TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Escalade-]

I love the industrial sound effects and the James Bond-style guitar at the beginning. Interesting...at first I thought this was going to be one of your bassy, rhythmic tracks. The progression is a tad slow for the first minute, but you do a great job of slowly morphing it into a more upbeat track. I'm definitely getting some older Waterflame-style vibes here, but the instrumental palette is a bit richer and the texture feels more saturated, both of which are pluses. There's a lot of melodic content to keep me engaged. Your mixing has definitely gotten better in the last couple of years, but I think that snare wasn't always as prominent as I wanted it to be. The piece also feels a tad repetitive by the end. The contour in the main riff is very similar throughout the track. I also thought the ending could've been a bit more creative. Overall, though, I really like the sound design and mood here. The bass is really important to the texture of the piece, but it's still a really strongly melodic track. Keep it up, WF!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks for the review! Thats great to hear. I actually agree with the criticism too, I was entranced by the repetitive melody. I tend to fixate on certain bouncing appreciating things and make them go on for a tad too long. This could def. have been cut down a bit and mastered with less emphasis on the bass.

[-Jumper 2-]

Wow. Love how different it sounds from the original at the beginning. Cute synths and really bright tone to everything, including the bass and pads. I definitely start to recognize it by around the 1-minute mark, and the ongoing energy and melodic themes help it maintain the feel of the original too. I especially like the quirky synth at the breakdown at 1:48. The mixing is strong with this one, too, although at times I thought you could've done something more interesting with the drums. The final melody at 3:15 has a great victorious vibe about it. The ending was a little sudden, although it's certainly a loopable track. Nice work, WF! ^_^

[Japanese Theme Remake]

This feels a little thrown-together. There's some cool sound design between the airy guitar and heavy synth bass, but I'm not sure they blended well or complemented each other harmonically. My main problem with the piece is that the rhythm and harmony lack clear structuring and progression. I think a good next step for you would be to make a piece that has a more regular beat. Maybe you could make a simple 4-measure pattern or something, and then build more harmonies around that riff. Or you could also make a drum beat that sets up a more consistent way of emphasizing the rhythm of your piece (strong downbeat with a kick drum, hi-hats on the off beats, etc.). PM me when you finish a track like that, and I'll give you some more feedback. Keep at it, Jillroller400! :)

[Cs - 'Mirage']

I like the victorious vibe at the beginning and the gradual fade-in. The tempo felt a little slow (and the texture a little dreamy) for a dance song, but maybe all it needs is a drum beat to give it some drive. I appreciated the changes in dynamics, but they seemed occasionally haphazard to me, as opposed to reflecting the harmonic direction to the piece. The synths are a bit cheesy, but they fit the cutesy mood well. Solid piece overall. I can tell you're improving. This one is particular has a smooth flow a well-balanced mix to it. Keep it up, Csucskos! ^_^

Csucskos responds:

Thank you. I was in big dilemma when I had to choose the genre. I thought, the dance was the closest to the mood of the song.
The drum is a good idea, maybe only the bass kicking is not enough for keeping the tempo "feel".
I know the second melody just jumps out of nowhere, but I feel like this song needs that really bad. I may have a solution though: I'll repeat the main melody a few more times, giving the listener the opportunity to familiarize with that and only than will change to the second melody.
Thank you for your feedback again, I'll definitely improve on them in the next iteration of this song.

[DJ-Draconum - The Armory(472 Remix)]

Nice filtering work at the beginning. Synths are a bit generic, and the reverb is a tad excessive. Catchy beats, and I like the pizzicato-y synths that play on the off beats. The piece doesn't quite feel structurally complete, though, and also needs a bit more memorable melodic content. Overall, it's a good start, but I can tell it's rushed. You should finish it sometime! Keep at it, man.

[Spiritual Hunger]

I like the gritty bass synths and ominous mood at the beginning. The vocal samples were integrated well, and the progression is solid, if a bit slow to develop. The production is strong, too, although I'm not sure you needed all of the treble end in some of the synths. The breaks at the 1-minute mark felt like a bit of an anti-climax after the long intro, and after a while I was itching for some more melodic content. The frantic synths at around 1:20 are fun, and you continue to use the vocal samples well. There are a lot of stop-start moments in this piece, though - be careful not to overuse them. The organ-like riff at 1:59 has a fun vibe. It serves well as a sort of breakdown/bridge section. Overall, the piece feels a tad disjointed structurally, but the sound design, mood, and mastering are all really cool. Nice work! Keep at it, HeyJellyBear. ^_^

HeyJellyBear responds:

Thanks for the in depth words! Super appreciate you taking time to listen! :3

[DJT & Rusyd Rosman - Breathing Space (Shuffle Horse Remix)]

Hey, sorry for the slow response, man! I like the energy and the vocals. In fact, I think the vocals may be a little too quiet relative to the instrumental at times. Nice job chopping them up at 1:18, too. The synths are really crisp and catchy, too. The sound design is also pretty cool here. The one exception may be the piano at the beginning, in fact - I'd suggest taking some treble off of it to add some more emotional appeal. I also think there are a lot of moments in this track that don't quite have a sufficiently full texture. Even the post-chorus thing at 1:16 is kinda missing a legato element, for example. Otherwise, great job with this track. The production is really strong - I'm particularly impressed by that. Keep at it, man! Good luck with your new account. ^_^

ShuffleHorse responds:

Thanks a lot man :D, really Thanks

[Internal Joy]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the phasing effects. Sound design is fun, even if these aren't the most polished synths. The progression is a little slow-paced. I think some drums would've really helped it move along. Clearly, you have a good sense of harmony, and I'm loving all the syncopations. Production quality is strong too. Transition into 2:09 is pretty smooth, and I enjoyed the breakdown overall. The second half of the piece felt pretty repetitive, though. Not sure it added much novel content. I think a great next step for you would be adding some stronger melodic content in the piece. Right now, the texture is pretty dense, especially around the 2-minute mark, but none of the riffs stand out as particularly memorable, except for maybe that atmospheric phasing synth that's heard throughout. The ending also doesn't quite reach the point of climax that the 2-minute mark did, which kinda bothered me. Still, really cool track. Instrumentation, mood, and mastering are all really strong here. Keep at it, DamjanRI!

[T.E.O.M. - Grustler (Produced By TheEyeOFMusiK)]

Hey! Sorry for the slow response, man. I like the crisp beats at the beginning. Production is really clean, and the guitars give the track a cool western feel. The progression is a little slow to pick up, though, and I think some of the synths were a little generic. I'm digging the crisp hi-hats and ebb-and-flow in the texture. The sub-bass was a nice touch too. After a while, the track loses its momentum a bit. There wasn't much melodic content at all, and eventually it started feeling repetitive and even a tad minimalistic. I'd love to see this fleshed out with some richer harmonies and vocals, but right now it still has a cool anticipatory vibe. Based on your description, looks like you should be releasing a new track soon too. I'll keep my eyes peeled. Keep at it, EyeOfMusiK! ^_^