TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Daxolissian System: Saboteur OST]

It's a bit more minimal and dry than a lot of your other OSTs, but the rhythmic bass groove at :45 funky melodies have me looping it multiple times nonetheless. ^^ I also commend you for the use of crisper drums this time, and the rolled hi-hats at around :30 were a nice touch too. I like how there's a mini-climax right before the end. Keep at it, CG! ^^

[MegaSphere - Crazy ft. Steelside (VIP)]

I like the moody piano riffs at the beginning and the airy vocals. There are some moments where the mix still seems a little spotty, like with the overuse of reverb at 1:07, 4:12, and a couple of other places. The robotic-sounding drop at 1:45 really takes the piece in a refreshing new direction, and I like all the vocal effects and variety in the compositional details here. The pacing is a little slow at times, and the instrumentals during the verses are pretty minimal. I thought the emotional piano riff at the end felt a little out-of-place after the groovy rhythmic drops. I also think the piece needed a bit more directionality towards the end - it's already quite long at that point, and there's essentially no new vocal content in the second half. Still, I admire your commitment to improving past tracks. This piece is a little rough around the edges imho, but the sound design and danceability are more than enough to keep me engaged. Keep at it, guys! ^_^

[Bar Brawl]

What a fun piece! The syncopation is indeed really interesting - took me a while to realize it was in 4/4. XD The energy and sound design are great here. Really gets my foot tapping. Somehow the tone of the piece is too light-hearted to be a bar brawl, though. Sounds more like a whimsical child running through the streets of 1800s Dublin to get to the market. The piece gets a tad repetitive after a while, but the short-form nature of the structure makes it relatively easy to stay engaged. Perhaps I would've liked to hear a more distinct climax towards the end, but I understand this was an exercise in expediting tracks for completion. Solid stuff, and congrats on the frontpage! ^_^

[Chapel by the Sea]

I like the echo-y mallet instrument at the beginning and the evocative melodies. The flute at :47 is a great way of progressing the piece, although once the strings come in the mix sounds a tad indistinct - maybe I just wanted the bass notes to be a bit crisper, is all. The bridge at around 1:45 really takes the piece in a more languid, romantic-sounding direction, which is a nice element of structural contrast before the final climax. I think the mix gets a bit overwhelmed towards the end, too - I think I wanted to hear less reverb overall and more punch to the drums. Still, the emotional appeal of the outro is really nice, and overall the composition and sound design work here outweigh my concerns with the mixing. Keep at it, Papkee! ^^

[Roads (In the works)]

The ambiance at the beginning is a little eerie, and the bass and beat bolster that effect further. The jazzy vibe and the occasional dissonant moments (e.x. 1:17) are nice touches that round out the character of the piece. I think there's still a lot of room for you to take a more compositionally daring approach with this, but the sound design and atmosphere have me itching for more. Welcome back, Trunotfals! I'm loving your new style, too - as I recall you composed a lot of EDM back in the day. ^_^

trunotfals responds:

So glad to see you commenting on my music again!!! And yes I still make edm, haha, I just havent made like, ANYTHING for almost three years.

[Sakura Raceway]

Hahaha I like the cheesy melodies and upbeat tone. I know you made this in an hour and stuff, but I thought the bridge at :55 was a little bland - the very least you could do to spice it up would be to add some punchier drums to really make that solo pop. Still, the cutesy details of the piece, right down to the ritardando and plunky last note at the end, made me smile. Solid work, LE!

Also, somehow this feels a little slow-paced for Mario Kart, but maybe that's just because I always put the game on "aggressive items." >:D

LunacyEcho responds:

yeah i totally agree, definitely could've done more with the drums—i was just experimenting with some new samples i got. thanks for the review!

[Uncontainable Love]

I really like the emotional appeal of this one. The piano melodies are beautiful, and you did a great job with the string swells at around :47. It was a little sudden when the instrumentation almost completely changed at :28, but it still sounded pretty smooth because the same melody was playing on either side of the transition. The orchestration here is a highlight at the end of the day, especially towards the end of the piece when it adds so much variety and flavor to the track. The outro with the piano is just the icing on the cake, too. Love the string drones and full-circle compositional approach here. Lovely work, CS! ^_^

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks a ton! :D

The idea I was going for was to present the melody plainly in the beginning and then have it blossom like a flower with the orchestration (Hence the cello melody + viola countermelody at 0:28 before everything else slowly fills up the space). The orchestration was definitely the main focus while I was working on it and I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect of it!

Thanks again for the great review!

[SWEDEN (MINECRAFT)]

Woah! Been a while since I've heard from you. I like the tranquility at the beginning. The rich strings at :47 are really nice, and there's a great warm tone to the piece once the texture starts filling out at the 1-minute mark or so. The sound design here is especially admirable. The mix could've been a tad louder, but you definitely emphasize the contrast between the beginning and the climax quite well. I like the portamentos during the drop - really nice touch that adds some dynamism to the chords there. Naturally, the full-circle approach to the composition that you took here is really effective. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, Dave! Hope to see you posting more on NG in the near future. ^^

Daveisgr81 responds:

Thanks! I'm still around - been a long time since I've been here!

I hear you about the volume, it was a problem during the mix :/

[Hold Me, Love Me]

I like the dreamy quality and cheesy synths. The progression is a little slow-paced at times, and the chord structure is a little bland. I think you overdid the reverb on the percussion, especially during the fills at 1:54. The melodies at 2:03 are nice, but the bass and drums get a little drowned out at that section. The smooth flow and atmosphere really help sell this piece, and the seductive saxophone is a highlight for sure. Some of the harmonic details might need more fleshing out, but this is a solid start. I'm far from being a "retrowave nerd," but I'm looking forward to hearing more of your experiments with '80s synths. ^_^

sleepFacingWest responds:

thanks! Yeah, when I think big 80's drums I imagine cavernous reverb but I think I overdid it. They're a bit boomy. I think I need to book up on actual 80's production methods to capture that feel.

[Summer Vista]

Nice! I'm not used to hearing jazz from you. I like the relaxing guitar melodies and percussion. There's a tad too much reverb on the drums, though - it sounds a bit unnatural. The sound design is well done overall, though, and the filtering work at :56 was a nice touch. The piece doesn't have a ton of variety in the texture, but I think the piano solo about 2/3 of the way through goes a long way towards breaking up the structure of the piece a bit. The variations on the drums towards the end were pretty unexpected, but they serve as a fitting echo of the rhythmic contour of the rest of the piece. Solid work, 8-bitheroes! ^^

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for the feedback sir! Have a great day :)