X3LL3N's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Blaze]

Amazing song as always :D

[Stamina]

I think you could fill the track more in certain frequencies, but except that, pretty solid work :)

[Heartbreak]

This is pretty damn cool, i love this !

Could you link your Newgrounds link on your website/youtube description ? Just to confirm you're the actual matduke (and so I can scout you here on Newgrounds) :)

matduke responds:

Hey, I dropped the link in the description here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iJo7N8DrVU Looking forward to uploading more tunes here!

[Night×Mare]

This is pretty damn catchy :>

[Prepare for Battle - NGADM2022 Round 2]

This is pretty damn cool !

[Waterfall [Chillstep]]

Literally chilling to this :>

[Agente.001 - The Girl from the Void (NGADM)]

Official Review for NGADM Round 2 :

Honestly, this sounds just incredible !

I'm at a loss for words here. I just don't have any idea what to criticize or compliment because everything is so damn well produced in every aspect.

Thus, I will only point out what stuck with me the most :

- I love the beginning of the song, the crystal soundscape with the fun alien-like and watery ear candies work great. Anytime there's ambience in the song, I just love it !
- The cinematic/melodic parts are extremely well executed.
- The sound design is perfect in almost every aspect, at no point did I think "this could have been better".
- The combination of a wide variety of sounds throughout the song

Literally, my only complaint is that the first part of the first drop is a bit bland and even there I'm just nit-picking, trying to find something to criticize !

Absolutely amazing entry from you Agente, I expected no less. You really are going all out to crush your contestants :D

[just something else (NGADM Round 2)]

Official Review for NGADM Round 2 :

I like the soundscape in the beginning, it's pretty fun.
The basses and strings you add afterwards are intense, they bring so much and makes us expect a lot from the following part.

But then : Nothing.

This caught me by surprise and was obviously intended. It's a pretty cool idea.
Also, the metronome type thing (which I assume to be the sound when you go backwards in a car) works really well.

I like how you slowly transition to the part at 1:00; It's simple, but it works well. The sound choice is pretty cool and the chords feel a bit crispy.

I like the buildup quite a bit, it prepares us for the bouncy drop. Nice rythm and vocals there.

I love the lfo in the drop btw. The sound combination isn't very common in that genre, which makes this stand out (it works pretty well by the way, nice vibe you're going for).

After the drop, it's even better. There's a nice soundscape and some ear candies again (but the I'd have prefered it if you added some reverse strings before 2:15, the y come out too suddenly for my taste here.

The drums and foleys work really well and the synth choice is cool again (one of my favourite parts). I like the following rythm and melody. it feels like the stakes are getting higher and we're approaching a climax if that makes sense.

The drop fakeout is a really good detail imo, it helps setting this drop apart from the previous one.

The outro of the song is what I was expecting, but it's a good thing :)

This feels like the kind of song I'd listen to on a ride at night, there's a lot of cool details and synths, and I love the aesthetic ! A very solid entry for me personally ^^

CrowdDoll responds:

Thank you so much.

[0m0dventure]

Official Review for NGADM Round 2 :

I like how the song begins, it's pretty unusual with an interesting combination of instruments along with a kawaii lead.

Then you introduce some more instruments (strings, bass, bells...) It honestly has a bit of a Wii Sport feeling to it mixed with chiptune.
It has a lot going on, which can make it feel a bit messy, like if all instruments were fighting each other to exist.

At 1:07, it feels like a completely different song. I do wanna point out that the pad at 1:24 doesn't fit in my opinion. I'm not a big fan of it until it gets a bit better at 1:35 and changes at 1:48.

The part at 1:48 just makes more sense and feels more cohesive imo. I do like the combination of the chiptune flute and lead with the piano. The bpm change is also a nice touch.

2:23 is a powerful part. You introduce a lot of instruments (some with harmonies). It's chaotic, but the small part at 2:34 feels rewarding.

2:40 feels very experimental in terms of sounds, which is kinda cool.
I personally prefer the part 3:00, which is pretty fun and catchy. I like it

The rest of the song is more of the same things you've showed throughout the song, until the last part at 4:30, which feels much more peaceful, it just works.

Basically, it feels like the song is a combination of many ideas you put together. It's experimental and has a nice vibe to it, but it can be pretty messy sometimes. Still a fun and creative song though !