Quarl's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[p4c-Eat This [feb-mar mac8]]

WEEEE

You asked me to check out your song, so I did and initially, I didn't really like it that much. Feeling like a cunt, I decided to download it and throw it on my ipod so I could listen to it some more before dropping a review, and I have to say, this track has really grown on me a bit.

The echo blips towards the beginning give in to a nice reesy sounding synth, the rhythm is classic. Simple, but classic. It all sounds really well produced too. The sounds after 00:54 are really cool/creative. I love them. The rhythm alternates a bit after that, as do the melodies. I don't think that it got too muddy near the end. I noted what it was you were talking about, but it really wasn't a big deal.

This track builds really well. (I don't know why, but that intro reminded me of envy's heaven remix. It's odd because the two tracks have almost nothing in common except maybe a few of the same notes.) In any-case, I'd say change what you feel like you have to.It sounds good now, but it can sound great. Maybe try adding some atmospher at the intro? I don't really know.

Good luck man!

p4c responds:

ill take ur atmosphere suggestion into account, and listen to that since ive never heard of it before. though i'm going to be a little careful about it, though--i like my intro since its really simple and really synthesized-ish, but i do see where ur coming from and how it could be interesting, so ill go ahead and experiment ;D

yeah, the alternating melodies came more as a product of me not being sure what to do next [a kind of artist block... the rest of the time period and work on some other stuff should alleviate that]. its good to see that ppl like my work!!

and in terms of mixing--i think ive really gotten better at that now. i think that even if song concepts are good the song themselves really cant live up to it unless they are mixed well. so i got a bunch of really good suggestions not only from the ng forums but also the mastering suggestions in the FL demo song, and just raw experience. i like i like!

thanx for the rev, good luck to u too, and enjoy reason :D

[Nene's Theme (TLS2/MAC8)]

sass.

Really experimental. This track changed up a lot. It was kind of odd in that sense. Familiarity was kind of hard to build. Echoing that statement however is the fact that this track wasn't really that reptitve. Loved the glitch. Nice touch.

This is a really interesting blend of sounds. I'll drop you off at the pool with a 5 and an 8. Keep on rocking.

loogiesquared responds:

^^)=b

[Okay Roll The Drums]

meow

oh yeah, it's an old school dnb track. The bass isn't too heavy here, but the drums sound pretty classic to me, as do those pads. I do have a few gripes with the track, but it's mostly aesthetic, so my opinions might not be relevant. You might see my input as wrong towards the sound you were going for, so I'll just leave you with a "nice job" review.

If anyone wants to pick up from where my review left off, I'd recommend leaving some input as towards what makes a track drum and bass since the author is curious. Personally, I'd say that this nails a lighter dnb vibe. rawr.

Uthandar responds:

Yeah, I have no idea what goes into making a hard dnb track..
I just was more focused on making a uptempo groove. something to get your head bopping.
I see what you mean though. Thanks for the review and taking into consideration what I was trying to do. Thanks a ton!

oh.. by the way... I didn't make the vocal samples myself... is that considered bad?
I know some people on here totally hate that.. but it's not like they make the song any less original.

[Pop-lockrz-groove [short Mix]]

this is art.

I fucking love it man! You just keep making the experimental stuff work. I havn't checked out your sounds in a while, but I'm glad I stopped by for this one. I love that heavy bass sound (it might be just a tad too heavy, but whatever makes you happy : )

That phone sounding pad thing is really cool, this is just so hard. Also, for anyone that says this type of music isn't danceable has obviously never been to art school. I know a few crazy bitches that would turn this song into some wacky insane movement.

MrWAD2 responds:

((( Quarl )))
---------------

I Realize That The Act Of Dancing Is Actually An Individualized Thing.
It's All About How You Feel The " Music " & What It Speaks To You.
Nothing Is The Same Thing In The Same Way To Anyone,
Even If They Bond In Agreement.

For 3 Different Dancers With 3 Different Styles ,
This Was Their Chosen " BATTLE-TRACK",
For 7 Others , They Chose 1 Track Of Their Own Taste Each.

I Know That Somebody Other Than Myself Can Dance To It.
I Also Know That Not Everyone Can Or Will Dance To It.
That Is The BEAUTY Of It All .

:: STAY CREATIVE & STAY TRUE TO WHAT MOVES YOU QUARL ::

~~ THANKS FOR TURNIN' IT ON & LEAVIN' A REVIEW ~~

Mr W. A. D2

[In the Back of the Locker Room]

Hey...

When you make a song in garage band, make sure to pay attention to those little red dots next to the track descriptions. Those let you know when you need to EQ you're work lower. When stuff gets too loud, it clips (at 00:58 it clips BIG time.) If you want to accent stuff, try to lower the tracks that surround the lead. Also, you should always keep in mind how loud the master volume is. You see that lone volume indicator right above the midi creator, right next to the tempo device and right below the track editor? Try to keep the volume here as close to the yellow as possible.

Also, the guitars in garage band are all right if you know how to get the right sound out of them. What I like to do when I pull out the guitar is change the amp sim effect to the british overdrive. I feel like that sound is a little more true. Then, I'll turn off the echo and turn up the reverb. Dunno, it's just prefrence. Also, chords suck. Never play chords using the electric guitar preset, something I don't think you did anyways. meh.

You're melodies are great. I love them. You obviously play music outside of garage band. If there's really one thing I'd say work on, it's mastering, the drums were horribly mixed. If you ever want to colaborate, I can help you with the drums. I use garage band and I'm a drummer :P

mkron responds:

GARG, I HATE MASTERING IN GARAGEBAND! GAHADFKJASDLFJA
lol, thanks for the uber feedback my man. Actually, in regard to chords, if you write fifths, or simple two note intervals, the guitar doesn't sound so bad, but actually writing what a guitar would normally definatley does. Yes I do play music outside, and compose traditionally. This was just a fun piece I through together to see if I could, sort of like a timed writing. But, Mastering i really need to work on!
Thanks!

[Moonlight Rave -r]

:D Meow sass!

Rock on rawrthaas. I'm not as into the trance/ dance genres, but this was nice. The effects came through great. The synths, pads, drums and generally everything else rocked. You're my hero. I love you <3

No homo.

Rawrthaas responds:

WHEN I TOUCH MYSELF I THINK ABOUT YOU NO HOMO

jk lol omg

seriously though, thanks =D

[Dreaming of You <(^^,)>]

rawr!

It's all right, but it felt really empty at times (primarily the intro.) I'd recommend adding some background pads to add the atmosphere. Also, the instruments didn't sound really too good until the chorus came around.

The track itself is all right, but there's a lot of work to be had to this. I doubt my review could be helpful at all, but I really have to get going right now and I don't have the time to leave an adequate review. Sorry man. Hope the next review is use full :P

Sp1r1T responds:

Yeah, I thought that the pad near the end should be added to the intro.

Ive replaced it with the mastered versoin so It might be better.

[Nostrum Atrum Ago]

Garage band :)

haha, I recognize those garage band instruments. Good job! I love hearing other people use garage band for something more than just a loop sequencer. You did a pretty good job with this too! Rock on man.

I didn't really like the retards near the beginning with the piano, but thats all right. The melodies themselves were ace! One other thing though, I would have experimented with changing the velocities on some of the notes to chrechendo/ dechrechendo to give it a more dynamic vibe. I also felt like you should have had a little more fun with the instruments though. Full on presets just don't sound that great in my opinion. This track has great structure and theory, but the instruments sound a little bland.

The drums made me really happy. Those hi hats were so called for. Shakers (possibly out of the loop browser though modified a little) were called for. I would have done something to that cow bell. I also would have used a few cymbals here or there. The "long crash cymbals" out of the loop browser work really well sometimes. That glitch fill was great. I find it hard to get a good glitch sound out of garage band.

I didn't like the "make it rain" mono tone interjections, but whatever. Easy to look past because there's so much here to like. Those strings were appropriate (guitars,)
the synths and pads created a good atmosphere.

What version of garage band are you using? I say we collaborate sometime. Check out my sounds and let me know if your interested. A lot of my stuff in DnB, but I'm capable of producing this type of sound too. Just send me a pm.

timpinisucks responds:

By far my most helpful review on any song. EVERYONE TAKE NOTE! Thanks Quarl.

[A Night in the Valley (beta)]

All right.

Well, I'm not a fan of the more dance oriented electronica genres, so hopefully some one else will be able to leave a more in depth review for you. I'll think about nominating you as an underdog in the audio forum, hopefully that will get you some more reviews.

When I saw "Gerudo Valley Remix" in the advertising thread, I had to check this out. That was probably one of my favorite songs from ocarina. I've downloaded a few remixes of it off of newgrounds. This one isn't the best, but believe me, it's by far not the worst. There are some parts of this that feel kind of empty. I understand that you can only do so much with a remix, but that doesn't mean you should hold back at all from making this your own. Really, go nuts!

Some of the instruments sound like they could use some work. The melodies are perfect, but the atmosphere the sounds create just seem a little off. Try working with the instruments a little more until you get a more professional sound out of them.

The instrument at around 1:08 is the piece of this track I dislike the most, the way it quickly fades and comes back. You can get that kind of effect to work, but it doesn't here. Try fine tuning that.

All in all, I'd say that this is a good beta. When you get the final out, send me a pm. Try not to submit the song until you get a little more feed back though, trust me. If I can get you any more attention in the under dog thread, I'm sure that the people there will be able to get you some more adequate advice.

Conian responds:

Thanks for the pointers and the fact that you're considering to put me up as underdog. :-D Glad you liked it, regardless of it not being the best.
As for the emptiness, I want to add some instruments to the mix with countermelodies (like the original has) and actually create an alternate melody myself that will play a prominent role.
I might have gone a bit overboard with the reverb on the main rhythmsynth, I'd like to give that one a bit more of a "biting" sound, almost like a Saw Wave.
I don't quite understand what you mean with the instrument around 1:08 though. Do you mean the Moog that plays the lead melody (yes, it's a moog), or the rhythm synth?
All in all, thanks!

- Conian

[Memories...]

Meow.

haha, I love that garage band pad. I used it once in an old song. Glad to hear someone actually using garage band to record. Gah, this reminds me of a lot of my old stuff I removed a little while back.

Beautiful piano, nice use of the strings, I love the melodies. Really, this is a nice piece of work you have.

While I didn't necisarily notice the flaws, I did think that some of this was a bit minimal. You can always go back and edit your melodies using the midi creator thingy. With that in mind, I'm a little curious why you didn't go back and add to the drums. This could have benifited from a hi hat rhythm, and a more complex rhythm in general. While one could argue against complexity, I'd say that a rhythm that accents the sounds around it is much better than a rhythm that just accents itself.

I love hearing people use garage band correctly. Rock on.

Cruston responds:

Lol yeah it was a program I use to use. I have some better stuff now that I have been working on. I am making this song a lot better and keeping the melody.