PIED3's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Alladin`s dream]

I almost thought it was a real orchestra until the strings came in! But that was mainly because it sounded a little dampened like might happen with a live recording. So i think the synths were a little lacking, the drums were nice but the strings had too fast and smooth an attack. I'm not sure what software you're using or if it'd be possible but varying the speed of the instruments attack at different parts could help make it sound more natural.
However i think the main element of this piece is the composition. Which i really liked! Lot's of interesting melodies that really captured an "Aladdin" feel. I liked the variation of monophony and polyphony and the chords that sort of broke off into melodies. I loved the part at 0:58 with the wind instrument and the metallic sounding percussion, very magical and enigmatic.
So all in all i really did enjoy the piece though i felt it was rather let down on the technical side by dodgey synths and bad mixing.

Shredator responds:

Thanks, i really appreciate this! I know almost nothing about mixing and how the synths work, just year playing in real orchestra and in orchestration. I need some book on technicall side.

[Chord Song]

Heh, at least it wasn't the unendurable I VI IV V. I don't think 4 chord patterns repeated over and over every really sound very good and especially not in something purporting to be classical music. All the sounds were very crisp and clean so that was nice, the piano did sound a little artificial but it wasn't terrible. I liked the string instruments timbre. The drums were almost an anachronism when placed with the other instruments, far too heavy and synthesized sounding. In all honesty i don't think there were even necessary, in replace of them i think a more varied song structure and clearer progression would have enhanced the song.
Now i don't want to criticize this too much because you said you made it in an hour so obviously it's not going to be a masterpiece. That said perhaps music made in an hour is best left of the portal? I suppose it's a nice enough piece despite it's simplicities and flaws, i can imagine someone using it for a jolly scene in a flash. Good luck with future work!

TheeCoffee responds:

xD thanks. This song make me Relax :)

[last_breath]

Brilliant! Did you use samples or record the sounds yourself? Regardless i really liked the echoing drips and drops of what sounded like some damp cave being trudged through. The synths i liked a little less, they were interesting at first but it would have been nice if they'd gone into some melodies or harmonies or something beyond drones. The fact they remained fairly static damaged the song structure for me. It felt like it didn't really go anywhere, and ended abruptly rather than conclusively.
Definitely an interesting piece and one that intices me to go listen to your others. Cool stuff!

Zump responds:

Don't let anything I have made or anything I will make anywhere near your eardrums. I hope this message hasn't arrived too late.

[All The Lights Went Out]

Broad! Spanning! Cavernous! I really liked the huge reverb echo equalization aspects of this. When the singing came in at 0:37 i was just blown away by how great it sounded. Definitely one that needs to be played at full volume with some good headphones. The song structure was a little repetitive but it all sounded so grand that i had a hard time getting bored. The drums were very forceful and thumping so i liked them too. In fact there's nothing i didn't like about this song. Really nice singing style, reminds me of David E. Williams. All the instruments sounded very clear and powerful and the production quality overall was very proffesional. Downloaded and 5'd. Definitely a favourite!

KillTheTrucker responds:

Waw thanks man :D
You really made my day with this comment!
And finally someone who says more than just 'yea, it's good' or 'nah, don't like it'.

Thanks, really!

Cheers,
KTT

[[SB] Grown Up]

Very relaxing. Really had me in a good spaced-out kinda mood. That crazy synth at 1:24 was very shocking, i thought it was someone singing at first! But once it began it's melody i fell in love. Very cool sounding! The song had lots of different elements and they all came in at nice times and worked well together. So i think the structure was great! All the melodies were haunting and melancholic. I could very easily imagine it being used in a film or animation. It has a poignant and dramatic feel, made me think of nighttime in a foreign country. Great work!

StrongBaby responds:

Thank you ^.^ I'm so glad you enjoyed listening to it.

[SmK & SJD-Give A Lil Love]

Huh, i didn't know SJD could sing. The first thing that hit me with the song was the great production quality. It all just sounded really proffesional, lots of nice EQing and mixing in general i thought. The parts with SJD rapping were a little quite though, the telephone effect made the words a little hard to hear, it would have been fine if it'd just been a bit more subtle. The singing sounded a little weak to be honest, a little caught in the throat if you know what i mean? Regardless it was a well produced and enjoyable song. And of course it's nice to see people collaborating so that was a bonus. Good stuff guys!

SKILLZmakeKILLZ responds:

(: Believe it, SJD can sing and rap.. the whole package! Thanks for your feedback and analysis! :D

[Jam with birds]

I don't think this is ambient, it sounds more like funk or pop or something like that. However ambient or not it's pretty bouncy and fun! Interesting use of samples, the bird sounds made me smile. I would say it's a little repetitive though and despite your frequent instrumental variations but some of the riffs still stragged on a little bit. Can't think of much advice to give beyond that, i didn't really like the cymbal crash but can't say why. A sweet lil diddy indeed!

Laranze responds:

i agree, not sure why i labeled it ambient. tried to change things up to keep things interesting and kept it short to avoid repetitiveness. i recorded bout a year ago and dont have the file anymore so no more changes :( Thank for the review :)