SinJim's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Sparkle of Life - Mjattie]

A Sparkle

Wow man, you have really outdone yourself on this one. I love the sidechain bass in there. It really gives it a dirty feel that contrasts with the deliciously clear pads and lead you have going. At first, I wasn't feeling the electric piano type sound (I think that's what it was) that you had sidechained w/ the bass. It was just too ringy for me. I felt, though, that as the song continues, the listener gets accustomed to it. It's just a bit odd in the beginning. It's unique as hell but seems a bit out of place until the rest of the song comes in. Might just be my opinion tho.

I can definitely hear why you put this in trance with the buildups but I think it feels a bit like a house track at the beginning. Again this might just be me. I really like the FX you put in there with the sidechained pad (adding white noise and such). It was really good and definitely keeps you interested.

I think you could do better with the outro. It just feels a bit incomplete right now. It's not terrible but somethings just missing. I dunno, you'd have to experiment with that at this point in time. Something I really liked was the piano breakdown (but hey - I'm a sucker for piano tracks haha).

You could have had a stronger kick, but I think it's ok as it is. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the snare samples you used, but that's basically personal preference.

All in all, great buildups, great pads, great bass, great leads, great structure. Nice job on this one, man. Keep polishing things up.

~SinJim

mjattie responds:

No, you're true about the sound. it's all a bit much for the first listen, I think.

I had quite a lot of work with the effects. That was the first thing I did when I started to make this song. And I haven't done anything similar.

And you're also right about the outro. But I didn't had energy to make a decent ending... :P

Hey I'll keep polishing things up man ;)

[Rose-Coloured Hindsight]

Amazing...

Okay, let me start off by saying the first couple measures of your picking really reminded me of Flight of the Conchord's Foux De Fa Fa. Google it, you'll be pleasantly surprised and I think it will give you a laugh.

Okay, so wow, the guitars in this song are amazing. Simply put. You did an excellent job with the recording and I don't hear any muddyness at this point in time. One thing, though, is that I heard a pop at about 20 and then again at 56-57 secs in. It may have just been the player, but I thought I'd let you know.

I really like the progression you have going throughout the song - it really fits in with what you're trying to tell the listener. When you're hitting the back of your guitar it still sounds good, but I have to wonder if that's a roundback or just a regular acoustic.

Okay, I liked when the orchestra came in, but I didn't really like the timpani (I think that's what it is). Now I can see where you're getting your muddiness from. I think that with all the percussion you already have going, you can do without the timpani. It may have just been me but I thought it detracted from the piece.

I REALLY liked the piano interlude with the triangle/glockenspiel in there. It brought everything down a notch and gave an opening for an ending.

Dude, everytime this loops I can't help but laugh because think of the Flight of the Conchords video, seriously check that out lol.

In terms of what you were going for for the meaning of the song, I think you captured it brilliantly. I really, really dig this song and would love to work with you in the future on a song if you're up for it.

The quality you have hear really supports the story you tell and the mixing could be a bit better but I really like what you have. I think for me it's just the timpani holding it back but that's personal taste. I would just suggest for you to at least take another listen and see what you think.

All in all, this is an awesome song! This is set to place high in the competition, good luck!

~SinJim

curriemaster responds:

Hey cheers for the great review man. I have indeed heard Foux de Fa Fa before and I love Flight of the Conchords, my favourite tune has to be "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" though. Cheers for the comparison!

I have this habit occasionally clicking my tongue when I play the guitar (usually when I make a mistake - but in this case I didnt -.-) and when I tried to rerecord it, it didnt come out quite right as the solo guitar was pretty much just soloing and I was playing different stuff each time.

I definitely see what you mean about the timpani. I think thats the major issue I had with muddiness, but I couldnt get this doublet beat out of head when I heard the final dramatic section so I decided I needed to leave it in. I think it would be much better with some proper EQing and maybe compression but I already had so many tracks I didnt want to bounce a MIDI one to audio. Maybe I should though, it could help me think this song is pretty good.

Well thanks again for the review its superb. Im going to have another look at that timpani and maybe try and bounce it so I can apply an effect or forty. Oh yeah and Im totally up for doing a project together although I dont know if I have the skillz. Let me know if you have some ideas. Cheers!

[Romantic Impression - Mjattie]

Nice

Damn, dude.

Gotta love those 3/4 waltz times for the love songs haha. Shoot me in the face if that's not right, that's what I felt though haha.

I must ask what you play on because I've been trying to brush up my piano skills but you've obviously been playing for years. Is this recorded or sampled? Also what keyboard are you running with if it's sampled. In a few months I'm going to be looking for a full keyboard with fully weighted keys so I'm open for suggestions.

In terms of the song, you've got a sick talent for improvisation if this was in one take. I'm still working on my Mac09 submission but you've really taken the show with this one.

The feeling of the variation with the piece really comes through. The subtle changes in tempo that you've got really, really put feeling into the song. The violin sample is okay. It could be better, but it's not the focus of the song and it's not so loud that you notice the sample's quality. I'm just nitpicking here since I'm typically composing orchestral pieces.

Good luck in the competition man. With this piece you should be sure to place high. I'm pretty sure that the judges are going to have a tough time this time around.

Let me know if you upload another version!

~SinJim

mjattie responds:

lol, you may be shocked, but the keyboard is sampled and it's a not-weighted one XD (picture: http://www.max.grenkowitz.net/res/Mus ic/Yamaha_PSR-500_1019_50.jpg) From 1992 I think... I got it from my uncle. btw, the samples are from reason and then an expansion pack called "reason piano's"

I'm not that proud either of the violin.

This song was improvised but with some parts more than once, so that's the reason there are no faults...

I hope you're right about the mac9 lol, but I guess no1 knows until you finish your song!

thanks a lot for the reaction again!

[Complexx - Under Her Thumb]

Complexx

Wow, sweet song here man.

To be honest, I wasn't going to review this until I went to the myspace to check out the better version. The bitrate you have on here is ridiculously low compared to the quality you've got on the myspace page.

I was originally going to mention something about the mics being better quality, but that wasn't the mic's fault haha.

Alright, well the song's pretty sweet, and I like the bluesish feel you've got on it. The song seems to be mixed pretty well too. Nothing really stands out and everything fits in. I did thing, though, that the crash throughout the song got way repetitive. Maybe it was the quality of the drum miccing you guys did - I know that recording drums is an expensive process. That is just the one thing that stood out to me. Then again, maybe with an even higher quality recording that may be remedied.

I really liked the lyrics - I don't really do lyrics so I cannot provide you with anything constructive here.

The structure of the song was good too. Typical rock song and I liked it. Fit well with what you had going.

I couldn't really hear you playing though. There was like one part where I could hear the keyboard part, but then it blended in to the rest of the song. You may be able to bring it out just a bit by fooling around with some panning and reverb effects. That would take some fiddling with, though. You might also want to EQ out the frequencies that the instruments don't use so you can carve a place out for each instrument.

Then again, I'm not sure if you're in charge of mixing or not and these are just suggestions.

Great song here, man. You're band is pretty sick and the singer's awesome too. Keep in practicing and let me know if you guys hit it big! (I can write orchestral backings for you hahahaha).

~SinJim

mjattie responds:

XD, I'll definitely going to send this link to every member of the band XD, awesome review, again!!! I love the way you review XD

Now to the business: I think you're right about the crash and you're also right about the piano, I think it's too low, but I'm not in charge of the mixing, the studio did haha, but I had to leave before the mixing, else it could've been better, I'm not sure though...

Very much thanks for the review, you can always ask me to review one or more of your songs ;)

[Dirty House v 1.3 - Mjattie]

Time for a review!

Wow, that intro really caught my attention. Holy crap you've put a assload of work into this. The pads and leads you've chosen thus far are really unique and your automation work is top-notch. I liked the sidechained pad you started out with in the beginning too.

Oooooh, wow I really liked that filter you brought up at about 1:35ish. Gave me a feeling like I was jammin' out to this beat on a beach and got nailed with a wave. Sick job on that buildup.

I really liked the breakdown you have going at about 2:20 as well. Keepin the automation going on this is really keeping me interested as well. I'm diggin' this track man. I think you're second buildup could have been better with some snares or maybe kicks in there. I loved the wave again, but I think you could make it much more epic.

This song is really odd, in a really good way. It's like house, but you approached it with a more trance-ish structure. It really worked for the song; then again there's probably some sub-genre of house or trance that exactly describes the song. I'm just not as well-versed in electronic genre titles haha.

Okay, so the mixing is pretty good on here already. Every instrument I can hear clearly and nothing in the mix stands out unnecessarily. I think you could make your kick a bit tighter - try throwing on a bit more compression. Also try to compress your kick with your bass, if you aren't already.

Check out this forum thread on TranceAddict - it's got some pretty sweet info on different compression settings and techniques:
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/sh owthread.php?s=&forumid=48&threadid=2 76466

I really liked the bass you have going, but I think you could give the song a better low end by adding a bit more to the lower frequencies. Maybe a straight sine wave pattern at a medium volume would fill it out down low. That or you could just take the same pattern and double a couple of the notes an octave lower. This may just be my preference though, *shrug*.

All in all, you've got a sick song here. I love the feel you got going and that "airy" pad that you've automated to create the wave effect is sick. I'd actually like to know what you're using, because I've had trouble trying to recreate that in Logic. I swear if it's just a simple super saw or something I'm gonna punch myself in the face.

Great work here. I'm not going to download this now since this is a work in progress, but PLEASE PM me when you have finished this one. This has got some ridiculous potential and I want to encourage you to finish this. Once you have finish this, it's going on my iPod, I can tell you that.

If you've got any more similar to this, don't hesitate to PM me.

Awesome song man!

~SinJim

PS - You're welcome for the insanely long review lol :P.

mjattie responds:

w0w0ww0w0w0w000000t

LOL, thanks for this insanely long review!!! I'm going to answer to al your questions, but I have to go to school now so... Btw I use reason with quite a lot packs... The lead synths are from "1001 Subtractor Patches Refill" and Chemical Malstrom.

Don't worry, I WILL respond properly :)

thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks

[FTF, BTF! (WIP)-2]

Awesome!

Wow, it's ridiculous to see how far you've come since you first submitted. You've REALLY improved and it shows. Now on to the song.

It's a bit repetitive, but it works well for the song you have. Your drums are good but could still use (a bit) a variation. Not much, but it just sounds like you looped in during the sections of the song. Take copies of your drums sections and just vary them a bit. You've already got a good base, but you can definitely build on it and you should, especially if you're submitting this for a scholarship.

The piano is good, but it wouldn't hurt to have a better sample. That being said, we're all poor so it's understandable. Other than that, it was a pretty sweet piano part and liked the electric piano part that continued on at the end and allowed the song to loop around nicely.

I like the bass you've got going, it's a pretty sweet groove and everything here is mixed in nicely. This is a happy tune that really shows all you've learned throughout the last six months. The structure of the song is a bit mundane. It could use a key change or a stronger bridge (similar to some trance songs) in the middle to really shake things up. That's all up to you and will change the feeling of the song. I'd at least suggest trying to experiment with those things.

I found this song because of the odd name, and I'm really glad I did. I'm glad to see how you've progressed and I wish you the best of luck with the scholarship!

~SinJim

SkatingIsGenetic responds:

Ha, thanks for the compliments!

It's good when I get a review from you because I know there is going to be a lot of insight and good points concerning the song and what I can work on!

Anyway..

I've been getting the piano sample remark a lot. Lol. I'll search a bit more. I found a sample actually, but it takes a huge toll on my cpu, and when I use it I get a really rough static sound. I was told to make it a wav file. I might just do that, despite the pain that it is, just so that I can get better results concerning piano. It's a huge difference from the regular Fl Keys.

Drum variations, I hear you. I am going to change up the drum parts, I was just too lazy and wanted to submit this to get a bit of feedback. :D And to be honest, I don't really like the bass I have. I can't seem to find anything good to use it for though. I'll look some more but they won't sound as good as ones..well.. paid for.

Nevertheless, thanks for your review! And you keep up your great work too! =] (Wasn't meant to rhyme by the way. :P)

[The Tantalising Peanut]

Garageband?

Well, I'll give you a four for being able to arrange things in a logical order. Most notably the garageband riff is from Fort Minor's "Believe Me." Just google "fort minor believe me" and click on the first video.

Other than that most, if not all, of the other riffs are from garageband too. Granted you did okay in arranging them and it sounds like a pretty good song. On the other hand, those loops and samples are really meant to get you started. You should use them as inspiration for creating music. Take the midi loops and understand what's going on in them. Then try and recreate something with that knowledge.

The Newgrounds Audio Portal is really meant for original stuff and mixing around GB loops is not original. I urge you to try some new things and read up on some music theory, if you don't know already. It will be more satisfying in the end when you create something that's entirely yours.

~SinJim

TimtheHue responds:

HA, yes i know all that already, yes i have made midi songs, but sadly those songs are for Logic Pro (a program i do not have yet) i am saving money for that and a midi keyboard, I'm also planning to use a recording studio which i have access to... sadly, i have had no time yet...
Yes, it is more satisfactory when i make an original song, but seeing as it's not in the proper format yet, i can't exactly submit any original work!

I do have the knowledge to create tracks, garageband came with my computer, i decided it was an alright substitute for Logic Pro (emphasis on alright)!

Thanks for the review but not much help to me, your knowledge of music creation (e.t.c.) is mediocre, and it's not helping, i would gladly enjoy having a conversation with you about more advanced music topics (if you would kindly agree)...
i would enjoy your words of wisdom very much so

thank you for posting

TIM

[Forsaken - [Sy{X}]]

Great writing

This piece here has excellent writing and composition behind it. I love the instrumentation you chose and I have very few complaints on the structure and progression of the song. I know you said you have no formal training (neither do I, haha), but it shows me that you understand theory and have either taught yourself a hell of a lot or have a unique ability haha. Anyways, excellent structure and movement of the piece. Great buildup and energy.

What's holding you back is the quality of the samples you're working with. I know how it is, though. Everyone's on a budget, especially these days. But god, to think what this would sound like performed or with some orchestral VSTs. I'd recommend saving up for something (I would recommend EastWest Symphonic Orchestra - if that's too much take a look at the Garriton Personal Orchestra). I know it's a big investment but you WILL NOT regret it.

Only suggestion I could give you is to take what you're learning with reverb and panning and take it further. Try running your reverb on each instrument (or set of instruments) through a bus or auxilary channel. Then you can take your panning for your instruments and set it up like an orchestra would sit (google orchestra seating chart if you don't know). Take your reverb of each channel and pan it opposite where the instrument would sit. Take a minute to consider what I'm saying here as well:

A reverb is the natural reflection of the environment a noise is played in (you most likely have figured that out haha). Anyways when a violin, for example, plays on the left side of the orchestra. Your ears here it positioned there but a few split-seconds later your ear hears the reflection off of the orchestra hall's right wall. You want to mimic that and make your instruments sound like their really being played in a real environment.

Aside from that. Try adding sample level (about 200ish samples) delay onto the instruments that would sit in the back of the hall. This will trick the ear into thinking that instruments are sitting behind others. It's not very noticeable until the final change, though.

Oh, I would also encourage you to switch up the second buildup. It sounded exactly the same as the first one. Granted, I'm nitpicking but hey, everyone likes opinions right?

Awesome piece though, I just wish I could help you out with better samples; you'd be in a whole different ball-field.

Nice Job, a big 5-age on the vote!

~SinJim

PS - The piano samples I use are from Logic Studio - Eventually I'll be purchasing professional quality samples, but I've also just purchased a microphone which means I can now record my real piano which, by chance, was just tuned Hoorah!

Sycross responds:

Sweet! Thanks for the lengthy and in depth review! I totally agree with you about sample quality, and I'm sure it would sound a lot better in real life/with better VSTs. Unfortunately... I'm broke, lol :P. The good news is, I have been working on putting together a group of instrumentalists to actually be able to record and perform these pieces. I'm really hoping that it works out, because I would love to see how it sounds with real instruments.

Anyhow, thanks for the review and the positive comments! I think the reason I can write music is mostly just that I've just spent far too much time messing around on the piano and computer for my own good :P. I will check out the Logic Studio Piano and EWQL if I ever get my hands on some cash.

Thanks,
Sycross

[Hero's Bottle]

Hero's Bottle

Holy Shit.

Nice job on everything here. The structure of the song is incredible. Vocals are KICK ASS. Guitar is insane! I liked the breakdown in the bridge you had going, especially the melodic instrument you have accompanying the guitar; nice touch. The lyrics, oh the lyrics. Full of feeling and they match Crucified's voice perfectly.

Now time for nitpicking.

There are parts of the song (vocals, guitars, structure, writing, and some of the drums) that are awesome and professional quality. My biggest complaint is the drums. They sound "thin." It might be the song in general in combination with the drums. I just feel like there's one instrument missing. I couldn't really pick out a bass guitar in there and, for me, that may fill the void. If it was there, bring it out in the mix a bit. You can get that bass to drive the song even more (not that it really needs it hah).

For the drums, the cymbal that is used with the buildup into the chorus sounds off. It started at like 0:35 I think. I dunno, it just felt a tad off. Maybe a tad (very small) reverb would do it good, I dunno. It could just be me nitpicking. My last issue is the ending. It sort of just ended; I wasn't expecting that. I feel like you could put an intro of maybe some echo on the abrupt ending to ease it out.

Other than those few issues, the song is incredible. But hey, who needs a review that goes "Woots you are is awesomes!"

Sick song, great collab, great music. Nice job, fav'd, 5'd.

~SinJim

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

Thanks man. I hear ya. The drums were revamped 3 or 4 times. And I'm still thinking of revamping them some more. I've added my own samples in this, but that damn cymbal choke on the prechorus build up has been eating at me too.
Its "too big" if I have a full crash there, and too small if there is nothing there. And then doesn't work at all, for a build up.

There is a bass in here. I thought it was too loud, actually...cause to me it really sticks out. I can turn that up to.

Crucified wants to revamp his vocals even more, so I may take it down in a day or two, just to get some more critiques.

Sadly for YOU, the ending stays. haha. Its got the exact impact that I wanted, in relation to what the song is about. haha. But I know what you mean.

Thanks for the review, and if you can think of anything else, please let me know. :D

[_-={Everlasting Times}=-_]

Finally Reviewing

Well I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this piece. Finally, I'm dropping by to leave a review on it. The song is excellent. The composition is top-notch and the quality is amazing. This is just so relaxing and it gives off so many emotions at the same time. The ambiance that you use with the rain fits perfectly while never getting annoying or taking over the sound spectrum. You've got the Bongos (congas? Some type of ethnic drum?) in there that give it the feel of a jungle village. The flute fits so well on top of that to draw in the feeling of being on the river in a canoe floating down peacefully. The thing that really got me was the accordion. I was not expecting that and it threw in a European flare on the song that I really liked.

The strings fit in well and don't take over too. I also liked you use of minimalistic string parts. I sometimes tend to fall into the trap of using too much, in terms of strings, and it can overpower the piece. Your decision was just right. The flute is great quality. I have to say that my Logic Studio flute pales in comparison to this. Is this the East/West flute? I plan on getting myself the gold orchestra pack for Christmas, so if this quality is what I have to look forward to, I'm excited.

You also did really well with the panning. There's nothing there that distracts my attention to one side or the other but every instrument has its own place in the stereo field. I also forgot to mention the bird effects you threw in there. It really serves to draw you into the soundscape you've painted and I love it.

All in all, this piece is well structured, full of emotion, and simply amazing. I'll be dropping by to leave reviews on your newer tracks when I get time. I can tell the effort put into your songs is huge so I feel like a long review is more than deserved. You can tell I like the song, hah, fav'd.

~SinJim