DuttonsaysHi's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Market district-]

Real awesome work man! This really puts you into the shoes of a wandering pedestrian in a futuristic market environment. everything is precisely placed and the sound effects the the announcer and vehicles are the icing on the cake :D great work!

Waterflame responds:

thank you :D glad you liked it and that you got the vibe i was trying to create!

[Crimson Night]

Oh wow :o I REALLY like this! I thought I would have had a shot in this contest but now I'm not so sure!

I really love how natural the strumming on the guitar sounds, the timing of the plucks are so perfect. Also all the subtle background noises that support it are just fantastic! Like the subtle choir voices and woodwinds that just weave through. Beautiful, Well done!

Step responds:

"Oh wow :o I REALLY like this! I thought I would have had a shot in this contest but now I'm not so sure!"

D'aww thanks! Man, when I heard your track and most of the others I felt the exact same thing. I mean the contest doesn't have a massive amount of participants so I thought I might have a chance at doing well, but all the music is so good. D:

"I really love how natural the strumming on the guitar sounds, the timing of the plucks are so perfect."

Ironically, they're perfect because they're not. If I had just inputted them in my piano roll and didn't humanise them then they would've sounded ugly and computerised, so I decided to disregard tempo for the guitar-only parts and just play it all myself with my MIDI keyboard. Really adds a lot of expression.

"Also all the subtle background noises that support it are just fantastic! Like the subtle choir voices and woodwinds that just weave through."

I'm so glad you noticed them, I paid particular attention to those. I tried to do stuff like have the choir sound like it's "morphing" into another instrument at parts like 0:37 - 0:45 and 1:34 - 1:48, the first case being from choir to woodwind (duduk and clarinet) and the second being from choir to strings. Just a little idea I had, haha.

"Beautiful, Well done!"

Thanks a million for the supportive review! Really happy you enjoyed this. Aaaand my response is bigger than the review; bad habit of mine.

[Venus]

Damn dude, this is such pro level producing! I'm particularly mesmerised by the jazzy brass sections... the transitions I could not expect where executed perfectly! There's so much change which I also didn't expect from a track like this. I was worried repetition could be an issue but there's so many different segments that come in and change the theme completely while still retaining the same mood.. it's awesome! Also That guitar solo <3 I envy that skill so much!

I don't know what to say anymore, you did an awesome job and you both deserve this spot in the final. well done!

Kor-Rune responds:

Thanks man! I'm glad you enjoyed my track. I'm loving having camoshark on the brass. He really does add so much needed texture. I'm glad you like my guitar wanking! I just sort of make sure the audience doesn't need to hear my loudmouth too much. XD

Thanks again for the awesome review c:

[-The wanderer-]

Wow... This is such a huge step for you... This is something I'd never expect to catch on NG. The whole song tells a story that hasn't been provided for it (If that makes sense). As in it doesn't need a game, picture, animation, video or even a title the audio on it's own tells the tale.

My absolute favourite segment was around 5:20 when the bass starts strumming along which is then followed by instruments humming along followed by even more that start spiralling around it ever so slowly. It's stuff like that that I love about this track, that has so much movement.

With the constant change, I find myself listening over and over to truly appreciate every little detail. You've really outdone yourself this time, I can't find a single flaw with this track.. You even managed to stay completely away from your usual patterns, not to mention improved mastering, clarity and with so much control of the spacing of literally everything. It's like you've created some kind of map with the audio itself.

I cannot stress how much I love this song. well done! You and Kor both deserve to be in the finals well done! :D

Waterflame responds:

oh man, thank you for all the kind words and the long review! im so glad you like it :D and that you pointed out how it tells a story, witch was one of my main goals with this song :D

[-SuperWing Heroes-]

Terrific work man! Has so many great little themes and elements that keep the track alive and tell somewhat of an adventurous story :D and I can't stress show 90's this track is! it's juts so god damn 90's :P in terms of old school video games as well as Saturday morning cartoon theme music :P just awesome work all around :D

Waterflame responds:

Thanks alot man :D glad you get the same feel from the song as i do! it means i really captured the mood i was going for :D

[-conclusion-]

I think you've successfully broken out of you're 'same routine' but still held on to the creative element that made them awesome :D Your production value has sky-rocketed since the start of this year and you've gone through such an evolution!

This is definitely a new favourite of mine. All the different instruments and synths are crystal clear and the overall track has an awesome combination of breaks and build-ups that just make it spectacular :D well done man!

[Downtown]

Man you get just the right vibe of what you're going for in terms of melody and production. You deserve more publicity! :D

[Space Walking]

Dude!! This is so retro arcade! and all the little chiptune space explosion effects! ah man you where so spot on with this track I love it :D

basheman responds:

Thanks man! :D means a lot ^^

[-Rupture-]

God damn.. man this is a new height for you.. You've really outdone yourself with quality of your sound here! I mean the powerful brass at the start and the tension all the orchestra and alien sounds create is pretty damn phenomenal. Even the way you introduced the beat section is pretty damn different from your usual style.

Awesome work man! you got this!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks alot :D thats so great to hear! glad im improving :D

[LO - Rush Hour (NGADM'12)]

It's good to see some variety now! I notice a good few people pulling the classical/orchestral card for this contest.. Kinda worries me that that would be the only weapon of choice for most people. But it's good to see not all!

My only constructive criticism would be to tone down the release on that main synth, I mean it works well for the single stabs but when it plays the melody it kinda rides over itself. Also, when you have the little cut-off break at 1:42, it would have been nice to see some kind of explosive crash/boom sounds to kick it back in at 1:45.. because it just stops and starts playing again which is kind of awkward in my opinion.

I mean these aren't vital changes but I do think it would improve the track a bit :) but the track still stands strong as it is. good work!

Oakwood responds:

Mmm, I can see why you think there's too much release on the synth, but I kinda like it, actually. It makes everything sound a bit fuller. And I also like the way the melody comes back after the break. Different opinions everywhere :P

Still, thanks a lot for the critics, I appreciate it!