Oakwood's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[City Scape (Vocal)]

I like the progression, it's really chill and dancable. :) However it needs a lot of fixing.

First of all, there's this loud, short beep at 0:02, sounds like an automation clip that peaks for a split second. This will probably make every listener go like 'what' and immediatly lose focus of the track.

The vocals are really nice, although they could use some better mixing. The synths used together with them are very well-chosen, but there's a great issue going on here...the syncopation of the synths totally mismatches the syncopation of the vocals. It's really, really disturbing, honestly. I get the idea, I really do, but it just doesn't fit together...

At the 1:05 mark you start your build-up, which sounds really good, but the vocals are really weak here. You should've tuned down the synths here to still make the vocals stand out. The drop itself is really great, but needs more of an impact, like a cymbal or a white noise hit. Also I think the bass is a tad loud.

This track has quite some potential, but there are some things that you should think of next time you make a track like this. :)

3.5 Stars

- LiquidOoze

EctiBot responds:

thanks for the good review :). As for the "beep" sound at the beginning, I actually put that there on purpose, though I understand that it might not have been a good idea X3.
I understand what you mean about the syncopation as well. Had the same issue with it. If I were actually able to collab with a singer instead of only having an accapella to work with, there's alot of things I would change to make it better fit to the music.

I'm a bit of a basshead, so can't really say that I feel like the bass is too loud, though I understand why it might not be appealing to everyone.
Don't really like the sound of cymbal hits, but I think you're right that a whitenoise hit would sound good when the drop hits.

Thx again for the detailed review :). Glad you thought the track had potential :D.
-Ectisity

[Determine]

Whew, this thing blew me away, man! It's so freaking powerful. Really experimental indeed, but everything just fits together, the synths, the guitar, the beat... It's a wonderful piece, my friend!

There are still some minor flaws, though. The beat coming in at 0:37 is perfect, it's really energetic and creates a perfect build-up to the drop at 1:00. However the snare in that particular beat has this strange tone over it. Sounds like a tom hit or something, I can't really describe it...but it's kind of annoying. It doesn't occur after the drop though.
The drop itself is pretty cool, but I feel like the kick could use some more punch. The snare it's really powerful here, compression put to good use, but the kick falls behind in my opinion. Also I believe this section could use some more subbass. The kick and the growling synths provide some of it and if I'm not mistaken there's also an occasional sinus wave playing here and there, but overall the lower frequencies are missing here I think.

MOTHERFUCKING PROPS for the breakdown at 2:24 and the drop that comes afterwards. The vocals are awesome, and the dubstep beat is freakin' great! TAnd like I said, I love the breakdown, also with a low vocal and a sweet drum roll. It also really shows that a simple effect (Fruity Love Philter preset *wink*) can still have a lot of effect on the whole track.
For some reason this part of the track actually does contain a good amount of bass, good job on that. Kick is still a bit weak though. I hoenstly wish this part was longer, but it's still a great way to finish of this masterpiece.

4,5 stars for you, and I'm definately scouting you because I believe everybody should hear the great stuff you make. Keep it up!

- LiquidOoze

TheHumanoidDrifter responds:

Thank you so much for this ^^ its been a while since i got any good critique. And I like how how specific you describe it all. I was thinking the same thing about the kick as well. Makes me wanna try harder now :)

[Glimpse]

3 years without a review, I know that feeling man...

This is a pretty good track, mate. I like how you used the first two minutes to build up to a nice climax. The piano I occasionally hear gives the track a lot of emotion, and in a strange way it perfectly matches the growling synths that lie underneath. At first I was kinda skeptical about the hihat you bring in on the afterbeat at the climax, but when I kept listening I figured that it actually sounds pretty neat.
The beat you've got going is fine, but I feel ike the snare could use some reverb, especially after two minutes. I think that would really add to the ambient feel of this track. Also your bass sounds really muddy at some points, mostly in the beginning. Other than that I have nothing to complain about. :)

You did a good job with this one, 4 stars for you!

- LiquidOoze

[Darkfire]

Well this is something you don't hear everyday, especially on Newgrounds :p
Lovely electro track man! Actually quite slow (120BPM?) for an electro track, but it still rocks. The beat, breakdown and synths sounds awesome, and the vocal makes the drop so much heavier, it's awesome! :)
Some minor flaws: at 0:18 you gradually pitch down that little saw synth in the background, and it really clashes with piano. I'm not really sure about that, you might wanna edit that. Also the ride cymbal on top of your kick...I dunno, it doesn't really fit the track in my honest opinion.

Apart from that this track is an absolute banger! Going to my favorites for sure. :)

4,5 stars

- LiquidOoze

P.S.: notify me when the album comes out! ;)

CrusadeOfficial responds:

It's actually even slower than that! It's 110 bpm, and yeah, the clashing is from the piano pitching up, and the synth pitching down. I'll figure something out with other tracks. The ride over the kick is to add a little more treble, I'm also unsure about it. I might figure something else out for it. I dunno lol.

Thanks for the review! :)
And sure, once I complete the album, I'll let you know ;)

[Chill Vibes]

Not so sure about this, mate. The beat sound good, but it's a really low-quality recording, which is a shame. Your voice too sounds like it's recorded with a simple mic and not an actual mic meant for voice-recording of decent quality.
About the rapping: you started off okay, but in the middle part of the song it's more just 'saying a random thing every now and then' than actual rapping. At the 2:30 mark you turn back to more actual rapping. I also think you need to improve on your rapping in general. I suppose it's freestyle, but maybe you should start off with some actual written lyrics before throwing yourself at the harder stuff, you know?

Six stars for the effort.

- LiquidOoze

vtxpeter95 responds:

haha thanks! :D I'll be sure to work on my flow

[Dubtrack 3]

Really not bad for a first track!

I like the mood you're setting here, the saw synth you're using is pretty raw yet the song feels kinda relaxed and laidback, good job on that one. In fact, all the synths were pretty well-made/well chosen. I especially like how you introduced a new synth at 1:48 to finish the whole thing off.
Now for some points to improve on! The synth in the beginning has delay, and it fits really well. However it's not spot-on with the beat, and this can get annoying because people like to have an idea about a tracks tempo. Say you had to mix this track in during a live gig, the DJ would have a hard time syncing the track because the tempo is hard to determine. However, like I said, the delay is generally a good idea!
I think we could say that the track drops at 0:21 right? It would have been cool if there was a more recognizable build-up, it would make the drop much heavier ;) It wouldn't have to be much, something like a high-pass filter right before the drop or a bar of band-passed white noise coming in like a wooooosh! Also the drop really needs something like a crash cymbal.
The beat is pretty good, but it could be better. The ride cymbal is a bit too present and also needs more emphasis on the higher frequencies and less lower frequencies. The kick, on the other hand, is a little too soft. It's dubstep, so you should bring on the same volume level as the snare (a great snare by the way). I would also suggest implementing more smaller snares here and there to give the beat that 'rolling/driving' feel, if you understand what I'm talking about.
The claps at 1:06 are pretty dry and loud. They're essential for making the next drop heavier (and they work!) but they could've used some reverb.

It might look like I'm drilling your song right into the ground, but don't worry: overall it's a pretty good track and I'm sure you'll get much better at this! That said, I scouted you for the Audio Portal, which means that everybody on this site can see your music.

Keep it up buddy!

- LiquidOoze

Simon775 responds:

Yea i know about the drums but i dont have anything else right now so Im relying mainly on stock and freesound thx for the feedback as for the delay I noticed that in the mp3 but my original wav is fine and all my delays are tempo synced. Possible to upload original wav or flac? They big though.

[Love Da Maccas]

Loving it!
I've been looping this track for a while now, it sounds really good. The beat is well mixed and mastered and adds makes the song really relaxing in general. The vocals are mixed really well too, although I feel like there's a little bit too much reverb on the verse vocals.
Overall it's really good, would love to hear this as a full radio edit! :)

5/5
8/10

- LiquidOoze

MrRandomist responds:

Thanks a lot mate :) Wasn't a totally professionally done mix, the mic I agree has that reverb sparking at points but did our best to tone it down as much as we can. Just on a mac and mic in a lounge room, nothing isolated, very open. Would be hilarious to have a full mix done though :D Thanks for the review and rating!

[Apocalypse]

Interesting...
Experimental as hell, that's for sure. But I like it! It's the kind of thing that fits a chase scene in a cheesy cop movie or something similar. Also the main synth totally reminded me of 'Calabria' by Rune RK, bonus points for that! :P
I also like the vocals, are those your own? They give a really funny twist to the track. Can't understand them most of the time though, but they fit in well!
Not sure about the break at 1:04, it's so sudden and sounds kinda out of key. Also after the break I think the song could use a more solid beat. The beat you're using throughout the entire song is kinda crowded with all the claps, kicks, hats and snares. I would've liked it if at some point it would go like this:

O---X-----O-X---

with O being a kick, X being a snare and - being a sixtheenth rest. I could totally hear that going with saxophones, preferably with a really low bass guitar. Yeah, that'd be good...

Anway, nice progression, but needs some brushing up. Keep the stuff coming!

7/10

- LiquidOoze

DoctorMania responds:

Haha, yes, they're my own vocals. It's my first time actually recording/editing vocals, so i think they're a bit rough, but i think i got it down now. But thank you! This review is actually very helpful.