TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Repurposed Souls - A.I.M. 2018]

---Official AIM review---

I liked the dreamy, pensive beginning. The drums are also a strong addition to the texture. The progression was a little slow at first, but definitely goes in a different direction by around the 1-minute mark. The track certainly has a unique structure. The glissando at 1:40 didn’t quite work for me. I think you needed to prime the listener more for a change that sudden. The section at the end with the echoy guitar ambience was absolutely haunting. That said, I think you could’ve done a lot more with the textural fill of this piece. It’s quite minimalistic the majority of the time, and lacks an emotional height or refrain to tie it all together. The result is that it feels both experimental and in a way incomplete. I think you nailed the mood and atmosphere. I also enjoyed your creative rhythmic work with the drums, especially around :47. I think that the reverb may have been a tad excessive at times, largely in the interest of making the drums sound as crisp and clear as possible. Another problem I see with the mixing is that the bass could’ve come through a lot stronger. More bass is certainly a potential solution to the lack of fill in the texture as I see it now. Overall, though, chilling piece that absolutely stays true to its thematic purpose. Instrumentation was also a highlight. Keep it up, man!

7.75/10

[AIM-The Creepy Doll]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The melody at :12 is beautiful and haunting. The progression is a little slow after a while, though, and the texture remains pretty thin despite the reverb for the first minute. Once you add some of the lower frequencies at 1:03, the texture becomes much fuller and well-balanced. I liked the ritardando into 1:28, although I thought the decision to change up the instrumentation so significantly at 1:32 was a pretty risky decision compositionally. On the one hand, you’ve created a kind of variety in the texture that’s quite welcome, but you also haven’t done much in the second half to expand the harmonic themes of the piece imo. There is some additional counterpoint, of course, but overall I’m a little bit confused about the role of the sound design overhaul that occurs halfway through the piece. Excellent use of melodic content and progression within the two halves, though. I also didn’t notice any major problems with the mixing. Some of your orchestral samples during the latter half of the piece sound pretty inauthentic, notably the choir and the stringed instrument at 2:10. Overall, pretty solid work. I’m looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.

7.5/10

[Ji4H3 - Some Lights (Original Mix)[Free Download]]

I like the hushed, cutesy vibe of the beginning. That kick has a LOT of treble, though. Might need a little more filtering work there. The emotional appeal of the piano at :30 is great, and there's a good sense of climax into 1:15. The mix is loud and clear here. The refrain has a really victorious and upbeat feel, and you contrast it well with the re-intro at 2:01. One of my main complaints here is that the second half of the piece doesn't add a ton of content that wasn't in the first half. I wanted to see you vary the main melody a bit to give the piece a stronger sense of direction. That said, I like how the bass is really exposed at 3:45. Overall really solid work here. All of my complaints are minor. Keep up the good work! ^_^

bow1255 responds:

Thanks for the review. That's helpful ^^

[Fopcin1]

I like the smooth, dreamy guitar at the beginning. Progression is pretty nice, too. I like it when the hi-hats roll in at :39, but be careful not to overuse that effect - it feels really transitory (as opposed to being a once-every-4-beats kind of thing). The solo at 1:28 helped give the texture some variety, yet wasn't a very dynamic solo in and of itself. My one main concern with the piece is that it doesn't have a lot of shape or phrasing to it. Kinda sounds like a demo track in that way. The sound design, mixing, and atmosphere are all great. It just needs a little more ebb and flow in the composition. Still, solid work. Really relaxing vibe here.

1zin1 responds:

Thanks for the detailed input. Much appreciated.. as i didn't spend to much time on this but from an outside look at it i do agree with what you've said and will build upon the track when i have time. Thanks again. :)

[Cell of Tut]

The stop-start rhythm of the piano at the beginning is really quirky, and the rest of the sound design really enhances an ominous kind of vibe. Has a bit of an experimental texture. The pause at 1:01 works okay as a transition, but it might've been smoother if you had added some more reverb or something. I wasn't a fan of how you started spamming the hi-hats at around 1:04. The harmonies get a little dissonant at around 1:40, and the piece starts to lack a clear sense of direction towards the end. I'd suggest finding other ways of creating variety and shape to the piece besides adding and subtracting instruments. Some automation, filtering, phrasing, and dynamic contrast would help give this piece a little more ebb and flow, instead of the drone-like quality it has right now. I also would've liked to see you add some more melodic content here. The rhythm of the piece can be hard to follow at times, and some more moving notes might help keep the listener grounded. Overall, I appreciate the compositional risks you took with this one, even if I think you could've done more with it harmonically. Keep at it, man! Definitely a piece worth revisiting imo.

Celudoc responds:

Thanks for the listen! I definitely see what your saying. I was going for a more despondent 'losing your sanity' kinda droney vibe, since I was trying to think of the mindset of wasting away in a cell, but i will definitely consider trying out a form of harmonic dissonance when i revisit this and try out more reverb. Maybe I can try humanizing the percussion a little more when i revisit it. I was also playing with the idea of adding dripping water, but I haven't gotten sampling down yet, so that'll be later. I sincerely appreciate the constructive criticism!

[Tempest Distortion]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Texture is very distorted. I like the swells a lot. I thought the bell-like synth at :32 could use some more reverb, and that the synth at :48 was a little cliché. Overall, the piece doesn't progress much harmonically. You're using the same couple of riffs with different instruments. The wind FX and vocal-sounding samples at 2:10 and 2:03, respectively, are really cool. Overall, I applaud the sound design and atmosphere here, but I think you could've done a lot more with the composition in terms of moving notes. The modulations later in the piece were a good idea, but I think you need to do more than that to keep this piece interesting harmonically. Keep at it, man!

Andethy responds:

Thanks for the quality feedback! It is hard to mix well in Garageband, and hopefully get an upgrade soon. I agree that my melodies could be improved on but I'm pretty new to music making. However, I'm learning more about the functionality and hope to make better tracks in the future...

[Geoplex - Singularity]

I like the pensive piano at the beginning and the atmosphere. Has a really bright and dreamy sound to it. Excellent sense of climax starting at around :45. The more synthetic elements that come in at :58 suit the progression well. The drop at 1:25 is good, and I like the melodic elements going on in the background. That said, I think the instrumentation during the drop is very similar to a lot of your other work, notably "Chimera". One thing that's particularly impressive about this is the production quality. Everything is crystal clear in the mix, yet still feels really full, atmospheric, and well-balanced. Great job with making this piece both upbeat and energetic, too. Overall I like it a lot. Keep up the good work!

Geoplex responds:

Hey man! Really appreciate the detailed review :)
Regarding the instrumentation, you may be more correct in your observation there than you know, because I think I've had a problem with overusing similar kinds of leads for 4 or 5 years tbh :p I need people to point it out or I may never stop lmao

I spent an ungodly amount of time on the mix of this one, so glad to hear it shows.

Thanks for the feedback!