TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sonic R - Livin' In Da City]

I like the beat at the beginning, but it’s a bit dry. Some reverb could really help give it some more atmosphere. The harsh synth that plays on beats 2 and 4 after :22 gets a little obnoxious. The atmospheric pads and floaty synths that come in at :55 are nice, though. I liked the breakdown in the texture at 1:05, although this piece progresses pretty slowly. I like the vocal samples at around 1:50 too. The climax at 2:25 ended up being pretty anticlimactic when it led to the minimalism at 2:35. I think the vocals at 3:30 (and other places) could stand to be a little more upfront in the mix - after all, it’s the principal melodic content in the piece. I appreciated that you were taking the piece in a different direction at 4:48. The piece also feels pretty climactic at around the 6-minute mark, which is good. I don’t think the piece needed to be quite this long, though. You fill a lot of the texture with parts that are similar to 2:35, with the only moving part being the filtered synth bass. Overall, this is pretty solid work. Giving a little more emphasis to the melodic elements here (and less on the progressive beats) might help consolidate the theme and give the piece some more shape, though. Keep at it, man. ;)

7.25/10

PaulyBFromDa303 responds:

This is good to know. I always love an honest review and this one is to the T. It would appear I need placement practice. And variety. The biggest difficulty with this one was trying to find a way to switch from major to minor without losing the tensity. There were some parts where my computer program actually crashed from all the tiny details i was adding. Yes, i think it was right before that 4:48 part when all the instruments died out one by one. Melody was tough too. The copy of the vocals i had were a little rough around the edges and it was blatantly obvious.

I know i can do better. I should've done something different for that contest. I wasn't ready to try out something like this just yet lol. Hey, seriously though thank you. I needed to know

[Sunny Habitat]

I like the synths and percussion at the beginning. I like the sense of climax into :30, and subsequently into 1:15. The synths were a little generic at 1:15, and I would’ve liked to hear the hats at 1:30 come through the mix a little more. The breakdown at 1:50 is great, though, and really helps offer some solid structural relief. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy, but this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. Honestly, the lack of originality is my main concern. Cool melodies, nice sense of harmony and texture, and a pretty clean mix overall. Nice work! ;)

8/10

dukebartje responds:

Thank you for the review! I have to admit, I usually take it a step higher when it comes down to how 'original' it sounds :) I'll work on that for the next songs! :D

[Red Light Syndrome (Original)]

The atmospheric fade-in at the beginning was a cool idea. I love the instrumentation, and peachymaiden’s voice is really light and flowing. The lyrics at 1:25 are pretty jarringly violent, and don’t really compliment the mood of the piece all that well. The echo effects at 2:14 and other places are a little cheesy, but overall the composition is really strong here. I also think the drums could be a bit stronger in the mix. The chopped-up vocals at 3:40 didn’t fit the character of the piece well IMO. I appreciated the breakdown at 4:18, although the piece drags on a bit long. I like the layered vocals starting around the 5-minute mark. They add a great sense of climax and resolve to the piece. Overall, this is really strong work. Keep it up, you two! :)

9/10

Jabicho responds:

Hi man! thanks so much for taking the time to write such helpful review! :D
We'll take all suggestions with pleasure, It means a lot that you took the time to check out all parts of the song :D

[Jovds - Piratian]

Interesting use of instrumentation. The kick drum is a bit too heavy on the bass frequencies IMO. I don’t think :27 had as much of a sense of climax as you wanted it to, though. I’d highly recommend experimenting more with dynamics and filtering, because it wasn’t immediately obvious that was the drop. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the instrumentation at the drop itself - it was a bit high-pitched and dry, and also didn’t blend very well. At the very least, it needs some more reverb and equalization, if not a different instrument altogether. The melodic content in this piece is pretty enjoyable, but the piece is very short and could probably benefit from a more fleshed-out structure. I also think a lot of this piece is pretty minimalistic - again, reverb might help with that. Overall, I think your main areas of focus should be the composition and instrumentation. The piece wasn’t all bad, though. It’s fairly catchy, and, like I said, the melodies are refreshing. Keep at it, man! :)

5/10

jovds responds:

I weirdly feel like I've read this before... but anyway, I agree with everything you said... can't think of anything else to say lol. Thanks for the advice...

[Believe Redux]

I like the frantic strings at the beginning. I think the bass is a bit too loud, and also sounds a bit distorted in the mix. I like how you revert to minimalism at the 1-minute mark. Good use of structuring there. I think the string pads at 1:29 are also a little too loud, not allowing the melodic content enough space in the mix. A lot of the instruments here are a bit generic, especially the synths. The woodwind solo at 2:14 was a nice surprise, although all the ornaments take away from the easy, flowing vibe it had early in its solo. I think this piece has a lot of variety and character, which is good. The piece could use a little more experimentation with dynamics and phrasing, though, and the fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. The composition is pretty strong overall. The mixing and instrumentation are my main concerns. Keep at it, my friend. :)

7.25/10

NGKFlower responds:

Thanks, I'm always making room for improvement. :)

[Felix Zophar - Wisdom]

I like the spacey atmosphere at the beginning. The synths are a little generic, as are the drum samples, particularly the clap. I like the sense of climax into 1:15 and the subsequent rhythmic breaks, although I think that section drags on for a bit too long. The piece is pretty repetitive, and also doesn’t have a ton of structural variety. I’d suggest experimenting a lot more with dynamics and phrasing in the future. The piece ends a little abruptly, and might’ve functioned better as a loop. It is rather catchy, though, and I like the mood and atmosphere. I didn’t notice any particular problems with the mixing, either. I think you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here, though, and that’s the major downfall of this piece. Otherwise, keep at it, man. :)

6.5/10

FelixZophar responds:

I tried to make a good drop

[BrainDead]

I like the melodic content at :04. The synth at the beginning is a bit generic, but fits the mood of the piece well. I wasn’t a huge fan of your drum samples either - the clap is pretty cliche, and the kick had a bit too much treble IMO. At 1:06, the bass is a little indistinct. I think it could be crisper if you tone down the reverb and be a little stricter with the equalization. I appreciated your use of panning with the synths, although I think drums should really be kept front and center except during transitional moments. The drops at around 2:00 - 2:45 were cool. The melody is getting pretty repetitive by around the 3-minute mark, though - I think it needs some more variation, and I also think this piece didn’t need to be 5.5 minutes long. I also thought the transition at 5:02 could’ve been smoother. Still, this is a pretty well-structured piece. My main issues are with the sound design and the repetition. Keep at it, man. ;)

7/10

Spadezer responds:

Alright, a TaintedLogic review. Much appreciated, and thanks for the feedback

[Bazar]

I like the percussion at :12 and the spacey synths. There’s a lot of simplicity in the texture here with the synths, and I think you need to take some much bigger risks compositionally. The piece is very short and simple, and doesn’t properly display your mixing and mastering skills. It’s not bad, but it is underwhelming. You could do so much more with phrasing, dynamics, variety, and structure. Some pads or bass riffs could add a lot to the texture, and developing your melodies - at least later in the piece - would help give this piece a lot more shape. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece, though - it has a lot of potential. Keep at it, man!

6.25/10

Madze responds:

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate your effort you took in all the reviews for this contest. I'm taking all the things in consideration, although I usually don't work on a piece once I published them. But I will definitely use your advice for my next stuff.

[IYD - The Void]

I like the gritty synth bass and atmospheric synths at the beginning. The panning with the guitars was cool, and by around :30 the texture comes together nicely. The melodic content at 1:39 was quite enjoyable, and the following guitar solo was great as well. The mixing is really tight here. The coda seemed a little rushed, especially for a piece with a pretty slow pace (one emotional height in 2.5 minutes). Still, it’s hard to find things to complain about here. The structure could’ve used a bit more fleshing out, I guess - usually I’m skeptical of the one-climax model - but the rushed ending is the only thing that actively bothers me. Keep up the good work, IYD! ;)

9.25/10

InYourDreams responds:

Thanks! :D... oh man, you've made such an awesome job reviewing each song. You have my respect foreverandevereverever :D.

[Deep sea and Young fish]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The reverb might’ve been a bit excessive, but the texture is beautiful. The piece develops a little slowly, but the melodic content is really strong. I wasn’t a huge fan of how the piano suddenly cuts out at 2:00 - I would’ve just let the reverb do the work there. Sounds a lot smoother that way. There’s another bit of a rough transition at 3:36. It can be hard to predict changes in the texture without drums, but it might help if you have at least some of the harmonic elements and instruments continue into the new sections. Usually I’m not a fan of instruments that are introduced for the first time very late in the piece, but I liked the cello part at 4:52 a lot. I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again - this piece is beautiful. One thing it doesn’t have a lot of is changes in energy level or dynamics, but I was nonetheless engaged throughout. Great work overall! NG needs more classical composers. :)

9.25/10

Veronina responds:

Thank you for these suggestion and listening! It means a lot , I really appreciate that, thank you , I'll think your comment carefully , thanks again!