TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Wakka Wakka]

I really like the smooth, languid feel of the texture and the oom-pah bass line. The little breakdown section at 1:02 is a nice touch, and the goofy character of the piece really puts an image in my mind. Sounds like the soundtrack for a fast-paced circus-themed flash game. It's a little repetitive, and the arrangement could be more creative, but I'm sure that's an intentional mark of loyalty to the genre. Keep it up, SFW! ^^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! Arrangement-wise I actually just started running out of ideas. I kind of jammed the kitchen sink in there and then ran out of steam. What sorts of things would you think of?

[Repair Me]

I like the dreamy synths at the beginning - kinda reminds me of "Nobody" until the heavy drums and wobbly bass come in. The riff at :40 is really groovy, and the rhythmic elements of this piece are great. The breakdown at 1:01 has some really nice harmonies and a smooth texture, and I like how it's immediately contrasted with the harder-hitting elements at 1:20. The percussion at the very end of phrases during the last 8 measures or so (2:07 onward) is especially nice. Definitely good for a video game in its own right. Keep it up, ConnorGrail! ^^

ConnorGrail responds:

The comparison with nobody is fair, I han't even noticed that! Glad you enjoyed the groove, since this was a fairly quick track I just tried to focus on fitting a good amount of jam into a small package :)

[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.