Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[They're Watching Us]

This is one of the most unique and creative tracks I've ever heard in AIM. The concept is brilliant! I think this can win! The mix isn't super polished, but to some extent, the rawness works in favor of the composition.

Snikio responds:

thank you so much! that's the highest praise I can think of🥲

[-retro night-]

I enjoyed the rhythms and retro sounds. It's not bad as background music, but it does feel repetitive quickly when actively listening. I think it would help to have more distinct sections with contrast in instrumentation and texture. Some melodies would also be nice.

Creeperforce24 responds:

Yeah, I made this in LMMS, I don’t know how (if it’s even possible) to make a varied melody track without it taking a billion hours XD. Btw, what’s your star rate, just curious. If it’s bad, I don’t blame you, there’s a lot here that could be worked on XD

[AIM 2025 - Rallying Cry of the Dragonslayer]

I'd love to fight a dragon with this music in the background!

I like that you didn't take a more typical approach to dragon combat music. This style makes me think there's a deep lore behind the dragon, and fighting it is an ancient tradition for those seeking honor and glory.

The motif and melodies are catchy, and there's a healthy amount of variation so it doesn't get stale.

The drumming is amazing. There's so much to enjoy with the layering, textures, and rhythms.

This is a very strong submission. I hope the judges don't take off points for the length, because it certainly feels like a complete track to me.

Albe responds:

Thanks a lot for the feedback!!! I honestly completely forgot about the length rule but I still do want to comply with the rules so over the next days I'm gonna be updating this song with an intro that fills the gap and reaches the minimum required length. I'm really glad you liked it

["𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓾𝓼" (NGCS3)]

I like the rhythms and sound design!

3manon responds:

Thank you so much!

[Cirrus]

This is really beautiful!!

The only thing I'd change is the chimes sample - it feels too close-recorded.

50Steaks responds:

Unfortunately muse sounds didn’t have a specific sample for the mark tree (not chimes technically). So it just came straight from MS basic just like the “kazoo” which you can hear after the silent part. I suppose I could’ve EQ’d it to make it sound a little less harsh, but that probably wouldn’t have helped much. Regardless, thanks for listening!

[Polar Drift (w/ X3ll3n) [NGMC 2025]]

Wow, this is probably the best electronic song I heard on Newgrounds in years <3 I love the sound design and lead vibrato.

Snikio responds:

Really?! I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you so much!

[Smash Into Pieces - Valhalla [Benji-G Remix]]

This is really enjoyable!

Benji-G responds:

Thank you Everratic!

[Voice of the Fallen (NGVGMC)]

Although you misunderstood the assignment, I think you successfully made a lot of useful video game music! Many of these sections can be extended into full video game tracks and fit the intended setting quite well. I like how you musically linked the sections together, creating a continuous experience through diverse scenes and settings.

As someone who enjoys 90s games, I appreciate the use of soundfonts even though they don't sound realistic to modern ears. The one instrument that bothered me is the violin because it sounds more timbrally realistic than everything else so it exacerbates the fakeness of it.

The arrangement is pretty solid throughout. I like that some sections feel sparser and some feel fuller, depending on the intended mood of the setting. In the 1:17 section, the melody is nice, but I think you could let that voice rest more between melodic phrases and use another instrument for counterlines. The drumming is pretty good, but it can benefit from more fill transitions, and the snare in the battle section feels too loud.

Thanks for participating!

Interloping responds:

Im just glad you liked it, really. I spent minimal time on this because the holiday season for me is always a busy/stressful one. I would have loved to do more tweaking when it was relevant, but I have only been able to open FL studio as of the last few days

The hardest part was making a sound for the sewers, or making the two battle tracks sound different from one-another somehow while using the same progression

All of the drums are mapped out by hand, so Im glad you like them. I use a standard DAC kit from one of the soundfonts I use

[Taken | Voice Of The Fallen]

This is a nice cinematic depiction of the scene! I feel the motif and general vibe captures the feeling of hope well. The setting of the story is mostly gloomy, but the scene where Corvin is empowered by the spirits gives hope to the oppressed, and it's great how you focused on that feeling.

I like how clean the mix is, and the brightness of the drums and strings. You did a good job with the sound design and atmosphere too!

At 2:42, it sounds like there's supposed to be a huge climax, but the momentum suddenly stops because the arrangement lacks bass, the dynamics are flat, and the drum rhythm is relaxed and doing its own thing. It feels like an interlude in the battle section, but the execution of it doesn't really work for me. In this kind of situation, the orchestra could benefit from dynamic swells, going from soft to loud, some movement in the texture, like woodwind or harp runs, and percussion that accents the swells.

I like the outro. It reinforced that hopeful vibe and has a satisfying ending :)

Overall, I think you did a good job conceptualizing the track and there's a lot to like with the atmosphere and sound design. The orchestration can be improved, but this is a good start considering it's new to you. Keep it up!

[like the blade you fell upon / efflorescence]

This is beautiful! I'm impressed by how well the composition carries the weight of the cutscene. The instrumentation is simple yet brilliant. The gritty low strings gives it an Elden Ring vibe, the setting of which inspired this story. The high octave violin legato with the piano adds a magical infusion to the sound palette. I like the use of reverb throughout.

Areas to improve:
- I feel the track is figuratively missing a conductor to adjust the dynamics and tempo to maximize the expressiveness. It's important to try to mimic this affect in virtual mockups to the extent possible.
- I like and appreciate the minimal nature of the composition, but sometimes it feels a little too bare, especially in the :52 section. If there were real strings, it might sound fine, but sometimes midi mockups benefit from a little extra sound design to mask the virtual qualities.