TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Badland]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The synth at :32 had a great exotic sort of vibe. The drop at 1:16 was pretty enjoyable. I wished the percussion fills at 1:23 were a bit more up-front in the mix, though. Little details like that can really enhance the punchy mood of a piece like this when they're more in-your-face. Interesting how you bring in the post-chorus melody so late in the game. Perhaps I would suggest shortening the section from 1:16 - 2:01, then. In my experience, post-chorus melodies seem more climactic if the drop isn't as drawn out. Otherwise, you've done a great mastering job here. I think it could be a great next step for you to add a little more diversity to your style. You could've done more with the drums, and I've seen you use similar grouchy electro basses before. I might even go so far as to say your tracks are formulaic at this point. That said, this is a fun and catchy piece. Overall good work. ;)

[The next VIP]

Ah! Sorry I haven't been keeping up with your recent work, guys. This piece sounds fiery and riveting so far! I love the build-up, but I think those ghostly pads get buried a bit during the drop. Mastering seems solid, though, and I love the direction you've taken with what samples you're using nowadays. Looking forward to the final draft, y'all! It's going to be a great summer! ^^

[Coming of Age]

I don't play Legend of Zelda, but this is still awesome! I think you did a great job of capturing different moods, even with the same melody (for example, contrast the cute yet somewhat furtive vibe at 0:00 with the grand, celebratory mood at 0:46). There's tons of emotional contrast in this piece, and it all flows very nicely. The instrumentation is fantastic as always. The high quality of your samples always makes me jealous. Also, the French horn sounded great, @Camoshark. ;) I loved the gradual set-up for the ominous spaciousness, percussion, and ambiance that preceded the beginning of the vocal section. It served as a great section of structural relief. I loved how, despite the sense of adventure implied by the vocals, they almost seemed soothing (until 4:22, that is). The Latin was a nice touch, btw (I'm not sure if it was like that in the original, but if it was your idea, I say bravo!). The ending was also climactic and conclusive. Excellent work, guys! I'll be downloading this...RIGHT NOW! :D

[Let's Dance]

I like the upbeat vibe and the melodies. The chord progression is a little bizarre, but you know how to structure a song pretty well. I'd recommend downloading some samples instead of using FL Studio's speech synthesizer - it just sounds so artificial and robotic. I think you can also clean up your mixing a bit. The kick sounds a lot more prominent at :17 than at 1:30, for example. Try to make sure everything is Equalized properly, especially so that you only have low frequencies playing in the kick and bass. This will help make everything sound clearer. And if you don't know what I mean by "Equalize" just PM me. Otherwise, this is a cool and catchy track. Keep it up, dude! ;D

jjoon responds:

oh! Hello TaintedLogic
Thanks for many advice
I used cubase.
so i am not good at flstudio :D

Thanks

[Only This]

I like the moody, airy-sounding beginning and the brusque arpeggios. :23 has a nice, powerful and uplifting vibe. Great job with the vocals. They have a great sense of emotion and passion to them. They might have been a bit hidden by the instrumentals, though. Also, 3:12 came on really suddenly. I think you could've had a more conclusive ending there. That said, your mastering is still top-notch and I'm kind of a sucker for break-up songs that are still upbeat. Well done, Garlagan! ;D

[_baby_why]

I love the stop-start rhythm of the beat. The intro was a little long IMO (as I see it, it basically lasts for the first minute). The drop at 1:12 was catchy and cool, if a little underwhelming. It got better as it got more melodic at around 1:30. I love how reverberant this track is, though. I loved the transition with the low, robotic-sounding vocals at 2:07, which then flowed into the bass-y bridge at 2:15 really well. However, then I thought you made it really randomly atmospheric and furtive at 2:35. It was a bit of a jarring mood change, especially since the atmospheric, tranquil section lasts for a full 90 seconds. This piece is definitely more minimalistic at times than most of your other works. I personally just think you tried to tie together a few too many contrasting themes here. The production quality and instrumentation are, again, very good. Usually with your short pieces you don't have any issues with coherence, but you could stand to this piece a little more carefully IMO. Overall good work! ;)

[Into the Storm - Hanupo]

Interesting piece. The melody instruments are really quirky and cool, especially the one at the very beginning. I liked your transitions a lot, like at :17, :38, etc. It's a bit of a fast-paced piece, though, and I think you could've fleshed out some of these ideas more. For example, 1:14 seems a bit out-of-place and you might've done more to create a build-up into it (priming the listener by using some of those heavier synths earlier on, even only on the downbeat of a measure after a transitory moment). That said, the latter half of the piece has a great sense of power and energy to it. I think you need to work on your mixing a bit. During that really intense section from around 1:45 - 2:15 the kick drum could've come through a lot clearer, and at 1:58 the lead is clearly getting distorted by the other instruments (listen to how much more up-front it sounds at 2:13). I would make sure all of your instruments are Equalized properly, especially on the low-frequency end (you really only want the bass and kick to be making sound down there). If you don't know what I'm talking about just PM me. Overall, this is a catchy and fun piece, man. Keep at it! ;)

Hanupo responds:

Wow What amazing advices! Un i changed the mixing of that part a bit... Originally it was lead upfront but i put it behind like bc it was too much but you got a point too. I just pulled down the volume. I think it depends on perception haha. I didnt think about more buildup hmmm Thanks man! You are Awesome!

[agoodgoodbye]

I like the slow pace at the beginning and the automations on display with those held notes at :09 and onward. It makes the piece have a distinct pulse at the same time as its riveting atmosphere. I thought :39 was powerful, if a little bass-heavy. The melodies at around 1:10 were great, but I thought the pads and bass overwhelmed them a bit. Also, despite the tranquil intro, there's a long period of time (roughly 80 seconds) in the middle of the piece that lacks a lot of relief. I think it couldn't hurt to split that up a bit, especially since this piece is relatively short. Also, the coda was drawn out a bit too much. Its length didn't really seem proportional to the rest of the piece. That said, I love the mood and instruments. Nice work!

garlagan responds:

Thanks for the feedback, Andrew. Great review as always. Cheers!