TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - distance]

---Official AIM review---

I like the soothing piano at the beginning and the breathy vocals. The lyrics have a wistful vibe that you bring out in the vocals quite well. The instrumental is a tad simplistic at first, but I thought it was a wise compositional choice to add to the texture as the piece goes on, between the bass fade-in at around 1:20 and the more conspicuous string entry at 1:55. The backing vocals and more legato style at 2:02 were great for some structural variety. The atmosphere of the piece is also really beautiful, and I love the atmospheric instrument at 2:27 that almost sounds like a theremin. The variations on the refrain at the 3-minute mark are great. You really hit the piece home before scaling back the energy for a fittingly sentimental ending. The vocal editing isn’t perfect. There are a couple of moments where your voice sounds a little strained at the top of your range (1:03, 3:12). Overall, the vocals are both strong and heartfelt, though. It’s hard to find much to complain about here. The production is quite strong. The instrumentation is beautiful. You’ve clearly put a lot of emotion into this piece, which certainly helps this piece stand out. Keep up the great work, both of you!

9.5/10

[endK - Automaton Squad]

---Official AIM review---

The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at the beginning, but the texture really falls together nicely once the beat comes in. The melody with the portamentos at around :35 is a great touch. I love all the oscillations in energy, even if it led to some pretty sudden transitions at times (:55 in particular). My main worry with this piece is that you’ve tried to take it in a bunch of different directions at once. There appear to be a lot of melodic ideas that seem to be competing for the role of “primary melody” as the piece goes on. Oftentimes, these are simply well-fleshed-out variations of a similar theme, but the piece still comes across as bordering on too variational. There is some degree of cohesion, of course, as exemplified by the return of the refrain at 2:28 and the repetition of the motif at 1:06. Still, for a relatively short piece there’s a lot going on, and the pace of the progression is very fast. That’s really my only major complaint, though. The production is very strong. Everything sounds loud, crisp, and full in the mix, and you used a good balance of frequencies throughout. The instrumentation is really enjoyable. I love the little roll of clicks at the very beginning (and other places). The synth in the foreground at 1:17 is one of my favorites of the piece. The upbeat mood, full texture, and strong production quality really won me over with this one. Keep it up, EndK!

9.25/10

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, there's always bunch of stuff going on in my songs.
SOMETIMES I resist the urge to not have that many things included but this is not the one ._.
Thanks for the advice and review TL, will focus more on cohesion in the future.
<3

[Happy World]

I like the melodic riffs and upbeat mood. The song kinda throws you right into the middle of the action, though. There isn't really a proper intro, I mean. I also think the snare could've been quite a bit stronger. I think you need both some stricter equalization and harder compression. Also, for a piece that's supposed to be happy-sounding, there are a lot of accidentals in here (e.x., the pickup notes at :22). The glitchy bass at 1:05 was cool, but I think you tried to integrate it a little too much with the upbeat melodic riffs. The two elements (bass and melodies) got in each other's way a bit too much, which sounded a bit jarring. Harmonically speaking, this piece is also very repetitive and has little in the way of dynamic contrast or phrasing. I don't think it needed to be 4 minutes long. The orchestral instruments, especially the brass, sound pretty fake, too. The ending was a bit confusing. It sounds like it's fading out, but then you modulate it to another key. This kind of transition is usually good when the fade-out is subtle, but this one was not subtle, leaving the listener (i.e., me) confused momentarily. I've been tough on you in this review, but I think my main concern here is the excessive repetition. Like I said, the melodic riffs are good and, despite the relatively quiet drums, the mix sounds very loud and full throughout. Keep at it, man!

[AIM - T-Rex Handshake]

---Official AIM review---

I like the frantic synth patterns at the beginning. Great job facilitating the energy and creating a sense of climax into :52. The kick could’ve been a bit stronger at :52, but the gritty bass and rhythmic elements come together very well there. The transition at 1:18 came on a bit suddenly, but I really like the orchestral elements and the mechanical whirring in the background. You did a great job with the phrasing and progression in this piece. You’ve really crafted a cinematic scene with all the changes in energy and direction. At the same time, the instrumentation and ambiance gives this piece the cohesion it needs for such a long piece. I thought the abrupt transition at 2:37 actually worked quite well, probably because of thematic similarities between the two adjacent sections. The transition at 3:04, on the other hand, probably needed a bit more fleshing out. I also appreciated the injection of melodic elements at 3:46, even if the melody didn’t feel very dynamic. The final climax into 5:30 was great. In a way, the entire piece feels very transitory throughout, yet I think this fits the character of it well. I relatively sudden ending felt appropriate here. Overall, I think you nailed the sound design, progression, and phrasing with this one. All of my complaints are minor. Fantastic work!

9.25/10

ActualElf responds:

Wow, thank you for such an in depth and thought out review!

You've pointed out things in my production and writing that I hadn't noticed or thought about for myself, it's always great to have a clear view of things I need to improve on and pay more attention to. Thank you also for the kind things you had to say!

I went back and smoothened out that transition and I'm happier about the turnout!

[AIM - Gemini]

---Official AIM review---

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the bell-like synths. The vocal samples and the gritty bass at :14 are also good. The beat at :26 is very catchy. I think you have a fantastic sense of rhythm, and the sound design in the pieces I’ve reviewed for you is very well done. You didn’t foreshadow the slightly more laid back section at :55 very well, though. The melody at 1:09 is nice, although the rhythm of it is a bit square, especially compared to some of the exceptionally creative drum patterns you have in this piece. The dreamy synth pattern at 1:49 is really nice, too. While in general the piece is well-structured, it feels like you’re following a formulaic pattern for the progression instead of taking the piece in a new direction with each rendition of the theme. I’m sorry if this advice sounds repetitive from my other review, but I’d love to see you vary 1:49 a bit more given that you have the same exact same section at :27. That might help give your piece a bit more directionality and resolve. Stylistically, this is very similar to the other piece you submitted to the contest, although I love the interaction between the two melodic synths at 2:30 in this piece. Strong work yet again. :)

8.5/10

DarkHorseOrchestra responds:

Thank you for the reviews! Helps put in perspective what I needa work on. Definitely appreciate it!

[AIM - A delicate cycle]

---Official AIM review---

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the cute synth riffs. The vocal sample at :13 works pretty well, too. The entry of the beat at :32 was a tad sudden. I think you could use a riser or something to smooth over that transition. I also think the mix could be a lot louder in the piece. I might suggest some harder compression. The beat itself at :32 is really creative rhythmically and features some great sound design choices, notably the hi-hats. The spacey, lower-energy bit at 1:03 is also a plus. I like the camera FX at around 1:20. Just be careful not to overuse it (same goes for the phone alarm at 2:44). Hi-hats really stand out as driving the piece rhythmically. Again, I’d like to hear a stronger transition into 1:52. Despite the patchwork of very harmonically sound riffs here, I think you could still have some stronger melodic content. You don’t really develop a lot of the riffs (like the one at the very beginning) much as the piece goes on, and the climactic sections (:32 and 1:52) feel heavily chordal in nature. Still, you clearly have a great sense of harmony and rhythm. Overall, this piece is strong. Keep at it, DarkHorseOrchestra!

8.5/10

[Misshapen Pearl]

Beautiful minimalist strings at the beginning. I love the contrapuntal nature of it too. The intricate rhythm of the flute at 1:05 didn't suit the texture entirely well imo, and the next minute or so is largely characterized by rapidly shifting foreground textures (first flute, then strings, flute again, then organ, vocals, etc.). I just thought the piece lost its sense of directionality a tad in the middle section there. That said, the piece comes together really well by around the 2-minute mark, and I love the dark answer by the cello and bass at the very end. Overall very strong stuff. I think your style has changed quite a bit since 2007 judging by this, but this piece still has a great dramatic and organic vibe. Keep it up, Phonometrologist!

Phonometrologist responds:

Hey TL, you're quick. I agree with you on the criticism. If this piece that I were to conjure up was purely without any prior influences, I probably wouldn't choose to add the flute part. But since it was part of the original, it's married to the music and I'm not about to object now to the odd pairing. Originally I used one of Bach's flute sonata's as a guideline since Whirlguy wanted a snippet of music inspired by the Baroque period. Hence the title.
Thanks for stopping by once more.

[Entirely Elated]

I like the upbeat vibe at the beginning and the hi-hat rolls at :09. The quirky chopped vocals at :22 suit the texture well, and really contribute a lot to the climax into :34. One criticism I have is that the snare sounds a little thin, with a lot of top-end frequencies and not much else. Excellent job with the melodies at around the 1-minute mark, and the saxophone at 1:34 was really refreshing. The drops are really cool. Very refreshing sound design and intricate rhythmic design. During the middle section of the piece (1:00 to 1:53 or so), I think you tried to cram in just one too many melodic ideas. Consolidating some of your melodic ideas in this piece could help give it a bit more cohesion. Production quality is really solid here, though, and I like the dreamy ending of the piece a lot. Overall great work! Fave'd.

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the feedback, TaintedLogic! :)

[See What Sticks]

I like the busy beat at the beginning. The instrument that comes in at :05 at the top of the frequency range sounds a bit harsh, and its pitch pattern is pretty intricate for what seems to be a more percussive instrument. I'd suggest decreasing its presence in the mix a bit at the very least. The bass fill at :44 works quite well as a transition. Once you get to 1:04, I think the bass is distorting the drums a bit, though. The beat just isn't as crisp and present as before. I'd suggest looking into some equalization methods to fix this. I'm glad you tried something new at 1:39. Harmonically speaking, it could've felt a bit more connected to the previous section, but the synth fill at 1:37 helps smooth the transition over a little bit. Overall, I really like the instrumentation here, and the melody at 1:51 is really fun and cute. Nice job making the piece feel climactic once you get to 2:02. I thought the part at 2:16 was a little overwhelming, especially given how suddenly you increase the energy and thicken the texture. It's good that you made some effort to write a climactic and conclusive ending, but I think the vocals could've been a bit more polished, and they also compete for attention with a lot of the other elements too much. Still, the panning at the end is enjoyable, and you really show off your good sense of rhythm in this track. Overall, this piece is clearly a lot stronger than the last piece of yours I reviewed. I'm glad you were able to put so much effort into it. It really paid off. Keep up the good work, man! :')