PIED3's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Corey McJamz]

I like the intro and I like how you have a sort of faux starting of the piece at 0:18 and then really kick things of at 0:27. The guitar that enters at 0:35 however sounds a little out of tune to me, might just be the choice of notes and the playing but it sounds pretty dissonant. The mixing is interesting, everything sounds very clear but the placing of instruments seems to switch around a lot. At times the drums are too quiet but at times too loud.
You can certainly tell it was improvised because the melodies are all a bit random and few seem to lead anywhere plus the playing is sloppy. The instrumentation is nice and full which i like but at times it seems a little crowded, again, that might just be the mixing. Nice chill atmosphere and interesting enough to keep me entertained for the full 5 minutes. Interesting ending.
In fact I sort of wish there had been more breakdowns and reversing/glitching throughout the piece. The structure is a little flat between the intro and outro. I think if you planned a piece out you could create something really great. Enjoyable regardless!

piggemz responds:

lol yess i forgot to mention, but now i'll add it, his guitar was out of tune by like a quarter tone or something, i had to pitch down the keyboard, but i dont think it was totally in tune... but yeah, this was a rushed project, and i just tried to make the guitars as loud as possible, so the other instruments' volumes changed consequentially. Thanks a lot pal, very kind wordzzz

[#1 At The Subway Station]

The first thing I notice is the very poor recording quality. I'm all for lo-fi but this is clipping and muffled and difficult to listen to. I quite like the actual composition, even if it sounds a little improvised (is it?) It's the sort of thing I like to play in those (now rare) moments I mess around on the piano, so it has a certain charm to me. It feels quite segmented, transitions are all very swift or non-existant. I think you could do with some melody lines in there as well. A little fewer apreggios and chords and more plonkity-plonk. The atmosphere is quite nice and it moves around a lot, plenty of variation (at least in terms of mood). Keep at it!

MiSFiTT responds:

Yes, this piece is an improvisation. Do you have any tips for better quality? I record on audacity using a mac os. Any advice would be really appreciated and thanks for your observations on the piece. I'll keep them in mind as I move forward with my piano-playing.

Besides my mom talking in the background I didn't think the AQ was that poor!! X_X

[Every fall]

This piece has a sort of lenitive timbre; your humming is warm; your talking is calm and reassuring. I really like the instrumentation at the start but i feel it gets progressively worse. The drums are okay but a little loud and a little tedious. Your voice is too quiet! I can't hear what you are saying without straining, and even then i'm missing words. You should also post the words in the author comments so people can read along. I dislike the strings very much, they're maudlin and screechy. The mixing in general is pretty bad but i like the melodies and i really like the concept.

Euclasy responds:

Great review, thanks!
You point out the most important, I really need to learn about mixing.

[|.{Time's End}.|]

Strangely disconcerting. The throbbing of the string synths is interesting, is that side-chaining with the bass drum? It puts me slightly on edge to listen to and whilst i'm sure it's supposed to be ominous - i almost want to turn it off. Then again i don't tend to listen to music like this, i prefer comforting sounds. I can imagine it fitting very well in a game or a flash though. That laugh is certainly very creepy. It progresses nicely and the changing instrumentation stops it from feeling repetitive. Good stuff!

DarkstyleProductions responds:

Well, I don't really think it is Side-Chaining to be exact, just difference in volume. It is ominous, as if Time itself is ending or frozen within.

And thank you for the kind words. :D - I aim to please!

~Neos

[Boxcar(unfinished&awful)]

Nice to hear a new song from you! I really like your voice and singing style even if this recording is just a rough sketch. The mix is pretty sloppy and sounds far too crowded. I can't hear all the lyrics and it'd be nice if you included them in the author comments. I think the drums add a nice urgency to the song and compliment your singing style. All in all a messy but fun listen!

Skunk92 responds:

Thanks for the input bud. This was kind of in the never show anyone vault, but I started listening to it again and felt that even though it is quite shitty there are a lot of good things going on within the song. This was the last song I tried recording before I left for basic training, so it was never completed. Maybe someday I will refine it, but I thought some of the people that do enjoy my music would liked to hear this version.

[The Joy Of Music]

Very fun! Interesting instrumentation with a whimsical dissonance between melodies. I didn't like the drums because they felt a bit heavy for the levity of the rest of the piece: too marching and weighty. The song progresses nicely and i like where it goes though the outro seems a little empty. A lonely piano.
Still, fun and innovative i thought!

Carr77 responds:

Thanks, I really appreciate your comment :)

[The Unknown Void]

Bad title (it's vacuous and trite) but i actually quite liked the piece. The ominous bass drone that runs through sits in nice contrast to the echoing melody synth. I love the sound at 1:10; it conjures up images of deep caves and slow moving spaceships. In fact the whole piece certainly does a good job capturing that sci-fi feel. The song structure is suitably wandering and i like songs that feel like an exploration. I don't really know much about the genre so i don't have much advice to give beyond perhaps leading in to some more rhythmic sections with drums &c. before drifting back into expansive reverby exploration.

[Eb - Afternoon]

Very mellow. NIce calming beats and a chilled chord progression. However i think the panning of the synth piano (?) is a bit much and damages the mix. It's too far out and spreads the song to wide. I'd prefer a warmer narrower focus. The bass is nice and it certainly has a good mood to it, very much like a sunny afternoon.

howlen responds:

Thanks for the review!

[I'm a Ghost man]

I don't think you should sing louder just up the volume on the singing track. I like your singing style and whilst the recording quality isn't great it has a certain lo-fi charm to it. Definitely needs to be mixed better though. The drums are quite fun and i like the xylophone (?) in the background. Posting the lyrics in the author comments would be helpful and it'd give you something more to say than "FLERKTMGF..."!
Keep at it!

Jackssauro responds:

Alright, thanks. I'll post the lyrics, lol.