mutty99's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[No Further Shore]

Newgrounds VGM Challenge - Virtual Bond: Review

If this is a WIP, i can't imagine how the final product looks like!
The instrumentation is stunning, and the style reminds me of Dash from Arkanoid DS.
0:47 and 3:25 gave me goosebumps, and you centered the concept perfectly; i like also the idea of writing some sort of context in the description.
Apart from the technical assessments, this track resonates within me quite a bit; there is a particular anime called Vandread, centered around a crew of female space fighters who loathe men and formed a society without needing them. I always imagined how their captain would interact with an android that behaves like a man, but has a different heart from everyone else, and as they overcome their struggles, they reach the climax clash, and thrust head on together.

This piece, even if unfinished, was a truly enjoyable experience; very well done.

Thanks for participating!

MetalRenard responds:

Hey mutty99, thanks for the review, I finally finished the mix after leaving it to rest for a while (I was fed up with the technical issues). I appreciate the kind words, thank you.

[Waltz of the electric primates]

Newgrounds VGM Challenge - Virtual Bond: Review

Pretty short piece, i must say: probably you couldn't finish it on time, but that won't influence my opinion very much.
The track itself reminds me of Cave Story, and it has a nice flow, with a clever instruments choice; however, i have trouble finding some sort of context inside it for my prompt unfortunately.
Virtual Bond's about a couple overcoming their struggles together in a significant event; this is indeed a piece that could relate about a romantic situation, but there is no energy, no suspense at all. I can't picture my prompt inside this piece, no matter how much i try; this is more of a "lounge/relaxing" type of music, very similar to the menu music of many Zelda titles, like OOT or TP.

Now, to clarify: your piece is not bad, i never said that. It is, however, a bit off-topic, and i'm sorry the piece couldn't come out the way you wanted it to be.
Still, your efforts are not to be wasted: you have potential, and you can make this sort of WIP grow into something even bigger. You have all it takes to extend it and make it even better.

Thanks for participating!

splitprune responds:

Man, thanks a lot for the in-depth feedback. I did have a lot of ideas for this one, and I worked on it really hard for a couple of days, but then I just sort of fucked off and dropped it forever. Bad habit you know.

I really appreciate your response, thanks a million!

[Time Machine Adventure]

Very nice piece. 0:32 is 👌🏽

johnfn responds:

Thank you, Mr. Mutty99!

[AIM - distance]

Wo :o
Nice job, both of you!

Troisnyx responds:

Ah, that's kind of you. ❤️ Cheers. I wanna remake this, and redo the voices, at some point — I'm just glad you enjoyed what you heard.

[Vessel Full of Dreams]

Spoilers incoming.

Congrats for winning NGADM 2020! :D

Phonometrologist responds:

Thank you. Feeling a little bit of NGADM survivor's guilt because it's just about happenstance to create something within 2 weeks that the judges will find to be profound enough to win. So many great artists took part and I feel honored to come to this point.

[A Stroll Down St Pancras]

Layton, Persona 5 and Ace Attorney in a single piece; that final impact as well... Great job!

Troisnyx responds:

Ah thank you~ Don't forget Ar tonelico — Signpost of Memories and A Strange Play from the third game's OST were influences.

[Calamity Gate]

-Official NGUAC 2020 Final Round Review-

Nice attempt at a Xi-styled piece of music, unfortunately (like you said) quite rushed. The piano in the drops is a little too much panned to the right, and could have had more reverb as well; on the other hand, you did a great job with the drums, giving them a stable balance and variating the rolls in the various sections. It's a shame the song is that short, because if it was longer i could have seen it in OSU next to Freedom Dive, Halcyon etc, you know what i mean. Maybe the beginning could have had a filtered pad till 0:11 to give a more gradual introduction; either way, pretty good job!

Originality: 1.7/2
Composition: 2/2
Structure: 1.3/2
Tecnicity: 1.3/2
Impact: 1.6/2
Total: 7.9/10

CrispyCroc responds:

Thank you very much, everything you said is something I absolutely and entirely agree with, and I want to make a much better version of this song soon. <3

[Last drink]

Which is the name of the sound/electronic instrument you used in the first 3 seconds?

GrizzlyCogs responds:

Hey ! It is just a square wave synth with a lot of reverb and delay on it :)

[Remembering the Fallen]

-Official NGUAC 2020 Final Round Review-

This submission stands out from all the others in this year's edition: it was the only one who made me sincerely moved while and after listening. The concept is carried on with a stable and focused flow, with a various and properly harmonized orchestration and structure; the balance is spot on as well, with a clear context and lore behind the piece itself. Briefly, the emotional impact of this track is beyond description, and you had a really original idea: if you keep composing stuff like this (maybe with a higher volume overall when mastering the track), you're going to get REALLY far in this community. Well done.

Originality: 2/2
Composition: 2/2
Structure: 2/2
Tecnicity: 1.7/2
Impact: 2/2
Total: 9.7/10

potato-stick responds:

Thank you so much for the kind words and feedback on my piece! I wanted to raise the overall volume, but unfortunately it began to introduce clipping issues so I had to settle with it being lower than ideal. Mastering and mixing are some of the things that I need to more fully understand, so that might be the next step for me to take my music to a higher level.

[MUSIC IS HARD]

-Official NGUAC 2020 Final Round Review-

This submission makes me quite concerned: the concept is original, but the execution leaves to be desired. The transitions at 1:11 and 3:04 are really out of place, making the track seems more like a mash-up of two totally different songs rather than one whole piece of work. The drums department is well composed, but could have been stronger and more impactful (for example at the 0:21 section); some variations could have helped the piece breath a little more as well, instead of hearing the same chord progression being repeated over and over. On the other hand, i enjoyed both the way you balanced the piano and the jazz section at 2:40. Try sticking with clearer ideas in your projects, and you'll get far with music in the future!

Originality: 1.4/2
Composition: 1.5/2
Structure: 1.2/2
Tecnicity: 1.3/2
Impact: 1.6/2
Total: 7/10

scrambIe responds:

HAHA YAY I LOVE CONCERNED