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. :)

[-WIP- Dubstep Song]

Hm... interesting! I can't really give all my thoughts on this because it's just a preview, but I would say that this sounds really cool! It's got a nice feel to it, like it's holding something back - exactly what a verse should do. Now just make the most massive drop evar and you'll be set! xD

Lot7even responds:

Great! Still working away on it. Iv'e put quite a few hours into the night now. Much coffee=much music

[(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!

[Sunlight]

Okay, I won't judge too strictly. :) Before I give my critiques, I'll say that I like how you went for a happier sounding dubstep! That's not too common, and when pulled off well, like "Let's Get Down" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlrqjcWN0o ), it can sound really cool.

All that being said, there are some things that I think might make this track better. Firstly, FX. I don't know what FX you did here, if any, but with something like the piano intro, you could throw some delay and reverb on it to fill up more of the sonic emptiness. And of course, you probably know that you can mix the piano or bassline to let the occasional vocal samples to pop out more. You could also mix things so that the kick and snare pop out more and the hats stay in the background. If you listen to Wubbaduck & Dead Critic's "Duck Hunt" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyj9KBJr0s4 ),
you can see what I mean when I say this stuff.

Thinking of vocal samples, they were in kind of odd places. Not that that's musically illegal or anything, it's just jarring. Typically, those kinds of vocal samples come in at the end of every 2^x bars. My favorite example of this kind of formula is Geometry Dance by GD-Sharks ( https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/760783 ).

Just to wrap this up, you probably know the "if it sounds good, it is good" routine. The problem with that phrase is that it depends on the listener. As a composer, listening to your piece is practically a must, but you also must listen for the bad things and fix them before you go composer deaf to them. And if you do go composer deaf, then... best of luck starting a new track. :/

dimazinchenko1900 responds:

Thank you ! Please, check new update (Bad english, sorry)

[ReVerse - Thunder]

This is really good for you being a "new producer"! I can tell from some of the noises that you tossed in some Serum presets, lol. The song structure is nice and tight, and the FX are good. The rhythms are a bit... odd, though. The intro is an unusual number of bars long, the buildup kick rhythm is a bit strange, etc.

Another problem is that some of the noises aren't as high-quality soudning as they could be. The beginning synth is a little crackly, there's what sounds like a supersaw bass that goes lower than it's supposed to, the chordstacks are a bit odd soudning, etc. I'm not totally sure how you would fix that, but just mess around with stuff that you think might work. I dunno. :P

As a final point, the drops aren't all that intense. Serum can only get you so far. (I presume that anyways, I don't own it. I've played around with the demo, though.) A lot of a drop's intensity has to do with the noises you use, how they're arranged, and how they fit with the drums. I recommend listening to some of Teminite's stuff to see what I mean.

Overall, well put together, but pay attention to details! The little things make it that much more enjoyable!

ReVerseOfficial responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I can tell you put a lot of time into the response. I will make sure to improve on this. Also, I just got Spire, Sylenth1, and a TON of different effects. This will help for a higher quality sound.

[Weakness]

Sounds cool! I like the arp intro! Some things seem to be off with the song structure, though, like how there's only one drop. I've actually contacted Xtrullor about dubstep song structure (I try to make dubstep too, I understand your struggles! :D), and what he said was basically that you have two drops, and you connect them using other types of elements. Bridges add new elements to a piece, e.g., a new noise, drum pattern, melody, etc. I highly, HIGHLY recommend just listening all the way through as many dubstep songs as you can find just to see what a full song structure is. Xtrullor has a lot of good songs to listen to, but I also recommend Teminite's stuff. There are many others, but these two are the only ones, to my knowledge, that don't cram their songs with cussing...

Also, I'm a bit reluctant to say it, but the drop isn't that great. Part of that I think is the fact that the drop faded in a little, and there was no snare. But, a more important thing to focus on is the number of noises you have and how you put those noises together during the drop. (Teminite and PsoGnar made a song that has good drop noise arrangement called "Lion's Den," which is right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uM5WrczjSk ) I recommend listening to a lot of dubstep and just seeing what the people who know what they're doing do.

In short, some of this song's stuff is good and some of this song's stuff is bad. Watch this stuff:
SeamlessR on Drop Arrangement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBM03Yt8Tto&t=91s
SeamlessR on EDM Track Structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzwpbn1pS08
12Tone on song anatomy (not EDM specific): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxyrXqBQEpE

Maybe that stuff will make your stuff better.

Stuff. lol.

:P

kindlight responds:

Hello. Thanks for this detailed review. Generally I agree with you, I know I could make better. As to this song... I just learned to synthesize growls and other sounds for dubstep, and I had to make some music with them. I can't say that I tried make real dubstep, basically, just experiments with sounds. Later I'll listen popular dubstep songs and make... But now, I will create techno in Dimrain47's style) Hope you enjoy) Once again thank you very much, I grasped your thoughts)
P.S. I had a lot of difficults with translate your review, because I am from Russia, and my english is poor. I converse using google translate, it can translate not 100% correct, sorry for that:)

[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)