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TaintedLogic

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---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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

I like the atmospheric intro and the warm pads. The big glissando at :18 was a nice touch. By around :30, I'm really liking progression and upbeat vibe. The melodic content at :51 was really enjoyable, and transitioned nicely into 1:03. Mix is super clean as usual. My favorite thing about this piece is how filled to the brim with joy it is, though. You've set up the progression really well here so that the chorus feels incredibly cathartic. The vocal bit at around 2:10 added a lot to the texture as well. Really engrossing melodies and mood here. Nice work with the atmospheric intro and outro as well. Fave'd and DL'd. Keep up the great work, Geoplex! ^^

Geoplex responds:

a 5/5 from TaintedLogic :O As always I really appreciate the feedback dude. Thank you :)

---Official AIM review---

Really interesting collage of sound effects at the beginning. It was certainly engaging, but I’m not sure how the ominous electronic whirring sounds at :16 meshed with the dinner party vibe of the background chatter. I think you needed a stronger transition into :23. The synth work is quite impressive there, but the piece doesn’t have much of a strong sense of progression after that point. You simply needed a lot more moving notes to keep my attention after a while. I know you’ve put a lot of effort into the rhythmic elements and details, but without much shape, phrasing, or melodic content, the piece doesn’t fit my criteria very well. There’s clearly a lot of effort put into the mixing and mastering, though. You’re definitely a talented producer, but the composition here is really underwhelming and simply directionless for most of the piece. My favorite elements of the piece are the sound design and production. Keep at it, Quarl!

5/10

Quarl responds:

I usually change my drums up a little in every bar because that's what I tend to focus on the most when I write "moving notes."

Sorry if I'm coming off as defensive. It's not intended, but drum and bass has roots in atonal genres. Nuero funk in particular.

thanks for the input though, it's always good to have an idea of what I should improve upon to try and engage people that just don't vibe with my stuffs.

Gratz on the first place finish! I like the funky vibe at the beginning and the melodic content shortly thereafter. Your style still reminds me of Johnfn, which can only be a good thing. The transitory fill at :56 was great. I also really like how the bass is really exposed at 1:25. The brass fits into the texture really well, and indeed sounds quite musical with the humanization. There are a lot of different solos throughout the piece, which makes the piece feel like a jazz piece structurally despite the synthetic elements. My main complaint is that some of the elements of the texture didn't quite come through like I wanted them too. The electric bass seems to have a really cool line at around 2:40, but I can't quite pick out the notes with my headphones. This might well be a reflection of my headphones more than anything else, but regardless I the final chorus as an appropriate time to turn up the bass. :) Overall fantastic work, though. A well-deserved first place. Keep it up, EndK!

endKmusic responds:

Hey TL! :D
First of all thanks for the review, really grateful for every review of yours.
1:25 part was actually my favorite, since I introduced another more of a high-mids bass that's stereo separated, and it was more like a game of playful patterns at that point, that's why it sounds exposed I guess.
2:40 part was actually the same as the 0:59 I think oO. Maybe it sounds a little bit more muddy than the other sections cause I left some lows on brass section.
Much luvz once more! <3

I like the adventurous vibe at the beginning. The violin solo is beautiful, and the full-section echo at :22 is a nice touch. You have a lot of melodies in this piece, but they all complement each other really well. Tiny detail: I think the triangle/high-pitched percussion you have in there could stand to have a bit more reverb and a little less attack. That'll help make it sound a little smoother and less clunky and dry. Composition is definitely my favorite part of this piece, but the instrumentation is a close second. Pretty rare to find a piece on NG with orchestral samples this good. I guess my main complaint is that the drums were way in the background for the entire piece. Even in an orchestral track, I think the drums should be a bit more up-front in the mix. Despite all the dramatic string swells, the drums are what drives almost any piece forward, and this is no exception. Overall, really strong work. Good luck with your game!

PikmanDude responds:

Thank you for the review! I was definitely trying to recreate a Mario Galaxy-esque vibe from this piece; I feel like the composition was aided by having all my ideas written out before starting to notate, as opposed to improvising the melodies in the notation software. The samples I used in this piece are from Garritan Personal Orchestra 5, which to me is extremely high-quality for the $150 price. I think the high-pitched percussion you were talking about is the crash cymbal, and I may remake the song with a smoother crash sample sometime in the future, in addition to a louder and more dominant snare drum.

Again, thank you for the positive feedback! Looking forward to making more tracks in a similar style to this one, regardless of if I ever finish my game or not

Hi. I'm Andrew. Audio portal junkie since 2010, supporter since 2017. I always want to improve what I do! I make music, run the NGUAC, post poetry on BBS, and am the all-time #2 audio reviewer. I love this site, and I want to make it the best I can! ^_^

Andrew Mikula @TaintedLogic

Age 27, Male

Policy Research

Bates College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

Joined on 8/16/12

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