TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Kanons]

Piece is awesome. Gorgeous atmosphere and instrumentation. I didn't realize the meter was so complicated the first time I listened to it. Melodic content is beautiful. The frantic bit at 1:23 comes on a little suddenly, but still fits the overarching direction of the piece. Nice job adding some structural contrast at 2:07. The rhythmic details really come out well in that section, too. 3:23 was a particularly haunting moment for me. It felt like taking a breath after all of the dense underlying harmonies of twittering synths you have going for most of the track. The frantic part at 4:20 came on less suddenly somehow, perhaps because the second half of the piece fits a similar structural mold as the first half. The coda added some emotional appeal, too. Excellent work all around. I know I spoil you with my praise, man, but I'm really, really impressed with how far you've come in a couple short years. Keep up the great work! ^_^

Onefin responds:

Thanks a ton TL! Yeah the time sig annotations probably look more complicated than they actually are :P

I tried to make 1:23 as smooth as possible, 4:20 was probably better cuz the build created some anticipation of it

Yeah I was sort of surprised the meter f-storm worked at all, especially at 2:24, there I just like slapped sixteenth notes to the end of certain bars for the heck of it and then was like "great let's somehow make these sound natural"

I like codas, Miyo complained about how I always make outros that creatively re-imagine the thematic elements of the track rather than just ending the track

[Calycycle]

I know I've reviewed this before on CHIPS, but I couldn't help myself. Excellent engrossing atmosphere and tranquil mood. I agree that it fits best as a loop. The cutesy synths that are arpeggiating throughout the section from :30-1:00 or so are great. Has a candid, jazzy feel throughout. Simply very intelligent composition, and a strong production to match. Keep it up, 1f1n1ty (or Evan, or what have you). ;)

Onefin responds:

Thanks TL! Yeah sorta glad you came back and gave thoughts on the intended loop rather than y'know talking about the reversed bit :P

[Sunbeam Skies]

I like the bright, cutesy vibe at the beginning. It still has a great pulse and rhythm to it, though, and feels kinda "contained," like you're gearing up for a big explosion of energy. I guess that explosion came at 1:01, but that wasn't a lot of transitory content to bridge the gap there. In fact, I think this whole piece has a severe dearth of smooth transitions. I don't know if that's what you mean by "not quite touched up," but that's definitely my main concern with the piece. Still, great job with the mood, energy, and production. The melodies might've also needed more of a front-seat in the track at some point, but I appreciate the little piano solos that bookend the second half. Keep it up, Lockyn! Happy new year. :)

Lockyn responds:

definitely what i meant, analysis is spot on. happy new year!

[wax//wane]

I like the tranquility at the beginning. The build-up was very drawn out (which I guess is kinda the point, though). The sound design also wasn't my favorite - the synths up until around the 2-minute mark all seem like something out of 3xOsc. The arpeggios at 2:00 added a bit more depth to the texture, and I applaud the chord changes at 1:45. The pacing is still a little slow for my tastes, yet the atmosphere is pretty hypnotizing. The climax of the piece still wasn't particularly melodic or revelatory, and I think the tone of some of the synths is a little too harsh at around 4:37. That said, the instruments all sit well in the mix, and given the amount of time you spent on this (one day, I assume) a lot of progress was made. I also thought the ending was pretty great: mysterious and yet surprisingly conclusive. Not your typical fade-out at all. Overall, it was a relaxing listen with strong production quality and a fitting title. Keep it up, Midi. Happy 2018! ^_^

midimachine responds:

ty for the review! all the sounds in this- pads, arps and bass - are actually made from part of a sample of a woman screaming lmao. tbh i like the little wobble on the pad in the beginning, would be difficult to make that happen in 3xosc at least hehe. as far as time spent on it goes, FL says 49 minutes, which i think is about right! happy 2018 to you too friendo, thanks for all the support this year!

[Form]

I like the dreamy intro and the sense of climax during the first 15 seconds or so. That said, I think the piece starts to lose momentum after a while. The thing that really threw me off was the re-intro thing at :52 or so. The atmospheric flair and excessive reverb makes it a bit difficult to follow the structure. I also think the strings and drums both could've been more prominent in the mix. The pads are great, but they're also a bit of an ambient sound that dominates the texture for most of the piece. That said, I appreciate how you "saved the best for last" in terms of the emotional appeal of the piece, and I really like the sound design and mood here overall. Keep it up, Garlagan! Here's to 2018. ;)

garlagan responds:

thanks for the great feedback TL!!

[B4You - Give Me More]

I like the texture and the energy. The fade-in at the beginning was a bit of a lazy start to the piece IMO, but you made up for it with the refreshing synths and the clean mix. I like the melodies at 1:03. You may have overdone the reverb a tad there, but the melody itself has a great victorious feel to it. It's a feel-good track, but I think you could've done more to give it some shape and dynamic contrast. The ending was about as lazy as the beginning, and I would've liked to see a breakdown or bridge for variety at some point. The energy level and texture is nearly constant throughout, which doesn't make for a fully engaging listening experience. That's definitely the main problem here, though. Cool sound design, solid production quality, and nice work with the mood and atmosphere. Keep it up, dude!

BlackVen0m4you responds:

Yeah i know what you are talking about! You are absolutely right about it. I´ll update it later. Thank you for the feedback! And i´m glad you liked it! :)

[Iori Licea - Winter (NiTi Remix)]

Fun and upbeat track overall. The intro was a bit bizarre. There was nothing that predicted the introduction of the melody, chords, and vocals at :11. The chord progression itself was also a bit cliché, and the instrumentation (mostly the synths) are pretty generic in general. I like the melodic content, and the mix is generally clean. I would've liked to see you vary the melodies later on in the track, though. It just felt like you didn't do much different or variational in the second half of the piece. It's not a bad track at all - it has a cute mood, smooth transitions, and strong melodies. But it's also not very original IMO, and I think that's my main problem here. Otherwise, solid work! Keep at it, man.

TodukenMusic responds:

Thanks for the review! It's the first time I've done UK hardcore, so it's not the big deal, but something is something hehe

[Finish Line!]

Fun sound design and fresh rhythmic elements. Some of the chord progressions are a little unoriginal (I'm eyeing the descending thing that first appears at :08), though. The melodic content at :40 is pretty cool, and I also like the prominent slap bass at :57. The mix is clean and bright, although I think the kick could've been a little more...conspicuous. There are a lot of creative ideas in here, like the xylophone solo at 1:40 or so. By the end of the piece, it gets a tad repetitive, and I think it needed a bridge or breakdown section to give it a little more shape. Nevertheless, I like the danceable, victorious vibe here. I hope you're still enjoying your gap year, and here's to 2018! ;)

LunacyEcho responds:

lmaoooo i never realized how much i use the descending chord progression until miyo sarcastically commented on it once and now i feel guilty every time i use it XD

but thanks for the comment! hope you're enjoying college, and same to you for the year to come!! :)

[Promised Land]

I like the nature sounds and the bright strings. Reminds me of some of Waterflame's old tracks when he used to do more orchestral stuff. The melodic content is nice, and I like the ornaments (e.x., :55). May I ask where the string samples are from? I love the woodwind solos that start at around 1:35 - that's probably my favorite part of the piece, in fact. Excellent progression and harmonies throughout, guys. I'm a huge fan of the bells during the outro as well. Nice job bringing out the emotion. You really painted a picture with this one. Congrats on the 5th place finish! :)

Everratic responds:

The string samples are from Kontakt Factory Library, which came with Komplete 11. I'm glad you liked the woodwind solos! It received a bit of criticism for being melodically divergent, but I still don't regret it.

Thanks for the review! :)

[Spirit of the Lilies]

Very calming and majestic mood at the beginning. I like the progression/build-up at around the 1-minute mark. The drop is cathartic and not too heavy, and also has some really fun rhythmic elements. The mix is super loud and crisp and clean as always. I also really like the reverb-heavy beat at 2:45. That section functions really well as a breakdown. I really like when your song's two refrain sections are so well-varied, yet the song maintains a lot of its coherence through the chord structure and instrumentation. That's worked well for you in the past (e.x., Volt), and it works well here too. Those emotional piano outros get me every time. :') If I had to criticize one thing, it might be that your style has become a tad formulaic. Your tracks tend to have a very similar progression and sound design. That said, taken by itself this is another killer track. Keep up the good work, Lockyn! ^^

Lockyn responds:

Thank you for the feedback as always TL. I agree with you - I try to shake things up, but this track definitely falls back on some of my usual patterns. Hope you enjoyed regardless. :)