its movements have a very satisfying degree of swish and timbral rhythmicity to them, and there's enough going on all around it to keep the eardrums excited. Nothing feels like it's out of place or in direct conflict with another element. Could toss some random variations into the beat, but it's *always totally okay* to just let other elements hog the spotlight.

Ending: Abrupt… the timing feels odd, like it comes halfway through a build and then flatly fizzles out. Can we blame it on your laptop struggling toward the end of the project? Because I know that feeling. :[ Thankfully you fought through. All it really needs is something like a couple of long filter sweeps, and maybe a high end element to emphasize the bookends of the section and suggest a peak in energy. Maybe even offset it all by one beat at 4:08.

Overall, this sizable helping of dancecakes with foreboding syrup drizzled over them will continue to impress/satisfy a large body of listeners, and you should stick a marshmallow in your cocoa.

ActualElf responds:

Whilst I have replied to you privately, I wanted to publicly say what a lovely and well thought out review this was, you picked up on a large majority of the issues that are in this track that I myself see, issues that I accept when I listen in order to enjoy it how it is and how my production ability at the time allowed it to be, even though I knew then and know now it could've been so much more.

I always try and find a balance between accepting my music as it turns out and also seeing what it could be if I tried harder. The extreme ends of that spectrum being releasing half-baked music due to accepting too much and allowing myself too much leeway or being so harsh on my own music that I don't release anything because it could always be better.

I allowed myself a good amount of leeway at the time this was written because of my frustration with my set up and also my own poor production decisions which could have been bettered with more time and dedication.

Reviews like yours allow me and probably others to strive to better what they create but also enjoy their music for what it is and their songs as "Steps along the way".

- <3

[Night Shift]

Nice lo-fi scratch on the beat, and nice rhythm! Very pleasantly gray and floaty, dynamic, progresses well. Sucker for those stretched vocals.

... I feel like I should be able to rec you something that scratches the exact same itches, but I'll just leave you with Yagya's album "Rigning" for foggy beats and Objekt - "Dogma" for a slow, pulsing one with a great soundscape. Also Nova Planet - "Forest of Dean" cuz why not. I'll be sharing this now!

Asserter responds:

Taken a while to get back I know, but thank you for those recommendations quite a lot.

[Uninterrupted]

This is like Lifeformed - "A Safe Place To Sleep" if it weren't a safe place to sleep. More of a broken place in low gravity where you happen to collapse into sleep due to exhaustion from traveling long distances on foot. Nice tones to the reverbed-out resonances and drifting percussion.