Oh my lord. This is probably the best DnB I've heard on NG so far. And I've been here for a long while! The chord progressions are tasty as hell, the sound itself is very intriguing and unique, and the pad-work is practically flawless.
One thing I miss, though, is some variation on the drum loop, and I think the intro should be made a little fuller. Some EQ-tweaking and filtering oughta fix that. (But that's just my opinion)
Great track overall! Voted 5/5, faved, and followed!
Take care!
//K.
Tanks ya, tanks ya! I've been around myself for quite sometime, mostly hiding in the shadows and uploading here and there.
Ah, the drum variations will certainly be sorted out. I've got some ideas for 'em.
Fuller intro? Hmm... could be, could be. I've been tweaking the mix often so it may just need some more nuances here and there. Or a bit of a soft growler underneath the pads. Ideas....
Thanks!
-J.P.
This song has its ups and downs.
Ups:
- Melody is pretty interesting. It never heads off to places that it shouldn't go, it stays within the frame but remains interesting.
- Drums are kickass.
- The mix is well balanced.
- Breakdowns \m/
Downs:
- Song is, overall, waaay too synthetic.
- Guitars sound extremely computerized.
I always get real picky when it comes to metal and such. I actually think the song was pretty heavy, but the guitar sound is really distracting. This song could've worked totally fine if you added some vocals to it. Without any singing, the guitars pop out of the mix in a way that gives the song this oldschool-NG-flash-game-feel to it (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
Conclusion: The composition itself was nice, but the sounds that the song is based on are pretty underwhelming and could use some work.
It sounds very synthesized because I compose it to sound similar to psx MegaMan X4, X5, X6, with a modern quality and a powerful sound just like some of my favorite metal bands :)
And yes, you're right, I need to make better guitars. I'll do my best effort :)
Thank for your feedback, I'm glad that you listen n_n
Cheers from Chile!
When I started out making music I thought that everything I made was impeccably genius. Now, when look back on those tracks that I submitted to an old account back in '08 or something, I now realize how horrible it was. But if I hadn't made those awful tracks back then, maybe I wouldn't be where I am today.
In all honesty, this is not a very satisfying track. It's repetitive, discordant, and not so well mixed. For that I'm giving this submission half a star. But even though this song might not be top notch (in my opinion) it still has some potential to be part of some weird video game here on NG. And in the end, it's all good practice!
Nowadays I usually select my sounds first, write the music second, and mix/master lastly. From there I just keep mixing and adding more (but not too many) ingredients to the song. After that I compile and listen the song, but just because it sounds good NOW it doesn't mean it will sound as good later. So I let the track rest for a day or so, and then I re-listen the song.
That process goes on and on, until finally I've managed to create something that sounds good most of the times I listen to it.
Moral of the story; You are your worst critic. Don't submit stuff on impulse. Carefully go through the rights and wrongs with your track, and then fix the wrongs.
Pro-tip: Run the track through different speakers and/or headphones to see if the song sounds good through all of the sounds systems.
I hope I didn't sound like a total douche, and that my advise was of some help. Merry Christmas!
//Kabalist.
When i started to make music, like you, i thought my music is somehow...good.Goooooooood.But when i read all your review for my song (with that half star ), i started to heard my songs again and realize that was just a dumb or something.And because thatt i think i'll try to remake those one-the good the better.
Thanks for your advice!
Merry Christmas!
What VSTs do you use? That wet synth sounds so sexy.
Great job!
//K.
Massive and Harmor ;)
and SI - Strings and some other orchestral VST's
An excellent composition, but just as many other composers here on Newgrounds, you deserve way better VSTs... Or maybe just some refinement of the synths you have. The key velocity of the piano should have some more variation, or else it sounds really harsh and repetetive. No biggie, but it's not too hard to fix.
Good job, mate.
//Kabalist.
Nice! I appreciate these reviews. But to be honest, I don't deserve anything. I thought about getting new synths, but I figured I'd stop spending money on libraries until there is a job calling for something specifically. I have enough now that I can mess around with, and I would have just have to spend some time with sounds instead of paying someone else for stuff. Just didn't have time to mess around with sounds for this particular project. Thanks for taking the time.
That staccatto violin/viola in addition to the flute gives me some sort of Runescapey nostralgia.
Some criticism:
I think the tubas deserve a little EQ tweaking, and those sustained violins require some refinement, in my opinion. It sounds like they're stealing space from all the other instruments. I think the best way to fix that would be to give the violins a bunch of attack so that they "rev up" instead of starting immediately. Sounds kind of unnatural.
If that doesn't suit you, you could always check out other violin VSTs. (What software did you use for this song, by the way?)
Maybe I'm just being picky. Those are my thoughts anyways.
Apart from that, you did a WONDERFUL job with the ambience. I get the chills when those pads cut in at the beginning.
Also; I'm not sure, but I think we may have used the exact rain-and-thunder sample from Freesound. It may not be as audible in my song, but you might notice it (http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/574205).
Good job, sire. Hope to hear more great stuff like this in the future. Keep it up.
Faved and followed!
//Kabalist.
Thanks for the feedback! I used the standard Kontakt library for most of the orchestral instruments. It's all I really have access to at the moment. I'd KILL for some more unique VSTs, but I'm happy that I was even able to make something like this at all! =P
We certainly could have used the same rain samples, cause I did get these from Freesound (with some tweaks here and there in Adobe Audition)! ^_^
Thanks for listening, and I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! ♥♥♥
This is really nice! I was kinda bugged out by the "are you ready"-thing. Seems a little overused and old, in my opinion.
It's a nice overall track, but I think the lead deserves to be a little more up front, you know? The bass is kind of draining that synth from time to time.
Apart from that, it's a really nice dance song.
Good job.
//Kabalist.
Thx for the feedback Kabalist :D. Glad you liked it :). I actually think the same thng about the "are you ready" sample, but I was short on good voice samples, and I didn't want to use the ones I've used in like my three latest songs, so I chose that one because I thought it sounded pretty good X3.
As for the lead being drained, I think the main problem is the leveling of the lead actually. I struggled with it quite a bit, and once I thought I liked one volume, I would listen to it the next day and turn it back down X3.
Anyways, thx for the detailed review, and I'm glad you enjoyed the track :).
-Ectisity
Wow, that drum mix is amazing. I'm not in love with the wubbydubbyslubby-part at 1:55. I think the lead synth deserves some more low frequency space. It sounds kind of sharp at the moment.
Very nice overall track, though. I can't wait to have the same amount of mixing skills...
Good job, guys.
//Kabalist.
Hey there!
The drum mix is something I put extra effort into, for this song - I actually took all the low frequencies out of the kick and used the bass instead for the low end. The same bass sound is used to create the wobbles, so there's still some sub in the dubby section. I guess it could use a bit more strength though, that's true. :)
Your mixing is pretty damn good yourself, by the way! I hadn't reviewed it, but your piece Contemporary from the AIM is one of my favorites.
Male
Joined on 2/6/14
Arashi (WIP/Preview) 
Proto Moon 
Colorful Wasteland 
-Zombie Pikachu- VIP 
Swan Lullaby 
Driplets on the Water 
~SW and CS~ Cranial 
