TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[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! :)

[Welcome to the Creepy]

The little oom-pah pattern at the beginning is nice. Feels almost melancholy in a way. The reverb helps emphasize a kind of sadness here. The rhythm is very square, yet the piece has a real human quality to it in the progression. I would've liked to see you use some more dynamics, phrasing, and humanization on the instruments to amplify the emotional appeal. It's a simple piece as it is, and so probably needs a bit more variation along such parameters to keep my attention. Still, nice work with the harmonies and atmosphere. Ritardando at the end was also a plus. Keep up the good work!

LumpyDumpyBuuu responds:

Thank you very much for commenting and all comments will be helpful.

[Virtual Riot - Stargarden (Aelon Remix)]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The quirky lead is also a big plus. The "reset" at :28 was a nice touch structurally. The build-up at :45 is good, but you have gone a bit too far with the reverb there. The drop at :56 is pretty amazing. That bass is absolutely scrumptious, and you got really creative with the rhythms and automations there. My main complaint here is that the second half of the piece is very similar to the first half of the piece, save for the drop. I really would've liked to see you vary that melody in the subtle, cute lead at 1:32 instead of just repeating it from the first half. I also would've liked to hear another point of climax towards the end that mirrored the level of catharsis of the first drop. Still, hard to complain about much here. Excellent atmosphere, instrumentation, and structuring. Production is solid as well. Keep up the good work!

Aelon responds:

Thanks!

[KChG - Phosphorescent]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the synths. Good sense of atmosphere and direction. The transition at :13 was neat, yet didn't disrupt the flow too much. Nice work with the crisp hi-hats and overall instrumentation, too. The mix is pretty clean, and the snare really packs some punch. The quirky, hollow-sounding snare at 1:24 is especially cool. The transition at 1:52 was a bit lazier with the generic 4-snare roll, but overall I thought this piece was rather smooth-flowing. Nice job with the automations too. The section at 2:33 has a really ominous vibe, but a couple of great details with the clicks in the beat and the atmosphere. It might've dragged on for a bit too long, but overall that section really gave the piece some shape and helped you gear up for the final section. The piece never really reached the emotional height I expected at the end, but you certainly kept up the excellent mood and atmosphere of the song 'til the end. Great work overall. Really fun stuff with the sound design. Keep it up!

KChG responds:

Thanks dude! I appreciate the criticism. I wanted to craft the end into a space feel kind of like you’re stranded in a ship or something