Score: 9

"I love 3xOsc"

submission: 3xOsc Experiment Song

date: November 28, 2009

Your intro is neat. I like the beginning synth very much, but your second one is so soft compared to the intro that it just gets lost. I love the pickup at 0:38. This song feels so heavy and dark, which is a good thing.

Your percussion is alright, and I like how strong it is, but I feel like it could be even more powerful, to keep up with the bass a little better.

The outro is very awkward. The song just stops. Maybe try fading the song out at the end, or ending on the first note.

This is a great tune though. I love it!

Score: 8

"Not bad"

submission: AznPB - Activate!

date: November 28, 2009

The intro is okay, but I'm really not a huge fan of the guitar. It sounds way too light and lost in the mix, especially in the intro. I love the use of the stutter throughout. Very Linkin Park-esque. The lyrics are okay, but come across as a little cheesy They actually remind me of the lyrics from "Points of Authority" by, well, Linkin Park.

The vocals are pretty good and sound like the lead singer from Syrus. The song is obviously way too short, and I hope that this is just like a teaser. I'd love to hear a full length version of this song if you've got it.

Score: 9

"Great work!"

submission: March_To_Eternity [Box-Killa]

date: November 24, 2009

Good start. I like the piano at the beginning and the way it leads into the drums/rhythm. I'm not a fan of the transition right at 0:49. The sudden stop kinda kills the mood a little bit, almost like the first 45 secs should just be an interlude. The buildup afterward though is very nice. The stop at 1:45 is a little awkward and feels forced.

The lead here at 1:45 though is very nice and kinda creepy. It builds right back up, which fits rather well with the whole tune of the song. I like how powerful the drums feel throughout. I'm really not a huge fan of the way the song keeps stopping and rebuilding up. Every time I really start to get into the track, it starts over, making it feel a little random.

The piano at 3:27 is just a little too crazy for my taste, but the ending is nice. I also don't like how the ending cuts off like that. It should hold off a little longer so that the notes can ring out.

Overall, not a bad track at all! I'm just not a huge fan of the random stops and start ups throughout. But a 9/10 5/5 nonetheless!

Score: 10

"Very nice"

submission: Transcendence

date: September 14, 2009

It sounds like you have way too much reverb on the piano for my liking at first. I wish it would start out a little less and bring the reverb in a little gradually, rather then sounding like it starts off in a cave.

But don't get me wrong. This track is sweet. I love the piano work and the other synths that back it up. Great work all around!

Score: 9

"Stronger Melody"

submission: River of Iceland

date: September 14, 2009

What I really like about this song is the feel of the rhythm. It flows really nice between chords and I like the groove feel of the bass. The way the drums kick in really grabs my attention, especially the glitch right at 0:28. I like that a lot.

You could really benefit from at least one more instrument though. Right now I hear an arp, some sound effects, bass, drums, and a really weak melody. I'd take the melody and really emphasize it with at least two more instruments; one playing the melody and the other messing around with harmonics.

I would also consider adding some length, since 1 1/4 minutes just seems a little short to me. Otherwise, great track man! Keep up the awesome work!

Score: 9

"Very Chilling"

submission: bellicose.

date: September 12, 2009

What a nice laid back track. I feel very relaxed while listening to this, and I really enjoy the instrument choices. I do wish that it was longer though. You could really turn this into something good, but it ends way too early. The fade at the end is a little weird too, since it's so quick. Not a bad track though. I'd like to hear more like this.

Score: 8

"Not too shabby"

submission: Lost and forgotten

date: August 29, 2009

Good intro! I love the guitar line at the beginning of this one. The drums are excellent, and the bass comes in right on cue. You may try lowering the bass an octave. I'm not sure how that would sound in this song specifically, but it does sound a little high.

The drums at 0:20 are amazing. I love that rhythm you use with the snare, and the fact that you switch it to the bass is really cool.

I don't like the transition at 0:36. It's way too sudden and doesn't fit at all. The speed up actually works hear, but only because of the shaker sound you used. It sounds like a time bomb about to go off, and bringing in the other instruments could be a little smoother, but you have the right idea. The random tempo changes are neat, but I'm not quite sure they work here. The speed up was okay, but the slow down is what makes it confusing.

I do like how you went back to the first riff, since I liked it so much. It makes for like a refrain, and it fits well. The slow down is okay here, but only because it's part of the outro. The ride cymbal is neat at the end too.

Not a bad track. Could use some work, but overall, I think it's one of your better tracks. Keep up the work man!

Score: 7

"Still needs some work"

submission: Released From Inside

date: August 29, 2009

At the very beginning, I noticed that your hi hats sound way too fast. The rhythm is cool, but I don't think they fit. They sound way too random.

The 0:08 sounds really bad and out of key. I'm not a huge fan of the section from 0:09 - 0:16, but when that new instrument comes in, it adds enough of a interesting sound that I thought it was okay. Still not a huge fan, but it was okay.

The sweep at 0:25 was really cool and I liked that a lot. 0:26 - 0:38 is good, but you could really benefit from good transition to the next part. I think that the rhythm guitar line is neat from 0:38 - 1:02, but the lead guitar is way off key and it sounds like you play a lot of sour notes. The drums are good up until 0:57 where thy just go way too fast.

You could really use another transition at 1:03. The sudden stop and go can work sometimes, but I just don't think it works here. The guitar here still isn't great, but it's better then the previous riff. The drums are okay in the sense that they fit the guitar lines.

I like the new riff that comes in at 1:19. This sounds like it could be the intro for another song, but the drums are playing too fast for what I think you were going for here.

I do like how you used two guitars, they just need some fine tuning. Like I said in my review for "Inside this Tunnel", you have a lot of good ideas, they just need some work. Good luck on future tracks!

Score: 9

"That's what I'm talking about!"

submission: Under a Cave

date: August 29, 2009

I like this song a lot! In my opinion, it's one of your better songs. The melody is very catchy and the drums are very good.

Starting off, the intro is a little pop-punky with a nice heavy feel. This caught my attention and I wasn't sure I'd like the guitar, but it's actually really good. I really like how you kept the drums simple here and let the guitar do the talking. I really like the guitar line at 0:14. It has a very catchy rhythm and the bass and drums don't fight it.

The little drum section at 0:30 fits the song mood perfectly. I like how you carry the guitar on after this part. It makes it feel like a real rock song, this part being the verse. I noticed a little bit of a skip at 0:36. I thought it was my computer, but it keeps doing it at the same spot. That's just a file problem though.

The switch at 0:45 is a little sudden, but it still fits. I really like this part a lot and I think it's the best part, especially at 0:54. I'd personally make it go another 8 or 16 bars. Seems like a good place for some lyrics. The guitar line is just perfect here, and even though the bass is really fast, it fits perfectly. I also love the drum line.

I'd leave 1:02 - 1:33 alone. This part is awesome the way it is and I cannot in good conscious tell you to change anything about it. I would, however, repeat the bars from 1:29 - 1:33 a few times. It starts getting good, but you end it. The ending sweep is good, and I like the slight tempo change.

Sounds to me like you have a really good start on this one. This is the kind of stuff you should work on. It's not too random and the drums are all crazy. This is a very decent track!

Score: 6

"Maybe a little too varied."

submission: Inside this Tunnel

date: August 29, 2009

The intro is okay, and I like the drum fills, but they almost feel a little too much, compared to the guitar. Nothing too bad, but it wouldn't be my first choice of drum rhythm.

The bass comes in at 0:14, and to me it sounds way too fast. The guitar is playing so slow that it makes the fast drums and bass sound completely out of place. The drums also sound a little random. Variety is good, but as a listener, I also want to hear some common rhythm. Now, if this was played on a real drum set it might sound a little better, but as the midi it sounds too harsh.

At 0:30 it gets a little better. The drums are actually good here, aside from the weird rhythm of the snare (it sounds off beat to me). They fit the heavy metal genre really well. The guitar is pretty good here, and I like the bass a lot better then in the beginning.

From 0:36 - 0:43 the drums are perfect, and I actually like the use of the tom at the end of this section.

The rhythm completely changes starting at 0:44, and it works pretty well, but I would either take out the drums completely from 0:44 - 0:52, or use a much softer rhythm then what you chose here, like the one drum beat that come in from 1:03 - 1:06. That right there is perfect and would go great with the whole soft/clean guitar part.

The clean guitar is a really nice change and I feel it fits the whole track really well, and even the bass fits with it. The only thing I don't like is at 1:15 it just sounds a little weird. I think it's the way it sounds like you just switched guitars halfway through the bar. It's not horrible, but like I said, it just sounds weird.

I don't like the speed up of the kick right after the final clean note. It sounds out of place compared to the rest of the song. The section from 1:22 - 1:35 is okay, but nothing too fantastic. It just sounds like it doesn't fit since the track is so random.

1:36 - 1:50 is my favorite part of the song. Absolutely nothing wrong with this section at all and it's very catchy.

The weird instrument that comes in right after this part sounds, well, weird. It sounds like a sweeping piano almost. I just don't think it fits with the rest of the song in my opinion.

I'd have the guitar fading from 2:00 - 2:07. It doesn't have to fade completely out, but it would make it sound a little more realistic. The picking instrument here is really good, and makes for a good lead. I'd also end on a different note. The one you chose sounds really flat, and makes the song sound unfinished.

Overall, to me it sounds like you have a lot of good ideas, but you're cramming them all into one song. A lot of these riffs could very easily be their own song. You have the right idea though. Try writing an entire song using just one common riff with slight variations instead of a bunch of different ones.