Jahn33's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Headache]

The violin sounding synth in the beginning seems a little chopy on it's transitions, even if you weren't going for that natural sound it needs a little love in the mixer.

the beat buildup is alright, kinda glitchy. I like the bass and lead wobble, although it sounds like there is space in between that needs to be filled up. Possibly that mid sound pluck at 1:13 playing at the same time, speaking of which the pause at 1:13 happens seemingly random, I get it's good to break up the repetition, but maybe add a drumfill or white noise uplifter to impact to downlift so that it fits in a bit more, instead of sounding like my phone dinged me i got a text in the middle of my song.

Second main part sounds like a copy past of the first part.

Outro is kinda neat, keep it up and rock on man.

[Lashout]

Lots of potential here with the style blend. The intro is kind of awkward. I think I might see what you going for, but I just can't quite put down what sounds off, maybe too much of a transitional pause.

Same thing with mastering, your sounds are great but the drums get shoved back and the other leads start fighting and cause tension.

[Harbinger]

Great song dude,

maybe work on mastering a bit. All of your sounds are super high quality, they just kind of seem like they're all fighting for attention and it causes the drums to get pushed into the background.

Not selection is 95% percent on point didn't notice too many awkward hits.

keep on rockin man

[Revisions]

I'm almost angry at how you were really good even back in 2014 and have only gotten better.

JohnMontoya responds:

I'm glad you like it! Hearing it now makes me cringe because I've learned so much since then. :D

[Cypress Rift]

Great breakbeat jungle drums man. The way you setup the almost random sounding bass hits makes this super interesting to listen to. nice work dude

JohnMontoya responds:

I grew up with this kind of music. A new buddy of mine picks out presets from hardware ROMplers and posts his findings online. This song is a result of me watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R73MxFkXJtM

I NEED MORE HARDWARE >__<

[Ground Geo - Neo Geo Jam]

Dang dude this brings me back, makes me feel like I'm back in mega-man land, or some other Japanese ps1 game.

That's funny I you mention akai products, I enjoy them as well. I only have the akai mpk mini

JohnMontoya responds:

YESS! I'm so glad that I was able to achieve that sound! There's a reason why I collect vintage music gear--to create authentic 90s video game music! :D You should ask me about the AKAI S6000 I purchased from Frank Klepacki. ;D Thank you so much for your support!

[Character Selection - Neo Geo Jam]

Very nice, dig the beat dude those drums are sick.
only critique is the bass, piano, and that pad in the background follow the same patter the whole song.

I know background music usually shouldn't change too much so that it doesn't get distracting, but I feel like in this groovy application you should be allowed a little more creative freedom.

Rock on man

JohnMontoya responds:

I totally agree. That's one of the main reasons why I wasn't able to finish it! I decided to go ahead and release it as a loop because it sounds pretty cool at its core. Next time, I won't release a sketch. :)

Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I always take constructive feedback to heart so this will stick with me!

[Android City 101]

Overall awesome vibes and composition really digging it.

@ 0:36 does a note hit wrong? or was it intentional dissonance?

@1:21 nice pan on the drum fills!

Awesome way to change it up for the second chorus, song sounds like a slightly less energetic Hotline Miami song.

nice work and rock on man

Ditchy responds:

Awesome review!

Yeah 0.36 mark was intentional...i was going for a slightly offset tone like to give it a malfunctioning, slightly out of tone feel before it kicked in. I thought it sounded ok, but come to think of it now, with a good set of ears, this may sound out place to some people.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[Slimepulse - Colors]

Good work good work ! I love the harmony, the little glitter fx sprinkled in, the beat is classic house

at 1:00 the bass seems off, not sure if it needs to go up or down a bit in pitch. Having a single note bass line works but that bass has to fit the key of everything. The current bass kind of clashes and doesn't always fit.

3:42 it's like a whole new song starting

4:00 lots of dissonance, a little too much tension for my taste.

5:00 not a fan of that lead at all..

Pretty good overall, just work on some note placement, bass and sound design.
Sorry for being harsh, I really like what you do ! Keep it up man!

reallyhadtomakeone responds:

If you're talking about the plucks when you say bass, then i understand, i'm still pre-rest for the song, and what you said about 3:42 was accurate to how i felt while looking at it in my daw,
4:00 is a chiptune rebuild, so it's pretty dissonant, and there are 4 extra leads, one with chorus, one that's a supersaw, a normal chiptune lead, and a PM Lead. So, what you said is fair, however do keep in mind that i just got out of dubstep making mindset!

[Virtuell]

Very awesome pan!
These sounds are really good high quality too.

:31 that synth is so retro

:48 nice filter on the drums

1:05 keep working with the mixer to try and make sure things don't distort

AWESOME song man!