TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A.I.M 2018 - Land.]

---Official AIM review---

I like the dreamy synths at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, and I think the transition at :29 was a bit lazy. The build-up into :48 was nice, and the melodies there are enjoyable. You might have overdone the reverb a tad there, though. I think the kick ducks under the mix a tad, and tightening up some of the reverb/delay effects might help it come through a bit more. I like the bridge section at 2:07 a lot, and the subsequent build-up into 2:33 felt really cathartic. Again, the mix could’ve been a lot tighter here, and that’s especially noticeable during the last refrain. The mix is loud, just not always as clean and sharp as it could be. You might need more compression on the drums and more careful equalizing in addition to the reverb concerns. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the instrumentation. A lot of the synths here are really cheesy, and you also could’ve done a lot more creative things with the drums in this piece. Overall, the piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing, but there are quite a few very repetitive elements. You’ve done a good job channeling the energy and selling the emotional aspects of the piece, but a lot of times your melodies/prominent riffs are heavily grounded in the chords and rely on a repetitive, cliche chord progression. The piece comes together so well in the end because you combine two of the main riffs you’re using within that framework, which is compositionally a very effective tool. That said, I’m not giving you many points for originality here. It’s a feel-good and melodic kind of piece, but the mixing issues and generic sound design and chord progression take away from it a bit. Overall solid work! You guys have a great sense of harmony, and you also know how to shape and structure a piece very well.

7.75/10

ClockbeatAdelony87 responds:

thanks! i'm mainly good at composing, but im not that great at sound design and mixing, but im still learning. thanks a lot for the advice, i'll try to apply it to my future songs. thanks ;)

[-Adventure Ahead-]

I love the energy, instrumentation, and progression. Piece has a great sense of direction and climax into :30, and some really cool rhythmic elements. Melodic content is great, and the heavy bass is a really nice touch later on. My only complaint is that sometimes the bass seems a bit too punchy and sharp, especially early on when it pops in at :08. The mix is loud and clear throughout, and the thick texture really catalyzes the sense of excitement and adventure the piece has. Overall, I really wish this were a full-length track. Keep up the good work, WF! ^^

Waterflame responds:

Thanks! Yeah my biggest challenge in this one was to make the bass and kick come out of the thick soundwall, I also feel like I could maybe have done the bass a bit better. I appreciate it!

[AtRysk - Ignition]

I like the chords at the beginning and the subtle climax into :17. The snare at :17 was a little in-your-face compared to the relaxed atmosphere of the track - that threw me off a bit. I liked the cut melodies at :32, but I would've liked to hear them a little more up-front in the mix. The drop at 1:02 has a really warm and full-textured sound. I would've appreciated it if the drop was varied a tad more the second time around, though. I think the vocals you mention in the description are a great idea. My complaints are all minor here. Song is very well-structured, catchy, and well-mastered. High production quality is a huge highlight, actually. Good use of sound design and overarching shape. Strong work overall. Keep up the good work!

AtRysk responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I agree I could have used a different snare sample in the chill part. I'll try to go back through and add a bit more texture.
Thanks again!

[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! ^_^

AED4 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

sro 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!