Karco's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Robot Slam]

Good, but it needs work.

You open nicely with some unique synths... they definitely could use more depth to them and some are too loud.

You bring in the percussion and a few more synths... gah. There are clashing notes all over the place and, again, you haven't AT ALL worked on your mixing. (Individual volumes.) This, I feel, is the major flaw of the song along with your clashing notes.

Your melody... well, the melody isn't catchy at all and seems a bit pointless. It could be better if you changed a few notes around so they wouldn't clash with each other.

Harmonies... well, you have plenty in this song, but they make it worse because you haven't worked on your mixing! Should you work on that and change a few notes around, this song would sound genius.

Your percussion's barely there, and when it is, it sounds like you haven't put much effort into it. This needs work... keep trying.

Synth/sound choice... I can't really comment here because all of your synths are fighting to dominate the song and your drums you didn't put much effort into - I can barely hear them. I can definitely say, though, that with a bit of tweaking the synths and a lot of tweaking the volumes it would sound a lot better. Drums... are those FL presets? Find original drums, maybe slice a drum loop for your drums, and you'll get way better-sounding drums than making them with FL presets on the step sequencer.

Attitude... none, unfortunately. I can find none. You'll get breaks because you've been submitting for a little more than a week... but keep trying.

Overall... a good try, I'll give you that, but you need to put more effort into your songs. Make sure notes don't clash, and make sure the synths aren't going at each other to dominate the volumes. Mixing is what you need to work the most on, followed by your melodies, and then your drums. Keep trying.

Dr-Slump responds:

haha thanks =) yeah i know... this is the first song ive made using "invented" melodies... a friend of mine taught me, but he masters it all ready. oh and no presets this time. Yeah keep it like that =) i need sincerity on your reviews =p otherwise i wont get better, im taking a break for carnival, but i hope my mind enlightens up and makes something genious, hopefully. Thanks again!

[Going Insane (DJ RISE REMIX)]

Rockin' the bass!

Wow, it starts quite suddenly... but you do that well. Your vocals are very good and fitting, and your bass definitely is first-rate.

No comments for most of the beginning of the song... it does have that great "rave" feeling to it.

Are those bagpipes? That's the most random thing I've heard in a song to date... and while they don't fit as well as some other choices potentially could, they do fit, which surprises me. Good job there.

Your melody is good... no complaints here. It's not quite catchy, but it's good.

Woah, did your song just loop on me? If it did, good job as it loops perfectly!

Harmonies, harmonies... well, they're subtle, they fit perfectly, and while I can barely hear them compared to the melody, you make that a good thing, as you keep me stuck to that melody while those harmonies add depth. Great job there.

Ohhhhh, wait... this is new. Your song DIDN'T loop! I should have figured that out!

Percussion is good, it fits perfectly, it's clear, and it sounds fairly professional. Good job here.

Synth choice, synth choice... everything fits, save that melody synth which you use (not the bagpipes) which in my opinion is a bit too loud, even for this kind of song. Otherwise nothing to say here.

Again, you've got that rave feeling down pat. You do especially well here. Amazing, in this sense.

Another great song... you're good at this! Make more like it sometime, I'll review it. I've voted 5... ouch! 2.50? Someone zeroed it... =\ Ah well, all the more reason to five it. Good job with this song, you've put a ton of effort into this, I can tell.

DJ-RISE responds:

'Wow, it starts quite suddenly...'

That's because it continues on from the previous track. When I mix them they'll flow smoothly.

'No comments for most of the beginning of the song... it does have that great "rave" feeling to it.'

Most of the start is from the original Warp Brothers track. Except the bassline. I added that.

'Are those bagpipes? That's the most random thing I've heard in a song to date... and while they don't fit as well as some other choices potentially could, they do fit, which surprises me. Good job there.'

LOL. I can't take the credit for the 'bagpipes' (or dodgey synth as I like to call it), they are in the orignal song.

'Your melody is good... no complaints here. It's not quite catchy, but it's good.'

It is basically the bagpipe elody but in my own lead. Also octaved up in some places.

'Harmonies, harmonies... well, they're subtle, they fit perfectly, and while I can barely hear them compared to the melody, you make that a good thing, as you keep me stuck to that melody while those harmonies add depth. Great job there.'

XD Why thanyou! I love working with harmonies. Especially in Trance. LOL.

'Ohhhhh, wait... this is new. Your song DIDN'T loop! I should have figured that out!'

LOL. I try not to repeat too much (even if I just make subtle changes).

'Percussion is good, it fits perfectly, it's clear, and it sounds fairly professional. Good job here.'

LOL. I like that OH....I think I use it too much. :P

'Synth choice, synth choice... everything fits, save that melody synth which you use (not the bagpipes) which in my opinion is a bit too loud, even for this kind of song. Otherwise nothing to say here.'

LOL. Yeah it is a bit loud. I made that synth too. LOL. In Z3ta. So that's my excuse. :P

'Again, you've got that rave feeling down pat. You do especially well here. Amazing, in this sense.'

LOL. I was after something hard that you could still enjoy. LOL. Something that'd rip you out of your chair and throw you around the room. LOL.

'Another great song... you're good at this! Make more like it sometime, I'll review it. I've voted 5... ouch! 2.50? Someone zeroed it... =\ Ah well, all the more reason to five it. Good job with this song, you've put a ton of effort into this, I can tell.'

Thankyou. This track took me a few days to make and I am proud of how it turned out. I bet it was some random person who didn't even listen to it. LOL.

Thanks for your review. LOL.

[DJ RISE- Ohh]

You hate house? How?

I don't see how you can... you do a pretty good job at it for someone who does.

Your melody sounds more like a harmony than a melody, but I suppose that's to be expected in House, huh? It sounds pretty good most of the time, except now and then it goes a bit off-key.

Your harmonies are pretty good, no complaints here... I especially like it when you introduce those strings - you'd expect them to not fit with the song, but it fits pretty well.

Your percussion sounds really worked-out and deep, I can tell you've put quite a bit of effort into it. Everything's clear and while the hihats are a bit quiet, I otherwise have no problems with it.

Drum/Synth choice... no problems here, everything fits nicely. Nothing really sticks out except for now and then when one of the synths (mentioned earlier) goes off-key.

Your vocals... well, I'll have to say for the purpose of the song they worked, but now and then they definitely do get a bit annoying.

Overall a very good House song... why do you hate it so much if you do such a good job making it? I've voted 5... and now on to reviewing your other song!

DJ-RISE responds:

'I don't see how you can... you do a pretty good job at it for someone who does.'

LOL. I know. It's scary. I wold rather burn my eyes out than sit through a House CD. LOL. And yety I can make a reasonably good House track with no worries.

'Your melody sounds more like a harmony than a melody, but I suppose that's to be expected in House, huh? It sounds pretty good most of the time, except now and then it goes a bit off-key.'

I didn't know that. Bit now I do! :P The benefits of reviews.

'Your harmonies are pretty good, no complaints here... I especially like it when you introduce those strings - you'd expect them to not fit with the song, but it fits pretty well.'

LOL. I didn't have a lot of string samples to choose from, but this one sounded perfect.

'Your percussion sounds really worked-out and deep, I can tell you've put quite a bit of effort into it. Everything's clear and while the hihats are a bit quiet, I otherwise have no problems with it.'

The kick is from a Club sample pack. I EQed and pitched it to get a nice deep Housey kick. The drums and OH's are a combination of loops and samples, which I reworked to fit the song.

'Your vocals... well, I'll have to say for the purpose of the song they worked, but now and then they definitely do get a bit annoying.'

LOL. Especially when walking through a packed shopping centre and then all of a sudden you hear this chick have loud sex....Only to look down and discover the source of the noise is your phone...And then looking up to see that a number of other shoppers also noticed the noise. XD

'Overall a very good House song... why do you hate it so much if you do such a good job making it? I've voted 5... and now on to reviewing your other song!'

LOL. I have no idea why I am good at it yet hate it. LOL. But it works I suppose........

Thanks again for your review. LOL. I responded to your other review first.

[*Rhythm Breaker*]

About time! It's been nearly a month!

It's definitely been a while - it was a nice surprise today to find a new song of yours in the portal.

Hmmm - your introduction is very different from what I'm used to hearing from you. Where do you get those unison clapping sounds?

Aah, I feel that buildup - I think that distorted vocal was a bit unnecessary, but you bring it right into the melody quite nicely. You do a great job as always... is that guitar I hear? And well-used, too, good job there. You're especially creative with your melodies, harmonies, etc. Your song ends abruptly, unfortunately, but otherwise no complaints here. You've finished another great song. =)

ZeRo-BaSs responds:

heh it's rare for me to use guitar samples!

ty Karco!!

[_-={Crumbling Cathedral}=-_]

Amazing... I've written a HUGE story!

Wow, you have some amazing atmosphere in this song. And LadyArsenic's singing definitely adds a lot to this... though there are times when I think that could have been planned out a bit better - for example, that three-note pattern (up-down-up) is a bit overused, in my opinion. You do it quite nicely the first two times (especially how you build tension right before the first time) but once it comes for the third time, and it sounds slightly delayed,

The next section is interesting... nice organ there, and those bells definitely add a lot to the song. I'd have to agree with the other reviewer that I got quite used to the singing in the first part and the second part felt quite lacking in that sense. Otherwise, it was good - better in my opinion, save that one fault.

Woah, I'm getting a huge amount of thoughts just for the introduction alone. I'm having to replay those few measures over and over until I get my thoughts down. Hah! So here's my story.

It starts as the image of a dulled, quiet kingdom of the medieval ages. It is but a fraction, now, of its former glory, for at one point it was a power to dwarf all others, but now time and fate have turned against it, and it has diminished to nothing more than its capital - a circular city with the castle of the royalty in its center.

This city was once a large, magnificent city carved out of a mountain of snow-white marble, now but ruins, a shadow of its power, influence, and majesty. The image I get is entirely in black, white, and shades of gray. The city isn't anywhere near as populous as it was, as citizens move about it in depression, with what would seem to be nearly no emotion - merely dulled existence. It's dusk - after sunset, though the sky has yet to darken.

All of the above is everything I get from your introduction.

What's this? A huge black cloud, all of a sudden, gathers in a huge dark mass, and surrounds the city, poised to attack as if to put it out of its misery. It rushes in from all sides. The citizens slowly look up and few make an effort to escape the fog. The castle remains entirely untouched as the rest of the city is enshrouded by the darkness. Soon the entire city is in blackness, save the castle, sticking out as the light, the lantern, in the darkness. The dense fog begins to settle, but does not fade. It's nighttime now, but the castle remains white.

That was the first section, up to the ending of the singing. The rest is to the end of the song.

Now the fog "awakens" and, moving with renewed energy, begins to attack the castle. It makes slow progress, and eventually it stops as the black mass cannot climb up the castle to enshroud it. It makes the castle crumble from the base and, once it is in ruins, the fog finishes its job.

You're definitely good at telling stories through music, Maestro... I've written a huge one here! Keep doing what you do best, I can't wait to hear more. =D

MaestroRage responds:

I'm quite thrilled to have read that! Brilliant imagery I must say. A black cloud... what force sent it, or by what means, it all seems pointless.

Did the citizens know they would be destroyed? Did they even care? Perhaps they wished to be destroyed, and erased from history.

A very interesting image I got from this story was the castle. White, a lantern in the black fog. Yet to hold such power as to keep the fog away, was all meaningless in the end. The fog did not deem it worthy to stand. From it's crumbled ruins, perhaps a more prosperous, and healthy nation would rise.

Phew, in any case, that was an awesome read, thanks for the review Karco, truly appreciated it. I'm glad you liked it!

[Evolved Sounds]

New song, eh?

It seems you're going to get another MONSTER review... and much of the criticism is going to be similar, too.

Hmm... you start out with the kicks, which is something I reccomended from last time. You use them well, but not well enough. For example, while you are creative with the kick drum, you're a bit too creative - the kick drum is generally supposed to give the song a sense of rhythm. Your drums have definitely evolved, but not by much - the kick is waaaay too loud and some of the other drums are unnecessary.

Your melody is decent at times, but not all the time... like in your other song, it didn't seem to end and that can sometimes get your listeners bored... if a song has a constant melody to go back to, and a catchy one at that, then done right you'll keep those listeners listening. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those at all.

Again, you have no harmonies, which are crucial to a good techno song. You need those harmonies... done right, your song will sound waaay better. You can hear harmonies in nearly any kind of song, not just techno... pay attention to them next time you're listening to a song (of any kind) and listen to how they work.

Your sound choice... well, again, some of your drums were unnecessary. You have too few synths in this song - heck, you only have one. You need more... hmmm. You need both more synths and more harmonies. See a trend? How about adding new synths and using them for harmonies? The synth that you DO use, however, isn't very good for the melody... it's too buzzy and is quite headache-inducing at times. Know what I mean?

Again, there's no attitude or atmosphere to this song except for a few times when you draw close to having that trait. I can't penalize you for not having an atmosphere when you're just a beginner at this, of course. Keep trying here.

Hmm, just a question... how much prior musical experience do you have to this? And how often do you listen to techno music? It might explain why you make songs of this quality.

Overall... well, keep trying. You'll get there someday. Until then, I'll keep reviewing and giving you advice. =) Why don't you stop by my audio page sometime and listen to a few of my more recent songs? A review would be especially nice. Thanks and, again, I hope my advice helps in the future. =)

New-Milkman responds:

Yes, my synth is THE ,MOST ANNOYING SYNTH IN THE WORLD!!! But it is the only one I have at the moment, and I have been trying to "tune" it, it just isn't very good yet.
I have no past musical experience, therefore I have to learn quicker to be a better artist, but I'm a slow learner (I googled/wikied harmonies, and I've got no clue what they are, so I'll have to get help from my guitar playing friend)
I listen to techno sometimes, but there was a time I ONLY listened to it, as I also listen to punk now.
Sorry about pointless drums, I just feel like the song is empty without them. :P
I tried making a melody, I really did, I just made it more of a "chorus" but changed it a bit because it just sounds boring to me. (Maybe its because I listen to it so much before I submit it...)
I WILL LEARN. Someday... Thanks for another great review!

[_-={The Dead's Witness}=-_]

Well, I have time. (Not really.)

I should be doing homework now... how irresponsible I am. =P I'll review this anyway.

It starts out nicely... your drums give the song nice atmosphere - I especially like how you get the crowd to shout different things every time... well, maybe it's only two "words," anyway, which is okay.

Woah... what's that effect there? Doesn't sound orchestral but it sure sounds awesome. Gaah, I don't know what it's called... it goes, "chaah" or something like that and plays now and then. I really like that, it fits very nicely.

It definitely tells a story... you do a great job of getting that feeling in this song. Once I'm done looking at the technical crannies of this song I'll replay it and give you mine.

Your instruments, as always, are well-chosen. No suggestions this time. They're all clear and easy to hear, which is good.

Overall a great song... I should have gotten around to reviewing it earlier, it's good. Just wait until you see the story I have for you. I've voted 5, and downloaded it. I've reviewed 10, too - I honestly can't see why any of the 5 scores deserve less, which means a lot. Great job.

All right... storytime.

Sunrise. An army on the horizon... hold that thought, my image just changed to sunset.

Sunset. An army on the horizon, the sky blood-red and wavering behind them. The sky is cloudless. They walk on an enormous, battle-scarred plain.

The war is over already, the fight won, all is peaceful - but those born to fight knowing nothing else now have nowhere left to go, nothing left to do. They roam miles away from the city, longing for the energy, the passion, the excitement they seek and experience in battle. They will not get it.

As the sky darkens, they march on. They keep walking even though the sun has set on another day, and on their purpose of life. It's nighttime. The moon rises.

Wow, this was one of my better stories in a while. Symbolic in quite a few ways. I'm fairly proud of this... what do you think? Hope you enjoyed this review. Keep submitting... I hope I won't miss your next submission so badly like I missed this one. XD

MaestroRage responds:

I do believe you've written quite a story here Karco ;). It is indeed quite symbolic, my favorite being the nighttime that has shrouded over the fighters as they live in every bodies dream, which is their nightmare.

A time for peace.

You have done well with the story congratulations, i'm glad you were able to knit it together :D.

The instruments were infact changed a lot during it's construction, and the final product doesn't have the violin playing such a crucial role, and a panflute took over much over the lead, hopefully one day I can show you all!

I will definitely keep submitting, thank you for the review, i'm glad you liked it ^^.

[Live for the Moment]

You've made better.

Hmmm..

Hate to say it, but it sounds waaaaaay worse than Quest for Truth. Most of your instruments are waaaay too loud - someone's given me this advice before, that they all get too loud because mixing gets out of control. Try to not let that happen. Examples of this include several of your synths, and your drums, which I couldn't hear as well as I should have.

You didn't achieve that perfect atmosphere, either, that you did in Quest for Truth. Some of your synths are waaay too loud, or are badly chosen. Notes are clashing everywhere, too.

Hmm... not quite one of your better songs, in my opinion. Still, keep trying - you're not going to get it right every time, right? Keep going. I've voted 4.

Swift-Reason responds:

maybe i'll try to take a closer look at it and remaster it. hopefully there is something I can do to make it sound better. but you're right, you can't be good all the time....oh well, thanks for being honest.

[DP02- Heaven [D]]

Good song, but could be improved.

It starts out with a bit of an annoying synth, but as soon as you bring in your pads (which are awesome!!) and your percussion, it gets better. You build things up quite nicely in the following section, but unfortunately you don't add too much to justify it. Also, the part right after the buildup is very short... it feels like 2/3 of your song is the part before the buildup, and only a bit of it is the actual part of the melody... sounds like you could work on this a bit more and actually finish it.

On what you were trying to get it to sound like, it definitely sounds like a Peaceful Trance piece... but a Dance Party? Not so much. Keep trying.

Overall? It's a decent song but could use work. I'd vote 4, but I don't want to bring down your perfect score. I'll vote 5 instead. =) Judging by the time you've been making songs for, I'm sure you can make better... so keep making songs! ;)

I hope my advice has helped... any chance you could drop on by my audio page sometime at http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1828837 and maybe review either of my latest two songs? I would definitely appreciate it.

DJ-DaVinster responds:

Thanks for the review!

The synth was supposed to be better, btu the one I found was too glitchy, so I went with this one. The pads was accually 2 different instruments (Sytrus' Male Choir & Vanguard's PAD SuperWarm MS). As it says in the title, this is only a demo. I'm going to fix that buildup bit so it doesn't feel that long.

The Dance Party Collection was just a collection of various dance & trance pieces.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'll check out your stuff soon!

-Vinny (DJ DaVinster)

[[The world is ending g-R]]

Hmmm...

It's good, for one. Your melody sounds off-key, but it fits anyway. Your percussion sounds really good and is one of the highlights of the song... your harmonies I can't really hear, but it's like this song doesn't need them.

The attitude and style of this song are very good, as this song sounds very professional. You use your effects well, though it sounded like the song could have used a few more at times, just to spice things up.

What I didn't like was the ending... it was a bit too abrupt. It sounded less professional than the rest of your song as well... but those are my only problems with it - other than that, it's fine.

Your synths/drums/etc. are well-chosen, which is good. No problems here.

Overall a very good song. It's really too bad you're leaving this style, you should come back to it now and then. Voted 5!

Hey, you know, I recently made an end-of-the-world-type song, too. I didn't get the idea from you, I swear. =D It's fairly different from this, anyway... hard, dark DnB. Fun stuff. Any chance you could stop by and review it? Much appreciated.

g-r4ve responds:

I checked your stuff out... but never found that song ur talkin about