AceMantra's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Soft Light]

An inspiring composition. It's all put together well. I had to turn the volume way up to hear it though, and as a result the brass was a bit loud at 0:40. Consider lowering the brass just a bit, or bringing everything else up.
Keep up the good work. :)

[Goodbye, Now and Forever]

Very inspiring work. I especially like the piano.

CloakedSoup responds:

Thank you! :D I'll be working hard to keep improving.

[You, Me and the Stars]

Simply bliss, very nice work. About the drums, I personally think they fit well overall but it really depends on what you're going for. Heavier drums won't necessarily make the song sound better, but it will make it sound different. Louder drums will give a solid beat, but it's possible they may start competing with other elements within the track. Softer drums lay down a good foundation allowing for the melody and ambience to come through, but will lack the impact you might be looking for. Again, it depends on what you're going for.

Pro tip: Try not to mix and master your songs on headphones. Invest in some studio audio monitors if you can, or use computer speakers at the very least if you're on a budget.

Great job. Keep it up. :)

AlexMaden responds:

I was aiming for the third option, Softer drums to allow the melody and ambience to come through. Also thanks for the tip! I do not have an amazing budget atm, but if my interest in music stays like this and only grows, I'll be sure to get better equipment in the future. d:

[Bliss]

Wow, really nice track you have there. Very ambient and "feel good". I wish I could find something to critique, but I honestly can't find any flaws in this track. Good job.

[Blinded ft -JABE-]

Nice vocal work! It fits well with the beat.

SlugofDoom responds:

Ah, thank you so much! ^\\\\\^
That means a lot since I was so self-conscious about the recording; I wasn't able to refine it much due to limited takes/time. Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!

[FLS12.2 (Demo) - The Void (Bad)]

Wow, there's certainly a lot going on in your track. You must have spent a lot of time on those effects. It's a little difficult to know what to listen to as all the instruments are fighting for attention. This could be both a mastering and composition problem. The intro starts out solid, then at 1:14 things start to get a little muddy. That wet electronic effect is taking up a lot of the audio spectrum and is drowning out a lot of the drums and other sounds. The panning should also be cautioned; too many sounds panning at the same time can also cause a bit of confusion for the listener. Keep working on it, there's still a lot of potential in this track.

Doublechindoge7 responds:

IKR, really disappointing, considering the potential... =/ Most of the things you've mentioned I've figured out in time, but I'm glad you mentioned the idea that there's too much panning being one of the problems, I never thought of that... I'll keep that in mind next time I use it...

Anyway, looking back this actually could've been a pretty good candidate for a redux, but the drop has around 200 notes and I don't have a save of it 'cause I made it in the demo, so sadly that won't be happening...

Well thanks for the review, and it is encouraging you said you liked the beginning, I mean I liked it myself, but I expected others to find it atonal..

[Lackadaisical (Instrumental)]

This reminds me a bit of Matt Uelmen's work. If you don't know who that is, it's a huge compliment, trust me. Very nice, solid beat. Good job.

[DigiWobble - Dreams Of An Adventurer]

Nice track, I can tell you worked hard on this. I really like the intro. Good job.

DigiWobble responds:

Thanks a lot! i will most likely make more stuff like this :3

[Hi Y3ti - Game Over]

Very nice track. I like the complexities of the sounds, and the Smash Bros characters are a nice touch. I don't think any of the characters stick out, but if you're still concerned about it you could try adding a tiny bit of reverb or a stereo widener/enhancer. That might help a little.

HiY3ti responds:

I didn't want to add reverb, even a little, because I found that it sounds the best when it's dry, and I don't want any character sound to interfere with the rest of the track, which is why I trimmed it that way.

But thanks! :3