TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Scent of Dew]

I like the emotion and slow pace at the beginning. You've implemented a lot of different characters into this one. There's a distinct sense of longing around 1:10, yet also some uplifting melodies around 1:35. The expressive part at 3:08 was great. I love how you then immediately launch into a dramatic tremolo at a low register, too. :) I think this piece also does a great job of introducing, developing, and then resolving its motivic ideas more so than many of your other pieces. Nice job coming full-circle with the contemplative emotional bit at the end, too. Probably my favorite piano compo from you in a long while, actually. Keep up the great work, Ale! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you liked this one! It's a very inspired piece. I still feel it could be a bit better on the production end, but I have no qualms about how the composition turned out. I agree that there are a lot of different emotions and expression in this piece, and it's nice to hear you enjoyed that :D

Even though I use the whole piano, I think the lower register is the one I use the least creatively. I think you just gave me an idea based on making a piece for the lower register xD
Thank you!!! :D

[-Pain Engine-]

I like the dark mood and distorted drums at :10. All the dissonant chords at :43 set the scene really well. After a while, I think you overuse the chords a bit so that it loses its "shock value." I can't help but feel that you didn't do a lot with the treble range in this track, and it seems to be lacking some melodic content. Also, the ending was pretty sudden. While I like the energy and sense of direction in the piece as it is, I think it would be worth it to slow down the pacing sometime and give it a bit more overarching shape and structuring. Still, nice job with the mood and instruments. I can totally picture this in a video game, probably haunted house-themed. :)

Waterflame responds:

Thanks! I kinda felt that way myself, that more could be done near the high-end. maybe I'll revisit it at some point :)

[-Race Around the Desert-]

I like the groovy guitars at the beginning and the thematic elements. Sound design reminds me a bit of "The Wanderer". Melodic elements are nice. I really like the subtle vocals in the background at around 1:20. Good job making the piece come full-circle by the end too. The ritardando into that last note at 3:57 was a great touch. Really fun and upbeat track overall. :)

Waterflame responds:

Thanks :D

[Bossa 07]

Right away, I'm enjoying the dense rhythmic texture and rather good saxophone samples. Melodic content is solid. The organ at 1:42 was a nice touch, too. I guess one criticism I have is that it has a very uniform level of energy and emotion throughout, which makes me think it's more background music than a stand-alone piece. Still, I'm loving the thematic elements, mood and instruments. I'm also glad the saxophones returned by the end. Keep it up, man! ;)

AzulJazz responds:

Thank you very much!

[Adventurous]

Chopped vocals work really well right away. Melodic content is solid as usual. An element of this piece that really stood out to me was the section at 1:08. It almost sounds like a drop, but it has a rather busy melody playing over the top of it, which I thought was a really good idea. Atmospheric outro was also a highlight. That treble-range synth that fades in at around 2:37 is a great touch. Another strong effort. Keep it up, man!

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the constructive feedback! :)

[Nice Vibes]

Smooth intro and nice job with the instrumentation. I really like the string pizzicatos at around :15. Mix is really loud and clear, although at times it felt like it could've used more bass. Breakdown at 1:38 is a welcome dose of structural variety. Overall, the track is really smooth-flowing and has a pleasing progression. The melodic content is also enjoyable. The main melody gets a tad repetitive by the end, but the variations/post-chorus at 3:03 really help sell the thematic elements of the piece. Overall great work!

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the feedback, TaintedLogic! :)

[Too Far]

Cool pensive-sounding synths at the beginning. Has a 80s space documentary vibe. Autotune is really heavy, yet fits the overall vibe of the piece pretty well. The guitar riff at 1:07 sounded a bit too busy rhythmically, and therefore distracted from the vocals. It makes a great riff for a post-chorus, but kinda dominates the texture a bit when it's playing along with the vocals. The lyrics are good, if a tad cliche. I also would've liked a stronger transition into the bit at 2:20 where the instruments re-enter the texture. Still, excellent job with the instrumentation, mixing, and atmosphere. Keep up the good work!

McGorilla42 responds:

Hey, Tainted! :)

Thanks for the review and feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and give some solid criticism. Yeah -- lyrics were definitely hastily written and a bit trite in parts. I'll look at re-working that guitar riff, or thinking of being less rhythmically dominating in future songs, because I overlooked its busyness completely!

[garlagan - There (Valent Remix)]

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the original. I like the bright piano and other instrumental elements. One element of the original I wish you had done more with (or at least highlighted more) is the solo that's at 1:01. It didn't quite come through the mix as much as I'd like. I like the structural decisions with the breakdown. The drums at 1:54 are also rather refreshing. Also, the production quality in general is really strong, even if the mix is a tad quiet. Solid work overall. It's hard to top Garlagan, that's for sure, but you've made some good decisions with regards to what to change. Keep at it, man! ;)

UmValent responds:

I very much appreciate your input my good sir. I totally agree with you in terms of the mixing being a little bit too quiet since I later realised the export bitrate was very low and the compression overall is almost absent in the mix, though that is entirely optional in this case. Thanks again for the review, cheers! ;)

[Näcken]

Ale! It's been too long. I like the water samples and instruments. The piano is very soothing, and the violin certainly adds some emotional appeal. I found that, unlike much of your other work, the structure is a lot easier to digest with this one. Main problem is that it's too short, in fact. I'd love to see you take this in something of a new direction. Either way, the vivid imagery comes through. The poem seems to be about a child playing in a mystical land (based on Google Translate), and I think you've communicated the tone of the poem here well. Looking forward to hearing more from you soon! ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Haha, the poem isn't about that at all xD
It's about a human-like creature that's playing an instrument similar to the violin on top of the water, trying to lure children into drowning. However, the creature is unloved by God and because of its own self doubts, it submerges, never again to play the instrument again. That's more or less the short version :p

I won't make it longer; it's timed to fit a reading of the poem. I'm glad you liked it though! Thanks for checking it out, as it's been a while indeed. I hope you're doing well!