TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Detious & 3MBER - Reasons]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning. There's a great sense of climax starting at around :30. I like the "calm before the storm" at :55, too. The drop was nice, and the vocals added a lot to it. The mixing and mastering is super strong, btw, and evidenced by how the vocals didn't get lost amongst all that bass. You keep the texture nice and full, although 2:21 did a good job of providing some structural relief. I like how the two drops aren't the same, although the second one didn't quite have the same spaciness as the first one. The outro was solid. I like that toy piano instrument. Overall, great work. Structure, flow, sound design, melodies, mixing. It's all there. Keep it up, guys! ;D

[3MBER + SRK - Night Owls (Lockyn Remix)]

I like the flowy vibe the synth pattern at the beginning has. The melodies that come in at :15 have a fun, bouncy feel. The vocals and synth melodies blend really well at :45, and the drop at the 1-minute mark comes with a lot of catharsis. The piece has this cutesy tone, yet also really makes me want to dance. Nice job with the climax into 2:46. This track is super engaging and energetic. Your mixing and mastering is fantastic as always. That bass that comes in at 3:45 (and other places) is a nice touch, too. I like how you brought it full circle with the part at the 4-minute mark. The ending was nice, although sometimes I think you need more than just a reverse crash to connect some of the sections of this piece. When the instrumentation changes a lot between each section, it's nice to prime the listener a little more. Overall, excellent work. Fave and DL. I also need to check out the original! Good luck with the end of your semester, Lockyn. ;D

Lockyn responds:

Transitions have always been one of my weak points, and I'll work hard to try and meet your criticism. thanks as always TL!

[Uwaaa!! So Kawaii (Lockyn Remix)]

I like the melodies right off the bat. It has a bit of a reserved vibe, though, with all the note lengths being slightly less than "full." The piece has a lot more drive after the beat comes in. The piece seemed like it always had a melody going, which after a while made it hard to keep me engaged. I'm not sure how much you changed it from the original, but I did enjoy the instrumentation, arguably the most important parts of remixes. I think the transition into 4:30 is a little weak, though. Overall, I like it. Catchy melodies, well-structured, cool instruments. Looking forward to hearing more of your original work, Lockyn. ;)

Lockyn responds:

hey TL, thanks for the reviews as always. I'm glad you enjoyed other than the repetitiveness. Cheers mate

[Triumphal Entry]

I like the contrasting textures at the beginning. It has an even underlying rhythm, yet a pulse that gives it a subtle bite. The entry of the chords at :40 was somewhat unwarranted, although I did like how they meshed with the effects in the background. The jarring tempo change at 1:10 threw me off a bit, admittedly, but the sound design in this piece remains excellent throughout. I love the vocals. I think you could stand to flesh this out a little more and really capitalize on the cinematic mood you've set up here, but as it is this is an enjoyable piece, and a surprisingly good loop I might add. Keep up the good work, Phonometrologist. ;)

Phonometrologist responds:

Thanks for stopping by TL. The "entry of the chords" is treated more like a surprise. Even I didn't think it had much logic to transition to that other than to treat this piece to have a "here I am!" part. The jarring tempo change at 1:10 and later is really just my attempt to break free from the fetters of "epic" music and commercial principles being treated as background music behind a visual. And I think I got bored for a second. When it comes to musical journaling, I would most likely have "fleshed out" certain sections for a smoother/logical transition.

[La Última Dramática]

Ah, how could I miss another of your April Fools Day pieces? XD I like the cinematic vibe in the beginning, as well as how it quickly devolves into dissonance. I think one of my favorite parts starts around :38. It seems oddly pensive. Overall, it felt like you were trying to make a parody of your own music in order to make fun of yourself. I think there are too many stop-starts to validly draw the comparison in that regard, though. I thoroughly enjoyed the cadence at the end, too! Felt like a gradual descent into hell. XD Happy belated April Fools Day to you too!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

"I think there are too many stop-starts to validly draw the comparison in that regard, though."

=> Haha, you got me xD
I do tend to have a lot of flow going on in most pieces, especially if they're solo piano ones :D

It's fun that so many people told me they liked this not as a parody, but as actual music. On one hand, it was really funny, on the other, it made me wonder if I should stop trying alltogether, haha ;D

Thanks for the dedicated reviewing! I look forward to hearing some of your work once you get the time and energy to make more music!!! :OOO

[BRUCE: Bretta's Theme]

I remember really liking some stuff you did for BRUCE, and this is no exception. I love the echo-y intro and subsequent melodic section at :15. It's a little minimalistic, yet has a lot of character to it all the same. My one complaint would have to be the samples - their lack of authenticity detracts from the mood a little bit. The pace of the piece is pretty quick structurally, with a lot of transitional moments, yet it seems like it would fit well with a video game intro that gives some context to the story. :) The ending is really majestic and bright, too. Solid composition! I hope you can post more often in the near future. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I agree about the samples! I didn't have any others of the particular instruments I was asked to include though. I probably could've tried humanizing them a bit more though :V

BRUCE was nice in that it often brought me a bit out of my comfort zone (apart from the ambient stuff). But, there was also less freedom in what I could do. There is complete change huge in the middle of the piece, partly because I wanted to try out something else, and partly because I had kinda done what I wanted with the other instruments (The samples are a bit better towards the end).

I spent 16 hours yesterday composing! I made a track for a contest. I'll likely upload it to NG once the judging is over :)
In my estimation, it's better than most things I've uploaded lately :D

Thank you for reviewing, as always!

[What Problems [LD38]]

Oooo...the last two titles of your songs read like a conversation. I wasn't a big fan of that violin sample, though. Sounds especially fake during the section at :18. I also thought the pizzicatos at :33 overwhelm the piano melody too much. The melodies themselves are solid throughout, though. That loop could've been smoother, but for its purpose I think it works fine. Cute piece. You should do more classical stuff! ;)

johnfn responds:

Haha dang that violin is straight outta native instruments stuff. I thought it was ok. D: I guess I could humanize it or whatever...

[For A Small World This Place Sure Has Big Problems [LD38]]

I like the spacey intro and synths. Reminded me instantly of "Charge." I like the furtive vibe the melody had, probably because of the panning. Really set you up for a huge climax later in the piece, though. The jazzy pads at :49 were a nice touch. I thought that vox-sounding synth at 1:20 was a little too loud relative to the melody, but I liked the way you filtered it at around 1:50. I'm not sure that huge climax I was looking for ever came, but I like the glitchy stuff you have going on at around the 3-minute mark. It was a nice touch. This is a catchy piece. It loops really smoothly, too. I think you finally found a way of avoiding having awkward cutoff endings. ;D Seriously though, great work. Keep it up, Johnfn!

[-Lines Fading-]

I like the ominous intro. It's a little slow to develop in the beginning, but by around :50 I'm really enjoying the dark techno beats. I really appreciate how you introduced some more melodic content at around 1:30. The beats get pretty complex at 2:30 or so, and it really shows off your great sense of rhythm. I like how this piece is very stylistically similar to some of your older tracks, yet uses a sound design that still evokes VGM. The piece has tons of variety, if not much cohesion from what I can tell after one listen. You did a great job with the final climactic part at 4:45, though. The sweep at the end really evoked someone sneaking up on me! I think the mood and atmosphere of the piece was my favorite element. Great job overall! Keep it up, Waterflame. ;)

[IMPORTANT GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE]

Hahaha. This is very well done, man. I love the accents, cheesy background music, and storyline. I've been following the tracks you've posted recently, too, and I love the relaxed ambient vibe you have going. Keep up the great work! :)