TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dreameater - Amalgamation]

Fun beat at the beginning. There isn't a strong sense of progression for the first minute or so, though. The pacing is very slow, and then the transition at the 1-minute mark still feels like it comes on pretty suddenly. I like the chill atmosphere and warm pads, though. The production is strong, too. The mix is loud and clear, even if sometimes the hi-hats were a bit too loud. The rhythmic section at 1:58 is catchy, and I like the phasing. That said, I wanted to see a bit more textural fill at some point - more harmonies, a stronger sense of direction, and more high-mid frequencies in general. The section that begins at 1:58 also drags on for quite a while, with the melodic content that enters at around the 3-minute mark constituting the only notable addition after that point. Overall, I think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here (i.e., the piece doesn't need to be 5 minutes long) and also flesh out the texture a bit more to aim for a fuller, richer sound. Besides that, nice work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep at it, DreamEater, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

DreamEater responds:

Thank you very much for the extremely detailed review TaintedLogic, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to give such great feedback. I have to agree with most of what you have said here, to be completely honest I went into this project with a lot of steam behind me and just kinda lost it along the way. While I do believe this song could have been polished down to be more cohesive as a whole; I shouldn't have taken on another trance anthem xD (i'm pretty burnt on the genre after so many years). The mind was willing but the heart was not all in hahah.

Thanks again!

[Jewel Box]

Cute melodies at the beginning. The composition is really enjoyable, but occasionally the instrument sounds a bit harsh in its upper register. The descending progression at around 1:10 also came across as a bit cliché. It seems like you were going for an A-B-A form here, but the last A section doesn't quite get back to the level of energy and emotion that was present in the texture at around :35. Overall, it's a cute piece, but I can't help but feel like there's a lot of untapped potential here. Even a little more variation in the volume levels or something would've helped this piece sound a little more engaging towards the end. Still, nice work with the melodic content, progression, and harmonies. Keep at it, SourJovis!

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for the review you did one year ago. I learned a lot from it and used that to improve on that song, as well as completing (one of) the song(s) I originally intended to submit for the NGADM18.

In the author comments under edits you can see what I changed in this music box version. Like you suggested I got rid of the higher registers by using different, less piercing samples. I've filtered out some of the higher frequencies with an equalizer, note per note, so the higher notes are filtered a little bit more drastically filtered. I've added/increased a few nice impulse response reverbs to make it sound like it was recorded further away so the sound is softened a bit. I didn't do any volume changes unlike you suggested because you can't do that on an actual music box, but I did play around a little more with the tempo changes. Also I made it stereo.

Coming back to the "untapped potential" as you mentioned, you may want to check out the multi instrumental version I told you earlier, that I originally wanted to submit, but took me a year to finish. This actually does have volume changes, and I think it fixes a few issues you had with this song through the choice of instruments.

https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/872860

[Root Beer Float]

Ahh, you love opening pieces with FX, Miyo. Very beginning almost sounded like an egg cracking. It probably wasn't but now I can't hear it any other way, so oh well. XD Thematic content is strong as always. Transition into :07 was solid, and the cutesy sound design and blissful energy seems to fit the essence of a root beer float quite well. I especially like the crisp, bell-like synths at :52. There's a lot of variety in the texture, and the melodic content here is really strong. The part at 2:01 has a fun, jazzy feel. You've really transported the listener back to a '50s diner. Production quality is top-notch, by the way. Loud, clear, well-balanced frequencies the whole way through. I also appreciate some of the structural repetition here. This piece has a lot of variety, but you still brought it back down to earth structurally (I know I'm a huge stickler for this and you're probably cringing right now...). The outro was just as cute and melodic as it needed to be to top off the piece. You nailed it, my friend. This piece is really, really good. Keep up the great work, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

Miyolophone responds:

Thanks so much, TL! I literally cannot believe you got "'50s diner" out of this track, because that's exactly what my original idea was and then I didn't really do anything to put that in. Somehow the vibes are still drifting around like little '50s ghosts I guess

[Drop Red]

I like the quirky bass riff at the beginning with the portamentos. The sense of climax starting at around :15 is also really nice. Despite the fun sound design and punchy texture, I think you could've done a lot more with the drums at times. The progression here is really smooth, but the bass frequencies are heavily favored in the mix. For example, the higher-pitched synths at 1:45 or so don't quite pop like I want them too. This is certainly catchy content, but at times I thought there could've been some stronger melodic content in a higher register. It's also hard to follow all of the structural changes in this piece, despite some repetition of the bass riffs here and there. I like how climactic the ending minute or so sounded. Nice job with the descending lines at 3:54 and the foreboding choir samples. Overall, it certainly sounds like a video game track in both form and instrumentation. Fun piece. Keep up the good work, ConnorGrail!

ConnorGrail responds:

I always appreciate your detailed reviews! Thanks as usual for listening :)

[Shadow Ring]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning and the energy. The riser at :15 doesn't lead much of anywhere, I like what you did with the filtering into :23. The melody at :54 is really nice, but could've been predicated more carefully (as opposed to just coming in as an addition to the texture). After that, the piece doesn't have much structural variety. At some point, I would've liked to see a bit more shape and contrast with a bridge or breakdown. The entire piece maintains a very rigid harmonic framework between the arpeggios and chord progression - at some point, it would've been nice if you had stripped them away. Either way, I like the sound design and melodic content here, and your production skills have improved a lot recently. Keep at it, TeraVex!

TeraVex responds:

Thank you so much! I'll keep this in mind when I'm workin on some more tunes!

[endK - Sphere Assault]

Catchy stuff as always, EndK. I especially like that DnB drum fill at :11 and the little rhythmic riffs that fill out the rest of the phrase between the melodic sections (prime exposed example at 2:26). I thought the transition at :55 was a bit jarring, though. Not only do you rapidly change instrumentation, but also the mood of the piece. While your melodies, sound design, and production are always killer, that's one thing I've noticed in some of your tracks: the structure seems a bit thrown-together at times, and the pacing a little fast. Overall, though, this is really strong work. I love the full texture and brass stabs that come in at the chorus. Keep up the good work, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, that's one of the things I have to work on, especially in the last two songs.
Thanks for the review as always TL! :)

[All Was Lost, But That The Heavens Fought]

The beginning sounds lovely, if a little subdued. Plenty of space for climax and contrast, and the waveform display is already getting me excited. XD You certainly came through with the emotional height once the flurry of strings started at around :45. I like the rich texture and the crisp percussion from there. The sound design is especially good here. Timely entry of the choir later in the piece, too. My only compositional complaint is that the transition at 2:28 sounded a tad sudden. Then, the little electronic whirring after it sounded a bit out-of-place in this otherwise very orchestral composition. That said, stellar work overall. You really sold the drama with this one. Good luck in the ADM! ^_^

Omson responds:

Hey, thank you very much! I know it is ending pretty abruptly, this is because I already had a second part of the track which made the whole song more than 4 minutes long. Some parts are very complex and the submission deadline was getting closer, so I decided to cut away this part for NGADM so it'll be in time. A second version will be released asap :)

[Home Called]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. Percussion is pretty cool - sounds really full and authentic, too. The entrance of the melody at :40 could've been predicated better, but I'm really starting to enjoy the thickening of the texture of the piece goes on. I think the atmosphere could even have been louder here - there's a heavy favoring of the foregrounded element/melody in the mix for the most part. I guess my main complaint here is that you didn't really maximize the piece's potential for climax and resolve. The string melodies at around 1:53 were gorgeous, but didn't fully satisfy the cinematic inclinations of the piece set up earlier. I also thought the ping-pong panning fade-out at 2:41 sounded a bit out-of-place in an otherwise quite organic-sounding piece. That said, I really love the sound design, atmosphere, and mood here. The melodic content is beautiful as well. Keep up the good work, LucasMasoch, and good luck in the ADM! ^_^

Baumarius responds:

Interestngly enough, I've had a lot of issues in most of my songs when trying to build into any sort of climax. Something about the composing process makes me shy away from backing myself into a corner (climax) and then not being able to move the song forward anymore. I'll have to work on that. Thanks again!

[Running Back]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the (LFO automations?) on those pads at :10. The transition at :21 was a little bizarre. A bit misleading with the huge build-up to :21 and then the re-build shortly after. The entire first minute of the piece sounds very transitory, in fact, and the volume levels are a little all-over-the-place. It's especially noticeable with the sudden explosion of sound at :58, and then again at 1:09. Dynamic contrast is a great tool to use, but it's most effectively used gradually in my experience. The drop at 1:32 was pretty cool, but I think the drums could've been crisper and the harsh-sounding high-pitched synth in there needed a bit filtered out of the treble to sound smoother. Filtering work at 2:25 is nice, though. I also think the song could've used more harmonic depth at times, and that you overused the riser at 3:14. The instrumentation is pretty cool. I can totally hear the electro rock influence. The bridge section at 4:16 was also well-done. Overall, I think the piece drags on a bit long, though. I wanted to see you consolidate some of these structural ideas and focus on the directionality of the piece a little more succinctly. Sometimes, the more transitory sections of the piece aren't very memorable imo. I really liked the big build starting at 5:08, though. Overall, I don't think it's your strongest work, but I like the passion with this one. Sounds like it's waiting to be an epic banger, but it just needs a bit more polish. Keep at it, SplatterDash! ^_^

SplatterDash responds:

Ok so I apologize for hardcore delaying the response so now I'mma get on that lol

I admit, the first part of the song was supposed to lead into a glitch-hop song, but that got thrown out the window as I thought the metal would do better. The mislead at 0:21 is kinda supposed to be the transition the song gets from the glitch-hop-y thing into the rock feel, and I can almost tell that it didn't work.

At those two parts where you mentioned that the "sudden explosion sound": the first was honestly a fail of something I was trying to achieve, which was to get the part quiet to let the (supposed-to-be) vocals take the song, and that failed. The second was something I never expected to be "too loud" and I think it was difficulty on both the mixing and rendering end.

The drums are my weak spots in my songs, I will say that right now. I've had quite a few songs where people have mentioned that the drums need a bit more of a punch, and this is one of them. I'm still trying to perfect the craft a bit, so hopefully I can experiment with that a bit more, as well as the volume thing that ADR3-N told me about in And Falling.

The riser at 3:14 is something I'm kinda confused about, mainly because it's the exact same as what's going on at 0:29. I'm guessing it has something to do with rendering, or maybe it's something with the riser itself at that particular time. I don't know why that part was mentioned, but it's something to take note of on my end.

Honestly, I really don't think it's anywhere near what I consider my best, which is The Timekeeper. The whole reason I did this was because of CHIPS wanting me to do a different genre for a Salsa Compo, and, well, not only did I flop on that end, but I also had too low of a voice to do vocals, the idea went awry, I tried dragging it to incorporate more ideas... yeah, the whole project was a near-fail on my end. There is some good things that are in this, though, like how you only submit stuff you know how to do for an Audio Contest lol

Thank you so much for leaving a review on this, and I apologize again for this being really late, life and CHIPS got on to me ;)

[Gaero - Blood Haiku]

I like the gritty bass and fun melodic riffs. The climax into :30 was great, but led nowhere. The section after it is still pretty cool, if different, but I don't think you did a good job of leading into the section at :50. The production is solid here. Lot of interesting work with the panning that keeps the stereoscape sounding fresh. The breakdown at 1:38 served you well structurally. I like the bright piano that comes in shortly after and the build-up into 2:22. The piece has a lot of distinct sections that don't feel very well-connected at times. I'm left simultaneously wanting more harmonic depth within certain sections and less structural variety overall. The sound design, production, and mood were my favorite elements of the piece. Texture seems well-balanced and progression is generally smooth. Keep at it, Ggaero, and good luck in the ADM!

ggaero responds:

Thanks for the in-depth review! I agree with your criticism concerning the choppiness of the songs sectional structure. In my eyes this is mostly a tool i use to keep the listener entertained, maybe even surprised - i can see how it can be seen as a deficit though. Thanks again!