TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cell of Tut]

The stop-start rhythm of the piano at the beginning is really quirky, and the rest of the sound design really enhances an ominous kind of vibe. Has a bit of an experimental texture. The pause at 1:01 works okay as a transition, but it might've been smoother if you had added some more reverb or something. I wasn't a fan of how you started spamming the hi-hats at around 1:04. The harmonies get a little dissonant at around 1:40, and the piece starts to lack a clear sense of direction towards the end. I'd suggest finding other ways of creating variety and shape to the piece besides adding and subtracting instruments. Some automation, filtering, phrasing, and dynamic contrast would help give this piece a little more ebb and flow, instead of the drone-like quality it has right now. I also would've liked to see you add some more melodic content here. The rhythm of the piece can be hard to follow at times, and some more moving notes might help keep the listener grounded. Overall, I appreciate the compositional risks you took with this one, even if I think you could've done more with it harmonically. Keep at it, man! Definitely a piece worth revisiting imo.

Celudoc responds:

Thanks for the listen! I definitely see what your saying. I was going for a more despondent 'losing your sanity' kinda droney vibe, since I was trying to think of the mindset of wasting away in a cell, but i will definitely consider trying out a form of harmonic dissonance when i revisit this and try out more reverb. Maybe I can try humanizing the percussion a little more when i revisit it. I was also playing with the idea of adding dripping water, but I haven't gotten sampling down yet, so that'll be later. I sincerely appreciate the constructive criticism!

[Tempest Distortion]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Texture is very distorted. I like the swells a lot. I thought the bell-like synth at :32 could use some more reverb, and that the synth at :48 was a little cliché. Overall, the piece doesn't progress much harmonically. You're using the same couple of riffs with different instruments. The wind FX and vocal-sounding samples at 2:10 and 2:03, respectively, are really cool. Overall, I applaud the sound design and atmosphere here, but I think you could've done a lot more with the composition in terms of moving notes. The modulations later in the piece were a good idea, but I think you need to do more than that to keep this piece interesting harmonically. Keep at it, man!

Andethy responds:

Thanks for the quality feedback! It is hard to mix well in Garageband, and hopefully get an upgrade soon. I agree that my melodies could be improved on but I'm pretty new to music making. However, I'm learning more about the functionality and hope to make better tracks in the future...

[Geoplex - Singularity]

I like the pensive piano at the beginning and the atmosphere. Has a really bright and dreamy sound to it. Excellent sense of climax starting at around :45. The more synthetic elements that come in at :58 suit the progression well. The drop at 1:25 is good, and I like the melodic elements going on in the background. That said, I think the instrumentation during the drop is very similar to a lot of your other work, notably "Chimera". One thing that's particularly impressive about this is the production quality. Everything is crystal clear in the mix, yet still feels really full, atmospheric, and well-balanced. Great job with making this piece both upbeat and energetic, too. Overall I like it a lot. Keep up the good work!

Geoplex responds:

Hey man! Really appreciate the detailed review :)
Regarding the instrumentation, you may be more correct in your observation there than you know, because I think I've had a problem with overusing similar kinds of leads for 4 or 5 years tbh :p I need people to point it out or I may never stop lmao

I spent an ungodly amount of time on the mix of this one, so glad to hear it shows.

Thanks for the feedback!

[-Boundless-]

Some really quirky instruments. The wavering one that kinda sounds like an old western guitar especially stands out. I really like the strong snare, but I think it ducks under the mix a bit once the texture gets busier around the 1-minute mark. I like the melodic content at 1:15. Your great sense of harmony is clearly on display here, as always. The sudden change in the texture at 2:02 was made somewhat smoother by the reverb, but in general I think you overused the reverb a bit, to the point that it negatively affected the mix. Still, the texture is still very busy and full for most of the piece, which makes for quite an engaging track. I also really enjoyed the breakdown at 2:47 with the additions to the beat and the subtle, dreamy pads in the background. Compositionally, this is a really fun and adventurous-sounding piece, but production-wise I don't think it's your best work. Still thoroughly enjoyable, though. Keep up the good work, Waterflame! :^)

Waterflame responds:

Thank you for the great review! I agree with, well, all of it. In retrospect. I think the key to bringing this mix out a bit would have been less reverb on certain instruments.

[[Chillstep Remix] Astral Observatory - Majora's Mask]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The percussion is interesting. There's a lot of top-end frequencies on that snap that plays on the off beats. The marcato pads at :34 are really nice, and add a lot to the progression. Really smooth and atmospheric piece. A bit repetitive, though, and the ending was a little underwhelming. Could also use some more melodic content, but it's still great for some ambient vibes. You earned yourself a scout. Congratulations! :)

emilyomily responds:

Thanks for the feedback man, and the scout! :D

[endK - Automaton Squad]

---Official AIM review---

The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at the beginning, but the texture really falls together nicely once the beat comes in. The melody with the portamentos at around :35 is a great touch. I love all the oscillations in energy, even if it led to some pretty sudden transitions at times (:55 in particular). My main worry with this piece is that you’ve tried to take it in a bunch of different directions at once. There appear to be a lot of melodic ideas that seem to be competing for the role of “primary melody” as the piece goes on. Oftentimes, these are simply well-fleshed-out variations of a similar theme, but the piece still comes across as bordering on too variational. There is some degree of cohesion, of course, as exemplified by the return of the refrain at 2:28 and the repetition of the motif at 1:06. Still, for a relatively short piece there’s a lot going on, and the pace of the progression is very fast. That’s really my only major complaint, though. The production is very strong. Everything sounds loud, crisp, and full in the mix, and you used a good balance of frequencies throughout. The instrumentation is really enjoyable. I love the little roll of clicks at the very beginning (and other places). The synth in the foreground at 1:17 is one of my favorites of the piece. The upbeat mood, full texture, and strong production quality really won me over with this one. Keep it up, EndK!

9.25/10

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, there's always bunch of stuff going on in my songs.
SOMETIMES I resist the urge to not have that many things included but this is not the one ._.
Thanks for the advice and review TL, will focus more on cohesion in the future.
<3

[AIM - T-Rex Handshake]

---Official AIM review---

I like the frantic synth patterns at the beginning. Great job facilitating the energy and creating a sense of climax into :52. The kick could’ve been a bit stronger at :52, but the gritty bass and rhythmic elements come together very well there. The transition at 1:18 came on a bit suddenly, but I really like the orchestral elements and the mechanical whirring in the background. You did a great job with the phrasing and progression in this piece. You’ve really crafted a cinematic scene with all the changes in energy and direction. At the same time, the instrumentation and ambiance gives this piece the cohesion it needs for such a long piece. I thought the abrupt transition at 2:37 actually worked quite well, probably because of thematic similarities between the two adjacent sections. The transition at 3:04, on the other hand, probably needed a bit more fleshing out. I also appreciated the injection of melodic elements at 3:46, even if the melody didn’t feel very dynamic. The final climax into 5:30 was great. In a way, the entire piece feels very transitory throughout, yet I think this fits the character of it well. I relatively sudden ending felt appropriate here. Overall, I think you nailed the sound design, progression, and phrasing with this one. All of my complaints are minor. Fantastic work!

9.25/10

ActualElf responds:

Wow, thank you for such an in depth and thought out review!

You've pointed out things in my production and writing that I hadn't noticed or thought about for myself, it's always great to have a clear view of things I need to improve on and pay more attention to. Thank you also for the kind things you had to say!

I went back and smoothened out that transition and I'm happier about the turnout!

[AIM - Gemini]

---Official AIM review---

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the bell-like synths. The vocal samples and the gritty bass at :14 are also good. The beat at :26 is very catchy. I think you have a fantastic sense of rhythm, and the sound design in the pieces I’ve reviewed for you is very well done. You didn’t foreshadow the slightly more laid back section at :55 very well, though. The melody at 1:09 is nice, although the rhythm of it is a bit square, especially compared to some of the exceptionally creative drum patterns you have in this piece. The dreamy synth pattern at 1:49 is really nice, too. While in general the piece is well-structured, it feels like you’re following a formulaic pattern for the progression instead of taking the piece in a new direction with each rendition of the theme. I’m sorry if this advice sounds repetitive from my other review, but I’d love to see you vary 1:49 a bit more given that you have the same exact same section at :27. That might help give your piece a bit more directionality and resolve. Stylistically, this is very similar to the other piece you submitted to the contest, although I love the interaction between the two melodic synths at 2:30 in this piece. Strong work yet again. :)

8.5/10

DarkHorseOrchestra responds:

Thank you for the reviews! Helps put in perspective what I needa work on. Definitely appreciate it!

[Misshapen Pearl]

Beautiful minimalist strings at the beginning. I love the contrapuntal nature of it too. The intricate rhythm of the flute at 1:05 didn't suit the texture entirely well imo, and the next minute or so is largely characterized by rapidly shifting foreground textures (first flute, then strings, flute again, then organ, vocals, etc.). I just thought the piece lost its sense of directionality a tad in the middle section there. That said, the piece comes together really well by around the 2-minute mark, and I love the dark answer by the cello and bass at the very end. Overall very strong stuff. I think your style has changed quite a bit since 2007 judging by this, but this piece still has a great dramatic and organic vibe. Keep it up, Phonometrologist!

Phonometrologist responds:

Hey TL, you're quick. I agree with you on the criticism. If this piece that I were to conjure up was purely without any prior influences, I probably wouldn't choose to add the flute part. But since it was part of the original, it's married to the music and I'm not about to object now to the odd pairing. Originally I used one of Bach's flute sonata's as a guideline since Whirlguy wanted a snippet of music inspired by the Baroque period. Hence the title.
Thanks for stopping by once more.

[Entirely Elated]

I like the upbeat vibe at the beginning and the hi-hat rolls at :09. The quirky chopped vocals at :22 suit the texture well, and really contribute a lot to the climax into :34. One criticism I have is that the snare sounds a little thin, with a lot of top-end frequencies and not much else. Excellent job with the melodies at around the 1-minute mark, and the saxophone at 1:34 was really refreshing. The drops are really cool. Very refreshing sound design and intricate rhythmic design. During the middle section of the piece (1:00 to 1:53 or so), I think you tried to cram in just one too many melodic ideas. Consolidating some of your melodic ideas in this piece could help give it a bit more cohesion. Production quality is really solid here, though, and I like the dreamy ending of the piece a lot. Overall great work! Fave'd.

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the feedback, TaintedLogic! :)