p4c's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Saber's Theme [Anya]]

worddd

so i think that you did a really good job with the arrangement. this really gives off an epic feel. the way it progressed was not predictable at first glance--which is actually a rarity 'round these parts--and the piano lull built some tension.

i just think the production is pretty bland, but it's not really your fault. i just think everything sounds too synthetic. the way the violin never plays sharply, the snare sounds so bland, and the piano doesnt play with dynamics enough to convey the emotion it tries to. it sounds like, yeah, a soundtrack to a playstation 1 song, not a scored production or anything, which, if that's what you were going for, then all the more power to ya.

all of this are things that are remedied with... well... getting better samples, not really with your skill as a producer. so i'm willing to overlook that, because this had great imagination and still got its message across. good job!

EmperorCharlemagne responds:

Yeah, my sample sets (all freeware, lol) pretty much constrict me to "PS1-style music", which is fine for the most part (for the MOST part), but you are right in that I sure as heck could use some good stuff, like EastWest etc. But that costs a considerable amount of dough!

I actually considered using all SNES-style sound samples for this, so I could make it clear its fakeness, in a way, but I'm glad that the melody (for you at least) was able to carry its weight despite the less than stellar samples.

Many thanks for the kind words!

[KurdStep (RAC4 Dubstep)]

hmmm

i loved your work with changing around the LFO and acoustic properties of the wobble. the bells and the harpsichord stuff were also a pretty epic touch, and i think you pulled off the usual dubstep feeling fairly decently. my suggestions:

first, i think the chord progression is pretty weak just because its so predictable. i can tell exactly where everythings going... and that makes the song get boring fairly quickly. on top of it, with the glitchy, austere drum and synthwork, it makes the song sound absurdly cheesy.

second, i think the sound of the wobble--not its arrangement--is too high and smooth. i wish the wobble had more bassiness, perhaps that the synth you chose was an entire octave down, and then emphasize its high frequency textures. that would be more powerful to me.

third, as a random suggestion, i wish the vox had a bigger presence in the song than just being an interlude kind of thing--it gave the song some character.

finally, the song could use a little atmosphere and depth. exploit sound effects, reverb, and panning more--it would make the ethos of the song that much more immersive.

good job overall, and i hope i helped out!

Aydin-Jewelz123 responds:

Cool dude, i'll see what i can do!

[Rucklo - Abstract WIP]

cool bit.

this was produced pretty well, and i think the song definitely had all the variation and sample toying it needed to keep me interested. i just felt there were a couple things that could have been improved in my opinion. first, the wobbly synth layered over the wobbly bass is definitely a more unique sound than most modern dnb producers go for, but i wish it wasn't so... smarmy? i dont know what to call it but it didnt seem to convey much energy, and on top of it i dont think it meshed really well will the lead synth. the other thing is that i wish the lead chords interacted more with the beat. it seemed to just kind of play on its own little platform. if there were some accented drums or specific fills that conformed to the pattern of the lead chords, i think it would have been more interesting.

decent job overall though. yeah, figuring out where to go with tracks is always a toughie... idk, my workflow has usually tended to be that id get stuck, and then id record something, fuck around with it a bit, and then come up with some kind of pattern or sound that gives me new ideas for the track. idk what you specifically should do, but if you record, that might be worth a try ;) rock on.

[Discovery [Dr.S]]

pretty cool stuff!

i loved the modulation going on in that main lead synth(s). it had a really interesting and full texture. the main things i would work on are that first, the low end of the spectrum wasnt nearly as interesting as the synthwork going on, and second, the song doesnt seem to have any particular arc or go anywhere--i feel like within 1.5 minutes ive pretty much heard the whole song. that's my opinion, though. regardless, good job :)

Dr-Slump responds:

Thanks for the review p4c! Yeah, I'll try to work on the low end of the spectrum. I'll see what I can do about that. Now, this songs doesn't really go anywhere because it's an ambient song, so... yeah. That's pretty much it. Nevertheless, your opinion will help me later, when I'll be editing this song in my spare time.

[Spor - Aztec (Neural Remix)]

nice! but...

i dont know if i can rate you very highly on this one.. just because its so similar to the original. though the piano drop in this sample is pretty nice, i think you really need to differentiate this piece more than the original. mix up the main synth line a lot more, tear it to shreds! otherwise it just sounds like you took out their original dnb beat and replaced it with another dnb beat. also, it probably has to do with teh way you extracted the main synth line, but the mix in this sounds pretty tinny--pump up bass frequencies, and the levels of your kick, and perhaps layer the main synth with something to make it beefier. my 2 cents :)

NeuralFusion responds:

ta mate. this is just a pre anywho. i'll variate, the mainsynth is mimicked. cheers for the review. (also i made this on FL demo with laptop headphones and 1 gb of ram) :) So kinda hard for the low freqs.

[-[PK]- Thunder]

ok so

i think this is a decent, workable basis for a song, but it needs a lot of work--it doesnt have a very full or refined sound as of now.

things you definitely should add/change:

-a bassline would be good to give some meat to the entire song.
-stronger percussion/drums. it's pretty weak right now--try using a different bass drum sample that has more punch to it, a more complex hi hat line than what you have, somethign different than that standard clap, and some other percussion. the cymbals are really synthetic and dont mesh well with the rest of the percussion. i think you can benefit a lot just from listening to a lot of different songs that have been released, or are pretty good on NG, to see what I mean (idk, even look at my work. im starting to get to that level of quality, i think).

things to consider:

-have more variation. the lead synth never really goes anywhere, and the song never really escalates into anything beyond what shows up within the first minute.
-sound effects, both on the instruments you have, and completely separate effects to build an atmosphere. everything on this track as of now is really dry--no reverb, no real distortion, etc. that leads everything to come off as being pretty superficial--try to build some spatial depth in your songs :)

i can say more, but I think that should be a little help for now. rock on :)

pyrotek45 responds:

heh, i completely agree. i made this in what...like ten minutes,i just wanted to know where to go from here so thanks for the review, means a lot!

oh yeah i checked some of your songs , there good!

~pyrotek45

[Aeon.]

nice bit!

i liked the hectic feel to this loop--it stays interesting i think for two main reasons: first, the meter is difficult to track. musical phrases end earlier or later than expected, always keeping the listener on his/her toes. second, it centers around the same repeated note, even though the rest of the song is moving around so much. that modal style is pretty cool. nice job with this!

[Stoppin your mind (WIP HOUZE)]

shit man!

this goes fuckin hard! if you could clean up that dirty synth [i.e. fix the clipping] and lay off the stoppin my mind shit, structure it a bit more cleanly and lengthen this shit it would go crazyyy!!!! dayumnnn keep at it.

Kalapsia responds:

but i like stoppin my mind : (

[.:[RF] Theme9]

yeah i actually think this is decent

the chord progression isnt too bad--its pretty epic sounding actually and isnt really that derivative, so i appreciate it. it isnt minimal though btw. electro does fit. i know this was thrown together, but for the mix try not to compress quite so much, and the saw seems to be too reverbed for me, but otherwise its a fairly nice slice of a track ;) i guess the only thing thats not making it too memorable for me is that it doesnt really go anywhere or make any really interesting statement melodically or compositionally. but its a good riff and a decently made track. keep at it ;)

[Wake Up by Enteroar]

nice :)

so i think that this is a decently made song though stylistically its not exactly my tastes. here are my main beefs, and i hope it helps :)

i like the lead synth with portamento and stuff, though i think the saw that chimes in along with it detracts from the dreamy feel of that luscious lfo'ing background synth. the melody that the lead synth takes, though, doesnt really seem that definitive or compelling though--its jst wandering around with the bassline, but i wish it didn't just follow the bassline like that. i think it might just be that i kind of dislike that progression because its so overused in like every trance song ever, but yeah. i do like the synths you use though, and i think this is a compelling base for a sweet song. nice!

Enteroar responds:

I agree with everything you said. This an older song so yea..haha.