Apexis's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Theres nothing like you]

Just a little bit could really improve this

I like it but it needs just a few minor tweaks, first off- while I (as I'm sure everyone else in their relatively right mind does) love filthy distortion, that waveshaper is just a smidge over the line, and that tiny shift switches it from an aesthetic to a speaker slayer. Lower it a teeeeeny bit so that it doesn't crap out the sound systems of most listeners, and it'll be the most fantastic thing to exist in the history of ever.

Additionally (or alternatively, it's your choice) gently limit your master track.

I've made this mistake countless times, and until recently I didn't know how to check if my tracks were "Too loud," let alone fix it because on my sound system they seemed just fine. Make use of limiters to gently "Cop out" your track, making it just low enough that you can differentiate between the really loud bass and the average volume intro/outro.

Other than that, maybe soft clip or just plain reduce the subbass a bit to make sure the kick comes through more- another mistake I as well as a thousand others have made countless times. (Loudness wars, and all that.)

hagish responds:

haha thanks dude, i'll get on it

[[DB] Other Dimension]

Very thin, which is a good thing

It's got an airy minimal feel about it, and unlike most "Trance" songs I've heard relies on melodic composition rather than intense synthesis and rigid rhythm, I like that. Delay is well balanced as well, I like the stereo effect it gives.

Nexus312 responds:

Thank you very much :D

[Arcade of the Century]

Important notes on composition and tools

d_blue's glitch vst is a powerful and useful plugin that allows you to create and reuse specific modular alterations to your music's pitch and offsets in its own internal sequencer- however, you should not just take the default setting, set it to run on random effect and run a loop through it for 3 minutes and call it done.

Some parts of a song are better modulated and others are better left untouched, you should vary the modulation by hand. In addition to that, I don't know why but you appear to have overcompressed your lead... it sounds very harsh, which a lead needn't be.

A complete absence of bass (and lower registry sound of any sort) could contribute to its less than satisfying sound and irritating pitch.

Rhythm is nice though, a lot of potential if you expanded and varied it more.

[[dj-Jo] Endless Space(Ion Mix)]

Stunning

This is by far one of the most beautiful songs I've heard on NG in a while...

The solace of the piano is just so well emphasized, and the fast bit in the middle with the sliced drums was just so well contrasted with it.

dj-Jo responds:

:o
Thanks for the Praise
Its appreciated !