TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Electric Nectar]

---Official AIM review---

I like the subtle fade-in at the beginning and the crisp beat that comes in at around :10. Really catchy piece. The transition at :30 could’ve been stronger. The drum fill there that serves as a transition is really subtle. Bringing it out more could help make that moment of the sudden heavy guitar entrance a little less jarring for the listener. I also thought the drums could’ve been stronger once the texture gets a little busier. Some more compression could really go a long way there. The melodic content at :59 is really good, though. This piece has a really interesting structure, but an odd drone-like quality. I think you need to work on smoothing over your transitions as a priority. One thing I really like about this piece is that it feels really dynamic given the loosely related solo sections, yet underlying the texture is a repetitive riff that still makes the piece feel cohesive. Really creative way of finding a balance between repetition and variety there. I didn’t think that fade-out ending added much to the piece, though; made it a bit underwhelming. The melodic content, atmosphere, and structuring go a long way with this one. Strong work overall!

8.25/10

VortexVisionz responds:

Thanks so much for your review! I truly appreciate it. I'm with you on everything you picked out with the song, I'll be sure to keep this in mind for my future uploads! Cheers

[AIM - From The Sands]

---Official AIM review---

Bold choice with the dramatic hits at the beginning followed by notable periods of silence. I like the crisp drums and creative sound design choices. The distorted vocals that come in at around :30 add a lot to the texture. Production quality is really strong, btw. Mix is loud and clear, and you use the range of frequencies quite well. The drop at 1:12 could’ve used more of a climactic build-up, and also dragged on for a tad long without much room for space and contrast in the texture. My main complaint, however, is that the piece is seriously lacking in melodic content. The repetitive, staccato-y riff at 2:18 is probably the only notably prominent pattern of moving notes in the piece in a mid-range instrument. I think that’s a problem. The second drop also kinda comes out of nowhere. You nailed it with the mastering and sound design. But I think elements of the composition - the lack of melodic content and textural fill in particular - are a bit underwhelming. Overall, still an enjoyable piece. Keep at it, BeauXuan!

7.75/10

[Felix Zophar - Puddles]

I like the emotional appeal at the beginning and the cute melody. The piece is pretty minimal, but also very relaxing and tranquil. Very straight-forward structure, but also pretty effective. I wish the piece came back full-circle a bit more, though. The pace and textural fill really slows down after a while, and instead of functioning as a breakdown it just kinda becomes less engaging. Certainly couldn't hurt to add another "A-section" or something, maybe with some more variety. Great job with the mood and melodic content, though. Overall pretty cool stuff.

FelixZophar responds:

I'm trying to write chill melodies and stuff like that. I'm trying not to write as much "hyper" stuff, like house.

[[RE:unravel]]

Ooo...very different than the previous version. I like the more pensive intro and the revamped sound design. Progression is a little slower this time. The drop at 1:08 was good, but needed a bit of a stronger build-up in my opinion. I certainly recognize the chord progression and a couple other instrumental details from the older version, but otherwise you've changed up a lot of things compositionally. The piano breakdown at 2:04 might've needed a smoother transition, but I really like the emotional appeal of the vocals that come in shortly thereafter. One thing that's certainly not different between the two versions is the production quality. Nice job with the mixing and mastering all around! Overall, there's a lot more variety in this one, whereas the older version had a concision and fast pace that was really appealing. I guess it was more like a radio edit; this is the album version. ;) Nice work on both of them, though!

ItsAlmagestFR responds:

Thank You! I love how you noticed the difference between the mastering and mixing! Yes, it is quite different cuz me and Corpse Party usually work through Skype (Not F2F), but when we produce this edition, The group is actually is on my country for a vacation and working on some brand new stuff for their very first album! (Corpse Party is a Dubstep Trio from Greek, we met on some occasion and found out have a same sense of music style)

[Equilibria - ID (WIP Preview)]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the sense of climax into :33. The beat is still very iconically Dylnmatrix-y. :) Bass is really heavy - I think it takes up a tad too much space in the mix vis-a-vis some of the more melodic elements. The breakdown was nice, with that electronic guitar solo and the more minimalistic texture. Nice job transitioning back into the more energetic section at 2:31, too. Given how punchy the rest of the song is, I was surprised that the kick wasn't a tad stronger. Some more layering or something might be in order there. I also expect much more than a fade-out ending for the final product, haha. ;) Overall bangin' stuff. Keep up the good work, guys!

[The Funky Friend]

Cute piece. A little simplistic and repetitive, but I can tell you have a good sense of harmony and progression. You should try making a more full-length track, maybe with some more complex synths. I'd also like to see you do more with the drums - right now the beat kinda lacks variety. Overall, though, definitely not bad for a quick loop. You earned a scout, my friend. ;)

DustifiedGD responds:

Thanks for leaving a review! This song I really only made for the melody, not really the beat, but it definitely needs improvement. I made it a loop and not a full-length track because it was repetitive by the way.

[Reverie {Dj-Abbic}]

I like the warm atmosphere at the beginning and the breathy vox at :30. Sense of climax into :59 is nice too. The piece is a little slow to develop, but I really like the cathartic feel of 1:30. The piece could use a tad more bass, though. Even the mid-range pads have a lot of higher frequencies. Well-structured and flowing piece. Nice sound design and composition too, overall. Keep up the good work, DjAbbic!

DjAbbic responds:

Glad you like it. I had trouble mixing this one because I've had to use a substitute for my dead headphones sadly, hopefully it doesn't sound too bad.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Sunday Dues & Blues (Acapella)]

Really good. I'm impressed with your ability to enunciate these words, even though you're saying them really fast. I also like the flow and content of the lyrics. Good use of pacing, too. At :56 for example, you say "I get depressed sometimes" in a really drawn-out voice, which I thought was fitting. You should try adding a beat! I'd love to see this as part of a more complete piece. Keep up the good work, man! ;)

Cyberdevil responds:

Yeah that'd be cool, just seems like whenever I record these days the fastest way as acapella. :) I think I am getting better at the enunciation too, or getting better at choosing words that are possible to enunciate with pace, it used to be harder. Thanks for the great review!

[AIM - Nostalgia goggles]

---Official AIM review---

I like the gradual swell at the beginning into :06, as well as the blissful rock-VGM hybrid that follows. You have a lot of cute melodic riffs in here, like at :30. The song is well-structured and smooth-flowing, and has nice distinct emotional heights at 1:00, 1:50, and a couple other places. The energetic solo at 2:10 was a great way of adding a more frantic-sounding bridge to the overall smooth tone of the piece. You overuse the hi-hats a tad at around 3:10. Still, that’s probably my only notable complaint. Also that the sound effect at the beginning was a bit cheesy. And maybe there are a couple cliché chord progressions in there, but you still have a lot of variety with the progression so that it's hard to pick up on. Overall fantastic work. Mastering is very strong. Sound design is awesome. Just a piece that’s very hard not to like. Keep it up, 8-bitheroes!

9.75/10

8-bitheroes responds:

Hey Taintedlogic, wasnt expecting a review yet! You made some good points. Thanks for taking the time, much appreciated.