DukeLukeProd's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bygone]

Nice SFX but part 2 is too hectic

I like EVERYTHING until the middle. It starts out with a nice ambience and a subtle little arp then a smooth BL (Which might be too loud) joins in - perfect so far! But what follows at 1:41 feels too abrupt and out of place. While the intro sounds like lounge/chillout, the 2. part is more on the eurodance side, 2 styles which, in my opinion, don't work together too well. It's like a preview of 2 completely different tracks.

Try to make the intro longer, introducing only the vocals at 1:41 would be pretty nice. The main groove seems too fast with everything playing in 16th notes, I'd like it more relaxed. The kick needs more sub-bass and a longer tail, It's too attack-y. The off-beat bassline (2:11) could also deal with more bass and seems too static - try adding a cutoff envelope.

As I said, the intro is very good, the main part needs some work. Due to not being a finished track I can't give you more than a 5/10 right now, but there's a lot of potential in it, so keep it up ;)
I hope that was helpful, if you want another aspect of the track listened to more closely, just tell me.
cheers, Luke

Darren-M responds:

hmm... well i would feel terrible making this into two songs but man did you help me alot with this review, yeah the kick is a little to hard on velocity, i need to get out of my psy trance mode i guess haha, and as far as the cut off envelope on the bass part i think thats a good idea and would start doing that more, that will help me assign frequency space in the mix as well, maybe i would lengthen the beginning to make a longer middle and in the middle work on the build to the main part.

thank you for the review luke

[Smokey Skylight]

soothing

The pad is beautiful, so lush and soft, the kind of sound you could listen to for hours. The harmonic progression is amazing too, always on the move but never out of place. The 2. half is a gem, especially where all the arps meet, I love that part.
The bell-y arp can get a bit tiresome though because it plays throughout the whole song (a LP/HP Filter-LFO might help).
That's why I'Il only give it a 9/10
A beautiful piece you can listen to over and over again.

Darren-M responds:

wow that was a really good review, i wasnt sure if people would like this because it takes a long time to heat up, i was actually hoping people could enjoy the intro pad till then haha, oh and i actually only used one arp in the whole song and it was on a part towards. thank you for the suggestion i will remember it when i master this for my album

[-}Third Eye Psy{-]

Sick bassline

I'm not a psy-trancer as such but I'm slowly growing fond of the genre. One reason is the hypnotic basslines and that's exactly the reason why I like this song. I didn't think Psytrance works with sidechaining but it does, very well.
Hm, I don't really like the lead-instrument (french accordion?) I find it too dominant, also the last third gets a bit too cluttered/loud with the e-guitar, pad and vox effect being introduced in very short intervals, but that might just be my taste.
Everything else was well done, I like it!
-Luke

Darren-M responds:

psy takes a little getting used to because it doesnt have much structure and it can get some what daunting, but im glad you are getting into it. i used the side chaining to create a throb type effect on the bass line, the lead instrument is actually a synth i made and something about it seemed off to me, but compared to what else i had tried it felt right. but your concern was definitely shared by me before i posted the song.

thank you for the assessment

[Choose Your House]

Very catchy

This is a huge step forward compared to your other track, which had rather boring sounds and a rather inconsistent song structure. This one shows a huge variety of intriguing sounds and melodies you can't help but like from the moment you hear them. The only problem I have with it is that the frequency spectrum is anything but even and many samples/sounds are way too loud. I like it anyway, a lot

Masakazu responds:

Yup, it was mastered, but needed a little more work. It's nice to earn such a high score from someone that know what he is talking about :) thank you