durn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[xXFunkadelicXx]

Is that you playing or are these all samples?

Nice layout if they're samples. Biiig Kudos if it's recordings of you playing. :) What program you lay all this out in?

xXStoneyXx responds:

The bass is the only sample, The rest was done in piano roll on FL Studio 9 xxl. Thanks For listening ----xXStoneyXx

[[P] - Erosion]

Great stuff, just needs some polish

Pretty damn good for only 4 hours though. After hearing the 5-4-3-2-1 sample I was really hoping you'd slice it up/repeatify-it and use it throughout the track, woulda added a nice continuity.

Like the guy below said, a lot of the sounds were pretty muddy. Especially near the end around 3:30 or so, not sure what you introduce there but it really eats up the track.

All in all, pretty sick man, didn't know ya had it in ya. :D

Pezmobile responds:

Thanks dude, and it was 4 hours the day i finished so it was probably about 6 hours total. Anyways the mastering is worse than i remembered.

Thanks for the feedback durn!

[P]

[La Grabadora]

Got my head bobbin' immediately! :)

Nice use of percussion to accentuate the intro, really liked the flow.

And dude, your build was great (0:30-0:55). The crash that brought it in was a bit loud but everything else was tight.

Nice use of side-chaining on your lead after that but it seems a bit loud and would do well if it had a nice complimentary melody to support it.

Interesting change-up at 1:30 though I'd recommend adding some time-stretch/reverb to the electro sound you end with, would really help smooth the transition down.

Hehe, almost seems like you've blended 3 tracks into one on this. Not a big fan of the use of that electro sound at the end (from 2:18-2:48), doesn't compliment the big lead synth. it sounds awesome by itself at the end, maybe don't bring the lead synth back at the end and focus more on an electro-style sound? :)

really nice stuff you've got going on here, just lacks uniformity. :)

Enteroar responds:

Ah thanks, really gotta work on that ):
I always make my songs too random..But thanks for the review!
It was really helpful :)
~Enteroar

[Thermoplastique]

Man, oh man.

On my, like, 6th listen through now. Absolutely epic, man. I didn't read the description of the song as I was doing something in another window and at first I was like "Hmm, is this tryin' to be like the Killers?" and then it just went FUCKING NUTS!!!!!!

Holy shit! This is amazing! Metal+chipsynths=mynewfavouritething!
!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously man, this is too awesome. I'm feelin' the urge to skank around my office right now.

Absolutely love the breakdowns, the pads, the leads, the rhythm guitar, abso-fucking-lutely EVERYTHING about this song is great. :D

Just, as people have said, would be sweet if there was some dude wailin' it out on a mic. I'm imagining two singing voices, one screamo and one more like deep german monk-style metal singing.

Just fantastic, man. Kudos. :)

MashedByMachines responds:

Im glad you liked my mix of metal and chipsynths! I will be doing more tracks like this so just hang in there :) (Actually I made some a while ago, listen to Cyberfire, Highscore, drWily, Dreadnaught)

I´ve been looking for someone that could do vocals, unfortunately I know noone that can sing ;D

Thanks for the review!

[+- Pathway to Dreams -+]

Pretty damn good! :)

Composition-wise, this was very well-done. I didn't find the parts too repetitive as I noticed the attention you put into changing the little things, instrument/melody-wise.

I felt the clap-clap-clap-clap you do at right before your build needs a bit more clarity (eq it a bit better, make it stand out) as I freaking LOVE it at 1:42 and concurrent repetitions. Man o man, made me feel like gettin' up and bustin' a move. The drop right afterwards is flawless as well.

Like I said, compositionally, this track is superb. But, as far as I'm concerned, for trance, things need to be mastered/eq'd to -perfection-. Unfortunately, a few of your elements come across as fairly muddy when playing with others.

The lead synth you end with, for example. It's great on its own but seems to phase out the other sounds a bit when playing in tandem with them.

All in all, great track. You've got the method down, dude. Just need a little more clarity in your elements. :)

AikaMusic responds:

Thanks for the advice :), I think i set the end lead synth too loud so it kinda causes the other instruments to wave, as for the claps I'll up the volume a little to see how that sounds.

[- LD - Burning Society]

shit man, you got me dancin'

I'd never go to burning man cause there's as much dick as chat roulette but this would be a killer start to any set. great stuff, man. not even gonna bother going into technical details cause it's just sick.

the intro is perfect subject matter for burning man though. maybe tailor a new version that just hypes up your bro's dj'ing styles so he can use it at any event. :D

sick sick sick!

Breed responds:

bahahah I had never heard of Burning Man being a sausage-fest, and I always see a lot of women in my brothers pictures...Regardless I appreciate the kind words! I'll probably do another whole piece if he does any other big events, otherwise a lot of his DJing is at local clubs and bars and parties and whatnot so he's better off with a popular piece rather then custom. Thanks again for the review durn,

Cheers!

[Paper Lighter - Enteroar]

great instrument selection

but I agree, your structure is all over the place after the first minute.

it starts off so beautifully too! kinda weird how you introduce the drums and then cut them out as soon as you bring em in.

the drums themselves sound kinda weak, eq them so that they stand out a bit.

also, where's the bass? :d I'm a huge bass nut and am kinda disappointed that I'm not feeling -any- in this track. it's all mids-highs!

hmm, what happened at 2:40? volume just fades and song changes. sounded really odd.

generally when transitioning between segments you want the notes (at the end of the 8 bars you're leaving and start of the new 8 you're going into) you're playing to interact in a way that's either pleasing to the ears in a harmonic way for a smooth transition or makes a stark contrast and change drastically when going from style to style.

you've definitely got a great ear for melodies. start adding some basslines in and watch how it changes your thinking of harmony and structure. sometimes all you have to do is change the bassline to make a section different, while keeping the other elements. bass is a powerful thing. :)

Enteroar responds:

I only did that cus if I didnt introduce something new it sounded repetitive, but if I continued them longer it didnt fit with the intro.

Im just a fan of soft drums lol :@ and btw there was bass D: the bassline plays through out most of the song.

@2:40 I was just trying to figure out a way to end the song! D:

thanks from all the advice durn!
~Enteroar

[[P] - Pipeline (Remake)]

Very nice! Your high-freqs are at PERFECT volumes!

w00t! :D Man, all your levels are fantastic this time around!!! The highs all sit exactly where they should, my ears are eagerly lapping up everything cause it all sits together so nicely.

I do love the asian-style scales you go through. The crazy drumming you get into around 2:00 in is fun, like how it escalates to the crazy d'n'b growler/wobbler.

lol, love the introduction of the pitch-wobble higher synth you introduce around 2:30 or so. really nice pitch bending on it. and yes, sir, your balls must definitely be of steel. haha.

great work this time, pez. :) you're gettin' better and better!

Pezmobile responds:

Lol thanks. I use the slide notes in the piano roll alot and I think its developing into my own style.

I will get you to give me a 10 one day...

[P]

[Orchestral Theme 3]

Damn dude

Absolutely Epic. Soundtrack quality. Captivating, emotional, driving, powerful.

The opening sequence really reminds me of South Park when Satan sends his minions to battle earth. :D So, ya, you definitely nailed that!

Nicely done, Gravey! :) Totally knocked this one outta the ballpark!

Gravey responds:

Thank you very much. I like the South Park reference. Love that show, and the comparison makes me smile. :-)

-Gravey-

[[P] - Light of the Sun 2]

starts off a little repetitive/boring

I think if you automated the frequency filters (from low to high) on your lead more during the opening it would make it sound less repetitive and much more interesting/different than when you bring it back in later. not that it's bad when you use it later around 2 minutes in, but during the intro it seems a little loud and piercing when it's by itself.

I like how you introduce the electro-ish kinda bassline.

I love the repetition filter you use around 4 minutes in, it's quite nice.

reaaallllly like the change up at 5:10 or so in, the way you use reverb to cascade things out is a nice touch. :)

only reason I gave 8 is because you use the one synth so much, and always in a high octave, would be nice if you at least started moving down so it's not always so high-strung. :)

Pezmobile responds:

Hmm. I kinda expected you to say that the synth was too high. The reason the synth is a bit pinchy in the beginning is because of the high pass filter. Honestly i think I'll do alot more touchups on this song for the album i'm hoping to release next year. And whats a repetition filter? well we use completely different programs. but i think you mean gating.

Well thanks for reviewing, you always write good helpful reviews

[P]