etherealwinds's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Crystallis Ultima]

I mean... Where do I even start? What do I even say...? You should be composing for AAA video games and films. I feel like you're the perfect example as a competitor in this year's NGUAC of the highest bar of quality of music we've gotten the privilege to hear. I'm not too shy to say that you're my personal winner this year, no matter what happens. You really are quite something else! Good luck, Holland :)

HollandAlbright responds:

Aw!! That is so kind and means so much- thank you, Jordi! Someday, I hope to get there...

I also heard your entry! It definitely has some RPG/Final Fantasy vibes- I could see it in a game. Good luck to you, as well. ♫✩

[Conductor - NGADM Round 2 & NGUAC Finals!]

Your musical taste/instinct is really quite refreshing. I can safely say I've never heard anything like this, in the most positive way. I really appreciate your courage to make the choices you made here, because the end result is pure ear candy. This is honestly epic and quite inspiring. Your sound design is amazing. Good luck in the finals; I think this will do very well!

GameBoyFireworks responds:

Thank you so much! I really really appreciate those kind words. I've been telling myself that it's best to win or lose "my way", so I'm hoping some of the judges are able to vibe with my style, but I totally understand how polarizing it may be. Again, thank you so much for the review! Reviews like this really keep you going 💞

[Powerful Melodies (NGUAC - Final Round)]

Definitely a hard-hitting track, and I enjoy the brightness of the mix and all the little sound design details that you've paid a lot of attention to. I don't miss the days of FL studio crashing all the time, but we do it for the music! I had some trouble with my project too in Cubase, but I couldn't help adding more and more layers. I particularly enjoy the part at 1:35. Good luck in the NGUAC!!

[(NGUAC '24 Final Round) So Close, Yet So Far...]

Wow, 7:30. Super ambitious! This is giving Street Fighter meets Dynasty Warriors, I feel. While it's not totally prog rock, I really love the more prog rock elements here - 2:42 is SO good. And that transition at 4:20 to the next part is just *chefs kiss*! Amazing track. Good luck in the finals!

[Untinted]

This is one of my favourite compositions of yours, and what a good time to pull it out in time for the NGUAC finals. This gives me major Ghibli vibes, and your orchestration, as always, is very tasteful. I also feel a bit of Ryuichi Sakamoto in this. I love that little tiny detail at 0:59 that really adds some whimsy! Very emotional and heartfelt throughout. Best of luck in the competition :3

Everratic responds:

Thank you, this means a lot coming from you! I'm pleasantly surprised by the reception so far. I think I tend to think more highly of my tracks that were more difficult to compose, and this track was one of the easiest to compose in a long time - it felt like the track was writing itself and sending signals to my brain xD

I'll check out Ryuichi's music. Let me know if you have recommendations!

Best of luck to you as well!

[Ultimatum (NGUAC Finalists 2024)]

Ooh, got goosebumps at 0:28. That bass you chose is really satisfying. You make some really smart and tasteful choices, and refreshingly unexpected too. You definitely have your own style going on here. 1:35 hits really nicely too; you lead into it wonderfully. The outro feels satisfying noir. My only wish is that the tail of the end of the song didn't suddenly cut off at 03:43, and that you'd just let it ring out until it faded out naturally until the very end. Still, this is one of my favourite submissions to this round of the NGUAC. Good luck, Detective. I can see this scoring quite highly, and you've earned a new follower :)

[Eye of Evolution]

I'm a sucker for anything that feels 80s, like Speedo said. I think it's definitely your choice of instrumentation and I really like the synth that comes in at 1:30 and the way you mixed the percussion a bit later on. That riff at 02:40 is such a jam. Best of luck to you in the NGUAC!

[Finale]

I can relate to you with regards to the speedrun... I was having so many issues with rendering out my track and only just managed to get it in a minute or so before the deadline! Either way though, this doesn't feel at all rushed to me. I really enjoy the cello part particularly in the interlude and the sliding atmosphere; same with the outro. It feels really cinematic and brings some drama to the piece. Good luck in the competition :)

[AndrewCR × Upcoda - Glee]

The mixing on this is super impressive, and all the little bleepy bloopy elements. I don't listen to too much glitch hop, but perhaps after this I'll be more inclined to. This is just a really great feel-good song in general. Best of luck to you both in the finals of the NGUAC!

AndrewCr responds:

Thanks! If you've heard some of the other entries, you know that we'll need the luck haha

[Way Back Home]

This sounds really sweet! The intro reminds me very much of the chorus of Laura Shigihara's "Everything's Alright" from To the Moon (specifically 0:50-1:27 of her song). The lyrics are really tastefully written and the song feels really nostalgic in general. You have a lovely singing voice too. I wish you the very best of luck with the finals of the NGUAC!! :)

AveragePhoe responds:

Thanks so much. That's exactly what the intro is! Congrats on being the first person to make that connection. Best of luck to you as well!!