benanderson's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Synth Revolution (80s style)]

Mission accomplished!

This oozes italo disco, mission accomplished! It has that early 80s vibe to it (when big poly synthesizer and drum machines were at their most popular). Some synths are a little unauthentic (I spy some Yamaha FM Synthesizers in there) and the mastering could use a little touch up (some sounds over power the song, never a good thing). Some sounds are also clearly presets, try and program your own sounds because the presets sound very cliché and cheesy.

It's a great attempt at italo disco with a dark twist and I enjoyed it :)

If you ever want some tips in creating italo/space synth music just give me a bell. I'll point you in the direction of some authentic instruments to sink your teeth into.

4/5
7/10

Murcielago1 responds:

Wow, thanks for the review, Ben Anderson =D. I actually like making italo disco/synthpop music as well as listening to it. You're right- the presets sound kinda cheesy, and some sounds overpower the song. I use the presets, mostly Sytrus and 3xOsc, a lot, and I'm not that good at programing my own sounds.

Thanks once again.

[God Is A DJ - [Tell]]

Just doesn't cut it with the pro's

I'm guessing this made top 5 because loads of people have seen that it's a remix/cover (or whatever) of god is a DJ by faithless.

You change the kick drum part way through, that's bad practice, you should keep it constant.

I know dance music is repetitive, but not to this extent. It's the same lines over and over and over, spice things up a bit! The vocal excerpt doesn't even match the tempo of the song in some areas and I can hear some of the original song in the background, very sloppy. The vocals should have been time-stretched to fit or the song should have been slower.

Some volume levels are also in need of some love, the hi-hats for example dominate over the rest of the song. Consider giving the mastering a once over.

You also have very few synths and sound effects going on. I can hear a bass, a synth-lead, a tinkle and some drums. Thats about it. Try to spice it up some more, add some sound effects, change it up with a different chord progression, some breaks and so on. Just be creative.
Over-all... clearly amateur, not bad, but other amateurs have done better.
6/10 & 2/5

Telliath responds:

Thanks. But you're not a pro so don't act like one. There is no "original song" in the background since it's a perfectly clean acapella. Otherwise, there was not mastering done to this track and I couldn't care less about what you think.

[Sytrus Goa Trance[PrEmoEffect]]

Nice

It's a nice attempt at a Psy/Goa song. Although I'm on my laptop so I can't really critique the production aswell as the song...
First off, congrats for being one of the only people I have heard on here who acctually bothers to program sytrus rather than using the crappy presets! You've gotten some really cool sounds out of it.
It does get a little repetative though. Try just adding some extra sections in or some sampled (and seriouse sounding) vocals, you can find loads of random video on youtube then sample them using Audacity. Some extra sound effects would help too rather than just the same reverse breath noise happening every off chance.
If you REALLY wanna get trippy with goa/psy music then get your hands on a free VST effect plugin called Glitch by dblue. Excellent effect!
Take a listen to my newest Psytrance song to hear Glitch in action.
In all I like. :)
Enough to download (when I get back home onto my PC that is). Not the best I've heard but it's still pretty decent, worthy of a 10 when compared to alot of the stuff on here =D
~BenA.

PrEmoEffect responds:

Its sorta a failed attempt at goa, the genre is pretty amazing though. Love those wicked sounds. Always appreciate a good review.

[-Fable Remake-]

It just doesn't do it for me

But production wise I give a good thumb up! You know how to master correctly with the mixer, which is more than most people know on this site. Some volume levels are a little odd, but not as bad as what I've heard on NG. I'll give a 6/10 and a 3/5. If you used a better choice of synthesizers with more presence then It would've been higher and maybe some variation in places would've been nice.
~BenA.

mariomusicmaker1 responds:

hm fair enough :D
thanks for a helpfull review.

[Synthation Regeneration]

Not much is happening

Not much is there to keep you interested.
It's lacking a bass-line, the drums are bland and repetitive (seeing as they don't follow a 4/4 beat they should vary more) and that distorted synth (I'm guessing from sytrus) is VERY harsh on the ears.

Also, it seems like it's a form of down-tempo music, not Techno. Revise your genre's a bit more.

The idea you've portrayed in this song screams a form of chill-out music with soft strings and brushed drums.
It's an okay idea but... if anything... because you're trying to make a genre that you don't have alot of knowledge in it's ruined it.

Sorry for sounding harsh if I have... it's just the way I swing. :]

~BenA.

OneWhoListens responds:

Hm. I have little or no knowledge of music in general, so basically its my inner artist speaking. I appreciate all the technical knowledge you put in your review, but it helps me little, as all the music I make is just cuz it sounds right.
But the first paragraph I can understand, and therefore it is that which I will take into consideration, and alter the song accordingly.
Thanks for your input (and maybe I'll take a little time to learn more about music).