Handym's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Living In The Forest]

me like

this doesnt sound quite like any ambient i've ever heard before. you definitely need more recognition than this. fuck dicks who just give you low votes without criticism, man

DualityGod responds:

Between you and me (and the rest of the world),
I also feel the same.

[.014 INFINITY]

Nice!!!

i can definitely feel the power of this track, and i really like how it loops. i would have appreciated it if you panned and filtered a bit more, but that's my slice of the cake - i can tell you've become a lot better since september, which was the last time i reviewed your stuff. you should contact me if you wish, maybe check out my stuff? i dont get too much criticism these days :C

[(finish it?) Hardstyle Attempt]

brilliant

ive been following you and listening to your stuff for some time now and i definitely like this. this is very good!

[Cave of Illusions [WIP] :: Px]

bla bla bla

I won't rate anyone under 10/10 without giving some needed criticism;

About your song structure:
Your synths and melodies are nice, but i would recommend adding some more dynamic movement in your songs.
I'm thinking some minor panning variations, some equalizer automation, and some fading for your synths.
You should play aroung having some low pass filters on your beat / bass sounds and have them synchronized as they fade in simultaneously, without having them linked to eachother. Just a thought.

About your volume mastering:
It seems to me you have all your synths unaltered. While you can get away with it in some songs, it doesn't always guarantee a cleansed sounding result.
Here's my procedure:
Try to add some EQ to your instruments.
Cut out noise inducing frequencies; anything under 30hz for bass sounds, it won't affect the power of the instrument but it will help reduce unnessecary feedback. Cut out everything except the sweet spot frequencies for hat / cymbal sounds. Even though something might sound dim and awkward in isolation it can still make for a good mix in context with the rest of the song.

Try to balance the channels volumes accordingly:
First change the volume of the kick until you can clearly hear it throughout the song. Make sure it's not too loud, either. Then, synchronize the volume with the bass sound, depending on what you want the mix to sound like.
Then, balance the rest of the main instruments in the song.
Afterwards, start balancing your FX / misc channels (random stuff not part of the main melody, audio clips etc) and have it as low as possible within the audible range. The effects part of the mix should never be louder than the other
blocks of the track.
When i balance my songs, i try to avoid having one single instrument dominant over all the others. Every single channel needs to be audible, and nothing should be loud enough to drown out anything else.

My 2 cents, sorry i can't be of more help. Message me if you'd like.

GrantProjectXero responds:

Wow man! This the the criticism I have been looking for! I will definitely take all of those and put them into play. I'll massage you later when I've got the time :)
Thanks Handy,
-Px

[Zipper Static :: Px [WIP]]

8/10 4/5

Bit chaotic. I like it though. Your rolls and drops remind me of the way i make music.
Not sure i can give any good criticism for this one. Maybe try to play around with adding sidechain rhythms to your loop.
that is all.

-Handy

GrantProjectXero responds:

Hmmm.. I'll take that in mind.
Also, I need to check out your stuff :)
-Px

[Escape :: Px]

This might fit better in the ambient genre.

While i can see that this is still WiP ill refrain from giving you any stars.
Some thoughts though: you should try to add a bassy sound to your track, and cut the acid synth that plays throughtout it.
Your drum track is good, kudos for that,
the rest of the track sounds a bit chaotic though if you ask me. It's as if you can hear that you've been using FL cause of the sudden jumps.
You should try experimenting with automation and fading and structuring your song around a calm tune in the beginning, drop out some of the pads, and then have the beat play later along with a bassline.

GrantProjectXero responds:

Thanks man, Yeah, I pretty much only used Acid because I don't have my nexus plugins and stuff to tweak with. Also, just because it is a default sound doesn't mean it sounds bad or shouldn't be used. But yeah, I shall work on it more to sound less iffy.
Thanks,
-Px

[I'm High]

I hear an FL preset

its a good minimal song, im not too sure about it... you could make do without the pad drone blaring constantly.
usually if i want to criticize a song i think to myself, "would anything have been lost if i cut X minutes off the song?

SeeD419 responds:

I would agree. I was still learning FL and so minimal was the best route for me here. Thanks for your review.

[Trip (SeeD)]

Acidy

I like it.
Not something i would listen to voluntarily though,