TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Mystical Swamp]

---Official AIM review---

I like the bright piano at the beginning and the vocals in the background. The vocals seemed a bit unpolished, though, and could use some more filtering and maybe flanging work to contribute to the atmosphere. The build-up into :44 was pretty good, although I think there were a few questionable instrument choices there. Those strings sound pretty fake, and that snare isn’t very strong and lacks sounds somewhat hollow. I like the victorious sound of the texture, but I also think the occasional high-pitched string interjections (like at :58) detract from the melody until you get to the somewhat more legato part at 1:01. The mix could use a bit of cleaning up in here, especially with regards to balance of different instruments and stricter equalizing. I like the low-energy section at 1:29 and the emotional appeal of the piano, but I think the transition there could’ve been foreshadowed better. The pause at 2:00 was a somewhat bold compositional choice, but I really like the result. Atmosphere at 2:20 is beautiful, and I like the violin riff at 2:35. The progression works well until 2:50, but I think you could’ve had a fade-in or some filtering there to make the transition a little smoother before the wall of sound at the refrain. I also would’ve liked to see you vary the piece a little more during the second half. The melody at 3:34 was a good start, though. Overall, I think where this piece falls short is in the mixing and the sound design. The refrains could sound a lot more distinct, and I think the melody needs some compression to stay foregrounded. A lot of the instruments sound pretty inauthentic, which is especially noticeable at :44 and 3:34. My favorite parts of the piece included the atmosphere at the beginning and at the breakdown AND the melodic content. Overall, you have a strong compositional foundation, but honing in on some of the production-related elements could really take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, man. ;)

7.25/10

FractureClutter responds:

Thank you for review! I really appreciate it. Your reviews always help me to improve my music :)
Yeah, mixing is still my problem, but I hope to learn it soon. Also I was afraid, that I'll go to far with increasing pitch of snare, so I left it in that way. My fault. And I'll try to get higher quality instruments for my compositions soon. Sometimes I just have to use stock FL plugins. Of course, it's not main problem. Just more work and more practice for me)
By the way, I'm learning in musical school, so it really helps me in my melodies. You have knowledge in compositions, keys and know how exactly will sound one or the another note.
To be honest, I don't really like the second half of the song. First part was written under inspiration. Second one is pretty random and sometimes I just had to put a lot of stuff over melody, because it was terrible, at least in my opinion.
Beginning of the first drop had an idea. That melody part and "Tataaa"you mentioned on :58. It turned out not really good. Neverthelless, it was still pretty intresting compositional element for me. Just like test. As well, that's why it's not used in second drop. From 1:01 it turns better.
Anyway, another thanks for awesome review!

[Aphyllix - Starless]

Progression is pretty cool. Wasn't a huge fan of the sound design, tbh. Sounds like you have a lot of generic presets from Nexus or something. Atmosphere is nice. The synth pattern at :53 kinda comes out of nowhere, and I think you could've had a bit more creative content at the drop, like you hinted at in the description. It's definitely a good start to a piece. I think in order to make it sound more dynamic and interesting, you should break away from the repetitive rhythmic structure. Some more legato melodic content might also help (as opposed to the staccato-y top end synth you have at 1:06). Overall, not bad at all. Some really good ideas here that you just have to flesh out a little more. Keep at it, man. ;)

Aphyllix responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I see what you mean about the sound design, though, it's easily what I need to practice the most. And yeah, it is kinda repetive, honestly, I've always focus more on the initial melody, and just added more or less for progression, so I'm definitely going to try to be a bit more creative though, with the different segments. So thanks. :)

[Pulsefunk II]

Catchy stuff. Has a really refreshing '80s disco vibe. I like the little call-and-response action at :32 where you strip away the beat momentarily. It's a really subtle effect that's great for some structural contrast. I guess my main complaint with this piece is that it doesn't have much of an overarching shape or direction to it. Instead, it sounds like the main harmonic framework that someone needs to improvise or record over in a demo track. Don't get me wrong: really impressive work with the sound design and harmonies, but it doesn't quite have the dynamism of a stand-alone track yet. Smooth vibes, though. I was tapping my foot. Keep up the good work, man!

Bradley-Pittman responds:

Thanks for takin the time to write this! I've been focusing on mixing and sound design a lot more lately, so it totally makes sense that I didn't give the song structure quite the attention it deserves. Hopefully I can nail the balance next time around : )

[butterfly effect]

Soothing atmosphere and synths. I like the dreamy vibe and the sub-bass. The beat at :37 is cool too. Progression is a tad slow, but it's great for some background music. The mix is clean here, but pretty quiet. I'd encourage you to consider some more compression, or maybe just raise the volume levels. Some stronger melodic content would add a lot to this piece, I think. I really like the distorted texture that starts at around the 2-minute mark, though. Overall, excellent job with the mood and instruments. Fade-out at the end could've been a bit more creative, but otherwise this piece has a really satisfying structure and flow. Keep up the good work! ^_^

cavequest responds:

Some solid advice. Thank you very much!

[CHIPS In About 3 Minutes]

Catchy piece. Fade-in at the beginning could've been more creative, but I really like the pulse by around :16. Kick was a little weak - I'd try some more compression and/or layering of different kick samples. It was also really jarring when the volume got suddenly quieter at :37. I'd suggest foreshadowing that volume change with a drum fill or at least crash/sweep. The vocals at :41 feel kinda long-winded and out-of-place, but I appreciate the comedic value of :52. I think the repetition of the vocals in rapid succession went a little too far, though, especially at 1:54. I know this isn't supposed to be a serious track, but you're kinda just sacrificing a lot of the musical value at that point. The sudden volume changes are mastering issues are probably my main concern. I also was a little confused by the sudden change in sound design at 2:23. Overall, a fun listen. Keep at it, man!

SplatterDash responds:

In some cases, yeah, the kick can be improved, but since I have Live Lite it's hard to find good items that fit your song, so I used what I could there. The volume changes before the vocals are meant to be actual dialogue and not just text-to-speech (fun fact), so all the changes mean is that there an outside-of-the-daw event. I had the text-to-speech as fast as it would go, and any faster caused it to sound... off, in a non-comedic way. 1:54 was probably the most stress I gave Steve Harwell's voice in the entire track XD The only reason that 2:23 sounds different in sound design is that it's the Discord call sound, which leads into the final skit in the track.

Nonetheless, I'm glad you enjoyed this track! CHIPS is gonna crank out some more compos so I'll be posting more music here as well ;)

[Toxic Hunger]

I like the instrument at the beginning. The chord progression is a tad cliché. The drums sound really dry and generic, and the panning doesn't do much for you imo. Panning can be a great mixing tool, but usually it's a good idea to keep the fundamentals (drum, bass, melody) front and center. Speaking of melody, I'm not hearing a lot of it. You have some creative rhythms at 1:10, but melody is usually the most memorable aspect of a piece, and the piece sounds really repetitive without it, even with the changes in sound design later on. Some of the layering comes across as a bit experimental, and besides the panning I don't think there was much effort put into mastering either. My main worry here is the composition, though. Very little structuring, stale and repetitive riffs, no melodic content. I'd suggest writing a melody first next time, and then trying to arrange your piece using the melody as a focal point. Right now, the piece just sounds a bit stale with the chord progression rammed down your throat. Synths were probably my favorite part of the piece - really distinct mood portrayed through the sound design. Sorry to be so tough on you. It's a good start. It just doesn't feel like a very dynamic piece yet. Keep at it, man!

Justin12611 responds:

Wow, I've never seen that kind of opinion I ever recieved. Well, thank you so much for it!! I'll try my best in the future, I'll always practice and try to improve them as I can. ;)

Seriously dude, Thanks!! ( ^w^)/

[Song In A Minute]

Hahhaha...cute vocals at the beginning. Catchy riff at :20. Not used to hearing house from you - it sounds clean. I think there's a bit of dissonance in the harmonies at :36, but the melodic content and chord progression in and of themselves are good. Thematic elements of the piece were definitely my favorite part. Fun piece, 1f1n1ty. :)

Onefin responds:

rsk said i sound exactly like miyolophone which isn't true but i guess it's true that my voice raised in pitch sounds like miyo's voice raised in pitch

didya like the ending that's the best part

also you should go leave a good review on splatterdash's remix, i think he'd appreciate it :)

[Over The Mountains (Onefin Remix)]

I love the dreamy atmospheric quality of the piece. Something about the rhythm and contour of the riff at the beginning bothered me, though. I think the pick-up notes after the pauses at :03, :08, etc. made it hard to get a good sense of the beat. That said, I'm really enjoying the warm pads and the bass at :25. In a way I like how the drums were way in the back of the mix for the first 1.5 minutes, but I also think the piece needed a bit more drive between :25 and 1:25, which the drums could've provided. Production quality is pretty strong. This piece has a lot of reverb, but the mix is still rather clean and well-balanced. The drums sound a bit indistinct at 3:12, though, which kinda detracts from the final climax of the piece. Overall, mood and atmosphere were definitely my favorite elements of the piece. Keep up the good work, 1f1n1ty! :)

Onefin responds:

oh hey tl! didn't expect you to show up on a remix i thought ng people didn't listen to those

the beginning was like i stalled each pause for an extra half measure, was that throwing you off? :/

i was sorta going for a relaxing kind of thing for the first one and a half minutes, and then bringing in the big groove later, i was hoping that like super light drums and a bass would provide a bit of dynamic contrast for the first bit

i almost sorta like how the drums are indistinct-ish at 3:12 but maybe that's something I should have looked at

thanks for dropping by! appreciations <3

[AIM - Grandeur]

---Official AIM review---

I like the ominous beginning and the emotional piano at :12. The reverb was a bit excessive, and the ascending line in the echoy synth at :55 was a harmonic progression that I think you could’ve foreshadowed better. I love the filtering work leading up to the part at 1:17, though. The drums are really strong in the mix, and give the piece a great sense of drive. The melodic content at 1:39 is a nice touch, too. At 2:24, I like how the drums are exposed, but I definitely appreciated the proper breakdown at 2:46 with a full contrast in energy. Somewhat bold compositional choice with the addition of such an uncharacteristically processed instrument at 3:07. It actually comes off quite well, but I wish you did a bit more with that riff at 3:07 besides just filtering it out once you get back to more melodic content at 3:29. Despite the heavy atmosphere, the production is really strong here. Structurally, the second half of the piece could use a bit more variety. It was especially noticeable that 2:23-2:55 is essentially the same as 4:36-5:08. Still, excellent job with the emotion, atmosphere, and instrumentation especially in this one. Beautiful work, yet still energetic and engaging when appropriate. Keep up the good work, BeauXuan!

9.25/10

BeauXuan responds:

Whoa, didn't leave anything out, did you?
I'm working on getting better at using valhalla reverb, a newer plugin for me, and I see what you mean about it being a little excessive. Good point-out.
My little transition between 3:07 and 3:29 was a bit of an experiment that I do kind of regret but chose to keep it in there because... I'm not sure why...
I do have the habit of copying sections to fill out time and not really doing anything more with them, so I can only blame my laziness for some sections sounding repetitive.

I'm just going to say thank you so much for your detailed review and hope you have a great day. :D