TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[My project (REMAKE)]

Hey! Sorry for the slow response. I like the gritty atmosphere at the beginning, but after a while I might suggest dialing back the grainy mid-range white noise (featured prominently at the very beginning) and using reverb or other "smoother" textures to fill the mix. The drums duck under the mix after a while, and it's especially noticeable after 1:09. The risers/sweeps give the piece a decent sense of ebb and flow despite the repetitive harmonic content, and in general I really like the ominous and foreboding mood. That said, I think the sound design is a bit unpolished too, and some of the instruments don't blend very well together. Adding some higher-pitched melodies or atmospheric elements might help balance out the frequency range and take the edge off some of the murkier sound design elements. Overall, not your best work, but you definitely got the thematic content right: it sounds like the beginning stages of a slow-burning robot takeover-themed horror movie. :) Keep at it, Mesage!

Mesage responds:

thanks for your feedback on this song!

Anyways, I've updated this track right now and fixed some mixing issues, please check it if you want to

[-Velocity-]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. The sound design and melodic contour remind me of the soundtrack to Deca Sports (OLD Wii game that came out before you were born lol). The synth that comes in at :52 takes up a bit too much of the mix in my opinion, but the transition to the string part at 1:35 was nice. At times, the piece could use a stronger sense of ebb and flow, maybe with some more filter automations or atmospheric details to maintain interest.

At 2:35, the mix gets a little muddy - it's hard to hear the drums, and there's a lot of reverb in the texture with some overlap in the frequency ranges of the instruments. There's also a bit of dissonance in there, especially when the strings come back in at 3:04. The minimal section at 3:52 served as a nice breakdown, and I like the more energetic section that starts at 4:40ish too. For a piece this long, sometimes the individual riffs could use some more variation, or at least be more melodious from the get-go. That said, you definitely have captured the classic 2000s techno feel here. ^_^

Overall, the piece has a really nice sense of atmosphere, and I also like how the energy level gradually winds down towards the end over the course of the last minute or so. Keep at it, CF24!

Creeperforce24 responds:

The only thing I hate about this comment was the fact that now I’m out of the 4.9s rating XD!

Glad you like it though! And yeah, I guess the mix did get a little muddy in some areas, I gotta work on it! Thanks for your honesty :D

[-Mustard Gas-]

Catchy stuff! The eerie, low-pitched drone at the beginning sets the scene nicely, and the fade-in with the drums was a nice transition. I think the drums could've been a bit louder relative to the bass and other synths, and also the synths could've used some more "pizzazz" with some additional mixing effects or layering. The texture sounds pretty thin right now for most of the piece, although I do like how you switch up the lead riff pretty regularly. The busy drum patterns give the piece a pleasing sense of continuity despite all the variety. I still think the composition could've been a bit bolder with some more melodic elements, or maybe some mid-range pads to balance out the thin, staccato-y synths. But overall, this is a solid track. Some gritty, danceable beats that you bookend nicely with strong atmospheric content. Keep it up, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

I can understand all your critiques, but I was sorta going for a less melodic tune and a more atmospheric song! In fact! @Waterflame has actually made some songs that don’t really have a specific melody and mainly focus on breakbeat and rhythm! A good example? Heavy machine rhythm(rythm)

https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/304891

[-Along The Waves-]

Sorry for the slow response!

I like the tranquil pads and groovy percussion. The 3/4 time signature is a great touch - without a strong off-beat, the meter feels...well, wave-like.

The atmosphere is great, but sometimes some of the melodic elements are a bit understated. The synth that comes in at :55 is WAY in the back of the mix, and it feels like it should've been a bit more prominent, especially at around 1:09. In general, the mix feels a tad bottled-up, with pretty narrow ranges for the pitches. Maybe you overused the equalizers a bit? Or otherwise it needs some more mixing effects on the back-end: reverb and filter automation on the synths, with a bit more compression to add some punch.

One thing I really like about this piece compared to some of your other recent work is how smooth-flowing it is. You didn't try to do too much to increase the pace or anything, and when instruments are added/subtracted, it's usually subtle. The transition to the bass-y groove at 1:50 is a good example of this, and the percussion roll before the new melody comes in at 2:05 is also really smoothly done.

Overall, I really like this piece. A bit more compression on the lead and a fuller mix in places would help take it to the next level, but the composition is strong throughout. ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

I was trying to use less compressors lol, seems I might need to use a little more. Thanks for the honest review!

[In-between]

I like the descending bass line at the beginning and the rhythmic elements. The piece is catchy throughout, and has a lot of good ideas in isolation.

The transition at :41 is very abrupt, as both the mood and instruments change at the same time without much warning. Maybe some drums/crashes/risers would help smooth it over a bit, but you might even want a "cross-fading" section where the bass line fades out or gets automated so that it sounds more atmospheric, and simultaneously the pads fade in.

Later in the piece, you try to create variety by either switching out instruments with new ones playing the same pattern (example, 1:10) or by switching up the rhythm of that same pattern (1:36). There's also an extended build-up/transition at 1:50, but on the other side of that (2:06) you haven't really added much novel harmonic content either. I think what you really need is more variety in the harmonies themselves, not new instruments/rhythms playing the same harmonies. Try crafting a melody to match the bass line and pads. Or change the chord progression over time, beyond the 4-chord pattern you have playing for most of the piece.

That said, I like a lot of the instruments here, like the quirky synth at 2:07 and the dreamy pads at :41. When the two bass instruments are layered on top of each other (like at :27), the texture sounds really crisp and punchy.

Overall, this piece is not bad at all. But to improve it further, I would suggest prioritizing 1) adding more depth and variety to the harmonies and 2) smoothing over some of the sudden transitions here. Hope this helps! ^_^

HammyMusic responds:

Ok.

[-Wildflowers 2-]

Hey, sorry for the slow response! Had a really busy week at work. I like the sound design a lot here. The stop-start string riffs at the beginning might need some more decoration (reverb, other mixing effects) to help enhance the atmosphere a bit. Love the higher-pitched string line at :45. A lot of the percussion in the piece is very low-register - I would give the mid-range frequencies a boost in the equalizer. Also, there's a bit of dissonance at around 1:10. Maybe part of the problem is that the chords sound pretty muddy when all the notes are so low-pitched. The outro with the guitar was a nice touch, though - super mellow way of "resetting" the piece for the final minute or so. Overall, solid work, CF24! A clear improvement over the original. ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thank you! Yeah the original whenever I hear it makes me this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX-X4Lroxzc

[The First and the Last]

So sorry to hear about your grandfather passing.

This piece is pretty good! Has a nice, pensive feel to it, although the transition at :25 doesn't quite stay on beat. The recording quality is also a bit muddy/distorted at around :07 - :10. I really like the second half of the piece - sounds really moody and introspective. Maybe some percussion or something would help give the piece a stronger sense of energy and drive. Until then, I enjoyed the piece for what it is.

I hope you continue to "keep this thing going," as you put it. ^_^

CabinKing responds:

Thank you for the thoughtful review! The way I composed this song I transcribed what I had become accustomed to playing when not using a metronome so I have some subtle changes made to the time signature and tempo. It starts off at 125 BPM in 6/8 then around 0:25 it changes to 115 BPM in 4/4, then it ends at 105 BPM. It didn't sound right if I kept it all the same. But I will think about hiding that sort of thing better next time, I appreciate the note.

I am happy with the end result though, I was originally going to throw on some effects to make it sound like it was recorded on an old cassette. Then it would've been really distorted and scratchy. In the end I used two microphones and mixed them a bit. I'm glad you liked it and we'll just have to wait to see when and what my next song is.

[2025]

I like the somber piano chords at the beginning and hollow bell-like instrument that comes in at :30. The track seems to be missing some bass tones, though - I would've liked to see the texture be a bit more filled-in. The beat and production quality are both strong, and the descending line you add at 1:31 in response to the main piano riff is a nice touch. Happy New Year, Nash! ^_^

NASHqp responds:

Thanks! I cooked this up an hour before I slept last night lol

[-Christmas In Basylton- [TRAP MIX]]

The beat is pretty good. You overuse that high-pitched snare on the off-beats a bit (the one that always plays in clusters of four 16th notes), and the instrumental tracks do sound a tad distorted by the heavy compression when the beat first comes in. That said, the sidechain effect is pretty satisfying in other places, especially 1:33, where it adds a nice counterrhythm to the descending string line. Overall, the last minute or so of this piece is really nice. Catchy, but also minimal enough that the heavy compression doesn't sound too extreme. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

False, this song is ass and your ears are bleeding lol

[-Christmas in Basylton-]

I like the rich chords and upbeat brass stabs. You could make the chords sound even more powerful by spacing out the pitches a little more, perhaps by moving some of the "middle voices" up an octave. The rhythm is a bit hard to follow at times, and I think the drums could sound a bit stronger in the mix throughout. The orchestral instruments sound a bit inauthentic, but I really like the descending string line at 1:36. The mix sounds a bit muddy at 2:06 - there are just a few too many low-range frequencies competing for attention. I like the regal and soothing air of the the outro. Overall, I like the more melodic flair this piece has compared to some of your other recent tracks. I'd still like to see you write some more legato melodies sometime (i.e., hold out each note for longer, as opposed to having flurries of short, punchy notes in rapid succession), but 2:21 is certainly getting closer. Merry Christmas, CF24! Keep at it. ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the honesty! Yeah, I agree, though I was actually scared of the drums being too powerful, since i wanted to focus it more on the classical aspects rather then the game aspects lol.