TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Arena 51]

Woah...this is really different from some of your other stuff. I think the tranquil pads at the very beginning were a bit misleading given the raw, ominous vibe of the rest of this piece. I like the dark mood and the instrumentation, though. The lead is the most recognizable element of your style here. Also, there was a lot of minimalism in this piece. Perhaps the harmonies could be a bit fuller and more fleshed-out. The riff at 2:00 was one of my favorites of the piece. Really catchy piece overall. Lots of twists and turns, too - I didn't see the breakdown at 2:27 coming at all! Nice work, EndK. Keep it up. ;)

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, I can't stand in one area too long, I guess...
You mean the effect at the beggining?
I saw it as a 'turn on the console' kinda effect, just so people know it's video game themed straight at the start.
Thanks for the lead compliments!
About harmony - yeah, you're right, I wanted to keep it simple overall, did some harmony thingies mainly at 0:40-0:53, but nothing much after that.
Sounded good in the first place and I chose not to overcomplicate and go with it (eventhough I'm sure if there were some well-written harmonies in each part, it would clearly sound better).
Thanks for the comments and the review TL!
Means a lot.
Cheers!

[Magnificent]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the gradual fade-in. The instrument you used for the arpeggios at :18 wasn't my favorite, but the piece has a great sense of climax into :33. The vocal samples add to the texture considerably, and the drop at 1:16 was really fun. I like the subtle glass clink FX at 1:40, too. After a while, it gets pretty repetitive, though, and I think the drop and post-chorus drag on for a bit too long. The breakdown at 2:17 was a good idea. I like the filtering work there. The underlying harmony changes pretty suddenly at 2:33, but I like the melody at 2:47 and the build-up to the second drop. Ending came on a tad suddenly; it could use more of a proper outro. Overall, really strong work here, Sylux. The production and sound design are great, and the mood of the track is really fun and upbeat throughout. Keep it up, and gl in the ADM! ^_^

Sylux03 responds:

Thank you so much!

[-Pink Spring- (2014)]

I like the cute synths at the beginning. Melodic content is nice here, too, and I especially like your use of percussion in this track. I also really like the more legato melody instrument in the post-chorus at :53. Mastering quality is really strong here. I guess my main complaints are that it's a tad repetitive, and maybe a bit generic arrangement-wise. I also think there are a lot of parts of the piece that don't quite have the same full texture that's characterized your pieces of late. Otherwise, the blissful mood, sound design, and cohesiveness of this piece sells it really well. Keep up the good work, WF! ^_^

Waterflame responds:

Thank you! :)

[-HDC- 'Raw' ft. Kwing & Mao prod. by Liberal Shimmering]

I like the detuned piano and the rest of the experimental texture at the beginning. Nice sense of climax into :25, too. The vocalists are really talented, but the vocals themselves sounded a bit dry. They could use some mastering effects - reverb, delay, etc. I also like the lyrics themselves. Beat is a bit minimalistic. Instrumental could use a little more filling out. At around 1:46, the vocals seem slightly off-beat for a while, but the "Billy Ray Cyrus" commentary was really clever. Fun track overall. I like the creepy mood and refrain with the "this beat is so raw" echo-y vocals. Keep it up, guys!

[Until Then]

Ambiance at the beginning was cool, but I don't see how it logically leads into the jazzy bit at :06 very well. That said, the smooth texture of the organ, E-piano, and bass are really nice. I think I'd prefer it if the drums were a tad stronger, but you did a nice job with foregrounding that trumpet. Melodic content in this piece is great, and the entire mood is so lackadaisical and carefree. Production is loud, clear, and well-balanced. The piece could also use some more structuring, especially since it's so short. The coda felt more like a bridge/breakdown than an outro. Still, strong work here. Moody and fun piece. Good luck in the ADM!

acxle responds:

thank you so much!

[TeslaX - Dark Deity's Sorcery]

I like the dark ambiance at the beginning and the gradual climax into :19. Interesting rhythmic juxtaposition at :26. Knife blade "shhing" at :39 was a nice touch, too. The mix is very loud, and the texture at the refrain is very full. Compression is a bit on the heavy side. The drop at 1:48 is probably my favorite part of the song. The rhythmic components and texture come together really well there. I enjoyed the re-intro at 2:45 too. At 2:48, it almost sounds like a cat purring. XD I think ending the piece with more beautiful ambiance was a good call, too. The part at 3:50 even felt a bit superfluous. Overall, fantastic piece, though. Strong emotional quality to it, yet a lot of passion and energy at its climax. Keep up the good work, TeslaX11, and good luck in the ADM!

[Azazal - Scratch]

Nice atmosphere at the beginning. The synths at :20 are a little cheesy and harsh-sounding in the upper register, but the production quality here is really high. Catchy drop. It's well-structured overall, too. I especially like the part at 2:32. I guess my main complaint with the piece is that it could use some stronger melodic content (and also maybe a more legato section or two for variety in the texture). That said, I certainly appreciate the punchy mix, sound design, and energy of this one. Keep at it, man!

[Gaero - Heart]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the sound design. Perhaps the intro could've been a bit more creative than a gradual fade-in, but I really like the eastern-sounding string melody at :24. Production sounds clean, too. When the beat comes in at :47 and the texture really fills out, the song really starts coming together. The mix sounds a tad over-compressed, but I really enjoyed the patchwork of solos between the synth pads, organs, and stringed instruments all getting their turn in the limelight. Cool piece. Might need a stronger sense of progression after the 1-minute mark or so, but nonetheless I was engaged throughout. Keep up the good work, Ggaero!

[Palace of Tales and Memories]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning. Sounds really pensive at the beginning. The melodies at :27 are beautiful. Very clear and full mix, too. I really like what you've done with the progression in the drums. The pacing here is really slow, but I do enjoy the sense of directionality this has. It also sounds a tad repetitive, though, even for a relatively short piece. The section at 2:14 wasn't a change I was quite prepared for, but maybe that's just me. There's a clear lead-in there with a strong transition; perhaps it was more of the change in texture that caught me off guard. All the same, I have no real complaints, perhaps with the exception that you could've done a tad more with the composition. Really high quality of sound, but nothing particularly bold in the progression or harmonic content. Still, nice work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere! Keep up the good work, 350teric. ^_^

350teric responds:

Thank you for the in depth review, I love the concrete points and the articulate suggestions. To be frank most of my compositions are way more complex and lavish than "Palace of Tales and Memories", rhythmically and harmonically I am coming from a progressive metal background (check out "Numen" for instance), I do compose electronic music as well. But, for this song I decided for a bit more simplistic approach, just for a change and fresh perspective. So for the final round I will shake things up definitely with something "bombastic" and "over top". :D

[A Summer's Dream]

I like the majestic piano at the beginning. Extended pause at :32 was a bit of a bold choice, but it sets up the pacing of the rest of the piece pretty well. Lyrics get better as the piece goes on. Very raw, simplistic, and descriptive at first, but the broader meaning behind your natural surroundings becomes more conspicuous the more you describe. Sometimes your voice sounds a bit strained, like at 1:07. Minimal though the instrumentation is, the I love the Low Whistle solos and the unfettered emotive quality of the vocals. The harmonies are great - both the vocals and the spacing of the chords. The instruments blend really well together, yet still feel like distinct melody lines. Admittedly, the piece does drag on for quite some time, though. It's beautiful music throughout, but it also doesn't have a strong sense of dynamism or directionality all the time. The slightly more energetic vibe in the texture starting at around the 5-minute mark actually helps this piece out a lot in that regard, though. Overall fantastic piece. Very majestic and heartfelt work, Jordi!

etherealwinds responds:

Hey TL! Thank you so much for the review and apologies for leaving my response so late. Often-times when I get a longer review, I read them whilst I'm not quite in the place to respond to them and then I forget :D

Another person mentioned the straining at 1:07 but I still don't hear it myself! I guess I'm so used to hearing my own voice haha! Yeah, I think I mentioned previously but the piano was actually just a 7 and a half minute improvisation so I cut out a few parts but it's still quite long. I noticed generally that longer songs seem to be in the process of becoming less popular - I think any song past 5 minutes has the tendency to bore people so I try to inject at least a lot of emotion and something different in the structure to not lose a listener. That's something I can of course improve on and I'll keep practising that too!

Once again, thanks for taking the time out of your day to review the track! <3