TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Press Start]

I like the heavy guitar and how that meshes with the pensive synth arpeggios. It has a really interesting mood - apprehensive and then blissful. I will say that the synth arps got buried in the mix later on, though. The ending was cool, and I'm sure it would work really well as the title music for a videogame. The instruments and atmosphere are great, though. Keep up the good work. ;)

SourJovis responds:

Thank you. Glad you liked it.
- Nice description of the song.
- There are a lot of instruments in this mix, so it's difficult to make them all stand out, but I believe the reason you say the arpeggios are drowned out is because there isn't as much of them as you think. The synth arpeggio loop stops at 0:23. After that there's just the ocasional arpeggio that each lasts for only about 1 to 2 seconds. They are at 0:27, 0:37, 0:41, 0:47 and 0:51. On top of that the start and end notes are the softest so it's hard to tell when they begin exactly, but all things considedered I think you can hear them fairly well.
- I will keep it up ;)

[Broken]

I love the tranquil mood at the beginning and the synths. The piece has a sort of soothing continuity to it which I really like. You also created a lot of space at times of structural relief, like at :55. It didn't seem that sad to me so much as reflective, though. It's so floaty, light, and trance-like, that it just makes me want to think deep thoughts. I love the atmosphere here, though. I would also like to hear the lyrics. If you're still interested in having a vocalist work on this, I might be able to step up despite my relatively limited experience. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the ending cuts off very suddenly, made all the more jarring by the fact that this piece is so smooth and comforting. Overall nice job! ;)

[-:{ I.N.C.I.D.E.N.T }:-]

I like the sense of apprehension at the beginning. I think this dark cinematic content you've been experimenting with lately suits you well, LN. The gritty percussion and effects are great, although I think they may have dragged on a bit too long without much in the way of notes. If this piece were 5 minutes long, I might make an exception, but 2 minutes leaves more to be said IMO (i.e., you could've done a lot more with this). It's not really a structurally complete piece, and it ends pretty abruptly too. I thought the mixing and mastering was good, though. Overall nice job. ;)

[Remix - Fading Dream (LucidShadowDreamer)]

Hmm...as a huge fan of LSD's music myself, I should probably check this out. I love the emotion and soundscape here. I understand that this is a remix, but I think the quality of instruments you've contributed really adds a lot to the piece. It has a warm, grand, and cinematic sound. Nice work!

Ylmir responds:

Thanks a lot ! Actually, the source material was pretty awesome already, and although this was all MIDI, it was easy to see how to orchestrate it. I maybe messed up a little bit with the reverbs (especially on the strings), but it still makes me smile when i hear it into my playlists. :)

[Moar WIP]

I like the chord progression and instruments. The percussion that comes in at around :30 caught me off guard a bit, but is very unique and adds a lot to the piece IMO. I thought the chords sounded distorted in some way. I'm not sure if you did that on purpose or if you simply haven't mastered this track yet, but either way it's especially noticeable during the first 30 seconds or so. Beyond the first minute or so, it really doesn't change that much at all. The percussion is engaging and cool, but you simply need to build more harmonies around it in order to keep my attention. I'm looking forward to seeing the final product, though. Keep up the good work, TeraVex. ;D

[Fall to Ashes]

I like the emotion and the instruments. I like what you did with the guitar towards the end. The loop is flawless, and the mood and slow tempo add a lot to the piece. Great job! I can honestly say that this is one of the better birthday tributes I've seen on NG. Keep up the good work, LN. ;D

[Lavender Town]

I like the ominous mood here. I think the lead is a little repetitive and distracting, yet at the same time it's pretty much all you've got going on for most of the piece. I would encourage you to add more onto this, maybe some pads, harmonies, and some sort of breakdown section that offers some structural relief from the harsh-sounding lead. You arbitrarily keep varying the rhythm of the same 8-note theme, but overall you need to do more to structure this piece more effectively IMO. Hope this helped. Keep at it, man. ;)

[Things That I Would Change Feat. Hayden Reed (Dubstep)[Remix]]

I love the instruments and mood. You've created a very full and engaging texture here. The sense of climax at around :45 on was great, and that first drop was well-paced without being too heavy. The vocals clearly add a lot to the piece, and I like how you've chopped them up in places (2:48, for example). This is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. The mood is great too - it has this triumphant feel to it, even if the lyrics seemed sort of rueful (as evidenced by the title). The song dragged on for a little long, but I thought the tempo fit the song very well. I would regard this as a great accomplishment, Trunotfals. It can be such a privilege and a challenge to work with vocals, and you put this track together really well. Keep up the great work! ^^

trunotfals responds:

Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! I don't typically delve into dubstep too much as to me it takes a lot more effort; Balancing, blending, sound design etc.. But I really liked this remake and I learned a lot from it. I like what you said about the triumphant feel that almost clashes with the lyrics. One could say that you should triumph over lost lovers and be happy alone rather than stress over the past. "guess that we were wrong for eachother!! OH WELL" :D Thank you for your feedback Tainted!!!

[Unsung Hero]

So I see you've won the NGADM. Congratulations! Now it's time to see why...yup, I see why. Rock and orchestral were meant to be together and you've proven it, guys. It has a great sense of flow to it, and some pretty cool pacing about it too. I love all the melodic riffs, like at around 1:40, and the mixing and mastering is simply top-notch. It has a very intricate structure that really tells a story. The mood is excellent - alternating between victorious, reflective, anticipatory, and several others. If I had to complain about anything, it might be that the intricate structure makes it a little hard to follow all the ups and downs of the piece sometimes. Also, the ending was a bit abrupt. I suppose I expected it to wind down a bit more before the end. Overall, though, this is quite admirable work, and you'll probably see some more reviews on your other NGADM tracks from me in the coming weeks... ;)

bassfiddlejones responds:

Thank you friend! I always appreciate your reviews, and thanks for following along through the contest!