TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Soulbreaker]

I like the gritty texture and fun melodic riffs at the beginning. The rhythm at :13 was a little hard to follow, but it came together a bit better at :24. It still sounds rather dissonant until :48, though. The piece also could've used some percussion or something to add some texture. I think 1:15 is my favorite part. The arpeggios there just feel right, and the subtle variation at 1:40 was a nice touch. You're right that the quality isn't great, but I still appreciate the composition. Keep at it, man!

[Welcome to the Creepy]

The little oom-pah pattern at the beginning is nice. Feels almost melancholy in a way. The reverb helps emphasize a kind of sadness here. The rhythm is very square, yet the piece has a real human quality to it in the progression. I would've liked to see you use some more dynamics, phrasing, and humanization on the instruments to amplify the emotional appeal. It's a simple piece as it is, and so probably needs a bit more variation along such parameters to keep my attention. Still, nice work with the harmonies and atmosphere. Ritardando at the end was also a plus. Keep up the good work!

LumpyDumpyBuuu responds:

Thank you very much for commenting and all comments will be helpful.

[Virtual Riot - Stargarden (Aelon Remix)]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The quirky lead is also a big plus. The "reset" at :28 was a nice touch structurally. The build-up at :45 is good, but you have gone a bit too far with the reverb there. The drop at :56 is pretty amazing. That bass is absolutely scrumptious, and you got really creative with the rhythms and automations there. My main complaint here is that the second half of the piece is very similar to the first half of the piece, save for the drop. I really would've liked to see you vary that melody in the subtle, cute lead at 1:32 instead of just repeating it from the first half. I also would've liked to hear another point of climax towards the end that mirrored the level of catharsis of the first drop. Still, hard to complain about much here. Excellent atmosphere, instrumentation, and structuring. Production is solid as well. Keep up the good work!

Aelon responds:

Thanks!

[KChG - Phosphorescent]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the synths. Good sense of atmosphere and direction. The transition at :13 was neat, yet didn't disrupt the flow too much. Nice work with the crisp hi-hats and overall instrumentation, too. The mix is pretty clean, and the snare really packs some punch. The quirky, hollow-sounding snare at 1:24 is especially cool. The transition at 1:52 was a bit lazier with the generic 4-snare roll, but overall I thought this piece was rather smooth-flowing. Nice job with the automations too. The section at 2:33 has a really ominous vibe, but a couple of great details with the clicks in the beat and the atmosphere. It might've dragged on for a bit too long, but overall that section really gave the piece some shape and helped you gear up for the final section. The piece never really reached the emotional height I expected at the end, but you certainly kept up the excellent mood and atmosphere of the song 'til the end. Great work overall. Really fun stuff with the sound design. Keep it up!

KChG responds:

Thanks dude! I appreciate the criticism. I wanted to craft the end into a space feel kind of like you’re stranded in a ship or something

[Ra's Wrath]

The "ding" at the beginning was a good idea, and I like the automation at :04 too. The two riffs playing at :06 kinda clash with each other, and in general the sound design is pretty stale and lacks variety. The return of the "ding" at :54 wasn't anticipated very well. The main pads you use at 1:06 (and throughout) sound pretty muddy in the lower frequency range, yet at the same time the texture is both minimal and dry for most of the piece. Some reverb might help, but I think the main problem is that you need instruments that blend well together and sit better in the mix. The transition at 2:12 was good, although by that point the overarching structure is beginning to feel quite repetitive (i.e., ding, then automated fade-in, then the introduction of another new riff). I also thought 2:40 sounded straight-up dissonant harmonically, and I'm not sure that's what you were going for. You have a lot of different riffs and patterns sprinkled throughout this piece, and tbh it's not immediately clear to me how they're related harmonically. I'd suggest consolidating some of these riffs and fleshing out the ones you think are the best. Right now, you have a boatload of ideas bridged by the "ding" transitions, and I think it's a bit overwhelming from a structural standpoint, despite the minimalism in the texture for most of this piece. I've been really tough on you in this review, but I think my criticisms have two main points: 1) the instrumentation doesn't really accomplish much. It's a generic, gritty-sounding synth that doesn't really help channel the mood or anything. You might want to experiment with simply using more instruments in your piece with the same notes before anything else. AND 2) The structure doesn't feel very cohesive. You've tried to take the piece in a lot of different directions, and all your ideas are simply separated by dings. The piece would be more effective if you had some more repetition and phrasing instead of sudden changes. Don't get me wrong: the piece isn't all bad. I like the ominous descending line at 2:01 and the low percussion that's in the background for much of the piece (e.x., 1:04). Hope this review helped you! Keep at it, man.

[Sieoctik - For Real]

Intro is really interesting. Kinda throws you right into the action of the song, yet the beat is still really minimal until :28. Still, I'd suggest leaving a little more space in the texture at the beginning of the piece, especially since most of the rest of the piece is so minimal. The riser at :34 has a really distinct sound, but I think the way you use it as a moving note at :41 is a bit of an acquired taste. You also come in at 1:16 with another rendition of the drop that sets the pace of the piece to go really fast. I'm also confused by the riff at 1:27, which I don't think was foreshadowed much by the harmonic framework of the piece. I gotta be honest: the structure and progression of this piece is all over the place, and seriously lacks melodic content or textural fill. I'm also really confused by the riff at 3:26 - I just think it's pretty jarring when an instrument is introduced for the first time 3/4 of the way through a piece. That said, the mixing and mastering is still really strong. You're clearly a talented producer, but the composition needed more effort. There's just very little sense of development, phrasing, and resolve here. I know I've been tough on you in this review. I think the main problem is that you tried to take the piece in too many different directions in a relatively short period of time, so it came across as a bit obtrusive. Keep at it, man!

sieoctik responds:

What can I say? I’m a man that likes to experiment lol. Thanks for the feedback though. I learned something new.

[Concept Delay]

I like the rhythm at the beginning. Some of the percussion sounds a bit harsh in my ears. I think you either went overboard on the panning, or maybe it's just that the stereo shaping is too wide. Still, cool beat. Very refreshing sound design and killer mood/atmosphere. I'd highly encourage you to flesh out the structure a bit more. Chopped vocals were probably my favorite element of the texture. Keep at it, man!

DJDureagon responds:

I think that i didn't put it through a de esser. Sorry about that. I didn't want to inflict pain with the beat. Thanks for the feedback ill surely take it all to heart.

[Soaring]

I like the bouncy piano at the beginning, but the echo effect on it really makes it hard to follow the rhythm at the beginning. The dreamy pads at :05 were nice, but they sound like a generic Nexus preset. Also, the intricate rhythm of the underlying riff at :16 kinda clashes with the dreamy pads. Seems to me like you could stand to flesh out some of these ideas a little more. If you're going to try to make :16 work, I'd suggest at least layering some drums on top there to keep the rhythm a bit more grounded. Intro could use some toning down of the echoing, but otherwise I like the ascending arpeggios. Hope you keep working on this, man! It has potential.

[Some Bass Funk Shit]

Good sense of rhythm and harmony here. A couple of the instruments sound really dry. In fact, that dreamy guitar riff at :36 is the only one that's noticeably reverberated. A lot of the intervals you play with the piano are pretty dissonant, too. I'd suggest at least changing the voicing of the piano notes to mask the dissonance a little more. Other than that, my main concern is that the piece doesn't have a lot of direction structurally. The underlying piano, bass, and drum patterns never change beyond the addition of some hats midway through. I think you missed a big opportunity to do some more storytelling with this track. Regardless, fun instrumentation and groovy vibe. Keep up the good work!