Qshunt's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Inadequate Relief]

Composition is nice. It's well put together.
My main gripe is that the drums are getting lost in the mix.
They should be big and brash and in your face!
If you beef up the drums, I will give you a 5.
If you would like some help with the beefing up of the drums, let me know.

Stargame responds:

I appreciate the review! I'd love some specifics concerning the drums - is it a general gain issue (volume too low)? Is the problem with one specific drum (kick, snare, etc.) or with all of them? Are there sections of the song where they are clear enough, but are muddied up in others? Is that muddiness in certain frequency ranges (3kHz, 300 mHz, etc.)? That helps me know what to watch out for and improve upon.

[Moog 3]

1:52 onward IS THE SHIT.
Nice tune.

[Leaneuro]

This is quite a decent effort.
You win extra points for the chopped amen breaks. I love em.
The bass is a good sound, but I don't think it's being modulated enough and it becomes a bit muddy in places.
Drums are clear and sharp. You've used some nice hits there and they're nicely sequenced.
Percussion is good.
I think it's far too slow for Neurofunk though.
This seems to be about 160BPM when I think it should be nearer to 175.
I normally make mine at between 172 and 176BPM.
Finally, I'm not a fan of the vocal at all. It sounds a bit awkward and brings me out of the zone.
You should be proud of this, though! It's a really good effort.
Thanks for publicizing it!

dedsh4d responds:

Thank you for the criticism! I used a vocal sample I grabbed from the friend who I dedicated this song to, hence the name Leaneuro. Anyhow, excuses aside -- I can see how it can be rather distracting.

[Castlewatch Road]

Wow!
This is excellent!
I wish I could make instrumental music of this calibre.

[Positive Memories]

Nice work!
I have no constructive criticism to offer you!

Quarl responds:

Thanks Mr. Shunt. It's refreshing to hear that every once in a while.

[Runa - Paladin]

This is wicked fight-scene music.
Production is on-point.
The only thing that sticks out to me (and it doesn't stick out very much at all) is that at the start of the breakdown, where the leads, plucks and pads appear to be sidechained to the kick, the release time on the compressor seems long, meaning the subsequent fading-in of the synth parts are a bit quiet, when they should be right at the front and in your face!
Still gave you 5 stars, as my statement might be completely a taste thing.

[Genesis (How it Began LP)]

You should submit this to Viper Recordings, Matrix and Futurebounds' label.

[Black Pantera]

Nice work!

[The Best We Could]

Nice bit of Breakcore!

I like that hard hitting snare.
This has a Cooh or Current Value type of vibe which I dig.
I like that bass synth.
In the mix it sounds like someone playing a bass guitar and suits the track nicely.
The mixdown is excellent. It's nice and clean, maybe a little too clean for my tastes.
Something I often do to give the high end a bit of sizzle, is to add a saturator to my mastering chain.

I have it distorting at around 1kHz in an "Analog Clip" setting. It wants to be a warm fuzz, not a harsh scratch. Then I adjust wet/dry to taste.
This saturation also has the added benefit of allowing you to push your limiter a bit harder and inadvertently get some free loudness in the mix.
Anyway, really nice track!

Quarl responds:

I've never been told my mix was too clean. I suppose I should stop focusing on that.

[Anamnesis (How it Began LP)]

Very nice track! Love the Viper Recordings flavour. Production quality is top notch.
5/5
Please check out the track I just uploaded.