MadenameXD's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[Sonic3-CarnivalNights2]-Zero-]

Nice!

The low timpani or bass drum in the background gives a nice filler feel. I also like how you made the sfx fit in haha! The "Band Hits" or whatever has the filled sound around 1:27 sounds pretty neat with the offbeat and backgrounds. This completely brings back the memories of failure at Carnival Nights Act 2... I swear I tried pressing up and down to move the spinning cylinders up and down!! Impatience has the young gamer grounded :P

Speaking of Sonic 3, I downloaded it recently to play on my DS (I own the CD for the Comp with all of the versions of 3) and had fun actually going through the whole thing legit as both Sonic, Tails, and both. I think of Knuckles as easy mode because that was the only way I could beat the game, getting stuck and all after restoring power in this stage. Good and bad memories our brought back, and the song has an overall nice feel. I appreciate the ending!

~Spiralz

[Cave Story War (Cave Story Remix)]

First review without headphones!!

I'm sure I've heard this a few times with headphones, but the review is based off of what I hear without the headphones. As it would seem, the main instruments (based on this monitor's speakers, as will all my critique) are all clean compared to a lot of your mixes. -- And yes, Cave Story is an awesome game, I just need to get around to actually playing it. I have a lot of games that I need to play, but there's not enough time in the world with school! -- Back to the review part, the intro is very heavy, but in a good way. Sometimes you like to get carried away with your "hardcore" parts, but it seems that you stayed in-bounds with your heaviness. I thank thee for that, keeping this song good. -- Another side note: {Runaway} is a song of "Users who liked this also enjoyed," which reminds me of those good times. Nice job relating to it! -- How many guitars did you have? They sounded pretty good together (compared to the normal nice mix), and the lower guitar fillers are nice. Yeah, I don't know the term, but I think you know what I'm getting at. On my speakers I hear little bass, but I can only assume it's there because I can hear some, and these speakers don't like bass, so that is hopefully saying something there about the bass strength. Also, the snare does sound pretty similar to the one that I downsized (haha, get it? Economy reference!). I'm guessing that the snare and drums are just better for a stronger heavy rock or metal feel. Also, the rhythm that plays around 1:20 sounds really good on these speakers, so kudos to you on that little riff there. -- Confound it, I just realized this, but the reason you got me for a "You're" is because I wasn't thinking at the end there! GAAHH!! -- In other news, the bass drum actually does seem to work with how much you put in. It reminds me of one of my friends' double-kicks. He's a great drummer, and he has his own metal band haha. I don't suppose that it's usually the drummer who makes all the music, eh? I'd go with the composer! Back on target, the ending doesn't really feel like you're dragging it out at all with the holds. Sometimes you actually make it feel dragged out, but in my personal opinion (maybe it's just because of the song itself), you actually succeeded in making the ending sound good. Oh yeah, I tried some headphones at the end here, and there's a lot more bass in them, so it seems that that worked out well! Cheers to a legitimate 10! Also, let's hope that I can get some good quality headphones soon! Good luck, get good grades, and remember, stay yourself!

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Well, there's this rule of audio engineering--always be better than your last mix. The more you make, the more you learn! And c'mon, spend some free time on this awesome and free Metroivania platformer man, you won't regret it! ...I get carried away? Whoops XD For this song I used 3 guitars, with two leads and one rhythm. The "lower guitar fillers" compared to my current standards could've been more present and audible, but it did the job back then. And here, the bassline is actually present compared to most remixes, so you'll find appreciation for the bass here XD Economy wtf I don't need that here in my Newgrounds. XDD

Yeah, I guess it is better the louder the song is, huh? And yeah, the rhythm parts are actually pretty well-suited for this song, as if they were originally intended to be that way if not for the 8-bit-ish limitations of the .ORG format. HAHAHAHA, well, that's still your fault you know!

The bass drum is plentiful, but it gets muddy. Thankfully, that muddiness helps the atmosphere of this song, like a real rush or urgency to beat the final boss. And my plugins do have their limitations, so sometimes I do have to cut things short on purpose. But hey, it worked okay here thanks to the tempo change XD

ALRIGHT! LEGITIMATE 10! Thanks a lot man for this insanely in-depth review (with many off-topic bits may I add XD), I hope my future releases will meet expectations or even exceed them. Y'know, like LEAF XCEED. :D

[Spark Mandrill - Short Circuit (Mega Man X Remix)]

Snare...

Tell me if this is just my headphones (I'm using yet another different pair), but the snare sounds really bland and fake. You seem to do an ok job with making a realistic sounding snare usually, but this one sounds empty and bad. Also, the ending has a lot of the snare and doesn't sound too good. On the bright side, your guitars sound nice with the strings filler. Some of the guitar at the beginning comes out as bad as well, and it might just be because you hold it out longer than it should be held or something along those lines. Nontheless, it's definitely not your best work in my mind. Way too much drum for the end, maybe a shorter fill or more variety... Looking forward to newer songs!

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

I think it's your headphones, since this snare has always been the same snare all throughout my rock/metal compositions XD I just adjust them to taste, and here it's less overdriven, you could say o: Yep, lots of people complain about the ending of this song, and I do believe I should've made it a loop, but it's quite too late for that now lol. I see what you're getting at with the should've-been-sustained-more guitars, but I personally did prefer them not being so sustained as to sound too digital XD

About variety though, this is a direct and faithful cover to the original so most everything isn't mine. Just wanted to give it a LEAF XCEED sound :) Thanks for the review!

[Outbreak [ELITE ReMaster]]

Olllllldd

Lets get straight to the review. The bass drum kicks are really pathetic, I'm not going to soften that blow. The guitar is also pretty weak compared to most of your works. The entire song is really bland and needs a lot to it. Yeah, obviously this was a long time ago for you. My personal problem is that I made 30 seconds or so of the melody to Castle Lololo in FL9, then I learned that the music standard these days is soooo much higher, and I gave up because I was worried it would suck. I think that when I get the time, probably around summer, I will finish it up and maybe have my friend give me some ideas if need be. Anyways, on with the review, overall the song is bland. It almost sounds as if you have literally no bass at all in it. The only thing that sounds somewhat like your current things is the harp, and you rarely use that anyways. Haha the 3 year difference really shows xD

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Hahaha XD Well, let me start with one factor you don't seem to know: this is the sound of MIDI. As in, literally MIDI, Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth or something along those lines--a sound that I always loved because it was part of my foray into the world of digital music composition. But of course, compared to professional standards, literally converting a MIDI into MP3 without thinking about any other factors (EQ, compression, balance, complete sound, all that) was something I didn't even begin to understand when I made this XD;; I just gave melodies and let MIDI do the work o: Yeah, I guess this will always be my style of composing, which is why you hear familiar favorite elements of mine *coughharpcough* :D

And if ever you finish a song, be sure to let me know, I need to pay you back for all the help you've given me regardless if you want it or not! >:D Thanks for the review!

[Midnight Breeze (KuroMisuki Remix)]

Ah-hahahaha

I saw that ending from a mile (2 minutes 24 seconds) away.

Anyways, the piano seems pretty clear, and the background (cello or viola?) is a good accompaniment. The violin is nice, although it definitely has room for improvement in fitting in with the rest of the instruments for a more blended sound. The flute sounds ok, although it feels like it could be slightly more balanced. You do transition in and out of the flute with good dynamics. This must be very hard for you and your non-metal anxiety. I'm not sure about much advice to give because I'm no pro as we all know, but it sounds like the song all in all could use a bit more balancing of the instruments. Sometimes it feels like certain instruments are sticking out more than others where they shouldn't. The crescendos and decrescendos are good though. It seems that if you try just a bit harder, your classical songs will sound great.

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Of course you did! XD

Yeah, I think I made it pretty simple. The mix of instruments isn't exactly so polished, but yep, definitely more attempts into a non-metal genre. Again, may I remind you I have more classical outbursts that aren't on Newgrounds, but all the same each one is a learning experience made even better with people who give critique :) Thanks for the review!

[Maelstorm (EliteFerrex Remix)]

Cool percussion.

The percussion instruments are pretty nice throughout the song. The beginning timpani (I think that's what it is) sounds great. The big-obvious-downgrader (at least in my headphones) was an overpowering, piercing piano at the beginning that was sort of an earsore. The sound was good, and it came out well after the timpani came in, but at the start it sounds a bit too harsh. The piano was kept at the same setting it seems for the whole song, and I think you set it as an accompaniment rather than a melody. It seems to fit the guitars better than when it's solo. The guitars seem ok as well. The bass drum could have a bit more or a bit less, although it is fine for what you were doing I suppose. The strings sound great as a filler in the background, and the chanting or choir patch/sound is a good accompaniment. Haha I like my harsh grading. If I don't grade down on the small things, I don't enjoy the music as much because I don't know what is there. This analyzing actually makes the music sound better all in all. Hope you have fun making whatever music it is that you're working on!

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Well, it's a timpani with a bunch of other percussion among other things XD Yeah, the piano was tweaked to be in the same, hmm, stereo field...or something as the rhythm guitar, and it was already made loud for the latter parts of the song where it'd be scaling the high heavens. Yeah, I notice too that when I listen to this song, I'm like, WHOA BASS DRUM FOUNTAIN. I didn't really tweak the bass drum to be fit for that kind of fast drumline XD Oh well, you analyze for mistakes, but you also realize what the song really sounds like in the first place :) Thanks for the review, and I definitely will have fun making music XD

[Little Bit]

Hmmmm...

Personal opinion here, but I think that you should add a fourth instrument, or a light percussion. Sure 8-bit can consist of this amount of instruments, and yes it sounds fine (the repeat is annoying though because it does that 5 note pattern like 9 times in a row), although some fillers to it would make it sound more complete. The bass does sound good and fills a bit, although that doesn't change that some more would be nice. Three instruments is DEFINITELY better than 2 in this instance though.

rtnario responds:

Oh well, really, I was actually bored and this was meant to be a joke or something, but I just added it to my discography anyways XD I guess it is, haven't really experimented so much with looping things, in fact you probably know that the only two songs I made to be very loopable are this one and Boss Battle!. Oh, and the melody isn't original, it's actually something taught to me in school XD Oh well, thanks!

[Infinite Being (Touhou 5 Remix)]

Meh...

It has a great potential, although I guess I just don't enjoy the sound in this as much as your other songs. Also (I'm not grading down because of THIS, but it might actually be true) it seems that near the beginning the Harp Chord, or whatever the rapid notes are, gets off from the beat of the deep strings/guitars (or vice versa). I really started actually noticing it at the guitar entry. Maybe this is true, or maybe the guitar's off or makes a distorted feeling. The sound is ok though, although I would like the bass in this song to be slightly louder than it is. There's this thing pecking at my ears (not a very bad peck, just a picky one) of a low bass in some parts where it could accompany the melody more.

On the bright side, your songs that I'm listening to now seem to be very full in the background, and not missing a lot of things if not anything. You can always add more to a background though if it adds to the sound (after all, why not fill the ears with more tiny things in the background to make the song seem far more complex?). I don't feel like going on much more, but I shall go on a little.

The guitar at the beginning when transitioning from the intro to the beginning of the main song (where there are the rapid snares) could be a bit lighter. Maybe it could just have a bit different of a sound, more like a mellower guitar. The main melodious guitar is very nice, and the harsh guitar at the beginning in that transitioning area could lean more in that direction. I don't know if I am actually pointing at the right area (heck this song's long! :D), but it's somewhere around there.

Side note: I like the piano and the 8-bit sound, but the 8-bit could be slightly quieter and the latter for the piano ;)

Oh yeah, I think that adding a line of blank space in between parts of my reviews will help you to read them. Your welcome ;D

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Hmm, I think it's more of the distorted feeling. o: And yeah, actually this is one of my most ear-piercing songs to date since the guitars aren't supposed to go that high in the real world...I think XD Had to make some edits myself to make it that way, and without proper EQ that's gonna make some ears bleed XD The bass is also another point of interest because it's unreasonably rapid, but again, straight from the original melodies I heard.

Background's a very factor when it comes to any song, and I just have to keep on findings ways on to improve that, to make it really sound full. But there's also the problem of putting too much in the background as to crowd lots of other instruments (Last Showdown and co.) so balance is needed XD

Actually, that guitar, lighter? I wanted it heavier o: But maybe you're referring to its tone, and the way it was used in the song showcases the fact that it's not exactly the best sound for this kind of song, I admit. The song's long, but that's because the whole thing repeats itself, haha XD My -real- longest song to date is Winter Night's Journey (Through The Storm), and THAT deserves the length!

If you like the piano and the 8-bit, try searching for another song I made that's not on Newgrounds called Core Oppression. You'll see that the 8-bit is used so much better there :)

...and I think you mean "You're". HA! XD Thanks for all the reviews, I just finished replying to all of them (it's a lot of work I swear XD) but really I appreciate them all so much!

[Radical Squadron Swat Kats (Swat Kats Remix)]

Haha

Haha I love the Swat Cats theme. I watched it a bit here and there a while back. I didn't have the channel that it aired on, or at least I didn't know when it aired hence my not watching it xD

On with the review. As you can easily tell, this song is very short. That makes for an easy 10 (cheater). In case I don't have a well though out review of it, I think that there's another 10 of yours on here. I will check out the song again, and try to listen in to the details now that I'm using headphones again! The bass in this song is pretty nice and doesn't have an overpowering sound to it with the layout, but it isn't so weak as to make you strain your ears to hear it. The guitars sound pretty good as well, and the drums accompany them with precision. At least it's not like some of your other songs where you take the drum and give it an overdose xD

All in all, it's great, but I'd like to see this quality of music in a longer song. Listening to this 10 times to get out of it what I would get from 2 times of a decent length song. Also, what's with the 3-4 seconds of pure cymbal at the end? Haha oh well I won't mark off for what's after the song ends. Fading something out is what Audacity's for (if you're going to put it on an MP3 player/DSTwo). Good job, and keep it up. I can tell that this is one of your more recent songs that you uploaded (coming from 2009, which isn't THAT long ago), so I expect more recent songs to either be 10 or have some stupid mistake somewhere in them that I will crop out after downloading.

~Spiralz

rtnario responds:

Aww XD As for me, I should rewatch the entire thing, it's obviously not on TV anymore and it'll definitely give me some nostalgia :D

Yep, very short indeed. First 10 ever! ...doesn't count! Too short! XD I need to get a 10 I can honestly be proud of, so just you wait :) Yeah, this is part of some more experimental mixing I did. I will point out though that the rhythm guitar mutes seem to lower in volume unnaturally thanks to my compression. So it should be a 9/10 8| Oh well XD And I love giving drums overdoses, else it wouldn't sound much like my style, but here, like I said, experimenting o:

Maybe I made the end too long, which can be faulted to me just plain exporting and uploading the song. Guess I was excited, didn't really think about so many factors like those song aesthetics in regards to the ending. And, hahaha, I completely get what you're coming for, and you have discovered a fellow DS-owner with a flashcart...three flashcarts, and fading out really would help on our Moonshells, eh? XD (btw, I'm jealous, I want my own Supercard DSTwo someday, want to test out its extra RAM capabilities) Anyways, on topic! Thanks yet again for the review, and I will get that 10 someday. =)