TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Fragments]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning and the sound design. Nice job with the filtering in the pads too. Mix is really loud, clear, and bright. Definitely has a summery feel. The bass at :47 is really soothing, and the beat keeps things moving along nicely. It might be missing some melodic content for most of the first half, but the variety in the texture is good at keeping me engaged regardless. I like the cello at 1:45 (and other places). I think an extended melodic section could've really hit this piece home, but it never really comes. That's my one big critique with this piece. I also would've liked to see you vary the cello riff a little more. That said, I like the airy spaciousness of the breakdown at the 3-minute mark. The ending was a tad abrupt, but overall the mood and atmosphere are what really sells this piece. Sounds like classy hotel lounge music. Keep it up, EndK! Enjoy your vacation. :)

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, I'm used to having 300 different melodies in my pieces.
I'm currently in the mood of trying to let's say 'control' myself with tons of instruments / things happening so that I can focus on individual instruments + have time to make them sound how I want rather than overloading the playlist with patterns.
Also I wanted this piece to be kinda minimalistic, but nevertheless I agree with you on the 'melodic section that never comes'.
Note taken and thanks for the review TL! :)

[Nihilistic Optimism]

I like the relaxed pads and water FX at the beginning. I like the languid feel of the vocals and the quirky pitch-bent synths at around :50. At times, the lyrics feel really heavy, but they also have a rather comedic delivery. The beat is rather refreshing too. I like the generous serving of hi-hats and prominent hi-mids in the clap. The little laugh at the end really heightens the ambiguity of the overall mood of the piece. Strong work, Jacob! Again, let me know if you need someone to talk to. Seems like there's a lot on your mind sometimes.

[I LIKE YOUR HAT]

Oh. My. Goodness. I'm so glad I found this! Not sure I've heard the full version before, especially the part at :47. The fun, cutesy oom-pah polka vibe is just perfect, and fits C&H's dark - yet cheeky - humor surprisingly well. You, sir, are a legend!

[Curing Apathy]

I like the pensive guitar track and how the tempo gradually changes throughout the piece. The mickey mouse voice just doesn't fit the character of the piece at all, though. It's also rather undecorated - little reverb, chorus effects, delay, distortion, etc. The lyrics themselves are really good, but the cartoonish vocals just don't fit the forlorn feeling they give off. The result is that the piece is pretty jarring to listen to overall. Sorry. Good start with the organic guitar part and, in their un-pitch-shifted form, the vocals as well. The little structural break in the piece at around 4:25 was a nice detail - it helped refocus the song a bit towards the end. Keep at it, man.

[Skitty]

Cool beat. I like the flashy synths and strong downbeats. The breaks at :38 are nice, and despite the kinda generic elements of the drums (open hat off-beats, etc.), this piece is totally catchy and engaging throughout, despite being really short. You earned yourself a scout, my friend! Good luck with your future projects. ^^

[Juizzy Fruits - Opening Theme (Fahad Lami Cover)]

The tempo seems to be a bit fast. Hard to follow the harmonies at times, and the rhythm is quite square in the lead. Still, I like the sound design and mastering. Production is totally clean, and I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. I liked the little breakdown section at 1:25 and the somewhat atonal piano notes layered on top shortly thereafter. Overall, it's a well-structured piece and, while it was missing a major climax at the end, I'm impressed with your mixing skills and instrumentation. You earned yourself a scout. Keep up the good work, man!

FahadLami-NG responds:

Thank you. :D

[Derpcat - Paranormal]

I like the relaxed guitar at the beginning and the clock ticking FX. The eagle at :40 also helped add some flavor to the piece. The drop had a lot of emotion behind it. I wasn't a huge fan of the lead synth, but the piece takes a really interesting harmonic direction at 1:36 that I really liked. Nice job with the breakdown at 2:05. The heavy contrast in energy and dynamics really helped sell the emotional qualities of the piece. I especially like the echo-y piano at 2:55. The second drop was similar to the first, but helped tie the piece together nicely. Production quality is really strong here, too. Overall great work! Grats on the top audio of the year spot. :)

[Creo - Aura]

Haunting. I love the slow climax of the intro and the rich pads combined with the victorious melodic flair. The pitch-bending at around 1:30 was a nice touch, and overall the song is charged with emotion and character. The strings during the breakdown at 1:45 were great, and I love the groovy breaks at 2:08. There's a lot of musical diversity in this track, yet the sound design and energy helps keep it cohesive. My one complaint is that I think you could've done more with the drums in this track, as for most of the piece they were quite generic. That said, the mastering is really strong, and I love the combination of the hard-hitting bassy mix with the uplifting character of the piece. The "heartbeat" pulsing effect during the outro was really effective at leaving the listener with a sense that the battle the piece portrays is both at a point of resolve and yet somehow not entirely over. Great work, Creo! ^_^

[The Human Salvation Project]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the melodies. A lot of the drum samples seem pretty generic, and the piano could've sounded more authentic, but I like the constant arpeggios throughout. Nice job with the structuring and flow, although the piece sounded like it was just getting to its climax before it ended. I'd love to see you do more with this. Lmk if you need some more pointers with FL Studio. Keep at it, man! ^^

Godlimations responds:

Thank you! I’m not quite sure yet how to break it out with the drum beat but hopefully it improves in future. I can definitely do with some Pointers!