50Steaks's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[PARTY HATZ! - Captain Obvious]

I am loving the chord progressions at the verses. It just oozes nostalgia from my childhood. Also, I'm finally old enough to get some of the lyrical references to that time period like "cross my heart and hope to die" being straight from 2012's One More Night!

I just have a few general concerns. Firstly, Andrew kinda hit the nail on the head mixing wise, as it can be hard at times to hear the drums during the choruses. Maybe this is just me but I think the lyrics at these parts are just a little bit cheesy and generic. More melodies would be nice in general, maybe somehow incorporating this hypothetical B melody into the second chorus to bring some variety to the second half of the song. I also think the chords at the choruses are, like the lyrics, ultimately pretty bland and generic, which was probably done to match the time period (I'm thinking OMFG and LMFAO here) but there comes a point where you dont want to repeat the same mistakes early 2010s music made for the sake of the theme! I already think the verses pay homage enough.

Despite all this, the emotional beats of the song resonated enough to make this song shine, and I'm looking forward to see what you have in store!

[Roulette (NGADM Entry)]

I'm vibing with the intro! It's so danceable lol. Sets a great foundation for the rest of the song with the jazzy chords and the smooth percussion. Everything up to 1:14 is so good in my opinion!

But then 1:14 hits and something is lost that you had before: the grooviness kinda dissipates here and I'm not exactly sure why. It might be because that earlier rhythm disappears until 1:44 which I like, but then we get another transition with a riser before the actual chorus comes back? It feels like the flow of the song is just totally lost between 1:14 and 2:10 tbh. Every section feels very distinct and the transitions between them are pretty sudden in my opinion. The flow comes back at 2:10 and then the outro feels like it should've occurred like at 1:14 with that synth under it instead of whatever happened there.

Mixing wise as well I feel like the strings are too quiet at 2:29 and there should be another instrument there to support them so they aren't alone in the mix like that. The main synth at the choruses are very juicily mixed which is why this probably got the FP regardless of its structural issues. Also there's like this army voice going on that I think should just be removed completely because it is a little distracting and doesn't fit that well. Idk maybe that voice is just omnipresent at casinos, I wouldn't know as I've never been. But yeah anyways thanks for coming out! I look forward to what you'll have in store next year as this has huge potential.

HG-HL responds:

I really appreciate the super in depth feedback! I’m looking forward to next year :)

[Rain]

The intro is extremely unique, and probably my favorite part as it definitely sets the stage for the rest. I just have a few structure related issues with this one that hurt the song a bit: the first would be that some parts (i.e. 0:18-1:10 and 1:27-2:19) lack an actual melody. The main melody takes over a minute to kick in, and when it comes back after the bridge, it's basically a copy paste of 1:10 until 2:53 to be honest. After that, we get a new melody which is nice and brings a lot of flair to the ending but it doesn't quite make up for the repetitiveness of the rest of the track unfortunately. This isn't helped by the fadeout ending that just repeats the intro over and over.

Mixing wise though I have very few complaints. All the different voices, percussion, etc. sit very well in the mix and don't cover each other up which is my main thing with mixing. Snares are very audible etc. The chord progression, while probably not unique on its own, is done in a unique way in this song that brings it a lot of personality despite my earlier complaints.

Thanks for coming out to NGADM! I hope to see you again next year >:)

[Tabula Rasa]

The intro is very cinematic and immersive, though the few seconds of silence at the beginning is an interesting choice. Unfortunately, though I know it was meant to create contrast, I feel like the middle section could use a little more going on as right now it sounds very empty, especially considering how short this track is. The last third of the piece is a more developed version of the intro, though I wish it did go a little further volume wise rather than playing it safe at a similar dynamic level. It ultimately made it feel a little cut short, like there could've been way more development that we never got to see.

But production wise this is really solid. I have very few complaints on that front as it is very balanced, though perhaps not quite loud enough as the piece progresses. Maybe it would be better if I knew what the title meant, lol. Just looked it up and it means "blank slate" like how we are all born with no knowledge but quickly pick up information through our senses and experiences. So I change my earlier sentiment on the silence at the beginning as it probably holds that artistic meaning. Should definitely be looking up more Latin titles from now on lmao. Either way, thanks for coming out and I am excited to see what you have in store for round 2!

[memory_tape_07_2003.wav NGADM Submission]

Honestly, this is phenomenal. I think I gave this the highest score out of all of the round 1 submissions because it really did blow me away. The fade in in the intro sets the stage perfectly as you are instantly transported to a world much like the one depicted in the image. I can imagine myself in a long lost memory walking through a forest, with the beeps and boops giving off a computery vibe. Then we transition into the middle quieter section with some distant voices that again, increase immersion, though the transition is perhaps a little too sudden. Then back to more of the glorious intro as you hear tape sounds this time, bringing home the title of the song. Porter robinson is a name I recognize because of his old song "sad machine" that was given a remix by Ardor for GD many years ago that blew up a bit. But if this is inspired by his more recent work, then I'll definitely have to rediscover him.

The only major flaw I can think of is the outro with the weird robot voice that I don't think fits very well to be honest. But mixing and sound design wise this is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard on NG, and so a high score reflects that. Of all the submissions, this is the one that whisked me away the most, and that is saying something because we had a very VERY competitive lineup this year. I am honestly THRILLED to see what you have in store for the next round. Best of luck!

CorruptModule responds:

Id highly recommend Porter’s album nurture and he's also has a new album out and a tour going on. But mainly nurture is where i drew inspiration. Thanks for the review and im glad you enjoyed it ill try my best to work more on this style as well. 👍

[Struggle]

Hey! I know we've had quite the DM chain about this song already but I originally did sign up to review this anyways, so here you go.

There is so much emotion behind the performance of this, I'm surprised it didn't quite make it. Most of the feedback I had was about production, but you've (finally) resolved basically all the issues. I don't have any problems with the structure or theming other than that it just feels too short! If this updated version were the one to have been submitted, I'm pretty sure it would have made it (though I guess we'll never know). Regardless, you're now able to take all the feedback and the 30 mixing versions into account for all your future compositions. I will definitely be keeping an eye on your future works! Good luck next year!

Solacitude responds:

True that I got pretty active in DM with you and a couple NG judges too to get my sound right after the 3/10 shock. I was quite stunned by the production result, but in the end if it can be used to make sure I'm not releasing bad audio quality in the future, it's a big win!

Otherwise it's still a very positive surprise regarding everything else, so all in all I'm happy with the results, and feedbacks. It's important to take that as well into account.
I'm glad you liked this piece, that it connects with you! The impressive score you gave was a big weight in the balance to offset the bad feelings of reading the disastrous production scores. At least it made it a bit less of a task to you to listen to my endless versions if you like the composition. I'm now at the 27th :) but it's only getting better! Now with a clearer sound the fine tuning is way more efficient. I'll update again soon.

Thank you very much for the chat, encouragements, and suggestions!

[Crime (NGUAC & NGADM)]

Hey man! You're my first review ever as a NGADM judge :D
This song blew me away when I first listened to it. The mixing and mastering is near perfect, but there is always some nitpicking I can do lol. First off, the sirens. I'm just not the biggest fan of the way they sound in the mix; they stick out like a sore thumb, almost like you had to put something in to make the theming make sense. I do like them at the very end when it's just them playing, which brings up the idea that they should have only played at 0:56 (and the very end) without most of the chords or synths, just continuously building up (pun intended) percussion and sirens. Also, the transition at 1:28 feels a bit rushed, like I think it could have been removed and replaced with a smoother entrance into the more chaotic second half of the drop. I really only have other very minor complaints, like the fact that the frankly awesome sounding guitar at 0:45 doesn't show up again.

Your entry was the second highest score I gave, so you really hit it out of the park with this one despite what I already mentioned. Honestly this is such a bop lol. Good luck to you next round!

[The Lord has Come]

This is interesting because it probably only wasn’t frontpaged because the larger collab was. It’s also interesting because of the grunts and the different angle you took with a traditional Christmas song, that’s honestly super cool.

But there’s a broader issue I’m beginning to notice with your pieces. They’re all incredibly professionally made and have a lot of thought and care put behind them. In a vacuum, I do feel like your recent pieces this year on their own hold up really well.

But I feel like the general experimentation that used to characterize both of our portfolios has started to fade. Like oh cool, another tangerine well made amazing cinematic choral piece. And to be honest I’ve really been wanting to talk about this for a while, pretty much since you switched to FL and went a bit more… predictable? Not sure how I can call this predictable. It’s a massive cinematic remix of a classic Christmas song with a completely different tone! But… that’s kinda it?

In the same way that I eventually made a few more electronic works to balance out the classical ones which, let’s be honest here, are way easier to make? Like there really isn’t that much mixing involved in my classical pieces, at least nowhere near to the level of my electronic ones.

Maybe it’s time to step outside your comfort zone. I’d love to see you take a wild new step in a new direction! Make a jazz song again! Try to get adventures of a lost clown frontpaged while staying as close to the original as possible! Not everything you post HAS to be groundbreaking and amazing.

Ignore everything I wrote here I’m just late night rambling about something that has been on my mind for around 2 years. And to be honest you don’t have this issue nearly as much as other popular artists here on the site. I just don’t want to see your work become stale. That’s all.

Tangerine responds:

Thanks!

I kind of feel like I never lost that experimentation side of my music, though it just looks a little different now. Before, I would experiment with different styles like, jazz, rock, cinematic and sometimes techno. Now I'm experimenting more within the cinematic genre. Making songs from Middle eastern tracks to creepy circus tracks.

I honestly would like to make more edm and dubstep-type tracks, but I just can't seem to get through them. For some reason, I just get so bored after a few hours of making them. During 2022, I make like, 100 edm tracks but I finished none of them because I just go so incredibly bored during the process.

That's why for the past 2 years I've been making primarily orchestral tracks. They're the most fun to make and I'm more proud of the end result. I also just like that music genre more. Though, I have been warming up to the idea of making more jazz tunes. That's something I still really enjoy. The piano one I sent you earlier is one I want to make into a proper full song.

But yeah I absolutely do get what you mean. I made Massacre at the Carnival and then never looked back lmao. Orchestral music is so diverse and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface in terms of the subgenres. But I do step out of my comfort zone quite often, Newgrounds just doesn't get to see it :p

Oh my god imagine the absolute journey it would be trying to get Adventures of a Lost Clown to the frontpage. I don't think anyone is skilled enough to do it. But yeah, I also hope my work isn't becoming stale because that would be really sad

[The Start of...]

I'd scout this but theres like 20 seconds of silence at the end and I don't think the portal likes that sort of thing. This is a great start though, just need to make it a little longer with more distinct sections or themes of some sort.

TheSolarDude responds:

Yeah I just figured out how to delete the silence at the end. I am working on something much better which will be coming out soon maybe

[Five Quarters]

I'm a sucker for odd time signatures (yes that is a musical term btw) and for overly long, in depth descriptions that outline a lot of decisions you made in detail. No seriously I still struggle with this.

Never played touhou but do know Bad Apple of course. And I can see how this might be from the same game that originated from. I would say though, the piano constantly doing its arpeggios of the same chord at the 5/4 parts does get a little repetitive even with the meter changes. But it's mixed super well and definitely puts me on edge during those sections. Feels like someone is about to spring out from behind my closet door.

Pheanir responds:

I appreciate your feedback.
I was also feeling skeptical about the ever-repeating piano arpeggios, but when I tried listening to parts without it, it felt oddly off -- like some depth was missing for the track. But I think I won't overdo it like this in the future. It was a first and I didn't take the time to (re-)evaluate the presence it has in this piece.

Again, thanks! ♪