TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Violet's Theme]

I like the emotion at the beginning. Might need a bit more reverb. The mix is both quiet and dry, in fact. Some compression would really help this piece feel more full-textured. The progression is good. I like the increase in pace at :40 followed by the strings' entrance. During the middle section, I feel as though there's not much rhythmic variation in the piano part, though. It'd also be nice if the cello had more of a melodic role at some point. Overall, the composition is really strong here. Keep at it, man. ;)

[YM2612 - The Sega Odyssey]

I like the bright vibes and cute instruments. The chords at the very beginning were a little heavy, and I think other elements of the piece didn't come through as clearly because of some distortion in the mix. I'd recommend double-checking to make sure you have used equalizers or other filtering techniques to remove low, muddy pitches in the pads and melody instruments. That would help improve the production quality. The slap bass was groovy. The piece gets a little repetitive by the end, and the texture is a little busy at times. I also thought that the fade-out ending didn't really vibe very well with the loop. I'd suggest committing to one or the other. Lastly, I think that you should've highlighted the drums a bit more in the mix. I'd suggest experimenting with some compression techniques. Overall, I admire your sense of harmony and rhythm, but I think that it's hard to appreciate a lot of the details of this piece because the mix could be a lot cleaner. Hope this helps. Keep at it, man! ;)

SirKoto51 responds:

Thanks for the advice :) I may go back and try to clean things up a bit.

[High On Life]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning. Vocals are really good - relaxing and well-mixed. I like the change-of-pace of the lyrics at :40. Overall, the production quality is great too. At 1:53, I think I can hear you receiving a text. :'D Noticed it on the 2nd or 3rd listen. If I had to criticize one thing, it might be that the harmonic texture isn't very well-varied. This piece is pretty short, so it might benefit from some kind of bridge where you increase the energy a bit more and go in a different direction with the instrumental. The piece is also a bit structurally repetitive. Slight variations in the melodic contour of the last refrain (2:14) would help hit it home. You also may have overused the transition with the chopped vocals at 2:13 (and other places). These are all small details, though. Your mixing has improved a lot, and you did a great job of giving the piece some shape between the refrains and instrumental filler sections. I really like how the filler sections expose those dreamy arpeggios. Keep up the great work, man!

Kurtiskong responds:

Thank you! <3

[Stereo Madness (Trickshot Remix)]

I like the upbeat mood and the catchy beat. The transition at :39 was a little sudden. I would suggest at least using a little reverb to smooth it over. The main problem with this piece is that it's clipping like mad. I think you need to turn some volume levels down so that the final product doesn't sound so harsh. I also don't think this is a structurally complete or well-varied piece. The refrain (:51) is only different from the lead-up in the instrument you used for the chords and the vocal samples. I'd like to see you add some melodic content there to make a stronger sense of progression. Other than that, it's a pretty cool track. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. The clipping is the one big fix. Keep at it, man!

TrickshotMusic responds:

Mhm definitly, i messed up big time on this one, the kicks are way to loud that cause ear rape and clipping is harsh, my other tracks are indeed better, I did do a little challenge of 2 hours for my self on my stream. Thanks for your opinions and feedback :)

[Likwify - Mozart Dubstep Remix (Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca Remix)]

Good idea for a remix. I like how you added some texture and still tried to build a verse-chorus structure out of it, but overall I don't think you added a ton to the original. Also, the mix is a little muddy, especially in the lower frequency range. I'm also not a huge fan of these samples - they sound pretty generic, especially the higher-pitched synth at 1:56 and the drums. I think there are a lot of good ideas here, but the execution could be better. The piece also doesn't feel structurally complete, ending abruptly right after a pretty energetic section. Still, I appreciate your take on the Rondo alla Turca. ;)

Likwify responds:

Thanks for your feedback! Honestly, I just made this in under 10 hours for fun. Originally, I wasn't even going to finish it, but it was so close to done that I decided to anyway. Oh well. I'll try to improve my mix in the future. Also, most of the bass drums and snares were synthesized by me, and so was the synth at 1:56.

[BeatMastaC]

The rhythm at the beginning is a little hard to follow, but when the beat comes in it gets a little easier. The chords are very leapy though, and in general I think this piece needs a little more harmonic content to maintain my interest. No obvious problems with the production, although it could be a little louder with some harder compression. The beat is cool, and you clearly have a good sense of rhythm. I'd like to see you do more with some melodic content or phrasing, though. Seems like it's just the same beat pattern looped twice without much variety. Still a solid foundation for a complete track, though. Keep at it, man.

stackz989 responds:

oh yea for sure, thanks for the review. I'll add that sugar and spice.

[Dream Greens]

I like the dreamy melody at the beginning and the reverb. The oom-pah of the bass line is a nice touch too. I like the kinda cyclical nature it has too, always returning to a part with the bass line exposed for a brief time before launching into yet another melodic sequence. Soothing piece that's evocative of an old-fashioned kid's animation. Solid work. :)

[Weather the Storm]

I like the FX that sets the scene, and the fade-in of the soothing melody at :08. The thematic elements of the piece are fantastic, and I really like the lyrics. The vocals themselves are also quite impressive, and sit really nicely in the mix. I appreciate the increase in the energy as the piece goes on, but I think it didn't quite soon enough for my tastes. The directionality of the piece is pretty predictable and uniform, without much shape within the main framework (besides the intro and outro). That said, I really liked the transition at 3:01 and the more furtive vocals at the very end. Made the piece feel really complete to tie together the relative tranquility of the beginning and the energy of the main section. Overall, great work! ;)

Step responds:

Heyyy Andrew!

I can't take credit for the lyrics - they're taken out of a book written by Ree Soesbee, so all the credit goes to her! And the vocals are from Alwiren, a very talented singer!

Agreed, the piece is quite predictable and uniform. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing for a sea shanty though. A lot of the sea shanties that I heard before starting work on this track have a very predictable structure/flow that cycles through like two melodies max, no doubt due to the original function of sea shanties - to be sung by sailors while they're working on the ship, to keep people's interest and rhythm going. Since we wanted this to work as a standalone track, we tried to change things up a little with that intro/outro, some mood changes, and a surprise new melody at the end, but we still wanted to keep it conservative to remain true to the genre!

Thanks a lot for your awesome review as always!

[Project: Reflex]

Groovy instrumentation and nice sense of suspense in the first minute. The frantic melodies at 1:02 are a good fit, and I love the grouchy bass. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the underlying rhythm of the piece is pretty square for most of the piece. That said, you did a good job of keeping it interesting with all of the automations and secondary melodies. I would've liked to hear another climactic moment towards the end of the piece, but I'm sure it fit the premise of the project well. Kinda reminds me of "Imminence" in that it doesn't quite max out on emotional highs. Anyway, glad to see you post on the Grounds again, Step! ^^

Step responds:

Thanks for another review! Nice to see you still around :).

You're right about the rhythm being pretty monotonous. In general I kinda toned things down in this track compared to my usual more bombastic tracks. Using subtlety as a way of maintaining interest instead of resorting to climactic, in-your-face stuff is something I continue to struggle with!

Thanks again.

[endK - Wicked Lab]

You're the master of VGM, aren't you? Rhythmic elements in this one are super cool. Mix is loud and clear. Melodic content is fantastic as usual. The shift in the harmonic framework at 1:04 was great. You have a great sense of harmony and progression, and the police siren at 1:35 added some flavor. Ending was a tad sudden with this one, but overall I've been extremely impressed with the work I've reviewed this afternoon. Best of luck in the Cacophony, man!

endKmusic responds:

Thanks thanks thanks! :D
You're far too kind.
Although this was my least favorite one during those 3 rounds, I guess it served it's purpose.
I'm really glad you dig it.