SinJim's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[{-^MP^-} Robot Swoosh]

Swoosh

Haven't been by in awhile so I thought I'd check out your new stuff. Holy wow you've been fiddling with everything in FL and it shows. This definitely has a pretty sweet industrial feel to it and I like what you've done. I agree with whoever mentioned Ratchet and Clank because it would fit right into that game.

The arps you chose work pretty well and I like the different synths you have going. I also like the effects you have on them (phaser?). You may want to try slapping some echo on and bringing down the level. It can give a subtle, yet effective feel of atmosphere and movement to the arp. Especially when you have just the arps and the drums going.

One of the first things I thought before reading your description is one of the Donkey Kong Country industrial levels. Maybe the mine carts one, I dunno. At this point in the review, you'd expect me to tell you that it was too short, but with this song it felt complete at its current length. I dunno why, but I've got no complaints on that. Your mixing, including levels, panning, and effects, is great (I couldn't notice anything wrong).

This one's pretty sweet and I'll be faving another of yours. Keep coming up with original stuff like this, it kicks ass. Anyways, you can tell I liked it, off to check out some more of your recent stuff. Peace.

~SinJim

Musical-Pants responds:

Thanks for the feedback.
Yeah, there are a whole lot of fx that I slapped on just about everything, phaser and the standard reverb among them. My current headphones stink, so when a song sounds in sync to me, to everyone else it sounds way off.
I've only been getting on recently when I've had something to submit, but hopefully that will change as the holidays approach.
Thanks as always.

-Pants

[Believe Again (Original Mix)]

Believe

Sweet intro you have going here. I also liked when the pads entered and the filter you brought up on it gave it a sense of "lifting off." I like the HH pattern you chose and your kicks fit in perfectly with the song. I almost wanted a choir to accompany the pads though. It could give the song an epic feel, especially when it drops to just the pads.

In your piano part I felt like the chord towards the end didn't fit. It didn't take away too much from the song, but it just felt out of place. Then again it may just be my taste. I think you should have brought the piano back in later with the lead. It would have strengthened the song. The ending was okay, but I think you could spend a bit more time making it smoothly flow with the song.

Overall, I really liked this piece. I think the lead could have been a bit stronger, but that's more of a personal preference. I already mentioned my personal thoughts on the piano riff and bringing back in. You could have had a bit harder hitting bassline, but the current one works pretty well for the song. Great job on this man, another really awesome entry this time around.

Good luck in the contest!

~SinJim

JohnnyFrizz responds:

Thanks for reviewing back bro! I actually tried to put the piano back on some point of the second chores as you mentioned, but it simply doesnt works for this song...

About the piano chords I didnt saw anything wrong with them, but as you said its just personal taste :P

I chose that synth as my main lead cause I wanted something smoother this time instead of the classic hard saws commonly used in trance, and about the bass, I think its perfectly fine :D

Thanks 4 the honest criticism pal!

[[Dud] Into the Light (MAC08)]

Into the Light

I must admit, it took a long while to get going. You may want to shorten the intro or add some ambient noises (maybe strings) to it to make it more interesting. The piece is definitely not worth under a 1; I think you've got a lot of people that listen to the first 30 secs and see it not picking up and just 0 and peace out.

The piece is full of feeling; it's very beautiful and I love the little key changes and accidentals you've thrown in there. I especially liked the key change (I think) around 3:30ish. It really drew me in. Composition of the piece, as well as playing, is excellent. I do, however, think that the recording quality could be a bit better. Then again, this is coming from a person that only has a headset mic and the mic on my mac lol. Either way, it's understandable that everyone's on a budget, but I re-recording with some excellent mics would make this piece really shine.

Towards 6:00ish (and somewhere around 4:30ish too I think) I really liked when you picked up the pace, put more energy into it, and began playing a bit louder. The variations you have in loudness really let the emotion show. I think towards the end or around the second time you pick up, you could do with adding a strings accompaniment. God, don't even get me started on how it would sound with the strings picking up and the emotion rising to another level. Don't get me wrong, I love me some piano ballads, but the strings just take it to a whole 'nother level.

...Wow, that ending was stupidly good. I loved how you ended it and I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but gimme some strings and I'd be pulled right into your world.

All in all my only gripe was the recording quality and length of the intro. Although on my second time through I didn't have a problem with the intro. This was knowing that the song would pick up, though. I didn't hear any mistakes (maybe one near the ending, but that could've been an accidently and it added flavor nonetheless haha). I think I'm going to put a recommendation in the underdog list for this song. 0.85 score is just stupid considering the song itself.

Well either way, this is going on the favs, as are you. I apologize for a long review, but I thought the length of the song cried out for an equally lengthy review. Great job!

~SinJim

WHOEVER LISTENS: Give the intro it's time and let the song develop, it's beautiful.

Dudidum responds:

Hell yea....
A very very very nice review at last. I think it was the most constructive one since the ones from HybrisHybrid..... :).
I wouldn't mind if someone would adapt it with strings as I would be interested in the outcome^^.

I'm glad you went past the intro because it's as you say.
I think it's like a book. If the introduction interests you, you might read the whole book.
On the other hand if the introduction is long and/or boring you might stop reading it. But if someone who read the book comes and says that the book is good you might read it again and this time read it through.
I hope you know what I'm talking about^^.

About those accidentals.... Sometimes they create the most awesome parts and sometimes they destroy the piece. So it's kinda luck ;). But I can't force luck since my songs are played in one take so there is no editing. One big mistake and I can start anew^^.

Also the recording quality was, is and will always be an issue that I can't fix easily. Moreover my piano is old as well and restoring it would be much too expensive ;).

Anyway again a big thanks for your time and the analythical review!
If it interests you you can hear "Into the Dark" as well since it should represent the "opposite" or the "complement" to this song.

Dud

[Icarus - Dream of Flight]

Dream...

Holy wow. You really kicked ass here. Not only did you showcase your spectacular trumpet playing (that improv kicked soooo much ass, I wants to hear you play some Louis Armstrong), but you have shown that you have an incredible grasp on music. Everything flows so well in this song; it boggles me, because there are genres clashing here and it all makes sense in the end.

Everything is mixed pretty well and the quality was top notch. My entry just got stomped by yours, haha. There's really a journey in this song and you convey the emotions and feelings you've described in harmony with the picture.

I don't think I need to comment on the structure of the piece as you have a greater knowledge than I do. I liked when the choirs came in for a bit of that epic feel. All in all, I really loved this song. I'll slap a fav and a five on there because this song more than deserves it. Nice job!

~SinJim

sorohanro responds:

thanx for your very nice review
these days I'm more into Pat Metheny than Louis Armstrong, that I'm clashing styles also (he does that a lot), also the open latin feel is because of him ... that s something to listen ...
as for the choir, if you like it, you can get it for free here:
http://www.papelmedia.de/english/down load2.htm

[{-^MP^-} Short: Aftermath]

Aftermath

I was all, "I wonder what's on the front page?" Just as I'd given up browsing the new submissions I see that {-^MP^-} and my ears were treated to something sweet. I think this may fit well into "new age" or even "jazz." It's got that jazzy feel with a techno overtone. Is that an organ that you've got in the intro? Or is it just an electric piano? Either way, I like the feeling you've got. In the aftermath there's hope in getting back into the normal groove of life. That's the feeling I picked up from this.

I'm preaching to the choir here buuuuut, it's short. Then again it's just a first version (love how you put short in the title hahaha). Hopefully when you expand on this it'll turn into something pretty good. Scratch that. With this beginning it WILL turn out well.

I think the first bass line you can "jazz" up a bit more. The one you've got that's just with the organ/electric piano seems out of place. It works but a more intricate bass line would do the part more justice. I definitely think that this has lots of potential here.

I definitely want to see another version of this. The drums are excellent as always and I think you can make this into an awesome song. Keep going!

~SinJim

Musical-Pants responds:

Thanks for all the suggestions, on your advice I have decided to alter the intro.
And yes, it is quite short ;)
Thanks again,

-Pants

[{-^MP^-} "Red Stains" theme]

Red Stains

Ahah! A new one; albeit, an older one. But hey, what can I say. I like the feel on this one and to your surprise, I'm not going to complain about the length. With this song, it's perfect. You've set it up to loop well for a flash (I'm assuming that was what it was for). Anyhow, The Guitar (or synth) with the weird distortion (phaser/chorus maybe?) on it is pretty sweet. At first I didn't really like it, but I think I've warmed up to it and on the 10th play through, I'm starting to really get into it.

The drums in the first part with the record scratch get a bit repetitive, but I think it's not long enough to really complain about. I like the crowd in the beginning; from your description, I feel like it's a crowd of zombies as you stand on a vehicle in the middle with a weapon. That would be a sick intro for a flash as well. Then the song gets into the more action oriented phase with the drums and as always, you pull through on the drums.

I like the fx you've got going on in the fills as well, but I do yearn for a bass part. You could have a sick bass to add into it to highlight the guitar part. I don't think it'd take away from the song and don't get me wrong, I like it as is, but I think that addition would be good.

Anyhow, if this is the one you've uploaded that was your "most lazy," then I can't wait 'til you start uploading the ones you've puts weeks of effort into lol. While this is short, I really like it Pants. Great job here.

~SinJim

Musical-Pants responds:

Thanks again.
The series was originally about a hoard of zombies decending on a trailer park, and the guy wanted something he could repeat at the beginning of every episode.
Eventually though, the series evolved to have more of a madness feel, and he wanted a DnB theme, but since I don't do DnB, I had to pass.
I like the idea for the bass, i might just throw something on a little later.
I consider it my most lazy because I think of its potential, which at the moment I think is mostly unrealized, versus the amount of work I actually put into it.
Great review as always,

-Pants

[Rig & Spawn - 16 Bar Assassin]

16 bars

Wow, this is really amazing here. I've been watching the quarrel on the forums on hip-hop/sampling and whatnot and I've gotta say that this really brings out the best you guys can do. All the popular crap has nothing on what you two have created. I love the epic loop with the strings you got going. The drums are original enough to really keep me into the song - the beat is strong and it's blended it well with your strings too.

On top of that, Warspawn really came through here with the vocals. The rhymes are SICK, the verses meld well together and, although it took me couple of listen-throughs, I really can hear everything clearly. The quality on them is top-notch. My only complaint about them is that they should be a tiny tiny bit louder just to cut through that last verse when the strings are in the higher frequencies. Granted, that's a small complaint cuz this song is amazing.

This here is the essence of collaborating and it really shines. Whether or not it involves sampling, I have to wonder if Spawn's words are directed at that argument, hehe. Either way, I am just in awe at the quality and talent just oozing out of this piece. I really have no other complaints and I really look forward to hearing more from both of you. I'm not a hip-hop regular; however, if I had to pick a couple people to collaborate with in this genre (or even in general), you guys are right there.

Gimme that fav, Gimme moar of this.

~SinJim

PS - I may eventually be hitting you two up with some collab ideas if I'm not too busy.

Rig responds:

Yeah, I've had trouble trying to find the right balance between the strings and the vocals. I must've spent over an hour just tweaking the EQs, and I think I might upload a different mix in the future.

I'm by far no hip-hop regular either...this was a completely random collab from the beginning. I was bored and made a loop, spawn found it and added his vox, I got the vox and mixed it into a more song-like structure. Collaboration at its random finest, if I do say so myself. The same sort of thing happened with me and my song "Stardust Crazy", you might like that!

And I know I'm always up for a collab. :)

Thanks for the review!

[{-^MP^-} Epic Sneak...]

Sneaky

Well, you've definitely got that spy feel in this song. I dunno that I'd call this epic but it is definitely fitting to a scene where a spy is doing his business unnoticed. It definitely portrays that very well. I was kind of iffy on the kick. It may have been just my opinion, but I wanted a different one, possibly one from a rock kit or maybe even increase the attack so you get somewhat of a click (not too much) going at the start of the hit.

Anyhow, I really liked this song. I think that my favorite part was the lower register piano hits; for me, that really brought the espionage into the song. I think that it pulled everything together, but then again, I'm a sucker for piano...

In terms of amping everything I'm assuming you mean getting your volume to the level that most CD quality songs are? If that's the case you may want to look into better mixing the instruments you've got in your song. I'm sure that you do a decent amount of that with the compression, but you shouldn't need to compress every instrument. Try panning the instruments as you'd see them on the stage (or be creative if there's different type of instruments there). But basically, (you may already do this, but I dunno) you want to free up a space in the stereo field for all of the instruments.

Once you've got everything panned to its respected spot, you can pass the instruments (each one) through its own bus and put a tad (small or large depending on the piece and context) of reverb on it and then pan it opposite (or close to it) of where you had the instrument panned. This will give it the feel that it's being played in a real environment, but at the same time not way way off center.

Again, I may be preaching to the choir here if you already do this and if that's the case, I apologize. Once you do that, you may not have the need to compress. Basically bring up the levels on each instrument so that it's not clipping but it's loud enough to be great quality. Only then, think about compression. Also EQ before compression as well in case you want to free up some space in the frequency spectrum for different instruments.

This should make your tracks wider and sound louder without having to put he volume way up. When you're done, slap a limiter on the end of the signal chain before rendering and it should bring the low volumes up a bit and limit the high ones to a place where it shouldn't clip. Oh, and make sure you leave kicks and the main bassline in the center otherwise the song will appear lopsided.

I apologize if this is a review for you, but hey, it can't help to provide more info right.

To reiterate, I really liked this one and I can really see your grasp on FL is getting better. Sweet song man!

~SinJim

PS - Sorry for long review, but hey, who doesn't like those?

Musical-Pants responds:

Wow, I can't believe I forgot to respond to this review. Long reviews rule!
I've taken all of your hints and suggestions to mind, and I should have something worth listening to from FL up soon.
Brilliant review, thanks again.

-Pants

[Water (Dj Sonik Original)]

- Cynic Project -

Hey man, I agree with most of the posters down below on the mixing and stuff so yea, I don't want to reiterate that.

One thing I wanted to mention is that, while this is a pretty sweet remix, you should really give credit to the original artist (The Cynic Project or Alex Smith) because, well yea, I'm sure you know but everyone deserves credit.

Anyhow, sweet remix of Fire and Ice, like the title fitting in there as well. The different variations you got going on in there were pretty sweet.

~SinJim

PS - If you didn't remix that song, it sounds damn close and PM if you wanna check out the link. I'm pretty sure that was the original intent you had though, anyways peace.

DreamEater responds:

lol actually man its all original besides the obvious icecap zone bit in there . I'm still trying to learn my mixing stuff completely so i am aware that its a bit choppy x.x. but yeah
thank you though and i hope you keep listening man
thanks for the review
~saku

[{-^MP^-} Mellow Sunrise]

Sunrise

Haven't been by here in awhile, so I thought that I'd stop by and see if you had any new stuff. Feel free to PM when you upload so I can get in on the reviews. I'm tired of wading through the shit on the new submissions list just to get to something worthwhile.

Anyways, this is pretty awesome. I see it's another stretch out into a different genre and in a very unique way. Like the previous person said it does have a baroque feel to it and I love the clav. As others have mentioned, you should add a bit of reverb and think about maybe changing the release time in your sampler; it might give it that feel like it's actually being played and not just a VST (if that's what you used).

I loved the melody you have going on both of the instruments and the bass in the background complements everything well. Although, in the beginning, without the flute I was a bit thrown off by the rhythm of the clav. But when the flute kicked it, holy crap, it just melded so well. Great job on that.

You've got a great music feel and I can really see the progression of you getting your head around FL. It really shows and you're getting a lot better. Oh, I forgot to mention that I liked the Xylophone (Celesta maybe?) that you threw in there. It didn't take over, it just complemented everything even more.

This is just perfect for something along the lines of Edible Castle or something of the like. It just gives you that "royal" feeling and you portrayed that very well. Ah crap, I forgot to mention, you might want to check into some soundfonts or free VSTs or something for another clav, that may solve the problem of them sounding a bit thin. Definitely do a google for soundfonts, it's fun to see how many things you can find (from pianos - really good ones btw - to African drums and whatnot). Anyways, it can never hurt to expand your library.

So you can tell I like right? Meh, I'll check some of your more recent stuff soon, I've got to head out to class. Nice job on this it's on the favs.

~SinJim

PS - Wow that's a long review...

Musical-Pants responds:

Great review, i've actually done a version with reverb,
And the instrument in question is actually a glass bell, close enough to a xylophone.
Thanks for the sweet review, I did work hard on the melodies.

-Pants