DKPUser3678's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Twelve Robes]

This is a cool track. Really does sound like a movie soundtrack. Makes me feel like I'm in an investigation scene or something. The plucky motifs really help build the song.

Good job, I can see improvement in your work!

[Aperture]

Hey dude, this song is just awesome! You really gave off a certain type of ambiance here. I felt like I was flying through the milky way or something.

My biggest point of appreciation has got to be the buildup. The buildup is just so good! The radio samples and the strange, abstract sounds makes everything very compelling the very first second you turn this song on, and it just keeps growing in size and expanding, just like the universe itself.

It takes a good 5 minutes to form a solid beat, and even then, the song structure is still abstract and maze-like. The droning saws, the haunting yet beautiful ethereal choirs, and the glitch noises all just make for a very cohesive whole, while still being interesting and daring to go new ways.

I couldn't help but notice how you've got GLITCH SOUNDS in this song? IDK if you already knew how to do these, or if you didn't have the software for it yet before you made this song, but I really want to know how you did those glitches. That stuff is so fucking cool!

One point of criticism is that the song gets a slight bit repetitive at the end, but that doesn't bother me. The song had already well taken it's time to make a connection to the listener. The song sounds rather dark and sad in the beginning, but towards the end, the song gets a more optimistic tone with those colorful plucks and characteristic leads. It all culminates into this whirlwind of awe and emotional payoff.

Structurally, as well as in terms of sound design and emotion, I'd give this song a solid 10/10. Idk how you could even spend 3 months on a music project, but just listening to this kinda makes me understand. I salute you for your dedication and your craftsmanship. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece, and I hope that you make more stuff like this.

Yet again, 10/10

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey, thanks for your extensive review and your honesty, and for your compliments. It’s been a pleasure working on this project, and I’m happy to see it pay off like this, with you giving it a perfect score. That really means a lot to me.

As for the glitches, most of those were done using Gross Beat, where I mainly used wave and stair shapes in the graph editor. The waves sound like quickly scratching a record up and down, whereas stair-stepping sounds more like you would timestretch a sample, dragging it out over a longer time. Those are mainly very useful for making glitches. I can also recommend Wave Traveller, which uses audio samples instead of the playlist.

Further on, if there’s any tips I can give you, let me know.

[Invertigo]

Wow, what an atmospheric track. I really like everything from 1:29 onward. The pulsing saw basses and high-pitched string sections add a cinematic element to an otherwise dark sounding industrial ambient theme.

The fact that you managed to make sounds like this in GarageBand of all things also makes it extra cool.

I'm glad to see you're back producing and uploading music!

BlighterProductions responds:

Thanks dude. There’s gonna be an entire album full of this. Stay tuned!

[Birth Under Shroomlight]

Okay, so, first thing I noticed: it's much more detailed than your previous work. It is a little bit repetitive, but I kinda feel like that works in the track's favor.

It's a very ''comfortable'' song to listen to in my opinion, though there are definitely little surprises sprinkled left and right, like for example, the 'radio'-filter, as I'm gonna refer to it, and the subtle bit crushed voices that sound more like an instrument of their own rather than any vocals.

The bass is really heavy on the ears, but not in a grating sense. It kinda feels like dipping your head in a warm liquid filling your ears (yes, I read the terminology you used on that comment about Harmor's sounds), and the percussion is steady, but sometimes also pretty arhythmic.

The detail in this song, but especially the comfort-factor of the whole package, makes this probably your best song this year so far. IDK how others feel about it, but whenever you drop a track like this, I am always hyped. Also helps the fact that I listen to a lot of lo-fi hiphop stuff like this while studying.

Well deserved 8/10 from me!

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey dude. Thank you for your reply and your kind words. It's not often I do a track like this. I wouldn't have tought that people would think I pulled it off well. Glad to see it though. 3:

[spinning wheels]

Nice, laid back, and funky. I gotta admit that, despite the lack of variation within the piece, it's pretty satisfying to listen to. I feel this works perfectly for background music.

7.2/10

[Oppressive Sky Suite (Movement 1)]

This is a really cool song. I've listened to Confusing Layout first, but I instantly liked this one more.

It starts off with this almost classical sounding string section, before going into a more tranquile part with these really calming and playful plucks at 1:10. I really love this part. They sound really good, and they actually add a lot to the experience I am having while listening to this song.

The best part is at 2:26, when the music swells, and the whole mix becomes euphoric in a sense, and it almost begins to sound like a some sort of adventure movie for me. I actually blasted this through my headphones once the climax came on.

This is a good piece of soundtrack work. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would have.

Good job, 9/10.

[Confusing Layout]

This is a nice effort for a soundtrack, though I have my gripes with it.

It's pretty short, leaving almost no room for any form of progression. Now, soundtracks usually do not lend a friendly hand to structural progression, so this song is not an exception in that.

I do really like the atmosphere that you created using the pulsing pads that go up and down in cutoff frequency, but that's actually really all there is to it.

The piano sounds a bit dissonant and out of place here, and I feel like the percussion is a bit soft, muffled, and low in volume, so it doesn't have that impact that cinematic percussions are supposed to have.

It's not a bad track by any stretch, it's fine for what it is. I think it works in soundtrack context, but it's not really the type of music I get excited on.

Overall, a 6.9/10.

[Storms of Catacumbo]

Woah. This one just hits me in the guts. It's just so enchanting, imaginitive, and euphoric. The melody is really good, the sound design is great, and the overall vibe is pretty careless and peaceful to me. I really like this song.

This is the kind of song that doesn't really need much progression. It's atmosphere and minimalism is it's selling point. Despite it feeling so intimate and minimal, it also feels grand in scale, and it really brings me to a massive landscape. I really like to imagine a Scandinavian or Canadian forest, surrounded by the mountains, with a river running through it, while you're alone in the rain.

In short, an emotional gut punch, not overblown at all, and a great track to calm down and fall asleep to. Good job, Blighter!

9.5/10

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey dude, thanks for the kind words and positive feedback. To me, the greatest compliment to ever exist is when your music is being called imaginative and evocative, so I am particularly happy with this comment. Thank you.

[Dream State]

Very NICE intro to your album. It feels really... dreamy. The voices really evoke an extra bit of imagination. The midtones can be a bit piercing, especially with headphones, but it's no big deal, because, as far as album intro's go, this one worked just great. It evokes a sense of curiosity into what the rest of the album will sound like.

8.3/10

[Commercial Song No. 7]

Danceable, fast paced, and quite a lot of variation, which is not the first thing that I imagine with a commercial song. The mastering sounds pretty clean, and there is no longer the same amount of limiting that you used to have in your other productions. I feel like the subtle panning of instruments really helped here.

I really liked the use of guitar riffs and 80's synth pads. The instruments are well chosen, and I really get the feel of an 80's or early 90's commercial once the main hook has fully developed, though I couldn't really hear a sub-bass anywhere. You'll have to help me a little bit here.

Overall, nice job. I feel like you get more and more skilled with each song you put out there.

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey there, sorry for my late response. I haven't visited Newgrounds in a small while. Thanks for your kind words. I personally have my issues with the middle part after the first hook (0:56-1:34), and I also feel like it doesn't transition well into the next part.

The sub-bass is very subtly added. You'd have to turn up the volume pretty high if you want to be able to hear it. If your minimum frequency response is not below 30 Hz or so, you won't even be able to hear it at all.

Glad that you enjoyed it. I used to like this song when I just finished it, but it has dimmed on me a bit, to be honest. It's also quite different from my usual work, which is more electronic.

Anyways, thanks for the reply.