TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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! :)

[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!