Zafrece's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Helix- Archetype[HD]]

Alright, loving this off the bat. Very intense, good mixing/mastering. The half point off is the L/R alternations got rather bothersome by the end. Other than that this is my favorite song of the week sir, hats off. I shall begin stalking your music section.

[The Black Abyss]

I must agree with the comments below, the vocals were hunting for the notes at times at best. I almost wish this had been a pure instrumental, as that part of the song was amazing.

[Torch]

Good to see you back in the swing of things jay. I love this new song man, it reminds me of neoclassical rock in some sorts. What string program or vst are you using for this thing?

[Halindir - Europa XI]

Great song over all. However i found it difficult hear it through all the peaking and fighting channels. Allot of EQ work was needed on this song. It's a shame , i can hear the beauty of this song. It pushes and pulls me in and out of it. Very smooth and soft at times, yet vibrant and powerfull when need be.

Very well written
Very well composed
Needs EQ/mastering work

[Caffeine Midgets]

I...I don't know why... i'm drawn to this song...

[Self Rehab (Remastered) 1]

Not my personal taste in music, however i can see the production level on this is high. It was very relaxing, and smooth. I'm certian if i was into this style i would have a bit more to say about it, but as it stands i can't comment too much outside the production value.

Mixing/mastering- As a standard i have come to expect from your songs, they are high quality in the mixing department. You don't hyper compress your master track. You keep it very smooth and clean. Again, very professional in these aspects.

Drums- The drums in this song were particularly good. The different types of cymbals being used along with some soft snares really threw the drum parts together.

It was a high production piece that i enjoyed at parts. However again, this is the style of music i would say i gravitate towards, i find it great for what it is all the same. As i always say, i can't judge rating based on personal musical tastes.

Look forward to hearing more of your stuff on the AP. If ever you want to chat music, hit me up on skype any time (info is on my page).

182blink69 responds:

Sounds great man, and I really appreciate you're great reviews as always!

[8-bit Inferno]

This sounds much like music from 8 bit killer to be honest. Amazing work, i have nothing negative to say about this piece. Keep it up.

[Sapphire Nine - Bamboo]

It has been a while sir, I kept checking your page for any sign of updates in your absence. Good to have you return on ng.

As for the song- it was full of energy as usual. I loves the transitions mix. professionally mastered as i would come to expect. The bass blend was spot on, drums spot on. The only thing i would have to slightly disagree on would a bit of saw saturation at parts. However taste can't be thrown into reviews or ratings so that point is null. Amazing work as always, i hope to see more of your stuff up here again.

On an off note do you have an album for sale?

Silta responds:

Thanks for your review Zafrece! I'm glad to return myself :)
So glad you like the track! All those things you mentioned were elements I focused pretty intently on. I was especially proud of the mixing on the basses and drums, that's a quality I'd like to uphold and build upon. I get your point about the saturation, and that's something that seems to get better with each track I produce so hopefully it'll be better next time and I'll keep tabs on it.
I only wish I had an album for sale! I have a personal goal of having one compiled by the end of the upcoming academic year or by the end of the following summer, so if I don't have one by then you have my permission to scold. :P

Peace,
-SN

[Stab Victims!]

I love the bass on this one, very mellow yet it pops enough to give a nice groove to it.I almost feel as if these could be three separate songs the way they transition is a bit rigid, but nothing too notable.

Another one going on the fave list, thanks again =p

(Love and trance

OcularNebula responds:

I appreciate that you noticed the quality of the bass sound

in the past, I've frequently used bass sounds that were either too muddy or too in-your-face, so having a smooth, balanced bass is a nice thing to have accomplished for this track

[On Your Way Out]

I have heard several of your groups songs in the past, and A majority of them were rather off putting. The vocals are usually slightly off to severely off. If you are using fl studios, in cases like this, i would suggest using the program "Newtone" On notes that dip at the start of singing, ( usually due to uncertainty of the desired pitch) you can easily fix this problem. The audio of the parts are all slightly out of sync at several areas. This is understandable if you aren't used to syncing parts, or if you were recording each part separately. ( that just gets better with time)

As for the mixing, i hear lots of near peaking, and lots of compression. Hyper compression is not the solution to a good master track. Dynamics are lost in the mix that make the song what it is with that process, If possible try to avoid doing such. Most of the mix is hitting the ceiling and preventing certain parts from cutting through. This is just a result of either conflicting hertz ranges in the mix, or poor DB management in the mix.( or hyper compression) ( assuming each part was recorded and placed into separate channels, if not that could easily be the problem.)

Guitar- The tone was something I'm not fond of in the lead, however that is simply personal preference in tastes of distortion and won't effect the over all rating. The picking was slightly inaccurate at times, i could hear where the pluck was clearly before the finger was being placed. It almost sounded as if only down or up picking was being used for a majority of the lead rather than alternate picking. However the tap solo was quite nice and fit very well.

Out of all the songs i have heard from you all, this is the only one i felt the need to comment on. I can hear the potential this song has, and hope to see more work of this caliber show up on your page. This is a large leap from some of your earlier pieces i had heard. Mainly the vocals and pitch in this song was much more accurate than songs i have heard in the past. I hope you are all are not the type to take harshly to criticisms said about your works. I also as a disclaimer have no ill intent in my reviews, i simply am reviewing as i see things and hoping some suggestions can be made.