LJCoffee's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mental House]

Some issues with levels

Again, like the Cillit Bang! track - the vox samples are messing this up. There seems to be a very disturbed flow - you start with a straight 4x4 kick which is a bit poppy - but then it's just dropped and replaced with an effected loop that sounds out of place - there should be a better transition - the same thing happend again with the next beat that comes in - there doesn't seem to be enough to connect the dots.

Your levels are off a bit - some things are too loud and other elements are pushed back too far into the mix.

Overall this is a solid 3 - too many little problems and not enough redeeming qualities to offset the negative aspects.

BritZombie responds:

Thanks, like i've said i don't have very advanced equipment so mastering and such is very hard.

I'm just experimenting with different things im not a big audio buff.

As an example when you said a solid 3, at first i thought I wonder why he gave me a 6........

[*Cillit Bang! Remix*]

Hmmm....

I think it would be decent if you lost the vocals. The whole Cillit Bang! thing is campy and quirky but it doesn't add as much as it could. In fact, I think it does just the opposite - the Cillit vox are taking away from a potentially decent track.

The Techno people probably wouldn't appreciate the humor of the remix so you'll lose points there. If you want to appeal to the techno crowd then my advice, as horribly trite as it may be, is to pull the vox and replace them with the obligatory female ooooh's and aaaah's along with the "cheering crowd" samples that are apparently a requirement for a lot of techno tracks.

The rest is coming along nicely though - good start on the music and it could potentially turn into something very catchy and cool.

Needs a little work but as you said, it is only a WIP.

In it's current state It's not worth a 5 - honeslty, I would think more around the 3-4 range... I'll round up and go with the 4.

BritZombie responds:

Cheers but ill never lower my self too female oohing and aahing unless its neccessary.

Whats a WIP?

Thanks 4 reveiw

[iwiwil...]

Well Crunchin' da bits

Sounds like Reaktor's SineBeats in there :)
Damn good stuff - I like how you're punishing your bits and beats - nice blend of stuff in there - harsh staccato percussion, 8-bit chiptunes, strummy little bits, distant vocals - all of it gels really nicely. Great feel to this track. Has a cinetatic feel to it.

You've got a great mind for this stuff - that may not make perfect sense but it seems appropriate at the moment.

you win!

snoballandthmonyshot responds:

cheers ler,
some1 else said that about the reaktor thing, it's not tho, i'm not sure i know what it is...
yeh, i quite like this in places, i totally ran out of steam tho... i lose
;ped

[deledelo...]

strange and wonderful

Very odd track - I really dig it though, I had a very hard time catching the beat - I had to struggle with it a bit.

I personally like that sort of thing but you know how a lot of people are - if it aint a 4x4 then thay can't handle it.

I like the time signature changes - or at least what I'm thinking are changes. This is a very cool little mish-mash of great sounding clips. Popping from one feel to another like that was also nice to hear.

I would want to hear complete tracks built from each section in this.

snoballandthmonyshot responds:

ta,
again i ran out of steam with it, i keep starting tracks and then realising i don't like them very much... i lose again
;ped

[-Consoles-]

Really Nice work

Great job on it. You'll fit in nicely around these parts! I really didn't find that the bitrate was too low - this style lends itself well to heavy compression anyways. I like the layering and the bitcrushing that you used. The 303 bassline is cool - a little retro - This is a damn good first track and I'm really interested to hear more of your work. There are a handfull of people here that get the "look into a label" speech from me but I think that you could be well on your way. If you want a couple of names of other NGAF denizens that are either into this style or who produce it then PM me to say hi and we can talk more about it.

BTW - we are trying to implement a rule of thumb for the advertisements topic - every time you post a link in there you really should review the two previous submissions - if we all stick to that then the advertisements topic will be much more usefull to everyone. Thanks!

If you haven't yet seen the current MAC (Monthly Audio Contest) Then go take a look now! You could win yourself a couple of bills!

Again - great submission - you'll get my 5!

See you around the portal.

Squarears responds:

Hi. Thank you very much for reviewing so quickly:) I will make sure to review as many submissions as possible, I need to get to grips with how this site works.
I like my sounds very retro, well, that mixed with a modren style production anyways, I will definately PM you as soon as I figure out how to do it:) Thank you Mr LJ, I'll make sure to have a listen to your music and review it.

[[MS] - Stepping Stoned]

Good stuff

Nice job here - sounds like either you used too high of a compression setting when encoding the mp3 or perhaps it's meant to sound tinny in spots but if that's the case then the intentional should be balanced with something more solid so that it's easier to determine your intention. I liked the bitcrushing at the end - nice way to wrap it up. So far I like the relaxed feel of your work and I like the small doses of glitching that you throw in here and there. Not a bad track at all - keep it up! 5/5

MackerelSalad responds:

I made some mistakes in the mastering of this one, but better things will be coming.

Thanks, LJ!

[[MS] - Schyrztawek]

Damn nice work

Glib suggested that I check your stuff out - I'm sure that I would have gotten to it sooner or later but I'm glad he told me to have a listen. You've got style - it all gels very nicely. I dig this whole laid back opium den sort of cerebral vibe you've got going on there. I'm liking the subtle little glitch work - all in all this is a very cool track - Looking forward to hearing what else you put together.

5/5

MackerelSalad responds:

I'm really satisfied with this one, I made this one in one weekend.
I just have the feeling I put too much different bits in this one, like the ending, I shouldn't have put the hiphoppy beat-thing in there as the fadeout.
Well, whatever. Glad you guys appreciate it!
Thanks.

[Brotherhood: Lost Loved Ones]

Great track

Nice track - full of emotion. I liked almost everything about it, although I think the piano could have been just a bit brighter. Then again, given the title and description, a brighter sound might not have conveyed quite the same feel.

Either way, it's great as is - Very good work.

I'm voting 5 - I almost hate to do it as there doesn't appear to be any votes yet and a 5 will make the track a zero magnet.. :( Sorry if that happens but I think the track deserves it.

Setu-Firestorm responds:

That's fine if it happens. "0" votes don't bother me. This place is not my source of comfort in my composition advertising.

I appreciate the critique although this was for a film and as I have noted from previous film scores, all pianos were mixed to sound dark and distant and that was why it was mixed that way.

Thanks for the review.

['''_''']

it IS nifty!

A little happy - I'm not liking the organy like synth but the percussion is pretty bangin'

joo get teh 9's across the board and it gets a 5 as well because I like the way you messed up the drums. I was thinking about voting 4 because of the synths but I figured "what the hell, lets go for the extra point" =)

attemptedperfection responds:

it originally started out as a video-game-ish melody/harmony experiment... and then I kinda shifted my attention to the percussion. :D
Thanks for the review! And the extra point!

[Tuesday Still Sucks]

Short and mean

Nice bit of anger. Not incredibly Original or diverse but you did a good on it. Clarity wasn't bad at all but it did sound a bit mushed - probably just the compression - those higher frequencies are always the first to go. Effort - well shit. That's always the hardest thing to gauge - I have no idea how much effort you put into it - I can only guess how much effort it would take me to do something like this. Honestly, I probably couldn't - but since it was a shorter track I can't really give incredibly high results. Overall it's not a bad track at all, but then again it's also not the best one I've heard so I guess I'll just go with an 8 - it's safe enough. I know ALL about the fucking zero voters and your current score tells me that you are just as familiar with the little pricks so to offset those assholes I'll be voting 5 on this. Mostly because that's just how I roll..

Later man - stay angry!

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

Yeah, everyone gets 0 fucked. I don't mind...as long as 1 or 2 people get to enjoy the tune before it fades into the 3.0 pages. Its just fun. I liked your review alot, although...for effort..I didn't really put much in. It was still pretty fun. I'm gonna put something short every Tuesday...maybe next week some falsetto ac dc style thing..hahaha.

Anyways man, awesome review. GLad you listened and liked. I owe you a P.M.\m/