BlastBeats's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Flavour]

If it weren't for the intro, this would probably have become one of my favorite songs in the genre. The first drop transition I think is your best to date, and the drop itself is so well-balanced, and "simple" yet absolutely brutal.

But yeah, the intro is way less polished, quite generic, the synth volumes I think are pretty unbalanced (e.g. bass way too loud and static). The simple act of adding a little filter automation and reducing the loudness for example could already give it so much more life.

[Current Mood]

Yes, it's finished! I've been waiting for this man :D. Love the arrangement and the production of this one!

GobSmacked responds:

thanks a lot!!! :3

[Arcade Rush feat. Ascitend]

Love the main melody a lot! The first transition into the buildup is kinda sudden, but the drop flow really makes up for that. Also, the mix is really tight, maybe a bit too much but that's probably just a matter of taste. But most importantly :the second buildup and drop are just really worth putting on repeat :P Guud frickin' job u both!

GobSmacked responds:

Thanks man, I really appreciate ya! :3 New blastbeat song when btw?

[Crunch]

Well, I guess this song will be stuck in my head for quite some time :P

The transitions between the melodic parts and the drop can be improved on a bit imo (it's almost there though). But seeing how quickly you improve and get more experienced, I'll just shut up and enjoy this new addition to my playlist XD

GobSmacked responds:

ayyy haha thanks for the kind words :DDDD I appreciate ya!!!!!!

[Lose Control [Connected Sounds Release]]

This is some propper dubstep O-o. You've outdone yourself man! I couldn't wait for this release. I find the drop bass could have been given some more bass/grit to make its modulation more apparent. That'd have tied the whole song together just a bit more. Just to give it some extra obvious vibes ;). Hope you make it to the next round!

GobSmacked responds:

ayy thanks man, I appreciate that! Yeah I feel like I overcompressed the growls but I couldnt get it to sound more dynamic idk I messed up there a little haha

[EspiDev - Serene]

Man, I love the synths, and how everything works together as a whole. It feels very light weighted and free-ish if you know what I mean. Musically, I have nothing to criticise. The melodies are fantastic, the chords work really well. The track progesses really nicely!

The mix however can use some work. The reverb on some synths is too much. It starts blending with other synths making the mix blurry. I understand that long reverb decay is of major contribution to the abience, but it should not smother the song. Also, I feel like the snare can get some more love. The kick is mixed in really nicely, but the snare sounds kind of strange. Where the kick is clearly audible, the snare gets overpowered by the rest of the track most of the time. Making the snare stand out more, and balancing the kick-snare combination makes for more solid drums.

The stereo image of the song at some parts (especially the parts with the phaser) just messes with my head a bit. I'm listening on headphones, and the left-right separation is crazy at some parts. The idea is great. It's too overdone in my opinion though.

Last but not least is the master. The overall tonality of the audio is focussed really on the highs. The bass is barely audible if not absent. I'm not going to say anything about the bass being absent though, as I can imagine that was done on purpose. A sub bass however, would have super nice in the background here. Back to the master: it's loud constantly! You should check out the waveform in you DAW. The volume is max except for the parts with very few instruments. Listening carefully to the song, some parts sound quite overcompressed.

Except for the mixing and mastering, the song was amazing. I should emphasise that to assure you I loved every second of it even though I had to pick on the quality a bit. But hey, that criticism makes for a useful review. At least, I hope it's useful :P. Nice work here!

BlastBeats (R4R)

EspiDev responds:

Thanks for the review! Yeah, my mastering wasn't the best, heh.

[Nuka Goo]

I'm usually not one for repetitive drops, but yours are so amazingly well arranged that I just can't stop listening. Poompin drums and a stronk bass, yiss, good frickin' job man! I wouldn't mind seeing this getting featured :P

GobSmacked responds:

ayy thanks man, appreciate ya!!!! :3

[DJ Neat! - Morning]

The only problem I really see with this song is the mix and master. The SFX in the beginning were too loud. The ruble in one sample's bass overpowered the bass in the part directly after it. Speaking of that part, the sub is played too high on some notes. It started to sound like a sine wave rather than a sub. Then the pluck bass comes, and it overpowers the rest of the song. There are too many irregular volume changes in that part. I don't know if that's due to the master, a sidechain or actual automation, but something about it doesn't feel right. The drop also has a sidechain, which is too heavy. This may be a matter of taste, but I think it surpresses the other instruments. A lighter kick and louder/clearer lead is what this drop needs. Apart from the mix, I think the drums are quite plain, and almost generic. Also the drop is quite repetitive.

So... how do you fix the mix? One thing that is quite obvious is using less reverb. Too much reverb kills a mix. I liked the reverb, but a bit less is ok as well. Put some synths in the background. All synths are pretty much in front. Try using some leveling or even stereo imaging for that. EQ your SFX. Make then fit into your mix! Apart from that, I think the real mix issue lies in the mids. Make space for the synths you want to be relatively present in there.

Master: track is really loud all the time. Give your listeners' ears some rest and make the intro and breakdown at least a bit more quiet. Also, if the weird volume changes are a master artefact, then don't squeeze your pre mix into your compressor.

Apart from al the critique, I have to say that the progression is pretty solid, and the synths are of great quality as well. I liked that off note in the melody. It felt odd, but interesting. However, as I said earlier. This style starts to become really generic. It's like House with the standard 4 bar kick, snare build up and pydra snare fills.

I would have tried to add a catchy bassline and hi hats and cymbals, just to make the drums a bit more interesting to listen to. But that's more my taste. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. I'm not hating, just reviewing. Trying to make the R4R great again :P

GGMiXsiMusic responds:

Took me ages to read, gonna take more to apply. I'm on the vacation :P

[On the run]

This is quite good. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with the arrangement. I love the song. The mix can be improved as always. I don't like how far some instruments are panned, that's all.

I want to be helpful with this review, but you're giving me a hard time. Hence, my points may be a bit "nitpicker-ish". I don't know about the overall volume of the song. It's at a constant max (although, that's what it feels like. Also the tension is full on almost 100% of the time. I hear some breaks, but I feel like my ears didn't get that much rest in them. This track can definitely do with some more volume variations, and timbre variations.

My other point was the post processing. As I implied the mix is pretty good. I don't or barely do hear things like reverb. I think that may give your guitars some extra texture.

As I said, I have hard times finding weak points in this song. Hence, I think you did a great job!
By the way, were that blast beats? :P