AxTekk's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lost Without You]

Awesome, dude. One thing I always like about your beats is how you build a blend of buzzy, unconventional sounds in such a way that they're all still distinct & sharp, but still coalesce into something collectively thematic & cohesive.

I get that a lot here with the scratchy bass, the buzzy keys and the flanged the guitar, and those crisp transient drums. Also, you stay on point with minimal, effective ways to smooth them together, with detailed chopping, filter, screwing and smart structuring.

Really solid, pro sounding beat. Your art always delivers like this

Libby-Shimmz responds:

Thanks!

[58 Schubert]

ooohh very nice. There's an easy way to do classical samples wrong, and this is the opposite. You really wrung some beautiful moodiness out that piano. The vocals add a real sense of space and didn't feel at all overused or out of place.

The bass is the only thing for me. Not that steady regular one with the kick (even though it should have been on a different note on some of the beats imho) which was beautiful, crisp and warm. The stringsynth bass added a lot of atmosphere but it got muddy quite a bit. Have you thought about putting hi & low cut filters on these type of parts? I think that technique might help you get cleaner mixes while keeping the broodiness these dope synths add to the mix.

All in all, very nice. I really like your sound actually. It's pretty minimal, but it's often just experimental or different enough to be unique but cohesive. Good looks mane

[51]

Bass is pretty boomy, could be a bit cleaner but damn this is good. Nice shit dude

[The Deep End]

Oh shit man. I was already kind depressed and now I gotta relisten and digest this tune. This is inhumane. Why didn't I link you any happy/ braggadocious beats? Fuck's sake. Still love it, just stop putting me in touch with the thousand shocks flesh is heir to.

So shit to improve - vocal mixing, the low mids on this dominate way too much imho. also I think the hooks could be more hook-y with more repetition of the first hook etc. But first + would have to be that I fooking love the way you played with the flow to make some rap-alongable island in the sea of flowzzz. Also maybe last hook could be recorded tighter with itself? Although I like the loose spoken style rhythms, so that's a tricky one to balance I suppose

Things I love
- Switched up flows, keeping it fresh and locomotive
- Dope mixing of common cliched imagery to create realistic relatable settings.
- Mixing of the super real with the jokey to let you look at real depressing shit with perspective
- Pressing super real details with the jokes to keep shit 300
- The way you melodically & rhythmically play with both hooks to keep them sounding related.

Obvs this is all on top of dope word play, flows, tone etc. All goes w/out saying.

Teqneek responds:

Haha thanks for the review Ax, glad I could somewhat do your beat justice. Although, for me (and I know it may not be the majority, but others feel me on this too), sad music has a reverse effect. It somehow makes me happier. When I'm at my lowest I usually go for September Sun (by Type O Negative), or The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot (by Brand New).

Anyway, I hope certain people can listen to this song and feel "better" knowing there are others going through something similar to what they are. Thanks again homie, yer my guy

[Dark Days]

Aiteeeee there's a lot of things I love. Basically all I want on top is some extra mastering and mixing and shit basically because the sonics sound kinda blocky with the compression of the vox on top of the beat which is limited all in a block. But money and shit, and mics and shit. Also having a hook would make this more catchy and relistenable because easy digestible structure, but the beat really doesn't allow for that, so that one's on me.

Shit I love:

- Intro cueing in the first line building anticipation
- A million and one different flows weaved inbetween lyrics that fuck with the blocky 4/4 beat
- Alternating vocal tone with the chorus and the verse keeping it fresh but related
- Melodic tone keeping it interesting in the verse
- Those "swoosh" sounds in the 2nd 16
- Consistently relatable depressive truth bombs

Fuck you for making me wanna kill myself. But that's also a sign that this song's fucking dope? So basically I like I guess even though it hurts me so :'(

Teqneek responds:

First of all lol there IS a hook my bruhbruh.

I'm not the best at mastering my shit. Really. And I spend HOURS on it lol. But I spend months writing a song sometimes. Sometimes years for real. I need to dedicate a little of that time into learning to properly master I guess. Although for real I kinda thought I did learn enough to not sound amateurish, at least in my ears. Some of the things people ding me on are actually intentional, haha so idk. I put time into mastering, yet all I seem to ever hear about is how this and that needs to be fixed.

I do appreciate the input btw, but after a while I guess it kinda gets me down because idk what else to really do and I don't really WANT to learn it to be honest. I respect the shit out of it though- trust me. I'm just not neurally built for audio engineering. I'm a writer. And a lover of women. And protector of the land.

Lol also I'm copypasting what I said in response to your comment on my other recent depressing track The Depp End. (*haha not even correcting that spelling error for it opens up a whole world of ideas).

"...glad I could somewhat do your beat justice. Although, for me (and I know it may not be the majority, but others feel me on this too), sad music has a reverse effect. It somehow makes me happier. When I'm at my lowest I usually go for September Sun (by Type O Negative), or The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot (by Brand New).

Anyway, I hope certain people can listen to this song and feel "better" knowing there are others going through something similar to what they are. Thanks again homie, yer my guy..."

[Lemme Gitchu Back]

best track I've ever produced

love reacts only

[Twelve Town]

Really nice piano doodle. Can definitely picture fitting perfectly onto an RPG. Lol it really says a lot that my first thought was "this could totally be a loop on Hatoful Boyfriend" but it really really could. Me likey.

[-Edge of Existence-]

Holy shit, this is some real naked shit. I fuckin love it. I feel bad for saying that I love this shit when you put so much real pain into it, but I do. It's weird, because it's incredibly personal but you know it really does resonate.

I love this real life shit you've been dropping for a minute, although I hope you ain't letting up on the mad rhyme-fu shit either.

Only criticism might be that figuring out a hook and a verse structure would make it way more re-listenable. But in terms of the bars, and the skill, and the approach it's... Sublime, dude. Keep making shit like this.

Teqneek responds:

Thanks Ax. I am terrible with hooks; I know. I can write them, but my problem tends to be all the lyrics I write for a song and fittng them all into the tracks tends to push away room for a hook.

Although I just rambled incessantly at the end of this one, so I could've put a hook in this. I just didn't. Thanks for the input man, and I'm glad you like the song.

Ignorant-ass rhymes are being recorded tonight though btw- so I'll soon be back to my old self. Just a way better version of it. Musically at least...

[Nest (w vocals)]

Sounding nice af. Smooth cadence and flows for dayzzzz, lyrics on some really real shit too. I really like that cause I feel like a lot of people are either talking on politics 24/7 or just on standard rap shit, but what's real life is all that shit in proportion. 2nd verse gets even realer too.

I gotta say I appreciate the mixing a lot better with the vocals on top. Thought the kick might be too far in front on the instrumental, but that makes a lot more sense thumping out under the bars with all those rhythmic cadences matching it. Snare sounds really good in the overall mix too like this. Fits right with the vocals while the keys are all out spacey on the sides.

Lotta love for this chill shit. Look forward to hearing more, dude