Marks-a-lot's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[MH16: Take A Seat]

Hmmm...

This song isn't to bad, I don't why I'm not enjoying this as much as your other stuff...I must not feel well. I am definitely starting to memorize your style of progressions though, which might be the reason why I don't feel to surprised when I hear this piece. A lot of elements are the same, the same drum samples (just a little fx and filter work on fills and what not could totally remake the song.) Those samples are undeniably good though, so I have nothing against that, just try unique'ing them more...I guess?

Something that I noticed first time around that really scared me was the static in the intro and at points throughout the song. I hope to everything holy that my speakers aren't blown or something, and I hope that it is clippings or something coming from your song. If that is the case you can always just turn down the volume or use some compressors/limiters, no big deal just a simple quick fix. I say this all the time but I will say it again, let your listeners be the ones to turn up the volume. Don't ruin your song's quality by turning the volume way up. A little short but overall this was an enjoyable piece. I just wasn't feeling this one and I blame that on myself for listening to too much hardcore music [hangs my head in shame] Hopefully I will be better soon and equiped with a more attentive ear. Nice job none the less, try encorporating different progression style and working with different tempos, you might be able to get some different feels of classical music.

5/5
-[V]-

FairSquare responds:

Thanks for the review!
You really give a lot of good advice and i'll work on everything you said. Not in this track though, this one is closed for any further editing :P
Once again, thanks for the review!

[~-Acid Time-~]

Great Job!

got some nice acid lines, which is what I am going to focus my attention on. I think that the acid line that comes in around 1:07 is a bit low. The drums come with time so don't worry about that. nice job on this though. just keep workin' on stuff and playin around with FX and making sounds. Think outside of the box and just cut loose I'm sure you'll have some tight music in no time!

5/5
-[V]-

Cecil-Sayataki responds:

Thank you for the review. After listening again, I think the Acid that you were talking about could have been a bit higher.

[MH16: Battle Within]

Mikey! He likes it!

Dude it sounds like you have it. For a first try to that's pretty nice, You even have the calyx and teebee rhythm on the snare rim hits. Now with drum and bass obviously you want to nice bass and for your first attempt that bass isn't all that bad. You can chop of some drums and mess around with fx to get some awesome DnB sounds too. Just chop fool around with the time multiplicator and loads and loads of effects and automations to get some awesome DnB songs. Usually there aren't leads like that in Drum and Bass but I always put leads in my drum and bass. If you can't make the crazy 'wub' lines on the bass then you usually have to resort to something else that can catch attention, I like that lead though. You are going to want to use a thinner hi-hat, that one is a bit wide for dnb unless you are going for a more sloppy dnb feel. Don't be afraid to use different hi hats either, try to pick out some really tight hi hats and some mid hats. Gotta have rides too, that is a big one in DnB. think realistically when making those drums you know that every hit on the hat isn't going to be the same volume and that some hits on the snare are going to be lighter then others so show that, it's is just the little sub conscious things like that that make or break the song.

So recap; more FX on the drums, tighten up that hi hat, vary your hi hats, and just keep toying around with the drum samples (chop them up, put fx all over them, just mess them up.) An excellent start to your new genre. It definitely sounds like you have a good ear for music and good for all kinds of genres. Keep up the good work!

5/5
-[V]-

I hear that you are going to be doing a co-lab with YouriX or something like that? Co-labs are the best way to learn new genres, actually dealing with the song in your own hands helps A LOT. aight well see you around.

FairSquare responds:

Calyx and teebee? Never heard of him/them :P
I'll change the hi-hat, i think i have a very good sample for that and i'll use some rides. Oh, and this isn't my new genre, i'm just trying some stuff out. I'm not saying that i'm never going to make another DnB song, i'm just saying that i'm not going to make DnB my prominent genre :P
And how do you know about that co-lab with YouriX? I actually just made a melody for him and he uses that in a song :P
Well, thanks for the review. It's really appreciated! :D

[Sonic & Knuckles-Invincibility]

Damn...

This is pretty chaotic. this chippy arps are going to explode my mind. Some nice spacey leads and a nice acid bass line. there aren't much bad things to say about this track. just a little mastering and maybe make it a little longer. Keep goin!

NKAT responds:

Thanks man. Agreed on all parts of your review. It is unrefined, needs "channeled" chaos, remastering for sure. I figure you know this is a rough cut, but it is entertaining as is. Thanks for the review. Go Sonic!

[Good To See you Again]

Awesome...

It has been a while since I heard the actual song. yet another great use to the most sampled piece of music ever created. Great job and keep up the good work.

NKAT responds:

I wanted to point out the obvious,....that this beat is amazing, universal, genre-transcending unstoppable, wanted to be very blunt about it. Respect Marks?Mark

[{ANT} - Inside the Madnes]

YES!

This is awesome, gotta love people's old music. I like the vocal sample, lol, I wish this was longer though. It only gave me enough time to trash half my rooms with bone shattering kicks...Nice job anyway.

5/5
-[V]-

Anth0n responds:

Very true, I like my own old music. As for song length, I tend to make short songs, mainly because I run out of ideas after awhile.

[{ANT} - Wild Bytes]

Hmm Not Too Bad

I lied your most recent song a little more but that feel is still there. i like your chippy sounds. I have a recommendation for you as well, on my page there is a link to a song called "I'm Yours" by a man named BroderKubric you should check that out. He has some sick riffs in that song and it is a bit chippy too. This song kind of reminds me of some arcade games like battle toads, damn, you got some sweet sounds in this song. keep up the good work!

5/5
-[V]-

Anth0n responds:

Thanks for review!

[{ANT} - Jungle Voltage]

Nice!

wow I love the progressions to this song! I find the production quality to be a just average but I am loving the ingenuity and original feel of this track. It's SOoooo VG, I can see this in a game for sure. That popping synth sounds awesome! and like I said before the progressions are awesome. I thought the transition around 1:31 was a little awkward but the song as a whole was pretty friggin sweet! now that I have reviewed this I can link back to you and listen to this bad ass submission when I get a chance. Imma go check out some of your other stuff and just to let you know, this song set the standard.

5/5
-[V]-

Anth0n responds:

Thanks for such positive feedback!

You're right, production quality is average, that's something I've been needing to work on (but putting off) for three years now (which is when I started using FL Studio).

I agree that the one transition you referred to is a little awkward. I probably could have figured something else out if I wasn't as lazy.

[SR - Waiting]

zzzzzzzzzzzz...

yea, it's 4:30 in the morning and this song is definitely not helping me fight my drowsiness, which is a great thing. Wonderful minimal track you got here, I think some high frequency 'pluck' type synths with mega re verb and delay really quietly in the background would make this even more better. The high gate type thing the gives almost the same effect though. sounds really nice, chill. I could definitely see this as background music for a movie or tv show. I'm a big fan of your stuff, and you never let down. great job!

5/5 nap time...
-[V]-

SineRider responds:

Yes, a good song for sleeping to :)
hm, a plucky type synth would work good. This song could use something in the high range. I'll see what I can do with it.
Thanks for the review man :)

[MH16: Racing The Sun]

Here's What I Got...

Although I found the song's progressions and structure spot on I felt the the voice of that guitar to be quite off at times. Not to say it doesn't sound good...It just doesn't sound to realistic i guess is the term that I am looking for. but I really liked the guitar effect that you started up at around 1:40 or so. lol, that one kid said it was a saxophone. Don't listen to that kid either, you can make general rock songs. I think it is actually better to write in multiple genres, it gives you different perspectives and ways to write and approach your music. The drums sounded pretty good, I can't really get my opinion right now though because it is like 4:15 in the morning where I am and I don't want to turn up the volume, but I listened to this earlier. I think that this title definitely suits the music and style. I would almost post this in the video game genre. Hmmm, lets see how could we make that distorted guitar sound more realistic...what did you use first of all to write the guitar? If it was fl slayer you are going to have a tough time making a realistic guitar, not to say it can't be done be it would be very hard to get a good guitar sound in there. You are probably going to want to add a little more sustain and release to make it sound better and a cut for when you have the "chicki-chicki" palm mute things. A shit load of FX helps too, the acoustic guitar doesn't sound half bad though! Nice job with that. I can hear the bass fine, another thing that vishnunamboodiripad obviously can't hear correctly. damn! I don't know if there is a pad but some pads would add a lot to this song (my volume is to low to pick up the pads if there are any, sorry.) Well, you certainly have come a long way since the first time I reviewed one of your songs. I think that your sound production needs to get better for this genre, but both of us know that when it comes to classical you pretty much have everything in the bag. great job and keep up the good work!

5/5 And I'm spent,
-[V]-

FairSquare responds:

Well, i used Nexus for the guitar.
And i'm really happy that you liked the structure of the song, because that is what i'm trying to work on and chord progressions too.
Oh, and a question to you, why are you awake at 4:15 in the morning? :P
Thanks for the advices in this review and thanks for the review overall. I really appreciate it :-)

MH16