TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Void]

I like the instrumentation and beats, but I think the panning was a bit wonky, especially since the trumpet part was so melodic. Overall, I think the arrangement could use a lot more fleshing out. It gets really repetitive after a while, and it sounds like you didn't add much onto the original composition. The atmosphere at the end was nice, but I still would love to see you make a full-length track out of this. Could really use some vocals and maybe more fill in the texture. Solid start though. Keep at it, man!

Williamarch responds:

Thanks, buddy. I do struggle with musical diversity through my songs it seems. And I don't think I can add vocals since I'm no rapper and my mic is decent at best. Thanks for the tips though!

Thanks, and have fun!

[Wings of Jade]

I like the sweeps at the beginning and the grainy FX with the voice that sounds like it's coming through a walkie-talkie. The vocals at :35 were a nice touch. There are a lot of ups and downs to the energy level, which overall is a good thing, but I think the pacing was pretty fast at times. I also wasn't a huge fan of your snare sample and some of the gritty synths at :57. Might help to take some of the treble off some of the synths. The mix is loud and clear, although I think there might've been a bit too much reverb and/or compression at some points. I like the piano bit at 2:37. The breakdown at 1:42 was also really enjoyable. Overall, I think my favorite elements of the piece are the atmosphere, flow, and variety. Keep up the good work, EverReverb! ^_^

AED-4 responds:

Wow, thanks for very detailed review once again ^^!

[Focus Mode - February Blues (Demo)]

Really cool stuff! I especially like the drums at :07 and the fun blend of brass instruments. Vocals sound really good too. I'd appreciate it if you put the lyrics in the description. Everything blends really well, too. Nice job on the mixing. I think this is really strong work, TeraVex. Could use a bit more structural variety - a solo or bridge or something. Otherwise, thoroughly enjoyable stuff. Keep up the good work! ^_^

TeraVex responds:

Thanks man! I'm actually working on developing it more a bit for the full release. Glad you like it!

[AIM - Waves of Life]

---Official AIM review---

I like the atmospheric intro and the emotional appeal early on. Some of the instruments are a bit cheesy, particularly the choir sample and the strings at :25. The rhythm of the strings is also a bit hard-to-follow at first. I have mixed feelings about the intensity of the drums at :39. It was a great way of driving the piece forward, yet it also felt a bit excessive. The emotional bit at :52 was a great touch, and that section contrasts nicely with 1:17. You do a great job of changing volume levels and giving this piece some shape and direction. The booming drums during the drop at 1:17 were way over-the-top. It would also help tighten up the mix to tone down the reverb there. Putting reverb on a kick drum is rarely a good idea in my experience, unless your piece is really experimental (which it’s not). Dry, tight kick drums help give your piece (or any piece) a distinct downbeat, creating a solid foundation for the rhythm of the piece. Here, the beat is strong enough so that that doesn’t really matter, but it’s still a little jarring that the drums are as loud and heavy as they are. I also would’ve liked to hear you vary the drop a little more the second time around. Despite the cool work with the modulation (3:33) and uplifting mood, this piece doesn’t actually have much in the way of strong melodic content - it’s all very chordal, even the string patterns during the refrain. You do a great job with the structure and arrangement of your piece, but there’s room for a little more variety towards the end. My favorite elements of the piece are the cinematic mood and dynamic contrast - you really sold the movie soundtrack vibe of the piece and lived up to the epic implications of the piece’s title. Still, the instrumentation, compositional details, and reverb could use some work. Keep at it, 5TanLey!

7.25/10

5TanLey responds:

I know about the don´t put reverb on bass thing but it somehow worked for me in this tune,

anyway, thanks for a thorough review and all the tips :)

[AIM - Sunken Streets]

---Official AIM review---

Really cool and jazzy progression at the beginning. I especially like the groovy bass and hi-hats. The pads sound a bit sharp in my ears; perhaps some more careful filtering is in order. The subtle vocal samples also add to the texture considerably. After a while, though, the piece starts to lack a sense of direction. The pitch-bending (like at 1:17) is good for some variety, but there’s very little in the way of melodic content or an overarching shape to the texture. The result is that this piece sounds a lot like a demo track (or maybe background music for a Buzzfeed video). There are a lot of cool ideas here, though. The pulsing E-piano at 2:08 contributes a lot to the mood of the piece. After that, the progression is really slow and drawn-out. The transition at 3:46 was pretty effective as far as stop-start transitions go, but it didn’t feel like it was really leading the piece anywhere. I think the composition during the second half of the piece is especially weak. Don’t get me wrong - the filtering and other effects are really cool and help contribute to the jazzy, relaxed mood. But in terms of moving notes, I wanted to see you do a lot more with this one. You certainly went for an experimental vibe here. The texture and atmosphere sound great, but the composition still needs some more dynamic elements. As for the production, it’s generally good. There were times when I thought the kick could’ve been a bit stronger, especially during the busier sections. I also think the pads are getting distorted by the other instruments between around :10 and :40, but that could just be because of an excess of compression. Either way, most of my complaints here are with the lack of fill in the composition. Otherwise, really groovy piece. Keep at it, DoctaBGL!

7.75/10

SroSocial responds:

Thanks for the review,

A lot of fair points and easily fixable. But, the criticism of the composition.. While I understand your desire for a more dynamic composition to be implemented; I feel you miss the point of the piece and stress too much on that factor. It's set up in that fashion to be hypnotizing, representing the piece of art it was inspired by and transporting you there. If the second half were to have more dynamics in melody and not be drawn out, it would have ruined what I'm trying to convey in the track. At it's core its an ambient track, it's not out to guide you but bring waves of sound washing through your ear as you sink deep into waving thoughts.

I'd be impressed if someone were able to make this track work as background music for any video without having the music be a huge focus tbh.

[Luminescent Realm (PV)]

Woah. Been a while, dude! I love the atmosphere at the beginning and the nature sound effects. Really smooth flow and enjoyable sound design. I like the combination of the creative beat and the relaxed instrumental. Production is a huge highlight - super clean and clear mix. Sure hope to hear more from you soon. Keep up the great work!

SynchroSpectre responds:

Thanks dude! I'm glad liked it just from the preview. Yea It's been a while; it was tough for me to do anything with my job and school and whatnot. I was inspired by the artists from InspectorDubplate and the way they do their sound design. Best I could do on sound design is just a low-passed Reese bass lol.

[Dear Ruby]

Beautiful. The atmosphere is completely engrossing. The lyrics are great. The sharp drums and heavy chord changes on the downbeats are quite effective, especially when contrasted with the relatively smooth second half of the piece. The vocals are absolutely amazing - so full of soul. One thing I really like about this piece is how well the chord changes reflect the mood conveyed by the vocals - both the bright chord at :39 ("no longer on my own") and the darker one at :57 ("the bane of our duet") really helped the piece tell a story. For such a short piece, you've told the listener a lot about these protagonists while using vague language the entire time. Production is equally as fantastic, btw. Excellent work!

TheFabs responds:

Thanks so much!

[Bouncy Tails]

I like the bright piano at the beginning. Harmonic progression is really interesting. I like the bass and the crisp drums at :31. Build-up into 1:00 was good. That mid-range bass at the drop was a bit too up-front in the mix imo, but overall the drop was effective. The structure of the piece feels very formulaic. You don't have a lot of automation within phrases, instead relying on stop-start transitions and crashes/sweeps to smooth things over. Those kinds of transitions are effective up to a point, but definitely could be more creative. I also don't think the piece sounds complete. You seem to take it in a very different direction starting at 2:17, and that way there's not much of a sense of resolve by the end. I think it would be better if you had varied some of these main riffs, like at 2:45 for example, instead of creating a whole new set of harmonies. My favorite element of the piece is probably the production. Super clean mix and well-balanced texture. Sound design is a little generic but overall good. Composition is fine, but could use a bit more creativity. Overall solid work. :)

DjTheDarkFlameMaster responds:

Thanks for listen the entire track! I appreciate your constructive comment, have a nice day!

[Kavez - Constant [WIP]]

I like the dreamy mood at the beginning, although I wasn't a huge fan of your drum samples. The clap has a really sharp tone that doesn't vibe well with the otherwise smooth, wet atmosphere of the piece. I also thought the clap was a bit cliché. Other than that, my main concern with this piece is the lack of melodic content. A lot of time is soaked up with a couple of pretty simplistic ideas (the arpeggios at :50 and the riff at 1:32), and when you deviate from those ideas, it sounds really dissonant (1:48). I appreciate the effort put into taking the piece in a new direction at 1:48, but the harmonies sound a bit jarring there. There are a lot of good ideas in this piece, though. I like the reverberated synths and somewhat quirky sound design. It just needs a bit more thought put into the arrangement and compositional depth. Keep at it, man!

SlyFrost responds:

Thanks for the review!

The drum samples fit more into the 'drop' (which needs to be worked on) than anywhere else, and I agree that the clap is quite unoriginal. I think that sharp tone is actually the ride and the hat together, which I was a bit unsure about when I played them together after mixing them. I could remove them or just change the ride a bit. Also, since I use the demo version of the DAW I'm using (FL Studio 12) I have to record, which isn't ideal because it makes some of the sounds glitch sometimes. The drums near the end don't sound like that when I play the song in FL.

So. Needs more melodic influence, a rework on the instruments, change 1:48, maybe change the chords up a bit. Cool.

[Uptown Drunk]

I like the quirky instruments at the beginning and the melodic content shortly thereafter. The distortion/pitch-bending on the vocals is a bit over-the-top, though. The texture comes across as really experimental, and it's hard to get a good sense of the harmony or progression that way. At the very least, I'd suggest, trying to polish it up a little and put some of the distorted vocal effects more in the background. It's almost impossible to discern the lyrics, which is unfortunate because the lyrics are pretty good. I'm also disappointed by the lack of structuring here. The piece doesn't seem to lead much of anywhere, and instead relies on an extremely repetitive harmonic pattern. Overall, I appreciate the level of risk-taking with the sound design elements, but I think the effect you're going for needs a bit more tweaking. Keep at it, Mytholigist!

Mytholigist responds:

Thank you for the response, I wasnt even going for a good track at all; just something stupid and silly :)