Kajenx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Glim]

I'm surprised I never commented on this. It's so pretty. :)

[Overflow]

Now bad for a first attempt! It's got some good production, but it also didn't stand out in any specific way to me. I think Dubstep kind of thrives on having a sort of gimmick or production theme to play with, you know?

Puttyboy responds:

Yeah in a way, but thank you :D Its a pretty old track from like 2 years ago, so it may sounds unoriginal cause back then I was trying to be like so many dubstep producers at once XP

[At Peace]

I like it.

[You Shouldn't Be Here]

I like the sounds in this one. The effects are interesting and kind of disjointed in a good way. I think mixing will be key for the sound you're looking for. You have a nice atmospheric quality in your songs, but there's still more space you can wring out of it, I think. Try playing around with short delays (delay filter with a very fast repeat). It works like a reverb, but won't muddy the sound so you can layer them up a bunch. Also, don't be afraid of those high harmonics. When you listen to a sound or instrument on its own, the high end might sound distorted or wrong, but leave it in anyway and listen to it in the mix. It's those really high pitches that tend to make each sound really distinct.

NotPrinceCharming responds:

That's some solid feedback, bro; I've always found that the reverb can make things a bit complicated at times :x I'll have to give that a try! And yeah, I tend to stick to lower harmonics for the exact reason that you stated x)

Thanks for the feedback, dude! Means more than you know :D

[The Snowy Forest]

Cool stuff. :) The melodies are interesting. The EQ seems a little heavy towards the middle. It doesn't wreck it, but you can get more "space" in the sound by spreading out where the different instruments sit. When the drums come in it kind of shifts the feel of the song, you know. You can do that with all of the instruments in a subtle way.

I think you got what you were looking for, overall. It feels very snowy and wintery. I actually kind of got a Donkey Kong vibe from it, haha. I played a lot of DK when I was a kid. ^^

NotPrinceCharming responds:

There's a strong possibility that I played quite a bit of DK back in my childhood as well >...>

This isn't the first time that I've received that comment xD

I dig it, though.

[Hey Another Robot Song (rd'14)]

The ending was WAY more interesting than the beginning, haha. I was like mehhhhHHWOAAHH

UrnSudden responds:

Thank you! I was planning on making it a full song, switching out between the two styles with more variation, but I started about 3 days before robot day, and I just published what I had. I honestly love the latter style so much, ah! But the beginning is kind of normal to cater to the norm~

[The Outsider]

I feel like you're cleaning out my ears at the beginning, lol.

Poniiboi responds:

It's possible that's exactly what I was doing. Bitch.

[Symphonia Excelsius]

I'll do 3.5 too, lol.

I think the melodies have potential, especially around 2:00. Haha, wait, now it's a techno song! *thump thump* Anyway, the mixing could some work. ATM it sounds a lot like a SNES song - very midi. Maybe that's what you're going for, but it didn't seem like it. It's also a bit "overexposed" to use Photoshop terminology. I used to get that a lot in my own stuff when I was trying to push it louder and louder but I had a compressor on it and didn't realize it was getting muddy. Try turning off all your compressors, adjusting the levels so nothing is peaking out, then turn them back on. It makes a world of difference.

The song was a bit repetitive, and the melodies weren't too memorable, but it's got some nice bits about it that kept me listening. You said you were trying something new, so it was a good experiment. :)

larrylarrybb responds:

Thanks for the tips! This song has an A-B-A-B-A sequence, so it may seem repetitive. This sequence is common for techno songs, but maybe not as much for orchestral songs, so I will think of some changes I can add to make it seem less repetitive. As for the mixing, the volume may be "maxing out" in some areas, so I will lower the volume of some of the louder instruments. I'll also try your idea on the compressors. Thanks for the tips!!!