Oakwood's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Assembly Lines [RobotDay2016]]

Dayum, that’s some hard shit! Love the glitchy synths, the breakbeat is awesome and I also love the piano you add later on. At 1:00 it gets alittle more dirty, wihch gives a really neat spin to the track. To bad there’s really nothing more to it, this track really has some potential!

Quarl responds:

<3 <3

[Iηнυмαη Eяrør]

Ohh, I was NOT expecting drum and bass when I heard the beginning synth, but this works out really good! I love how light the track is ,the synths and chords work together so wel to create this airy atmosphere! The growls at 2:00 are a great addition, I was hoping fort hem to return at 2:30 but the way you end the track there also works really well. God I love those bells…

larrynachos responds:

Yeah, I really didn't decide to make it a dnb track until I was halfway done with it. Really glad you liked it :D Thanks for the review!

[Birth of an Antivirus]

Ohh this sounds creepy, but also really cool! The FX voice reeally fits the track and the synths get along nicely. The part at 1:35 surprised me in a positive way. Ineed, a job well done for a rushed job.

DESHIEL responds:

I'm glad you like this track hehe. 1:35 was me giving up on the better robotic theme as I originaly planed and I said " Fk it, lets roll my way" :D

[It's the Future Apparently]

The composition of this track really isn’t bad. It really manages to get the robot-ish vibe going and has a great industrial vibe going. Try to creat emore synths by your own next time, instead of using the standard stuff ;) also, NEVER pan a synth you regularly use to one side. It really hurts the ears.

vezanmatics responds:

Thanks for the review and advice! :D
I'm pretty inexperienced with audio so this is very helpful.

[Gear City]

Oooh boy, this is heavy! Some of the cymbals are very loud compared to the rest of the beat, might wanna turn that down a little. The guitars are very sweet and really keep the track going. I have to say, though, that the track tends to get boring because you never really add anything until 2:26. People might have clicked away by than, which would be a shame because that’s a really enjoyable part.

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the review! I think you might be right about that boring structure. Ideally this would have some top notch vocals over the top of it to give it that variety leading up to that 2:26 section. Straight riffing from beginning to end can definitely start to drag on a bit.

[MBG : > Metal Crusher <]

This is a really neat 8-bit track, man. I like driving vibe of the track and the melody you’ve got going. I would definately extend this into something bigger and add a little more variation to it!

[WADEBOT]

Ah yes, could this be another Fulpatron? It certainly sounds like it. This track is certainly heavier than the last one, but still creates a great vibe. The lyrics are very well written and performed nicely. The background beat is built really well and serves as a perfect backing for the track. The only thing I would improve on is some more variation, maybe a bridge with a synth solo and less vocals.

AnalogByNature responds:

Thanks for the review and critique! It could certainly have had a solo added to it, however, we put it together in two hours & uploaded it the next day (Robot Day was hot on our heels, didn't want to be late on the uploadey). We try to expand our musical contributions as best we can under time constraints - but we hear you. More variations :)
Less vocals? Never, good sir!
If we minimized the vocal output, at least with this track, then it wouldn't quite tailor to Newgrounds, which is what we wanted to do with this track. Otherwise, our event-inspired content will be just like everyone else's here. A wub-wubby song with a title that has the word 'robot' in it. We make things like these and tailor them to other websites, communities, or people within to show that we are actually invested in said community, and want to give something back, even if it's a 2 minute song comprised of referential love. We want these custom tracks to show that we are putting the inspiration before our discography.
Again, thanks for the crit & listen! We're old-ish, so it warms our hearts to see younger folks actually taking time to listen & give us feedback good or bad ;)

[Robot Junkyard]

The intro immediatly grabs your attention and although I’m not really a fan of dissonance, it really worked to set a tone this time. It made me expect something with a lot of energy, but instead a slow breakbeat follows with lots of acid and aliens synths. I like how you eventually brought the chords in. The vocoded synth at the end finishes the track really well, even though I hoped it would be a bit longer.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Man, I hoped you would've had the time to make something this year too, but maybe you're just tired of winning ^ ^
(I have a feeling you may secretly be the judge this year though, but shh!)

Thanks a lot for the review! I kinda did just a bit of what I wanted for this one, I suupose.
And while I tried, I couldn't really allow myself to go an entire piece without using any chords. I admit that this track is a tad short, mostly because I'm currently working on some other projcets :)

[Switch]

I love you, man. In a hetero way.

I'm gonna have to say it sooner or later: you're really one of my favorite producers. Not just on Newgrounds, but also further. You're so creative and are pretty much capable to pull of any style. That's what I love about you.

As for the track...I have pretty much nothing to say. I usually write long ass reviews about how it could be improved, but your song is Beatport Top 100 worthy man. Have you sent this around to labels? There must be some A&R managers falling out of their chairs when hearing this.
There's still something I have to say. I really like the drop at 2:32, but the contrast with the rest of the track is quite big. Maybe if the buildup to the drop where a little better executed and less spontaneous (didn't rreally like the silence at 2:30) it would've fitted better. Also it's a shame the first drop didn't return, but the track is long enough as it is.

I have a gig tonight and I'm definately playing this one. It's nothing big, just a small dorm party with 40 people, but I just went there for soundcheck and the set-up is amazing. I bet the crowd is gonna love it.

Keep it going, MegaSphere! You're one talented motherfucker.

- Oakwood

MegaSphere responds:

:')

[Cheerful monsters and miserable sprites]

Damn mate, this track is pretty heavy! The starting synth immdiatly grasps your attention and makes you scream for more. The melody is well thought out and even though the title obviously refers to Skrillex, it made me think more of the style of Eptic. The beat is very solid and clear, but I feel like the kick could use a little better mixing. The piano on the afterbeat works well but sounds a little detuned at some points, matter of taste maybe but it’s noticable.
The break works great, it offers a pauze in the track right when it should but still makes the listener eager for what’s to come. The way you build up to the drop with the chords coming in is just perfect, and the drop kicks major ass, even though I was kind of missing an impact like a splash cymbal or something like that.
The sounds used in the drop are fantastic. The wobbles are very muddy and nasty and would satisfy every dub/brostep fan. The chords inbetween work really well but need a little more accent on the higher frequencies to make them actually stand out.
The second break also works great, even though it’s slightly shorter. I was hoping for a little more variation here though. Same goes for the drop, it’s pretty much the same as before. Since you’re working towards the end of the track, it woud fit to add something new. Maybe introduce a new synth or a cool melody! Reptitiveness is not what you want: if people notice your song is just a repetition of itself, even if it’s as good as this one, they lose interest.

Overall we’re talking a superb track here with just minor flaws. Keep up the good work!

8/10

- Oakwood

8-bitheroes responds:

Hey, thanks for your feedback, you went really into depth with what you like and dislike about the track which is super helpful to me. I feel like i'm reviewing your review here haha but thanks again...you made some great points.