TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Meet the Stream]

I like the tranquil aesthetic here, and the synths that come in at :15 certainly add a melodic touch that contributes to that mood. It does progress rather slowly, though, and overall I didn't think it needed to be almost 5 minutes long. The drop at :53 was everything a chillstep drop should be - melodic, smooth, yet with this buried sense of intensity you showed off with the pulsing pads. I also really liked the sound effect at 1:00, as well as the sample that sounds like animated chipmunks (1:11). The melodies at 1:55 were also cool, but I thought the synth at 2:12 was a little harsh-sounding, probably because you didn't equalize out enough of those high tones. It might also help to transpose it down an octave. You have quite a few different melodies in this track, which I love. I think the one at 3:31 is my favorite. That said, it might also be a good idea to vary the main melody more instead of adding new ones. The two drops were essentially the same thing twice, which gives the piece a sense of stagnancy which is never good, especially when the piece is as long as this one. I also think the clap/snare you had in there during the drops was WAY too quiet. During the part with the chipmunks I could barely hear it, in fact. Furthermore, I found the fade-out ending you had inconclusive and even a bit lazy. Overall, the mixing is pretty good, though, and I think you definitely achieved the mood you were going for here. If you limit the repetition a bit, this could be a really solid track! Keep at it, Ectisity. ;)

7/10

[Immersions]

I like the pensive and tranquil mood at the beginning. I like the distortion at :21, as well as the somewhat clashing harmonies. The pulsing effect at :40 was cool too. I think you need a stronger transition at 1:01, because the explosion of energy there came on a bit suddenly. I thought the bass was a little loud at 1:40, but the drums were cool and it has this quirky yet engrossing mood about it. Sounds like the kind of music one listens to when (s)he wants to ingest certain illegal narcotics (and that's a good thing!). I think you could've done more with the main melodies you had in this piece (such as 2:37), especially after you had already used them once. Melodic development is often an important way of creating variation in a piece, and variation itself is very important when your track is almost 6 minutes long. It didn't need to be that long IMO. It was a little hard to follow the rhythms at 3:17, but I understand that you were going for a very distorted and affected sound here. The ending itself seemed pretty conclusive, yet it bothered me that it cut off so suddenly (although that's probably a project system error more than a compositional one). Even with the rather quirky sound design, I think you sometimes needed to connect the various structural components of this piece a little more. The transitions at 3:16 and 4:23, for example, seemed almost nonexistent. A simple crash or a dramatic pause would've sufficed, yet this piece sort of has a continuous flow of energy that makes it hard for the listener to stay grounded. That said, I commend you for taking a risk (several, in fact) with this piece, as it is quite unique, original, and creative. It's a bit rough around the edges, but overall the sound design, mood, and atmosphere have me convinced that this is pretty solid work. Keep at it, Crueldeity. ;)

7.5/10

Crueldeity responds:

Why thank you for a wonderfully insightful review. I am totally up for tomatoes about how somewhat disconnecting this track feels. Looking back on it, I usually will work on a song for longer than 3 days, so this song definitely feels a bit rushed. I slap my hand on the transitioning part of the project, but I do feel it still it's a pretty strong piece without giving enough time to color inside the edges so-to-speak. I do still need to keep up with proper spacing to keep instruments from hitting each other, but all in all this was a very fun contest to enter and thank you for a very thoughtful review, and thank you in advance for your consideration TaintedLogic! \m/

[Is This What You Want?]

I love the organic guitar sound here. The rhythm of that very first riff from :03 - :06 was a little hard to follow, but I like the percussion you brought in at :11, and it had a haunting, mysterious, and apprehensive vibe to it, almost like an approaching storm. I think the chant-like, spoken lyrics really add to that mood, although they were just a bit too quiet IMO. I also liked the more electric elements you started incorporating at 1:36. The throaty, intense "what do you want from me?" seemed like a fittingly conclusive last line to the lyrics, too, perhaps ironically as, after all, it is a question. Overall, the lyrics are quite clever and topical, and I think it's exceedingly impressive that you made the percussive sounds using a piece of cardboard. I can picture a wandering minstrel with a guitar, seeking shelter under a boulder and looking out at the eye of the storm, asking "what do you want from me?" :D Despite the funky, energetic riffs at 1:50 and thereafter, I think you could've done a bit more with this piece. There's this sense of bottled-up intensity throughout, and I was waiting for almost 3 minutes for the sky to open up and explode with some thundering, punchy and powerful content, but the piece never quite got that far. It would've helped sell the drama and the tightly-wound energy of this track if you loosened it up more at one point. I also think the very ending was a bit lazy and inconclusive. Fade-outs generally are IMO. Still, this is a really cool, down-to-earth, and unique piece here, Ceevro, and the mixing and mastering are quite solid. Keep up the good work! :D

9/10

Ceevro responds:

Hehe...well, I think I nailed the feeling I was going for here, judging by the review. A couple people have said that I should have gone over-the-top on this, but I never intended this to be a Satriani-style setup for an epic guitar solo...I wanted to brood for a bit. I wanted my eyebrows to cast shadows. I felt like glowering.

[Eclipse Of Destiny]

I like the edgy guitar sound you were going for here, but the piece seems to lack an appropriate intro, instead throwing you into the midst of some energetic riff. I also think the drums are just a little too quiet. The drums helped channel the energy of this track, but as it is now it just sounds like a continuous stream of high-energy content with little dynamic contrast. If you have a structural design to your piece that ebbs and flows a little more, it could really help keep the listener grounded and enhance the emotional/dramatic qualities of the piece (as they may apply, in this case, more so for drama). As the piece is now, it can be kind of hard to discern the structural components of the piece. I loved a lot of the individual riffs, though, and the distorted pulsing effect you had at around 3:05 was really cool. The ending felt conclusive enough, although I think the track is quite unnecessarily long. I generally think it's a good idea to keep the listener engaged using dynamic contrast, as well as by introducing new instruments at transitory moments in the piece. You did neither here. I admire your sense of harmony and the punchy, crisp vibe this has, but for me it's a little hard to latch onto given the structural flatness. Hope this helped, and keep up the good work. ;)

7/10

[Uplifter]

I'm going to be tougher on you than I usually am, because, well...this is for a competition. I liked the warm pads at the beginning, but the brass at :07 seemed a bit punchy by comparison. The synth at :14 is a little high-pitched and harsh-sounding, and I think you could've gone in a lot of different directions with it melodically. I was a little confused when :41 offered an almost breakdown-like section because I expected there to be a notable climax before any sort of re-intro. I liked the melodies at around :56, and the progression by around 1:20 is rather pleasant. I love all of the melodic development you offer by the end of this piece, but I'm not sure you needed much of the first 40 seconds. It's, overall, very smooth-flowing and structurally sound. I think you could've done a bit more with dynamic contrast (even though there are clear structural ups-and-downs to the piece). I think the harmonies around 3:22 are my favorites of the piece. The ending is a bit sudden, though, and I think it gets a bit repetitive by the end. Still, I love the upbeat mood and melodic content. The mixing is also rather good. I suppose one big drawback for me was that it didn't seem very unique. I've reviewed a LOT of upbeat techno/trance/house songs for this contest already, and while the melodies are memorable and the production solid, perhaps doing something more original with the sound design or adding some interesting effects would be a better way of distinguishing yourself from the other competitors. Still, this is a cool piece. Keep up the good work, LunacyEcho! ;D

7.5/10

LunacyEcho responds:

=> brass at :07 =>

My bad! I was planning on raising the volume of the pads in the intro and automating the volume of the brass and trance synth to gradually get louder after a somewhat softer entry, but I didn't get the chance to. :P I'll fix it once the competition is over, though!

=> synth at :14 =>

Is it really? I just used a really common trance synthesizer. :P It's basically a preset, actually! Just with a few tweaks in regards to resonance.

=> :41 breakdown =>

Yeah, I think the only reason that happened was because :27 was the very first thing I wrote, so I kind of got used to hearing it at the beginning :P I do agree it feels a little out of place, though.

=> sudden ending =>

That was another part I didn't have enough time to fix :( I DEFINITELY agree with you on that account :D

=> unique =>

I was kind of hoping the solo melodies would add to the uniqueness of the song :P Hey, if you've heard a lot of songs in the same vein as this, mind sharing some? This is the kind of style I love to listen to :D

Thanks for the review! And thanks for all the reviews you'll be giving over these next few days :D All your work has been appreciated!

[For Love is strong as Death]

I like the rain FX and the pensive piano at the beginning. The progression is really interesting. There's a lot of dissonance, yet in a way that gives it a soothing, jazzy vibe. At times I thought the rain FX was a bit too loud, especially towards the beginning, and I think you needed a stronger transition at 1:19. Otherwise, the strings come in a bit suddenly, and I highly doubt any sort of suddenness would fit with the flowing and emotional mood you were going for here. I love the sense of climax into around 2:10. 2:10 serves as a grand "arrival point," and it's important to have contrast in a piece like this. Another great arrival point was 3:30. I love your efforts to harmonize more at that point, and how you mold the mood towards a darker and more apprehensive sound. The pulsing strings are excellent, and I love how you bring the song full-circle by bringing back the tranquil piano chords at around 5:20. The ending was mysterious, even ominous, yet also conclusive enough. I love how you played with the pacing a bit at the end, as if the rain was slowing down and the sun coming out. :) Overall, this is clearly excellent work. As far as I can tell, the mixing and mastering is solid, and I'm impressed with the emotion, dynamic contrast, and progression. Keep up the good work, Phonometrologist! :D

9.25/10

[Heartsteps]

Hey LE! Thought I might as well leave a review since you asked me to help you decide what to audition for NGADM with. ;) I really like the progression with this one, although I will say that the chords at the beginning seemed a little indistinct (maybe you went a bit overboard on the reverb, or otherwise the mix could be clearer). I liked the cute melodies, and the transition at :56 was really cool. The minimalistic section at 1:33 could've also used some more texture - maybe some light pads or something. I liked the melody at 1:51, but I think it would do you some good to make sure those notes are held right up until the next one starts. There are a few awkward pauses in there (like at 1:57), but that's a pretty small detail. Still, it's a really flowy, cute, and upbeat piece. The ending was appropriately conclusive. I think I like this one more than "Analog Rush," but it might be worth your while to simply clean up "Shimmer" based on the feedback you've received if you have time. Hope this helped! Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck! ^^

LunacyEcho responds:

Haven't responded to this one yet :P Figured it was time!

=> chords at the beginning =>

Yeah, they were a little reverb-heavy. Mixing was an issue for me :D (was then, still is now)

=> transition at :56 =>

Yay! I liked that one too.

=> 1:33 =>

I wanted to make a huge contrast, especially after listening to johnfn's "i believe" and thinking about how to effectively use silence in music. But pads would probably have worked well too :P

=> awkward pauses =>

I guess my justification for keeping those in is realism? Then again, for an electronic song... Yeah, I get what you're saying :P I don't pay attention to that sort of stuff much, and it's attention to detail that's going to make or break a piece :D

=> ending =>

I thought it felt a bit tacked on :P Glad you think it was conclusive!

Hey, thanks for the advice! I ended up changing my submission song from Shimmer to this one, and it looks like it worked! Thanks a ton, TL! :)

[Death of a Prodigy]

A liked the warm string sound you had here. I think it progressed a little too quickly given such a heavy, dark ambience. It's only 3 minutes, so I don't think it would've hurt to dial the tempo back a notch. Still, the progression is really beautiful, and I love how you cycle back to those initial chords at around 1:27. It kind of reminds me a little of Hans Zimmer's "Time" (and that's DEFINITELY a good thing!), but I think in order to really sell this piece you needed a little more dynamic contrast. Volume automations could really help. I would suggest making 1:27 pianissimo at the loudest, and then really highlighting the crescendo back into around the 2-minute mark. Little details like that really help bring out emotion in these kinds of pieces. Still, overall this is really solid work. Oftentimes, simplicity is beauty. :') Keep up the good work, LN! ;D