Doomcaster's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[nightmarish funk]

Super groovy! Love the overall progression of the main synth and the way it dances fluidly throughout the song. The drum kit, snares, shakers, and the the cowbell all delightfully placed in the soundstage really help the balance between the ears (on headphones), and keep things nice and separated to appreciate.

I really enjoy the piano backing too, a little recessed, which lets the synth really shine. Along with the few other instruments and effects that pop in and out of the different sections of the song.

The garbled staticky radio segments are really cool! Love how it adds this a "busy city at night" feel. The police are on the lookout for criminal scum, but here you are, just cruising down the road on a pair of skates under the streetlamps just enjoying the night.

Overall a super nice vibe. Energetic, but also laid back with a hip groove. Great work here!

[Kitten Paws]

This has such a good dream-like energetic vibe to it! I really like the impact and fullness of the drums, and the crisp layers of the snares under the main synths. The reverb is perfect in my opinion, airy, but not lingering for too long. Really gives a good sense of space, while still remaining intimate for the main beat.

I really like the little sparkle and pop sounds off to the side of the soundstage at 00:44, that then transition into a very pleasing sounding recessed drum kit snares that kick in at the same time, and drive into a pumped up beat at 01:14.

The beat after that is just crazy good, and has a nice and lovely upbeat-happy-day feel to it all! Both somehow relaxing, and refreshing at the same time.

Nicely done!

[Festival of Fangs]

"It is time to put my method of attack into action...

But first...

WE DANCE!"

Has a really nice cinematic quality, feels like something straight out of a movie soundtrack! Definitely feels like something is lurking behind the scenes, waiting to boil up and set things into a chaotic frenzy. Sort of a "calm before the storm" kind of feel.

You really nailed the timeline for the sound, as it has what I want to describe as a vampiric undertone which is pretty much perfect for what you're going for. A little menacing, a little seductive, but the night is still young and the party has yet to start. Definitely more classical in nature, which I really enjoy.

The violin swells in the background and the ratta-tat-tat's that are put right in the center really give the soundstage a wide, but enveloping range. Great instrument separation, and I love how well balanced it is. Neither ear feels left out, despite not having a lot of overlap on some sounds. You can really just sit back and pick apart the different rhythms that all come together into something great

First listen was good, but the next few really let me appreciate all the composing work you did here. Keep up the great work!

[Stamps Of Love]

Starts off with a really nice, cheerful sort of bubbly sound, then I get hit with a fun wave of upbeat summertime vibes. Then as it hits 01:00 you have this great horn-like instrument off to the right side of the soundstage as the rest of the instruments take a break and things become chill.

The small pause in the middle feels reflective, just taking in the day and just thinking of what is and was.

That builds into a fun and groovy beat that feels like the day is coming to a close but "man that was great, lets do it again tomorrow!". Love the fade into the outro, where the instruments fade out and the final melody is given room to breathe, like it's always been playing the whole time. Very smooth.

Overall, love the progression and variance of the track! The happy, romantic, and joyful tags are pretty dang accurate here. Just kicking back and giving it a listen, I momentarily lost track of what time it was, ahaha. Great work!

[Laughterhouse]

The bass in this just slaps! Love tonal balance here with the low and high frequencies. The bells, xylophone (?), and piano sound so crisp. The little sparkly/bubbly bits, and the brass instruments are a really good filler here. It adds some good detail to the mix!

The mix of synths, haunting melodies, and the killer bassline and drums just have a dynamic punch to them! It's such a playful tune! Feels like the bad guys just showed up to put the good guys in their place, in a non-violent "this is our turf, come back when you can take it" kinda vibe.

Really nice work here!

Razex responds:

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Sand]

Man, this is just so well done!

The clean but crunchy guitar has some nice lower heft to it, and the higher notes that swell in the background have some really good reverb. Really adds a sense of depth and width.

The drums are deep and strong, but respectfully allow the vocals to sit in the center stage. The cymbals are nice and wide in the soundstage too. The overall beat here really works well to drive the rest of the instruments forward!

The vocals are nice and close, more on the intimate side so it's very easy to understand. Slightly warmer in tone, so it blends really nicely with the lower drums and higher guitar. Nice balance here. I enjoy the double layered background vocals that start at 00:33 and progressively get deeper as it ends at 01:08. It's subtle, but it really feels like the voice in the back of my head is reinforcing what the lyrics are saying, to give it that little extra bit of a kick.

I think you guys nailed it! The overall mastering and layering sounds very professional, to my ears at least. A very full sound, but not noisy or messy. Just a pleasant listen all the way through

Mischa-head responds:

Thank you so much! I'm really happy you enjoyed it and I appreciate all the detailed feedback!

[Within the Underpass #10 - Pencilmania]

I'm not usually one to listen to podcasts but I noticed Carltoons was a guest, and knew I had to give it a shot. It was nice to hear about the upcoming ideas for Barrel Shell, and get some behind the scenes hints of the lore. The breakaways to discuss inspirations and other story-related insights on other series was fun.

The eye-catches in Barrel Shell are something I enjoyed while reading, because it always delivered a good amount of detail about the characters and shells that might be hard to put directly into the pages otherwise. They're also artistically framed in a way that adds to the tone of the comic, which I really liked.

I'll need to catch up and read the newest story arc when I get the chance! Nice work you two, it was a great time!

[Cyber Monday!]

This is great! A nice and fun tune with a happy, carefree atmosphere. Feels like a summer day resting in the shade under a tree, near an energy-filled town.

The positioning of the sounds and the balancing of the instruments are really good!

Marifax responds:

Thank you! That's a very nice interpretation