TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Friction Point]

I love all the filters and the tension at the beginning. Nice job with high-passing the snare at :13 and then really having it loosen up at :21. I like the chord progression and the frantic melodies at :40. You play a lot with the moods here. For example, :40 has a very intense and edgy vibe, whereas :59 has a more flowy and smooth feel in addition to the energy of the previous section. You connect all of these moods very well. I understand that you’re trying to create some structural relief at 2:19, but I think you could’ve done more to create some dynamic contrast in this piece. When your track sounds nearly uniformly intense, it sort of trivializes the intensity IMO, and I think you could’ve done more to polarize the levels of energy here. I don’t have many complaints at all about the mixing and mastering. The production quality is very high. I will say that I thought the snare could’ve come through a bit more at times, but otherwise you did an amazing job on that front. I loved the idea you had at 2:48 of dialing back the volume, and then opening that awesome, full texture back up at 2:53, but I’m not sure the suddenness of it quite worked for me, especially since you seemed to have done so in the middle of a mini-phrase. Even a simple crash probably would’ve eased the abruptness a bit there. I also take issue with the ending. Clearly, that echo effect at the end is awesome, but in and of itself the conclusion of this track could’ve been…well…more conclusive. In fact, shortly before the final note, you seem to be taking the piece in a new direction entirely (following the solo around 3:12), instead of winding it down. Overall, however, this is pretty damn cool. There’s a ton of content to keep me engaged. Quality effort, PirateCrab! ;D

9/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[Euneirophrenia]

I like how you took on a more you-sounding approach for the ending credits! It's beautiful and flowy and smooth and overall very LSD-ish. ;) By the end, it felt very conclusive as well, yet I also think you could've looped it. I'm sure it loops in the game (or does it?), but I certainly want it to play again, especially since it's so short! It's awesome that you were asked to make music for this game, though. I'm looking forward to playing it, maybe on my laptop since (news flash: Internet Explorer sucks). DX Keep at it, LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yeah. Out of the three tracks I made, this is the only one that would kinda work as a stand-alone. Chaz basically told me to do whatever I wanted for the credits, so I took one of the melodies from "Inner Eye", and made it longer, and 3/4.

The reason it feels so conclusive, is probably because I made it just long enough for it to end by the "fin" in the credits ;)
Which is also why I didn't loop it. Originally, Chaz asked for a 15 second loop, but I extended it to last the whole credits instead (though this track can loop perfectly at 3 spots).

Thank you for your support :3
Surprisingly enough, the first track actually loops better inside the game (probably because it's not in mp3 format), and I think that the tracks are better in context.

[Hypnopompia]

Again, I love the sound design here. It loops flawlessly, and the big, spacey percussion is really cool. I thought that the rhythms you used, especially across the various instruments, were a little convoluted. I wasn't sure if you were trying to emphasize the downbeat or the offbeat more. However, I will also say that I thought the string-sounding instrument in the background was perhaps the most elegant thing about this piece, and I think you should've brought it further up in the mix. Great work again, LSD. ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Reviewing faster than I can respond, hahha XD
This one does indeed loop flawlessly, when the previous one only almost does. The sound design is a bit similar to the stuff you might hear in The Binding of Isaac, I've been told.

As for the rhythms, I kinda agree. But it's also intentional. I wanted it to sound a bit weird, rhythmically (maybe it makes more sense if you actually fight the boss in the game, as none of these are supposed to be standalone tracks). I even use two different rhythms at the same time, if I can explain it like such.

Interesting that you'd mention that altered string. I think it was the original base of the track. It was way louder at first, but I felt like it distracted from other important elements of the piece, so I didn't want it to overpower them too much. But maybe that was a mistake?

Thanks again, dude! :D

[Inner Eye]

Oh, cool! You made music for a game! :O Unfortunately, my web browser is having trouble loading the game, but I knew that the music would be the best part anyway. ;) I love the moodiness of this one. Somehow you manage to combine the bright, almost cute toy piano sound with some dark, drone-like atmospheric content. It's a beautiful piece, yet also not too distracting. Perfect for a videogame! Well done, LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yay!
I was super stoked to get to work with Chaz on the musical department of the game making. It's a real shame that you're having trouble loading the game! I think the game is very good in its own right (it actually had pretty decent music made by Chaz before I re-scored it). This is a bit brigther than many of my other ambient tracks, as it wouldn't fit the game as well otherwise. But I couldn't help but to include some darker aspects too, hehhe.

There's a piano in this track, but then there's also a music box, which may be the toy piano you're talking about. Though I get what you mean! I've actually played on a more professional version of a mini/toy-piano (worth around 500$) I think, and the sound is very similar :)

And I did indeed aim for this not to be too distractive (though I did want to include some melody, and I ended up liking it enough to do a variation of it in "Euneirophrenia").

Thanks a lot for another review! I am pretty busy this week, and next week, school is starting for me again (well, introduction days). Can you imagine? Me beginning to study again? How will I survive?

Point being, I currently don't know when I will reply to your PM (I need to write a blog this month too). But I'm sure I'll find the time at some point not too far in the future ;)

[Groove M.D.]

Okay, I love the soundscape you have here right off the bat. This has a very original sound design to it. I love the funky synths at :20, and the chill pads and quirky percussion mesh into the texture here really well. I think you made the melody at :47 a little too convoluted, but I love the swells at 1:10, and the subsequent moment of structural relief that 1:20 offered. The echo effects and portamentos are freaking awesome. Sometimes the progression here is a little hard-to-follow and overly busy, like at 2:13. That said, you've definitely created an awesome, full texture here full of bizarre instruments that all compliment each other really well. I thought the ending was a little rushed and ambiguous, though. You kind of just filter away all of the elements until there's nothing but the beat left, and the beat (while cool), is definitely not the MOST cool thing about this piece. If anything, I would strip things away to leave one last awesome melody riff on one of your cool, slide-y leads. Still, awesome work with the instrumentation and moods here, and the production quality is very high as well. Despite my minor compositional complaints, this is a job well done, and I can tell that you really went all-out with this piece, which I love to see. Keep up the great work, Trunotfals! :D

9.35/10

[Racing the Sun]

I love the drums at the beginning. They establish the energy and intensity of this piece right off the bat. You were clearly aiming for a very full-texture here, which I appreciated. The mixing also seems a lot better than in the last piece I reviewed. There's some awesome drum work here, man. I love the rides you have playing at certain parts of the song (:26, for example), and I think the drums are just loud enough with blowing out my speakers (I personally find that drums are often left too quiet during rock songs like this). I appreciated that you were trying to offer some more structural contrast with the guitar solos around 2:15, yet at the same time they seemed to lack direction, and the start-stop beat you have playing in the background there kind of disrupts the flow an epic solo should have IMO. I also thought that you needed a lot more contrast energy-wise. If you make your piece essentially uniformly intense (as you have done), it trivializes the intensity by the end of the piece. Speaking of the end of the piece, it's very sudden and fails to conclude the themes you've presented here properly. I would recommend thinking about how you structure your pieces more. You can have several moments of intensity for sure, but you also need to keep the listener grounded more by adding breakdowns, bridges, or re-intros that offer some space and relief from all the bottled-up energy you have playing for the rest of the piece with the edgy guitar sounds. That said, I like your style of play a lot. It's engaging, danceable, and cool. Keep up the good work, Thebitterroost! ;)

8/10

[Breathe]

I love the warm strings at the beginning. You've really gone all-out to create a full texture here. The progression is absolutely amazing, and I love the more atmospheric shift you made later in the piece when the pads came in around 1:15. You really gave this piece the full cycle of emotion, from hauntingly beautiful stillness and tranquility to drama and energy. I love the oboe solos that come in at around the 2-minute mark. You really tell a story with this piece, too. Fantastic! I thought the ending could've used some more work. It just seemed a little ambiguous and quiet. I was waiting for another emotional high like at :40 for the entire rest of the piece, and I think it would've been well worth the effort to add another "refrain"-like structural element to the piece to better give it some more direction. I generally don't think that the "arrival point" to a piece should come 1/5 of the way through, especially if there's only one. Another issue I see with this piece is that it lacks some coherence. You don't really ever bring back some key themes from the first minute or so, and if you do they're very subtle. That said, paired with the right movie or videogame this piece could channel emotion extremely effectively. It's flowy and smooth, it has hauntingly beautiful melodies and harmonies, and the production quality is very high. This is exceptionally good work despite my structure-related grievances. Keep it up, DSykMusic! :D

9.5/10

DSykMusic responds:

Appreciate the kind words, thanks!

[Modern Day Hero]

I like the funky, bassy vibe at the beginning. The instruments mesh together really well here. I love the vocals (as well as the lyrics themselves). Your style (as well as your voice) reminds me of the Beatles, which can only be a good thing. I think you could've increased the intensity during the chorus a lot by holding out the notes on "arrive" and "survive" for longer. In turn, I think that you needed to create a little more contrast between the chorus and verses because you don't switch up the instrumentals in this piece very often at all, with the exception of the (rather cool) solo at 1:42 (which, in turn, follows a rather cool pad thing at 1:40). I do think you did a pretty good job of offering contrast by varying the intensity of your vocals throughout the verses, thereby creating more of a direction for the piece. I suppose I also should mention that the mixing also might need some work. The bass is a little too loud, and the kick is a bit weak and, at some points, simply hard to hear. I think you need to do more equalizing and sidechaining to ensure that the kick and bass don't interfere with each other so much. The ending was also a little underwhelming IMO. That said, I love the mood you have going on here, and your voice is very soulful and generally pleasant to listen to. Overall, nice work! I look forward to hearing some of your future projects beyond the competition and how you continue to grow. :)

9.25/10

[Bamboozle]

Interesting idea experimenting with the 5/8 time signature. I wish you had found a way to lead into the strings' entrance at :57 more. I like the progression of this piece, although I think it needed something more in the way of dynamic contrast. I think you've mimicked the baroque style very well, though. This piece is conclusive, well-structured, and very flowy and smooth. It's also coherent enough to be regarded as a structurally complete work without being overly repetitive. I will say that the lack of dynamic contrast makes it sound almost like it was written for some sort of montage. Especially since this is a classical piece of music, I think you should've made your fortes louder and your pianos softer. I can sort of tell that you wanted the part at 1:07 to be the "structural relief" and/or breakdown section, but it should've been much softer. That way, you could offer some more dramatic phrasing work (i.e., a crescendo) into 1:42. It would help give this piece all of the shape and emotion it deserves. In fact, many classical composers didn't write dynamics into their pieces, and musicians were simply expected to play the dynamics based on stylistic preferences of the time period. However, I personally regard you as the musician as well as the composer, and therefore this piece needs some more phrasing. If that's the main problem I have with this piece (which it is), though, I'd say you've got a pretty strong track here, Phonometrologist. Keep up the good work. ;D

9/10

[A New Future]

I love the down-to-earth and organic vibes at the beginning. It progresses pretty slowly at the beginning, but I love the part at :36 with the flute. At 1:05, the pizzicato-y stringed instrument that comes in and the flute get in each other's way too much IMO. They both sound like they're playing rather dominating melodies, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to be absorbing more. The breakdown at 1:33 offered some highly-valued structural relief. You really capitalized on dynamic contrast as you built the texture of the song back up using the tranquil flute melodies from around 2:00 onwards. I think you've really captured a story with this piece, which I love. The melodies at 2:30 are good, but I'm going to have to repeat my comment that occasionally they seem to get in each other's way, especially when they're playing different rhythms. I love how the mood oscillates between calming and adventuresome, though. The coda was also cool. You almost fooled me with the half-fade-out followed by the piercing, loud and conclusive note at 3:38. Either way, this is a job extremely well-done. I really admire your work here. The instruments and moods are incredible, and the melodies are beautiful. Determining the winner of this contest is going to be excruciatingly tough! ;)

9.25/10

NyxTheShield responds:

Can't. Wait.