TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dreameater - Amalgamation]

Fun beat at the beginning. There isn't a strong sense of progression for the first minute or so, though. The pacing is very slow, and then the transition at the 1-minute mark still feels like it comes on pretty suddenly. I like the chill atmosphere and warm pads, though. The production is strong, too. The mix is loud and clear, even if sometimes the hi-hats were a bit too loud. The rhythmic section at 1:58 is catchy, and I like the phasing. That said, I wanted to see a bit more textural fill at some point - more harmonies, a stronger sense of direction, and more high-mid frequencies in general. The section that begins at 1:58 also drags on for quite a while, with the melodic content that enters at around the 3-minute mark constituting the only notable addition after that point. Overall, I think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here (i.e., the piece doesn't need to be 5 minutes long) and also flesh out the texture a bit more to aim for a fuller, richer sound. Besides that, nice work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep at it, DreamEater, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

DreamEater responds:

Thank you very much for the extremely detailed review TaintedLogic, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to give such great feedback. I have to agree with most of what you have said here, to be completely honest I went into this project with a lot of steam behind me and just kinda lost it along the way. While I do believe this song could have been polished down to be more cohesive as a whole; I shouldn't have taken on another trance anthem xD (i'm pretty burnt on the genre after so many years). The mind was willing but the heart was not all in hahah.

Thanks again!

[Jewel Box]

Cute melodies at the beginning. The composition is really enjoyable, but occasionally the instrument sounds a bit harsh in its upper register. The descending progression at around 1:10 also came across as a bit cliché. It seems like you were going for an A-B-A form here, but the last A section doesn't quite get back to the level of energy and emotion that was present in the texture at around :35. Overall, it's a cute piece, but I can't help but feel like there's a lot of untapped potential here. Even a little more variation in the volume levels or something would've helped this piece sound a little more engaging towards the end. Still, nice work with the melodic content, progression, and harmonies. Keep at it, SourJovis!

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for the review you did one year ago. I learned a lot from it and used that to improve on that song, as well as completing (one of) the song(s) I originally intended to submit for the NGADM18.

In the author comments under edits you can see what I changed in this music box version. Like you suggested I got rid of the higher registers by using different, less piercing samples. I've filtered out some of the higher frequencies with an equalizer, note per note, so the higher notes are filtered a little bit more drastically filtered. I've added/increased a few nice impulse response reverbs to make it sound like it was recorded further away so the sound is softened a bit. I didn't do any volume changes unlike you suggested because you can't do that on an actual music box, but I did play around a little more with the tempo changes. Also I made it stereo.

Coming back to the "untapped potential" as you mentioned, you may want to check out the multi instrumental version I told you earlier, that I originally wanted to submit, but took me a year to finish. This actually does have volume changes, and I think it fixes a few issues you had with this song through the choice of instruments.

https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/872860

[a strong sense of wanderlust felt in a peculiarly glitchy sort of world (NGADM Cut)]

The whirring sound effects at the beginning are pretty cool. Nice job with the smooth, jazzy vibe at :14, too. The progression is a little slow, but the sound design helps pass the time. Nice sense of climax into 1:06, but it doesn't really lead much of anywhere. Nice job with the atmosphere again at 1:07, and the melodic content at 1:35 is really fun, but I kept waiting for the texture to thicken and it never happened. There were just a lot of thin, pizzicato-y synths in the texture and not much reverb/fill. The glitchy content at 2:07 is enjoyable, and the mastering quality of the piece is really sharp. I just wish there was a bit more harmonic depth at times. The composition comes together pretty well in the end, too, with the blissful melodic content and pads. The ending came on a little suddenly, but it felt fitting with the way you tied the glitchiness back in there. Overall fun piece! Keep at it, Stardew, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

[Root Beer Float]

Ahh, you love opening pieces with FX, Miyo. Very beginning almost sounded like an egg cracking. It probably wasn't but now I can't hear it any other way, so oh well. XD Thematic content is strong as always. Transition into :07 was solid, and the cutesy sound design and blissful energy seems to fit the essence of a root beer float quite well. I especially like the crisp, bell-like synths at :52. There's a lot of variety in the texture, and the melodic content here is really strong. The part at 2:01 has a fun, jazzy feel. You've really transported the listener back to a '50s diner. Production quality is top-notch, by the way. Loud, clear, well-balanced frequencies the whole way through. I also appreciate some of the structural repetition here. This piece has a lot of variety, but you still brought it back down to earth structurally (I know I'm a huge stickler for this and you're probably cringing right now...). The outro was just as cute and melodic as it needed to be to top off the piece. You nailed it, my friend. This piece is really, really good. Keep up the great work, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

Miyolophone responds:

Thanks so much, TL! I literally cannot believe you got "'50s diner" out of this track, because that's exactly what my original idea was and then I didn't really do anything to put that in. Somehow the vibes are still drifting around like little '50s ghosts I guess

[As The Crows Fly By]

I like the dreamy intro. What instrument is that? Sounds like some old-fashioned Rhodes or something. The transition at :37 was a little sudden, but I appreciated the injection of atmosphere and fill. The vocals at 1:15 don't really fit the character of the rest of the piece imo, and got a little repetitive too. The beats at 1:54 are really cool, but I thought the crow FX could've been a little wetter. Nice breakdown at 2:33. Has a really majestic and melodic sound. The drums at 2:58 are really creative too. I like a lot of the individual riffs here, but I think my main problem with the piece is that there are so many conflicting moods thrown together. The synth solo at 3:30 was great, but it doesn't really fit in with the melancholic pads and crow FX, and you even highlighted this juxtaposition by having another section at 3:56 devoted to the pads/crows. Overall, you display a wide range of talents in various genres, rhythmic and melodic components, and sound design, but the composition doesn't quite feel cohesive enough for my tastes. Keep at it, Ectisity, and good luck in the ADM!

[Drop Red]

I like the quirky bass riff at the beginning with the portamentos. The sense of climax starting at around :15 is also really nice. Despite the fun sound design and punchy texture, I think you could've done a lot more with the drums at times. The progression here is really smooth, but the bass frequencies are heavily favored in the mix. For example, the higher-pitched synths at 1:45 or so don't quite pop like I want them too. This is certainly catchy content, but at times I thought there could've been some stronger melodic content in a higher register. It's also hard to follow all of the structural changes in this piece, despite some repetition of the bass riffs here and there. I like how climactic the ending minute or so sounded. Nice job with the descending lines at 3:54 and the foreboding choir samples. Overall, it certainly sounds like a video game track in both form and instrumentation. Fun piece. Keep up the good work, ConnorGrail!

ConnorGrail responds:

I always appreciate your detailed reviews! Thanks as usual for listening :)

[Home sweet home]

Woah, haven't heard from you in a while. I love the atmosphere at the beginning and the arpeggiated synth riff at :27. The clap at :52 sounds a bit generic, but overall the sound design here is quite good. Production quality is super high as always. I guess my main complaints is that the song is very structurally repetitive. Has a drone-like quality that detracts from the sense of ebb and flow in the composition, and I think you overused the transition with the reverse-crash. Maybe it would've helped if you had varied the melodic content more towards the end, or even changed up the chord progression more noticeably. Overall, full credit for the atmosphere, mixing and mastering, and sound design. Keep at it, AP! Hope I'll hear more from you soon. ^_^

[Shadow Ring]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning and the energy. The riser at :15 doesn't lead much of anywhere, I like what you did with the filtering into :23. The melody at :54 is really nice, but could've been predicated more carefully (as opposed to just coming in as an addition to the texture). After that, the piece doesn't have much structural variety. At some point, I would've liked to see a bit more shape and contrast with a bridge or breakdown. The entire piece maintains a very rigid harmonic framework between the arpeggios and chord progression - at some point, it would've been nice if you had stripped them away. Either way, I like the sound design and melodic content here, and your production skills have improved a lot recently. Keep at it, TeraVex!

TeraVex responds:

Thank you so much! I'll keep this in mind when I'm workin on some more tunes!

[Incan Night (NGADM)]

Totally not as bad as you make it out to be, man. The instrumentation at the beginning is really quirky and cool. It has a dark mood about it, between the vocals and the pizzicato-y string instrument. After the texture fills out, the progression slows down a bit, although I liked the breakdown at 1:28 when you highlighted the string line and the vocals started sounding airier. I think my main problem with the piece is that it's pretty structurally repetitive. There's just very little harmonic variety in here, which detracts from your ability to sell the piece in the end. That said, I like how you integrate the more melodic string elements with the quirky beats at the last refrain. The main thing it needs in my mind is a stronger sense of directionality in the middle, like a bridge or solo that reshapes the piece in a more radical way. Anyway, definitely strong work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep it up, Jimmypig!

[endK - Sphere Assault]

Catchy stuff as always, EndK. I especially like that DnB drum fill at :11 and the little rhythmic riffs that fill out the rest of the phrase between the melodic sections (prime exposed example at 2:26). I thought the transition at :55 was a bit jarring, though. Not only do you rapidly change instrumentation, but also the mood of the piece. While your melodies, sound design, and production are always killer, that's one thing I've noticed in some of your tracks: the structure seems a bit thrown-together at times, and the pacing a little fast. Overall, though, this is really strong work. I love the full texture and brass stabs that come in at the chorus. Keep up the good work, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, that's one of the things I have to work on, especially in the last two songs.
Thanks for the review as always TL! :)