Charleon's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Hardcore Metal Shit [Kaskrin]]

Needs heavy production and dynamics

Try to create more dynamics using your drums. The drums play a really big role in a song, just looping one drumloop over and over is bound to destroy all transitions in the song, making it sound like a really wierd one-liner of some kind.

I like the guitars that gets introduced, but you could REALLY use the drums to make the transition a LOT better. Also the rhytm guitar goes into crazy bass-ranges in the end, you need to heavily use an equalizer to get rid of some bass.

This song lacks dynamics, but it's mainly the drums fault, I really like the idea you got going around ~35 using the transition you do, but poor production makes my subwoofer die after that. Keep enjoy making music! :D

Vagmaster3000 responds:

thanks lol, i just stuck this shit together idk thats for the tips though, i'll make sure to do next time, i know what you mean with the drums and shit... fills really help transitions

[Trance, Dance, House(2nd test)]

Has potential, but needs work

The rhytm in the beginning rocks, with the bassdrum and bass-line but the bassline and highhat are WAY too low, boost them up quite a bit, also don't be afraid to let your basedrum shift every now and then, ESPECIALLY in transitions.

My advice is to really give EVERYTHING a boost besides the bassdrum, as I can barely hear ANY high fequensies working in this song at all, you need to make both high, low and middle frequensies work together. This has potential, but needs work, and what's dragging it down is really the really loud bassdrum (which establishes a really cool UNF in the beginning, but really fast just becomes a "Meh..."), dynamical bassdrums are VERY important

D-Chain responds:

Thnx alo0ot! ^^
this will help me aaalooot :D
ill work on every hint you gave :)
and i DO understand all youve said there,
and just by giving my Hat a boost it rly sounds better, more steady you know.
well, better get going on then :P

-Tim ^^

[(SoulX) Iron Man remix]

Has the sound, but lacks the UNF

I think you really chose the wrong acid-bass for this job. In the beginning it keeps arpeggiating and pitching to really false tones, and it even goes haywire at :23.

I really like the leadsound you got going for the actual "Iron-man" sound though.

Some of the drums, mainly your crash drums, can barely be heard at all, I would advice you to boost them all a bit, and even enhance the hihat/snare and boosting their higher frequensies.

What your song lacks is "UNF!", it sounds empty almost all the time, you need a stronger bass and maybe even some apparent strings in the background that can support the song, along with more apparent drums.

DragonsoulX responds:

hmm, well i kind of get what your saying now, and yeah i guess the acid-bass was a bit to overpowered. probably changing it and rising the drums abit would make it sound much better. thanks for the review.

[Replenished]

The drums destroys the "Ambience"

The drums are WAY too loud, the bass drum even causes clipping in the sound, which is NEVER good in any song. Also the lower bass notes of the choir Together with the much too loud bass drum creates a really nasty reverb, which isn't too good either. i know I've said it before, but you really need to create dynamics with your drums. because of the zero-dynamic drums, you can't make transitions in your songs, and a song NEEDS transitions to live.

I really like the chords you're putting together, but again: don't hesitate to do more than just one loop that keeps going, and going, and going.

[IceCrystal Cave]

too present for an ambient track

Hmm is it just me or do I recognise that you're using the exact same drumloop in several of your songs? don't be afraid to experiment with more kinds of drums. I can hear you're using the Fruity Sytrus in this song, personally I love it, if you can get things to sound just right!

Again the thing I think this song lacks is Dynamics.. both in drums (only one drumloop playing over and over again), and you keep the same song on much too long before you introduce the second synth. I also think, that for an ambient song, the bell-synth you're using is MUCH too loud on the higher frequencies in the beginning, I would completely REPLACE them with the bells you introduce at ~50 seconds into the song.

Also you could use some work in doing transitions. The transition 1:25 into the song really got me stumped, the drums keep playing all the time, so it doesn't even sound like a transition, it feels really wierd. transitions and dynamics in a song is a must to keep the listener hooked! I somehow like the ambient sound you're creating with the introduced saws later in the song though.

On a last note, as an ambience track, the bass drum, or the drums in general are much too present, try using different drums

NightmareTheDragon responds:

Some of the drum sets are done differently, though they do repeat. Though switching them up. I guess I can do that. Never hurts to try. Also, sorry that you got stumped at 1:25. When I was changing it, I couldn't figure out what to use.

[Somewhere Out in the World]

More ambient than techno/trance

This gives off a nice feeling, though the drums lacks dynamic and doesn't keep me inspired for too long, try to give them more variation, and even dynamics (phasing, flanging, high/low frequency cutting, your choce) at some stages. This song has a really long intro and the main thing about Techno/trance song is that it pretty fast shows the audience that it can keep a cool rhytm and get away with it, in otherwords I think you should get on with the main part of the song a little bit sooner. Also, for a techno song I don't think this has any lead/synth that stands out much, the center of the soundscape is not explored at all in the song besides for the chime-beat (which I really like in certain parts of the song I might add). I also think your technosong should have at least 1 break/alternative melody. That would really inspire myself to listen to this for a longer time, and also create some dynamics that the drums doesn't give at the moment. I think of this more like an Ambient song than a techno/Trance song, but oh, how I love the chime-sounds! please polish this track, I can see it got loads of potential.

NightmareTheDragon responds:

Alright, I'll see how I can work this out. It probably won't be for awhile. Though I'll definitely send you my new version of it.

[Mortal Kombat (Demo)]

Barely a demo! impossible to judge

It sounds like you're mixing 2 synths together, or using a synth that accomplishes this, and you've picked out the Mortal Kombat song, I'll give you that, but even for a demo this lacks both originality and the "UMPH" feeling I get from this theme. At least add some drums, bass and try to give your listeners a feeling before submitting something that is a WIP (Work in progress) so they can review it and give pointers on what you should think about, or change in the song. The song in this condition... I really can't give any constructive critiscism

NightmareTheDragon responds:

The demo is the whole sound I wanted to release. Nothing special, I just wanted to know if you guys liked the sound for it. I guess I didn't make that clear on which I should. Though I see where your going at on reviews.

[And Just Breath]

Good base for hip-hop, but needs some fixin' yo!

The drums sound Hip-hop, And I really can see someone rap to this, so you've succeeded in setting the mood, I have a couple of pointers though:

Some instruments goes nuts in the middle/top frequencies, I would choose something trianglebased in a lower octave maybe, and this song definitely needs a solid Bass to pump up the beat and also aiding the melodies in delivering the rhytm. So lower some tones/Change the synth and add a bass.

Then maybe add some dynamics to the drums, as I can clearly distinguish you're using two different drumloops over and over and over again, add small crashes, fills here and there, and this song will sound much more dynamic.

NightmareTheDragon responds:

Alright, thanks man. Will look into it. If I remake this one. I send you the better version of it.

[Retro Game Beat]

Good solid base Idea, but needs development

While I reserve myself for judging this a little bit harshly as I don't know what the intention with this piece is, I have to speak my mind.
A nice creative bass indeed, But I feel you could have developed this concept so much further, all parts, actually. Just flashing a closed hi-hat here and there doesn't cut it with me, don't be afraid to explore the rest of the drumsection to create some dynamics in the song.

Getting to the melody, I think you have a great base to work on, but the melody needs to evolve, or this will get repetative real fast, even the alternative synth you throw in at ~50 doesn't change this fact. Don't be afraid to play with more melodies, as you already got a bass that's working in the background.

Though my critique may sound harsh, I can see some ideas in this song,you just have to develop them further. Have fun making music!

NightmareTheDragon responds:

I had no intention on this beat to make it special. Just decided to share it.

[Fantazy Loop]

Can be improved, but gives off a feeling

I think this will sound MUCH better if you shift chords in the arpeggiated bass, then it won't sound as stale if it's looped a couple of times after oneanother. Still gives off a feeling, and I guess this is just a generic test you've thrown out. Sounds pretty good, nothing false in there, have fun making music! =)