happycrab's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Love Me, Free Me]

I have to say that I agree with Wayv on this review though the track is constructed very well! I suggest reviewing your speaker placement and mixing environment. It sounds like you have the right idea about everything you want to do, but the bass is very lacking in power, probably because your set-up may not allow you to hear it fully. The sub could really be a lot more present and full, which sounds like your intention! I hate arguments that are like "throw money here and you'll be ok" though in this case it just sounds like you have the right ears, but maybe the wrong environment! It may be as simple as positioning your speakers differently, or in another room. Either way, this is a very cool track!

Jayk-O responds:

I'm using $20 speakers from the source, most of my mixing is done by visual because my speakers are not very good. Thank you for your review :3 I'll see if I can get the bass working well

[Donk Kong Kranlantis]

Enjoyable subdued track, but groovy too! The mixing is interesting in that the drums seem to be a lot quieter than the piano and other sounds.. in a way, they sound like they are at the level a pad or a secondary instrument would be in most tracks. Sometimes, though, I felt the drums sounded a bit wimpy with this idea. To fix this, you may be able to add a boost between 55-450HZ, as well as give them a bit more definition by boosting them around 5k. As far as your memory issue, I have to say I really don't know what other thing you might be able to change, because with my computer, I have 4 GB and never run into issues with Ableton. When I used Logic I did run into overload issues when I had like 50-60 tracks, but anyway, there may be another work around is all I'm saying.

[[SCNDL] The Munsta (For Wavo)]

I love the energy and after hearing your review I understand a bit more of what you mean by more intense mid and high range synths! They totally work the way you are using them! It's also really great that you can then cool them down by removing some of the highs and kids to create a contrasting more chill section!! As a suggestion for the future I'd try giving the kick a bit more space by rolling off lows on anything that's not a kick or a sub, and if you want your snare to kick a bit more roll of the two areas where the snare hits on some of the synths. Totally voting for this one way to go!

MegaMettaurX responds:

Thank you so much for the insight and the vote! I'm still working on this piece though. I've been reviewing what needs to be done here, IE, EQ the snare a bit as there's too much high end. I also want to layer some bass line synths to give this more character.

[VicariousE Theme]

An effort at making a loop with three instruments! I would say that the drums sound like they are in a room next door and the mic is right in front of the guitar amp. I suggest getting the levels right first, then seeing if you can EQ frequencies so all of these instruments fit in the mix. Also I suggest allowing yourself time for more thoughtful, complete reviews that don't just criticize and leave it at that. At least offer constructive feedback or analysis of some sort.

eatmeatleet responds:

thanks yeah

[Dawn]

Good work putting contrast into your work, the transition from synth to piano was smooth and well done. I can tell that melodically things aren't developed yet. I recommend having contrasting harmonic sections in the future, where the bass changes notes.. that'll add a lot more dimension to your tracks. Also, I completely disagree with your review of my track and don't think they are your original thoughts either.

[Failed Garbaje]

The beginning is great, and I don't know if you intended this or not, but the piano sound slightly hidden is very interesting. It forces you to get into the track and listen, and is a trick I did often in my stuff.. understated details! The buildup all the way to 1:36 comes with variety and interest! Now when the beat kicks in, I suggest focusing on mixing those drums so that they are more balanced in the frequency spectrum (the kick could use low end, the snare could you use some rolloff of the low frequencies to allow the kick to shine and a bit more definition in the very high register, the hats could also use more definition in the highs), and perhaps compression on them (if you know how to use this properly). To get your drums to stick out in the mix, try rolling off the low end on anything that's not a kick or a sub (and even then you may do it with these), and the two main areas where the snare hits. Great job!

[Unforgiving Wreck]

Incredible, this is a work of art!!! so is it dubstep? Is it techno? Maybe more... so it's relevant to today's music. The only transition I'd look at is coming out of the more aggressive section at 1:27.. maybe if there were a bar more of space there it might help to prepare the listener for the next section.. all other transitions were extremely engaging. The preparation for the final stretch from around 4:30 had great momentum and you can really feel the track as beginning, middle, end. The laser sounds at 4:30-3:45 were very cool, I would love to know how you did that. At times I felt the kick could have been a bit more present in the low end but very balanced mix. Please keep the music coming!!

Wayv responds:

Yeah, but if I put it under dubstep, all the wubwubphiles will be like "dude this isn't dubstep, where be teh wobbles?"
I think I made the laser sound myself in Harmor...maybe using the pitch envelope? I lost the flp. :P
Thanks for the tips!
EDIT: Oh yeah and I made most the song with this very kick sound, and I couldn't really change it later without spoiling the mix. So yeah, bit of a bummer

[The Perfectionist]

Hey!! I read your review so I had to check out some of ur stuff! The emotion really comes out in your stuff and I feel I'll learn from your music. Don't listen to tox, he's poison to the internet community.. Anyway great harmonic exploration!! The buildup and break add a lot to the feel of this music and I love the contrast between the sounds used. Emotion!! Sometimes I thought some of these sounds could be equed more to make them more personal to your music.. If you're not putting eq on all your sounds I recommend it to get the most out if them! Love to hear more in the future

Wayv responds:

Wow, well I can't say I'm not flattered by this review! All my music is emotionally driven, because in general, the emotion and desire comes before the skill and perfection.
I will say my production always seems to be somewhat lacking. I just keep on keepin on, learning on the way, and I will take your advise here into account.
Thanks!

[Smoke]

Hey! Production-wise this is spot on, everything is clean and clear, the vocals are well done, the transitions are effective, and the sounds are well-balanced. Towards 3:00 the vocals are a bit drowned out.. not sure if that's ok with you but you could try a subtle side-compression on some of the synths to get them a bit more upfront (subtle ducking effect). As far as the overall track, if you're trying for more of a dance-oriented track, I'd suggest putting the kick a bit more present in the mix, which could be done by EQing a tiny bit more of the low end so people feel that more in their chest. Great work and as a final word, I suggest trying to innovate more as far as genre and beat for future development!

[Only The Beginning (Extended)]

Interesting ideas throughout.. cool intro that will most definitely get you some good reviews.. atmospheric stuff seems to do that, which is kinda why I don't do it.. but anyway, it gives a good first impression for the listener. Now I'd say this is a very polished track, and all the parts seem very carefully worked out. What I liked most about this track is how it shifts to different "genres" pretty seamlessly. Now onto the constructive criticism stuff!
I thought that the first section after the intro, starting :55 lacked hardcore on the drums. The reason is because the synths are not EQued to allow the kick and snare to cut through. Step one: put a high pass on the synths so that only the sub and kick are in the low register!!! Step two: cut out a small pocket in most of the synths where two main areas of the snare hits. That'll clean up your mix a lot.
For future stuff, if you're interested in connecting with this crowd, I'd recommend looking at the way songs are constructed as far as A section, B section, A section again, etc. Repetition (with subtle details altered) is very important to speak to your listener. Personally I didn't have a problem with it on this track, but the world would..
Overall, good work, and my hardest criticism is really not to you but to most ppl on this site: it seemed to me that the sounds and choices were based on what people may want to hear as opposed to what you can use to grow personally and musically. I mean, we've all heard those dub step sounds before! Be original and make your mark even if you face criticism.. that's the only way to push the envelope.

Back-From-Purgatory responds:

I never actually thought to make cuts in the EQing to allow more room for the snare... Why I didn't think to do that is beyond me... But I'll certainly keep that in mind for next time.

As for the second half of your review, I think you're kind of contradicting yourself... first you tell me to conform to the norms to appeal to a certain crowd... but then tell me to defy the norm even if I face criticism for it.

Regardless... I've no interest in my music being accepted by "the world". I won't bullshit, I don't write my music to please other people, I write my music the way I want to write it, and if people happen to like it, awesome. I love it when people like what I do, but I will not bend my methods to appeal to a larger crowd.
By methods, I do mean my preferred writing style, I'm not using that as an excuse to ignore criticism, I often agree with the short comings in my music, be it mixing, poor transitions, etc. But I've absolutely 0 interest in writing my music in such a manner that more people will accept it.

It's why I write music after all... is to express myself, not to express my interest in pleasing others.

Thanks for the review, despite my disagreement on catering to a larger crowd, I found your review quite helpful.