Mattashi's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Vos Postergum]

Wow Lucid this is really something! I love how you did this piece. This track doesn't feel like it's 3 minutes and 26 seconds long maybe it's because you made it so damn interesting to listen to.
It sounds so haunting and I really loved the little segments where the piano came in to play 00:57 and 01:14 it really gives some contrast to that gloomy background.
I really hope I get to play your game in the future with your music :D
Are you doing this game all by yourself? like programming and everything D:

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hello Mattashi!
I'm really happy you like the piece, and the way it's structured :3

00:57 and 01:14 are without a doubt my favorite parts! It's clearly "stolen" from 0:48-1:18 in "Feather" though, as I loved the filtered strings and piano that KatMaestro used.
I believe that in order for every sad song to really leave an impact on the listener, there must be a part that hints at... Perhaps not happiness, but something... Hopeful?
It's not as important in music such as this I feel, but I tried to implement that part anyway, for the contrast, so you were spot on!

I'm getting a clearer and clearer idea of how to make the game every day, and I'll probably begin developing it in a week or so. I am planning on making everything myself, unless I decide that I want some background art, in which case I might ask my sister for some. I know nothing of coding, but I'll make the game in the same way I created "D-Pression", which is using Stencyl. I have a subscription that holds for a couple of months still, so why not use it? :D
I hope I'll actually manage to make the game a good one, so that people don't get disappointed D:

Thanks for the review!!!!!!!

[Water from the Rock]

What a beautiful composition, it sounds sad but also hopeful in some parts.
Love the mix too, those acoustic instruments along with those synths sound great and don't worry about the volume, it's fine.
I got a new favorite :)

Phonometrologist responds:

Well that is reassuring. I use too many classical references when mastering, and when I upload a track like this amid so much loud electronic music, I feel out of place at times. No matter... I don't think the hardcore EDM fan would be listening to this anyway.
You're too generous.

[Hinterland]

Nice composition :) I can definitely hear some of Thomas Newman's style in this.
Would love to hear more from you in the future!

erlendflatin responds:

Cheers pal :) I have a goal of composing and uploading one 2-4 min piece every week, so hopefully I can achieve that (might be tricky with a lot of other stuff going on). So will try different styles, mostly within the cinematic genre. At the moment I am working on something a bit more "epic", Elder Scrolls type music

[The Last Dance]

This is very lovely and it sounds so original too!
I really liked that section around 01:35 nice melody and sounds so spacey.
the one around 00:51 was also nice is that a harmonica playing?
Agh it really sucks you can only load up to 16 VSTi's is it in demo mode or something?
I can't imagine what stuff you'd compose if there was no limit for you :)
I feel your pain I remember when I used to work with FLstudio 32-bit as soon as I had like about 8 VSTi's like EWQL running my computer would go bananas. So I got tired of that and got myself Cubase 7 64-bit and bought myself some extra ram.
The volume isn't too low though plus you can always raise dat volume (⌐■_■)
Nice work as always!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks a lot Mattashi! :'3
It's great that it sounds original. I was heavily inspired by this piece though, which is pretty clear in the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk4KepVIOTw
I like 01:35 too. The interactions between the two lead melodies are pretty interesting, and the percussion is a bit unconventional. And yup; that is indeed a harmonica!
It definitely sucks not to be able to use more than 16 VSTi's :( It's a cheaper version of Cubase (Cubase AI 6), which my piano teacher gave me for free :D
Yeah, DAWs are pretty computer heavy.
It's good to hear that Cubase 7 has been working out for you (which is obvious from the quality of your music). I'll probably upgrade at some point too ;)
Hahha, I don't think the volume is much too low, but compared to most songs I've heard here it's a little bit more silent. I can't raise the volume in my DAW though, or we'd all die from all the clipping in our ears XD
Thanks for leaving an awesome review :)

[Fisherman's Fantasy (water)]

Beautiful work man, you gave me nostalgia while I was listening to this.
I think it's because it has the same great melodies and song structure I miss from older games
You might want to check out that piano at 01:35 I think it might be a little too loud and a bit too harsh not sure if it's clipping but I hear a crackling noise.
Besides that this is a wonderful composition, Love it!

SourJovis responds:

Thanks. I'm glad you like it. I was inspired a lot by music from old films and games. This kind of sound was popular for a long time. At least from the late 70s to the mid 00s. I thought it'd be timeless, but for some reason you don't hear it that often anymore. I don't think it will go entirely out of style though.

The crackling noise is from the keys. At first I too thought the plugin was clipping a lot but it has a lot of noises like that from the pedals and the keys. They did that for the sake of realism, so I reduced the volume of the noises but kept them in.

[Chip Alert]

Nice work man :) very catchy!
Didn't have the chance to hear it before you updated but I'm sure it sounds better now.

DESHIEL responds:

Be glad you didn't! You would never be the same man again! xd

[Tron: The Son of Flynn- Remake]

Wow this is one hell of a cover, I think I even like your version more then the original!
Especially the synths you used they sound better imo.
I love the strings you added brings so much more to life to the track.
Nice work man :)

Phonometrologist responds:

Glad you enjoyed it as much--very generous. The original did leave a lot of room for added textures and melody, but I still prefer the arpeggiated synth in the beginning from the original more than what I came up with. But I did make the bass pop out more in my mix.
Your review produces a hopeful smile upon my face, so thank you. Was starting to get sick of the piece :)

[Native Faith - Suwako's Theme]

Wow this is one amazing cover, nice work dude!

Xenogenocide responds:

Thanks dude! :)

[Thorn Vine Factory]

This is awesome man :) I don't think the trumpet is that bad at all in here in fact, I like it.
Really love how you mixed it, the reverb is good and it loops nicely too.
Sounds like something they should have added in Donkey Kong Country :)

Deemo-R responds:

Thanks for the kind words, Mattashi! DKC is definitely the primary inspiration here. I love David Wise's work for them! I even went for a similar vibe as some of his recent work with the synths that I used. The way they add to the song is really cool, imho.

I think my favorite thing about higher-end vsti is how much better they sit in a mix than my old stuff. I really only had to pan things around and do a tiny bit of EQ. It's a really nice feeling! :D

[Coming Back]

What a fun and beautiful song! It's good to hear you've come back to Newgrounds. Is every instrument in this piece recorded? Very nice work great for relaxing at a beach :D

neBSounds responds:

Thanks man!!!

Everything except for the bass! that was programmed in. The drums and noise FX were recorded with a kaossilator and the lead guitar was improvised!