TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Midnight]

I like the synths and filters. It's definitely very climactic and catchy. The beat is cool, and I liked it when that melody came in at :42. That groove at 1:25 is pretty cool...very bass-y and catchy, if a little minimalistic. It's a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece with a healthy amount of variation and all. I'm not a huge fan of dubstep (especially brostep and stuff), but this wasn't as heavy as that, which is good imo. Nice job, man! Now I feel even worse that you can't join the competition. :'( You would've had a fair shot. Take it easy, man, and enjoy the rest of your summer! Don't forget what I said about the NGMT this winter! ^_~

Jayk-O responds:

Thank you! You response makes me feel confident that the feeling I was trying to portray made it, I wanted to show dubstep could have a soft side. I wont forget what you said!

[ReGeNeRaTi0N]

Hey, I like the spacey mood and synths. Kind of sounded like the background music to a documentary on outer space! XD The beat was cool, and the constant filtering really added to that ominous atmospheric vibe. One complaint I would have is that there isn't a lot of dynamic contrast and it's a bit repetitive structurally (okay fine, that's two complaints). Also, it ends a little suddenly. Maybe it would be better as a loop? I know this isn't your tryout piece for NGAUC, btw. I just wanted to check out some of your other stuff, too...and I think I will review your tryout piece tomorrow. ;D

DESHIEL responds:

The things you've brought up in your review are like my trademarked curse that follows me pretty much with everything I upload. Sometimes I do focus on this issue and sometimes I don't but to be honest I mostly do not.My tracks are always full of structural weaknesses. I'm a musician wannabe after all. :D
Thanks for the review and I'm looking foward to read the next one.

[Into the War]

The announcer guy at the beginning (and end) was amusing, and then I really liked the quirky piano and progression. Dubstep isn't really my genre of choice, but I thought those beats were pretty cool. You definitely re-integrated the piano well later on, and, overall, I really like it. The mix was really clear, and the instruments and mood complimented each other well. Smooth-flowing, well-structured, the works! Nice job, man! I'd like to see you get further in this competition. ^^

MrStr8face responds:

Thank you so much!! :D

[The Gecko]

Haha, I love the funky mood! :D It's very bass-y and cool, and the instruments all compliment each other really well. It even has a degree of mystery to it which I love, like this gecko is leading a double life as a secret agent! XD One thing I'd be careful of is not to make things too busy, especially during parts like :01 to :30. However, that does fit the action movie-style fast pace you established here. Anyway, keep up the good work, Possibly! You should post on NG more often! ;D Also, are you planning on entering the NG Audio Underdogs Competition? I think you'd be a great candidate to go far. ;)

Possibly responds:

Cheers - yah, twas just a bit of fun really. I will take a look at the competition thing - typically I'm catatonic by the time I'm half way through the rules for NG competitions.

I do more music than I post on here, I tend to post most of what I do on Soundcloud then update NG sporadically.

[Monochrome]

I love the atmosphere and the guitar. The instruments work well together, although sometimes the guitar seems to have a bit of a harsh, penetrating tone to it. I really liked the beat to this one, and I think the progression was better than in the last piece I reviewed. It really had a good sense of climax about it, even if a touch more dynamic contrast would've been ideal. I really liked those synth melodies at 2:16 and 2:44. The ending seemed fitting, even if it was dragged out a bit. This one really had more a direction to it than the last one, though, so that was really good. Nice work, Adieuwinter! This is worthy of your audition piece. Also, you're from Beijing? That's so cool...0_O Hahah, well...keep up the good work, Mr. Winter! ;D

adieuwinter responds:

Thanks for the review (again)!
This is an old piece, so I hadn't quite figured out how to make the default guitar setting sound less edgy - I've been successful to a certain degree by now. I appreciate the comments!

And yes, I've been in Beijing for the past five years, I just moved back to the States, though. I should probably update that :D

[Lucky Stars]

I love the atmosphere and synths. The slap bass actually goes pretty well with the trance-ish synths, but I think was a little too loud in the mix. I like how you transitioned into :52, but the melody at :52 came in a little suddenly. Some sweeps or crashes could really help you out there. The beat is a little hard to follow at times. I liked the break-down at around 2:05 though, but the synths at 2:15 came in a little too suddenly and were a bit jarring. I lot of your melodies and background synths are a little too busy-sounding. There just seems to be too much going on at 2:38 to make it very relaxing or atmospheric like I thought you were going for given the beginning part. I love the chill parts, like at 3:04, but I think you need to find a more effective way of transitioning between those parts and the others. I'd suggest lowering the volume levels on the busy synths and adding a lot of reverb. Make the simple synth melody and slap bass groove stick out a little more at 2:38, and I think it'll set the pace a little more for the rest of the piece as well as tie some things together structurally. Overall, I like it, though, especially the ending. I was tough on you, my friend! Keep at it, man, and best of luck at NGADM! ;D I can review the piece you auditioned with too if you want. :)

adieuwinter responds:

Hello! Thanks for the comments.

I agree with you when it comes to the many issues in volume, I'll work to resolve these with my future pieces. I'm still figuring out the reverb settings in Logic, so hopefully improvements in that area will come with more experimentation. Essentially I just felt that I was a bit lazy with this piece, transitions, velocity adjustments and all. If I ever get the chance (or become enthusiastic enough about this song) to make changes, I certainly will. Hopefully that happens soon...

I really do appreciate you being tough on this piece though, although I felt positive about it upon posting, your thoughts have really helped me see its issues more clearly. Also, I'd be thankful if you had a listen to my audition piece, anything you notice would be of great help.

Thanks for the review!

[Last Stand]

Yeah, sometimes that happens to me too where it sounds better in FL. Do you by any chance use a plug-in called Autogun? I've especially noticed that happening with that. Anyway, I like the beats and synths and rhythm. The melody at :31 is especially cool. Sounds like the limiter or compressor or whatever is pulling on that synth a bit, though. I loved the transition at 1:31, though, and that part at 1:34 was nice and bass-y. ;) It probably could've used a little more variation in that minimalistic mid-section, but I like how you then transition back into the more melodic part. This is a catchy and fun piece overall. Nice work, TeraVex! ;D Say, are we ever going to get around to finish that collab? I trust you're feeling more up to it now? :)

TeraVex responds:

Yeah sure! I'm just waiting for my trumpet to be repaired and I'll be back in business!

[Necromantic]

I like the theme and mood. It certainly is ominous...I like how it gradually gets faster. You play with the intensity in a more meaningful way than in the last piece I reviewed, I think. Your pieces do seem a bit rushed, though. I'd personally prefer to see you space them out a bit more, add some more harmonies and structuring, and go from there! Maybe that's just me, though. It was kind of strange how it faded out before the end, because that made it not loop so well. I like your work with the tempo automations, though. Couldn't hurt to drag them out a bit to increase the drama imo. ;) Keep at it, man! I like this one too! ^^

WingoWinston responds:

The last piece was from 2009 I think. This one is newer. It's only a loop in that the melody keeps looping, but I imagine it would eventually fade out so that's what I did, can't really call it a song. This piece doesn't need anymore because it is what it is. When I have the time or if I consider the piece worth it I put in the time and effort, otherwise I live a busy life so I just post a long as I go. I appreciate the review.

[Forever Baroque]

I like the instruments and progression, but it seems a bit...mechanical and dry. It couldn't hurt to add more of a climax at the beginning. Also, it seems a bit fast-paced. I liked the tempo automations, but I felt like you could've built up to 1:13 a bit more using the tempo automations. Also, the structure is a little hard to follow just because it changes so quickly. Maybe you could extend this a bit (I mean, literally switch things up every 8 bars instead of 4 or whatever) and focus on the details a little more. You could add some crashes to help make the transitions a bit smoother, or something like that. Don't get me wrong, though...it's an amusing piece. I like your style, Mr. Winston. Keep up the good work. ;)

WingoWinston responds:

Ehn, I know it could be better. I just pulled this one out of the gutter. I doubt I'll ever return to this piece haha. Thanks for the review though.