TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Paralysis]

I love the emotional appeal of the beginning and the melodic content at :16. I also really like how it's hard to tell if this piece is supposed to be uplifting or creepy for quite some time. At the end, I'm still not sure, in fact. Perhaps the piece is a tad minimalistic, and definitely foregrounds the melodic content quite heavily, but I think those elements actually serve the emotive qualities of the piece in this case. Compliments again on your very-good string samples, btw. The last note, high-pitched though it was, still sounded pretty authentic. Very enjoyable piece, BO! Raw, beautiful melodies win the day. ^_^

Everratic responds:

". I also really like how it's hard to tell if this piece is supposed to be uplifting or creepy for quite some time."
I'm glad you appreciated this feature! This represents the shattering of a reoccurring fantasy. The note at the very end is articulated in a way that's intended to shock the listener a bit, which represents waking up to reality.

Thank you for the review!

[Niko - It's not that easy.]

Heavy vocals. Something about the ominous atmosphere of the piece even sounds inward-looking. I'm enjoying the plink-y synth arps at around :45 and the well-balanced texture, although the progression of the piece was pretty slow. I like the build-up and the fake-out drop at 1:46 before the real drop at 1:48. Great job with the atmosphere at 2:45 - just some beautiful, lush chords right there. I love how melancholic everything sounds, too. I guess I would've liked to hear a little more variation on the drop the second time around, but I thought it was fitting that there was a bit more of a straight-forward lead-in to the drop this time. Also could've done with a more substantial outro, but the piano mini-fadeout was pretty effective too. The piece feels a tad dragged-out in places, especially in between the drops, but overall I thought the structure and arrangement of the piece were well done. Strong thematic content, sound design, and production, too! Keep up the good work, Nikolopoblete. ^_^

[blue, like the sky]

Curious little percussion riffs at the beginning. The fade-in at :10 and the cute, jazzy pads at :12 are really nice. I love how the tonic chord doesn't quite strike on the downbeat at :24. The progression is a bit slow here, but the melodies at :45 and beyond were really nice. Piece has a vaguely wistful vibe about it. The minimalistic break at 1:09 with the videogame sound effects was a bit cheesy, but definitely showed off your good sense of rhythm. Occasionally, the piece can sound a bit harsh in the upper register, like with that synth at 2:01. Part of it may also be the panning - wideness can make an instrument sound harsher than it otherwise would be. That said, the production is quite enjoyable in almost every other regard. Spacious mix with well-balanced frequencies and a good amount of loudness. My main problem with the piece, however, is that it's a bit repetitive harmonically. You clearly spent a long time on the details here, which I appreciate, but I'm not quite getting an overarching sense of direction like I want to, and I think the sudden ending attests to that. Overall, really fun piece, though. Sound design and mood are fantastic here. Keep it up!

icantpronouncethis responds:

Thank you for your critique. This has been something different than I'm used to, but the direction I would love to get in to. When you meant by harsh, I'm guessing you mean that it cuts to through the mix too strong. I was trying to put that part more far behind like a after thought feel. But I had difficulty executing that. Tried adding wet only reverb, and just turning down the mix, but couldnt get the sound I needed. What would you suggest to push it back more?