Ditchy's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Saint W - Paint]

This is a song I could hear in an RPG (like final fantasy where you would visit a village or similar) as it certainly leans more into video game track rather than Synthwave for me.

Composition is good with a nice slow build.... cant really fault it. :)

[Literally a GIANT snowball]

I would have probably put this under video game as it reminds me of a level song than Synthwave (not a bad thing at all).

Really liked those bubbling 'icey' arps in the background. Well done :)

[Dwooswa - NUCLEAR RIDE]

Really like this. If you were going for a 80s Cyberpunky theme, this hits the mark :)

[80s Synthwave]

Really well done with this - shame it was short. I really liked the upbeat feel to it. Best thing I like about Synthwave is implementing slightly modern elements, like the build/drop which worked very well bringing in the main chorus's synth 'ahhhs'; which were great!

I would say, make a longer version, mix it a bit more to add some more 80s airyness to it.

You are on to a winner :)

[Cristal Blues]

Sounds like you were having fun with this - not a bad thing, but I didnt feel there was a massive amount of structure. I liked the varied synths that were introduced throughout, but for a 4.15 song, it felt a bit long due to a lack of clear breakdowns - it all sort of felt like there was a constant loud reverb masking each element and every new sound introduced just built on the same melody throughout. Only when it hit 3.25 did I feel like there was some sort of actual change for a little bit. Would have been nice to have some sort of melodic interlude in the middle that introduces the new synths etc in a second half. The Piano could have had more built upon - like a solo piece, pads/arps (as an example) if you will; which would establish the core theme more until the build brings in a drop of sorts.

The mix itself was ok, but a lot of the it felt too centralized, not giving other elements their own breathing space (the piano for example was very quiet and overshadowed after the start, and just sounded like someone was just enthusiastically pressing keys with no reverb). It can be dull mastering, but practice more EQ on each instrument to make them standout more, try panning and compression...especially to make the drums a little punchier as they also felt like they were just there to keep the pace in the back, and were not varied or built upon.

I am not an expert critique and have done so from my point of view, so I hope I articulated myself well :) I absolutely get this was experimental, and I could hear a decent song that would suit a very progressive video/level design.

laserk responds:

Yeah i try my best for making mor variation and given every synth breath space sometimes are other synths just louder by defult but besides that i try to create some New things everyday so those sort of text really helped me to see what would others think so .Thank you i try to work on everything you said and working on new ways to make everything less Messy :)

Btw i am glad you liked it anyways:)

[PURSUIT]

Hey, this would make a great song for an old school inspired action game. I really digged the arps at the begging and reminded me of the Sega Genesis Yamaha YM2612 sound.

I cannot fault the song really as it delivers on an old school feel im having :D

VectX responds:

I'm certainly glad you enjoyed this! I really like old school video game music and have been playing some Streets of Rage 4 recently, so that certainly was where a good deal of inspiration came from.

Thanks for the review, and enjoy the rest of your day!

[Speed Demon]

This song felt like it was almost all made out of samples/VST loops and that you were just experimenting and having fun with it. There was next to no mixing etc, apart from on the samples themselves...which explains why everything was kind of all over. The kicks getting louder at the start felt unnecessary, and not organic...like you were just copying and pasting the same kick on top of each other to add a bit more bass, and again - to make them louder (I used to do this when I was very young in Ejay). Overall: 2/5 mainly because you can tell its something just quickly knocked up with little structure.

This is your first song on here, so my assumption is you are an aspiring producer. Do not be afraid to spend more time on your tracks, look up tutorials on youtube (there are loads of 'how to' videos that helped me learn). Think of the melody you want, play it in your chosen DAW and build up around it...humming the bits you want to add really helps as you go along. By all means, use loops (Drums, FX etc) - but do not rely on them...people will notice this and may think you a little lazy.

Learn how to master, which is the bit most people hate but is necessary in making your tracks stand out - eventually you will that you will have a process and everything will flow to the point the only thing you have to worry about is procrastination (well, I do anyway lol). If in doubt, ask for advice - Newgrounds is a great place to ask for it :)

Lachasauras responds:

Hi there, thanks for the feedback! I will be sure to improve next time

[Saudade]

Overall I loved the melody, but the mixing was a bit odd, for me at least. It felt like there was a lot of unnecessarily automation, fading etc that distracted me from listening to the wonderful melody - try not to use so much, especially when it sounds like you are linking everything to the kick..as it sounds like you are just turning the track up and down too much. When the song kicked in at 1.46min the drums etc felt too centralized and 'muddy' for me and the tinny hat felt out of place. A little EQ and stereo separation can help things stand out more.

I can definitely envision a slower more emotional version of this song, with more air time for arps and pianos (they were really nice when they made an appearance).

Please note that this was my experience for this song, and I am certainly not a critique or master of music so don't take any of my hopefully constructive criticism to heart. You did a good job and have some great ideas.

[He who knows the dab]

Great to see some more of my favorite genre being made (although im currently going through a synthwave phase).

This reminded me of early 2000s trance, which is definitely not a bad thing. Nostalgia kicked in and really cant really fault the song (loved the blocky wood notes that accompanied the main synth). Well done :)