octopus58's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Wonder (Love 2023)]

This sounds very loungey and pretty, I love it :)
The bass and percussion worked to create this kind of suave but energetic atmosphere, and the stabs were really great to fill the space. The mix was really clean and the piano added a nice little flair. I also love how you articulated the guitar! Just in general this is a very pretty song, so great work and keep it coming :D

SimplyDew responds:

Thanks so much for the kind words! I had a lot of fun making this one :)

[32P-ɆǪ.mp3]

Sounds really pretty! The melody is kinda bubbly, and the percussion is very fitting for the speediness of the track. The progressiveness also varies up quite a lot even with some motifs repeating in the song, so it maintains it's energy and fun. Great work on this, keep it up :D

G3CKOMusic responds:

Appreciated!!! Still not 100% fan of what i made but i guess its good enough for people to like ♥

[Dance, Moonlight!]

Sounds really pretty! Definitely gives me night time/moon atmosphere, as well as an explorative, happy but also dark mood. The instruments work super well together (the smooth but bright bell, the saw leads, the airy leads, the bass you chose, etc.) and they all come in at the right time. In terms of mastering since that's what you said you're working on, I think it's also pretty good! Nothing sounds intrusive, and since you give certain instruments "turns", they all get to shine individually regardless of the master I think. But either way great work, keep it up!!

Scareev responds:

Heya, you again :D, i like the way you looked out for this track, and i'm glad you pointed out the element of it being like a "night aesthetic" vibe, because my main struggle in doing music is doing something out of my comfort zone, but yeahhhh, i'm very thankful for this feedback, tysm!!!

[Nothingness]

I really like this! Unlike a lot of the beats I hear, this one actually sounds like a full on song. It has a beautiful flute and trumpet layer that just sounds so good, and really helps set this kinda beautiful, lovey and calm atmosphere. The percussion is also really good sounding with everything else going on too. Awesome work and absolutely beautiful, keep it up!!

[closed window]

This sounds so chill I love it lol
Kind of like retro mall mood or something, and just generally super casual. I love the wavy lead you use sometimes for the instruments, and the percussion set you used. The melody was also so pretty :O

Good job on another awesome track, keep it up!! :D

[Treachery]

Very bold decision to make such a long intro, but I think it makes the song all the more impactful. The beginning part was really beautiful (the first 2 minutes), and really helps set up the emotion and atmosphere of the song for even after. The dubstep part hits really hard and instantly adds a huge punch! Making use of the intro segment again to introduce another dubsteppy part was also a cool choice. Great work, keep it up!

[Rift Dimension]

Great instrumentation! It definitely sounded very metal and there was a ton of intensity, but it also sounded very cinematic and synthy. It made for a really cool combo! I really love how you articulated the guitars and the general energy you put into this track, and the effects you added really helped emphasize the space and atmosphere of the song. The synths you chose for melody were also especially cool. Keep up the amazing work!!

DanJohansen responds:

Thanks man, that I shall! Fun fact: a lot of the synths on melodies are played with synth sounds on guitar :D

[Legends of the Black Sea]

Damn 43 Kontakt instances? I have a powerful computer but I feel like it would crap itself if I tried to run a project like that haha

This sounds really good though! Very well written cinematic piece and amazing usage of strings. I feel strings in cinematic pieces are so important because they can build up both emotion and action at the same time with how you articulate them. And in your case, your usage was very well executed. The other instruments really helped contribute to the action and sometimes even magical-ness of the song if that makes sense. And the drums really helped set the rhythm in a clear and exciting way. Amazing song, and good luck in the contest! Keep up the great work :D

GDRyuHayabusa1988 responds:

Thanks, I appreciate it!
I guess some of my future projects will have even more Kontakt libraries :)

[Paroxysm]

This was a fun song to listen to :)
It gave me old techno/trance feelings with a mix of keygen style which I really dig! The melody was really interesting too, and I absolutely love the part that came in at around 01:35 it was so beautiful! The layering of instruments was really well done, and the progression carried the song from start to beginning perfectly. I almost wish it was longer haha. Amazing work, keep it up!!!

[Deep Dungeon]

Interesting track! The mood was really strange, both happy and hopeful, but also kind of uncertain and dark at times. But that's what makes your song unique! The instruments were really cool, and I liked your fast paced percussion. At some points, for some reason, this music reminded me of Kirby 64 music (especially at parts like 1:07)? I dunno if intentional but just a funny thing I felt haha. Also about the desc you wrote, you should never give up on your ambitions! No matter how busy life gets, you will always have time to follow your dreams :)

But yeah great song, really digging the atmosphere you made! Keep up the awesome work :D