durn's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[TK || OffSet]

Nothing wrong with offbeat so long as it's ontime

The offbeat works when used properly and you did it well here. :) The melodies are kinda repetitive as you don't really change em up. The way you drop out the melodies and go to just drums is a little bland too. Maybe use a freq. filt on your rhythm section and automate it in?

Some elevator type whooshes and woops would help transitions as well. :)

ThaKidd responds:

You know...you're actually right. The main problem I had with this song is that I only had 2 days to work on this for a final project so I rushed it and left it as is. If I had as much time as I did for Lounge Hop, I would have a completely different sound than the one that came out.

[GrayZ+F-777 Beyond the Dark.]

sounds a little thin at first

but I like how you use the thickening of the sound as a form of progression. it's simple yet effective.

kick could be a little thicker but all in all really nice melodies and excellent progression. :)

GrayZ responds:

:o you actually commented on my song! I should consider myself honoured. :P thanks man :)!

[[P] - Summer Skies]

nice harmonies and full sound but...

the pad you introduce at 0:28 has way too much res. not just personal taste dictating that either, it comes off way too sharp on the ears.

good rhythmic progression throughout, I like the new melody you introduce at a minute in. the lead you use immediately after is a bit too loud, watch yer levels! :D

I like the drop at 2:24, nice build up. -Love- the drum roll you do at 3:09, that's really sweet. :)

Tone down your high-ends and lead volumes a bit and this'd be much better. :) Good stuff otherwise, man!

Pezmobile responds:

Thanks dude. I'll fix some of the levels and do a re-upload tomorrow

[Misty Cove]

Like a dark 'n dirty Marvin Gay song

Serious, you throw some deep, sexy vocals on there and then... wtf happened after a minute in? jesus christ. that was odd. a different song, really. lol, weird. -1 because of it!

MattReeves responds:

Haha, the whole point of the song was to make something stupid that would make my friends laugh.

[Crakle - Carte Blanche (RMX)]

really nice layering

would agree with the others below that certain elements could be eq'd a bit sharper but I'm prone to leaving things gritty myself sometimes. all in all a very nice sound here, I used to love listening to this song at guvernment parties so maybe I'm biased. :D

really great progression though, I like how you drop around a minute in though the way you filter your hats in seem a little harsh on the ears, try playing with the res a bit more. :)

Crakle responds:

Thanks Durn i really appreciate it!! i will definitely take your advice and other users advice when i get back to this song! Ill try to improve my hi hats lol but thanks again!

[AF - Forever (Original)]

great tune, man

very, very nice tune. but yes, it feels ambient still because your kick is lacking punch. whether it's the sample/synth you're using or lack of eq'ing/compression, it would be nice if the kick had a little more, well, kick to it. as it is it's kinda just thuddin' along. lack of hi-hats and other rhythmic elements also detract from the tune.

great melodic progression, absolutely wonderful headset and nice panning. this song totally deserves a 10 but as you said yourself, you need to get figurin' out the huge beat sound man! :D

very, very nice. :)

aliaspharow responds:

Thanks man! I'm really close to getting it. I found out that Its just my sound system thats making the bass sound way louder then it actually is. I'm trying to EQ it well and when i get that done il be able to get this song on the road.

[The Enigma Machine]

all it's missing is singing :)

only thing holding me back from a 10. as epic as this was I think it woulda just been over the top if there'd been some nice singing as well. :)

really nice stuff, journey/story rock, I liked it a lot. :)

ZombieZappa responds:

HaHaHa, I know, the problem with adding vocals at this instant is that my setup has messed up, so I can't fix or add anything until I fix the DAW. There will be vocals on this eventually, so stay tuned!

[Stargenx - Slidechain]

really nice piano :)

it always wins me. your subtle use of side-chaining is nice, adds a kinda driving-game feel to the song. :)

I think it woulda been nice if you'd side-chained your lead synth as well at some point. nice exploration here. :) I'm a huge fan of side-chaining and gating myself so it's always nice to hear other people trying it out too.

Stargenx responds:

Maybe I will :\
This was just a test song. I may do more like this later.

[Aspect - Losing Ground]

ah, the 4 chord formula!! :D

at 1:22 you shoulda dropped the filter on your saw lead, I think, and let it build up slowly so it would seem like more of a break. have it peak when you bring the piano in, y'know?

a little more automation of elements between the addition of new layers would've been nice as it would've added to the build feel.

I really like the guitar you bring in at 3:00, sick sick sick turn to the song man. :)

takes a little too long to build for my tastes though. though the 80s style drums are fun around 4:00 in but they could pump a little more, they fall a little flat compared to your melodic elements.

I really liked the song, but I think if you'd kept it shorter and focused more on how you brought each layer in gradually it would've had more impact.

thewolfera responds:

Ah thank you!
This is exactly the kind of criticism I want/need.