Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lucid]

I'm glad to hear more of your music after all this time!

This is unusual, but my favorite section is the post-climax; the sudden, unexpected mood change is heartwarming, and then there's another unexpected mood shift at 4:08 that effectively represents the return to reality. The track does an excellent job at telling the story you envisioned.

My only criticism is that the percussion feels too minimal in the context of what sounds like a medium-sized orchestra. I think the climax falls slightly short of its full emotional potential due to a lack of strong percussion, especially high-end percussion.

Step responds:

I'm incredibly glad you're able to pick up on the story I was trying to tell. Like... completely over the moon. Haha.

That's a very interesting point about the percussion. I'm usually pretty heavy on percussion in my orchestral pieces and I actually tried to exercise some restraint in this one, but in hindsight I completely agree that some high-end percussion at least during the last climax would've really sealed the deal.

Thanks a lot for the great review!

[Spring Begins to Bloom]

This is wonderful. I love the climax and outro. I had to lower my volume a lot so I think i'ts a bit too loud, but it's not really a problem.

AlbeGian responds:

Thank you so much!! Sorry for the loudness, I will try to have more control over the volume in my mix next time, but I'm really glad you liked it

[Returning Home]

This is fantastic! It reminds me of the music in famous Disney movies.

Deemo-R responds:

Thank you so much! It goes without saying that I love and grew up with that stuff, so it's always nice to hear comparisons made! I'd love to have the creativity to make something so iconic :D

[Last Light]

I really like the strings arrangement, the powerful percussion, and the post-chorus chord progression change. You successfully avoided making the song sound cheesy, which isn’t easy with this style; I think if you had access to an orchestra and vocalist, the song’s emotional appeal would be significantly higher. This is my favorite song of yours :D

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks! While I wouldn't say I'm the worst vocalist, I'm not exactly a professional. I literally finished writing some of the lyrics before recording them like 5 hours ago too. ;D

[Wolfhome]

I like the chord progression and selection of instruments - though some vsts could be much better. Although the woodwind-sounding instrument does sound expressive at first, I think the variation of expression isn't sufficient, so it loses its appeal quickly. I think the climax could have been much more powerful if you changed up the melody - I didn't like the juxtaposition of the slow melody with the more intense background lines; this was the perfect opportunity to make the melody go crazy imo. Otherwise, I think you did a good job with the pacing and transitions. The oboe sounds very fake compared to everything else, I would have left it out. I enjoyed this piece overall and found it to be very relaxing. I'm hiding the score to avoid potentially over-influencing the judges.

Baumarius responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I think I fixed the oboe section (it's not there anymore), but I don't have enough time tonight to flesh out the climax and the expression/melody of the duduk. I'll do that after the competition... and hopefully it'll be live when I do :D

I'm glad you enjoyed this song!

[A Halloween Tale [Short]]

I’m so jealous of your orchestration skills! This is your most eargasmic song yet.

VociferousMusic responds:

Thank you very much! It's just a matter of practice I guess. I don't know how many thousands of hours I have spent on making music.
You are on a very good way either I can tell! I enjoyed your latest work a lot and your works suits the cinematic scene so much!

[Pivot]

Despite this being a WIP, I really enjoyed it. The sound design is awesome, and I'm looking forward to the final version.

stardew responds:

thank you EverErratic! glad to hear you enjoyed it (:

[Marine Mayhem!]

This brings back many fun memories because I played Splatoon competitively for a couple years. This is awesome, and you really nailed the splatoon vibe.

I love the solos. One of the melodies reminds me of something you played at Guitar Center.

How did you make the vocals sound like the ones in Splatoon?

LunacyEcho responds:

ooooh didn't know you played splatoon!! that's so awesome haha, glad you liked the vibe

and yes! the main melody is one that i'd been sitting on for a while, and i was totally noodling on it at guitar center—i'm pleasantly surprised you noticed :D

okay so the vocal thing is a little complicated and i followed a youtube tutorial—you pitchshift a normal vocal track (logic has a thing that also lets you adjust the formant/overtones), EQ it so that it's limited to a thin band around the 1k range, then use an autofilter to oscillate the resonance

tbh i don't know what half those words mean but this video explains it pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVA48I2n-qQ

[endK - Funkadunk]

This is extremely catchy, and I love your attention to detail. I keep noticing new things in each listen. The subtle grace notes in particular are a nice touch.

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for the feedback EE!
Much appreciated! <3

[Ashes to Ash OST - 03 - New Hylidae]

This is beautiful :'D

Miyolophone responds:

thank you!!