TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Random Loop]

The loop isn't that smooth, and you kinda spam the snare, especially at :01. It's way too short to get any sense of progression, and personally I question the musical appeal of a loop this short. At the very least, I'd suggest making sure the loop occurs at the end of a measure. That usually makes it sound smoother. It could also be that you don't have the file settings on "wrap remainder," which will appear when you export it. Keep at it, man!

RealToxic responds:

Thank you for the review! I know it's not great, its my 3rd loop i made in FL Studio 11, so its not perfect but i hope to get better at making loops soon!
~ Toxic

[Integrity]

I like the punchy drums and cute videogame-esque riff at :06. It has a bit of an odd progression and there are quite a few moments of dissonance, but you have me captivated with the quirky mood and atmosphere. What bothers me about the structure is that it doesn't really build on itself as the piece goes on, and reads more as a collection of ideas delivered in rapid succession. I appreciated the moment where you stripped away the drums at 1:33 to offer some structural relief, but it still seems pretty repetitive by the end. Still, this is a catchy and cool piece that seems fitting for a fast-paced video game or something. Keep up the good work, man! ;)

MalcolmTurnbull responds:

That's so nice of you to say that, thanks for ur time citizen of whatever country come visit me at the embassy

[Skhug Smoothie]

I love the funky, reverberated instruments. It has a bit of a fast pace for my tastes, though. You essentially use stop-start transitions to connect the sections at :11, :16, :21, :31, etc. and it's just too jarring for me. The sound design and mixing/mastering are great, and it might still be fitting for a video game that involves traversing between lots of different rooms/worlds. Still, the pacing of it is distracting and overwhelming. I think you're just trying to cram too many different themes into one here. Also, despite the variety, the predictability of the stop-start transitions and repetitive rhythmic elements gives it a dull sense of continuity all the same, perhaps with the exception of the last minute or so. I know you're a talented composer, Zip, but this just didn't come together for me structurally. Sorry! Looking forward to hearing your future work. ;)

[Medieval Electronic]

I like the melody at the beginning, but it sounds a little dry. I think you should add some more reverb. The chord at :18 is both too loud and rather dissonant. The bass riff at :36 definitely overpowers the celtic melody. I think you need to think more carefully about how you balance the volumes among different instruments. The transitory material in this piece is pretty cool, though, like the crash/sweep combo at 1:36. I wish you had varied the celtic melody towards the end of the piece a little more. Also, the guitar riff at 2:11 pretty much comes out of nowhere. Usually it's pretty jarring to introduce new instruments into a piece during the last 30 seconds, and this is not exception. Overall, this piece has a unique sound design and some cool melodies. I think you need to be more careful about how the different riffs connect harmonically, though. Keep at it, man. ;)

EatMyDonkey responds:

Thanks man! Love the feedback, I'll look to fixing those things. For the part at :36 was supposed to be bass driven while the Celtic melody is in the background.

Anyways,
Have a good day :)

[Out Of My Zone]

Awesome. This is totally unexpected from you. I love the gritty bass riff and crisp drums. Reminds me a bit of Zircon. It progresses a little slowly, but 1:17 offers some more melodic content, which is good. I think the transition into 1:17 could've been smoother, though. The mood is great, though. I could see this being in a videogame. The ambient bridge at 2:15 came on a little suddenly, too. I love how spacey and atmospheric it is there, though, and I think you transitioned well back into the busy section at 2:35. I love the sensual guitar and hi-hats and how they mesh so well with the gritty bass. It makes for a pretty unique sound design. I think the mixing and mastering might need a bit of work. The bass sounds pretty distorted towards the end, especially at 2:35 and 4:10. That said, I certainly enjoyed the instrumentation, mood, and structure. I'd highly encourage you to continue experimenting "out of your zone." :) Keep it up, Ceevro!

Ceevro responds:

Yeah, I'd love to try my hand at dubstep, but I no clue at all how to mess with the sounds like that. I'd also like to do some stuff like this with vocals...kinda want a hook. Thanks for the feedback! I'll take it to heart!

[Cling On Like Klingons (Acapella)]

This is great! I love the lyrics. Your tone gets more intense as the piece goes on, which is quite musical. I'm not sure if it's the mic quality or what, but sometimes the consonants don't sound as distinct as they could. For example, when you say "rake," the k sound doesn't come through so much, which makes it hard to discern the lyrics there. Same thing with "lake" a couple of seconds later. It might just be that you need to push the air through a little faster to emphasize the consonant sounds. Anyway, that's a pretty small detail. Keep up the good work, Cyberdevil! Happy 2017. ^^

Cyberdevil responds:

Hmm might be unpolished annunciation more than recording quality, shall try to better myself there. Lyrical clarity's probably the thing I need most practice with.

Glad you liked it overall; thanks for the good feedback! Happy 2017!

[We are number one but it's a fat beat]

Catchy and fun piece, if with a cliché chord progression. I love the vocals and the sort of confidential, gothic tone of it. Sounds like I'm a curious kid who snuck behind the curtain in a circus, and the ringmaster started giving me a lecture. XD The mixing and mastering are solid, too. I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. This is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. You may have overused the "we are #1" vocal riff by the end, though. Nice job with the panning and melodic content. Like I said, the mood is what really sells this piece. Keep up the good work, man. ;)

CANDYdisturber responds:

Awesome review; thanks for the critiques!

[Tailout]

Sounds like a preset from "Plucked" at the beginning. :) The rhythm doesn't sound completely in sync at :09. It sounds like you recorded each instrument separately on a MIDI, but the riffs didn't change notes at the same time. Even if I'm wrong, something sounds indistinct there that makes the texture a little jarring. I liked the drums, but I thought the bass at :20 was a little too muddy and really overwhelmed the other instruments too much. May I ask what DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) you use? Those glitchy effects towards the end were cool, though. It doesn't make a bad loop, either, but otherwise it's a structurally incomplete piece. The quantizing problems (if that is in fact what's causing the problems) are my main concern with this piece. Otherwise, keep at it, man. ;)

jdogisbest responds:

I used GarageBand, very hard to sync it well, but I got it as close as possible. Thanks for the feedback! (^^)

[Refresh (Intro)]

I like the atmospheric vibe and the chord progression. I think the melody at :15 is a little overpowered by the harmonies, though. I would suggest automating the reverb to make way for the lead there. You could also use some compression or volume automations, but in my experience automating the reverb sounds cooler. :) I like the instruments, though. If you're looking for a next step, it feels like this song needs an injection of energy. Some drums and more dynamic/busy melodies might help. Looking forward to hearing the final product! Keep at it, TeraVex. ;)

[Stay Inside Me]

I like the bouncy synths and the easy flowing melodies. The texture is very pizzicato-heavy, but the melodies are still memorable. You may have overdone the reverb a bit, too, yet the mixing and mastering are both solid. I wish you had varied the melody a little more during the second half of the piece, but you still kept things interesting with the vocal samples. Well-structured piece with a great atmospheric vibe. Keep up the great work, OcularNebula! ;)