MU53's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sparkler]

Solid song on both of your ends ngl.

I said this in the NGAP server, but maybe snare could be a little more punchy, and maybe even more prevalent by doing some leveling. Kick could also be a bit crisper. Also, you guys should utilize silence much more in your drops, cliché as it might sound.

Sound design is really nice. Chord choices & the melodical aspects are pretty cool too. Mix does get somewhat muddy when concerning the overall melodical synths. Like some things should be louder than they are. And some others are louder than they should be. Mix isn’t bad otherwise. I also like the random samples in some parts.

Even though this genre isn’t really my niche, I can’t argue that it’s really well done. Some mixing and sound design nitpicks on my end (I’m no expert on it either, so don’t take my advice as correct), but it’s good otherwise. 8/10

P.S.: Personally, I’d end the song with some sort of glitched playback effect, but that’s just me.

shletty responds:

thank you!!

[REFLECTIONS]

I'm ascending rn. Actually peak ambient. Happy new year

whymsical responds:

honestly real

[Kristmas Klub (ft. Kris Kringle)]

Kris Kringle himself on da beat 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Merry Chrysler & ggs for Frontpage

whymsical responds:

type shi
merry chrizzmas to you too

[Stellar]

Really like what you've made here. Has a very spacey vibe to it. Very cool. Only thing is that it has a freakishly similar format to Be Alright, but that can be overlooked ig. Otherwise, good work. Clean production. Easy 9.3/10

whymsical responds:

Freaky

[Chain-legged Chase]

Alright, let's try this again. RADON REVIEW #2:

After a relisten, I can definitely feel the spooky this time around. New Opinion: In terms of theming, this is the better one of the two. But production wise, this is the worse one.

I mean that bc mix is a bit muddier here. Especially at the beginning. It smooths out near the middle bit though, though there still is some things about it that kind of get me down a bit. Soundtrap limitations though, so what can you expect.

Also, don't get me wrong, the instrumental sound design is solid. Percussion wise though, I'd try to step it up a little bit. Also, the sample choices are pretty cool. But I must ask: is the bleep sfx just in there as a goofy ahh random thought? Or not? Interested to hear why you put that one in.

I understand how much Soundtrap is limiting you too. Seriously man, try and remake this on FL Studio. I wanna see what you can do with the better options given to you (Also, you don't really need any hardware for it. Hell, I don't use any and I manage fine)

Overall, hopefully this comes off as WAY LESS harsh than my first one, and maybe even a bit constructive. It's a good piece, but it definitely has it's flaws. 7.8/10 (rounds up to 8)

NotLeLee responds:

I don’t think I’m gonna be remaking many songs in a different DAW. The only one I really wanna remake is this one lol https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/1297005
Thanks for the better review, helps a lot more
As I said before I’m tryna move away from amen breaks and I’m improving my drum-making skills! I wish I did do some more focus on the percussion ngl, I spent a lot of time on the melodic content instead.
I considered improving the mix yesterday but I decided not to. I think I’ll just accept the song as it is and move on!
Looking forward to FL studio lmao

[Gonk Army]

Review time baby. Big delay from song release and my review, but whatever. We ball:

Unrelated, but kinda related, thought: I can tell you had fun with the sample usage. That's good, cause I personally think having some degree of fun during the production process is very important when making stuff. It serves as an indicator that you might actually end up enjoying the final product.

Would I say that this is spooky? Honestly, not at all. Now don't get me wrong, this definitely has some spooky undertones, but like you said, this song is VERY goofy. At times, the song feels much more like a sinister christmas theme (Mainly in the Goofy Section™ though). Then again, Gonks are christmas related, so it makes sense.

Production: In general, this is a very well produced song. Mixing is somewhat on point, and mastering is pretty good too. Everything sounds clean. Especially for soundtrap. Also, Goofy Section™ goes hard. Only complaints (and these are very trivial, so don't feel the need to cherry pick and fix what I point out here) are that the 8-bit part at 1:19 feels way too sudden. Maybe some easing into it would've been nice. Or even pushing the start of that part back to 1:15.

Preference things: Having some ascending notes to lead into 3:00's key change might be nice, but once again. Preference. Also, ending part could use a reverse cymbal riser to lead into the vine boom at the end. Works well without it though.

Otherwise, very solid song. One of your better ones for sure. 9.1/10

NotLeLee responds:

RADON REVIEW BABYYY
Tysm again, been waiting for the radon review!
Not sure I agree with you on the mixing lol, I might go back and try to improve it, if I can at all!
Thanks again, you made my day :D

[Exploration]

Holy trance. It's good, other than some nitpicks, which I will share both the good and bad:

First part is good. I like the choices of synths. But it just feels a little bit too long duration-wise to me (idk why). Maybe shorten it a bit.

Mix is a bit too muddy from 1:02 to 1:56. If you're gonna rework it, fix some of the volumes/levelling. If you didn't cut any lows, do that. If you did, then maybe it's the volumes. But I like the usage of synths/instruments. Helps give off an uplifting trance vibe.

Also, 1:56 is a bit too empty for me, and it also feels a little too sudden. The feedback with most of it fading out could help it. Otherwise, first drop is perfect production wise. Feels almost like a club song of sorts.

Stylistic choice at 2:23 - Maybe some pads around there, along with small little piano bits here and there to add a bit more emotion.

2:53's transition part is sick and quite funny too. You seemed to have quite a bit of fun with this piece (despite the messiness)

Final part of the song is waaay too similar to the first part. Maybe play around with it a bit more. Mix some things up. Make it different somehow.

Overall, it's a nice song. Very messy, as you said, but I know you've improved a lot production-wise as of recent. Really repetitive, but such is the regular trance song. Also has its own unique charm to it which I can really appreciate. 8.2/10

whymsical responds:

yeah, i acknowledge the messiness
didnt really like how i made the final drop
be alright is a way better trance song, and tbh trance is just not really my genre

fair points all around, thanks for reviewing and listening!

[In the Beninging]

radon review baby. Let's get it:

This is a very unique start in comparison to what you usually make I must say. I like the ambient approach taken. I just wish that it was a tad bit shorter, or maybe the extra synths could start kicking in at 00:30.

I like the ambiance used at 1:05. Like it symbolizes a new day of sorts. 1:36 - 1:50's thing sounds a bit corny at first. Maybe if I could hear a callback to that at the ending piece, then that would be nice.

02:24's part seems almost a bit empty. Like it needs pads in the background or something along those lines. 02:56's melody is groovy as hell though. Nice job on that. The ending section starting at 03:11 is also nice and smooth. The keys make for a nice tranquil juxtaposition to the rest of the track.. Maybe the riser at 3:25 could be a little bit louder. Not by a lot though.

All in all, solid song. Definitely different from what you normally make. Could use polishing though. I rate it a 8.8/10.

P.S.: Goofy Section™ where

NotLeLee responds:

Its ALL goofy section :^D
With the 2:24 part i tried adding lil risers to add collage, I tried adding a pad but it was just too laggy lmao
I think i did otherdo the length of the starting chords maybe but oh well
ty for review

[[TEST] ~ Ketamine]

Kick could be better, and snare could be a bit louder. But for 30 minutes, it's not bad at all. I've made worse in 2 hours :|

nice

AuroraEternum responds:

I still gotta fix the kick, and I’ll note it down for the snare!!