Music-story's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lex Ellis - Miami Beach Party]

My first impression is that the song feels a bit empty for a party. Perhaps more fx and/or layering would bring a more exciting feel.

Good use of panning fx and delay, however the instruments don't bring excitment. Sounds like preset instruments with lots of fx placed on it. I have a feeling you did not spend much time with your EQ and waveforms to create more fun sounds.

The drums sound like they have a high cut filter on. Percussion sounds much better with a low cut filter to bring out the high frequencies.

Overall, a good song. You can either make more exciting instruments, or more exciting composition. However, I prefer you work on both to get a nice party song. Good luck and have fun making music.

5/5 vote + review. Bye for now

AlxEllis responds:

Music-Story! long time no see! always a pleasure to have a review.

Sadly yes these are presets I am clueless on how to use Sytrus in Fl Studio, presets only haha sadly :( and yes I had a few people saying it sounds a bit empty, I am working on more dance/club stuff at the moment, I hope to get better! :)

I wasn't sure about the drums I was attempting to make sure they don't get drowned out, but again not the best with Sytrus! :(

Thanks for the review, It is good to get some constructive reviews recently I had a few which were basically "I don't like it, Bye!" and I was like "Ahem...care to elaborate!"

Good to see you again Music-Story, I hope all is going well, might send you a pm! :) Take Care

Kind Regards, Lex!

[Tropipanic]

I don't have as much time to review as I used to so I'm just going to point out the concerns to save time.

Not sure if you were intentionally trying to have the bass to be quiet up until 0:24. If not, just make it more audible next time.

I am not a fan of 1:37 as some notes sound out of tune. I get you trying to use the interesting drum pattern, but I don't think it was as good as you might thought of. Its one of those weird patterns where it sounds better with a bass accompanying it.

2: 00 your scales have slightly too much reverb thus they all blend messily.

Overall, I enjoyed this happy tune. I'm sure this must have been a fun project for you. At least I find it fun to play with presets. Your song is a bit repetitive for my taste, but this can work great for a video game.

Oh, and just to let you know, the pros outnumber the cons.

Have fun making music. 5/5
Bye for now

[(8-bit) A Labor of Love]

Hi Praetor 22,

I must say that I am not well aware about video game music so I be surprised if you disagree with a lot of what I have to say.

What game is this from? Sounds like something from those fantasy rpg games. Nevertheless, the song is composed in key so kudos on that. Good choice on taking out the vocal part. I think it would have fit well.

torn over the quality of the instruments. One part of me is saying to improve them, but the other side of me is saying this is a 8 bit song and is supposed to have these kinds of instruments. Good stuff with the fuzzy sounds to the instruments. I suggest you make your own instruments rather than from a VST. I know what music program you use, but I know my music program has to give that 8 bit feel. Lets me truly be creative with my 8 bit like I ever use it though since I focus on video game music. Since you used a VST, I believe you took a short cut to produce this song which means there is more room for improvement and inspiration.

As for the melody, not sure how this relates to potatoes, toaster, and poptarts. This song could have easily been a loop since there much variety going on. I think I hear any chords going on giving me the picture that this was played with 1 finger and layered over top with more 1 finger playing. Is that normal in 8 bit music? I grew up with 16 bit so I really make the call.

I am going to stop here. Overall song is pleasant. always a bigger fan for people that start from scratch producing everything including the instruments (drums I let by). I would like a more complex composition, but maybe just a 16 bit guy.

5/5 Best of luck in your future songs.

NoStereo responds:

Thanks for the incredibly detailed review! I'll try to answer all of your questions.

The song is actually an original, not a remix. As for the instruments, I have found a lot of people tend to disagree iver that sort of thing, so it leads me to believe it is simply a matter of preference. Yes I do admit that I used a VST, however I did change a lot of settings to try and customize the sound, creating an instrument from scratch is still something I am not comfortable with. I do agree with you though, I am working constantly on improvement and this is a huge area i can improve.

Yeah, I was bored and hate coming up with tags sometimes, so I just type random words that pop into my head. Maybe I shouldn't I don't know.

You really hit hard with this next bit. As of right now I am completely freelance, self-taught and totally inexperienced. I have been doing music, going with my gut, to produce something for fun. It hasn't been serious until lately, I now really want to take classes in music and learn the science behind making music. I am by no means an expert on music so when it comes to chords and other elements in music similar, I'm stumped.

I do my best though, and I am currently looking into taking classes to learn how to play instruments as well as planning to go to college for music because I believe I may have a future in it.

Once again, thanks for the awesome review, it is always nice to have somebody willing to truly delve into a song and critique it this well! :)

[Prototype]

Hi Corbetto,

I hope your experience with your new music program has been going well. Not sure what previous program you used. I will take into consideration of your recent technological change in my review.

The buildup for the most part is good. Has a good amount of fill alone. The highly reverbed cymbal clash to start the song is a nice touch. 0:16 well played. My only concern is that the instrument does not sound as as I would have liked. Have you ever heard of trance anthem songs? Trance Energy concerts tend to have the best anthems (my opinion). Your bass lacks some power. Perhaps layer it with a sub-bass and intensify the higher misconception is that people think bass should only have lower frequencies intensified. This will only give the messy dull sound. With high frequencies emphasized, the bass becomes crisper and clear.

0:11 the layered instrument is a good idea compositionally. Again, there needs to be more emphasis on the higher frequencies on that instrument as it sounds washed down. Add in some reverb to that instrument too. Listen to Breeze (Martin Roth Summer style remix). Note the high frequencies emphasized for the lead instrument. Also notice at 0:28 of that song when the bass comes in. it sound much crisper when higher frequencies are involved in a trance dance like song?

0:46 Where did the climax go? I know your new to your program still, but certain FL has much better drum loops than that. Just a generic kick and clap? This is where you really needed to add reverb. Climax also requires the bass. Everything should come together here, but unfortunately it does not. I was also hoping for a new composition to the same beat again. sure your spending plenty of time learning how to use your program, which is a good thing. However, skip on spending time composing your song (notes wise). A good idea is to play a beat with a bland instrument. For example, choose a piano preset and just play something. If you manage to compose a song that keeps you interested throughout, then convert the score so it is played with well produced instruments and fx. A common error that many musicians make including myself is that we get caught up in the special effects that we fail to recognize our lack of innovativeness in the score of the song.

1:20 I noticed you emphasized more reverb and the delay to the bass. Good job here, but again it needs to be more clean sounding. Not much more to add here as the song is looping.

Overall, I am impressed with what you were able to accomplish in just 2 months with your new program. There is still room for improvement. Whatever you do, never use that horrific oscillation pattern that so many FL based artists use in any of your future songs. Not saying you used it in this song...just giving the heads up. Anyway, work on cleaning up your instruments. Reverb is important, however more reverb = more messy therefore compensate with higher frequencies. Play around with your keyboard to come up with a more original score. And as always, have fun making music. 5/5

benc98 responds:

This is by far the greatest review i have ever received on one of my songs and i can not express how much i appreciate it. The advice and examples you have given me are just great. Your comments and suggestions have motivated me to learn more about making music than just the composing, so i can get my songs to a higher quality standard. You have helped me a lot with this review, thank you Music-story.

[Sequence WIP]

How many WIP are you working on? Don't take my advice if you don't want to, but it is better to keep some of your WIP behind the scenes. Wait till the song is fully finished. That will make the final version sound "newer" and showcase all the effort put in. Note I said some of your WIP not all. I'm just saying when you know you have a good beat, keep it under wraps till its finished. Anyway, on to the demo.

I'm enjoying the drums. Sounds clear and hard. The thump adds much to the electro feel. I'm surprised how well the clash of the cymbals added to the climax. If anything to make the cymbals better is to have them panning left and right in line with the kicks. Perhaps also fading out at the same time.

Buildup fx put some more fill. Perhaps add another layer and slowly add in white noise. What makes house music neat is that it builds up to a extreme (for a lack of a better term) "messy" point with white noise, side chained fx splashes, filter rises, etc. and then all of a sudden goes "clean". You do that, but it can be much more emphasized with a better fx rise.

Enjoying the happy instrument used during the buildup. As for the other happy instrument at the end of the song...good but kind of brings the song's potential down. It sounds fine when all the other instruments are going, but not as a solo. Perhaps you could automate the filters on that instrument. Your already going for a fierce style so might as well turn that happy into "saw" mode. (That is a tough thing for me to say since I'm a fan for happy songs...but sometimes too happy doesn't mesh with this kind of theme).

I know everyone is entitled to their opinion. I know previous reviewers have said other things, but I think your build up is a perfect length. Just needs a better fx as I already mentioned. The climax is a good length to me. Among the AP artists, yes you could do the typical repeating the climax for another 4 bars and that will get you popular. However, that will not make your song stand out outside of the AP...especially since you got pros like skrillex, fedde le grand, stefano prada, etc. who by no disrespect to you are the better ones. You can be different by making this more than just a progressive house song that all the artists make. If you can manage to keep the song exciting for 3:30 mins while successfully transitioning at a quick pace (eg. every minute a new theme pops up) you will stand out from the rest. Not even skrillex does that. What ever you do, do not rush this song. Take your time.

Usually I don't say much in a short 1 minute demo. However, I see the potential here and I want you to succeed in what you got. Don't mess it up. :) 5/5 and let me know when the final version comes out.

Bye for now

Lockyn responds:

First of all, thank you so much for your extremely detailed review. I find myself looking forward to seeing your comments and suggestions ^__^ thank you thank you!

I think I have about 20 different WIPs that I'm hoping to release together. four of them are on newgrounds, this one included ^__^ The biggest trouble I have is finishing a song. I always seem to ruin the finished product... which is why I post the in progress so people get a taste and can suggest things to my stupid brain LOL. I do agree that I should wait for a finished product with some WIPs - I'll try my best to finish things up before posting!

The drums were the part that satisfied me the most actually, so thank you for that. The cymbals are actually already panned - I cloned the sample and put one on each side of the stereo spectrum and offset the timing by a couple millisec. Or do you mean something else...?

The buildup was a temporary fix to make it listenable - I can guarantee it will be different - more layered, complex, and satisfying. I will spend LOTS of time making sure the buildup is satisfactory. I agree with your clean vs. dirty idea!

I think what I really enjoy doing in many of my productions is putting grindier saw stuff next to softer rounded sine stuff. Maybe I'm weird. I like how it sounds side by side! I will try mixing things up and putting more variety of sawlike and sinelike instruments - we'll see how varied my synthesis can get LOL

I completely respect your statement and agree - I am no where near the level of professional producers. I'm not even on the level of many of the extremely talented producers here on NG xD Don't worry, I take my time and my own ideas with things. If anything else, you'll know that whatever comes out at the end will be a 100% original production with fresh ideas. It might sounds hipster but I can't stand it when people just repeat 4x4 phrases and string them together with minimal variation for a song xD You can count on me being varied and creative with my pieces - I put it out as I see it!

Thanks so much again, and you can be sure I won't mess it up :D I will let you know! Cheers!

[Conquer the World (loop)]

According to you, this loop was made a while back so I am going in thinking your newer projects are better. As for this loop, it does not seem well mixed. Somewhat messy throughout. The instruments need better production value. Perhaps get rid of the fuzzy lead instrument and replace it with a clean instrument?

The drums do not add much to the song. Just a kick?

I'm not going to say much more because I have a feeling you just wanted to get this song out and not do anymore to it. Correct me if I am wrong. 5/5 and let me know when your bigger project comes out. I'll take a look at that one and give you a more in-depth review.
Bye for now

NoStereo responds:

Yeah you are mostly correct. I'm in between projects right now so I decided to release this.
I may go back to it though and do some cleaning up and perhaps extend it.
(I admit, the drums were quite lazy)

I consider myself better at doing classical songs than electronica, but I'm trying to find and perfect a technique to break into the electronica genre a little more.

I'll most certainly let you know when I release something else and thanks for the review! :)

[DJ AT!SH - Alien Love]

Interesting song. Here are further details below.

I am a fan of those drums. I'm not picturing an alien type theme but suspense with normal humans. Not enough funky sounds to give that extraterrestrial feeling. Nice job with the fx sounds.

0:29-1:22 I didn't really like the lead instrument that came in. I do like the strings playing in the background though. Unfortunately, you spent too much time at a stalemate. Felt repetitive to me.

1:23 - 1:36 I like this break in the action. The sudden blast into the climax right at 1:36 with the fx is great. Nice job here.

1:37-end. I hardly consider adding high hats as a change to the repetitive pattern. 2:03 instrument didn't feel like a progression. I feel like you started strong, but you ran out of ideas here. The pad instrument sounds poorly made. At 3:54 did you really need to drag it out that long? I will say the fx to end the song is nice.

Overall,I think you should have made this song shorter. I like the theme you were going for despite not sounding alien like, however there needs to be a progression. Your drums were well made and despite not really changing throughout the song, they portrayed emotion...not a easy task to do. As I said before, I feel like once you got a good idea going, it fell flat around the midpoint. You ran out of inspiration there? Kudos on the mixing and mastering of this song. I can hear everything clearly. Keep it up with making emotional songs. 5/5

Bye for now

DjAtish2012 responds:

Hey thx Music-story for the in depth info there, things like this is VERY helpful and richly appreciated. I know what to work on when I'm making a mix. :D

Thx dude.

Dj At!sh

[The Rise]

I have not heard of your other songs so I can't really compare. This is what I thought.

Piano sounds a bit bland to me. The pattern is somewhat happy so that is good cause I like happy themed music. I liked the bass filter to help indicate a approaching climax.

0:22 Unfortunately, you didn't change the composition at all. The new instrument is playing the exact same pattern as the piano. Bass pattern is nothing to be impressed with. Like the previous review, your drums are poor. I would say it isn't the lack of audibility to them because I hear them clearly. Its just you use a bland pattern. Your extra harmonies don't really add to the song at all. Just because you add staccatos to your instrument, that doesn't mean the same pattern is being used.

The long loops so there really isn't much more to talk about. I think you spent too much time listening to your track rather than building upon it because I see this as a 1:22 song...not 3:45. However, everyone has their opinion right?

Here are my suggestions. You want music to be an art right? Well you don't paint the same picture as everyone else does. Create your own unique art. Secondly, spend more time working on your instruments. It can take a few days just to make one instrument. Thirdly, from personal experience I find if you listen to your song too many times when producing it that the momentum to build upon the song hits a stand still. Efficient use of time is wasted just listening what has already been made. Fourthly, mess around with automation. Add in some fx to your instruments. And last but not least, drums are an important part of any dance song. Don't neglect it or rush it by slapping on a preset drum loop and think that's done.

Overall, you will get better overtime. Take more time with your songs. Maybe spend 3 weeks to make one. Best of luck in your future projects. 5/5

Xsalvaz responds:

Wow. Great review!
I couldn't agree more. I started really trying to make songs only about 6 months ago. I do it just for hobby, when I'm bored. It's mostly for my sake, I like the melody, so I made it into a song. But I share because, well, why not? Then I can get great reviews and improve my skills (or lack thereof). Most of my previous songs were done in one night. 4 hours tops. I really am just beginning and need to find a balance and my own style. Awesome review.
Thanks! And the best of luck to you.
~X