TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[When the Crowd Goes...]

Interesting...I like the "pauses" you have in the beginning. They caught me off guard in a good way, and they really helped you establish the energy level of the rest of the song. You used some pretty unique instruments, and I love how you kept it so relaxed for the first couple of minutes. There's a lot of emotion and dynamic contrast here, and the transitions in general were pretty good, although the one at 1:44 was a little cliche. Maybe a little repetitive...I didn't feel it needed to be 5 minutes to get the message across, and it could've been more engaging, too. The ending was a little bizarre...it started to fade out, then there were all these sound effects that I didn't feel added anything to the piece. Maybe you could make the ending more...climactic. Still, I like the style of the piece and the unique instruments, and I hope you keep making music. :)

YakovlevArt responds:

I want to start of my thanking you for the extensive reviews, it's rare to get these, so thanks.
I agree 1:44 was unnecessary, and I am not sure why i didn't filter that out. The track has 2 breakdowns just as a usual full length track.
The reason for the outro, was to imitate the track fading out and the crowd cheers taking over the beat. Hence the "live" effect. Maybe if you listen to it again with the understanding that the sound effect is a cheering crowd, you'd enjoy it more.

-Antiskill

[-Super Battletrain-]

Yeah! :D Love the funky bass and melody. The instruments you used really fit with the old-fashioned videogame theme. However, I think you've used the instrument at 2:03 before. I understand you're probably really busy, but you seem to recycle some instruments/basslines sometimes. Still, loved the style and form of the piece, and the ending was just climactic enough for me, without being over-the-top. I'm still a big fan. All the best. :)

Waterflame responds:

Thank you! and yes i use the sounds on purpose in this case, its a FM synth used in alot of sega games, i am trying to recreate that sega megadrive feel. i grew up with those sounds :D the basslines however, i have no defence to. haha

[Promise Not]

Love the beat at the beginning, and your transitions at :23 and :41 were nice and smooth! You definitely kept the energy up throughout the whole thing, and I liked the instruments you used. You even surprised me with a "melody" at 2:25! The only thing I'm going to pick on is that it seemed a bit repetitive. The whole thing was basically a variation of the same two-three riffs. I think you can do more with those riffs...maybe change to the key signature somewhere in the song, or transpose the bass up an octave at one point. Still, it's really catchy and energetic, and I liked the way it ended, too. Great job! :)

ZLEAP responds:

Much appreciated.

I agree with you on the repetitive nature of the track. I've got a few projects in the works that are a bit more flexible in terms of variation. They should be done before too long.

[For a scene or something]

Yeah, I can feel the ambient mood trying to come out there! Like the simple melody and how you vary it at 1:11. Loved the transition at :47, btw. Like the beat and the instruments you used, too. I also appreciate how it slips off into a more ambient mood again later in the piece. However, I think you could do something more with the piece itself. It seems a little...too simple, at times. Simple tracks aren't always engaging, but this is pretty short 'n' sweet, so no worries. You should keep working on it, though. Nice job, and I wish you the best in 2013. :)

yeajimmiboi responds:

Thank you very much :) Happy New Year.

[Flight In The Night]

I like the ominous intro and the strong beat. The funky melody at :55 really got my attention, but the part after that was a little anticlimactic. The track is a little too long for my tastes, and it's really hard to keep tracks this long engaging/ not repetitive. However, I do appreciate the instruments and beat. I just think it couldn't hurt to vary it a little more. At 5:17 is where you do something with the piece in my opinion, but after that is a little repetitive. The ending was a little...melodramatic, at best. I don't think you should hold that note for 25 seconds. Still, I appreciate the ambient-like mood of this piece and I think you really used the instruments you used well. Most of my criticisms are just stylistic things, so I encourage you to experiment with other genres, but you still did a good job. Wishing you the best in 2013! :)

[-Slipping into madness-]

Yeah, it is a little...different, but that's not neccessarily a bad thing. You really went somewhere with it, which is good. Liked the instruments you used and the happy little melody. I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the fade-out ending, though. I think that there are a lot of other more creative ways of ending a piece, but I understand that this piece is unfinished. Still, I encourage you to keep working on it. I love your style, Waterflame, and I've been a fan for a while now. Wishing you the best in 2013. :)

[Not sure where to go with this]

I think it was a good idea to use a piano for the intro, and I love the climax that starts around :17. However, I think it starts sounding a lot like your other track, "Bound by Fate," around :45, but the melody is very good. Love how you play with the dynamics and use transitions a lot, but I'm not a big fan of using pitch changes as a transition [2:15], but maybe that's just me...Anyway, in general, I like the instruments you used, even if you did use them in other songs of yours, and it's also very emotional, like "Bound by Fate." Maybe you could add a section at the end that's really emotionally powerful...you had the start of another big transition towards the end, but it didn't seem to lead anywhere. Other than that, it has all the makings of a complete song by my standards! Good job! :)

Dylnmatrix responds:

Thanks!

Yeeeeahh, about it sounding like "Bound by Fate", I recycle instruments and synths a LOT, and it's a bad habit. I have the mentality that only the few specific instruments I use fit with my tracks and melodies and with what I'm trying to convey. It's weird, but I'll get through it, I just have to explore through the instrument folders of my VSTs, maybe even figure out how to make my own synths in the future, making my tracks more original again. Anyways, enough rambling. I should also mention that the syncopated "Driving Melody" I've kind of made a staple in my music. Kind of like my signature melody or something like that, if you know what I mean.

Also, 2:15 wasn't a pitch change, just me messing with the cutoff frequency on the sandstorm synth in z3ta. But it kind of sounds like one haha.

I'll keep this in mind as I progress through the track! Thanks again for the review!

[Melody of the night]

Love the harmonies at the beginning. Those strings really caught my attention. It's also really uplifting and beautiful. Loved the horns at 1:14, too. Another beautiful melody! You played with dynamics, you played with my emotions, you played with different instruments- you did it all! The only thing I would dare criticize about this piece is that your strings abruptly cut off at around 2:34, but that's not going to stop me from giving you a 5/5! This piece is why NG needs more classical music! I want to hear more of you, MrX89! :D

[GEMINIjU -Indecisive Ways]

The instrument you used at the beginning was a little strange, but I like the big climax you have at the beginning. The distorted chords starting at around :58 were a little too muddy and industrial for my tastes, but I like what you did with those drums- all the breaks added a lot to the song. The "break-down" at 2:54 was good, and I liked the melody at 3:04, but I thought the transition at 2:53 was a little rough. Liked how you brought a lot of the elements of the song together again at 4:38, but in general I think the piece is too long. To make it more engaging, maybe you could increase the tempo. I must say- liked the way you ended the piece. I thought it was original and fitting. Despite my criticism, it's a well-crafted piece, with a lot of emotional ups-and-downs, which I like. Good job. Keep up the good work. :)

empire00 responds:

Thanks for the review :)

[Alda - Time to wake]

Love how it's so climactic and energetic, but the snare/clap at :27 caught me off guard. Maybe you could transition into that better. I found the rhythm around 1:17-1:50 was a little too "busy" for me...it just didn't seem to fit with the dreamy, ominous beginning of the piece. Something that came in at 1:02 didn't help the piece, I felt...maybe it's the same instrument you used for the rhythmic section at 1:17 and 2:11. The instruments at :56 didn't seem to compliment each other, either. Also, I felt like you could've done more with the drums in the song, especially after 1:50. The ending was a little weak...I just don't think fade-out endings add anything to songs in general. On the plus side, I liked the various moods of the piece and the engaging, climactic beginning. It's pretty unique, and that melody at :42 is definitely a keeper. ;) Sorry to be so tough on you, and hope this review is helpful. Happy holidays! :)