TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Hidden Path-]

Ah...I see I'm late to the party. I like the bright tone at the beginning and the spacious atmosphere. Sounds far eastern in a way. The progression is a little slow during the first couple of minutes, and despite the fun percussion in the background and the soothing mood, the harmonic texture is quite thin. The bass that fades in at 1:20 adds a fun new dimension to the piece, as if all of a sudden there are monkeys chasing after you on the hidden path. The rhythmic elements are really fun by around 2:30, and remind me of "Sinking Feeling" in a way. Your mixing and mastering has clearly improved a lot in the past couple of years. I suppose I would've liked to hear some more melodic content during the middle of the piece. After the rhythmic elements take over, there isn't much of a sense of direction to the harmony. The bass riff at 4:10 is a lot of fun, and does its part to add some structural variety. At 4:45, there's finally a solid sense of a melodic riff, even though the chord progression is a tad cliche. I like how you brought the piece full-circle by the end, too. The fun, ambient textures during the last 1.5 minutes or so really make this piece feel complete. Overall, this is a great track. You don't always blend elements of coherence and your bouncy, rhythmic textures so effectively, but here I think you nailed it. Keep up the good work, Waterflame! :D

[~SW~ The Broken Cycle]

I like the ominous beginning and pensive synths. Beautiful ambient textures throughout the piece. The swirling chime-like instrument at 1:15 or so is excellent. The bass that starts becoming prominent in the mix at 1:25 or so is a nice touch, too. The melodic content at 2:05 fits well - has a soothing vibe that contrasts heavily with the staggering beat and punchy, driving bass. Excellent production quality, too. Your mix always brings out so many amazing, luscious details. Hauntingly beautiful content overall. Congrats on the entire album, but really this piece takes the cake! Hope to hear more from you soon. :)

[re:カレント]

I like the energetic pulse it has despite the atmospheric flair. Really cool sound design and progression. I agree that it's a little repetitive, but I also wish you brought out the melodic content a little more. The (vocals?) at 1:34 seemed a little out-of-place, but overall the rhythmic elements of the piece are really strong. Well-structured, smooth-flowing track with strong production quality and killer instrumentation. Keep up the great work, Miyolophone! :)

Miyolophone responds:

Thank you for the feedback, TL! Much appreciated :D

[Kanons]

Piece is awesome. Gorgeous atmosphere and instrumentation. I didn't realize the meter was so complicated the first time I listened to it. Melodic content is beautiful. The frantic bit at 1:23 comes on a little suddenly, but still fits the overarching direction of the piece. Nice job adding some structural contrast at 2:07. The rhythmic details really come out well in that section, too. 3:23 was a particularly haunting moment for me. It felt like taking a breath after all of the dense underlying harmonies of twittering synths you have going for most of the track. The frantic part at 4:20 came on less suddenly somehow, perhaps because the second half of the piece fits a similar structural mold as the first half. The coda added some emotional appeal, too. Excellent work all around. I know I spoil you with my praise, man, but I'm really, really impressed with how far you've come in a couple short years. Keep up the great work! ^_^

Onefin responds:

Thanks a ton TL! Yeah the time sig annotations probably look more complicated than they actually are :P

I tried to make 1:23 as smooth as possible, 4:20 was probably better cuz the build created some anticipation of it

Yeah I was sort of surprised the meter f-storm worked at all, especially at 2:24, there I just like slapped sixteenth notes to the end of certain bars for the heck of it and then was like "great let's somehow make these sound natural"

I like codas, Miyo complained about how I always make outros that creatively re-imagine the thematic elements of the track rather than just ending the track

[Calycycle]

I know I've reviewed this before on CHIPS, but I couldn't help myself. Excellent engrossing atmosphere and tranquil mood. I agree that it fits best as a loop. The cutesy synths that are arpeggiating throughout the section from :30-1:00 or so are great. Has a candid, jazzy feel throughout. Simply very intelligent composition, and a strong production to match. Keep it up, 1f1n1ty (or Evan, or what have you). ;)

Onefin responds:

Thanks TL! Yeah sorta glad you came back and gave thoughts on the intended loop rather than y'know talking about the reversed bit :P

[-Machine Politics-]

I like all the FX at the beginning and the rhythmic riff that starts fading in at around :11. The intricate rhythmic elements really carry the first minute of the piece or so. I like all the somewhat bizarre percussion and the pizzicato-y synths. After a while, I would've liked to hear some more moving notes in the texture. The harmonic depth doesn't really progress very much during the first couple of minutes. The transition at 2:06 was really enjoyable, but the kick gets a little lost in the mix after that point (during the section from 2:08 to 2:30 with the heavy bass). For most of the piece, though, the mix is quite full and clean. I know this is a track that heavily emphasizes rhythm (reminds me of a really old track of yours: Heavy Machine Rhythm), but I thought you could've added a bit more shape to the piece at times. The piece starts to have a stronger sense of direction at around 4:15 when the uplifting pads come in, but overall I think the structure of the piece is a little disjointed. The ending of the piece with the pulsing Lo-fi effects was cool, though. Overall, the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic elements are great. I just would've liked to see some more prominent melodic content to give this piece more of a focus. Keep at it, Waterflame! :)

[-Bastard Zone-]

Really catchy and fun piece. The mood/texture change a little suddenly at :27, 1:10, and some other places. This track is great for a video game, but as a stand-alone piece it has a bit of a wonky structure, which is made harder to discern because of the near-constant energy and the somewhat sudden transitions. The texture has a lot of pizzicato-y elements without many more legato textures to bridge the gap between sections. That said, the rhythmic elements of the piece are really strong, and the sound design is awesome. Structurally, it comes across as a bit of an experimental piece, but the production is clean and the mood is pretty engrossing. Keep it up, Waterflame! Happy 2018. :)

[Sunbeam Skies]

I like the bright, cutesy vibe at the beginning. It still has a great pulse and rhythm to it, though, and feels kinda "contained," like you're gearing up for a big explosion of energy. I guess that explosion came at 1:01, but that wasn't a lot of transitory content to bridge the gap there. In fact, I think this whole piece has a severe dearth of smooth transitions. I don't know if that's what you mean by "not quite touched up," but that's definitely my main concern with the piece. Still, great job with the mood, energy, and production. The melodies might've also needed more of a front-seat in the track at some point, but I appreciate the little piano solos that bookend the second half. Keep it up, Lockyn! Happy new year. :)

Lockyn responds:

definitely what i meant, analysis is spot on. happy new year!

[wax//wane]

I like the tranquility at the beginning. The build-up was very drawn out (which I guess is kinda the point, though). The sound design also wasn't my favorite - the synths up until around the 2-minute mark all seem like something out of 3xOsc. The arpeggios at 2:00 added a bit more depth to the texture, and I applaud the chord changes at 1:45. The pacing is still a little slow for my tastes, yet the atmosphere is pretty hypnotizing. The climax of the piece still wasn't particularly melodic or revelatory, and I think the tone of some of the synths is a little too harsh at around 4:37. That said, the instruments all sit well in the mix, and given the amount of time you spent on this (one day, I assume) a lot of progress was made. I also thought the ending was pretty great: mysterious and yet surprisingly conclusive. Not your typical fade-out at all. Overall, it was a relaxing listen with strong production quality and a fitting title. Keep it up, Midi. Happy 2018! ^_^

midimachine responds:

ty for the review! all the sounds in this- pads, arps and bass - are actually made from part of a sample of a woman screaming lmao. tbh i like the little wobble on the pad in the beginning, would be difficult to make that happen in 3xosc at least hehe. as far as time spent on it goes, FL says 49 minutes, which i think is about right! happy 2018 to you too friendo, thanks for all the support this year!