TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[_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!

[PPaper PPlanes]

You know I love those chopped vocals! This one's really uplifting and atmospheric than a lot of your stuff, especially during the first 45 seconds or so. I love how you then contrast that with the pizzicato-y sections and punchiness at 1:34. The "da-de-da-doo"s at around the 2-minute mark offer a great breakdown/bridge-like section, although it seemed more like a transitory moment in the piece than a proper coda. I would've loved to see another refrain of the atmospheric section after that, maybe with some more melodic variation to tie this thing together. Despite these minor structural complaints, this is a fantastic piece. The mastering is great as always. The melodies and instrumentation are delicious. Great work! :D

[March of Progress OST]

Wow! Congrats on 1,000 fans! :D I love the percussion, atmosphere, and somewhat exotic theme. The transition at :25 sounds A LOT like another transition that's at around the 1-minute mark in the original version of "The Festival." Yes, I know your music that frighteningly well. I know this probably had to be a specific length for the animation, but this piece is extremely fast-paced. The transitions are smooth and all, but it's just a little jarring to have so many of them in quick succession. Excellent mixing and mastering as always, though. I'll check out the animation when I get a chance. Keep on rockin', Step. ;D

Step responds:

A little late with my reply, but thanks for reviewing! I have lost count of how many reviews you've written for my tracks.

Geez, man. You know my music better than I do hahaha. I completely forgot about that transition in The Festival, but yes, I do love my rising glissandi into dominant chords.

Yeahhh, this definitely progresses very quickly. I honestly had to make a decision between creating a more cohesive whole with less variation, or matching the pace with the animation. The former was the safe way out, while the latter allowed me to show off some cool ideas like morphing the track from tribal/ethnic to orchestral to electronic. I ended up going for the latter idea. The soundtrack probably makes more sense with the animation than on its own. Definitely check it out. It's thought-provoking and REALLY damn cool.

Thank you for the review!

[An Improv on Pretentiousness]

Pretentiousness, huh? I can relate. The piano sounds really false for some reason, even though I'm 99.999% sure that's not just a piano sample. Oh, you recorded it on your phone. Well then. I like the continuity of it, though. There's a lot of contrast in the mood early on, like the somewhat frantic arpeggios at 2:08 and the darker, more mellow section at around 1:33. After a while, some variation from the manic nature of it would've been nice...a more relaxed breakdown or something, even though I know that's not your style. Such a relief doesn't really come until...well, ever. I thought the section at 5:15 had some potential, as it was a little easier to follow the progression there. It seemed dreamy-ish until around 5:40, so if you brought down the volume a bit it could've served as some nice structural relief. But I make this complaint every time, you don't do anything about it, and I still love your music, so maybe I'm just being...pretentious? Either way, keep it up, Ale! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yes indeed, it's recorded with my phone. Interesting how a real piano sounds false to you! It's probably the quality that confuses you :p
But if you listen carefully, you can hear that it's very different from any sample, and that the chair I'm sitting on occasionally makes noises. This is actually a pretty good piano, tbh :D

Remember that this is an improvisation, so it will never really hold he same sense of direction as a planned composition. So I don't think there's any real point in thinking about what it should've been like, as it's just a fleeting moment, which would be lost if not for the recording. Part of the beauty of improvising, is that you don't really have to stick to any expectations of compositional structure. It's much more free than that.

There is definitely a breakdown though, just not a super slow one, which I'm sure is the kind you're imagining. But 3:50-4:35 is way less intense than most of the piece is after the 2 minute mark. Considering the style of the improvisation, it wouldn't make much sense to have one of those slow trance breakdowns where only a few chords are slowly played or something. I would have to change the name too, if such a part was in there!

I do have a few pieces with full breakdowns too though, and even some which feature silence in the middle of the track. You just need to find them :V

Hahha, sorry for being so harsh in response. But that's what you get for trying to rewrite an improvisation entirely into something else xD

We can be pretentious together :)

[Ethereal Valley]

Interesting piece. The percussion that comes in at around :25 seems somewhat furtive compared to the flowy and full-sounding harp, though. The flute and brass that come in later are also more on the harp's wavelength, but they remain underneath the harp in the mix, especially the brass. I understand this is a pretty casual project, but I also thought that the loop wasn't great (from a compositional perspective, not a technological one). Still, overall I like it. Hope you get out of school soon (if you aren't already)! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yeah, I agree that the harp stands out the most. It was an intention decision, as I wanted it to be the main element, but in retrospect, maybe I should've added more focus on the other intruments. This was indeed just a quick production anyway :)
The flute is indeed on a similar wavelength to the harp, which is why I mixed it to the side. But maybe I didn't put it far enough, and should've made it a bit louder too.
I don't have a problem with the loop, personally though. That said, there is an original version with somewhat of an ending here: https://instaud.io/px2

I am theoretically out of school, but I still have 2 essays that I need to write before I start responding to messages I've been sent!

Hope you're doing well :)

P.S. Ummm... What brass are we talking about exactly o.O?

[~SW~ Reflection]

It progresses pretty slowly in the beginning, but I love the spacey vibe by around :40. I can definitely see how Johnfn's style is incorporated in here. You did a good job of creating an appropriate amount of reverb for the piece. The progression is cool, although it also makes the piece feel a bit disjointed. The drums were really cool, though. All the layered snares added a ton of pop to the piece. The mixing and mastering overall is great, and I think the sidechaining helps it a lot. I also especially liked the melodies at around the 6-minute mark. Beautiful work, SkyeWint!

SkyeWint responds:

Hi, TL! Glad you like it!

The spacey vibe is totally there yeah, lol. I wasn't thinking of that when I made this, but it's definitely there. Glad that the mix and master is appropriate! It was actually much harder to master this song than a lot of mine, because of the sheer dynamic diversity everywhere in it. I had to set the threshold much lower than normal so that it wouldn't start clipping and going past the limiter.

Melodies around the 6 minute mark (the solo) is totally johnfn influence all over there :P good to know that it worked!

I can see what you mean about the piece feeling a bit disjointed. I could have made the transitions a bit more gradual, but damn. That would have made this longer ;_; I'm not sure how much more I could have kept interest at that point.

Thanks!

[beach soda pop]

I like the slow, lackadaisical vibe at the beginning. It's very blissful and light, yet has a very strong beat like a lot of your songs. I would've liked to see it pick up at some point, but for what it is (an inherently super-chill song), it's catchy and cool. Overall, well-structured, well-mastered and smooth flowing. Most mellow climax ever at 2:58. The ending was kind of sudden, but I was mentally prepared for it because you made this piece. Keep up the good work, Johnfn! :D

johnfn responds:

You should be thankful that I wrote an ending for you at all. :D JUST FOR YOU.

[apopopop]

I love the chopped vocals at the beginning. The rhythm is a little hard to follow, but there's this great sense of raw emotion that comes with it. This is a very bass-y feel-good sort of track. It's mastered so loud that my laptop speakers are as low as they'll go and I'm still raving in my chair. The stop-start transition at 1:12 works really well. I heard some distant Garlagan-style arpeggios in there at around 1:30. ;) Also, I must admit that the title fits really well. The breakdown at 2:23 was really cool, and kind of reminded me of the glitchy beats towards the end of "There." The synth solo, overlaid with arpeggios, at 3:19, was a great touch. The coda section at 3:45 was both properly conclusive and engaging in its own right, although the very end seemed a bit abrupt. Overall, I'm thoroughly stoked for this EP, and I will review the rest of these awesome tracks when I have more time. Keep up the great work, man! ^^

garlagan responds:

Wow thanks for this great review Andrew!