TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Running From Demons-]

Excellent! I missed your energetic, haunting, and heavy tracks. The sound design here is amazing, and the heavy bass complements the choir and lighter synths really well. My only issue with the choir's riff is that, up until 1:15, the rhythm felt a little square. The vocal samples are also great additions to the texture; "where'd they go?" at around 2:00 really adds a lot of flavor to the piece. The production quality is pretty strong. The texture is really busy here, yet the piece is still quite well-balanced frequency-wise. I also think this piece has a lot more shape and contrast in energy levels compared to some of your other recent tracks, which is good to hear. Really strong work overall. Insta-fave and DL. Keep up the great work, Waterflame! A happy October to you too.

[Above All Chaos]

I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning and the crackly ambient noises. I like the vocal samples (props to Ian and Helena) and the pulsing pads at around :30 on. The bass sounds really groovy and smooth, but I think the drums were a bit too soft for my tastes for much of the piece. Nice job with the melodic content at 1:45, but I think they were a bit too up-front in the mix. I wanted to hear more of the atmosphere to complement the melodies. The breakdown at 2:52 was really relaxing - nice job there. The percussion at 3:55 or so was a good touch, and overall the dreamy atmosphere of the piece is great. I've been enjoying your forays into synthwave. Keep up the good work, Colin!

ColinMuir responds:

Heck yeah, i'm really enjoying the genre.

[Mountain Forecast]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the spacious atmosphere of the piece. Might even need a bit more reverb or something to fill out the texture. There's a great sense of suspense, but overall the pacing was a tad slow for my tastes. Given the thin texture, it's the details that really make this piece what it is. I really like the subtle delay effect at 1:35. It just sounded really haunting. While clearly not a stand-alone piece, you set the mood really well here. The sound design is great, too. Keep up the good work, Possibly!

Possibly responds:

Thanks very much for the review. Yeah, you might be right about the reverb, I'll take another look at it when I get a chance. Thanks again :D

[Fun on the Farmyard]

Hahaha. Really cute piece. The progression is a little cliche, but the vibe melodies and catchy rhythmic framework really sell this piece well. I thought the brass, while fun, didn't sound too authentic. The extended refrain at the end is a nice touch, and the cheesy variations on the melody at the 2-minute mark made me smile. Seems like the chickens are happy. Keep at it, LunacyEcho!

[Snow, Snow, Snow!]

I like the bright pads and cute synths. The bass is really groovy, and the melodies at :30 are super cute. It's not the most involved or energetic piece you've ever made, but that's okay. Certainly seems fitting for a video game. I like the jangly shakers that become pretty exposed at the breakdown, and I can tell that the loop is really smooth (even if it doesn't seem that way on NG). Cool piece! Keep at it, EndK. ^^

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, this was just a fast experiment, unlike my other stuff, but I'm super satisfied.
The 'real songs' in which I put more effort I tend to name " endK - 'songname' "
Other ones (like this) just have a title. ^_^
Think I was playing Stardew Valley at that point and got influenced. :thonk:
Thanks for the review! :)

[Hans Zimmer - Time (Geoplex Remix)]

Excellent! I'm so happy you did this. I love the original, and your electronic spin on it maintains all of the cinematic flair. I suppose it could've been a bit more creative, as the arrangement is not discernibly different from the original, and I think your orchestral samples could've sounded more authentic. Otherwise, it's a fun piece, and mini-swells into the downbeats after 2:20 were a nice touch. Cool stuff! Looking forward to hearing more full-length tracks from you, Geoplex. ;)

[endK - Mermaid]

I like the cute synth riffs at the beginning and the dreamy pads. The progression and sound design are both really satisfying, and I can hear the influence of the mermaid theme. It's a smooth-flowing and well-structured piece overall. You say it's part of your "fast-paced rhythmic stuff," but I think a lot of melodic came through rather well here. My main complaints include the lack of more legato-y elements in the texture, and also a missed opportunity for a stronger climax towards the end of the piece. Overall, though, this is a really fun piece with some glittery synths and catchy rhythmic elements. Keep it up, EndK!

endKmusic responds:

Melodies are simple and kinda generic here, didn't do my usual stuff, yeah, I'll get back to that!
About the climax - at one point I just didn't want to mess around with it.
It took a while to produce this one .. I agree nonetheless. :)
Thanks for all the compliments, advices and listening as always TL!

[Recovery]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning. The heavily filtered arpeggios at :39 were a great touch, and overall the texture sounds really rich and full. The piano melodies at around the 1-minute mark were really cute, yet also took the piece in somewhat of a different direction. Overall, the pacing of the piece is pretty slow, but compared to a lot of ambient pieces it actually sounds pretty dynamic. The emotional height at around 2:50 was especially satisfying. There were some parts of the piece where I wanted the drums to be a bit more creative or present, but otherwise I thought you used the sound design really well here. The soothing mood and airy quality definitely make this piece what it is, though. Keep it up, Colin!

ColinMuir responds:

Thanks for the review TL!

[Sink or Swim]

Cute piece! The tempo feels really slow for a VGM track, but I like the melodies and progression. It might've needed some drums to keep it moving along at times. I can picture this song as a menu tune for a game, though. My favorite element of the piece was the victorious vibe at :33 (and again at 1:40). That said, I was surprised when the upper voice in the chord at :46 didn't resolve down a semi-tone like I thought it would. Maybe I just need to unlearn cliches, but it still felt like you rushed into the section at :50 a bit. Anyway, I'm over-analyzing as usual. Fun piece, Jordi! I hope you'll continue to experiment with new genres and moods. :)