EctiBot's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ultimate Deadlocked V2 - F777 - Remix]

Interesting revamp of one of my favourite tracks :).
I think the idea you have of making a melodical version of Deadlock is pretty cool. The Arrangement is clever and well-done, the melodies is well worked into your own style, and even though this is a remix, I felt like I got to know you as a musician through this track.
The ending was very well done.

One thing I want to comment on however is that the lead-synth sounds a bit cheap as it has some higher frequencies that bug my ears a bit. Also, I wish that you had a more apparent bass in this as I feel like it is really lacking in the low-end.

-Ectisity

VorticityMusic responds:

Thanks! I don't get many reviews like this! Which lead-synth is it? What part of the song does it play during?

As for the bass, I am not quite sure how to improve that! But I can see that parts of the bass do not really come across in parts of the song. But it's more apparent near the ending, right? But all the same thanks for the advice and tips. This is what I need in the review section! :)

[Supernova]

A while since I've listened to one of your tracks :).
Must admit that I was a bit sceptic when I saw how long your track was. Not often I see a 12 minute long electronic song on here. However, I loved how you used that length to slowly build up your song. The minute intro was a bit too long imo, as I don't really feel like it adds anything to the track. From there on and out the arrangement was done really well. It's amazing how you can get so much out of such a minimalistic style. I can clearly hear how much work you put into this. It's such an amazingly chill track to listen to.
The synths are perfect the mixing is great and the general feel of the track is really soothing.
Kinda felt like ending with a standard filter and fade was a bit anticlimactic, but it works.

Great work :D! Can't wait to hear more from you :).
-Ectisity

Cursedsnake responds:

12 mins is nothing ;P

[Flasher]

Review 4 Review
------------------------------
Very nice track this.
Really gives off an adventurous mood that makes it fits perfectly for an adventure game. The mixing is done very well, and the different instruments blend nicely into each other.

There are however some thing I want to point out. From about 0:28 and out it sounds like I'm just listening to a 8 secound loop repeat itself for 3 minutes. While Video Game music do tend to consist of loops, you should still be vary of dynamics. have some parts where you solo the bass and drums maybe, or cut out the lead for a couple of bars. You do have the right idea as you are varying your drum patterns like at 1:36, but I would like to see some greater variations. Game music is music that a player is supposed to be able to listen to for al ong time without getting tired of it.

Your melodies are good, but I felt like the lead melody didn't realy stick with me that well. It's nothing wrong with that melody in itself, but i would really encourage you to spend more time on it. Vary the note length, add multiple layers of melodies etc. I don't believe there exists a definite "correct" way to create melodies, but I do believe that melodies is something a musician should be very aware of when making music.

Overall a good track that does what it set out to do, but I believe it has more potential than this.

Desuone88 responds:

Thx for that review but trully saying im not a musician i use FL studio so its not really software were used by musicians i just make simple melodies really simple like you see i dont have musical ed and etc i even cant read notes i just try with that and some people tell me i should show myself with my music. I dont want call myself muiscian i just person who make music. But most of that wht you saying in review you have right i should use more variations in my music i hope i can do this in my next track. Anyway thx for you review and advices.

[FL STUDIO TECHNO]

I cri evri tym ;(

[(AIM) Pianore - Star Dance]

A.I.M Judging Review
--------------------------------
Instantly loved the sound of the piano. Long time since I've heard such a sweet piano sound :).
Really dig the melodies in this. The mixing is done very well, though the claps and kick needs some more hi-end. The umph that is lacking from the song comes from the lack of hi-end in the kick, not low-end. Pretty obvious to hear that you are a dubstep producer on the way you mix the kicks and snares, but in house, snares are usually more hi-pitched and kicks shine a bit more through the hi-end. Other than that I really liked this actually.
Very good for your first house track, and simply a great chillout track regardless.

[AIM - Theme for the Keeper of the Reef]

A.I.M Judging Review
----------------------------------
Really liked the atmospheric feel of this. The ocean samples are great, and very well recorded and mixed into the song. The entire song does a great job in creating a atmosphere and it really helps that the mixing is great. I wish there was a bit more rever on the lead synth to make it sound even more atmospheric.
This really is a minimalistic track done right. Shows that it's possible to make something without thousands of layers, but still having it sound great.Really don't have anything to deduct here.

Maverickmode responds:

Thanks a lot for the review! I was actually thinking I wanted a little more reverb on that synth too, but the mix ended up getting a little too muddy and it started to drown out everything else. I wanted everything to be mixed evenly so no part seemed more "important" to the ear than any other, even though that lead synth was essentially supposed to function as a background. So, in essence I ended up having to compromise between getting the mix I wanted and having the synth sound the way I wanted. Oh, and the reason I turned the reverb completely off during the atmospheric sections with the low tambourine was that I wanted the synth to function more as a melody instrument there and stick out, rather than blending in with everything else.

[[AIM] Fracture]

A.I.M Judging Review
----------------------------
Loved the intro. Instantly caught my attention. The mixing is really tight. The arrangement is a bit repetetive at times, but I still like it. Loved what you did with the tempo at 1:19. At a point there I was sure that it wouldn't work, but it ended up sounding amazing. Great use of synths and good melodies. Really wish that it was more varied, but liked it regardless.

[AIM - Preludio Alla Waltz and Capriccio Fantasioso in F Minor]

A.I.M Judging Review
-----------------------------------
Initially I liked the strings at the beggining. They have a very warm sound. When the other instruments come in however, all the instruments starts fighting for that low mid-section, which ends up sounding very messy. The lead instrument(I want to call it a violin, but I've never been good with these stuff)

To be honest I felt like this track was a bit too chaotic, and at times I don't get what's going on at all. The part at 1:40 when all the instruments disappear kinda deducted from the flow of the track. Liked the melody at 1:48, but felt like it was introduced a bit too sudden without a proper introduction. Actually really like the violin work from 1:48 and out.
I would say that the main problem with this is the mixing. The structure is wierd, but I don't dislike it.

[AIM - The Power of the Dark Side]

The mix is quite decent in this one actually. I really didn't like how the hat was panned at 0:06. Really like the synth at 0:11, but I wish you would have transitioned into it better. Same with at 0:2. Really liked the offbeat feel you were going for. Butp lease, drop the percussion panning. It makes it easier to mix a track, but it is really annoying if it isn't done right. The way you panned some of the synths is okay.
The hearing center in our brain doesn't really like panning because it throws of the balance and becomes confusing. The proper way to do panning is by making sure the sound level on one hear never is louder than the other to trick the bain into believing that there is some kind of balance.
Also, never pan your lead synth. LEad should always be in the center.

Overall I really liked the arrangmenet and synths in this. The mixing still isn't top notch as I still feel like a lot of the frequencies are clashing and the lead instruments doesn't really shine through the mix.