TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Kavez - Constant [WIP]]

I like the dreamy mood at the beginning, although I wasn't a huge fan of your drum samples. The clap has a really sharp tone that doesn't vibe well with the otherwise smooth, wet atmosphere of the piece. I also thought the clap was a bit cliché. Other than that, my main concern with this piece is the lack of melodic content. A lot of time is soaked up with a couple of pretty simplistic ideas (the arpeggios at :50 and the riff at 1:32), and when you deviate from those ideas, it sounds really dissonant (1:48). I appreciate the effort put into taking the piece in a new direction at 1:48, but the harmonies sound a bit jarring there. There are a lot of good ideas in this piece, though. I like the reverberated synths and somewhat quirky sound design. It just needs a bit more thought put into the arrangement and compositional depth. Keep at it, man!

SlyFrost responds:

Thanks for the review!

The drum samples fit more into the 'drop' (which needs to be worked on) than anywhere else, and I agree that the clap is quite unoriginal. I think that sharp tone is actually the ride and the hat together, which I was a bit unsure about when I played them together after mixing them. I could remove them or just change the ride a bit. Also, since I use the demo version of the DAW I'm using (FL Studio 12) I have to record, which isn't ideal because it makes some of the sounds glitch sometimes. The drums near the end don't sound like that when I play the song in FL.

So. Needs more melodic influence, a rework on the instruments, change 1:48, maybe change the chords up a bit. Cool.

[Geoplex - Affinity]

I like the atmospheric intro and the warm pads. The big glissando at :18 was a nice touch. By around :30, I'm really liking progression and upbeat vibe. The melodic content at :51 was really enjoyable, and transitioned nicely into 1:03. Mix is super clean as usual. My favorite thing about this piece is how filled to the brim with joy it is, though. You've set up the progression really well here so that the chorus feels incredibly cathartic. The vocal bit at around 2:10 added a lot to the texture as well. Really engrossing melodies and mood here. Nice work with the atmospheric intro and outro as well. Fave'd and DL'd. Keep up the great work, Geoplex! ^^

Geoplex responds:

a 5/5 from TaintedLogic :O As always I really appreciate the feedback dude. Thank you :)

[-Coast-]

Love the atmospheric vibes from the beginning. The quirky beats at :14 are great, and the vocals give the piece a lot of character. Sound design is a major plus. The grittier synths at :52 are also a nice way of contrasting the smoothness. Otherwise, the piece is a little slow to develop until 1:30. I wish the arpeggios there sounded a bit more distinct in the mix, though, and also that there was more melodic content in this piece in general. The part at 2:24 is great for some structural variety, and I'm sure you've used some of those vocal samples from 2:40 on before. ;) Overall, really full-textured piece with a relaxing and spacey vibe overall. Tags that categorize it as "muddy" and "sloppy" are accurate, at least mixing-wise, but you nailed the atmosphere and sound design. Keep it up, Waterflame! ^_^

[AIM - The Loneliest Astronaut]

---Official AIM review---

Cool work with the pitch bending at the beginning. I love the ominous mood and quirky sound design. The bass at :21 is a little loud, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the drums at :32. The progression is a little slow, and the drum samples also sound pretty generic. The transition at 1:25 was a little sudden, but I like the use of the sub-bass there. The pads at 1:36 completely hijack the texture, but maybe that was the point. I like how you seem to be going in a different direction with the piece at 1:47. I guess my biggest complaint with this piece is that there’s a lot of minimalism and simplicity in the texture. The main melody is pretty generic, although I like how you incorporate more dynamic melodic content at times (2:08, 3:12). Overall, the piece still felt pretty slow-paced and repetitive imo. Most of my production concerns are actually more about the balance (I thought the drums could’ve been a bit stronger at times, and the bass a little less, etc.). Overall, though, it’s a catchy and enjoyable piece with some especially cool instrumentation. Keep at it, ET16!

8/10

[The Fallen]

---Official AIM review---

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The warm pads sound really smooth, although I think the sample you used for them was a bit generic. The piece is a little slow to progress, but it has an apprehensive and emotional quality that I really like. The prominent role of the hi-hats in the beat at 1:05 was a nice touch. Title is fitting. I think you needed a smoother transition at 1:46. Even a quick drum fill or crash would’ve helped. The transitory moment at 2:08 was a bit bizarre, yet flowed nicely into the last minute of the piece. Production-wise, I think the kick could be a bit stronger. There’s also a bit of room for improvement with the clarity of some instruments, especially those hats. The low pads could potentially be a big culprit in distorting the mix. It’s not super noticeable overall, but it couldn’t hurt to revisit some filtering techniques and/or be stricter with the equalization. I also would’ve appreciated some melodic content in this piece. There’s a lot of tension here, and I think it would be really effective to resolve it with some kind of solo or something. Overall, solid work. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and sound design, and a good sense for crafting atmospheres. Keep at it, DjCrystalux!

8/10

[AIM - Music Identified]

---Official AIM review---

Really interesting collage of sound effects at the beginning. It was certainly engaging, but I’m not sure how the ominous electronic whirring sounds at :16 meshed with the dinner party vibe of the background chatter. I think you needed a stronger transition into :23. The synth work is quite impressive there, but the piece doesn’t have much of a strong sense of progression after that point. You simply needed a lot more moving notes to keep my attention after a while. I know you’ve put a lot of effort into the rhythmic elements and details, but without much shape, phrasing, or melodic content, the piece doesn’t fit my criteria very well. There’s clearly a lot of effort put into the mixing and mastering, though. You’re definitely a talented producer, but the composition here is really underwhelming and simply directionless for most of the piece. My favorite elements of the piece are the sound design and production. Keep at it, Quarl!

5/10

Quarl responds:

I usually change my drums up a little in every bar because that's what I tend to focus on the most when I write "moving notes."

Sorry if I'm coming off as defensive. It's not intended, but drum and bass has roots in atonal genres. Nuero funk in particular.

thanks for the input though, it's always good to have an idea of what I should improve upon to try and engage people that just don't vibe with my stuffs.

[endK - Space Lasagna]

Gratz on the first place finish! I like the funky vibe at the beginning and the melodic content shortly thereafter. Your style still reminds me of Johnfn, which can only be a good thing. The transitory fill at :56 was great. I also really like how the bass is really exposed at 1:25. The brass fits into the texture really well, and indeed sounds quite musical with the humanization. There are a lot of different solos throughout the piece, which makes the piece feel like a jazz piece structurally despite the synthetic elements. My main complaint is that some of the elements of the texture didn't quite come through like I wanted them too. The electric bass seems to have a really cool line at around 2:40, but I can't quite pick out the notes with my headphones. This might well be a reflection of my headphones more than anything else, but regardless I the final chorus as an appropriate time to turn up the bass. :) Overall fantastic work, though. A well-deserved first place. Keep it up, EndK!

endKmusic responds:

Hey TL! :D
First of all thanks for the review, really grateful for every review of yours.
1:25 part was actually my favorite, since I introduced another more of a high-mids bass that's stereo separated, and it was more like a game of playful patterns at that point, that's why it sounds exposed I guess.
2:40 part was actually the same as the 0:59 I think oO. Maybe it sounds a little bit more muddy than the other sections cause I left some lows on brass section.
Much luvz once more! <3

[AIM - Calling]

---Official AIM review---

I like the ominous ambient vibes at the beginning. The pacing is really slow, but the warm pads that fade in by around :25 are gorgeous. I like the bright synth at :40 too. Even though it sounds a lot like a Nexus preset, it fits the texture really well. The beat at 1:11 is really creative, and the vocals are a nice touch. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but it doesn’t detract from the mix too much. It would be nice if you had filtered a tad bit of treble out of the distorted snares, but overall the frequencies are really well-balanced in this piece. I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content at some point, perhaps at the breakdown at 2:40. It also couldn’t hurt to have a bit more variety on the second refrain. The atmosphere and mood knocked this piece out of the park, though. The pads are absolutely gorgeous during that breakdown, and the stop-start transition at 3:16 works surprisingly well. The exposed vocals at the end are also quite effective as a coda. Overall, really admirable work here. Composition could’ve been a bit more creative, but that’s my only big complaint. Keep up the good work!

8.5/10

[AIM - Signpost Symbole]

---Official AIM review---

I like the beat at the beginning, although the instruments sounded a tad unpolished. The progression is really slow, and I think you needed a smoother transition into :53. The harmonic elements at :53 sound quite dissonant, with the bass line and the melodic riff noticeably clashing. The more atmospheric elements at 1:46 were a good idea, but I think that section suffers from the same problem: too much dissonance. I’d suggest laying out the chords you’re trying to use ahead of time. Even if you don’t know much about music theory, it can be a lot easier to hear these kinds of jarring dissonances when they’re on a generic piano sample than when they’re spread across several different instruments in different octaves. I’m not saying you should actually use a generic piano in your piece, but putting all of the notes in one place in order to construct a harmonic framework is usually a good starting point for identifying what needs fixing. Besides that, I thought the kick was a little weak and the overall texture quite repetitive. I appreciated the increase in intensity at 2:40, but even then the snare sounds a bit indistinct. My favorite element of the piece is definitely the atmosphere - you nailed the creepy mood and sound design. That said, I think you went too far with the clashing notes, my main concern for the piece. Overall, you made some bold choices with the texture here, but only the atmospheric elements paid off imo. Keep at it, Fibr!

5.5/10