TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spitfya & Desembra - Cut The Check]

Very engaging intro to say the least. XD The beats at :09 are solid. Catchy synth riffs and punchy drums are a good combo. Mix is really loud and clear. I love the smooth, groovy bass riff that fills the space in between the gritty mid-range bass during the drop (:38). Sound design is just really unique overall, and I like the call-and-response nature of the drop. Also the ominous mood. Sounds like Halloween. That said, the mood shifts really suddenly at 1:51 to this brighter, warmer sound. It was a sudden shift that isn't very well integrated into the rest of the piece tbh. I also thought the second half of the piece was a little too similar to the first half. There was room for a lot more dynamism than there was from a compositional standpoint. Overall, though, really strong work again. These breaks, vocal samples, and other elements of the stinging, thick texture here sound really, really good. Keep it up, guys!

[Spitfya - Empire (Original Mix)]

Really tight beat at the beginning. Ten seconds in, I can already tell that the production quality is really high and that you have a great sense of flow and structuring. The phasing synths are a nice touch. I thought the transition at :45 could've been smoother, though. The build-up into the drop at 1:00 was good. Really engaging stuff throughout, although at some point I think the piece needed more structural variety. There's a lot of energy in this piece and not a lot of shape and contrast in the intensity. That said, 2:17 was certainly an emotional high point that serves the piece well. Overall, I guess my main complaint is that the harmonic framework of the piece is very simple, using the same chord progression A LOT without much strong melodic content. You're clearly a really talented producer, though. There's a lot of variety and flavor in this piece, and everything sounds really clean and punchy. Great work overall!

[With Gun & Crucifix]

You just keep hitting home run after home run, my friend. The rhythmic work with the strings is really catchy, yet also makes the piece feel really accessible. Seamless transitions between the brass melodies, vocal credos, and prominent string sections. Even in a rather energetic piece, you still fit a breakdown in there at 1:50 that has a nice call-and-response substructure. Super tight production again. Yeah, I'm going to need to check out more than what you've posted on NG this year. Where can I buy your music, man?

Keep up the great work!

Danman87 responds:

Thanks so much man, really happy you enjoyed it! I currently got one album out, which is called "The First Five Years". It's available on most of the large music portals, but admittedly fairly old by now, which is why I'm planning to have another two out this year. One being a commercial video game OST, and the second one a trailer album that will feature this track. :)

[Thunderdome]

Wow. Never thought I'd see you on this site again. I don't think I was even here for your original run, but I remember the Stick War soundtrack being one of my main motivations for joining this site myself.

Anyway, I love the dramatic mood and crisp percussion. The vocals are great. Sound design in general is killer, and I think your mastering has improved quite a bit since I last listened to your music regularly. This is a piece that really tells a story. Really full texture and nice use of structural variety too. The vocals sound really wet and thick, like this was performed in a concert hall. Excellent music. Amazing amount of emotion and dynamic contrast. Welcome back, Dan!

Danman87 responds:

Haha yes, I remember that pretty much the majority of audio artists here had their music in Stick War! They even aquired a commercial license for their mobile game a few years back!

Thanks so much for the review! Really glad you liked the track! And yes, I've learned quite a lot in terms of mastering over the years, something that I used to consider one of my weak spots. :)

[Love the Night]

Very quiet beginning. ._. Really maximizes the emotional appeal. Sounds like solitude amidst a winter storm. Melodic content is beautiful. There's so much dynamic contrast, and the rhythmic work at 1:30 or so is really nice. The descending line at around 2:00 really got me too. Love the shifting moods at 2:15. Piece really tells a story. Flowing and beautiful as normal. I especially like the part between 3:30-4:00. Sounds like hurried footsteps muffled by the snow. In all honesty, the part after 4:15 seemed quite unnecessary. You never quite arrived at a satisfying cadence after that - why not end the piece on a climactic note? Still, one of my favorite compositions of yours in quite a while. Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to Iceland! Keep up the great work. ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hi there!
I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the visual imagery!

I'm not sure from your review if it was clear, but this piece is an improvisation. Maybe I should've been clearer in the description :D
The part after 4:15 is my favorite part, so I have to disagree with that xD

I feel like modern music listeners have become somewhat of addicts to climaxes, drops, and endings that end in the expected way or expected note. Seemigly to the point, where they find it more difficult to enjoy the more intricate and surprising aspects of music. That's part of why I love improvisations, as they tend to be way more free than formulaic compositiions!

Thanks for reviewing ^____^

[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