IndustryStandard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Норильск (2020)]

nice n creepy. could use a little riff or something in the middle tho.

[Genre: Neurofunk - Title: Lightning Bug]

It sounds empty. You've got some good pieces in there (I particularly like the buzzing that comes in and out, that's a nice extra touch) and the sounds you've chosen fit well together, but it needs something else for how long it is. A couple more melodic riffs of the lead synth or another complimentary synth, more variation in the drums, or some kind of pad to fill in the empty space behind the music are the first suggestions that come to mind. I don't listen to much DnB and I've never heard of Neurofunk so maybe I'm just not the target audience, but my impression of this is an unfinished song.

PlasmaGlowMusic responds:

hey, I get where you're coming from. I know how it sounds very repetitive, and at times, bland... but it was only meant to display the sound and style I'm going for as an artist. I didn't want to make any abrupt switches to the overall sound because it is just a showcase of my way of making a beat. I know what you mean, I should turn this into a real song, but this upload was meant to get that initial sound out there, kind of like a beacon, or a lightning bug if you will.

[Next day]

This is excellent. by the time it gets going It's nothing like I was expecting from the intro, but it isn't jarring, it fits perfectly. I love the crunchy, almost dubstep sound you have for one of your riffs. The only thing i felt was off was the ending, specifically the note that you hold on. I would say just end it right before that note, don't let it the riff resolve, but that's it.

verjamon responds:

Thanks a lot!

[Gravity]

You had me immediately hooked at the intro, but lost me a bit when the rest of the instrumentation came in. It gets really busy and the instruments seem to be fighting through each other to be heard which can make the song seem to drag on a bit. My recommendation would be to mess with the levels and panning, maybe even the EQ, to create more of a room, maybe throw a little automation in there to let different instruments take a turn in the front of the soundscape.
Another note I have is on the bells that come in around 1:20 - i like the almost dissonant melody (although i am admittedly a fan of dissonance in general) and the instrument itself is cool but it's a bit muddy, either from the syths fighting it or by the instrument itself just being a bit muddy. You could try adding another instrument, like maybe a piano or something else with a short attack and quick release, playing the same melody layered over the bells. If you mix them right they'll sound like a single instrument but the melody will be a bit more clear without losing the resonance of the bells. Or simply panning the bells and the synths away from each other might help as well.
Finally, and this may just be subjective, but the voice playing the lead melody is a bit piercing. I'm not sure if it needs to be simply turned down a little, or maybe mess with the the audio itself to make it a little less recognizable as a voice. Pretty much everything i personally would want to change here is all mixing related though, your composition is solid.

verjamon responds:

Thanks a lot! I'm glad to have opinion's like this, that can help me in my composing.
I have to work at my layering and sometimes the audio is cutted with some voices, i just noticed that.
Thanks a lot!

[Setting Equipment - OST]

I love it! The sounds you use go great together, the changes and the way the song builds are smooth. The one thing i would say could be improved is where it loops. Don't get me wrong, it works fine, but the song builds up an energy, and you can kinda feel it drop when it goes back to the beginning. this is where i stop being helpful though, because I'm not sure what could be done to fix it haha, it's just what stuck out to me. Overall though, this is awesome, seriously, I know you said you were a beginner at this but you definitely have a knack for it.

ZepicZorua responds:

I'll keep that in mind lol. The hardest thing is coming up with something to make and finding the right tune.

[Dream]

Nice, I don't know why but this track gave me an odd nostalgic feeling. It's a little awkward when the drums go from halftime in the beginning to straight quarter note beats, if you had some kind of small drum fill to cue the change it might be a but smoother. My only other major complaint would be that the main chord progression doesn't change, and while all the riffs and instruments you've used go well together, it's a little lacking in variety. Good stuff though, keep at it!

Zekronz responds:

Thank you for the feedback!

[[Tsets] - Jack Is Coming For You]

I love the way the bass kinda thrums through the entire song; it adds an almost electric feel to the song, and it never gets in the way of the other sounds. Mega props to your mixing skills my friend. I'm not sure how i feel about the speed up in the last third of the song, but the pieces individually go together really well and i didn't feel like it took away from the song so that might just be a preference thing. I do think the slowdown at the end works beautifully though. I'm not really sure where I'd see this in a video game (aside from maybe a DDRE track) but I would be neither surprised nor disappointed if it were in a game i was playing. The ending I think would have been way better if you'd let that last note ring out instead of cutting it off, but as it is now it actually loops pretty well so I wouldn't call that a problem so much as, again, a preference. Keep it up!

TsetsukenMusic responds:

Thank you!! Mixing has always been a worst enemy in a lot of my songs and that means a lot that you say that. :D

The sped up part in the last third of the song I'm thinking of actually changing/working on (or writing a Version 2 with a separate upload and leave this one as is possibly). I felt like it could build to something nicer (or approached differently essentially) and just couldn't find the right piece to fit in there.

This track is mostly for fun, I honestly wouldn't know what kind of game it would fit in either. I think in he beginning, where the beat starts up, could be looped and made into something for background music for sure! The arp in the end could also be salvaged and made into something, slow it down make it creepy, could work in something I think.

I'll have to work on a version 2 of this song, it seems like the direction I might take, nonetheless, thank you so much! :)

[Dylnmatrix - Hyperresonance]

I definitely dig the echo on the intro riff, It's really active but it's not jarring at the start of the song since it's kind of muffled. The first percussion instrument, that comes in at around 0:57, is a little loud, especially compared to the kick that comes in around there. It takes a lot of attention away from the other instruments in the song. Other than that, there's a ton of variety and it all flows really smoothly together, and you make really good use of the wah-like effect. The beat also changes up frequently enough to keep things pretty interesting along with the new riffs.

4.5/5 stars, but only because of the level of that first percussion instrument. I'd give it a 4.75 if i could because it's not that big of a deal but it definitely detracted from the intro in my opinion.

Dylnmatrix responds:

Thanks for the review! I agree that the hi-passed kick at the beginning is a bit loud. When it came to releasing the track when I did, I meant to actually automate the volume of the kick so it wasn't so loud, but completely forgot before rendering ^^;

Other than that I'm glad you liked the track!