TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Azure (Original Mix)]

Okay, I like the beat right off the bat. When that mid-range bass came in at :16, it added to the progression of the piece significantly. Not that I'm listening with headphones (as my parents are asleep) I can really tell exactly how clean and tight the mixing and mastering is - awesome job! The melody at 1:31 really grabbed my attention, if only because it was so quirky and fun. Really cool instruments you used here, btw. ;) I thought the chords at 1:46 were a little too loud, though. The drop at 2:15 was cool, but I hear a lot of similar instruments to ones you've used in the past. The high-range synth at 2:42 sounds almost exactly the same as one you used in "Gradient." Perhaps an important next step for you would be to be a little more adventurous genre-wise and try to shake up your style more. Otherwise, this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece with quite a few cool riffs and melodies. I liked how you used the drums to transition effectively into the drop at 4:32. I'll also compliment you on your usual fantastic combination of wet 'n' juicy atmospheres and danceable rhythmic content. I liked the ending better than some of your other ones, but I think you should definitely strive towards making it even more conclusive. I've told you that a lot already, though, haha. Keep up the great work, Lockyn! ^^

Lockyn responds:

I'm really proud of the mix in this track, so thank you for that comment! Glad you saw that. :) I really tried to make everything tight-knit in this one, so I honestly consider this track my first foray into something more professional-sounding-ish. I agree my sounds do sound similar to past tracks, I need to work on synth variation but you haven't heard something cool I'm gonna release soon that is COMPLETELY different from everything I've made so far. ;D Thanks for stopping by, I'm very happy to have read another review from you, TL! Cheers ^^

[UMakeMeFeel]

Okay, I like the grouchy bass and the way that the synths gradually fade in towards the beginning. Interesting use of vocal samples at :18. I think it's very minimalistic, and also progresses rather slowly, but it's also pretty catchy. I think you overused the riser/buildup at 1:44 (and other places), and by the end it's very repetitive. It just doesn't need to be 4 minutes long IMO. I enjoyed how you started harmonizing a little more at 2:15, but I wanted you to do a little more with that. It was missing a lot of melodic content IMO, and I wanted to see more variation and development, which is hard to do when you rarely have more than 2-3 instruments playing at once. I'm afraid you can't just fill the entire texture of a piece with reverb, my friend, even if you seemed to have been going for some traditional club house music here. You could've done A TON more with this piece. I understand that house music is "supposed to" be minimalistic and rhythmic, but you could've at least tried using some different and/or more creative rhythms towards the end. Overall, I think it's a pretty lack-luster track. Sorry. I know I've been tough on you in this review. It does have potential, but as a stand-alone piece it didn't keep me engaged very well. Keep working at it, man. ;)

[Punch Out Fight Theme]

I like the piano at the beginning, and how you left a lot of space for the following climax. I like the melody at around :50, and it does seem quite fitting for a videogame.

I think you need to work on your mixing and mastering a bit though. I can barely hear the kick drum. You should try compressing the drums (if you don't know how to do this, there are a lot of awesome tutorials on YouTube). I don't know what software you use, but if you use FL Studio like me, try pressing F9. The window that pops up is called a mixer. If you click on the "master" tab, there might be a box on the right side of the window that says "Fruity Limiter." Please click on the arrow next to that box, and then click "none." You NEVER want there to be a limiter on the master channel. EVER.

Otherwise, the slight distortions in this piece might also be because of a lack of Equalizing. I won't delve too deep into this now, as it's pretty complicated, but I will give you one basic tip which should really help you out. In each mixer tab (that is, for each instrument you have), click on the arrow next to the box that says "1," on the right-hand side of the mixer window. Then scroll down to "Parametric EQ 2." You can experiment with this more on your own or consult YouTube tutorials on how to use it best. For now, though, a little will go a long way: drag the knobs below 200 Hz (there's a scale at the bottom of the EQ window) all the way down to zero for EVERY instrument EXCEPT the bass and kick. It's entirely possible that you know all this already, btw, but I think this is something you should focus on, as I think a lot of your instruments could've sounded a lot clearer. Okay...hope all this helped. ^^ Despite my mixing criticism, I think this is (compositionally) a very good piece. Keep at it, man! ;D

[Time Travel]

Haha, this is a really fun piece. I really love the lyrics, and it has an upbeat and cute vibe to it, almost like it's a commercial for something. XD I like your voice too. Another thing I liked was that the lyrics really told a story. Perhaps it lacks a little variety (as far as I'm concerned, you used the same three instruments the whole time (that cute little synth, guitar, and drums). I also think you had some slight mixing/balance issues. For example, the vocals are a little quiet as compared to the other instruments, and it was very hard to hear the kick throughout. The ending felt conclusive, though, and I applaud you overall for this cheesy, yet fun piece. :D

SonicWombat responds:

Thanks for the good analysis, friend.

[The Last of Us - The Path synth]

I like the instruments and the pacing. It starts off slowly, but gradually picks up. The bass and kick add a lot to the piece as it is, and I'd say you have a solid intro during the first :45 seconds or so, but after that it was rather repetitive. I think you need more harmonies and counter melodies to create a fuller, more engaging texture for this piece. One method you could use to increase the intensity would be to hold out the chords for the entire measure. This is a good start, but as I see it it's kind of just the skeleton of a piece. Please keep working at it, though, because it has potential. Hope this review helped. ;)

Sylentium responds:

Thankyou, It really is just a pizza without toppings at the moment and I might go into deeper detail with it some time but thank you for the review.

[CloudBreaker]

Interesting choice of instruments here. I like the pensive-sounding lounge vibes, and the melodies that first come in around :20 add a lot to the piece. I admire your sense of harmony, and this is a pretty smooth-flowing and structurally appealing piece overall. You might want to work on your mixing just a little bit - I'm not sure the drums came through as clearly as they could've. Have you tried compressing them? I also enjoyed the more energetic section at 1:35. It was an effective change-of-pace. You then transitioned back into the refrain well, and the ending felt very conclusive. Overall, this is solid work! I'd say your experiment turned out well. ;)

UniversalAnarchy responds:

Thank you again for the detailed review! and FYI, i haven't tried compressing the drums, ill have to work around with that. over-all I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[Descent Into Erebus]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the flute. Interesting transition at :13 into the pizzicatos. I like how you increased the drama after around :25. This piece is very short, but structurally it has all the elements of a cinematic piece that I look for. It has character, climaxes, and feels very conclusive by the end. If I had to complain about one thing, I might say that the transition into 1:00 is a little sudden, and a crash there would go a long way. Other than that, really nice job, man! Mix sounds pretty clean as far as I can tell, too. Keep it up! ^^

samulis responds:

Thanks for the review! I forgot the mention, but the flute and harp are actually my own sample work as well. Hopefully those will appear for public use at some point, hopefully free. :)

Yeah, kinda gave up and didn't add any percussion. Maybe if I get around to it I'll add some swells and the like just to smooth out the transitions. :)

[Aurora (Original Mix)]

I love the synths and the reverb. It gives this piece a really chill aesthetic. Moody atmospheres are awesome! I love the sense of climax into :30 as well, although you didn't really go much of anywhere with it. The transition at 1:00 came on a little suddenly. Honestly, I don't even think you needed the piano from around :40-1:00 anyway. It's just a little overused among your tracks in general IMO. I enjoyed the drop at 1:59. It reminds me a lot of "Party Hard," so much actually that the first time I heard this when you released it on SC, I thought it was a remix. I think transitions are something you should really focus on, Lockyn. Even the breakdown at 3:00 comes on suddenly, and it seems to me that breakdowns seldom come on suddenly. I will compliment you on your mixing, though, as it's superb (as usual). I might also challenge you to do something more interesting with your drums sometimes. Some more rhythmically varied hi-hats or percs could go a long way. The transition into 5:41 might also need a bit of work, btw. The ending to this one wasn't that bad, though. I thought it was fitting how it was so atmospheric. :) Overall, great work! Thanks for uploading all these old tracks of yours to NG. It really makes it easier to make sure I've heard them all that way. ;) Keep it up, man!

Lockyn responds:

You've touched on all my usual problems, as usual :P Thank you for the concise critique as always! Thank YOU for taking time out of your precious day to listen, hope you enjoyed it even if it's the second time around. Thank you!

[[Dubstep] - Zelda - Lost woods remix]

Okay, this is interesting. I liked the melodies, but I'm not sure they fit well with the snappy snare and breaks you had at :32. It also lacks some harmonic support, and is in general pretty minimalistic. At the very least, some reverb and/or filter work would help you out in that regard. It's pretty repetitive and predictable, although short. The drops in and of themselves I enjoyed, but otherwise I'm not sure the concept of pairing this otherwise cheerful piece with hard-hitting dubstep appealed to me. Maybe that's just a personal preference though. Still, the ending was sudden, and you did little during the verses to keep this piece interesting IMO. It needs some chords, more interesting drum beats, and more complex structural changes and melodic developmental patterns. I can't exactly give you points for originality either. It has potential, and, as I've said, it's a pretty interesting idea, but I have a feeling you didn't really go all-out with this one. I want to see you go all out next time. I hope you found this review helpful. Keep at it, man. ;)

LegatusRj responds:

Wow thanks man! I'll be sure to take these into account when i remaster this! ;)