TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Two Thousand And Twenty Dreams]

I like the emotional strings and bright piano. Reminds me of "Clocks" by Coldplay with the vaguely melancholic descending chord progression. Later on, it gets more upbeat, and I like the injection of energy at :50 or so. The cutesy melodies there are nice, although I thought the risers and some of the synths and drum samples were a bit cheesy. The piece has a nice flow to it, although the middle section might've been a tad too dragged-out for my tastes. The mixing is pretty good, although it had a bit of a contained sound at times (maybe a little too much filtering?). I would've liked to hear some more variation on the main melody during the final refrain, but the piano "echo" during the outro was a nice touch. Solid work overall! Looking forward to hearing what you produce for contest season. ^_^

DJ-DG responds:

Thanks so much man! Honestly yeah, it does feel cheesy when you mention it... but I just wanted to make something that sounds super happy haha
Hopefully I get far enough this season to really put some more work out there :D
-DJ-DG

[Heavy Weather]

I like the indistinct atmosphere at the beginning. The texture is pretty distorted, and part of me wishes the melodies were more foregrounded in the texture during the first 45 seconds or so. The transition into the descending string line at :41 was a little sudden, but I liked rhythmic section thereafter and the melodies at 1:15. The quirky sound design at around 1:40 and the slightly barer texture serve as welcome elements of structural relief, and I really like the cute, squeaky sound effect at 2:13. Nice work overall! Definitely feels like it's ready to be the soundtrack of an animated action movie or something. :) Keep up the great work, CG!

[Everlasting]

Oh man! How did I miss this? I like the rich pads at the beginning, even if the texture seems a bit dry at first. The mix sounds like it's getting a bit overwhelmed by around the 1-minute, but the blissful melodic synth riffs help keep things moving. The harmonic content is pretty repetitive, but I liked the emotional piano riff during the breakdown at 2:25. The build-up into 3:24 isn't really something I'm used to hearing from you, but you certainly followed through nicely with the elated mood of 3:25 and the melodies into the 4-minute range. Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of a lot of your drum samples in the piece. A lot of them sound thin, static-y, and generic. I also thought the piece itself dragged on for a bit too long. There wasn't much in the way of novel content after 5 minutes in or so that couldn't have been incorporated into the piece earlier. The variations at around 7:00 are nice, but somehow that section feels more like a bridge than a "tie-together, final refrain" sort of moment. Anyway, I'm getting too nitpicky on the structuring. This piece is quintessentially very Lockyn-ish, with the bright melodies, crisp melodies, and energetic breaks interspersed with downtempo piano sections. Glad to have you back, buddy! Looking forward to hearing more in the near future. ^___^

[Unda Animus]

Happy new decade, Detious! I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the pulsing pads. The reverb on the claps is a little heavy at times, and the texture could use a little more variety after a while. That said, I really like how moody and relaxed it is, and the filler riffs/details help keep things passably interesting (like the drums at 2:45). Solid work. Looking forward to hearing more from you in 2020! ^^

[Fantastic Journey]

I like the bright tone of the strings and the gradual swell into :27. Pretty awesome use of sound design throughout. I believe I detect a bit of Rossini at :30 - and other places too. :) The piece wavers between many different emotions over time, and I wish the progression was a tad more fluid at times. That said, I like how you "carry over" some elements between passages (like the drums at around 2:00) to keep the structure coherent. Really seems like William Tell inspired a lot of this piece, which also helps give it some thematic grounding that I often don't hear in your works. I really like the full-textured mellow section at around 3:45, which makes the lively section at around the 5-minute mark all the more climactic. The horn melody at 6:20 was a strong conclusion to the piece as well. Overall, fantastic work as usual, Vocif! I think these lengthy orchestral pieces constitute my favorite sub-category of your work. ^_^

[raccoon joins band practice for the first time]

Ayyyy! How did I miss this? Excellent start to a new decade of Johnfn Newgrounds uploads. Has a whimsical and cutesy vibe from the start, even if it's a bit dry. The cats are killing it at :55, but the sudden drum break threw me off a bit at 1:07. The dissonant chord at 2:03 made me laugh, and the melodic variations later on in the piece really had me sold. The little piano solo riff at 2:20 was a great touch, too. The full-circle-style outro with the mallets felt like the ending credits on a kids show episode. I'm going to call up @LazyMuffin and pitch it to him right now. :3

Keep up the good work, Johnny Boy!

johnfn responds:

THANKS TL! the drum break is supposed to be the bear on timpani arriving late and over excitedly to the party lol

[Kevil the Japanese Devil - End Credits]

Nice! I really like the sound design and comical flavor of the piece. The trumpet solo in the middle was the icing on the cake. Percussion sounds really crisp, and the quizzical-sounding guitar strum at the end is a whimsical touch. It also fits in really well with the animation style and timing of the episode. Strong work! I really hope they paid you for this, because you killed it, SFW. ^_^

[Apocalyptic themes]

Really interesting rhythmic pulse at the beginning - a little hard-to-follow, perhaps. That said, the sound design and composition here is fantastic overall. I especially like the "hoo hoo hah" chanting at around 1:05. The percussion could've been a tad sharper to add some punch in the mix, but otherwise I have no production-related complaints either. I also like how the final theme has a slightly longer fade-out at the end. Overall solid work yet again! Keep it up, Vocif. ^^

[NewGrounds : Demo]

I like the progression and dramatic percussion. Sound quality is a bit muddy - try to use less reverb on those low-end drums. That said, the composition is great. Really lively and climactic. Excellent use of sound design, especially with the subtle electronic elements at :36. Sounds like the end of a chase scene. Strong work!

Junebuggo responds:

Thanks for your criticism! Some of the muddy quality is due to Newground's bad MP3 compression. Also funny thing... those "electronic elements" at 0:36 are actually trumpets on a flutter and fast half step trill XD

[Stay With Me]

Nice use of mixing effects! Some of the drum samples weren't my cup of tea (kick is very treble-heavy, and the clap sounds pretty generic). Compression also might be a little heavy for my tastes. That said, you did a really great job with the vocals - they sound really airy and dynamic. The piece could use a bit more structuring at times, but as it is there's a nice sense of flow and atmosphere. Solid work! Keep it up, man. ^^