TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Broken Game]

The beginning sounds a bit harsh. The drum part sounds generic and also really distorts the other instruments. Through a process called equalization, you can make each instrument sound much clearer. The drop at 1:10 is very minimalistic and that instrument sounds very thin and generic. After that, the piece features a short series of variations on the same progression you had earlier in the piece, but instead of building off the original riff the piece sounds like a demo reel for a series of remixes. It’s very disjointed and minimalistic throughout. The piece badly needs more melodic content. The piece ends very suddenly, and the structure simply doesn’t help keep the listener engaged. Sorry this is such a negative review. Let me offer some suggestions: going forward, I’d try to focus on writing a good melody, and then thinking about how that melody interacts with the elements of the piece that you have here (a bassline, drums, etc.). There are a lot of ways to go about writing a good melody, but usually you want it to be something that gets stuck in your head easily. Most melodies have some sort of stepwise component (like E, F#, G or C, D, E), but you also want to avoid writing arpeggios in place of melodic content. When you think you’ve written a piece that has a strong melody, please PM me. I’ll check it out. Good luck, man! ;)

1.5/10

[Geoplex - Drift]

I love the warm texture and upbeat mood. It's a little slow to develop, but the sound design is great. The melodic content at around :53 is really enjoyable, too. The mixing and mastering are solid. I like how the piece gets more melodic as it goes on. Atmosphere is especially nice in this one. Keep up the great work, Geoplex! ^^

Geoplex responds:

Thanks man! Slow development was what I was aiming for, I was actually thinking it was too fast while I was making it, haha. Might be because the song I got the idea from was literally 7 and a half minutes long though

Thanks for the feedback dude, I appreciate it :)

[Panda Eyes X FYER - Shuriken]

I love the energy and synths. The mixing and mastering is super strong. The vocal samples add to the theme a lot, and I was a big fan of the orchestral instruments in there as well. The ending came on pretty suddenly, but overall I like this track a lot. It's well-structured, smooth-flowing, and really packs some punch! Has a lot of quality melodic content for a dubstep track too. The distorted guitar at 2:37 was my favorite. Can't believe I hadn't heard of you yet, man. Keep up the great work!

[Deep Fried]

Hey man! Haven't seen a post from you for a while. I like the relaxed mood and busy beat. Cool ambient effect at :40. Makes for great background music. Texture feels nice and full - the snare and ping-pong synths fill in the higher frequencies pretty well. You have a great sense of rhythm. You might've overused the sweeps a bit, but it didn't bother me too much. The mix is totally clean, btw. Everything sounds so clear and crisp in my headphones. ^_^ Yum...

SynchroSpectre responds:

Oh thanks haha, I just saw this incomplete song and it had potential so I worked on it for a bit. I didn't care too much for this song, I didn't know where the creative direction was gonna go so I just posted it here lel.

[F-777 - Kung Fu Battle]

Very similar instrumentation as "The Secret Dynasty," but I guess that's to be expected. The drop at :35 was pretty cool. It has a gritty texture that contrasts the smooth eastern instruments really well. The piece seems to have a bit of a cyclical structure overall. Has a very pitch-and-catch vibe between the heavy breaks and melodic parts. I guess you do strip the drums away around the 2-minute mark, which helps to add variety, and I enjoyed the variations on the last drop. The piece could've used a more extensive outro, though. Overall solid work! Mixing and mastering is tight. Keep it up!

[NGADM 2017 Auditions Podcast]

Thanks for the shout-out! Good to see you're getting the word out. The background music was beautiful, btw. I should really check out more of your music. Well-produced podcast, though. Your accent reminds me of Jenna Marbles. :)

ChronoNomad responds:

Had to Google Jenna Marbles, and what do you know--we were both born in Rochester, NY! Not sure if that means anything, but I did think it was an interesting little factoid. I usually pick up the regional accent fairly quickly, and I've been all over. Of course I can also sound "more professional" with less of an accent, but this was meant to be more on the easygoing side.

I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the music and found the podcast to be well-produced. And I figured it was high time to give credit where credit is due! This just seemed like a really good way to do it.

To be completely honest, the recording session was a pretty quick and dirty single-take affair. Mixing in the background music took longer. Thanks for leaving a review! :D

[AIM - Chris, the Boat and the Tormented Sea]

I like the flowy vibe and bright tone. The mood changes a lot from chord to chord, which adds a lot of tension to the piece. It seems to have a very uplifting direction at around the 2-minute mark. The marked pause at 3:00 was a bit jarring, and I'm not quite sure of the purpose it served in context. The structure of the mini-phrases in the piece gets a little repetitive, and I would've loved to see you open it up a little more after a while, but the mood of the piece is what really ties it together IMO. It could even make a decent loop. The music really breathes despite the structural repetition. Keep up the good work, LSD! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Leave it to you to call my piano music flowy ;)
I kid, though, since obv this if anything is one of those flowy tracks. Quite intentionally so, considering how much the sea tends to flow ^___^
I did indeed intend for the mood to be ambiguous and quickly changing, once again, kind of liek the ocean :D
I'm not sure I would call the point at 2 minutes uplifting, but more like someone bravely facing a challenge; not sure exactly what I'd call that, since it isn't pure bravery :V
I know what I feel better than I can describe it in words xD

The 3 minute mark is the silent cruelty of the sea, while you desperately struggle, with nobody around to help; a sudden realization that maybe things won't work out.

I didn't want to diverge too much from the style of the piece, since that is pretty much all it is, along with some good chord choices. This is also, naturally, because it fits my interpretation of the art better. Thanks a lot for the review, TL (#Fearless Squirrel)!

[Soulflight]

I like the rich texture at the beginning. It has a very relaxed mood, and I like the wonky pads at around 1:10. The melody at 2:24 is super catchy and has an easy-going, almost cascading vibe. The part at 3:54 was another highlight - it was a new injection of energy into the piece that served it well in context. It seems like you're using a different drum kit than you used to, btw, which I approve of. The piece was a little long, but it still kept me engaged. Well-structured, smooth-flowing, and well-mastered track overall. I absolutely love that major 2nd riff you sprinkle into the background at various places, 5:55 for example. The ending has an especially bright feel to it as well. Keep up the good work, Lockyn!

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, definitely always look forward to your reviews. Thanks for the love and support as always! Cheers and I'm glad you enjoyed :)