TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Land of Air]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. The synths are a little cheesy, but the progression is strong. The guitar was a nice touch. I like the dreamy vibe by around 1:20. The vocals are smooth, and fit the texture really well. I also like the lyrics themselves. The chord progression is a little cliche, and the transition at 2:20 was a little rough. In my mind, the piece really comes together at 2:48 with that final, victorious melody. The production was also enjoyable - it’s both spacious and clean. Overall, this is really strong work. Keep it up, ShikiGamiLD! ;)

9/10  

[Loosing my mind]

I like the bright piano and atmosphere at the beginning. The groovy rhythmic section at :26 was really catchy and refreshing, although the piece is a little slow to develop. The drums are nice and strong and crisp, although I wasn’t a huge fan of your clap sample - it sounded a little generic, as do the pads at 1:28. I would’ve liked to see some stronger melodic content at 2:02. The riff you had in there was very repetitive rhythmically, and had a stagnant feel. The piece several minimalistic sections in general, with not many high-end frequencies. I like the structural relief you offered at the 4-minute mark - it was a nice change of pace. I wish you varied the melody at 4:44, although the climactic section at 4:58 was enjoyable. Overall, this is a strong piece. You clearly have a great sense of rhythm, harmony, and flow. Keep at it, PolarTrance! ;)

8.5/10

[Jade Palace]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning as well as the sound design. The mix is really spacious and well-reverberated. I also thoroughly enjoyed the melodic content at 1:17. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when the build-up at 1:48 was exactly the same as the first one. I also think the second drop needed some more distinct elements from the first one. Overall, the composition here is a little formulaic, although that’s my main problem with the piece. Strong work with the instrumentation, flow, and atmosphere. Keep it up, PianoreGD! :)

8.5/10

Tennon responds:

Thanks 4 the review m8

[Pragulka]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. Some of the instruments are a little cheesy, and the chord progression is cliche. I also think you could’ve done some more interesting things with the drums throughout the piece. The melody at :52 is enjoyable - I like the crips, marcato articulation on that synth. Overall, the mix is pretty clean here. I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout. Nice use of modulation at 2:37. Overall, this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece too. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt (when the synth cuts out suddenly at 3:29). Good job with the melodies and atmosphere, though. Keep at it, Octapus58! ;)

8.5/10

octopus58 responds:

Thanks!

Yeah, I might have gotten somewhat repetitive with my past few songs and the chord progression (the triads and stuff). For my next song in this album, I will try to vary it up a bit. Thanks for noticing all the stuff I put into it however, I appreciate it :)

[Lawn Mowers]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The instruments are a little cheesy, and I think you went a little overboard on the reverb. At 1:06, the lead seems to be distorting the chords a bit in the mix, although the drums are crisp and clear throughout. I’m enjoying the melodies and flow of the piece. The composition felt a little formulaic and “safe.” I would’ve liked to see you add a bridge or breakdown to give it a little more shape and to vary the chord structure. You also don’t change up the instrumentation much over the course of the piece. That said, the upbeat vibe and melodic content really won me over here. Keep at it, Octaplex. ;)

7.75/10

[The Meaning of Life]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the instruments. The mid-range bass instrument at :25 sounds a little harsh, yet also blends into the texture pretty well. The string solo at :40 was beautiful. Excellent job with the sound design and progression here. Wonderful use of phrasing from 1:00 - 1:30. I like the tempo automations, too. The piece began feeling a little minimalistic by that point, but then you came in with another gorgeous string melody at 1:55. I really wish the melody had been more up-front in the mix, though, because (as cool as the harmonies are there), the melodic content should really take precedent. I guess my main complaint is that the piece has very little cohesion - it’s hard to pick out repetition in the structure, and I find that problematic. I also thought the transition at 4:11 was rather abrupt. Still, the piece is rather smooth-flowing overall, and has a really great atmosphere and creative sound design. Keep up the good work, LucasMasoch! ;)

9.25/10

[Our Nostalgic Days [The Archer Girl Ep.6]]

I like the emotion at the beginning. The pacing is pretty slow, but it also compliments the theme. That said, :28 had a rather sudden injection of energy and a much brighter mood. The sweep at :54 was a little cheesy, although I did enjoy the melodies at :58. The drums at 1:11 could sound a bit clearer and crisper. I think they need some more compression. It might also help to experiment more with panning. The orchestration here is really good, though. I love the brass solos at 1:39. This piece comes together really nicely - great job with the progression and melodic content. The mixing needs a little tweaking, but overall this piece is really strong. Keep up the great work, Jessieyun0404! ;)

9/10

JessieYun responds:

Hello TaintedLogic,

Thank you so much for such detailed and great review. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much for the advice, and also encouragement. I'll keep your comments in mind and will improve myself to create a better song that can interact with the world.

Thank you,
Jessie

[Breaking Ground]

I like the tranquil vibe at the beginning. The pacing is very slow, though. When the kick first comes in at :31, it seems a bit out-of-place for this kind of piece. It’s also possible that your sample is just a bit too sub-bassy. Interesting placement for the climax at :54. The minimalism during the first minute really resolves to a funky rhythmic texture at 1:08. In one regard, this piece sounds really unique, but I also think a lot of your instruments sound pretty generic, like the open hats on the off beats. The melodies at 1:22 seriously distort the higher range of your mix, btw. I think you need to compress the hi-hats and take some of the treble off of that lead. The middle section of this piece (:54 - ) has a sense of continuity that isn’t ever broken. I think it could really help you out to offer the listener a bridge or breakdown at some point. This piece needs more structural contrast and phrasing. It also lacks coherence - it has a bit of an meandering structure that feels very open-ended and lacks resolve. Overall, really interesting piece. I commend you for taking some risks with the composition and sound design here. For the most part, I think they paid off. Keep at it, IchigoChamploo. ;)

8/10

[G035]

I like the energy and thick texture at the beginning. Cool use of frantic rhythmic elements at around :25, and the piano melodies at :33 are nice too. I’d encourage you to bring the piano line a bit further front in the mix, though, as the low chord is clearly a secondary harmony there. The loop is smooth, but this piece still isn’t structurally complete, which is my main problem here. You simply need to do more with the composition before I can properly judge things like structure, variety, and phrasing. I do like what I’ve heard here, though. Keep at it, EverReverb. ;)

7.5/10

AED-4 responds:

I don't know how this review slipped from me. Thank you for in-depth review TL, as always ^^

[endK - Sunflowers & Ants]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The instrumentation is interesting - the instrument you used for the chords was pretty bizarre, yet fit with the texture rather well. I like the melodic content a lot too. The drums are seriously weak, though. I can barely hear the kick, and the snare could be a lot crisper and clearer. I’d definitely invest in some compression at the very least. You could also layer on another kick drum to make it sound more distinct - often a good idea in energetic piece like this IMO. Still, the quirky instruments and cute mood really won me over here. You have a good sense of harmony and structuring, too. Keep at it, EndKashika! ;)

8.5/10

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for one more review TaintedLogic! Really appreciate it.
I didn't want the drums to stand out in this one, eventhough I hear the kick nicely oO (been reuploading the song for a couple of times).
Snare could be crisper, I agree with that one.
Thanks for advices and compliments once more. :)
Cheers!