TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Alone]

Beautiful! :D I love the pensive, steady, and ominous piano riffs, as well as the melodic and surreal riffs on top of them. It's a contemplative and wonderfully-crafted piece. I love the structure, and of course it's very smooth-flowing and loops flawlessly. I especially like the parts at :43 and 2:27; they add very well to the haunting beauty of this piece. I like the reverb, too. It seems like you played it in a big concert hall. Overall, excellent work! Good luck with your game! ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you liked it! It just feels a bit dumb that this time, I didn't have time to add anything new to the track; it's the same as in the old version, but hopefully with better production :D
Good thing the older version had such a good structure and composition already, so it was no necessity to build upon it :p

Actually, it's possible to spot a very minor click when the track loops, as usual. I tried my best to loop this flawlessly this time though, so I'm glad I pretty much succeeded :)!

Also, it's good that you like the overly exstensive reverb! I was actually about to remove some reverb, as well as EQ away some bass, but my father told me not to, so I decided to trust his opinion; after all, he has listened to 10 times more music than I have, at least!

Thanks for the review (and the five stars :3). I hope that my game will do at least somewhat well, but we shall see the results shortly XD

[Euphoric Date of BIrth]

Well, it is pretty generic trance, and not your most original work, but I sure am glad you're back! :D I liked the instruments, though, as well as that filter or pitch automation or whatever it was that came in at the end of every sub-phrase (i.e. 2 measures). Given the circumstances, it would've been nice if you at least looped it or something, but lol sorry I took that way too seriously. I'm just glad you posted something, man - 3 months is long enough! Hope school's going well, btw...that will be all... ;)

Lockyn responds:

OH GAWD hello thedoor! xD I am so sorry you had to hear this LOL. Load is coming soon, I'm sorry for this disappointment. LOLOLOL OH GAWD I'M EMBARRASSED

[soar]

It's that time of the 8 days, isn't it? :D The mood at the beginning was interesting. It was a little distorted, yet there was this epic sort of clarity to the synths and piano that just made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. I loved those riser-transitions like at 1:09. The melodies were excellent, as always, and I love the instruments as well, especially that funky one at 1:38. As usual, you incorporated the guitar very well, and the structure and transitions overall were, once again, very, very good. One complaint I have is that you seem to use very similar drums (especially snares) across tracks. Couldn't hurt to shake that up a bit in the future. The melody at 3:13 is one of my favorites, though. The glitch-y drums around 3:30 to 4:00 sound excellent. You somehow manage to make those glitch-y sounds work well in almost any piece of music, John! :D AH! That cut-off ending really got to me, though. This piece DESERVES a timely cut-off, man! Overall, though, excellent work! Antiskill is awesome, and your piece really fits the art well. Best of luck in the competition! :D Unfortunately, I don't have time to enter this year (I was considering using one of Antiskill's pieces myself), but I wouldn't be surprised if you won. ;D Keep it up, Johnfn! I wonder what April's theme will be...

johnfn responds:

> It's that time of the 8 days, isn't it?

hahaha. Actually I have another song coming out really soon which I was working on in parallel with this one (which is why I was a little more quiet than average).

> riser-transitions like at 1:09

This was really fun to do! I just took a frequency shifter and shifted the frequency of the whole track :D

> funky one at 1:38

Yeah omg I loved that synth.

> One complaint I have is that you seem to use very similar drums (especially snares) across tracks

This is actually a really good idea. The main problem is I have only downloaded like one drum library and I just keep using it haha. Will be getting some more variety in the future :)

> melody at 3:13

You have a really good ear, this was actually my favorite also. That's why I repeat it later on in the outro at 4:43 (you can usually tell how much I like a melody by how often I repeat it haha).

> That cut-off ending really got to me

Lol I'm a derp. I'm getting better at not forgetting to do this but I still do sometimes. I'd fix it except that, since I'm using the demo version of the glitch vst, I lost all my glitching data when I closed (it doesn't save) so I'd have to recreate it all :( If I update this track I'll fix this.

I don't really expect to win the competition but it was super fun to write this track :)

Thanks for the review dude!

[Secret Base Zone GRD RMX]

I like this one a lot better than your last remix, man. The quirky pizzicatos are really funky and cool, and the instrument itself fits VGM really well. It couldn't hurt to make it progress faster, but I understand it was for a videogame, so it's bound to be repetitive. ;) I also really like the fact that there's not really a very strong beat and within certain phrases it's pretty variational. I think you could've done a bit more with it, as I'm getting the sense that you stuck very closely to the original, but otherwise nice job. Keep at it, man! ;D

P.S.: this one looped a lot better than the last one, too! ^^

[Aquatic Ambience (RMX)]

I like the harmonies and structure and transitions. That piano that comes in at 1:00 is really cool. The percussion during the second half of the piece is also really good. I think at the beginning, though, the guitar seemed a little too loud and aggressive for the style I think fits with this piece. I would've lowered the volume of it a bit, and did whatever I could to compress it without screwing up the mixing. It might just need some re-filtering or something, too. Transposing the strings down an octave might also help. I think it gets a little repetitive by the end, and I can't exactly give you points for originality either, but one thing I really did like was the subtle pitch automations in the strings. Also, it doesn't really loop well. Try selecting "wrap remainder" under "looping mode" when you export it (I assume you use FL Studio). Overall, though, it's not bad. I'm looking forward to hearing some more original work from you, man. In the meantime: stay in school, listen to your parents, eat your vegetables, and don't download YikYak! ;D

[Winding Canyons]

I'm not sure I liked the sample you used for the brass at the beginning, and I think the pauses there didn't make it very climactic. I really liked the riff at :20, though, as well as the harmonies thereafter. I admire your ability to combine a lot of very different instruments into a very concise whole. It was sufficiently varied, and I really like the structure overall. The transition at 1:48 was very sudden, though. I love the melodies at 2:17, as well as the harmonies with the cello, which I thought was very well done! :D The chorus at 3:00 was also a highlight. It does have a cinematic feel to it by the end, but overall I could picture it as a sort of organic-sounding VGM track. I could picture it in a sort of action/adventure sort of format. I also think you could've led into the end better. Overall, though, nice work, LunacyEcho! If you stick to this 2.5-track-a-month thing, you'll get far very quickly! :D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> brass at the beginning =>

I think I layered a french horn, a trilling violin, and a cymbal roll together. I guess it didn't work that well. :P

=> sufficiently varied, structured =>

Well, at least I'm getting better in those parts. I can feel the project working...

=> sudden transition =>

Derp.

=> harmonies with the cello =>

You know, I actually had a cello on legato later in the song, but I think the harmonies you were talking about were the ones on staccato. I'm not entirely sure why, but when I was writing it, I wasn't able to do both in one track; i.e., have one part of the track be legato and another staccato. It usually works, but this time, it didn't. I'm scared of what's happening to my software. :D

=> VGM track =>

Nuuuuu wai u do dis

I was actually trying to gravitate away from video game music, which is one of the reasons my mind used to justify the different parts. :)

=> could've led into the end better =>

Yeah... After spending around half my time on the transitions in the last song, I guess I subconsciously wanted to take a break for this one and didn't try that hard. :P

Thanks for the review, TheDoor!

[The Watchmen Cover]

This is interesting. I like the instruments, especially the echo-y drums and dark, cinematic strings. The crash/effect at 2:16 was also cool. My main problem lies with the vocals. They seemed off key at times and otherwise rather half-heartedly done. I'd assume you didn't rehearse them that much before you recorded it. Sorry. I also can't exactly give you points for originality, but it is a pretty cool tune. I also noticed the mechanical bass synths on my second listen, which I liked. It also loops pretty well, which was a pleasant surprise. Always nice to hear from you, MistaRogerz! Keep it up, man! ;D

mistarogerz responds:

Hah, that's why I don't sing on many songs. Thanks for listening!

[Heroic Loop]

I liked the instruments and mood, but it's very simplistic and, well...short. I think the loop isn't bad at all, but I think the mixing could've been better. It seems like the piano and its reverb covers up the other instruments a lot. Overall, nice job, though. This has potential, and I'm looking forward to your future projects. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey! You're completely right :p
Personally I think the loop is quite bad. Or well, I don't think it should really be a loop at all, but I guess I just gave up on the project in an early stage :)
The mixing is practically nonexistent, if I recall correctly. I think I was just trying out som new instruments :3

Oh, and don't worry about not replying to my PM; I know you have much to do :)
And yes, it is pretty odd that I'm still in school although I've completed my exams, it's certainly not customary. I've just had so many courses that there were some mandatory ones that I had missed, which I still have to complete ;)

Thanks for reviewing even this track!

[Energy Flux]

Nice! :D I think it starts off a little slow, but it's definitely very climactic and catchy. I love the melodies at :41. I loved how it got glitchy at :48, although I think you should be careful not to make it sound too harsh. The sweeps also seemed a little too loud at times imo, especially towards the beginning. I liked the breakdown at 1:37 a lot, especially with the syncopated snare. I also really like that bit at 2:57. It's definitely varied sufficiently, and is overall very fun, melodic, and upbeat! :) I like the structure and transitions a lot, especially the one at 3:28. I think elements of the balance could've been better, but with a track like this that's so harmonically complex, it's hard to do, I realize. In general, really nice work! Keep it up, LunacyEcho! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> starts off slow =>

Yeah, I guess. I have a really hard time with both intros and conclusions. I think I went through about seven of them total before I settled on the ones I have here. And I guess they still need improvement. :D I tend to start with a filter on everything quite a lot. Around half the songs in my 'unfinished but may finish someday' folder start off in a similar fashion. I guess that's why I never got around to finishing them.

=> glitchy =>

I suppose I could've lowered the sound, but I was having too much fun with the realization that I could actually do this to care. :)

=> sweeps =>

I'm not sure we're hearing the same song, because I uploaded three different versions of the song on here in the space of about ten minutes when I first posted. The first one had a weird-sounding conc., and the second one somehow left off the filter in the first section. Maybe you were hearing one of those versions. (I hope not, though. Then again, I don't know how Newgrounds works...) Anyways, if you hear a filter in the first part, it's a version that I'm fine with you hearing. If not... Tell me and I'll try reuploading it.

=> syncopated snare =>

I don't know where I came up with that. I realized it might sound nice, and it did!

=> varied sufficiently =>

This one's definitely a lot more varied and progressive than my other stuff. It has a lot less repetition in terms of structure, which I think is quite nice.

=> elements of balance =>

Mixing, mastering, what'cha gonna do? They sound balanced to me, and they sound sorta balanced when I play it out loud, but I don't really have any way to hear how it sounds through any other speakers/earphones.

=> really nice work =>

Thanks! Although I may not be able to keep it up, since I'll soon be entering uncharted territories...

Thanks for the awesome review, TheDoor!

[Lost in Sound]

I love the mood and the instruments. The syncopations work well, and the progression if interesting, if a little slow. One thing I didn't like too much was the instrument you used for the snare. Also, by the end, it gets a little repetitive. I think you need to come up with more creative ways of ending your tracks, man. Overall, though, I like the structure, transitions, and melodies. Good work! ;D

DjGubkafish responds:

thank you