TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[:RoXas -Onto the oasis]

I like the climactic nature of it at the beginning, and the instruments worked well together. It does progress a little slowly, but I thought the drop at 1:05 was really cool. The kick is a little too loud IMO (even for dubstep), but I liked how you were going for something a little less heavy-hitting. Throughout that whole mid-section from around 1:30-2:30, I felt like it was a bit bare. You may have needed another harmony part or something, just to keep it engaging. Also, I thought it was a bit bizarre that you used the kick so abundantly at 3:15 (as well as other places) in order to transition into the drop. The snare is usually used to make smooth transition more so than the kick. It does get a little repetitive, but I still thought it was pretty cool overall. Nice instruments and mood. Maybe a little more melodic development and dynamic contrast would have added something. Anyway, keep at it, man! ;)

RandomDanceOfHappy responds:

ive been working on this alot trying to make the violin have a harmony with a different melody but i couldent get the flow how i wanted x/x
kick is strong but so is the sub bass was watching the sub bass lvs more then the punch part of the snare and yea i agree to much punch c.c
can agree with it being bare but lazy ness was kicking in
standerd risers in old dance use both a soft kick and snare to work up i just was lazy and only did a short kick ill look in to fixing it to sound more proper :3
thanks for the awesome review n.n in all honistly im really burnt out of makeing this song so i decided to put it on ng before its really finished cos im going to work on other projects till i can come back to this n.n
once agen thanks for the review
:Roxas

[Owen Lacey]

I know you were going for a slow and ominous start and all, but I think the instruments at the beginning needed some more reverb for the full effect. Still, I like the sense of climax throughout this piece, even though it is really short, and the instruments complimented each other really well IMO. Especially around :35, there was a clashing chord or two, but I think that only aids the mood you were going for. Very interesting work! Keep it up, man. ;)

[The Empire Falls]

I like the climax at the beginning. The distorted sound really adds to the mood I think you were trying to create - it's very dark and ominous. It is very electronic, but I can still see why you called it "cinematic." I really like how the drums stop-and-start around 1:20. It's well-structured and smooth-flowing, and I love the instruments and moods here. Nice job with the filters and mixing too. This is a really cool piece, bro. I have a few small complaints though: the ending was a little anticlimactic and sudden, for starters. If you wanted to make it sound more cinematic, you should really aim for some more dynamic contrast, probably at least with some melodic content towards the end. I could picture perfectly some dark strings added in there...maybe some sort of punchy lead to add to the drama, too. Also, after a certain point it started sounding a bit dry without the drums, and I think that's one of the reasons the ending didn't appeal to me so much. A simple crash can go a long way. Still, interesting work here. Keep it up, man! ^_^

Ikerion responds:

First helpful reivew i have seen in a while! like thanks!! :D

[Climbing Blade]

I like the instruments and mood. I think you need to work on your mixing a bit, though. The drums could sound clearer, and they will if you EQ the instruments more. Especially make sure you get rid of the low tones on all of the instruments except the bass and kick - it can get really muddy and distorted down there. This track is pretty repetitive, but my main problem with it is that there are almost no transitions. You might even be able to get away with just sticking a simple crash in there occasionally, but some more work with the drums or (if you'd prefer) sweeps and risers would be much appreciated. I do like a lot of the riffs and stuff in this piece, though. It has a lot of potential. Hope this review was helpful and keep at it, man. ;)

Draith-Vicious responds:

Thanks for your feedback. I listened to everything again on my Logitec 5.1 Surround system and my Razer Kraken pro headset and I can't really notice any of this muddy sound that you're talking about. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up all of the instruments and sounds and everything sounded pretty clear to me. I didn't do any transitions because I wanted to keep it close to the original just with more modern sounding instruments. Maybe I'm just not hearing these things but if you would like to take this track and clean it up a bit or fix up the drums like you're talking about I would love to hear it but as it stands I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out.

[Chip Alert]

It has a neat, bouncy feel. I like the synths, even if they are a bit basic. It's catchy and energetic. Overall, I felt like you could've done a bit more with it...maybe some melodic development and dynamic contrast would've added a lot. Title is fitting, and the mixing isn't bad. It ends a little suddenly, but also doesn't make that bad of a loop. I don't have much more to add. Pretty cool track, man! ;)

[Medley of a Shattered Mind]

Beautiful! It's very dark and reflective. Makes me think of sad memories at first, then a strange floating sensation. It's hard to describe...anyway, I loved the subtly distinct movements, and, as is with all your piano improvs, it flows really well. I really liked the chord at around 3:18 that was quite a bit more staccato than your usual style. Still, I'm going to have to call my favorite chunk 2:30 - 3:00. But, really, it's all so beautiful! :'D If one could dare to suggest an improvement to be made for this piece, it might have progressed a little too quickly at times. Still, amazing work LSD! Keep it up, my friend. Also, I have a challenge for you: can you make a piano improv that is not smooth and flowing, but rather punchy and jarring? I'd be interested to see what you do with that idea... >:D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Aww, thanks :3

For some reason, I've always been drawn to dark stuff... It's good that it makes you think of memories, as that is kinda the point! This does indeed flow well, but this is not an improv. I might as well stop making songs if my improvs were this good XD

Oh, you noticed 3:18? Very well done my friend! It is intentional, although I accidentally overdid it a bit. Luckily, Phonometrologist saved the part with a perfect amount of reverb, so it sounds quite nice :p

I do agree that this does progress quite quickly at times, however, I'd like to point out that that is intentional! That said, some transitions definitely could be smoother... THAT SAID, I'm often a fan of rough, unexpected transitions and modulations :3

OOOH! I like that challenge. I will take it on for sure (I have in fact done more bouncy and unflowing pieces earlier, but it has been a long time since...). Thanks for the suggestion!!

Lastly, I'll try to reply to yourm PM before wednesday. Believe it or not, I've had a pretty full schedule lately o.O Hopefully, things'll call down soon again so I can focus on my projects as well...

[Two Pals]

Hmm...cool. I like the melodies and the pizzicato-esque style of this. It feels very wholesome and refreshing, like I'm visiting an old-fashioned farm. XD I thought that string-sounding instrument that had the soaring arpeggios had way too much reverb, though. It almost sounded distorted because of it. Still, not a bad first track for this guy. Mixing is pretty good, and, while I liked the beat, I don't think it fit that well with the mood of the piece. Still, solid effort! Keep it up, you two. ;)

[The Last Dance]

I love all the squeaky-sounding FX. ^^ I liked the instruments and the melodies. Pretty soulful and emotional, although I thought the quality wasn't exactly top-notch. At times it lacks some harmony parts and structural support, and at others it's pretty muddy and distorted (like 1:34). Interesting atmosphere you got going on here, though - sounds medieval at some points, old-western at others...then there's that piano thing at the end. :) Also, a little bit of 90s-style trance in there around 2:30. ;O I was going to comment that I liked how you brought it full circle in the end, and that it should've just stopped at :08, but that was before I realized that it had looped. XD Pretty good job with the looping. That said, I'm still not convinced this is your maximum potential, Ale. Seems like you need to update Cubase/add more memory to your computer, though. ;( Still, it's very unique and interesting. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your work, my friend! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I like those squeaky thingeys too :3 I use a certain kind of plug-in on normal percussion to create that effect :p
I agree that there'smuch to improve on the quality! I'll try to get better eventually, and I'm sure I will be :D

I don't know what is so muddy at 1:34, but it might be that one weird intrument in the background (I honestly don't even remember what it is or why I put it there o.O)...

Really? Old-western? That's not how I see any part, but I'm sure there's some influences from there, as I love Western music XD Trance though; that I buy ;)

"but that was before I realized that it had looped. XD Pretty good job with the looping"

=> At least it loops somewhat well then! Especially if one doesn't anticipate it :)

I definitely hope this isn't my maximum potential; in that case, I'd be a bit disappointed :/
I most definitely should update my Cubase! It'll cost much more though :(

Thanks for listening and reviewing, Andrew! :'D

[Lamm - Realm 3: Thorns]

Hey, this is cool! I love the instruments, especially the grouchy bass and the oriental-sounding synths. I love how it almost sounds like breakbeat without the beat (there are a lot of starts and stops in the syncopations, if you know what I mean). This is a catchy and pretty unique piece. It also loops really well. Nice job, MetalRenard! ^^

MetalRenard responds:

It's not actually a synth, it's a sampled instrument from Ra (EWQL), so you have good ears!
Thanks for the kind words!