FinaLee's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[In The Mission]

Neat track, but I’m having a hard time understanding the reasoning for labeling it a synthwave beat.

In my opinion, I think this takes on too many elements of dance and 2000s video game fashion to warrant calling it something besides one of those genres. The beginning melody at :17 with the right percussion is really cool. It drew my interest for two reasons:

1. It’s a very active melody with a mysterious flavor to it; perfect for a riser sequence.
2. This is already a very unorthodox beginning to a synthwave beat based on the first reason, as well as the timbre of the synth. It made me wonder where exactly you were planning on going with this.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed to hear the next synth instrument’s unwelcome introduction at :34. It’s thin tone, deviation from the first melody’s rhythm, and placement on the piano roll makes for an awkward, meandering section that suddenly turns a cool tense buildup into a drunk and disorientating experience.

Thankfully the next section excuses everything and we transition into what I believe to be a very cool bass line. It’s commanding, has replayability, but is also broken up by turntable-like stutters to sustain interest. This is perfect for a club setting or, based on your choice of instrumental tone, a video game.

The overall mix is a little too hollow for me to go wild on. The singular reason for this, as another reviewer mentioned, is the lack of presence behind the 120 hz. We need some sub to ground the instrumentation. You already seem to have an understanding of sidechaining, so I think you can quickly pick up on making a good sub that stays out of the kick drum’s way. May I also say that, albeit a casual listener of synthwave, having a sidechained sub is probably an essential component of the genre, so this would be one of the primary areas to focus on when building the framework for such a track.

This part has not factored into my review, but I also want to say that I do not personally mind a track almost reaching 6 minutes in length. Dance tracks are going to repeat. It’s a part of their identity. I would, however, consider my intended audience. It looks like this was submitted to a contest, and while I’m not well-rehearsed on the appetite of NG judges, I will say that having an electronic track on the shorter side is probably better suited for its success, especially if that track contains a good amount of repetition.

But that’s just my take. Great beat, but not synthwave to me, and it suffers from some instrumentation like :34 and 3:46 detracting from its cool factor.

music69012 responds:

It is more leaning on Cyberpunk style, an I am partially deaf so my mastering skills isn't alway 100% the best. I also try to keep it interesting by switching up the bass or having glitches in th song. Thank for your comment.

[There's a Wind in the Allée of Memories]

You and ethy got hitched ARE YOU SHITTIN ME

This is amazing. Y’all are amazing. Can’t think of a nicer, more talented duo. Congratulations to you both!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

We sure did! Thank you for all of your lovely words <3<3<3

[Birds of a Feather]

Conceptually, I think it’s brilliant. Beginning with an arythmic noise and blending it with the rhythmic bass is, in my opinion, a great start to a high energy track. My issue, however, is that while it sounds like an ambitious opener, it suffers from a lack of direction and overcompression.

I think I can see the intent behind some of your tonal choices. Matching the bass melody with an overdriven synth a couple of octaves higher seems like the next logical step in swelling the energy even more, and I was wanting to be into it! Unfortunately, there is simply too much competition going on at that point, and I think that can be attributed to the brick wall dynamics trying to figure out whether to emphasize the sub or the high end. I myself don’t mind loudness, but it sounds like you picked a very difficult type of sound to maximize, and I think that would require a very judicious use of EQ and compression tinkering to get right.

And as I mentioned, even for what sounds like an opener, it feels incomplete. I believe you could have easily figured out another 30 seconds and give a bit more interest to the track before moving on. Part of this, I believe, is because it sounds unique and interesting, but also incredibly linear. Yes, there is a structure present, but are we really going to to just cut it after a minute and 20 seconds with nothing but the tails of the reverb and delays? That is a big reason that it gives off “unfinished” vibes.

[H4cker-base]

Awright we gettin the Sony Vegas crack with this one

[Flare Settles Into Ash [Mashup]]

Good mashup!

There's a lot of things going on here that ultimately culminate into a solid synthwave beat. The mixing is there, the panning of the instruments gives interest, and the song structure is distinct in each section while remaining cohesive enough to flow well from one to the next. I want to particularly note that listening for the first time did not give the impression of the song being 3 minutes and 50 seconds, and that is something worth remarking in a time when many listeners are gravitating towards songs only lasting as little as 2 minutes and change.

There were some things that would have been done differently if I were behind the computer screen, and I believe it to be partially a matter of stylistic choice, especially considering you appear to have a decent grasp of production techniques and mixing. First, as someone who thoroughly enjoys compression, I wonder if the amount of compression you're using on some of these channels can maybe be dialed back or at least reexamined. It's not a vibe-killer, and doesn't really get too distracting with the one exception being the first verse of the vocals. I think that because of the lower register singing in this section, the weight of the vocals sound like they are submerging the bass. If not the compression, then maybe another look at a HPF EQ? Either way, there is a noticeable difference in clarity between the two verses.

My only other complaint would be the autopanning that is deployed on certain vocal phrases. I know it adds a lot of dimension to the singing, but as a matter of taste, it makes it sound more sporadic to me, and that somewhat detracts from the overall mood as it relates to what I think you're going for in this track.

Other than that, I'm vibin' 🌆

Ziondiac responds:

Thanks for taking the time to make this in depth review, really appreciate it

[shopping at the mall]

I'd say that if you were going for a retro game menu/shopping/safe zone kind of sound, the essence of it is very much there. The grooving bass and melody slides, the "heel/toe" kicks of the drums, the brief use of chromatic scale; all of these really tie together for a pretty cool vibe!

For me, my main issue is how conflicted I feel about the mono sound. It certainly adds to that retro quality that you may have been going for, and I could easily picture it coming out of a very old radio. Despite this, I think even an additional splash of subtle panning could give it some much-needed dimension. I already hear some slight panning in the snare, and while I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, if you considered that then maybe look at something like the hi-hats as well. Your lead synth opened things up a little bit, but in totality I don't think it was quite enough for me.

You mention in your comments that you went a little overboard with the synth melodies, but in my opinion you could have added more melodic interest with an additional lead instrument noodling around after the synth and piano took their turns. The division between the synth and piano taking the lead was really neat (and that solo fill at 00:53 was easily my favorite part!), so why not grab the listener again with a third instrument butting in?

I say these things with the spirit of your piece in mind, and I don't believe they would conflict much with the style you have going on here. Good luck at the competition!

From one amateur to another,

Lee

Crysstal712 responds:

thank you for the review! I was thinking about adding a third lead but i had spent a REALLY long amount of time trying to get the vibe that i wanted, and I was feeling tired overall. I can definitely try a panning effect in my free time though! As always, good luck on the competition, <3

[Into The Depths of Zelzar]

I can see some video game application in a track like this. It is a perfectly simple minor-sounding melody, but it does hearken to some kind of disturbing setting, and the atonal sound effects used throughout certainly complement this theme well.

If this is not a completely finished work, I would encourage you to expand upon this idea because the main issue that this track suffers from is its lack of dimension. The main melody, while great, seems to be a little too heavily relied upon, and the track sounds like it is struggling to flow from one section to the next without sounding forced.

The loud production also does not lend any favors to this problem. As a stylistic choice, I think it is fine for something like this, and I happen to like it. However, if a track is sounding a little too one-note, taking dynamics out of the picture can also put a spotlight on that issue.

My favorite part, however, was the reverse bass sound effect at the end. I had to play that back a couple of times because of how cool it was!

From one amateur to the next,

Lee

coquettishconcubine responds:

thank you so much for taking the time to write all that!!!<33

[Powered Up]

Mmm definitely detecting some RHCP influence in this. It's hard for me to peg you for what instrument you primarily play because they each have a chance to occupy the focal point of the song at some point. It's also always impressive to see and hear someone that is committed to playing every instrument and learning some basic production techniques like vocal layering. A talent like that in itself can really command respect among musicians, and I just wanted to give kudos for that.

The issue I have is that, as commendable as it is to be so technically proficient with so many analog instruments, the final result is still rudimentary, production-wise. Going for a dry sound isn't necessarily bad, but I think that a Saraha Desert recording like this can benefit from a touch of ambience and subtle reverb, particularly in the drums. There are certain points where they are really struggling to make the most of their presence in the mix. Have you considered taking a channel and making a recording of how they sound from across the room to open them up a little in the mix? That's basically your makeshift reverb that you can adjust to taste.

Those would be my primary complaints. The song is very much carried by your playing, and that's fine. I just think that taking some time to expand on the mixing will make your technical ability pop even more.

Gus-ildirim responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback, that really helps me a lot !
Although I'm still trying to learn how to mix each track properly, mixing has always been a struggle for me when I work with analog instruments. I usually spend a lot of time just trying to add things to each track to see if they will sound better when I don't really know what to do with it, but I'm always afraid of doing too much, and most of the time it turns out not great. And this applies to every instrument I record, though I think I've been getting a little better at mixing guitar over time.
In this song, I mostly struggled with bass, especially at some specific moments of the song where I wanted the bass to stand out a little more without being too loud and crushing out the other instruments. But I just didn't really know how I could do that so I just kept the mix as it was.

[Raspando mi cara en el cielo]

This one does not sound nearly as adventurous as some of your other uploads. While you seem to have a general atmosphere in place, I'm having a hard time staying engaged given what has been presented.

Looking at the title, it appears that the objective was to give the listener a sense of floating off the ground. With the timbre of the chords and your choice of minimal bass presence, I believe you accomplished that very well. The saw chords with the attack provide that "airy" tone I think you were looking for, and the lack of bass allows the mix of the track to be untethered from any rigid groove.

An issue that seems to have escaped you, however, is the lack of interest in the track required to keep someone absorbed to your theme. We have a fairly simple chord progression, a standard set of not-punchy drum samples, and a lead (I think?) that is almost too wispy to be able to discern the melody. In my opinion, this is the biggest flaw; there simply isn't enough variation in this upload, and it sounds more like a concept than a finished track.

All the best.

Maevings responds:

I will take this into consideration, Thanks!