TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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! :)

[EnV - Osiris (WIP)]

I like the percussion in the background at the beginning, as well as the south Asian-sounding theme. The mixing and mastering are really tight. The melodies are nice, and the whole piece is seriously catchy. Well-structured, smooth-flowing, and I really like the filler synth riffs at 1:00 and 1:12. If I had to complain about something, I'd say the snare was a little too loud, but that's a really small detail. Looking forward to hearing the final version, Envy! ;)

[The Pianist]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. It has a spacey yet minimalistic vibe. It's a little slow to progress, but has a bright tone and a good sense of rhythm. I think you overdid the reverb/distortion with that instrument at 1:14. The melody is nice and calming, but the synth itself sounds very in-your-face. I also think it's just too loud. It drowns out the harmonies and chords. The whole piece lacks a lot of texture in my opinion. I just would've liked to see some pads or something fill in the mid-range frequency space for most of this thing. The chordal instruments you have in there now are very pizzicato-y, such as at 3:03. This works well for breakdowns and bridges, but your piece could have a lot more energy and drive if you come up with some notes that are held out longer. I thought you could've had a more creative ending too. Fade-outs are generally pretty underwhelming. Otherwise, I like the piece. It's well-structured and smooth-flowing, and also quite catchy despite its slow pace. Keep at it, man. ;)

[TRUE - Hiryuu no Kishi (Lockyn Remix)]

I'm not very familiar with the original, but I love the punchy synths and the frantic vocals. I think you should've fleshed out the intro a lot more. The track kind of just throws you right into the middle of the action. The melodic content in the synths is great, but I think the vocals could've been a bit more up-front in the mix at times, especially at the chorus section at :48. The textbook Lockyn piano breakdown (1:43) gets me every time. :') This is a very well-structured and well-mastered piece as always. Oftentimes, your pieces border on being not coherent enough IMO, but this piece has a great balance of repetition and variety, especially in the vocals. The crunchy piano chords at the end were great, too. Excellent work, man! ^_^

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, thanks as always for your reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless. I agree the intro was a quick throw, but I kinda liked the jarring feeling so I kept it. Vocals have been mentioned before - I intentionally buried them a bit because of the way I made the acapella, it was very messy and had noise due to the source material not being very keen to vocal extraction. Great feedback as always!

[Hidden gem]

I love the quirky, chill mood and the spacey atmosphere it has. The drop at :57 was very catchy and melodic. Mixing and mastering is solid. The bird sound effects were incorporated really well. You seem to like integrating nature sounds into your works, and you do a good job of it too. :) I suppose I would've liked to see you vary the drop a little more the second time around, but you've still created a short 'n' sweet piece here. Well-structured, smooth-flowing, catchy and fun. Keep up the good work, man. ;)

8-bitheroes responds:

Hey, good to see you. Thanks very much for dropping some feedback, much apprciated. I agree with you on that 2nd drop, think I got a bit lazy at that point :p. I love using natures textures to add extra flavour to my music.

[Mayya Malyshka]

I like the spacious arpeggios and strings. It has a very dreamy and atmospheric vibe. The vocal samples contribute to the mood a lot, too. By around :40, I love the victorious mood, simultaneously injected with child-like wonder. I love the female vocals at around the 2-minute mark. They display such a raw sense of uplift and empowerment. Your pieces have a strong sense of continuity, yet are full of variety, and this is no exception. The strummed strings at 3:35 (and other places, I believe) are a nice touch as well. The coda was a little drawn out, but also fittingly delicate and majestic. Very dreamy, unique, and imaginative piece, my friend. Do yourself a favor and have an excellent new year. :)

Phonometrologist responds:

Than you my friend. I appreciate you letting me know your thoughts on it. I don't know what to say. It's been a while since I've written this, and so hearing it over, I hear many flaws still.
I'm contemplating your statement, "strong sense of continuity, yet are full of variety."
For which I think of now: 'tis are the days we live in.

[Death Slumber: Lucid]

I like the foreboding ambient theme, and how the atmosphere clears away in a subtle way right before the piano comes in at :22. You did a great job of bringing out emotion in this piece. I also like the gradual signs that something is "wrong." First, there's the bizarre pause at 1:09, as if the pianist had to stop and stare at the moving shadows following him, and then the stutter effect at 1:17 and the dark strings at 1:24. I think the transition at 1:47 could've used a bit more fleshing out, but the frantic "chase scene" through music immediately following was fantastic - full of drama. Also, excellent job with the gradual transition back into the tranquil section at 3:20. It's much more soothing in tone there, as if the pianist finally escapes on a boat destined for a safe passage on calm waters. The sound design and composition in this piece are simply top-notch. It definitely puts a story in my head. Excellent work, Phonometrologist! ^^

Phonometrologist responds:

Thank you very much again. Yes, I think the transition at 1:47 could be better fleshed out, and I know what I could do to make it so. I just tend not to dwell on a singular piece for very long while continuing on to the next. Even so, I thought abruptness of sections reflect more accurately a dream, but I also written the two parts separately while linking them together. The whole piece is a bit abrasive and sudden. I think it's interesting you find the repeated piano theme at the second half more soothing than the first as the second is downtuned. I suppose because of the context and the added melodic instrument. Regardless, I want to share with you the inspiration for the "bizarre Pause at 1:09." Chopin wrote this in in his second ballade at 3:30 in this video:
https://youtu.be/MsoUIBcl7iw?t=3m19s
In fact, the whole piece can be compared to a jarring dream as well with it's sudden shifts in tone.

[Detious - Telluric (Original Mix)]

I love the atmosphere at the beginning. Those furtive-sounding echo-y synths are always my jam. ^^ I also enjoyed the sense of climax into 1:09. The drop wasn't super hard-hitting, but it still had a lot of energy and catchiness. Some parts of the piece were a little minimalistic for my tastes, like the section from 1:40 to 2:00 or so, but I enjoyed the build-up into 2:17 nonetheless. I also enjoyed the more melodic elements you introduced at 2:46. The section at 3:45 offered some much-needed structural relief. The stop-start transition at 4:34 didn't quite work for me. I guess I would've liked to see you use more reverb to bridge the gap a little more. Also, I think the piece was a little underwhelming in the end. Even if you intended for 4:35 to be the "grand finale," the lengthy coda blunts the emotional effect that would've had. Overall, though, this is a cool piece with super-clean mixing and mastering. Well-structured, smooth-flowing (mostly), and a good sense of atmosphere and mood. Keep it up, man. ;)