Score: 6

"The bass."

submission: 2nd Storm(Newgrounds cut)

date: November 18, 2009

If I could sum your song up in 2 words. Those would be the words. =)

Let's get this review started then..

Progression, Harmony, Melodics & Craftsmanship:

Very nice progression, I'm not going to criticize this, it could use a bit more transitional FX to keep it flourishing, but other than that, it's top notch stuff.

All of the melodics are interesting, very nicely composed, but you've unfortunately left it quite unrepetitive. With trance, people want to remember what they hear, the automatic reaction then is to go back to the track, and to listen again, if you have nothing to remember, you won't feel the need to go back to the track. Some more quick riff's would be nice, allowing the mid-section, being the break and chorus, to have some more originality to it.

Craftsmanship on this song is quite good. The way you've put everything together, everything works very nicely, and each instrument supports the one before it to bring it into a clear, thick track.

Mastering:

Lows: - Bass is fiiiine. Awesome beauty right there, although you could do with some more power on the kick. One thing for you to remember is that trance is LITERALLY based around the kick. You need one that expresses pure power and beauty,and is happy to just lead the whole track. I would like to hear some more powerful bass as well, the slidey-ish bass is nice, but there's no lower punchy effect to keep it interesting.

Mids: Pretty much all good, synths are interesting, nice stuff, nothing out of place really.

Highs: A little lacking, the drumwork is a little on the basic side, but that's the same with most tracks. Try to use better 'filling out' sounds to keep your frequency range lush and full. Some more ride cymbals, some more reverb and higher EQed, punchier kinda cymbals. Trance is about power, you've made everything blend together nicely, but that driving force is lacking that's needed within every instrument, every sample. You want something that SCREAMS pure power into your listeners face, and makes them never forget.

Overall: The song feels very closely made. It feels a little as if it's all moulded into one sound. You'll get it through experience in the end, but you need to learn more about separating your sounds, getting a nice full mix, and at the same time maintaining a nice stereo effect.

Synthesis & Sampling:

Interesting synths you've got going on.

As I said, I think the bass is the best part of the song, it really is driving, and it's impressively professional, however your lead synths feel a little bit 'supersaw' and 'gatewhore' to me. You may want to experiment more with pluckier instruments, with sounds that are more diversely crafted, and above all, try making your own synths work. There's nothing I see that's blatant with the synthesis at all that's 'stolen' but I get an odd feel for these things, I could be completely wrong, and that you just need a liiiittle more practice creating synths.

Sampling sounds very much like Vengeance Essential Clubsounds unaltered, I won't say much on this, this depends on the artist and how they choose to develop, but I must suggest you change your style of writing to kill off the 'basicness' to it.

Most people don't get a review like this out of me. The fact that you're getting one, albeit a low-ish rating suggests you've very much so impressed me.
Please, keep going, keep writing, keep making beautiful music, and I'll be checking you out to makesure you're progressing nicely! :P

Suggested listenings:
Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight (Original 12" Remix)

Arctic Moon & Truewave - On Silver Wings (Original Mix)

Fierra & Adraw - Liberty (Original Mix) (Track being released in December, I'll PM you if you're interested)

And more than all for the idea of short melodies beautifully accenting your track: Veracocha - Carte Blanche (Original Mix)

Do not just listen, maybe take notes, study what they've done, and ask yourself 'Why is my music not like that'? (Maybe not with my song as that's a bit arrogant!

Enjoy, and keep up the fantastic work
-Britt

Score: 7

"Not too bad"

submission: Abyss 2 - F-777

date: October 14, 2009

Just a quick review for now, but I'll chat to ya over msn if you want some more advice.

The instrumentation is pretty nice, the structure is pretty good and it's easy to enjoy.

My main complaints are pretty much about the mix. It sounds like every single instrument is over compressed, the kick is barely present, I can barely hear the clap 60% of the time, the wrong things are playing at the wrong frequencies, and it overall sounds like everything has reverb creating a pure 'air' background.

It's nice to see you've not gone too repetitive, but give your listeners something to rely on, give them something that will last through the song, and that they can get used to.

I would also say get used to using different types of FX, it's interesting what you have used, but the fact is that everything once again has an overcompressed reverby feel to it.

I would say that it also fits the generic category a little too well also. The notation is pretty good throughout, but overall it doesn't really stray from the usual structure/scale people use.

Also at 2:40 I expect something new, but it just goes back to what it already was before in the first verse. The structure is nice for the entire song, but it doesn't really fade into anything new or old, and the breakdown is a little shabby, if I'm honest. It could be a little less 'filled', and really on less energy. Creating contrast in energy rather than seriously over upbeat all the way through can make a difference between a good song, and a bad one.

Score: 8

"Very Nice."

submission: Summer Ocean (EP2 cut)

date: October 1, 2009

Good to hear you writing some nice trance music again.

Okay the first thing I picked up on was the fact that your musicality was a lot better than it has been. The first thing I like is the structure, the notation, everything like that.

I think if anything you need transitional FX, which is lacked upon in your music in general, but that's normal in most tracks because they're very difficult to use.

I'd like to hear a new pad, that one feels a bit too much saw for my liking, purely because the other instruments you use are very saw like. Otherwise, keep it and layer it with another to keep it original.

You may want to turn down the mids on that kick a little, and turn up the lows on the bass, just to get those to equal out a bit, but I like the mixing of it, in all seriousness.

The nice saw instrument you used to introduce what I believe to be a chorus is interesting, you should maybe raise the release on it though, to give it some extra texture.

I like the way you use plucks, and the way it works in the background, keep it that way, maybe raise the highs if that feels to work for you.

If I can suggest anything to do with the track overall, you would definitely want a slow lead up into this, rather than letting it hit straight away.

To keep the cymbal line interesting, you may want to turn it up a bit, and a trick I learnt recently was to layer the living crap out of it, then give it a sidechain, it works wonders for me. Maybe change the clap to be brought up a bit more too in the mix?

Just a picky point: Snare builds are so 2002. I'd love to hear something new and innovative to build up to a chorus, it really does your track wonders, with originality and all. :)

Looking forward to the full version, and hope this review helped. ^^

- Brittany (Fierra)

Also, please listen to my new demo, Down To Earth (Fierra's Club Fix) - Fierra & Lira.

Let's both get signed. :D

Score: 10

"Hmm.."

submission: Kazmo - Headlock [RMX]

date: May 25, 2009

Okay, I'll give you my 10/10 on this one. Definitely an amazing track. Bass is pretty, and uber awesome.

All I could possibly want is a bit of change to the instrumentation, not the instruments necessarily, just bringing other points forward, like the atmospheric FX, and I would love to hear a little more going on with that drumbeat.

Very nice, love it
- Britt

Score: 4

"O..kay"

submission: [ RaveLeNation. ]

date: May 25, 2009

I honestly have no idea how this made it to top 5, let alone #1.

First off I notice the mix/master is disgraceful, it is honestly the most compressed, horribly distorted thing I've heard for a while reach 'the top'.

The instrumentation was frustrating, very basic, and had no variety apart from a very miniscule amount of modulation/automation.

The melodies are okay. The chord progression is so basic, overused and over present that it almost made me vomit.

I ran out of reasons to enjoy this after the first 3 seconds to be honest, the reason I give you a 4 is because you obviously put some effort at least into the song.

However, you need to brush up, majorly, before you even consider advertising your 'album'

- Brittany

Score: 10

"Needs lyrics badly o.o"

submission: Journey to the East ~P~

date: March 28, 2009

I can imagine some ethnic woman like being all cute and singing all awesome over this. <3
I'll shut up.

Score: 10

"dis woz da bom"

submission: Kazmo - Euphoric [Full 80kbps]

date: March 6, 2009

it woz gud i giv u 10 strs n a 5 vot lol im so fap ova dis so kl
-From your average Newground viewing friend-

Score: 6

"Nice job."

submission: A New Energy - F-777

date: March 1, 2009

Quite a nice song. I can tell you put effort into it.
However, I must admit, it's not the most pleasing sensation that you create when instruments are so piercing that they are standing out too hard.

The instrumentation is pretty okay. My main problem is that they are all drowning each other out, the mastering makes this song pretty hard to listen to.

I've never heard as many bass instruments as I have done before in a song. This was pretty much a big melody with as many powerful basses underneath as possible. Try and wow us with something, something different.

Overall, not bad, it definitely fits under Newgrounds style music though. There's not much original at all about this, so I wouldn't really give it another listen, but it shows progress at least.

Good luck with future productions,
Brittany.

Score: 10

"Meh."

submission: Kazmo - 5 Seconds of Awesome

date: February 13, 2009

It's ok. But it could've been longer.

Score: 7

"Nice."

submission: Kazmo - Take Off

date: January 23, 2009

Good instrumentation, couple of nice melodies in there, progression worked well, and I love the use of effects.
I must say though, the piece doesn't live up to it's name. It never 'takes off', it just builds up, then doesn't give any climax, it just has a down sweep and then goes into a new build up theme. All the instruments are also stacato? Let me enjoy your instruments, I can barely hear the sample. The cymbals need to change, and some more drum patterns would be nice so I got some more texture to listen to.