TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Gate to Nowhere]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The arpeggiated synth at :02 and the synth bass at :12 are both pretty generic, though. The progression is also a little slow at the beginning. I would encourage you to do more with the drums to give this piece a little more drive. The transitions at :53 and 2:36 are a little rough, too. I liked the breakdown at 1:36, but I think most of this piece needs more textural fill. Perhaps the mix could tolerate that fill better if you toned down the reverb. Stronger melodic content is also in order, as the melodies at :53 are a little simplistic and repetitive. Also, the snare at 2:15 sounds a little weak - you might need some more repetition. The ending also cuts off suddenly, as if you intended on looping the piece. The strongest elements of this piece are definitely in the mood and atmosphere. Overall, I wasn’t very impressed with the composition, though. It just doesn’t feel very flowing, and could use some more phrasing and dynamic contrast to give it a better sense of direction. Sewing up the various sections of this piece with rough transitions really hurts it, especially since it’s such a short track. These are relatively easy fixes, but they seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the piece. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though. Keep at it, EdKempeper. ;) 

6.5/10

EdKempeper responds:

Hi !

Thank you very much for this very precise and constructive review and for the time you took to judge this track.
Yes, the transitions are really rough, that's because I made the second part of my track first, than I composed the first part. Yes, there's also a lack of coherence in this work.
Anyway, thanks again for your review !
Ed

[Dovax - Childhood VIP]

I like the bouncy synths and the sense of climax into :30. I like the melodic content at 1:20, but the minimalistic drop at the 1-minute mark came across as a bit cliche and underwhelming. The drum samples were a bit generic, and I’d caution you not to overuse the transition at 1:30 with the reverberated clap. I didn’t notice any particular problems with the mixing or mastering, though. I just think the composition is a bit formulaic, and the piece needs more originality. It also couldn’t hurt to vary the melodies a bit more towards the end. Otherwise, solid work. Keep at it, Dovax. ;)

8/10

Dovax responds:

Thank you very much for the review. im ok with everything you said, but i disagree on the mixing and mastering, for me it sounds quite dirty and compressed, some sounds dont stand out how they need to, or at least for me i need to have the mixing as perfect as posible. but thank you for the good review :)

[Khadr]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the hard-hitting texture. There were a couple of interesting choices with the balance, like the especially loud hat at :06. Also, I commend you for addressing a controversial subject in the lyrics. The guitar solos are cool - nice job with maintaining a full texture throughout. Some of the lyric phrases were a little clunky and unclear, like “enhanced interrogation is a word so torture can wear a PC mask” - it’s just a few too many words crammed into that phrase. Also, I’m not sure if you did this intentionally or not, but I had trouble making out what you were saying during the instrumental bridges until the very end: the “he’s a terrorist” line hits a little harder when you only recognize what it’s saying at the very end. Still, this piece is thematically bold and topical, and regardless of anyone’s opinions, that deserves a lot of respect. Perhaps I would’ve liked to see you vary the melodic content and texture a little more, but overall I’m really impressed. Keep it up, Ceevro! :)

9.25/10  

Ceevro responds:

Dunno...I just had something I had to say on the subject. Yeah, sometimes the flow was a little non-standard, but I regret nothing!

I know this wasn't at all what I normally compose/perform, which is why it had to be relatively simple in execution.

Thanks for taking the time to leave me a review! I always love it when TL pops up! Shows me you care!

[Freedom [Melodic Dubstep]]

I like the atmosphere and the melodies at the beginning. There’s a bit too much treble on the synth at :03 IMO, but the chopped vocals at :15 are awesome. The mixing and mastering are really clean, and the drop at :52 has a nice, refreshing vibe. Stylistically, this piece reminds me a lot of Lockyn. I liked the structural relief you offered at 1:50. The texture is really rich throughout, which is a huge plus. I suppose I would’ve liked to hear you vary the second drop (2:48) a little more compared with the first one. Overall, the piece has a great victorious and conclusive vibe at the end. Nice use of reverb and atmosphere throughout, too. The final melody at 3:55 was a nice touch, too. Fantastic work, guys. Keep it up!

9.75/10

Zelgeon responds:

Wow, such a detailed review! I completely agree with you, the second drop needs variation, the problem is, that we were having a lot of problems getting ideas for the second drop, we tried different melodies, but they didn't fit, so we just changed the chords and added a trappy hi hat to give to it a future bass twist, in the track for the final round we will make sure to add more variation

[(OLD) Apoapsis]

I like the quirky mood and instruments at the beginning. It has a blissful vibe, yet is also very quaint and pensive. The progression is a little slow, but the sound design and melodic content are both really refreshing. The pad that fades in at 1:03 sounds a bit cheesy and generic, and then that section dragged on for way too long (until 2:26 as I see it). The transition into 2:26 was pretty rough, and the piece sounds pretty minimalistic for significant lengths of this piece. The production is really clean and clear, though. Overall, I think you really need to consolidate your ideas and give this piece more structural cohesion. The track definitely didn’t need to be 8 minutes long, as it simply doesn’t have enough fill most of the time to keep me engaged. All the same, I did thoroughly enjoy the impressive mastering and quirky mood of the piece. Keep at it, TheSpacePunk! ;)

7.5/10

TheSpacePunk responds:

yeah I know it's way too long just for a song, but I made it this long because I made a clip on youtube for it, with some ISS footages, that's why ;)
Thank you for the detailed review :)

[Jade Palace]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning as well as the sound design. The mix is really spacious and well-reverberated. I also thoroughly enjoyed the melodic content at 1:17. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when the build-up at 1:48 was exactly the same as the first one. I also think the second drop needed some more distinct elements from the first one. Overall, the composition here is a little formulaic, although that’s my main problem with the piece. Strong work with the instrumentation, flow, and atmosphere. Keep it up, PianoreGD! :)

8.5/10

Tennon responds:

Thanks 4 the review m8

[Pragulka]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. Some of the instruments are a little cheesy, and the chord progression is cliche. I also think you could’ve done some more interesting things with the drums throughout the piece. The melody at :52 is enjoyable - I like the crips, marcato articulation on that synth. Overall, the mix is pretty clean here. I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout. Nice use of modulation at 2:37. Overall, this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece too. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt (when the synth cuts out suddenly at 3:29). Good job with the melodies and atmosphere, though. Keep at it, Octapus58! ;)

8.5/10

octopus58 responds:

Thanks!

Yeah, I might have gotten somewhat repetitive with my past few songs and the chord progression (the triads and stuff). For my next song in this album, I will try to vary it up a bit. Thanks for noticing all the stuff I put into it however, I appreciate it :)

[Our Nostalgic Days [The Archer Girl Ep.6]]

I like the emotion at the beginning. The pacing is pretty slow, but it also compliments the theme. That said, :28 had a rather sudden injection of energy and a much brighter mood. The sweep at :54 was a little cheesy, although I did enjoy the melodies at :58. The drums at 1:11 could sound a bit clearer and crisper. I think they need some more compression. It might also help to experiment more with panning. The orchestration here is really good, though. I love the brass solos at 1:39. This piece comes together really nicely - great job with the progression and melodic content. The mixing needs a little tweaking, but overall this piece is really strong. Keep up the great work, Jessieyun0404! ;)

9/10

JessieYun responds:

Hello TaintedLogic,

Thank you so much for such detailed and great review. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much for the advice, and also encouragement. I'll keep your comments in mind and will improve myself to create a better song that can interact with the world.

Thank you,
Jessie

[G035]

I like the energy and thick texture at the beginning. Cool use of frantic rhythmic elements at around :25, and the piano melodies at :33 are nice too. I’d encourage you to bring the piano line a bit further front in the mix, though, as the low chord is clearly a secondary harmony there. The loop is smooth, but this piece still isn’t structurally complete, which is my main problem here. You simply need to do more with the composition before I can properly judge things like structure, variety, and phrasing. I do like what I’ve heard here, though. Keep at it, EverReverb. ;)

7.5/10

AED4 responds:

I don't know how this review slipped from me. Thank you for in-depth review TL, as always ^^