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!!!

[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 :)

[Hopes & Dances]

You have some really interesting textures in this song! It does sound like synthwave but with maybe something extra? I can't explain but it definitely sounds unusual (in a good way). The progression is slow but makes it feel like a car ride on a highway deep into the night. The piano was also a really cool and unusual addition to a synthwave like track. Great work, keep it up!

CrazyKryz13 responds:

Thanks!

[Vista Sounds - Timeous]

Sounds really pretty and glittery, I love it! I am always quick to notice when the song has different phases, and in your case it's very varied and keeps the song interesting throughout. The energy is also very well maintained and makes the song fun and exciting to listen to. I really like how you make different instruments come in at different parts and combine to make the melody and the secondary melody, it sounds like a big electronic choir almost haha. But yeah this song is awesome, keep up the great work!

Vista-Sound13 responds:

I appreciate you taking the time to write a long yet satisfying review of my work. I would also agree that this piece is fun to listen to lol. :)

[Hestillion, the Incense]

Really good intro, and at 00:48 it begins to sound really dramatic! I love how the song just keeps building suspense over time, it sounds like a souls like song to me again but with its own unique flavor! The strings were super well done here on all different kinds of ranges, and the percussion was picked perfectly too. All the other instruments you added fit just right and come in exactly when it feels like they're needed. And lastly, all the phases are super well put together! 03:05's phase is a great way to wrap up the song. Amazing job once again, keep it up!!

Dutonic responds:

Thank you!

[Mongkut Club]

That was a really good beat! I really liked the chops and how hard they felt, and the chops you chose to combine together sounded really cool too! My favorite part was from 00:20 - 01:02 as it sounded the most intense, but the part before was a great intro, and the parts after sounded really impactful too. Great work, keep it up!

meltsteelbeams responds:

Yo mad preesh, however I did forget to add one last loop towards the breakdown which I'll fix in a bit. Glad you enjoyed!

[Ragtime Piano | SMB2 USA Overworld Theme]

Very nice rendition of this song on a rag time piano :D
I always like how tacky it sounds, and I like the little flairs you added that aren't in the original but fit the instrument super well. Keep it up!

anthonyragus responds:

Eyyy, thank you so much dude! I appreciate your remarks about the small decorations; I went for character and merriment, rather than ease of playing. Keyscape's wing tack piano is so much fun. I used it for my cover of Bob-omb Battlefield from SM64 as well.