TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Sacred Grove]

The combination of instruments was extremely interesting. I especially love the flutes and the bird sound effects. It's also very celtic and majestic. Can I get these plug-ins you mentioned in the description for FL Studio? Anyway, I was really glad you added some progression to it at 1:48, but I think the transition into 2:11 is very sudden. The vocals truly were beautiful, though, and it seems very authentic, which is excellent. I love how you end it with the sound effects you began it with. This is really inspiring work! I'm looking forward to seeing what else you produce in 2014, Possibly! ;D

Possibly responds:

Sorry for the slow reply - yeah, I have a habit of sudden transitions, I'm quite fond of the jarring effect - and in this case I think that with further listens it becomes a little less surprising perhaps. East West andAlchemy work as VST within most DAWs, I would imagine they work in FL Studio.

There is a free version of Alchemy player which has a good selection of sounds/synths etc - you could give that a try. In the FAQs there seem to be references to FL, so I assume it works.

http://www.camelaudio.com/AlchemyPlayer.php

[[SM 321] - Sadness]

I love the emotion and simplicity. It's very apprehensive, and sad in a way. I like the progression, and the moods are just beautiful. My one complaint is that the ending doesn't feel conclusive enough. I would have loved for it to come full circle, and have a quiet, slow, and reflective ending, just like the beginning. However, it's clear that you took into consideration dynamics, structuring, and the like. It makes for a really polished and professional-sounding composition. Keep up the excellent work! ;D

MidnightSugar responds:

Wow, thank you for the very positive and constructive review, I really appreciate it! People like you
are one of the main reasons why I upload my songs here.

And, yeah I kind of rushed the ending, (unfortunately) since I will be going on vacation
pretty soon. Since I like the sound of this, I will attempt to put in a slower, reflective
ending when I get back.

I see you make music too, so I wish you good luck with that as well!

[Neon Kaleidoscope]

I love the instruments and mood, especially the melody instrument at :31 and the harmonies at 1:02. It's very dreamy and atmospheric in a way. Perhaps it progresses a little slowly at times, but that's the very nature of the genre, I suppose. It's definitely climactic and catchy and has good structure and transitions. You used reverb well, especially on the melody instrument, and the mixing is good. Overall, it's a solid piece. Keep up the great work, Pfrequency. ;D

pfrequency responds:

Thanks! I kind of agree with you about it progressing slowly. The arrangement I ended up using works for me but there may have been a better one.

[Otafu Army's HQ [8bit]]

I like the upbeat mood and harmonies a lot. Some of the riffs at the ends of phrases (like at :57, :100, etc.) seemed a little unnecessary though. I thought the drums were very quiet and needed to be mixed in better (and if you don't know what I mean by that, PM me). It loops very well, but it also lacks structure and is very repetitive. I know it was meant to be in a videogame, which probably doesn't help, but it's good to add dynamic contrast and variation in your songs. I thought the overall sound quality wasn't great, but it does have potential. I like the melodies and mood a lot. Sorry this isn't a very positive review, but I hope you find it helpful moving forward! ;D Keep at it, SuperDragonMasters! ^^

SuperDragonMasters responds:

Thanks for the useful comment. :)
To tell ya the truth, I wasn't very thrilled on how this project went also. >:(
I sort of rushed this one quite a bit. ^_^;
(I meant a lot!)
I'll keep in mind for future reference. Maybe for something else. :D

As for the sound quality, I recorded it using Audacity with DFX Audio Enhancer on. (Thought it was off ) :P

[you win!]

Fun fact: You now have more songs uploaded in 2014 than I had uploaded in 2013 before May! Anyway, it's very dreamy, yet also more energetic and fast-paced than a lot of your other recent tracks. I think it does a great job of capturing the mood of victory: the sense of heightened glory and completion of a grand accomplishment, especially with the melodies at 1:37. The structure really tells a story, which I love. I really like the use of drums in this piece, even if it was a bit subtle at times, because I think it adds a lot to it. I love the part at :33, btw - that's one of the parts of this piece which feels so blissful, but also creates a lot of room for climax. I'd say the conclusive nature of this piece seems fitting, if you don't mind me saying - your last 6-8 pieces or so are so similar that they've simply started to bleed together in my mind. I think it's important to have a lot of variety in the way you create songs and the instruments you use, etc. It's good to experiment more - it helps you grow as an artist. You already know that, don't you? You've grown a ton since before NGADM: your transitions are rock-solid, you really have an in-depth understanding of structure and sound design, etc. But there are other excellent genres of music besides chiptunes and, as much as it pains me to say this, I feel like it's time you've moved on from this. Sorry. I may have heard this piece 6-8 times before, but it's excellent nonetheless. Keep it up, Johnfn! :D ...and I'm still waiting to hear those guitar/indie tracks you were going to experiment with a couple of months ago. ;)

johnfn responds:

Haha, I completely understand where you're coming from with the whole "omg johnfn you just wrote 66 chipstep pieces in a row". I really can't explain why but my brain has decided to go deep into chiptune territory, especially after I used to be like "lol different genre every song". And yeah I totally see that being tiring to dedicated listeners. But personally it's been helpful for me for two reasons:

1. I always listen to songs from a melody/arrangement perspective first. imo sound design is just a way to get melodic development across.
2. I learn more about mixing/production this way. I think this might be my best mix ever. I was able to take that step forward because I could focus directly on the mixing aspect of the song. If I had made this song orchestral (or something else), then there's no way I could have achieved that result, because there would be too many other conflicting variables.

So really it's all just a learning process for me... but I can understand how it would drive other people crazy =D

Anyway I take your advice to heart and will be sure that the next piece I release will be so experimental that it will make you wish that I went back to chipstep *cackles maniacally*

P.S.

"Where are your indie tracks?"

BLARG I DONT KNOW HOW TO RECORD ACOUSTIC GUITAR. I think my mic isn't good. I need to figure this out.

[For What it's Worth (Revised)]

I love the emotion and reflective mood. I didn't know you made classical music! :D It definitely has a very full sound to it, even though there is just one instrument. Did you play this live? You really tell a story with this piece, and it means a lot to me. Sometimes, however, I think you transition between moods a little too quickly. For example, it's very slow and soothing until :41, which has this strange energetic and blissful feel to it. Then, you suddenly transition back into a more slow and taciturn vibe at 1:07. Overall, though, it's an excellent piece. I love the structure and moods, and it has just enough repetition to be coherent. I love the way you ended it so quietly and contemplatively, too. Excellent work as always. Hope there's plenty more to come from you in 2014, DJ Babokon! ;D

[-Showtime- (AAG OST)]

This is another awesome short tune! The mood is fun and exciting and bouncy, and the instruments are cool and fun as well. I'm going to nitpick this one a bit, though, just because I know you can handle it. ;) First of all, when the drums come in at :02, it seems very sudden given the volume of the bass at the very beginning. I also think you transition between moods a little too quickly, even if the game is supposed to be fast-paced. For example, the part at :30 is very rhythmic and even angry, while the part at 1:04 is very cute and upbeat and melodic. I'm also not a fan of fade-out endings, and I would've liked it if you had this track loop. However, I do understand that you made this for a game and that you had to make the audio fit the game as best as possible. I still love the synths and energy. It's very catchy and engaging, too, and fitting for the game, I'm sure. Keep up the good work, Waterflame! :D

[Nostalgic Dreams]

I like the emotion and the melodies. The quirky instruments were cool, especially that ghost-y back-up melody instrument at :15. I like the structure and transitions. It's a pretty solid piece. I suppose one complaint I have is that it gets way too busy after around 30 seconds in. There's just too much going on imo - it makes it hard/confusing to listen to. I love the piano and flute harmonies at 1:28, though, and how you then transition into the last refrain. While I'm nitpicking, I think the drums could've been a little more interesting, though. That said, overall, I like this one a lot. Keep up the good work, LunacyEcho! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

I didn't actually think the instrument choice was that good at first, but I was too lazy to change it so I kept it and adapted it to the best of my abilities. I'm glad you liked it!

As for the tons of instruments, yeah. I agree. I guess I got used to listening to it, but I can see how it might be a bit much for anyone newly listening to it.

I think the transition I used into that final part would work better in a more electronically-themed song, since the basic driving instrument was the drums. Speaking of, I see what you mean by them being boring. I mean, I literally just looped it from around 1:15-1:45.

Anyways, thanks a lot for commenting!