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Post by MetalRenard on Jan 18, 2020 21:49:40 GMT
Post your latest track below, have a listen to the previous one and leave a comment about it before you do though! Maybe 2 things that are good and 1 thing they could work on would be a nice format. Even better if you can leave the review on the track if it's on Newgrounds or YouTube!
(I've nearly finished a track but it's not ready to be posted yet, so someone else go first! You'll get a review from me when I post mine!)
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Post by Catpocalypse on Jan 20, 2020 6:17:52 GMT
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Post by MetalRenard on Jan 21, 2020 3:36:04 GMT
Hey, consider making a post here too: metalworkshop.boards.net/thread/16/equipmentUse that to tell us about your setup and I can give you more personalised advice. Your drums sound good for the rock genre. I like your ideas such as the melody and harmonies. You play fast at times and slow at others, offers some variety. The part at 4:30 is a lovely change too, bringing in some other instruments keeps it fresh, reinvigorating interest. 5:30 you added reverb/delay to the guitar which again kept it fresh. Your track shows you're full of ideas but simply lack the tools to express them to the best of your ability. 1st thing you can do is double track your rhythm guitar then hard pan them left and right. Cut the mids a bit on the rhythm and boost them a little on the lead to give everything some breathing room. Are you recording by plugging your amp directly into the mic slot of your computer? It sounds like a Direct Input to me. Either way, it sounds like your lacking some cabinet simulation in there which I think would go a long way to making your guitar sound more natural. This video has a few ideas about that. He shows before and after using an Impulse Response (IR) cabinet, listen at 3:31 onwards. If you're up for it, I'd be happy to pass your clean guitar recording through a guitar amp simulator on (I have Guitar Rig 5 Pro) then I can send it back to you to mix. The drums sounds good, probably the best sounding part of the track in terms of mix. So yeah... work on the guitars first and lets get you sounding more pro by using more suitable tools! Ok so I finished my latest track: www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/905497Hope the next poster enjoys.  |
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Post by Catpocalypse on Feb 17, 2020 8:21:21 GMT
I like your use of the keyboard in this piece. It helps develop that sci-fi effect you're going for, and in general plays along well with the rest of the instruments. Your riffs are also strong and loud, boosting the overall intensity of the song. The complex rhythms to go along with it are intriguing as well, and the quality of the audio is very polished. The piece in general could use a little more variety however. What you have is great, but more changes in such as the song structure, instruments, and possibly key or tempo could better maintain your listener's interest. Adding vocals like you stated in your description is a great start at achieving this, and your transition at 2:30 is a solid example of what you could use to build upon and change up your composition a bit. All in all, I think you did a good job on this piece. With a little more development, this could be an excellent song! Average: 81% Also, my next song is out now for whoever wants to hear it!: www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/911815 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2020 14:17:03 GMT
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Post by MetalRenard on Feb 28, 2020 5:20:07 GMT
@socket, friendly reminder, this is a review for review thread.  Please review Catpocalypse's track too. |
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Post by MetalRenard on Mar 20, 2020 8:28:08 GMT
Catpocalypse, Since the previous poster did not review your work, I am doing it now before posting my next track. I liked it! TLDR Below. The track hits hard from the start with good riffs thoughout, very good playing, albeit sloppy at times. Sounds like you played once through and didn't go back to fix mistakes. As you record more you'll get better at precise playing and it will fix your playing. The drums sound good, probably the best sounding part of the track in terms of studio quality recordings/production quality. On the flip side, I think your guitar tone is quite amateurish sounding, like you've recorded the direct input from your amp or pedal. Have you considered adding a guitar cabinet simulator? Try to find one with impulse responses (IR). Youtube can help you find good, free ones. Basically saying the same as your previous work, here. The song lacks bass at the moment (as in, a bass instrument). Have you considered just pitching down a simple guitar line if you don't have one? It would really help. I enjoyed the harmonies, reminded me a lot of classic rock/metal tracks from bands like Iron Maiden and Pretty Maids. Very cool. Takes a lot of work to track that. TLDR Review at a glance: + Riffs + Rhythm + Drums + Harmonies + Variation in techniques, rhythm, structure - Accuracy (playing) - Lack of bass - Guitar tone is amateurish My track! www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/9175487 String Guitar, first track!
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Post by Catpocalypse on Jul 3, 2020 19:14:10 GMT
MetalRenard, The song starts off very well with a soothing and atmospheric keyboard intro, then it goes into a very loose and relaxed guitar solo which I really liked also. Your tone is strong, and the chorus in your guitar playing helps develop the atmosphere. The only problem I really have is that it sounds a little out of key in some parts. Like for example, there are a few moments in your clean instrumental section at 2:18 where I feel like some notes are out of place. However, the transition into your other solo at 2:58 definitely made up for it, as it introduced a heavier part of the song that contrasts well with the rest of your piece. I think the ending had a little more potential, but the way finished it was still strong and conclusive. Overall, very good work! I'd give this an average of 86%. This is my latest release. I would really appreciate the reviews for this song especially, because it's what I'm entering it into NGADM and NGUAC: www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/946404
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Post by nothingface on Jul 3, 2020 22:13:21 GMT
Catpocalypse, I really liked the synth intro, the main riff, and how they go together when the full band kicks in. My only critique would be the shredding, as in, its not very clean, that may be just due to your distortion having too much gain but its always good to pratice on how to play cleaner and more defined (im also guilty of dirty shredding lol). Overall its a pretty decent track! Id ask yall to review not my latest track, but one that im the most proud of so far: www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/944668
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Post by nothingface on Jul 6, 2020 4:57:00 GMT
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Post by MetalRenard on Jul 8, 2020 22:20:44 GMT
Thank you both for leaving reviews on mine and each other's work! Time to return the favour. Catpocalypse, Love the synth in the intro up to 00:13. Gets a bit weird after that, the timing is way out for the rest. It bugs me quite a bit.  You know my thoughts on the guitar tone, not going to mention that again, please do give it a try. It's difficult to rate the sound highly if you don't make efforts to improve it despite having been given the key several times already. Nice flute synth sound from around 1:00. I like the lead guitar melody after that too. 1:40 be careful, the rhythm guitar is out of sync here, as is some of the lead in the next section. Careful editing is very important in improving your songs. Get good at that first and the rest will slot into place. Impressive solo playing. I feel the end of the solo at 2:50ish could have been better executed to lead into the next section. When writing a solo, always look at where you're coming from and where you're going next. Don't solo for the sake of it, it's an integral part of the song so respect it and COMPOSE it. Nice drum sound, liked that throughout. Piano at the end is a welcome change. It matched the feeling at the end well. nothingface, Careful with your timing between the bass and rest. It's always a little late. Fixing that will help with other issues. Turn it down, too, it's too loud. Great guitar sound, clean tone, very era-precise with the excess reverb. Nice riffs, too. If you were going for the more late 80s/early 90s sound, your drums needed more work, too, maybe more reverb. Nice solo playing, reminds me of Randy Rhoads' sound and some of the notes feel like they're straight out of an Ozzy Osbourne album. Nailed it. The end is more Zakk Wylde era playing and ends with a bang. NICE! Here's one of my recent tracks. www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/941806 |
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Post by Catpocalypse on Jul 9, 2020 2:26:17 GMT
MetalRenard , Believe me, I would love to improve the quality of my guitar tone. I can't however, because in order to use the cabinet simulator that's on my pc, I need software on my pc that I can record into. Unfortunately, I have no software that has metal drum loops that I can edit, so all I can use is Garageband on my iPhone. And when I use Garageband for my iPhone, all I have is an iRig interface and all I can do to make my guitar tone better is by double tracking it. I'd very much appreciate it if you told me a way I could get metal drum loops that I can edit without much restrictions on either Reaper or Ableton Live 10 Lite. That way, I could actually do all my work on my computer instead of my iPhone, so that I can run my guitar through the simulator and get a better tone. Even if I were to get this to work, I don't know how to use the simulator anyways. I'm using an Ignite Emissary Plug-In-Bundle, but I don't understand it. Does it go with the software I use? Can I just simply upload my completed song into it and it will edit my guitar tracks? Also, I want to be able to use my own pedals with this, can I do that? And for some reason, I installed it but I can't find a way to open it on my pc.
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Post by MetalRenard on Jul 9, 2020 9:51:35 GMT
Add me on Discord and let's talk about it, I feel there are a few misunderstandings we need to get to grips with and it's difficult to answer without more context.
MetalRenard#1361
Maybe I can stream my screen to you and you can see how it works.
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Post by Catpocalypse on Jul 20, 2020 1:25:54 GMT
MetalRenard , The riffs in this song are very powerful and melodic, as are the keyboards. I can tell that your tracks in this one are mixed better than they were in your demo, as they sound much clearer and louder than they did previously. I also like the complexity of your song structure. It helps make your transitions more fluid and your instruments melt together in a good way. There are a few downsides to that however, as for the most part the element of surprise is lacking (Apart from the transition into the solo at 1:42). Much of the song is predictable, so I'd say if you included more of things that are either really impressive or unexpected, you could definitely increase your wow factor and take your listeners by surprise. Some examples may be introducing a new instrument, having a big boost or reduction in tempo, inserting a key change, or even just going nuts with something you've never done before. The variation is definitely better than it was in your previous track, but I still think you could done something like breaking down the synth melodies just a little bit more, as they're very repetitive. Besides all of that, your audio quality is as good as always and many cool compositional ideas are definitely present. Very great work on this track! There are several noticeable improvements that you've made. Keep up it up! This song will be the start of my next album! It's taken me a lot longer to finish than it usually does because I started using new software: www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/950200
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Post by nothingface on Aug 19, 2020 4:04:02 GMT
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Please review Catpocalypse's track too.
