SlashBolt1's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[Electro] Detention (feat. Steklo)]

Basic over view of this piece:
Vocals: Great
Music Itself: Decent, definitely catchy in come spots.
Intro: Way too quiet, quite bland as well
Build Up: Lacks something, can't tell what specifically
Chorus: Same as Build Up
Vocals + Music: Not trying to be mean, but the only spot where it fits even remotely is the chorus. Even then, the vocals are slightly off-beat. Just the way that the entire piece is structured with the vocals doesn't sound right at all, most notably the Build-up, but also the verses. Do work on that, as I find that this piece could have has so much more.

- SlashDaUmbreon (Shadowscape)
Founder of RisingDawn Sounds

[[Dubstep] Are You Listening (feat. WithoutMyArmor)]

Amazing Vocal work and tuning, that's what I'm most impressed about. ^-^ Only reasons why this is a 4/5 are the mastering and drops.
Mastering on the track is a little wonky. Drop at times is a little loud, and vocals are sometimes drowned out.
The drop itself is very bland for melodic dubstep. It needed something under it, like some sort chords and a bassline.
Otherwise, amazing piece. ^-^

[Origin]

Well worth listening to! Atmosphere for the song is well done and encompasses the name and feeling well. It has a good transition from a calm song into a dance beat that flows naturally. Nothing I can really say about mixing aside from slight tweaks to the bassline. Only other things I'd change is the repetitive nature of the vocal clip and the ending. Though a well-made clip, a little variation would have helped the piece out. Still nice anyway. And just for personal taste, the ending is a bit abrupt. Maybe a short cooldown transition into the ending would have been better. Keep up the great work! ^-^
- SlahDaUmbreon (Shadowscape)
Founder of RisingDawnSounds

[Nature Of Your Reality - TAGPilot101YT]

The song is laid out nicely and sounds good, but the mastering and fx on instruments is way out of whack in may sections, especially the drops and voice clips. Solid 2.5-3 from me, as this is quite important for a song. ^-^

- SlashDaUmbreon (Shadowscape)
Founder of RisingDawnSounds

[IVIVARELUS-COLACAO]

Oh jeez, the song is great, just 2 things I noticed. Song lacks a bit in the down-sections (not that big of a deal) and the voice chops could use a bit more fx on them. ^-^

QuartzoneTunes responds:

Thank you so much for reviewing!!! I will keep your comment in mind and will use it to improve on future songs!

[[Big Room House] Trumpets]

Being big room house this song needs to flow well together, while still having a completely different drop then the rest. While you managed to do so, it was executed very poorly. Sorry if this seems like I'm being mean or anything, but I'm only trying to help. By giving you what I see and hear

1. Cymbals during the starting sequences and verses are either way too quiet or way too loud. Needs to be fixed. (Startup: 3/5)

2. Main verses have nothing but a very electronic-sounding lead/bass (can I even call it a true bass? its more like alto/tenor chords) and a very upbeat drum kit. This was missing quite a bit to it, as the verse is where the song is supposed to sound full, yet it fails to do with only these 2 elements. Maybe a more traditional base added onto it or some other pads behind it distant from the electronic chords. (Verse: 2.5/5)

3. Transition from the verses/buildup to the drop is decent, no real problems specifically with this area. (Buildup: 4.5/5)

4. For it being "Trumpets", could use a more trumpet-like instrument in the drop, though what you have isn't as bad as it could be. The kick isn't bad either. The big problem lies in the difference from the versus and the drop. It goes straight from tiny electronic sequences into a large open sequences with a very open sounding "trumpet" and a completely different tone and key. It does not blend well together at all, leaving too much of a gap. (Drop: 2.5-3/5) (Transitions: 1/5)

5. Bridge suffers from similar problems as the verse, but it is slightly more full. On the other hand, other things are traded off, as an even heavier lack of bass, and the pauses (though alright) make it sound less full than it should without anything else there to help fill it (like a bass). Percussion also doesn't fit well with this section overall very well. (Bridge: 1.5-2/5)

6. Ending ends on a massive cliffhanger, no fadeout, no percussion aside from a final cymbal, and is just a repeat of the verses throughout the song. Not a very ideal way to end a song when you are ending it on a cliffhanging loop. (Ending: 1/5)

Final Score: 1.5-2/5 Way too many major spots that need to be improved, though good attempt. Some great ideas are in the song. keep working at it.

- SlashDaUmbreon (AKA Shadowscape)
Founder of RisingDawnSounds

[Quasars]

Great piece overall! I love listening to more calm pieces with nice atmosphere to them.

Progression is nice, especially with the chord arps you happen to use for them, probably my favorite part of the piece if the beginning because of that specific aspect. Just sounds really nice alone and slowly layering in.

The almost cybernetic swoops throughout the piece are a good addition to the song, though I feel like they could have been used a bit better. They each have a pulse-like aspect to them that takes away from the chords and even the lead which pulls me from the song. Otherwise maybe soften their hits up a bit and put them a little more frequently?

The lead... probably by biggest peeve about this song. Sounds really nice with the chords themselves, instrument choice is on point. What bugs me is that half of the notes are dissonant with the chords. In a calm atmospheric song, dissonance isn't what you want, as it takes away from the calm aspect. But when the lead did match the chords, oml it sounded amazing. Other little bit is the abrupt start/ending for the lead. Just a bit choppy on both ends.

The ending is also a bit bland. Yes, I like the chords a ton, but just a progression without changing the amount of chords in and out with layering it seems bland for the amount of time it was alone. The ending was also a little bit abrupt, especially with it ending with a cyber swoop. The last swoop isn't needed, and the chords could have faded out a bit better. Just things for the future.

Oh... my guess for the time signature too... 6/4 or 12/8 (My gut says 12/8, but could be either :3)

Hope my insights help! ^-^

- SlashDaUmbreon AKA Shasowscape

TeraVex responds:

Thanks for the feedback my man! The dissonance was intentional, as it's supposed to emphasize the grandiose, intimidating nature of space. I knew going in that some may not like it, and it's good you told me you didn't, I'll try to make it a little more approachable for all ears whenever I do a piece with a lot of dissonance. (Also, your PM with your corrected answer was correct! I felt like seeing if anyone could pick up on it!)

[[Deep House] Drop It!]

Great piece, I just have a few nit-picky spots I can see for improvement.

1. The tremolo chords at 00:29 are a bit much. It doesn't completely with the pulsing chords or the lead when percussion-less, and overpowers the lead in volume by WAY too much.

2. (Personal preference) I wish the lead came in earlier on the first drop and stayed longer on both drops.

3. (Personal preference) I wish the break down was more gradual with the bass-line rather than a direct cut.

4. Bass and chords overpower the lead throughout the song. Mixing and mastering could help a ton. Percussion does the same, but on a lesser scale.

5. Ending cymbals are unneeded. The bass could just end with an echo and all would be fine.

6. The bass solo is unneeded at 1:28. Could be a bass/tremolo chords duet or a bass variant ending with the chords as well, but alone just sounds awkward.

7. Your crashes were extremely quiet most of the time. Again, mixing and mastering could help there.

8. Speaking of percussion, the hi-hats during the drop (while good) may have been a tiny bit overboard. Not sure if it was the volume or the amount tht they were present, but something didn't seem right.

Otherwise, the piece sounds great (especially the Lead :3 ). Keep working on it!

- Shadowscape/SlashDaUmbreon
Founder of RisingDawnSounds

[[Dubstep] Firewood VIP]

Now THIS is a good electro/dubstep song. Drop goes along with the melody and ket beforehand, and nothing seems completely random. A few transitions are a little sloppy and I with that main lead before the first drop was in the song more, but other than that, I don't see any problems. Great work!

LaxLewis-579 responds:

lol thx

[[Drumstep] The Joker]

I know I may be judging this heavily, but it's for good reason. The song itself isn't that bad, but it's lacking in the verses a bit. Melody and chords are fine, but it needs something a bit more, and percussion within the verses has mastering a bit off. Along with that, the drop is the big killer, and I mean literally. Everything that comes out of the drop completely kills the entire mood that the rest of the song gives, and even then the drop is just tons of random sounds. No backup chords to help it, not even a baseline. Just the odd electro-saw, kick, snare, and hi-hat. The sound doesn't even match well melodically with the rest of the song, never mind the huge departure from the song it is in terms of sound and volume. It just kills the song way too much for me. It had so much potential, and then the drops made me lose all of it.

Ideas on Improving:
1. Better mastering for percussion in verses/buildups
2. Change the drop saw (Not too much, just enough to make sense in this kind of song)
3. Add more to the drop, such as bassline, chords, even a lead to place in the rests made by the big saw and laughing (which the laughing was a nice touch)
4. End of buildup ("Are you ready *scream*") - Change to it fits a bit smoother, or just change to more laughter (again, I love the laughter used in this track)
5. End of drop (laughter section) - have it blend into the next verse

Final Rating: 2/5

- Shadowscape, AKA SlashDaUmbreon