The-XI's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[.:Time Stands Still:. {Final}]

To the point

Very nice beginning. Very 'to the point', solid, kick, with arp. The only thing I'd like to hear is a goa-like arp bassline, but you bring that in later, so whatever. I just like to ehar things progress faster.

When you bring in the open hi hats, I was like, 'wow, that was cool', but I would have been about impressed 10 times more if you have did something really good, like do a drum break, THEN do the cool hi hat break you did, then have the drums pplay. This way, it seems like it just... kinda happened, with a fancy fill. Cool, but not cool enough =P

This song is, sadly, very cliche, as well done as it is. I really like the song, and as soon as I am done reviewing this, I will download it, so I can check out your mastering levels, as well as for personal listening =)

Great work, keep it up! =D

[{Alien Reactor} Cut 1]

Goa?

One of the only things I'm good at... lets see how ya did =)

You started it very well, the filtered bassline is magnificent. The synth ticks add just the right feel. Everything you do is an obvious sign of effort.

When the real drums come in, everything seems kind of awkward... the snare rush gets way too loud, then it doesn't even eally finish? It seems like the snare rush is 3 bars, when if could have been 4 just to make it seem more equal.

The arp you bring in after you bring in the drumns and all that sounds awesome, but its too low. Turn it up, or EQ it to a higher frequency.

The entire is amazingly arranged and excecuted for your first try at Goa. Awesome work, and keep it up! =D Check out my music sometime?

[Goukisan - A Desperate Hope]

Seems like you need a review or two.

So I'll give two =D

I actually like how this track starts out as techno., but slowly melds into trance... it would fit much better under that genre.

To the song itself.

When it starts out, the bass seems very very quiet. Turn it up a bit, and maybe EQ it a little higher ended.
When the main first melody breaks in, it sounds really good, with the drums and all, but the synth doesn't really have a big impact. When it breaks into the melody, it just kinda... happens. I need impact, filters, snare rolls, kick breaks, dramatic synth breaks!

Good work on the song, but you need to work on having more of a dramatic feel. When theres a break down, you need to know. When theres the buildup, you need to feel the energy. And, when it breaks in, make SURE that the listeners are going to bob their heads involuntarily, since it will be so groovy.

Great work, I actually really liked this song. Keep it up! =D

Goukisan responds:

thanks for the review again. This song was intended to have a vocalist but unfortunately for me she is living in alberta for 4 months and i just can't wait that long. If it seems soemthing is missing that may be be why.

In place of her i put an organish pad. I guess it didn't work as intended. oh well lol.

[Goukisan - Illusions]

Noting better than writing music...

...in your spare time.

I enjoy how the track starts out, with the trance gate, even though I believe that the trance gate is too low ended, take out the bass from it, and make it more high ended, since it sounds muddy, and this would help with the clarity.
hen add a bass synth, I don't really hear one.

When the drums game, I was very much pleasently surprised that you actually gave a shit whther the drums sounded good or not. And, for the record, those drums sounded great. Awesome work on them.
The only thing I'd change is that I'd keep those drums for is for build ups. I'd really like to hear the standard big kick/clap/offbeat open hi hat beat in there, as well.

Other than these things, this is a very well written song. Get more spare time on your hands =) Keep it up! Check out my music sometime?

Goukisan responds:

hey man thanks for the review. This is not an ordinary work for me, the intro (although muddy as you put it) just sounded so cool to me i had to keep it.

I left out a bass synth in this track on purpose. I origionally had a compressed piano and a bass track but it all sounded just too cluttered so first i lost the piano (with much sadness),

After that it was the bass' turn to go because although i liked it, the low synth sequence that is played throughout the song worked fairly well as a bass in and of itself.

I really like reviews like this, with honest objectionable opinions. I will check out your stuff right now. thank you.

P.S. this is not the place, but i would like to thank Eatensoul (now Jedess of World of Warcraft's imperial order) for the helpful advice for this song.

[Ascending Euphoria]

30 minutes?

Man, I've written songs in that time line, but I usually end up looking back at the song and saying 'wow could I have done that better'.

This song has actually very, err, cliche backrounds. Soft synths, 'cool sounding' basslines, and fast drums... not saying that this song is bad, by no means am I saying its bad. In fact, its good. But, I think you just need tow ork originality a little bit more, you know?

About the entire song, I really like it, but the hi hat volume is a little loud. Turn that downa little bit?

Great work, impressive for 30 minutes =) Keep it up! =D Check out my songs later?

[~Hylozoism~ CUT edt.]

Very nice pads.

The bassline is great, it is very melodic. The open hi hat adds a great groove, and the rev hi hats also help to the uniqueness, but maybe turn down the rev hats a little bit. Seems to have too much of a 'whoosh'.

Your melody is great, but its your sound levels that are bugging me.
Rember these important things about mastering, man. The leads are loud and high ended. Throw an FX channel onto that synth, and then add a Parametric EQ. Take about most of the bass from the lead, and turn up the treble, then for added drama to the synth, you should flange the synth.

The bassline is great, like I said before, but you also need to EQ that... theres no bass. Just EQ it so that the last two knobs are higher and the wavelengths on the monitor should be big and wavy. Then theres bass.

Other than these small things, you did an excellent job. Great work, keep it up! =D

[~*~Eclipse~*~ Demo]

Hey, I don't like seeing this...

Hey man, try making music JUST for yourself, then submit it to newgrounds. Don't make a demo, then submit it to newgrounds waiting for advice, if YOU like it, submit it!

Try not to do the demo thing, I think that shows that you are conforming to other peoples taste... go by your own taste. It'll go much smoother.

Unless you just wanna make teasers =P

To the song.

I don't really like thedefault FL loops, btw. The beginning would sound a lot better if you had a staedy groovy bassline in the backround, starting from the beginning. It would sound better, and it would make the song sound fuller.

The build up with the piano is nicely placed, no complaints there. With that dark synth though, I don't think you should have brought it in so slow, you know? Like, you could have faded it in faster, and faded out the piano faster, then brought out the big 4X4 kick, with open hi hats and everything.

Other than the small details, this song is actually very good. I'm sorry if I sound overcritical, I'm just nit picking.

Great work, you are full of potential! Listen to more electronic artists that write this kind of music, take a little bit from each of their styles that you like, and your music will turn out fine.

Keep it up =D Check out my music sometime?

DJ-Cobalt responds:

thx so much, will take ALL of your advice! i need all the help i can get. lol

[Slight Discomfort]

Woah! Awesome =)

'Slight Discomfort'? More like 'compeltely disturbed'!

Awesome ddetuned synth at the beginning. I like how the song just busts into it all by this sound that is like a dude going 'whhhaaa' then it turns into a sound effect. Quite awesome, indeed.

If you wanna make this REAL trance, I would suggest, instead of going the trance route, maybe go the 'goa' root? Add some short open hi hats (which would fit the samples you already have), zap out the bass from the drums you already have going, and add a big kick on every bat, just oign'thud thud thud thud'. That would rule as much as evil doom shits would.

Totally.

Oh, and can't forget to add an awesome 16th note stuttering bassline! Try that out, maybe it might sound good. Keep it up, I like your style! Its so...abstract and demented. Beautiful.

[_-=[A Kingdom for Alan]=-_]

Awesome character theme

Hell, I want a theme =P

Very nice amount of drama in this track, but to be hoenst, this sounds like something that would fit much better in a castle or world map scene. Character themes are generally repitive, and very catchy.

Good work, though. I really like the 'big' feel that this track has. Even though, I believe you should turn down the choirs a little bit. They kind of overpower at the end of their little chorus there.

Great work though, keep it up! =D

MaestroSorrow responds:

will do ^^. Overworld theme eh... I can see where you're going with that.

Thanks for the review ^^.