Quarl's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM 2022 - should i...?]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
Yoshiii343, should i...?: 8,8,8,8 (32/40)

I've been looking forward to judging your tracks Yosh, they really manage to stand out via style and genre. Admittedly, I have a small bias for droning Indy. The genre might be a little vague to the other judges but having grown up during that period when "Indy rock" was most prolific this sound and style manages to take me back in time. A little Explosions In The Sky and a little Sunny Day Real Estate. I really wish there was some kind of drum line such as a 16th note snare rhythm that crescendos and decrescendos but I'm not certain a driving drum line would benefit the relevance to the art. You managed to make a very contemplative work that lacks a little structure. Interestingly, the art also seems to lack certain structure and depth. I'm very pleased that you took a challenging piece of art and gave it a piece of music that also makes me think.

The only color in the art is a red figure, I think your music could have used a "red figure" of sorts to stand out from the relatively colorless zone of contemplation. Maybe you could have included some orchestral percussion swells to help give your song some colorful climaxes? Some gentle brushed cymbal hits, swells, and orchestral bass drums would have bled nicely into the music to help transition your guitar patterns. That's just a suggestion, you have a very strong piece of work here and it reminds me about why I love hearing from you every now and again. I doubt anyone else in this contest will sound like you.

There was room in the mix for that missing element, that "red figure." I've suggested using samples to some of the other contestants, samples that can help tie the listener to the scene. There is water flowing under a bridge, possibly car traffic moving by, a sidewalk that could host the pitter patter of foot steps. You wrote a very romantic piece of work but you could make it a little more memorable by including atmospheric sounds and ideas. It hurts a little to notice this kind of stuff in other people's work because it took me such a long time to learn it myself. Without solid ties to the scenery of the art work, we're left to judge entirely via how we interpreted the connection. Take away some of that ambiguity with scenic samples or recordings. Good luck swaying the other judges, I really do like this one.

(An afterthought I came to at the time I posted this review, I wish I gave you one extra point for relevancy. I feel like the red figure listening to this again, contemplating my choices and actions. This song is so lovely.)

[AIM 2022 | Siberg - The Journey]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
Siberg, The Journey: 8,8,5,10 (31/40)

A smart piece of art to choose for some downtempo minimal house. The song is moody and drones which really works for the setting in the pixel art. Boring highway drives can get me listening to music I wouldn't normally listen to and admittedly I have a few house tracks in my highway driving mixes. To be honest with you the song is a little boring but so is driving across the country at night hence my high relevancy score.

Despite the positive qualities I can pick up on, I'm just not very impressed when it comes to down-tempo minimal house, artists like Sequenced can fight me. You could have toyed more with your panning data to make the track a little more engaging. Panning an instrument can give off illusions of volume and movement. A sound that's panned will give off the impression that it's a little louder and can be turned down to make more room in the field for other instruments, tones, and samples. Panning will also literally create space on the opposite side of the field. You can engage listeners more when you have tones introduced from unexpected directions. Though you perfectly managed to convey the feelings of the art, boring might not have been the best outcome. There's a lot of standout talent in this competition that got me out of my chair and drooling. Additional panning data might have grabbed my attention some more by emulating the motion of passing cars on a highway.

Though I'm not taking off points for the next bit, I'm going to say that I'm really hounding people this year for not writing more about their work, their creative process, and their feelings. We are a community of nutty artists and content creators. We learn from each other and overtime become familiar with each other's ticks, drives, and desires. I love this community a lot, even though it can sometimes get slightly petty or combative. We're like a family that bickers around the dinner table once a year. Having the courage to say a little bit more about yourself and your work can endear you to others. Regardless of that, thank you for your participation. This is the first time I'm taking notice of you and your work. I only have one "token-house-friend" on Newgrounds but you could teach the rest of us how to love the genre as much as he did for me.

Siberg responds:

Thanks for the words. I agree with you on many of your points. So, I'll elaborate on a bit of my process for this track because I agree more people on this platform should talk about their creative processes and I honestly never do that. Partially because I still consider myself an apprentice level producer even with 10 years of FL Studio knowledge in my head.

This track was made in 4 hours. I think I started with the "wow wow woooow" and added reverb and stuff. I thought it was cool so I decided to make something around that. Next, I added the backing synth chord layer to give it some life. Then, the beats and the bass. I usually try to get the sidechaining done once I decide on a kick and bass. It's a chore at this point since I've done it so many times and I try to work quickly so I don't lose the next idea in my head.

The kick is actually the very first kick in 'Tame Impala - Borderline'. All I did was turn up the bass, lower the highs and cut the tail. Also, the ambient sounds throughout the track (you can hear at the 1st and 8th bar for reference) are actually the vocals to 'Circa Survive - Frozen Creek' with a long attack reverb on it which gives you a unique pad effect. I was gonna put vocals in there but I usually shy away from the idea, but not before adding some and messing around for a bit. That about sums it up. The track is boring. :) If using these samples are against the rules, then I guess I just dug my own grave. RIPBOZO

Plug-ins / VSTs:
Bass - DCO-106
Chords - Sylenth1
Intro Synth - Sylenth 1
Lead Synth - Repro-1
Wow Wow Wow - "Cymatics - SYNTH Motion - C"

[AIM - Storytellers Tale]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
Azurenite: Storytellers Tale 10,10,10,10 (40)

You missed an apostrophe. "Storyteller's" is possessive and deserves a comma, -50 points.

Just kidding, this is delightful to listen to. Something the other judges might not know is that traditional Japanese music is very fluid, sometimes lacking rhythm completely (I actually did share this factoid with them via Discord). I was told in college that flute players divided time not with time signatures but with the length of their breaths which is a very abstract, beautiful, and human way to divide time. You not only did justice to the art but you managed to do justice to the culture and style of traditional music. This work sounds alive and Zen-like. I feel like I'm sitting down in a Japanese café drinking tea and the players are here with me. I have a lot of music to review but I'm thankful that you produced something which is in my opinion "perfect" so that I can give you a subtle nod and continue about my way. Continue with your expert music making aspirations, keep writing powerful tunes, and meter this compliment so that it doesn't affect your ego.

(I notice that you signed up with Newgrounds not terribly long ago, don't be afraid to share more of yourself with words! The space to write authors comments is a place where we can get to know your thought process and inspirations. I'm really gonna hound on people in this comp for not sharing more about their inner workings because this is a tough competition to judge. I have a lot of music to listen to and I like to absorb as much data as possible so I have a sense that I'm giving top scores to artists that have the drive to become the best version of themselves possible. We are a community of like-minded enthusiasts and artistic renegades and we like to know each other better. Offering up some info into what you were feeling or thinking can sway some of us into understanding your intentions better, we often get hooked on learning from each other. You had a lot to say with your music but don't always expect the work to speak for itself.)

[AIM - Battle of Ships]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
JinZ Battle Of Ships: 10,8,10,10 (38/40)

Stop making me bop to this, I'm trying to compare how this song relates back to the art and the listenability/complexity is making me hella biased. Good work on making a track so wonderfully engaging and energetic.

I'm gonna nit pick the mix a little, it looks like you maxed out your sound field but the track is sounding a little flat for some reason. I might recommend experimenting with your panning data. Sounds that are panned give off the illusion that they are a little louder and panning will free up room on the other side of the field for other tones and textures. Dynamic changes to stereo data can make a track become more engaging for the listener. Panning also emulates "movement," which is a powerful tool a lot of producers never take advantage of. This track kicks so much ass, I just wish the mix down was perfect. I won't take off too many points for the mix but this is one of my genres and I'd love to hear you do it at 110%. I'm also getting on some people's case for not writing enough, Newgrounds is a community that feeds back into itself, sometimes we're like a family that argues. After spending decades of my life on this website I've come to appreciate knowing more about people that come through here. Use this creative space to develop a manifesto of sorts. Your kind to include your age on your profile, I've worked with a lot of prodigies here that went on to do impressive things. I believe you'll do very well with a metered anticipation of your future. FYI, there's almost no money in music but you can still pursue your dreams and find satisfaction with your work regardless of outcome. I'd be very satisfied with this amazing work of sound design if it was my own.

I'm not taking off massive points for the mix/panning because the art chosen is legit hi-class pixel art. The music is almost too good for the art but the fact that it's animated is playing into a deceptive degree of complexity. You did honor to the artist with work that makes me wish this was a steam game I could purchase and play. Though the mix sounds a little flat, there's still plenty of room for ambient sfx if this was playing in the background of a video game. That space is where I'd sneak in classic retro 8-bit chips and blips, panned to emulate their location on the screen. At the moment of scoring this, I feel you have exceptionally accomplished the task of the contest. Each judge will approach the subs in their own way but know that I loved this, and it was a treat to listen to. Top tier work.

An additional footnote I'm adding at the time of posting this review, don't be afraid to write more about your creative process, what specifically inspired you, and how it relates to the visual. Tagging your equipment is beneficial, this is a community of peers that often loves and rewards data. You don't have to write as much as I do but I take notice when people include their feelings. Often it feels like no one is listening or paying attention but when they do, holy shit it feels good. I hope you have a wonderful day JinZ, salud!

JinZ responds:

Tysm for this feedback
I think youre right, i should elaborate what was going on before i release a track xD

[AIM - Stalwart & Ready For Battle]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
cyan11, Stalwart & Ready For Battle: 8,6,9,9 (32)

So the first thing I noticed was that slowly evolving gated synth line that I immediately associate with classic sci-fi games like Mass Effect or stealth games like Splinter Cell/Metal Gear Solid. I happen to be playing AC Valhalla at the moment so I'm gonna gripe on the elements that don't fit the genre or time period. I just found that synth line a little out of place, not to say you can't incorporate such elements or make it work wonderfully but it might have served best taken out for the sake of the competition? The percussion was wonderfully written, I loved it but will evoke Splinter Cell again at the 2:20 mark. It just felt out of place, granted still wonderfully written. That final techy section also reminds me Ace Combat, very progressive percussion much up the alley for metal producers such as "Chimp-Spanner" and "David Maxim Micic."

The mix down felt very "thin" to be honest and looking at the visualization it's clear that the track is being compressed, please turn off whatever is unnecessarily compressing the audio. There is so much more room for bass and mids. I'm at max volume and it still sounds quite. Since the visualization shows all that extra room, you can use that extra space to amp up what you already have and get a louder sound. I'm not asking you to export what's called a "brick" but I'd rather have the option of turning the volume down on something that's too loud than not being able to turn it up any louder. A PA system can get a louder sound but you have to take into account that most people on Newgrounds won't be using PA systems. You left a lot of space in the mix with what looks like unnecessary compression. I'm going to take points off your score for that one mix issue alone. People give "bricks" the false notion that the extra loudness is a bad thing but you have to mix a few bricks to really know what your limits are.

I hope you're proud of the work, it sounds amazing. I'm not sure if Vikings were noted historically for their musicality but I'd have done some research into that and worked the study into the music somehow. I like to learn things, don't be afraid to gush more about your work so that competition judges have a better look into your thought process and inspirations! We're a community on Newgrounds and at times a family that fights and argues with itself. I like to know more about how y'all are feeling and I can recognize your name at this point. Hopefully in the future I'll see more cyan11 and understand you better :3

[AIM - Where Even the Monsters Cry]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
Cyan11, Where Even The Monsters Cry: 8,9,10,9 (36/40)

As a huge fan of artists like Bjork and John Cage, I loved how inspired this track sounded. The intro had some very somber orchestration. I can totally fit the track to the illustration because it crawls nicely. The intro sound effects you used in the background match the noises I imagine the creatures would be making. The strings grate a little, I might have put less presence into the violins (admittedly I often push strings too hard myself) but it's not like they didn't match up with the visual. In fact, the strings sound "stressed" which is good but I think the first violins might have sounded better with less volume and more crescendo. Those sharp highs arrive from nowhere and are a little challenging to enjoy. Sometimes you want that "nails-across-the-chalkboard" vibe but you can accomplish that annoyance with much less emphasis. The bass strings are perfect. I guess it's a mix down issue and the violins would probably sound less grating on my Sennheisers but I can confidently say that switching my monitors won't necissarily change much for me.

Your percussion is so strong, you could have prepared us for that stressed string section with an orchestral bass drum swell or cymbal swell. Both simultaneously would sound nice. Personally, I try to introduce jarring sections with some kind of "riser" or build up that prepares the listener for whatever is about to assault the ears. The percussion had a very industrial drive to it. I didn't think the driving orchestration necessarily matched up with the art but there was a lot of aux percussion that nicely fit the jungle of bones visual well. Honestly, it's a very strong piece and you should be happy for it.

Giving into the hopelessness of the scene, you might have leaned away from all the extra perc orchestration in favor of an outro that echoes the intro? Ambience sounds like a strength for you, perhaps as much as your percussion is? The song kind of ends when I think you could have copy/pasted some of that introductory ambience into a bleak windy outro. This is just an idea, I won't take points off for it or anything. I'm just rambling...

As I judge for this comp, I'm focusing on the idea that I'm listening for music that fits the visual so perfectly that the visual and the music become inseparable. I'll be putting this track to the side of my selections as a work that deserves high tier recognition but perhaps doesn't quite fit into that S tier where the winners will go. I loved this track and I feel like you genuinely tried to echo the art. My opinion might change as I listen to more work, if so I'll probably revisit this and work it into my list better but these were my initial, unedited thoughts. I'm going to mark you up with a 7/10, more so to organize my list of submissions than an actual representation of the quality of your work. It's very strong music but your competition is strong too. We'll see better how the scores all go over in the end but please, feel good about your work. It's very powerful. The title is an excellent nod to the work, in case no one else points that out. Amazing work Cyan11 :3

[Dawn]

Quarl AIM 2022 Review
Composition/Structure (0-10), Production (0-10), Emotion (0-10), Relevance to Artwork (0-10)
Lucas Berry, Dawn: 10, 8, 8, 5 (31/40)

The tune is great, it has a laid back fusion of styles and ideas going on. The guitars, pads, leads, melodies, and rhythms are all very relaxing. My biggest gripe is going to be how about how the work relates to the illustration. If it wasn't for the barn, this tune would match up nicely. Scenery translates well into musical ideas but I'm looking at that barn like something is out of place. You got sci-fi pads and techno risers kind of decorating the background of the song, but the barn is giving me a small Harvest Moon sensation. I could hear this track in a sci-fi game like Star Ocean or Mega Man Battle Network. You picked a landscape that was vague in some respects, which lends itself to be interpreted however you like. It would be strange to ask the artist to crop the barn from the image such that all we get is a lazy field with purple grass and a happy tree but it's up to us, the musicians to compliment these illustrations. All in all, I feel like the audio track is a little too "busy" and robust for the scenery. It's a wonderful track, the other judges might have their own opinions. All in all, it's a strong piece of work but I told myself at the onset of the competition that I wanted to hear music that lends itself so well to the art that the two mediums become inseparable. The song is a near fit but with all the amazing music cropping up this year, I'm not sure how this will hold up after I listen to some more works.

Since the barn felt by and large ignored, maybe I'd recommend some audio samples? Barns imply animal noises, birds, cats, cattle, horses clopping but it's night time, so most animals would be asleep? The leaves flying off the tree implies a lot of wind. As someone that lives in a very windy but peaceful valley the only "natural" rhythm section would be the sound of blowing grass and branches. I wouldn't want to recommend "unethical sampling" but if you want to risk grabbing some bird or wind noises from any random youtube video, we'd never know the difference unless you said so. I'd expect a professional to go grab field recordings of this stuff but I literally hold no one on Newgrounds to that same expectation. That barn really turns the piece into two separate landscapes, making this a surprisingly difficult landscape to adjust for. Yes, I mentioned you have a fusion of styles going on but the audio you made lends itself more towards spaceships than breezy fields. As a drummer, I hate suggesting less percussion but maybe you could have done more with less rhythm and focused instead on ambience? I'm not feeling a lot of structure in the scenery, it's very whimsical. Drums don't always lend themselves to a whimsical landscape. Windchimes would make sense hanging off that barn but that feels like a silly suggestion because I slut some windchimes into every song I write. It's fun percussion instrument because it lacks structure and sounds kind of like glitter tossed on top of the music. There are ways to use percussive instruments to create ambience but the jazz/rock fusion drums feel a little out of place when you put it next to the audio.

A mastering issue I'll point out but not take any points off for is that the track takes on some massive quality shifts between my Senhiessers and the Audio Technicas. Mastering is an issue literally everyone overlooks, myself included. I'll probably put out similar disclaimers on other comp tracks. Mastering is a hassle because the goal is to get your music to sound as true to the original recording on as many apparatuses as possible. I used to go crazy listening to my own music on everything I could get my hands on. From car speakers to PA systems to headphones, you'll learn techniques to avoid massive change from apparatus to apparatus. It can be a very embarrassing feeling when you go to bump your bass music on a friends monitors and there's no bass. I was actually surprised at the massive difference in quality, the track sounded much better on the Audio Technicas. It's a very popular brand on Newgrounds, I'm going to venture a guess that you might own a pair?

Does this track represent the visual? IMO: 5/10. I mentioned feeling very torn but I don't feel like the visual and the audio are inseparable from each other. The musical qualities are very strong but there is a lot strong audio production in this years field of contenders. I'd give you a 10/10 for just the audio but that's not going to be the focus of this competition. It's a tough competition to judge because people can have very strong audio compositions but very vague visual selections. This is a lot of stuff to think about if you want to jump into the fray again next year consider some of these ideas! Please don't get upset, you're obviously a very strong composer. I just think there were a few blind spots you could have worked out to really drive home the idea that the visual and the audio are inseparable from each other :)

[TRANS RIOT MUSIC]

Snare after that first drop has a crispy snap to it on my Sennheiser's but I know that hi-freq snare pop would be painful on a pair of Audio Technica's. Even without switching the cans it's killing me a little on my Sennheiser babies. Include your equipment in your tags so I can know what to listen to this on, it rocks so damn hard but I want to hear it with the apparatus you intend it for. Should I turn around and plug this into my PA system? Something tells me it's gonna shake my house apart if I give it a go on the monitors... SHOULD I DO IT? SHOULD I SHAKE THE HOUSE DOWN??

FREE99 responds:

yes Yes. YES

also mixing these songs is impossible @ this point too messy, all are at +1 LUFS etc.. made with SHURE SRH840s doesnt sound painful 2 us on mac speakers, HR824's, a scarlett solo, iPhones, or DT 770s but our ears are also. used to a beating at this point. appreciate that feedback / might play around w it a bit ^^ <3

[Traitor]

Can someone scan the art and see if it functions as a QR code?

Edit: I downloaded a few QR readers. None of them worked :'c

[Nowhere 2 Go (Feat. Milkypossum & Maxxjamez)]

Woof, y'all three are killing it. Explosive beats, catchy hook, romantic old school drum machine samples... perfect music collab <3

YasiinClemens responds:

Thank you so much 😭