TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Neon Graveyard]

Ah...I recall seeing this on CHIPS. Still one of my favorite tracks of that round. Has an apprehensive mood that's really sold by the frantic synths and drum samples. The melodic part at 1:48 was a nice touch, too. The synth arps and punchy lead at :12 were probably my favorite elements of the moving notes, but the main melody really enhances the texture too. Really well done, my friend.

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for the review Tainted. :]
I had a good feeling 'bout this one, but there were too many amazing songs that round, I guess.

[endK - BattleChipZ]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the dreamy pads. The melodic content is great, and the sound design is a lot of fun overall. The drums give the piece a lot of drive and energy. While this is a really fast-paced piece, there's a lot of structural variety and changes in the mood and texture, which I appreciated. This is a piece with a lot of character. The transition into 2:54 was really fun, too. Congrats on your success in the Cacophony! It's well-deserved. ;)

endKmusic responds:

I guess this one had the best result, cause I didn't want to overcomplicate with everything (which is one of my main problems, I guess).
Glad you like the melodies and sounds overall. :)
... and once more, thanks for the reviews this afternoon, u made my day. <3

[The Scent of Dew]

I like the emotion and slow pace at the beginning. You've implemented a lot of different characters into this one. There's a distinct sense of longing around 1:10, yet also some uplifting melodies around 1:35. The expressive part at 3:08 was great. I love how you then immediately launch into a dramatic tremolo at a low register, too. :) I think this piece also does a great job of introducing, developing, and then resolving its motivic ideas more so than many of your other pieces. Nice job coming full-circle with the contemplative emotional bit at the end, too. Probably my favorite piano compo from you in a long while, actually. Keep up the great work, Ale! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you liked this one! It's a very inspired piece. I still feel it could be a bit better on the production end, but I have no qualms about how the composition turned out. I agree that there are a lot of different emotions and expression in this piece, and it's nice to hear you enjoyed that :D

Even though I use the whole piano, I think the lower register is the one I use the least creatively. I think you just gave me an idea based on making a piece for the lower register xD
Thank you!!! :D

[-Pain Engine-]

I like the dark mood and distorted drums at :10. All the dissonant chords at :43 set the scene really well. After a while, I think you overuse the chords a bit so that it loses its "shock value." I can't help but feel that you didn't do a lot with the treble range in this track, and it seems to be lacking some melodic content. Also, the ending was pretty sudden. While I like the energy and sense of direction in the piece as it is, I think it would be worth it to slow down the pacing sometime and give it a bit more overarching shape and structuring. Still, nice job with the mood and instruments. I can totally picture this in a video game, probably haunted house-themed. :)

Waterflame responds:

Thanks! I kinda felt that way myself, that more could be done near the high-end. maybe I'll revisit it at some point :)

[-Race Around the Desert-]

I like the groovy guitars at the beginning and the thematic elements. Sound design reminds me a bit of "The Wanderer". Melodic elements are nice. I really like the subtle vocals in the background at around 1:20. Good job making the piece come full-circle by the end too. The ritardando into that last note at 3:57 was a great touch. Really fun and upbeat track overall. :)

Waterflame responds:

Thanks :D

[dontstophousemusic]

The minimalist beat at the beginning is pretty catchy and works well as a club filler sort of thing, but I think it drags on a bit too long in the context of the rest of the piece. I like the vocals at around the 1-minute mark, and the prominent bass that comes in at around 1:15. Overall the sound design is refreshing, although I think the bass may have detracted from the mastering quality a bit. Mixing-wise, the piece is pretty clear but also pretty quiet. You might want to try compressing everything a bit harder. Rhythmic elements in this piece are really good, but the melodic elements might need to be fleshed out a bit more. Overall, solid work. Sorry again for the almost 2-month delay in my response. :)

[Bossa 07]

Right away, I'm enjoying the dense rhythmic texture and rather good saxophone samples. Melodic content is solid. The organ at 1:42 was a nice touch, too. I guess one criticism I have is that it has a very uniform level of energy and emotion throughout, which makes me think it's more background music than a stand-alone piece. Still, I'm loving the thematic elements, mood and instruments. I'm also glad the saxophones returned by the end. Keep it up, man! ;)

AzulJazz responds:

Thank you very much!

[Adventurous]

Chopped vocals work really well right away. Melodic content is solid as usual. An element of this piece that really stood out to me was the section at 1:08. It almost sounds like a drop, but it has a rather busy melody playing over the top of it, which I thought was a really good idea. Atmospheric outro was also a highlight. That treble-range synth that fades in at around 2:37 is a great touch. Another strong effort. Keep it up, man!

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the constructive feedback! :)

[Nice Vibes]

Smooth intro and nice job with the instrumentation. I really like the string pizzicatos at around :15. Mix is really loud and clear, although at times it felt like it could've used more bass. Breakdown at 1:38 is a welcome dose of structural variety. Overall, the track is really smooth-flowing and has a pleasing progression. The melodic content is also enjoyable. The main melody gets a tad repetitive by the end, but the variations/post-chorus at 3:03 really help sell the thematic elements of the piece. Overall great work!

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the feedback, TaintedLogic! :)

[A Peculiar Advent]

I like the cute, waltzy vibe and the how the piece evolves as it goes on. You kept the texture pretty simple, but the mood is rather engrossing and the melodic content is really strong. I suppose I wish you had done a bit more with the percussion. You started overusing the crashes a bit by the end, and the rhythm section just needed more variety. That said, the instrumentation and atmosphere of the piece are really well done. Production is strong as usual, although not as loud as some of your electronic pieces. Keep it up, BO! Good luck in the Cacophony. ^^

Everratic responds:

I agree with your criticism. I drastically changed the song after already having worked on it for 20 hours, and my ears were so fatigued at that point, so I stopped working on production prematurely. Thanks for the review! Btw, I got knocked out of cacaophony because I didn't reach 100 points.