TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[DUEL REMIX]

I like the fat bass at the beginning and the cool reverb automations leading into :10. The dreamy pads at :51 were a nice touch, as are the harmonies at 1:08. The drums are nice and crisp, and overall production quality is great. The master is loud and full, and all the instruments blend together really well. The bass line gets a bit repetitive, and occupies a lot of space in the mix at times, and at some point it would’ve been nice to hear some more dynamic melodies. But otherwise this is a strong track that does a great job of balancing a dreamy flair with danceability. Keep at it, 3manonmusic! ^_^

Prod - 8.5/10
Mix - 8/10
Master - 9.5/10
Style - 8.5/10

Composite score - 8.625/10

[1e9a1 -- Submerged - Remix]

I like the gritty and glitchy beats at the beginning. The breaks at :38 and some of the higher pitched effects are good for some variety, but overall I would’ve liked to hear a bit more harmonic depth and development in this track. The piece flows smoothly, and the sound design has a great, edgy flair. The distortion on the bass is a bit heavy for my tastes, and overall the drums sound like they’re struggling to pop through for most of the piece. Compositionally, I can’t help but feel you could’ve done more with this, and overall the production could’ve been a bit more polished. But rhythmically, you’ve got me hooked. Keep at it, Aalasteir! ^_^

Prod - 7.5/10
Mix - 6.5/10
Master - 8/10
Style - 7/10

Composite score: 7.25/10

[-retro night-]

It's a little hard to follow the progression of the main riff at first, but I like the sound design and rhythmic content here. The mix sounds a little thin - could use some more reverb and other effects, as well as some more harmonic content in the upper frequency range. I like the atmospheric pads at 1:11, although they sound a tad dissonant against the frantic synth bass line. The filtering at around 2:12 is nice, and overall there are a lot of good riffs and patterns in this track. The arrangement feels a tad choppy at times, but the production quality still sounds crisp. Keep at it, CF24! ^^

Creeperforce24 responds:

So it’s the arrangement I need to work on… ok! Yeah, I’m still getting used to lmms, thing with it is that it for some reason doesn’t allow multiple different drum beat patterns in a track, so I have to make a new one everytime I wanna change the drum beat. There’s also no way to repeat a bassline or main melody line, only a drum line or automation track. And the compressors and Multiband are a lot more complex then the ones I’m used to. I’ll ask again, but now I’ve gotta practice!

[Into the Wyrm]

Groovy stuff! Love the flashy synths and crisp drums. The melodic variety is really nice, although the energy level fades a bit as the piece goes on. I like the filtering at 1:04, though, and the loop is really smooth (despite the NG player not doing it justice). Keep at it, Connor! ^^

[Psybot - Save the world]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the pensive synth riffs. There's a nice subtle build-up into :30 or so, and the vocal samples (including the subtle robotic-sounding ones) are really nice. The beats are nice and crisp, and overall the production quality is really strong. The piece could've used some more dynamic melodic content at some point, but the staccato-y riff at 1:33 certainly helps. The piece certainly has an adventuresome and triumphant vibe, so it's a fitting title. :D Catchy and fun piece, Psybot. Keep it up! ^_^

Psybot responds:

Thanks alot for the review! I totally agree with your statement that it could use some more dynamic. I just ran out of ideas and didn't really feel the vibe anymore. But I still wanted to share it because it has some fun elements in it 😁

[-poizone atmos-]

Nice! I like the groovy bass line at the beginning and the prominent retro-style snare. The acid bass at :12 isn't my favorite sound design choice, especially since it replaces the other bass instrument, which sounded richer. The rhythmic content of this piece is definitely good, and I also really like the distorted pads at 1:00. The riser at 1:37 that sounds like bubbles at the end is neat. Overall, this is a cool beat. Could be a tad more well-rounded with some higher-range frequencies, and there are some choppy transitions in a couple of places, but it's catchy and the instrumentation is good overall. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

(Thanks dude! I didn’t expect that high of a score actually lol! Thanks so much!)

[Final Orbit]

Love the lighthearted melodies towards the beginning and the orchestral sound design. The entire piece actually sounds like a victory theme to me, honestly, but with the saxophone solo at around the 1-minute mark, it could also be an 80s sitcom theme song. :D

The injection of energy at 1:18 was a nice touch, as is the cutesy bell-like instrument at 1:58. The ritardando into 2:44 was done really well, and the outro hits the piece home nicely.

Keep it up, fellas! Love the instrumentation and progression of this! ^_^

3manon responds:

Thanks TL! Haven't seen you much around NGMC, so that's a pleasant surprise!

[-Skysparce-]

I like the chill flute chords at the beginning and the faller at :04. There's a bit of dissonance in the texture at :18, but a lot of creative rhythmic ideas. I can definitely feel the influence of Waterflame and Preds with this one. I like the dark undertone of the bridge at 1:35 and the grouchy bass at 2:18. The light-hearted riffs at 2:21 help resolve some of the tension in the piece, and the bass and drums at 3:05 sound really funky and refreshing.

Overall, there are a lot of cool riffs and progressions here, but overall the structure feels a tad disjointed. Some more gradual transitions might help, but at some point consolidating your ideas a bit more might make the piece sound more cohesive. Still, I love the sound design and danceability of this one, and the mixing is solid as well. Keep it up, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

I can definitely see where you’re coming from, I actually can also see some stuff in the mixing now that I think of it.
I think it’s one of those songs not really meant to have a bunch of good production, just something you can breakdance to lol.

[Love It]

Ayyyy! Welcome back, Garlagan. Love the groovy guitar riff at the beginning. Vocals are strong as usual, and the layering is especially nice. The instrumental tracks could use a tad more variety after a while, but I like the synth guitar solo at 2:15. I also would've liked to hear the snare pushed just a bit further forward in the mix at times, but during the purely instrumental parts it's fine. Love the prominent ride cymbal during the last 15 seconds or so.

Hope to see more from you soon! ^_^

garlagan responds:

yo TL long time no see!! thank you for the feedback as always!!

[-Serpentine Emotion-]

Gratz on the frontpage! ^_^

The mix is really clean - I think those multiband compressors really help add some clarity. The cute, pizzicato-y lead adds a lot to the atmosphere, although the string lines sometimes feel like they could've been shaped a bit better. For example, at :25 they oscillate pretty rapidly between full, rich chords and bass pedals, which comes across as a bit jarring. I'm also not sure the acid bass at 1:40 blends in well with the rest of the texture, and the bass is a bit too loud in general at 2:05. The bare-bones breakdown at around 3:00 is a nice touch, though.

At some point, I would've liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content from you. Most of the lead string and synth lines come in short, fleeting phrases that don't have a strong sense of continuity with the following one. I'd challenge you to come up with an extended melodic line that ends in a very different place (in pitch, intensity, etc.) than it began. It's an advanced skill to have really memorable melodies like that, but it would seriously take a longer piece like this to the next level IMO.

That said, you've done a good job creating this ambient tapestry of sound here. Certainly one of your stronger pieces, and like I mentioned at the beginning, the mixing is especially well-polished. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^