TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[[SkiT] Night Bloom]

The bass at the beginning has the tone of a sub-bass, yet I think it's an octave too high to function as such. The bell-like synths at :11 work well, despite a few harsh frequencies in the upper range. The entry of the pads at :33 wasn't foreshadowed very well, and in general I think the texture of this piece is pretty thin and dry. You could use some more reverb, especially on the drums and more atmospheric synths. The pads at 1:27 seem to be distorting the mix a little. I'd suggest being a little stricter with the equalization there. The piano at 1:50 sound pretty dissonant - I think the bassline and the chord progression clash a bit harmonically. Also, up until that point the piece has a sort of ever-evolving texture that isn't very well-grounded. The repetitive nature of the last 1.5 minutes or so of the piece helps on this front, but I think you could still do better to shape your progressions a bit more. Try experimenting more with automation, dynamics, and the like. Overall, there are a lot of cool ideas here - I mentioned the bell-like synths and the impressive drum work - but I think the composition could be a bit stronger. Keep at it, man!

DaMastrofSkiTsees responds:

Thank you so much for your input! I'm not gonna lie, I'm still new to FL so I didn't find a way to further polish the synth. I can't believe I didn't think about adding reverb to the drums. The pad was just a tweaked preset as I spent way too long trying to produce the sound I originally wanted. The dissonance for the piano was intentional but I feel like everything got drowned out at that part :)

[Disco time]

Catchy riff at the beginning. A lot of the drum samples sound really generic, but the kick is really strong and drives the beat forward well. The bass that comes in at :13 kinda clashes with the riff at the beginning, too, and then the chord progression at :30 is a textbook cliché. The melodic riff at :41 is cute, but I think you went way overboard on the reverb there. Despite my issues with the progression, this piece was going in a good direction by the end. I wish you had fleshed out the structure a little more. It doesn't really feel complete. Also, I'd suggest that you leave a little more room in the mix at the top end for those hats. That's another reason why it'll help to tone down the reverb. Overall, not a bad track. Could use a bit more effort composition-wise, but still a fun piece.

[Slowly]

Cute riff at the beginning. The instrument at :09 sounds a bit harsh in my ears, and after :18 the texture gets a little dissonant. That sample at :19 sounds percussive, yet you use it as a pitched instrument here, which I think is a questionable call. After that, you kinda just oscillate between a few patterns to form the entire structural basis for your piece. The result is that the track doesn't have a strong sense of direction, climax, or resolve. I think in the future you should focus on building your track around a more melodic pattern. Right now, it sounds like you have a lot of ideas for riffs that aren't really developed beyond their minimal, staccato-y form, and I think that's a big problem. Still, a lot of the individual riffs are pretty catchy and interesting. It's just the arrangement and composition that's seriously lacking. Keep at it, man!

Gougou responds:

You are right