Hippokopter's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[BlasterX - GRZH]

Hey, that's good for a first song on NG! There are a few things I'd like to point out, though. This seems to be missing a good song structure. The typical structure goes something like this:

Intro - any number of bars, 16 tops
Verse - 16 bars
Breakdown (Optional, I guess) - 8 bars
Buildup - 8 bars if there's a breakdown, 16 if not
Drop - 32 bars
Bridge (Optional, rarely used) - 16 bars
Verse 2 - 16 bars
Breakdown 2 (Optional, though used more often) - 8 bars
Buildup 2 - 8 bars if there's a breakdown, 16 if not
Drop 2 - 32 bars
Outro - however long you want, typically similar to Intro

So that's one critique, but the drop also isn't very good, I'll admit. To make it better, what you could do is just remove the background stuff when the drop begins and make the main bass louder. Also, SeamlessR has a video on processing dubstep basses and subs right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnsG9FF9jUw&t=420s . I'd also recommending having more noises to mess around with, and have them all sound as good as you can get them - distorted, saturated, flanged, all that stuff.

So yeah. Nice start, and good job for having the courage to put some music out there!

BlasterXmusic responds:

Man, thanks so much for the tips. I really aprecciate it. :)

[(future bassy) Summer Air]

REALLY COOL! Nice and loud, catchy, just really awesome! All I really have to say is that there's no buildup for the first drop, but that's not to subtract from the coolness of this song. Really awesome!

5TanLey responds:

thanks :)

[Daniwive - Lonely]

Wow! It sounds well arranged and thought out! The buildups were really cool! That being said, there's some nit picky things that aren't so great to me. First of all, the drops have quite a bit going on in the background, which makes them less energetic. Also, during buildups, the snare is usually the driving force. Other than that, nice!

DaneeWive responds:

Thanks for critics,I always needed someone seeing all the mistakes in my tracks.We learn from them...

[Mm2x2-Go back]

This sounds pretty good! I like the structure, and the general character of the song. That being said... what happened to the snare? I don't know if that was a design choice to keep the snare in the background or not, but either way, it's doesn't make for an energetic track that wants to keep moving forward. Snares are super, and I mean SUPER important for keeping tempo and characterizing the song. Also, during a buildup and its drop, the atmospheric stuff usually goes away to heighten the energy. Also, it seems like you have some elements that just get drowned out by other things going on in the track. Typically, that's remedied by removing frequencies that interfere. If there's some mid-range synth that's messing with a vocal, you can cut out some of the frequencies of the synth and/or the vocal to make the two elements clearer and more distinguished from one another.

I dunno. Just try to fix problems that you come across, and make sure that you notice as many problems as you can.

mm2x2 responds:

Ha I am bad at noticing problems man xD
But thanks will keep that in mind I guess
:P

[[Tsets] - X (WIP)]

Very atmospheric! Much of this song has that professional, well-structured sound. My only complaint is with the buildup and drop. First of all, the atmosphere is really cool, but that atmosphere stuff usually leaves at the beginning of the buildup and comes back sometime after the drop. Second, the buildup isn't too powerful. I'm not totally sure why buildups build up, but I think it can best be described by how often you would nod your head to the track. I think in a buildup, that head-nod speed doubles, usually once throughout the buildup, if not twice. A good example of all of this is Teminite's "Stormbringer" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCi21QJd2E ).

Despite all that, it sounds nice! Keep it up, don't stop improving!

TsetsukenMusic responds:

Thank you for the review and constructive criticism!

The build up and drop is something I dream to be able to hit the nail on the head but it's going to take a few tracks to do this. I'm so used to making mellow sounding songs that this is a completely new area for me and that's why. Build ups take the mellow to extreme (powerful) in a sense and that's something to work on. I'm very happy you enjoy this though, it's a step in a good direction!

[Supreme Allegiance]

Sounds cool! I think what you were going for was something grand sounding, but the chromaticism in the melody didn't contribute towards that goal. I would advise sticking tightly to a single scale with this cinematic type of stuff. Also, try not to have a low instrument play a melody unless it's a solo. Overall though, sounds well put together and nicely structured with the gigantic crescendos. Cool!

A few side tips: Try to use interesting harmonies! If you listen to John Williams, he does this often (e.g., he uses chromatic mediants in Star Wars). Other types of "out-there" harmonies include: neapolitan chords, secondary dominants, common tone resolution, the list goes on.

Shoehorn some big skips in your melodies! Again, John Williams does this a ton. Just listen to Star Wars or the Superman theme. Adding skips, for whatever reason, makes the melody more memorable. Try it out, seriously!

Azuleux responds:

Ahh ok. Damn, thanks for the review! I'm only a year or so into music theory at the moment so I'm not up to date with all the super fancy chord progressions and stuff lol, but I'll try and keep your tips in mind. And yeah I agree with the low octave instruments situation, I kept them in there to see how people thought of it cus sometimes little things like that make it better for others but worse for some :p. Anyways, thanks again! Glad you liked it, and have a good day 8)