TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Yuletide Memories]

Ooooo...I like the instrumentation and emotion here. The percussion at :30 was a nice touch, too. It's pretty slow to progress at the beginning, but I really like the direction it's taking by around 1:30. You definitely play with a lot of different moods here - from nostalgia to hopefulness to longing. The vocal section at around the 2-minute mark was enjoyable. At 2:40 or so, the vocals seem to distort the strings a bit, but I can hear everything clearly at most other points in the piece. I suppose I would've suggested you take some of the treble off of those harsh-sounding bells at 3:05. The piece sounded like it was peaking there, but it might've just been the high pitch of the instrument. You could also just transpose it down an octave instead. I really like the rhythm guitar you introduce at 3:56 or so. It adds a lot of flair to the last minute or so of the piece. The ending is sweet. Also, I don't recall reviewing last year's version of this piece, so I'm glad I caught it this year. :) Keep up the good work, Ale! ;) Merry Christmas!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you didn't review last year's version, as it was just a reboot of the 2014 version, with a music box instead of a piano!
I agree that the piece is slow to progress. I guess it's fine, since it's an Xmas song, and a fairly long one too.
As for playing with many moods, I probably overdid it! But I've been overdoing it since the first (never uploaded) version which I made in 2011. So it'd be weird to stop now!
Also, if I recall correctly, the original thought was that there should be different emotions, since a lot of different ones are felt during Christmas times, and this is a composition about remembering them.

As for 2:40, I think you're mistaking an even lower, simultaneous choir harmony, "singing" at the same frequencies as the Cello. So it's likely drowning (which is also bad), but not distorted!
The track doesn't peak at the bells, but I agree that it sounds harsh! I noticed this today while listening on speakers instead of with my headphones, where it's better.

The rhythm guitar is a great bass VST. But I couldn't use a bass because of the Cello, so I used fairly high notes, and added a few weird effects to make it sound like it does. I'm glad you liked the addition! The mix is probably the most terrible at this part though :V

So yeah, your critique is very on point! Thank you for the review, Andrew, and Merry Christmas!!

[JK - Tranced]

Not bad. The sound design is a little generic, but I like the busy beat and harmonies. The part at :28 sounds like a completely different song, though. If you're going to put several different themes into one piece, it helps to make sure they're tonally related. Then you go back to the original theme at :55, but it's still not so clear to me how that related to the part at :28. The bass is really loud at 1:18. A good rule of thumb is that the loudest instrument in the mix should be the snare. It was also a bit bizarre when the bass got suddenly much quieter at 1:29. I liked the pulsing synths at 1:40, but the pause at 2:24 was so sudden I thought it was the end of the piece. I think you need to add some reverb or a crash or something to smooth over that transition. Stop-start transitions can come across as jarring sometimes if you're not careful. The loop is pretty smooth, although the last 4 notes at 2:36 aren't necessary IMO. Overall, not a bad track. The transitions and balance are the main things to work on, I think. And knowing how to make cool sweeps (as you clearly do) is a good start towards making smooth transitions. Keep it up, man. ;)

[I Wish You An Epichristmas]

I like the cute instruments and harmonies. It has a good sense of flow, and the overall mood is very relaxed and soothing. I liked the melodies at :40, but I think you could've done more with it as far as rhythm and flair. Right now they seem a bit square and lack-luster. The balance is good in this piece. You might want to incorporate some more percussion to keep it going, though. Also, there were some pretty sudden transitions in there, such as 1:44. I would've liked to see you vary the main melody more later on in the piece. Otherwise, the piece lacks direction a bit. Still, I appreciated the modulation to minor at 2:38 and the subsequent key change at 2:49. The stop-start transition at 3:31 didn't really work for me. It kinda just interrupted the flow. Maybe a crash or some reverb would've helped smooth it over. Personally, I'm not even convinced you need the last minute or so of this piece. It's all just repeated melody. Overall, nice piece. The mood and instruments were my favorite parts of it. It just needs a little more variety later on. Merry Christmas to you too! ^^

Earel responds:

Thanks for advises :)

[charge]

Woah. I love the dreamy synths and the portamentos. The reverb is so luscious and gives the piece a really spacey vibe. The bass groove at 1:10 is enjoyable too. Excellent mixing and mastering as always. That jazzy piano solo at 1:25 was great. Really cool tune, Johnfn. Killer melodies, catchy as hell, instrumentation enhances the mood a lot. I love all the subtle automations on the melody lines, like at 3:17. The pitch bend on that last note was awesome. The track cuts off suddenly, but fixing that is as simple putting in a blank extra measure. Fantastic piece, Johnfn! So nice of you to get me this Christmas present. ^^

johnfn responds:

Thanks TheDoor! Glad you liked it :D

[Cheap Holidays]

I like the atmospheric chords at the beginning, but they sorta crash stylistically with the percussion you add at :05. I think you need to work on your transitions. There was nothing in there that really predicted the bass line's entrance at :46. Same thing with the melody at 1:06. Even a simple sweep or crash would help smooth over those transitions. The piece seems to have a distinct structure, but overall lacks direction. You repeat a lot of the same riffs (like the bass at :46, and the melody at 1:06) over again, but you don't ever vary them enough. The piece has a huge sense of continuity about it, which makes it hard to keep my attention. I'd suggest creating a moment or two of structural relief in the middle of the piece where you lose those pads in the background and shake up the texture a bit. Some more prominent/consistent drums might also help give this piece more direction. Overall, it's not a bad track. It just needs a bit more dynamic shape and flow. Hope this helped! If you have any questions about my comments, please PM me. ;)

kriztendom responds:

Thank you for listening and analysis, for sure I'll follow your guidelines when I'll create a new track. This track was really made to be boring and random lol :))

[Danque]

This is very catchy. I like the dramatic hits on the downbeats of every 4th measure or so for the first 45 seconds. This is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. The effect at 2:10 was really amusing. The crunchy, rhythmic section at 3:18 was really cool too. I think it could've used a little more variety with the instrumentation. The breaks are enjoyable, but sometimes it couldn't hurt to focus on harmonizing a tad more. The piece also lacks a lot of melodic content, which I know you weren't really aiming to create, but I find it easier to remember and recognize tracks with strong melodies. Either way, solid work. Keep at it, BoomKitty!