TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[His Memory (His Theme​/​Memory Lockyn Undertale Remix)]

I like the cute, bouncy synths and sense of climax the piece has into :31, although tbh I thought the part at :31 was a little underwhelming until you started fading in the melodies (and, of course, the arpeggios at :45 help increase the energy). This reminds me a lot of "Party Hard," that Sundivine remix you did a year or two ago. It just has a very upbeat, floaty, and summery vibe to it. It does have a great amount of variety and different "flavors," so to speak. However, it's also pretty heavily pizzicato-based, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but I don't think it helped keep my attention too well either. Even those piano chords you have at around 3:30 don't have enough sustain on them IMO. This style of staccato-but-not-punchy synths sometimes doesn't keep my attention that well after a while, which might be something to watch out for in the future. I definitely admire your sense of harmony and progression, though, and the mixing is great as always. I also thought this piece had one of your more conclusive endings, which is good. Overall nice work! Keep it up, Lockyn! ;D

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, thanks again for stopping by. I agree about the similarity to Party Hard in style, I wanted to keep my classic synth style here along with the happy rendition of the His Theme/Memory atmosphere. I'll keep your points in mind for sure, I tend to overuse fast arps and note layers. Cheers on the ending :)

[Meow?]

This thing has potential! I like the melodies and instruments, and you spread the instruments out across your frequency range to produce a nice, full texture. The lead synth might be a little too harsh-sounding. I would EQ out some of the treble frequencies there. Also, the kick gets really buried in the mix after around :15 or so. You might try compressing it and adding some sidechain. Still, I like the mood here, and it loops well too! Looking forward to seeing what else you produce. Happy 2016! ^^

whatusernamedood responds:

Yes, I agree, the lead synth is a disaster. I didn't really find the answer on how to make it sit and play nice with the mix, I tried.
Kick is sidechained already but I wasn't sure if was hearing it properly through my headphones and they really punched through on my speakers :S
Still trying to find the Holy Grail of "frequency flatness".

Well, loops are all I do, so I try to at least loop them nicely xD

Happy 2016 to you too :D Love your reviews, dood <3
(love you also #nohomo)

[Grief of the Survivors]

I love the melancholy mood here. This piece just seems hauntingly tranquil, small, and apprehensive. The harp sounded a bit too robotic and straight-ahead, though. I might suggest you humanize it. I could definitely see this as a part of a videogame as well. I like how you return to the bare-bones harp arpeggios at around 1:25, too. It gives a solid droning ambient quality to the piece but, again, some more humanizing could really give this piece a new dimension of emotion. Still, it loops well, has a great atmosphere, and uses some heartfelt instruments and progressions. Well done! ;)

[Symmetrik & Geoplex - Tempest]

I love the tranquil mood in the beginning, and I appreciate the space you've left yourself for contrast. The vocals at :27 add a lot to the piece. I loved the build-up into 1:32, and I the heavy breaks are really engaging and catchy. I think the mixing and mastering is very strong, btw, and all of the reverb you used gave the piece a very full texture. This is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. The sensuous female vocals contrast nicely with the more "down-to-earth" male ones. This piece is a little long, but kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. I also appreciated the rather tranquil coda section during the last 20 seconds or so. Overall great work. Keep it up, guys! ;D

Geoplex responds:

Thanks dude :D Really appreciate the feedback :)

[S (Entropy)]

"A jar of quinoa" --> That's it, this thing needs a review.

This is very catchy and full-textured, especially compared with some of the other tracks of yours I've listened to. I love the lyrics and progression, and I'd say the mixing and mastering is pretty darn good. I can hear everything clearly. While I like the sense of climax it has throughout, but I think it might've needed a solo or breakdown at some point, just to keep the listener grounded and/or offer some structural relief. My favorite part of the track is definitely the lyrics, though - while catchy and creative, they're also both super relatable while also offering a valuable life lesson. I got a lot out of them. Thanks Ceevro, and keep up the great work! ;D

Ceevro responds:

You're very right. A bridge is what's needed in this. Why didn't that occur to me? Gaa. Sometimes we make the most basic mistakes when we're enjoying a beat...A mistake I don't mean to duplicate in the future!

[Sweet Memories]

I love the emotion and harmonies. The spacing of the intervals gives the piece a very full texture and heightens the drama by the piece's end. I might encourage you to do more with this once your sampling library is complete. This could be the intro for quite the epic musical journey, my friend. Keep up the good work. ;D

samulis responds:

Hehe we'll see. I typically don't touch pieces after publication, but I may end up going back and borrowing elements in the future, or redoing it with new instruments for the release.

[Outset]

I love the calm and hopeful (yet almost adventuresome) mood. It also has a drone-like continuity at times that I admire in cinematic tracks. Your sample quality is incredibly high, as usual. I think you've encapsulated just the atmosphere you were aiming for with this piece, and by the end it feels very conclusive and even triumphant, as if the heroes' journey has already reached its victorious conclusion. Best of luck with your sampling library! So far it seems to be turning out well. ;)

samulis responds:

Hey TL, thanks for the review! We're getting close to another build and hopefully that means making a new demo track soon. It's really shaping up very well! :D