TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Cosmic Prelude]

I like the somewhat apprehensive and dark mood at the beginning, and how that slowly brightens until I get the vibe that there's a camera view opening up to display a beautiful scene, perhaps of stars (I see where I got that from now...). I enjoyed the chord progression and the instruments, and it has a beautiful structure so that the various ups and downs channel my emotions very well. It's very cinematic - reminds me of the title sequence to the beginning of a movie. That said, I also thought it was a rather safe piece and that you could've done a LOT more with it. For a pretty (though rather long) intro, it's good, but I felt like you were just getting started, and this could've been something epic with a little more...pop to it. It's the kind of music that'd really add to a film, but I'm not sure I'd listen to it on its own. I think you really missed out on an opportunity to do something riskier and more engaging, which is really too bad because you set up the mood and atmosphere perfectly. I thought the mixing was good, but its simplicity wouldn't have made the mixing too challenging. Overall, it's very pretty, but I think you could've capitalized on that prettiness more in order to produce a grander effect. I admire the progression and emotional qualities, though. Keep it up! :D

7.75/10

Bardash responds:

Thank you for your review. You are absolutely right when you mentioned that it felt as if I was just getting started. I took a risk with this piece and chose to submit it as I had intended it to be, a prelude. Eventually, I will be submitting more movements to complete the Cosmic Symphony. I was wrestling with the idea of changing the direction of the piece, but then thought to myself that would be cliche to turn it into a heart pounding, white knuckling, take a hold of your seats type of composition. I am saving that for a later movement in the Cosmic Symphony. I thought let me take a risk and give meditative music a little bit of love and attention.

[Inside an Eye]

Okay, I love the atmosphere and instruments and chord progression. It has an interesting sense of mystery and wonder to it, yet also a mechanical feel with the percussion. It's as if a child was able to take a one-way trip to Santa's workshop. 0_O Loops well, too! Great job LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks TD6!
I can see what you mean about the kid in Santa's workshop :D
I didn't have time to respond to your message yesterday (friends came over, we partied, got drunk, went to a pub, got even more drunk XD).
However, I'm doing it now, live, so expect it within the hour ;)

[~SW and CS~ Cranial]

Okay, guys, this is just such a freaking awesome track. I love the atmosphere and the beat and the synths. That melody instrument at :24 was awesome - soothing, yet also strangely sci-fi-esque. I love how you use that string of arpeggios at :54 as a transition. I love the structure as well, and the mood is at various times hypnotic, relaxing, apprehensive, and intense. You know I love that drop at 1:55 (how could one not?), and the panning at 2:13 was a nice touch. At times I think you could've done a little more with it, and the ending might've been a bit lazy, but all things considered I just adore the interesting combination of moods and all. Keep up the great work! I favorited you both; just forgot to leave a review. ;D

SkyeWint responds:

Good evening, sir!

The instrument at 0:24 is a theremin! It's a cool instrument which is arguably the first "synth" ever made. Kinda.

The arps are cool, camo really did a nice job coming up with them! :D

The drop was basically me trying to come up with a drop-like sound which isn't entirely cliched and overused. ...also, a generic drop just plain wouldn't fit the track.

Absolutely could have done a bit more with the dubby things and the ending. Couldn't come up with a better ending over the course of several days though, sadly. :<

Thanks for remembering the review! :D

[Icicle Rain]

Another short 'n' sweet one. I love the vibe the contemplative and high-pitched piano gives - very spacey with the reverb and beautiful. It's light, yet very sad in a way. It describes the quiet and mysterious beauty of icicles perfectly, and I also sense the theme of passing time. I suppose icicles take a while to form, though...Beautiful piece. Keep up the great work, LSD! ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Whoah, I'm so surprised for all the positive critique I've gotten for this song so far o.O
I like the vibraphone myself, at least in music where it fits well :D
I think I tried to write something mysterious when I wrote this. I imagined something ice-cavey with icicles that fell from the roof and created cold sounds (somehow, I still remember this...)
As much of my music, the style of this composition/improv is hugely inspired by all the FF games :p
Thanks for the review.

I'll leave a review for your latest upload, whenever I get time XD!!! (I like it!)

[Orchestration]

How did I miss this one? This is beautiful! I love the bright, upbeat piano and progression. Maybe it could've used some more dynamic contrast, but I love the sense of direction it has nonetheless. It's very flow-y and light. It would be great for a videogame if you looped it. I can hear the sense of adventure, yet it's also cutesy in a way. Animated knights headed off to save the damsel in distress. XD Anyway, keep it up LSD! Did you see my PM btw?

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I've been missing a lot of stuff lately too, as I can mostly be active on weekends :p
I'm glad that so many people seem to like this piece, even if the quality is not the best :D
You're not the only one who thinks I should loop it. Maybe I'll remake it as a loop with better stuff one day?
I like your visualisation, as usually XD

I did read your PM! I didn't have time to respond this weekend though :(
I'll try to do my best, and respond this weekend, as I should have enough time :)

[Tsukuyomi]

Man, I haven't heard from you in a long time...I liked the synths and beats. You incorporated the vocals really well, and that drop was really cool! I loved the Halloween-esque theme, and the melodies really helped support it. The drums are catchy and full-sounding, yet also not too busy. I loved the riff that comes in at 1:48 as well as the one at 2:10. This is a well-structured and very fun piece. You have an excellent sense of rhythm, and I love how you introduce that part at 3:36. I like the pauses you introduce into the part at 4:17. The melodies and harmonies are all great, and overall it's an incredibly entertaining piece. The vocals at the end were just...haunting! XD Great job, Malifex! Why did you 2 months without uploading content here?

fxarchive responds:

Hey man, it's always great reading your awesome reviews ^^

On the topic of posting, my song ideas and stuff are taking longer and longer to finish (a tradeoff for aspiring to make each song unique), and for the most part I've been really lacking inspiration for an interesting song. Nothing's exactly hit the spot for a while :P

[Broken Hero]

I love the darker mood and the combination of acoustic and synthetic elements. I liked the beat a lot with all those cool hats and rides, and the clap was also interesting/different from what you usually make. Those synths were different from your usual ones, too, and the strings at 1:55 were a nice touch. Mixing is good, and the instruments and emotion is great as well. I like this a lot, even though the harmonies seemed a bit simple at times. The melodies themselves are good and catchy, but within them I think you could've had some rhythmic variation. They're also pretty slow-paced. There could be more notes added to your melodies without them being "random." Anyway, overall good work again, BO! ;)

Everratic responds:

the harmonies seemed a bit simple at times. The melodies themselves are good and catchy, but within them I think you could've had some rhythmic variation. They're also pretty slow-paced. There could be more notes added to your melodies without them being "random."
While I was working on the song, I did consider making the melodies more complex, but I thought the melodies were so catchy as they were that I didn't want to risk ruining them. About the lack of harmonies, I forgot about that while making the song :(

Thank you so much for the two reviews in a row! Good luck with your competition, it was a great idea!

[The Approaching Storm]

I do like the melodies and instruments, as always. I think it felt a little bare at times, though, and this piece doesn't really feel structurally complete. I think that might be because it reaches what I view as a melodic high point at 2:59, and then it kind of just ends with a crash and briefly implemented volume automation. I've noticed that all of your pieces are rather mild-mannered. I know that's your style, but I'd encourage you to do something riskier, something more hard-hitting and punchy. Instead of those soft pads way back in the mix, try something more in-your-face. As it is, content like this can be pretty dry, but something more engaging might eliminate that! Also, about those drum samples, once you upgrade to FL 11, you can get DrumPad (and its 1,000+ samples) FOR FREE! Upgrading to FL 11, in turn, is free if you already have FL 10 (which I'm sure you do). What are you waiting for?! Anyway, overall it's a good piece. I've been pretty critical in this review. I think you could've cut down the intro a bit...really shouldn't be 45+ seconds. This is good work, and your mixing is fantastic as always, but I think you can do a lot more to make this track stand out from your other ones. ;)

Everratic responds:

I sent my PM to you a little too late, lol. Thanks for reviewing this song though :D

I agree with all your criticisms, and I don't really like in your face instruments, but I could try it for variation.

I'll go to the FL website to learn more about the differences between fl10 and fl11, then I might upgrade. I really don't like how the upgrade removes the pattern block section.

[Systematic Indecision]

I liked the vocals. You integrated them well. Did you say them yourself? The ominous mood was well-done, too. I think you could've cut the intro down from 45 to about 20 seconds potentially, though. I like the vocal bit at :45, and I think you did a good job contrasting the energetic and more relaxing parts of this piece. The transitions are solid, and this is pretty well structured. I would've liked to see some more up-front melodic content, and I think it does get pretty repetitive after a while. The progression is good, and I don't have any complaints about the mixing, but I feel like you could've done a bit more with this one. I do enjoy the bass slide transitions though, like at 3:15. The drums are good, as I would have expected given the genre, and I liked the variations you put on them after around 4:22. The ending was conclusive and fitting as well. It is pretty repetitive and minimalistic, though, but if that's my only major complaint, I'd say this is solid work, Waidmann! ;) Keep it up, man! ^^

8.5/10

[Everlasting Rain]

You're welcome! Review time: so, I like the mood and instruments at the beginning. You definitely leave a lot of room for contrast for yourself, and while it is very climactic, it also progresses a little slowly. I wish there was something a little more memorable melodically going on for the first couple of minutes. The riff at 1:27 was rather good, though, and I liked that subtle bass groove going on in the background throughout the breakdown there. The way you transition back into the "high-point" at 2:14 is good. The ending is really rocking it, giving it a good sense of direction throughout. This is also a good length for this kind of track, I think. I like the way you ended it, too, by bringing it full-circle with that lighter guitar. Although I usually think fade-out endings are rather boring and uncreative, I thought it worked pretty well here. Nice work Rainheart666787! Keep up the good work! ;D

8.75/10

rainheart666787 responds:

Thank you for the review and the opportunity to get my music out there. I will take these points on board and I agree with what you have said. Good luck with the rest of the competition and thank you again.