TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[House Party]

I love the rhythmic elements of the percussion and the crowd noises in the background. The groovy synths at :24 were a great touch, and overall it has a really improvisational and jazzy vibe. The little chromatic riff at :54 was great, and I can tell that the loop is really smooth even if Newgrounds doesn't like loops very much any more. Please make this longer. Thanks!

[WIZ (OST)]

I love the soundtracks you've been doing recently. This is engaging and moody right off the bat. There's always a lot of character behind your music, and you've totally set the scene between the synth arpeggios, crisp brass, and militaristic percussion. The brass samples aren't of the best quality, but that's really the only thing that bothers me about this piece. Between the well-balanced sound design and intermittent bursts of energy, the piece is just clearly perfect for a video game. Well done, CG! ^^

[Slivered]

I like the dreamy quality at the beginning and the bright tone of the synths. It's a little slow to develop at first, but the percussion at 1:12 is awesome. Really smooth transition into it, too - oftentimes it's hard to add a beat in the middle of an ambient piece like this. I like the sense of build over the entire course of the piece. It might need some more variety in the harmonies, but the lead at 2:20 helps add some more depth to the progression. Simple yet effective arrangement, and solid mastering work as always! The piano outro was a nice touch too. Keep it up, VocalOutburst. ^^

[-Precarious-]

Sounds pretty ominous at the beginning. I like the set-up here with the atmosphere and percussive hits. The vocal samples are used really well here; they really put a picture in my mind. The rhythm at around :50 is a little hard-to-follow, and I think the transition at 1:43 could've been a little smoother. It was nice to hear a more extensive "verse" in your music like at 2:00-ish, and the tempo automations at 2:44 are really cool. The smoother vocals at 3:20 are a really nice touch, right when I was looking for a break in the action to round out the edges of an otherwise pretty choppy piece. I like how it returns to the grittier texture at 4:20-ish, and how the ominous undertone of the piece is maintained throughout. Some of the rhythmic elements still don't quite work for me, but I'll take your advice and give it some time to grow on me. Keep at it, WF! ^^

[-Body Jammer-]

I see I have some catching up to do. I like the rhythmic elements at the beginning and the funky filtering work in the background. Almost sounds like the first 45 seconds of the piece or so is just one big build-up. The mix is a little quieter than usual, but if I remember your new year's resolution correctly then that's well worth the added productivity. :) The vocal samples really help solidify the party vibe here, as well as the gritty bass at around 1:30 and saxophone at 1:53. The harmonic content of the piece is a little repetitive, but I really appreciate when you brought back the staccato-y riser at 3:00-ish. The guitar filler at 3:38 is a nice touch too. The piece comes together really well by the end. I think the relatively abrupt ending also works well for the piece; seems fitting that a party like this would end suddenly when the cops show up. ;) Keep up the good work, WF!

[Strike]

I like the ominous synths at the beginning and the crisp beats shortly thereafter. The piece is a little slow to progress in the first minute, but I like the vocal samples during the build-up and the minimalist drop. The atmospheric bridge was nice, and the industrial-sounding snare sample at 1:30 is a nice addition to the texture. I wish there were some stronger melodies in this piece, and it does seem a bit generic at times between the drops and structuring, but overall it'll be an excellent addition to my workout playlist! ^^ Keep up the good work, FarOut.

[Planeteer Reaction]

I love the electric piano and catchy percussion. It has a really dreamy and jazzy quality. Some of the rhythmic synths don't always work for me, notably the conspicuous perc that plays for almost the entire piece (and re-enters at 2:23). Once the more atmospheric sections came in, that instrument sounded a tad out-of-place. I really like the strings at 2:35 and the sense of flow to the whole thing, though. It comes together really well between the melodies at around 3:15 and the fittingly tranquil ending. Nice work overall, Bryan! Looking forward to getting around to reviewing your other recent tracks. ^^

sleepFacingWest responds:

You leave really good and thoughtful reviews! These suggestions are very helpful. Thank you!

[Spring Chicken]

I like the sing-songy vibe and old-school instrumentation. Sounds very Hollywood indeed. The mixing is rather good, so I think your hard work paid off on that front. It does get a tad repetitive for my tastes, but I still really appreciate the intricacy of the orchestration. The cutesy ending is also super nice. I can totally see this going into the soundtrack of one of those videogames where you dress up characters and then have to do their makeup/hair/nails with great precision. :) Keep up the good work, SFW! ^^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! I agree with you, but the repetitive structure is unfortunately hard baked into the project demands. A lot of the tracks I'm doing these days are for a stock music library which is an interesting challenge and I've learned a lot. In order to be usable, the track needs to instantly elicit a familiar genre and emotion, and needs to pretty much stay there the whole time. While shifts in tone, theme, instrumentation, etc would make a better piece of standalone music, it would force an emotional change that likely won't coincide with whatever is happening on screen. Likewise, custom sound design also makes for a more unique/individualized product, but becomes too niche for general score use. It's weird...the unique artistic stuff that is fun to listen to gets more attention, but the flat and sometimes schlocky stuff gets more use. My current employer prefers schlocky. As a composer who can find both worlds interesting, challenging, and fulfilling for different reasons, it's difficult to figure out which way to lean. In the end, I really just want more work.

[Secrets of the Universe (Sky Prancer, Track 2)]

I like the foreboding mood and crisp percussion at the beginning. The intricate rhythm at :30 is great, and the way the drone suddenly cuts out at :45 somehow makes the texture even more haunting. The distorted strings at 1:20 are nice, even if their entrance is a tad abrupt. This piece has a really nice slow climax, and the electronic elements at 2:20 provide a good counterweight to the legato, drone-like qualities of the pads. I also really like the forlorn quality of the duduk at 3:20, which in turn flows nicely into the strings at 3:50. The piece really starts taking on a frantic, cinematic vibe at this point, almost reminiscent of a chase scene in a desert landscape. The tempo automation at the end was a bit underwhelming as a conclusion to the piece imo, but you definitely told a story with this one nonetheless. I'm usually a bit fastidious with pieces that evolve constantly like this, but the sense of flow and narrative form is excellent here. Keep up the good work, Syamori! Congrats again on your album. ^_^

[Zo]

I like the tempo automations right off the bat and the fun, jazzy feel. Excellent sense of atmosphere too. The drum patterns and sound design are awesome, and the jittery lead at :45 sounds ghostly in a way. I like the burst of intensity at 1:25 and the crisp beats that follow. The emotional height there is glorious, and the transition into the tranquil, pensive conclusion was beautiful as well. You really told a story with this one, 1f1. If I had to complain about something in the entire piece, it might be that the echo effect at 3:16 felt a tad out-of-place. Otherwise, this track is as excellent as it is diverse. Keep up the good work! ^_^

Onefin responds:

yo TL!

this is funny actually bc i had a feeling you'd be on the fence about this one because it has the verse-chorus-verse structure that you disliked in some of my earlier pieces

i appear to have been wrong about that though