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mr-jazzman

118 Audio Reviews w/ Response

All 219 Reviews

Very breakbeat-esque

I gotta give you credit, this is better than my first DnB song. Quite original, in fact; most of the stuff that's put out here emulates the "almighty" PX9 (who's good, but overrated IMO). I like the chimes in the background, and the guitar (is that guitar? if it is, noice!) quite a bit. The wobbly bass and halftime drums you add at 1:15 give it a dubstep flavor that's otherwise absent in most DnB songs. The only thing I think you could have done better is varied the drum part a little bit more, like tried triplet beats in areas; brought the bass up in the wobbly section, as it becomes more like a lead instrument (not overly so, but it just has too much of a background flavor, when I KNOW that it has the potential to be nice and full); and, also, tried melodic extension -- which is essentially taking the theme of your song and experimenting with the melody to give it the same feel but a totally different pattern, keeping the listener enticed and also preventing the listener from getting confused on whether or not he/she is listening to the beginning or the end of the song (although, I do know it is the nature of DnB to get repetitive. It's okay to be repetitive if you think one particular melody is really important, but variation, I've found, elevates the song to a point that's really exceptional). The mastering's pretty good too, maybe just slightly too quiet, but hey, I like the breakbeat fashion of this song very much. For the first time, this is really good, I like it!
9/10
5/5
Fav'd.

haywirehaywire responds:

thanks a lot for the review man, yea its guitar, this was made just when i got my acoustic guitar so i recorded the stuff that your hearing in it.
true, the melody doesnt change much so i gotta give you that, thanks for the honesty.

Interesting vox, for sure

I gotta give it to you, although the lyrics are a bit cliche for metal, the sound of the vocals are definitely not. It kinda reminds me of something from Dark Tranquility. However, I was hoping for just little bit of singing at some point, mixed in with the grunting screaming (of course, that could just be personal preference; I tend to like the screaming style of guys like August Burns Red and We Came as Romans more, it just sounds cleaner to me...just personal preference). Still, love this song in its entirety. Very good mix; I wish I could produce something this well-mixed.

Deathcalypse responds:

Well the genre you are more into then is metalcore. This is more of the deathcore style, that usually has no singing whatsoever. But thanks for the score

Sounds just like Howard Shore in the beginning

This, for a lack of more mature words, "pwns" "Ganondorf's War." The bagpipes are something to die for. And, also, I love the major-minor contrast from beginning to end. The choir sends a chill down my spine. It reminds me of a classical form of the stuff that I'm trying to produce right now: This epic portrayal of love that shifts to the inner chaos of a person's hidden, angry emotions.
My only complaint is in the ending. It may just be me, but I feel like the ending was just a little bit sloppy; it felt like it should have had more bass in it for more power, come to a conclusion, not left you hanging out on this "squeaky" note that the bagpipe produces at the very end. I'm also a bit impartial to the ending drumwork and bagpipe melodies (which, I understand you're trying to produce dissonance, but it doesn't seem to work like I was hoping). However, I gotta give you credit, the ending is typically extremely difficult to produce because the composer can become lackadaisical in the work (i.e., he/she just wants the song to be finished). And, the song in its entirety is splendid, rich. I like it.
9/10
5/5
P.S. I hope that this review is just slightly less "childish" in your eyes. And, please, for your own sake, replace your old comments on "Ganondorf's War"; you shouldn't stoop to the level of ridiculing somebody that reviewed your song, even if it was harsh (trust me, I've suffered the exact same bullshit). It just makes you come off as arrogant, even if you aren't.

Bosa responds:

An excellent review, I must say! The ending for the song was made in haste, so I apologize for that; it's not like me to neglect any part in my music. I should have took the Hurdy Gurdy off when the choir came in. Also, the instrument being played with the French Horns at the end is a Zourdna -- just to clarify, of course :) I could have added more instruments at the end to add an epic feel (and I wanted to, believe me), but my computer would crash if it held any more weight.

Ganondorf's War took a lot of time on my part, and I felt disgusted by the review made for it. However, I have a lot of respect for you as both a musician and music artist. I will take you advice into deep consideration, and I will no doubt change my author's comments for Ganondorf's War. I suppose I wasn't expecting a review like that from somebody whose music I actually enjoyed listening to.

Thank you for the review and the friendship you have shown. I can't thank you enough.

-Bosa

Damn

I went to the Heavy Metal section this time expecting the top song to sound like complete garbage as it usually does, and you surprised me. This is beautiful! It sounds similar to someone like Dance Gavin Dance, but with a darker edge. And, I love the fact that it changes up a lot, but retains the main theme. Great stuff man, keep it up! It really makes we wanna write somethin in the same vein. Most DEFINITELY one of the best melodic metal tracks

Deathcalypse responds:

Thanks for the kind words! :D

Not bad for a loop

This isn't a bad loop. In my opinion, though, the drums could definitely use some work; they're not loud enough, and they're way too punchy. This can be fixed by taking the Maximus/Limiter off of the drums, and putting a compressor on the whole track. Also, try gating your drums, such that the snare stands out from the kick. Moreover, the drums could seriously use some variation; it sounds like the same drum beat mixed with a few different fills here and there. The melody is cool, maybe just slightly cliche, but still really cool. The thing that drags the melody down is the fact that it's made using Sytrus (and I only know this cuz I'm a bigtime FL junky; I know that you even used the preset piano at points). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sytrus, and it's probably one of the best synth VSTs you can get, but you should seriously try playing around with the presets till you get a sound that nobody can recognize. Just some tips on taking this track to the next level. Not bad though, not bad at all. Good luck getting it to have an edge to it! =)
8/10
4/5

Manhart responds:

Thank you for your review!!
That was exactly the kind of help I was looking for :D
I will definitely use your advices to make the song go to the next level !
BTW, I just realized that I actually already have removed the limiter, and added a Multiband Compressor ! :s

It took a while for me to write this review

I'll have to say man, that this is most definitely one of the most unique songs I've ever heard on the site, and I dig it. I didn't want to vote or review anything till I had the courage to listen to the whole thing all the way through, and I have to say I'm very glad I did. I admire the harsh omnipresence of the whole thing. Overall, the production is beau-beau-beautiful. The drumwork and all the little background things really make this one stand out to me.
However, there is one thing that I'm not entirely sure I dig. It's in the very beginning, that robot thing you add. In my opinion, you could have picked a different sound there, something that would make it feel more creamy, as opposed to so sharp and jarring, if you know what I mean. In other words, the robot voice feels kind of out place there in the beginning. But, I refuse to dock the whole song on one sound, because this song is so good otherwise; it reminded me of theme music to Galaga for the original PS lol! Good stuff man, really good stuff. Out of the other producers in the NGADM, you're definitely one of the best! Good luck man!
10/10
5/5

InvisibleObserver responds:

Thanks for the kind words, scoring and review.

My work stands out from a lot of NG, which sometimes people really enjoy, or they crinkle their nose and grit their teeth (Though frankly I'm happy with either response).

The robot sounding voice throughout the song I integrated much more smoothly in a manner that the garbled sounds it make punctuate the song in some way, however the ones near the beginning are somewhat intentionally breaking the flow, or to stand out. While this song has been written to be quite smooth, I kind of like adding in jarring sounds for the sake of disrupting what people may want to hear. I think in the case of this song though, if it had way more 'surprises' it would fit better, or if it had none at all it would be as you said "Creamy". But instead its at an inbetween, some sound good, beginning ones don't.

I may consider trimming them up for the sake of not scaring away feeble minded listeners who get daunted within the first 10 seconds.

Not bad...got some suggestions though

This thing's got some energy, my friend, that's for sure! I like how melodic it is; it reminds me of something Misery Signals would make. However, there are a few things I think you could do that would GREATLY improve the quality.

Right now, the guitar seems to be holding two parts: The guitar, obviously, and the bass (which makes it difficult for me to tell if you used a bass or not). I'm not entirely sure what kind of equipment you used to record, but it sounds like you recorded the guitar straight from an amp's preamp -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I've found that fully digital preamps (i.e., Rocktron, etc.) work substantially better... or maybe that's just personal preference lol... but still, the digital preamp seems easier to mix IMO. And then what you can do is cut out the unnecessary frequencies in the bass of the guitar, letting the bass hold those frequencies; it might make your guitar sound like a pussy at first, but trust me, that bass adds a whole new element to the sound that can seriously bring out the darkness in everything else like no other.

Like the guy below me said, your drums and vocals seem drowned out by the guitar, and not nearly as present as they need to be. The drums just take some mastering; make sure your kick drum and snare REALLY shine, putting the kick in a bass frequency designation not occupied by the bass and the snare in the high mids, presence or treble region (that's personal preference on how dark/light you want it to sound). The vocals, on the other hand, are a little trickier, requiring the right amount of volume not to distort, and also the right mix in the mid frequencies so as not to sound too much like a telephone but not like you're singing into a blanket either. I'm not necessarily an expert, so a lot of this is just from my own experimentation. I guess that's the main thing with the mixing process: Just experiment till you get the sound you want!

Now, on the song's technique. Because of the melodic-ness of the song and the slow tempo, the guitar and drums sometimes feel out of phase with each other. It takes MULTIPLE -- sometimes hundreds -- of takes to get the exact guitar and drum line-up you want, and I even suggest just breaking the song up into parts and recording only about eight bars at a time instead of recording one giant track in the home recording scenario. This is because it becomes easier for you to realize where you made the mistake, and you can correct it more easily. Listening to the drum track while you play instead of a metronome also helps because it puts you into the feeling of the song and it's easier to here the tasty beats with the guitar.

Finally, on your vocals...As I read in your note, you hate your vocals lol. Well, you're not the only one man! I hate my voice too much of the time, but I've found two things help when it comes to singing: Practice singing with songs in your car (stupid, I know, but it's one of the only places I feel unashamed to belt it lol), and, something I learned in choir (and this applies to screaming as well), you gotta sing "from your core." Right now, it sounds like you're singing straight from your throat, and it sounds strained. Even relatively high singers, like from Dance Gavin Dance, sing from their core, and it's obvious the singers from August Burns Red and Killswitch Engage do the same. Here's how you know you're singing from your core: It feels like you're taking a shit constantly, and you can feel the push from your diaphragm. Try also to open up the back of your throat and focus the sound at the "front of your teeth," so to speak. I know this sounds ridiculous, but just practice it and listen to the quality of your voice when you record, tweaking it in places when you need to.

Alright, that was an ungodly long review I know, but there's so much potential here man; it reminds me of the song that I'm making right now lol. Good luck in the deathmatch man, and keep it up!

8/10
5/5

mydarksides responds:

haha DGD? Kill switch and August burns Red? i think just you knowing what i exactly listen to surprising enough xD
Thanks for the review, i've never had such a help full...umm essay much? x'D
(IT HAD AN INTRODUCTION AND A FOOTER!!) :P

hehheh, anyway i'd like to hear some of your stuff, im defiantly checking your stuff out!
peace~

Fantastic stuff

I love this! It has all this energy, far more than most of the other DnB songs I've heard on this site. It's pretty damn sexy, man, filled with its fat saws, fast-paced and cutting drums, and the melody is interesting - although it does remind a little bit of one of PX9's songs. But I will say this much: This is done much more tastefully than her stuff, IMO. Dude, that final 30 seconds or so was just beautiful...just SO beautiful. It reminds me so much of this song that I made, except ths is quite clearly done much better. Thank you so much for this; it inspired me a whole lot! It's almost like Black Hole Earth Consumption for DnB, damn!
10/10
5/5
Fav'd.
P.S. Good luck in the Deathmatch dude, you're gonna be some tough competition!

Rawrthaas responds:

thanks!

and jermaine is fat

Nice

Hey man, this is pretty good. I like the party-ish atmosphere you atmosphere, and the bass and guitar are both really nice and crunchy. The only thing I don't like is how repetitive it feels, even though it's rather short. I think this could be fixed by modulating the drums, or changing the effects on the drums or something. Because, right now, it feels like you just threw a drum loop together and put a phaser on it; try splicing the drumbeat and editing it to give it a more interesting sound. What I DO like about the song is that it has this crazy, almost party atmosphere; it reminds me of something out of Kirby's Dreamland lol. Nice job; it kinda tripped me out! Oh, and good luck with the Deathmatch man!
9/10
4/5

aocrkid responds:

thanks! yeah i NEVER use samples but i decided to try it out on this one. I know exactly what you mean. This is me getting out of a horrible writer's block...the best is yet to come!

(I also want to add that all of the guitar is from me. No samples!!)

Here's some suggestions, man.

Hey man, I'm diggin what you've got goin on here. It feels a little more progressive than most of the metal songs released on NG. I'll tell ya what, your sound isn't half bad. The drums are definitely too loud, and the guitar is definitely too soft, but that's a hell of a lot better than it being blaringly loud and puke-worthy...as is the condition of most metal songs here lol. Here's a suggestion my friend, since I'm practically doing the exact same thing you're doing right now. I don't know exactly how you record, but by the sound of the ultra-compression I'm assuming you record straight into your computer somehow. Try this - mic your amp by the cone with a condenser mic (like the Audix i5, which is one of the most badass mics at a relatively low cost from what I hear), keeping the mic about 2 inches away from the cone and at a 45 degree angle with the speaker. I've heard the sound is more natural (although I have yet to test it =P), and it's certainly better than recording straight into your computer. Of course, in order to record with a condenser mic, you'll need some sort of a preamp, like the Firebox or something like that. The Firebox itself is a useful tool in ridding yourself of the obnoxious frequencies that typically lend your project to destruction (i.e. the annoying popping and fuzzing that tends to accumulate when you record straight into your computer). I hope this helps man, because this has the potential to go somewhere with the right techniques.
8/10
4/5

Ritz190 responds:

awesome! that has to be one of the best tips i've received since i've been here...I'll look into that mic for sure because i use a longiteh chat mic (which is about as good as recording straight from the computer) and you're the first to understand the feedback issue! most of my songs will be revised once i get the perfect recording technique. you can bet on that! if you get the chance, check out some of my other songs! i'd really appreciate it! thanks for the review and rock on man!

All you need is instant gratification. You desire nothing more. -Tesseract

Jonathan Doemel @mr-jazzman

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Joined on 6/6/07

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