JonathanKonopka's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[can it please be over?]

Hello, I noticed your PM so decided to come over. Let’s have a listen…

OK, the song starts, I like how it unfolds. It’s on the calmer side, with smooth ambience and a steady beat. Your reverb blends very well, with mixing & mastering is very pleasant and blends well. It looks like you used a plethora of VSTs, I think? That’s great! The best way to maximise uniqueness and emotions is to blend varying instruments, as you did. Your samples also flow with motion, inducing something more than a loop, well done on that!

The ponging noise (xylophone?), creaks, whooshes, also give the music a feel of storytelling. Can it please be over, yet…it already tells a full story! The LoFi-like beats/chill and your own personal sampling adds that extra flavour. It’s amazing that we can sample everyday things with basic gear, and using free plugins, can cleanup so much of the audio.

Vocals sit nicely in the song, not too upfront or too far back.
Overall, the song flows well for its genre, there’s really nothing wrong. It looks like you got a good grasp of musicmaking. Your effort and passion shows, with your 1 month of work producing a unique story. If you keep this up, I bet you’ll go far!

Thanks for sharing this!

OVERSCORE responds:

Thank you SO MUCH for actually stopping by, Jonathan!! Your opinion on it means the world to me, and this positive and THOROUGH feedback on the song gives me a lot of confidence in this new direction I’m going.
Also, I actually did not use any VSTs in this song, or any of my work! I’ve been using SunVox, a modular tracker program with no plug-in support, for my whole time creating music. I do intend to get a PC, FL Studio, and the proper software/hardware soon, but until then it’s iPhone mic and SunVox.
Recently I’ve been overwhelmed by the incredibly emotional music of indietronica, and how alive the ambitious production feels. But heading toward a niche sound like that is a risky move, and a difficult one to pull off… so I just wanted to weigh in with you, since you seem to exhibit a profound amount of musical knowledge. And this has absolutely helped. Thanks once again!

[Town Theme]

definitely feels retro! like a SNES RPG. how you use the oboe induces this solemn feel, with the strings adding to that saturated feel.

The song does feel a bit sharp, like all the instruments strike directly forwards, or maybe you used a bit too much compression?

You can use up more panorama by panning each instrument slightly to moderately left or right, and also adjusting the sliders to adjust volume. this helps widen the sound, makes it easier for the ears to pick up. Basically, if all sounds are right in the centre only, it's harder for the ears to grasp all instruments. If you ever wish to have a massive wall of sound, Big Mono works very well, but should be used sparingly.

overall, I think your musical flow works well! Oh, and one more thing, your drums sound a bit light. you can make drums vaster by duplicating your drum tracks, each duplicate having different EQ and reverb while slightly reducing volume. this is the easiest form of layering.

I hope this helps, thanks for sharing!

ClarH responds:

Thank you for this! It's been a while since I last composed, but I am grateful for the advice you gave me. I tried posting on soundcloud, but I never got any actual input because it was mostly filled with bot traffic.

[Music for an emotional climax - Comission]

don't get much orchestral strings in NG. this strings ensemble / movement induces movement and anticipation, like there's something down a royal hallway...

strings work well with reverb and Haas effect (delay 25 to 40 milliseconds), makes your strings sound expansive and brilliant.

thanks for sharing!

TurtleBox420 responds:

Thank you!

[Cold Lightning]

synthy and retro, the fast tempo and rhythm induces motion and persistence! the rising feel and softer piano gives us a break from it.

note you can duplicate drum tracks to increase their depth, especially when you use the Haas effect (delay set to 25-40 milliseconds). each duplicated track should also have slightly different settings in EQ, compression and reverb (if you have any more plugins, you can play around with the,too).

thanks for sharing!

Skystride responds:

Thank you for the advice!

[Click Clack Clock]

what came to mind for me was Click Clock Wood from Banjo Kazooie XD your synthy chiptune themes blend well into a simple but pleasant rythym. feels like playing a 2D sidescroller! I like the ending, just two little notes.

Not sure what else to say as this genre usually remains simple. You can induce vastness by using the Haas effect (delay set to 25-40 milliseconds). you can also increase ambience by duplicating the same tracks, slightly lowering their volume, and adding more reverb and compression, then adjusting EQ.

OK, that's all for tonight, thanks for sharing!

Hexsie responds:

thanks a lot man! this review was very nice of you to make!! x3

[Dried Ocean]

forboding, cinematic, deep, vast, the higher strings and piano induce hope and worry, contrasting the doomy sensation of the lower strings. very nicely done, thanks for sharing!

Solacitude responds:

It's very pleasing when my artistic decisions have the intended repercussion on the listeners.
Thank you very much for the good words and review!

[Dreams]

I should probably post the review here, not in the forum XD

your Dreams is very bright yet also a bit nostalgic, feels like a child's imagination expanding into new adventures...

I really like ambient music. I also mix orchestra with electronic elements, so I was drawn to this.

Overall, I feel the song is very decent. the risers, development and strings blend well. I'd suggest adding a bit more reverb. I also feel choir and strings could be emotionalized better with the Haas effect (delay set to 25-40 milliseconds). don't forget you can pan instruments / samples to the left or right, which helps widen the soundfield, inducing even more cinematic value,

coincidentally, I recently wrote a guide on cinematic music XD It's below if you're interested.

https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1545661

thanks for sharing!

PotangNG responds:

I've heard about the Haas effect but have yet to try it out. I'll look into it, as well as the reverb you mentioned! I'll take a look at your guide as well, thanks so much!

[Heaven]

(I should probably post the review here, not in the forum)

your Heaven sounds very 90s! I feel like a kid again XD

the song's upbeat tempo and rhythm are nice, with risers and piano amid vocals. the ambiance flows nicely.

Depending on how many plugins you are capable of using, note you can make slight adjustments to each instrument / vocal segment by changing the EQ settings after each group. You can also use reverb. To make your segments sound thicker, wider, and deeper, try using the Haas effect. This is when you use your Delay with milliseconds set from ~25 to ~35, so it doesnt sound like a repeat, but instead induces spaciousness. you can also use a Haas effect from one side only (panned all the way left or right) to induce a certain kind of depth, then duplicate the track and give the other side a slightly different setting of EQ, reverb and Haas effect, ever half min or so.

I hope this helps! Thanks for sharing

Notmyfault09 responds:

Thx for your feedback!! :-)
I was thinking about applying the Haas efffect, but it didn't fit this song well...... perhaps I was using it wrong? Dunno.

[Apocalyptic]

your Apocalyptic blends a soothing rhythm with some suspense, with synths and bass and beat. it feels suitable for a moment in a retro environment, where the hero contemplates a situation...

your repetitive notes also induce motion, keeping the song going.

also, did you add enough compression and reverb? one way to add depth is to duplicate the tracks, lower their volume, and give them extra reverb, to make them like an underscore. slow synths and strings are also useful with the Haas effect (delay set to 25-40 milliseconds, inducing depth and width). you can also pan certain instruments to the left or right, to increase the soundfield.

another way to avoid repetition is to overlap segments with slightly different EQ and reverb settings.

I hope this helps! thank you for sharing!

TheBestMusicMakerEvr responds:

Thanks for the recommendations! I’m definitely using those in future songs for mixing.

[(Physical) Lack Of Control]

sounds like what you'd hear in a N64 game or something, but also the piano and rock gives it this unique touch. you also have some orchestral parts near the end, which was unexpected! the blend of retro, orchestra and rock are a peculiar mix, stands out energetically. are these samples mixed with MIDI?

the blend of multiple genres induce a polyphonic feel, fun and upbeat.

I noticed Newgrounds music tends to lack compression, generally at least 2:1 is necessary to give the audiowaves focus. However, less mixing also often maximizes clarity, so that's useful. Also, don't forget to pan an instrument / track to the left or right, each with different numbers, to help expand panorama--don't hesitate going beyond half to either side!

OK, that's all for tonight, thanks for sharing, and wishing you all the best vibes as you overcome personal issues!

DancarMar responds:

Thank you so much for giving me such detailed advice, and I'm sorry for responding so late.