Likwify's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Derpcat - Aurora]

The intro was really great, but it didn't really build enough tension. Even in full orchestral parts, it's okay to use electronic risers and subs. 4.5/5

The first drop felt a bit boring, and imo the lead completely failed the rest of the soundscape. 3/5

The build-up to the second drop was about as good as the beginning, but 2:52-3:45 just felt really tedious and didn't build up enough for the time that was taken. If it had been left to a few phrases, it could have worked, but it just took too long for me. 4/5

I'm sorry, but the second drop just didn't work for me. The chordstacks were too small, the drums weren't mixed in quite right, and the sidechain is just a bit off. The collection of everything being a bit off was just too unsettling to me, but at least I can see that a lot of work went into it. So I give it a 3.5/5.

Overall, I feel like this is a pretty good song, but the majority of it is just too overworked, underworked, or tedious. Also, the leads in the drops don't fit in very well; the build-ups and tone of everything else implies a more ambient, reverby lead, but what you used felt jarring and out-of-place. Keep improving, though! With some more work in sound design and transitioning, I'm sure you could make much better music.

DerpcatOfficial responds:

you are so right ;)

[Citrus]

The intro had a surprisingly nice mix! It built up a pretty good soundscape The one main thing it could use is having a melody that sticks to the chords. I think the other main thing this lacks is buildup FX and impacts, like cymbals, reverse cymbals, white noise sheets, and snare trails. Try implementing that, and everything will probably sound a ton better, and help the quality of the transitions. But good work! This was a huge improvement, and I hope you keep improving.

TsZNoble127 responds:

Nice to see that I've improved, buildup has always been quite tricky for me to figure out, but I'll try to impliment more of that into my next track

[Chain Reactions]

Really nice song, but the percussion felt a bit off. It felt like it was supposed to be more intense, but couldn't quite reach that level. Otherwise, nice song. Might need a bit more tension building at 1:57 though; just a violin isn't enough. Try getting some woodwinds and violas in the action.

[Distance]

Nice job! I really like 1:20, the extra percussion was really nice and did well filling up space. The only problem is that there was a serious need for something to fill up the space in the beginning. Next time you make a song, I'd try focusing on adding pads and basses to the mix. Remember, synthwave also has elements of ambient music, so soft pads are absolutely necessary. Also, try using different types of drums; maybe get some free ones from Ghosthack or something. Just something along the lines of that.
Also, I felt like the way it built up was a bit generic. I know it can be tempting to build-up by just layering one thing on top of the next, but try to avoid it. It leads to long and kind of boring build-ups, and the drop becomes more of a relief than anything else. Just look at Xtrullor's new remix; every time the melody phrase repeats, it goes to another instruments. It keeps it fast-paced and calm at the same time. He also does something I see in a lot of his songs, that I really, really love. In a lot of his intros, he'll divide it into three or four parts. First, a small intro to build tension, then a sort of mini-drop. It really works well because it sets the atmosphere of the song; it's the perfect intro. Then it goes quiet, and all of a sudden it builds up tension and the drop smacks you in the face.
I'm not saying you should follow the format exactly, but I think you should take inspiration from that. It's a great example of how you can make a build-up without using any part of the generic format.

TsZNoble127 responds:

Thanks for the lengthy, in depth review, I'll be sure to incorporate a few of the things that you mentioned in my latest works, I will admit this track was a little rushed and I did alot of the major stuff in the first few days of developing it and I didn't really plan the track very well as a whole, this caused the basses and pads to be almost forgotten, I will make sure to take major consideration towards your review in my next track, and I really appreciate the time you took to make this review, you will not be disappointed

[F-777 - A New Energy (Xtrullor Remix)]

I love this so much. Overall, this is one of the best songs of the year, rivaled only by Samsara. I only have a few small complaints, in fact.

So, first of all, the dubstep at beginning of the first drop wasn't quite as good as the rest of the drop. I know you were going for an experimental style with it, but I think if it was deeper and richer it would have worked better. The rest of the drop is amazing, though, so no complaints there. However, the second part has the same problem, but instead of the experimental stuff, it just felt a bit slow, where it felt like it should have taken off and gone all over the place like the first drop in Karma. The rest of the song is almost perfect, though. I just felt like it needed a bit of an outro, maybe just a few measures of some ambiance and pads layered with strings. It's probably However, after a few listens, it gets better and almost evens out to the rest of the song.

Now then, the positives. The very beginning of the song was great. Despite using the same melody, the fast-paced transitioning and fluctuating volume and intensity not only sounded amazing, but felt amazing. Not too calm, not too loud, but suspenseful; it tells you the rest of the track is going to be heavy. It's one of the best intros I've ever heard.

Then, we get some real energy. The mini-drop at 0:40 may be my favorite part of the song. Everything about it is just downright perfect. It's got the electronics in the background, the subtle impacts behind every note, and the fast percussion keeps everything fast and intense without being obnoxious or overstated.

The next section, that sort of builds up to the drop, is possibly the most immersive experience I've ever felt. Everything feels like it's a real sound being made around me, and I can almost feel the song pulling me in, only to blast off into the drop.

In the first drop, I feel like the little breaks between the dubstep and the chaos really solidify the drop. It's a thing that a lot of songs lack. There's not much else to say, it's overall a really well made and well organized drop with the exception of what I mentioned in the complaints.

Then, we have the cool-down after the first drop. At first glance, the piano seems low budget with poor audio quality. But on further inspection, I feel like it really works to make the song transition into the next part. The other sound effects really help, too. And then all of a sudden, you've hit the second drop.

Again, there's not much to say. It's one of my favorite drops from you, not too overworked. One of the best things you can do in dubstep is use dubstep sounds to carry out a prominent melody despite having the typical dubstep growls you need to get a song classified as dubstep. It's very well balanced.

So, to wrap it up, I'd say that this is one of your best songs ever. It uses the melody of a great song that unfortunately hasn't aged too well, and really puts a new energy into it.

Now, here are a few things I'd like to see in the future.

One thing I'd like to see you do a full on Orchestral Melodic Dubstep song. The third drop in Nirmiti was great, but I'd like something with huge chordstacks, preferably it the style of this song's last drop. I really appreciate the amount of work put into your dubstep as it is, and I'd love to see that put into melodic dubstep. I also feel like melodic dubstep is perfect to integrate into an orchestral piece, as you can make the chordstacks can be harsh or soft while carrying the same level of power, depending on what atmosphere you're trying to create.

Another thing I'd like to see is a nearly full orchestral drop, like in Jnana. To this day, that's my favorite piece of music, and I'd love to see something like that fleshed out with some electronics when needed.

If you don't want to fill out either of those ideas, it's completely okay. But if you did, you would probably have created my favorite thing ever.

[TeslaX - Dark Deity's Sorcery]

Overall, this is an excellent track! The intro reminds me a lot of Xtrullor - Earthsplitter's, and I feel like there's a good balance of Orchestral music and Dubstep. I love the chordstacks at 0:44, and I hope to hear more of that style of music from you in the future. I also enjoy your use of piano to transition from one part to the next. I wasn't a huge fan of the drop, I felt like there was too much treble and not enough sub-bass to balance it out. It gets better as it goes on, but I still think Celestial Abyss did the dubstep better. I get that it takes a ton of work to design each sound and put everything together in a way that doesn't sound super messy or unoriginal, but I just felt like there wasn't enough background for it to feel as intense as you wanted it to be. Still, everything after the dubstep drop was amazing, and honestly was probably my favorite part of the song. I personally find it really hard to make a good outro after an intense drop, because you have to get the transition perfect and just generally feel like a calmer section in the same style as the drop. For that, I really respect this song. I hope you make it into the next round!

[On Go]

This song is amazing! I love the atmosphere, and I love how well every part ties in together, even though the drops are quite different from the intro and build-ups. I hope you make it at least to round 2!

[SAMFISH & Likwify - Invictus (NGUAC Entry)]

Pleasure working with you :D

SAMFISH responds:

yeah... we gotta be more organized though - mixing was a disaster lol

[Wakeboarding Butterflies]

The intro is nice; it shows off your skill at making an amazing atmosphere. I definitely get some Garlagan vibes from this, especially from 1:41-3:10 and the third drop. It's so unusual to hear a combination of Garlagan's style, your style, and a more PSMD-ish style combined, but it actually sounded amazing together. This also has some amazing composition; I love the way it's arranged, as well as the chords and melodies. There's not much you could possibly improve in this one, so I would most certainly consider this your best original solo piece. Also, thanks for putting this under a CC licence, since I will almost certainly be using this at some point, in some way or another. Also, let's hope we can keep this rated a perfect 5/5 stars since it is one of the few songs I've ever heard that deserves it.

Onefin responds:

dude thanks so much likwify! garlagan usually starts with the drop when he makes his crud so in garlagan fashion that's also what i did :) glad you liked it!

and yeah the fill at 1:41, i like going crazy with those

[[Melodic Dubstep] Hearts]

I am amazed. I love the sounds you use at the drop. I feel like the intro and the part from 0:25 - 0:36 could have been better, the drums especially, but the drop totally made up for that. If you just improved those synths at the beginning, you could really accomplish something with your music.

SAMFISH responds:

Thanks for the crit! Yeah - I found this sitting around from awhile ago, and I just was like "Why not?"
:D