midimachine's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dust Sweeper]

the drums are so boooomy and don't have enough dynamic variation
vocals are kinda dark and don't sit high enough in the mix imo
i really like the composition though - this could be a dream theater demo maybe? :v

LunacyEcho responds:

=> drums =>

Haha, johnfn said the same thing! Problem is, I'm using a Logic preset here, and I still haven't found a way to adjust the reverb (or other similar settings) on the drumset, but I'll be sure to keep looking.

=> vocals =>

Aw man, if you think the vocals would sound better if they were more high-pitched, do I have a remake of this song for you: https://instaud.io/15I7

=> composition =>

Ooh, Dream Theater was definitely one of the biggest influences of this track. Great to see it's reminiscent of them!

Thanks for the comment, midi, and good luck in the competition! :)

[Endowment]

i really wanna like this one more but the drum mixing and sound selection in the electronic sections is kinda weak and sucks a lot of the life out of the energetic drum composition. there's also a lot of noodling and dead space - i keep losing interest mid way through each of these sections because the sound design isn't really all that exciting and the main themes aren't compelling enough to make up for it

the orchestral parts are really good and are well mixed within themselves (they feel very disconnected from the other sections mix-wise imo), honestly i think you could've produced a much stronger work without the divergence into pendulum worship electronic sections.

the way that snare roll sample cuts out without zero crossing is horrendous though, step it up yo :P

EctiBot responds:

I think I've never agreed with a review as much as I did with this one XD. I was planning on fixing the small issues like sample cuts, coherence throughout the track, but I had to travel and didn't bring my pc. I was originally uploading this to get feedback on what I should improve, but it ended up being my final submission.

[After the Rain]

damn that first key change was doooooope - breakdown came in a bit early imo but the 2nd drop is so niiiiice. really good vox, watch those plosives tho! i like the kick and snare sounds, the hihat is nice too but i really need moooooore percs. like other than the cool glitchy noises n stuff. shakers, rides, toms etc. - i appreciate the space it gives to let the hyperanimated synth filters breathe but there are sections and transitions which seem like they should be climactic but feel kinda empty!

eventually it got a little too noodly and i lost interest ~2:30 lol
that's not to say that the rest was bad, it just kinda felt like more of the same? like there wasn't really a climactic energy going into that last section for me, second key change feels kinda abrupt and i wasn't really diggin the last few solos. this piece likes to switch gears a lot, so there are probably a couple of 16 bar sections after the breakdown you could take right out to make the structure tighter and make the changes more *meaningful*. it probably wouldn't even matter which parts you took out tbh.

ending lead is really nice! that lead + epiano for chords + highpassed vox like from 2:51 (in the right key tho) = perfect ending for this track imo.

anyway the mix is hella tight apart from the vocal plosives and the melodies and chord progressions are really great on their own and i'm only really disappointed by the kinda lacking drum work and unfocused structure in the 2nd half. gooooood shit!

johnfn responds:

ty for the kool review midi

i thought someone was going to complain about those plosives. uh i dont have a good excuse i left them in because they make a neat sort of rhythmic tick on my laptop speakers with the drums lol

i basically agree with most of your complaints we just ran out of time lol o well

[Slowing Down]

fuuuuck your mixing has improved so much the last few years. i really want the vocals to sit a bit louder in the mix and maybe hit the compressor a bit harder though

i *really* don't like the off kilter rhythmic shifts in the middle of the choruses - it doesn't really complement the rest of the track in any way and seems like a total afterthought. in this kind of a track i feel like pulling the downbeat into the last step of the previous bar (e.g. 0m56s) is acceptable if you do it once in a section. it also makes sense in that last chorus because it's already been preceded by a skipping effect out of the breakdown. but it's jarring if it keeps happening and if it happens on beats that aren't the downbeat. the chorus is the most important part of your song and you shouldn't ruin it by immediately subverting it!

BUT yeaaaa. i love the festival breakdown. shit's dope. the crowd chant is A+, actually there's fantastic use of different sized reverbs throughout the track. this whole track is fuckin' amazing and i'm so sad that the choruses do that janky rhythmic thing cause otherwise i could listen to this for DAYS.

garlagan responds:

niice. appreciate the feedback midi!
fucking with downbeats is too fun to be consciously avoiding it tho

[Shadow Steps]

this is neat! the heavy amens give this track a bit of a different feel to a lot of neuro i've listened to but i really like em. actually this track is really good at riding that edge between moody and just too fucking heavy. the second roller gave me hella current value vibes. so nice.

i do think the intro and rollers could be a lot shorter (like, 16/24 bars off of each i think) - i mean it's dj friendly and that's fine but i think it pays to "radio edit" your tracks a bit for NGADM's sake.
drums don't cut through over the reese enough - especially the kick. i think the reese just rips a bit too hard haha

good shit!

DEM0NW0LF responds:

Thanks midi ! Part of the challenge in making this one was trying to nail a good 64 bar drop (well, two of them) so cutting the length down wouldn't feel right, you know ?

Anyway, I'm glad you like it !

[Kytoon - Magnifying Glass]

woulda liked a less dark piano sound (maybe a rhodes for that smooooooth tone?)
there are some points where there's like one too many melodies playing at once (e.g. ~0m49s)
also woulda been good to pull back on the drums and go with some smoother, softer percs @ 0m59 until 1m17 when that piano melody comes back in, just to carve some more overall dynamics in and emphasize the differences between the sections.

overall this track is dope and makes me feel *good*, perfect length too. solid.

GhostLawyer responds:

Thanks man! Fair points, especially about the flurry of melodies during the main sections. A notorious problem of mine.

[Far Light]

dem polyrhythms <3
so much good filter movement in this - love how the little clicky sound morphs into that fat 5/16 synth pattern.

gonna have to upload radio edits for NGADM tho lol :v

Sequenced responds:

marry me

[Bells]

gooooooood shit - love the way the bass bends and wobbles and how it bounces around the octaves. slow attack on the hihats is dope - liking how they pan about too. lots of cool little percussive elements, mostly well balanced! the main hook is neat, that synth brass in the interlude is fuckin dope though. need more of that in me :v the way you play with the wet mix on the bell reverb is a nice touch, and the little fills and extra percs in the transitions are priiiiiimo.

i think that stompy layer over the kick is probably too wide and loud and sounds kinda dumb especially when it starts playing counter-rhythms in the 2nd half, but it's not a bad sound on it's own. funnily enough the main section has about the same overall energy as the interlude, despite how loud that sound is - i think you could've held off on the bass during the interlude to maybe differentiate it more in terms of energy.

but yea, this is really tight! gl w/ school, hope you get a chance to smash out some more bangers like this

HaydeMusic responds:

Thanks for the review your comment have been noted.

Listening to it now, the interlude does seem a little heavy.

I'll try to get to producing again now that school is almost done.