midimachine's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Jau nupliko Stalino pakaušis]

fantastic songwriting and performance on this. the drum programming is very tight but not robotic. love the vocal tone and layering. overall mix is mostly good but feels a little too dense in the low-mid - i think it's the bottom layer of rhythm guitars and the main vocal especially that need a little more of that 150-400hz cut out of them to make space for the bass guitar to push through under the kick & snare.

with the big vocal layers at the end, if you do lots of takes around a mid-side mic setup and stand in a different part of your room for each you can get a much thicker & more believable choir sound - the current sound is already quite good though. really great stuff!

[Suddenly Came Brightness]

good blend of textures and synthesis styles with the orchestral instruments, with some nice dynamic movement and progression. the tension & release is quite good despite some of the "drops" lacking in their impact. some of the orchestral elements in the middle have a strange midrange boost applied which i don't really like, and i think the piece takes a little too long to build up and needs some more harmonic movement to keep it interesting.

GeminiGemini responds:

Thanks for the review.:)

[Legends of the Black Sea]

cool, fun composition with great dynamics and progression. the quieter sections are especially interesting and i love that you took extra care to flesh them out more. the drums sound really weird though! the overall software instrument quality is quite good but the drums sound really dry and mechanical and don't fit in at all imo. the guitar solo at the end feels a little fake too but the brass unison sells it for me and feels really nice.

[(NGUAC '23 KO Round) The Misadventures of a Hardcore Punk Guy Into Math Rock]

yea this just really kicks ass. really enjoy the way you write the harmonised guitar leads! i think the intro section is twice as long as it needs to be - i'd play the fill at 0:22 at 0:12 instead of repeating the opening 5/4 riff and also cut the repeat of the following section.

the quiet guitars in the middle don't sound as clean as they could - like the amp was turned down and the mic preamp was turned up? little bit too much reverb on the lead & extra rhythm part in the ending too imo. otherwise this is really fantastic.

[I Wll Remember]

nice little tune using its simple instrumentation very well. cute vocal idea, really like how the synth choices fit with the vocal tone. would be good to highpass filter the vocals some more to smooth out the low-end pops in some words and help them sit into the mix more subtly as they're too forward for my liking currently. there's a kinda weird washy feeling to the mix/master, like the drums are too far away or something? idk!

[BASCUTI - STAR DANCER]

lots of cool ideas in this. the guitar, electric bass, and drums all sound really fantastic! i don't really like way the simplistic electronic elements in the beginning and middle compare to them, and the sawtooth lead at 3:21 is very harsh. the track is really missing a proper breakdown/quieter section - the bridge w/ the more electronic drums feels louder and just as full as everything else, which defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.

the track is also missing a compelling melodic theme and doesn't have much variation in it's chord progression, and sadly ends up feeling boring to me despite how exciting the overall production quality is.

[Lost Memories]

really enjoyed the post-stadium-rock kinda atmosphere in this. i think the trancey supersaw lead synth feels tacky compared to the other instruments and the leads it plays don't feel very compelling as a main theme. the guitars kinda wash over everything and it feels like the mix is too dense coming into the master comp/limiter, taking a lot of impact out of the drums and causing different guitars to fight each other for space. really this wants vocals or something to really finish it out as a composition.

[Divide]

i really liked the varied sound design within the sections. the pretty ambient intro and dirty uk bassline vibes come together surprisingly well and you tie them together nicely coming into the breakdown.

mix/master is great and doesn't sound rushed, but really needs a lot more variation between the 1st and 2nd bassline sections and a more thoughtful ending (appreciate the 2nd drop though).

D4W1LL13 responds:

sorry for the late response. thanks for listening! I will consider your thoughts for next time!

[jazzy sunday]

the lofi perfection in the intro gives way to some of the funkiest future bass infused boom bap i've ever heard. i think it'd be nice to have more open space without the underlying chords in parts, especially when transitioning into that juicy warm squarewave lead.

the master feels very tight and punchy with lots of air and space, although i think it's a little heavy with bass and low-mids overall - maybe highpass the epiano chords more once the kick and funky bass come in. also make a real ending for the song!

[Cobblestone Cliffs & Errant Appetites]

gorgeous instrumentation & very effective musical storytelling! love how the piano and strings all feel like they inhabit the same space, would be cool to keep the horns down a little during the fluttery harp & glockenspiel parts to keep these parts airy and light for contrast

i also would like more broad dynamic variation within sections to make the musical storytelling even more effective - could be a mix/master issue rather than composition though.

Cresince responds:

You're right, the dynamics could have used more love. I'll keep that in mind for my more intimate songs like this one!