Hippokopter's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Thing]

I like most of this, but don't really like the sound design or mix much. That's my opinion in a nutshell, but let me elaborate a little bit.

About the sound design. I have no idea what programs you have, but even if you're just using free synths (and that's fine, no shame in that lol), keep in mind that the actual features of the synth aren't your only sound design options. You can make sounds leagues better (or worse, lol) with external processing like EQs, distortion, compression, and automation, if it's something that can have automation. I said all of that because I think that the sounds in the drops could easily be made quite a lot better with just some more careful sound design choices.

Next, the mixing. Cymatics actually came out with this cool mixing guide the day that I'm leaving this review, and it might not be free for very long, so go get it now. It's a big link, here it is: https://academy.fm/mixing-blueprint/?utm_campaign=Academy.fm&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=62962240&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9F7E7ZmgdPYms5jxMmaYnpVySG1KIoiSxcPMdBvfOZOqlIrwIQcxp7kWpTAT85QMTMnoh6NykJaM5OaEb2IkY0JOM9Mg&_hsmi=62962240

That should set you up for mixing success. You will have to give them your email if you haven't already, but you can just unsubscribe from them if you want to.

Oh, and one last thing - the ending. A super idiotically simple way of making an outro is to take the intro and put it at the end, and polish up transitions to taste. If the drop drums aren't too heavy, you could also just copy and paste the drums from the drop and just have them abruptly end after a bit, like in Teminite's "Goin' In" ( https://youtu.be/viXt2pLOB8A?t=4m28s ). Whatever you do, make it sound like a good ending to a (hopefully) good song.

As discouraging as this all sounds, you're actually doing quite a lot right. Keep it up.

[Strong Heart]

So some things about this...

If you're not EQ pocketing, then you should start doing that. EQ pocketing is somewhat self explanatory. In dubstep, one example I can think of for EQ pocketing would be making room for the snare to sit well with everything else frequency-wise... y'know? I think you get it. That same kind of technique needs to be applied to a bunch of other stuff. For instance, if you're making some kind of melodic dubstep thingy, and you want to have a lead playing at the same time as the chords are playing, what you can do is use that same principle of making room for one thing by carving out of another by taking some frequencies out of the chords to make room for the lead. The exact frequencies, of course, depend on where on the spectrum the lead sits. This idea is very important to mixing, so use it.

Continuing with the mixing theme, the idea of a three-dimensional mix might help you out. Up and down is volume, left and right is panning, and back and forth is "apparentness." That final one is the one that I think is most out of whack here. To push something back in a mix, you have to use spacey fx like reverb and delay. To bring something forward, things like compression and distortion will work. In this track, I'd use that idea to push some things back, like the sidechords in the drop, and I'd probably push that guitar in the beginning farther back. (I can hear the delay on the guitar, but it still sounds rather apparent in comparison to the actual melody. I might compress the piano tbh.)

Finally, there's the drops, which are... problematic. There's a bunch of ideas that can help with this sort of stuff, things like getting straight what the chords are going to be (they should mostly never change) and keeping in mind how exactly the listener's head should nod during the drop, but that doesn't help if you're not too experienced. A person isn't that great at dubstep until they've gotten a BUNCH of songs under your belt, and I mean 50+ songs depending on how fast they learn (and how fast they can make themselves learn). I only see that you've made 13 songs as of posting this one, so just keep it up, keep failing, keep learning, and keep wobbing... or something.

Racc00nto responds:

Swap to Spanish
Thanks dude, I really needed this kind of message. I am completely sure that mine is not the best for now, but it is what I am trying. I will follow all your advice, One million thanks <3

[Venomite - Tremble]

A dubstep drop that doesn't disappoint, huh? Well there's a couple of things right there. First of all, keep in mind that a good drop is worthless without a good buildup. Definitely solidify your drops first though, then work on builds.

(Improving builds isn't hard at all. It's a simple flow chart. Do you like it? No -> Identify why you don't like it. Change something. Yes -> You're done. It's easier than you might think.)

Then, just a quick tip with drops, it's nice to keep in mind the way someone's head should nod during different parts of a drop. It's kind of silly, but hear me out. Listen to various different songs you like, and take note of how your head wants to move on the off beats. (Specifically the offbeats, the on-beats don't matter very much.) Sometimes it will want to move somewhat more quickly upwards, and sometimes it doesn't feel like it has any attachment whatsoever to the off beats. Note how the feel of the song can correspond to how your head wants to move. Then, try to replicate that kind of pattern and feeling in your songs. If you're feeling ambitious, maybe you could even drag a reference drop into FL and make a drop that evokes similar head motions at similar times. I dunno, just something nice to keep in the back of your head, that's all. :p

I guess I didn't talk about your actual song... Well, it's obviously not bad (hence the 5 stars, lol). I really kinda like it, but I'd be a bit biased because we've skyped about this before and I've already heard many variations of that drop before, lol.

Overall, good job. Yo quiero mas... or something... xD

Venomite responds:

Thanks xD

[SKEVAX5 - In Oblivion]

So first of all, this is at a decent volume, but ideally, there should be a lot less of that gray area around the audio file, if you know what I mean. We're in the middle of the loudness wars, and you gotta learn to compete. This thing should be at 0 dB, and ideally, you should be able to get the true peak gain quite a ways higher, maybe 3 dB or so. To measure that, there's a plugin called the Youlean Loudness meter, and it's super useful. I personally just keep Youlean open while I edit my mastering chain just to monitor the actual perceived loudness more objectively. Here's the link to the plugin: https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter/

(When you're mastering, the number you want to focus on is that "true peak max" number. As long as there's a limiter at the end of your chain, your gain will never be over 0 dB, so just mess with compressors and distortion plugin stuff until the song is at a satisfactory loudness level.)

Apart from that, I think that most of the little problems here will just fix themselves overtime. Just keep in mind that a key component of improvement is objective self-assessment. Really take a good look at your songs and see which parts you actually like and don't like. Try to work that unsatisfactory stuff out of your music, and accentuate the parts of your music that you like. Overtime, you'll figure out how to routinely satisfy your own unique musical taste, and you'll develop your personal style. Just keep improving.

[Sharks - Nightfall]

Your tracks are always so awesome to listen to. Extremely well mixed, nice and clear, relatively simple, really enjoyable. Just a bit quirky too, which makes things all the better. The only thing I really have to say is that maybe you could have mastered it to be louder? Idk, you probably know way better than me tbh. xD