TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Space Knight-]

It's catchy. I think the white noise at the beginning was a bit bland. You could've used some Lo-fi effects or something on it. Also, I'm not sure why you decreased the volume on the frantic synths at :16. It kind of caught me off guard. The instrument at :26 sounds a little harsh. I think it needs some more equalizing. I like the energetic and fast-paced nature of this piece, and I appreciate that you really went for a full texture here. However, I think you have some serious mixing issues. At :20, you can clearly hear the kick, for example. Then, by around :45, it gets lost under your frantic bass synths. Same thing with the piano and snare. I think an important next step could be to educate yourself on how to use equalizers, compressing, and panning to your advantage in whatever program you use to make music. That said, I like the melodies at 1:10 and the piano solo at around 1:30. You have a lot of quirky instruments (like at 1:50) in here, but your melodies are rather cool and well-varied. It's a very long piece, yet it keeps my attention rather well. I also really like what you did with the filters on that lead at 5:27. The ending cuts off a little suddenly, but that's not a huge problem (probably more of an error when uploading the piece than anything else). I think you're really good at harmonizing, and this piece is structurally sound and smooth-flowing (although you do overuse the crashes a bit as transitions, no?). I also think you could've used more reverb on a lot of your instruments to make them sound more connected and smooth. Still, the mixing is my main problem with this piece. Compositionally, this is really admirable work. Keep it up, Pi0run-V. ;)

8/10

Pi0run-V responds:

I completely agree with you. I still didn't exactly learn how to use equalizers etc. :\ In 0:16 It was an error of filter on this instrument. I planned to make Uplifting Trance track so I thought it will be better when I add here many transitions, some of them could damage the instruments.
Anyway, I'm glad you think it's an admirable and well composed track.
Thanks for your review! :)

[1984]

That's a very heavy and sub-bassy kick you got there. I often try to create two peaks with the kick, one that's in the sub-bass range and another that's around 500 Hertz. Still, I enjoyed the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the dark instruments. That pulsing lead was cool too. The synth that comes in at :41 sounds like it needs to be equalized more. Together with the pulsing lead it sounds really harsh, probably because they both have too many treble tones. The second half of the piece was very repetitive, and the ending was too sudden. This is not a structurally complete piece in my opinion. It only really has one climax, which peaks from around :40 to 2:05. You need some sort of breakdown or re-intro at some point before you create some melodic development and dynamic contrast in the second half of the piece (which you never did). It is a rather smooth-flowing piece, though, and I admire your sense of harmony and progression (despite my complaints about the structure and equalizing). The mixing also isn't that bad. If you account for these complaints, I think you'll have a pretty solid piece. Keep at it, Omnicrown. ;)

7/10

[Pick Me Up]

I like the organic guitar sound at the beginning. The vocals are generally good, but I think you need to enunciate your consonants more because it's hard to determine what you're saying at times. I would appreciate it if you left the lyrics in the description in the future. It's a pretty well-structured piece, and I like the warm, feel-good vibe it has. The simplicity gives it a really human quality. The ending was a bit sudden and inconclusive IMO. I also think the echo effects you used at 1:42 sort of detracted from the organic, down-to-earth vibe I thought you were going for. You probably could've done more with dynamic contrast and melodic development, too. Still, I admire your sense of harmony and progression, and it's a very smooth-flowing piece. Overall, I like it! Keep up the good work, Norway69. ;)

7.5/10

Norway69 responds:

Thanks Tainted. Most of music on here is experiments I do, and layer by layer did it as you say on the spot. I have a feeling I will rerecord it in the future and do it properly because it turned out quite nice :)

[Galantis- (U & I) (Instrumental Remix)]

I like the quirky instrument at the beginning. It progresses pretty slowly. I think you need a smoother transition at :27. Also, the synth you introduce there sounds really harsh and high-pitched. I think you need to equalize it more carefully to get rid of some of those treble tones. I liked the riser building up to :55, and the drop was cool without being overly heavy. You change moods dramatically at 1:25. One second it's heavy, punchy electronica, and then the next it's light, flowing piano music. I think you should've at least used the "softer" version of the lead at 1:37 to sort of connect the drop and the breakdown section a bit more. I think the middle minute or so of this piece offered some highly-valued structural relief, though, which is good. One major complaint I have is that you don't really bring any fresh ideas to the piece after the breakdown. The two drops sound exactly the same, and this is a repetitive piece regardless because the lead riff that first comes in at :00 is playing for almost the entire piece. I think the mixing wasn't bad, and I like the way the arpeggios sort of pulse in and out at :27 (and other places). Still, this piece is severely lacking in melodic development and overall variation. It's structurally sound, though, with some cool instruments and moods. I also like the effects at 3:15 (and other places). Overall, pretty solid work. Keep at it, NevoMusic. ;)

7.5/10

NevoMusic responds:

Thanks a bunch for the review! There was lots of helpful feedback there, if I make it to the next round I'll certainly try to incorporate everything you've pointed out. I agree that this track lacks melodic development, I should have made some type of melody or something to help this song progress a bit better. I'm glad you liked many of my effects, this was one of the first songs I made my own effects for. Also at around 2:48 I changed the automation for about 8 or 16 bars of the drop(I don't remember which), but the change was very subtle and I expect no one other than those who read this to tell the difference.
Anyways, thanks for the review. I'm very pleased with 7.5 out of 10!

[1923]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning, as well as the instruments. There seemed to be an appropriate amount of drama and suspense involved. It progresses pretty slowly, but I loved the climax and transition into the height of emotion at 1:04. It sounds very cinematic, and I love all the structural ups-and-downs that the texture offers. The percussion and melodic instruments at around 2:05 added a lot to the piece too. This is a very creative, unique, and engaging track overall. You took some real risks with it, but I think they all paid off! :D The ending is a bit sudden. You might need some reverb to smooth that out a little. Otherwise, there's an excellent atmosphere here, and I deeply admire your sense of harmony and progression. The mixing is pretty good, too. Keep up the great work, Nebulean! ;D

9/10

Nebulean responds:

Hi ! Thank your for you kind comment !
I'm happy to see that you like it !
Yes, this track was a bit risky but you know, I like taking risks ! Composing without risks is too boring for me, so I try to be the most innovative as I can.
Thank you again for this kind comment ! :D
Nebulean~

[Spooky Nights]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the melodies that come in at :12. It has a forlorn and distant feel to it, and I love the quirky instrument that you introduce at around :35 (and other places). I really admire your sense of harmony, especially around 1:20. I think you needed a smoother transition at 1:36. The addition of some drums might help with that. At the same time, 1:37 offered some important structural relief. The ending really threw me off, though. You should usually end your tracks on a tonic note, but instead this ending was simply inconclusive. This was especially disappointing, however, because the rest of the piece was rather impressive. Also, 2:55 was another spot where I think you needed a smoother transition. Overall, though, this is really solid work, and I applaud your effort here. Keep up the good work, Miguel-is-cool. ;D

9/10

[The Faceless Man - Only Death Can Pay For Life]

I like the heavy, energetic vibe this piece has. I think the snare sounds a bit dry. It needs more reverb IMO. This piece is a little slow to progress, and is very long-winded. I would've liked to see some more melodic content and, while the heavy guitars do give it a pretty full texture, you need to do more harmonizing. I am able to pick out some repeated sections, but I think you could make this piece more structurally pleasing and help keep the listener grounded by having more of a bridge/breakdown/re-intro at some point. Otherwise, it sort of just sounds like a flat, continuous stream of sound without end. It might be fitting for some sort of videogame, and the mixing is rather good, but as a stand-alone piece it doesn't really keep my attention very well. Again, some more structural considerations would help keep the listener more emotionally involved in the piece. I like what you did with the drums, though, and I enjoyed a lot of the isolated riffs. The ending seemed conclusive enough. It definitely has potential. The structure is definitely my main concern regarding this piece. Keep at it, Meatboot. ;)

7.5/10

Meatboot responds:

This song reminded me of Pissing razors a little bit, I like the review but this is the sound i was going for with not much melody, im trying really hard not to sound like anything else, I really like just one guitar with one bass. I love driving riffs and beats, im mainly a bass player lol i used to play guitar so this is me slowly getting back into it, I totally like the comment though, gives me a slight idea of what people want, but to be honest this is how i want it. Im getting better at mixing music every song i make.

My next one is done and being put up right now, its called Jaqen H'hgar and its 10 minutes long! im personaly proud of my knew one, there is a few riffs i really like in it! Check my page if you like metal anyone, there is no vocals for any of my stuff but im thinking about it! till then it remains an instrumental project of mine.

[I Like Watching You v.2 L]

I liked the risers at the beginning, and the vocal samples at :08 added a lot to the piece. I'm not sure where you got all these samples from, but I think you built off of the vocals enough to make it interesting, creative, and original. This is a very catchy and cool song. I admire your sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression. It loops almost flawlessly. While it's not exactly structurally complete as a stand-alone piece, it still is very smooth-flowing and has an appropriate amount of structural relief within its rather short-lived 1.5 minutes. I think the mixing is also rather solid. Towards the end, you do overuse some of the samples a bit, but overall this is really solid work. Your instruments were well-chosen and your texture was nice and full and engaging. Keep up the good work, Marauderchief! ;D

9/10

[Rippled Reflections [Be Water]]

I think the vocals add a lot to the piece. The riff at :27 sounds mechanical and even mundane in a way, but I think the bizarre percussion at :42 adds a lot of energy to the piece. It progresses pretty slowly, but has a cool mood to it. I think the hi-hat is a little too loud throughout, but that's a tiny detail. The melodies at around 1:30 really start taking the piece in a new direction, which I love. At the same time, though, they make the piece sound really different from the first part. I like how you tried to bring it full circle at 2:45 by bringing back some of the more pizzicato-esque instruments. The reverb also adds a lot to the piece throughout. Another tiny detail: the ending cuts off suddenly. Still, I think this is really cool and unique piece overall. I applaud you for going with a more organic sound design here. Beautiful work! Keep it up, man. ;D

9/10

[Be my Dude, Mario - Super! POLISHED]

This is a really unique sound design you have here. It's catchy and cool, yet it also progresses pretty slowly. I like the chord progression with the choir. I think the melodies at around 1:20 needed to be more up-front in the mix, because that's really the only melodic content you have in the piece. The mood and atmosphere of this piece are awesome: it's energetic and mechanical, yet also dream-like. I think it could function pretty well in certain kinds of videogames. The loop is clean, but I think you at least needed a crash in there to smooth out the transition back to the beginning. I wasn't really prepared for the pads to cut off suddenly when it looped. I really admire your sense of rhythm and harmony, though. This is, overall, pretty admirable work. The mixing is also rather impressive, especially given the dense texture of the piece. Keep up the good work, Kinupsi! ;D

9/10