TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Triumphal Entry]

I like the contrasting textures at the beginning. It has an even underlying rhythm, yet a pulse that gives it a subtle bite. The entry of the chords at :40 was somewhat unwarranted, although I did like how they meshed with the effects in the background. The jarring tempo change at 1:10 threw me off a bit, admittedly, but the sound design in this piece remains excellent throughout. I love the vocals. I think you could stand to flesh this out a little more and really capitalize on the cinematic mood you've set up here, but as it is this is an enjoyable piece, and a surprisingly good loop I might add. Keep up the good work, Phonometrologist. ;)

Phonometrologist responds:

Thanks for stopping by TL. The "entry of the chords" is treated more like a surprise. Even I didn't think it had much logic to transition to that other than to treat this piece to have a "here I am!" part. The jarring tempo change at 1:10 and later is really just my attempt to break free from the fetters of "epic" music and commercial principles being treated as background music behind a visual. And I think I got bored for a second. When it comes to musical journaling, I would most likely have "fleshed out" certain sections for a smoother/logical transition.

[La Última Dramática]

Ah, how could I miss another of your April Fools Day pieces? XD I like the cinematic vibe in the beginning, as well as how it quickly devolves into dissonance. I think one of my favorite parts starts around :38. It seems oddly pensive. Overall, it felt like you were trying to make a parody of your own music in order to make fun of yourself. I think there are too many stop-starts to validly draw the comparison in that regard, though. I thoroughly enjoyed the cadence at the end, too! Felt like a gradual descent into hell. XD Happy belated April Fools Day to you too!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

"I think there are too many stop-starts to validly draw the comparison in that regard, though."

=> Haha, you got me xD
I do tend to have a lot of flow going on in most pieces, especially if they're solo piano ones :D

It's fun that so many people told me they liked this not as a parody, but as actual music. On one hand, it was really funny, on the other, it made me wonder if I should stop trying alltogether, haha ;D

Thanks for the dedicated reviewing! I look forward to hearing some of your work once you get the time and energy to make more music!!! :OOO

[BRUCE: Bretta's Theme]

I remember really liking some stuff you did for BRUCE, and this is no exception. I love the echo-y intro and subsequent melodic section at :15. It's a little minimalistic, yet has a lot of character to it all the same. My one complaint would have to be the samples - their lack of authenticity detracts from the mood a little bit. The pace of the piece is pretty quick structurally, with a lot of transitional moments, yet it seems like it would fit well with a video game intro that gives some context to the story. :) The ending is really majestic and bright, too. Solid composition! I hope you can post more often in the near future. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I agree about the samples! I didn't have any others of the particular instruments I was asked to include though. I probably could've tried humanizing them a bit more though :V

BRUCE was nice in that it often brought me a bit out of my comfort zone (apart from the ambient stuff). But, there was also less freedom in what I could do. There is complete change huge in the middle of the piece, partly because I wanted to try out something else, and partly because I had kinda done what I wanted with the other instruments (The samples are a bit better towards the end).

I spent 16 hours yesterday composing! I made a track for a contest. I'll likely upload it to NG once the judging is over :)
In my estimation, it's better than most things I've uploaded lately :D

Thank you for reviewing, as always!

[What Problems [LD38]]

Oooo...the last two titles of your songs read like a conversation. I wasn't a big fan of that violin sample, though. Sounds especially fake during the section at :18. I also thought the pizzicatos at :33 overwhelm the piano melody too much. The melodies themselves are solid throughout, though. That loop could've been smoother, but for its purpose I think it works fine. Cute piece. You should do more classical stuff! ;)

johnfn responds:

Haha dang that violin is straight outta native instruments stuff. I thought it was ok. D: I guess I could humanize it or whatever...

[TRUE - Hiryuu no Kishi (Lockyn Remix)]

I'm not very familiar with the original, but I love the punchy synths and the frantic vocals. I think you should've fleshed out the intro a lot more. The track kind of just throws you right into the middle of the action. The melodic content in the synths is great, but I think the vocals could've been a bit more up-front in the mix at times, especially at the chorus section at :48. The textbook Lockyn piano breakdown (1:43) gets me every time. :') This is a very well-structured and well-mastered piece as always. Oftentimes, your pieces border on being not coherent enough IMO, but this piece has a great balance of repetition and variety, especially in the vocals. The crunchy piano chords at the end were great, too. Excellent work, man! ^_^

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, thanks as always for your reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless. I agree the intro was a quick throw, but I kinda liked the jarring feeling so I kept it. Vocals have been mentioned before - I intentionally buried them a bit because of the way I made the acapella, it was very messy and had noise due to the source material not being very keen to vocal extraction. Great feedback as always!

[Hidden gem]

I love the quirky, chill mood and the spacey atmosphere it has. The drop at :57 was very catchy and melodic. Mixing and mastering is solid. The bird sound effects were incorporated really well. You seem to like integrating nature sounds into your works, and you do a good job of it too. :) I suppose I would've liked to see you vary the drop a little more the second time around, but you've still created a short 'n' sweet piece here. Well-structured, smooth-flowing, catchy and fun. Keep up the good work, man. ;)

8-bitheroes responds:

Hey, good to see you. Thanks very much for dropping some feedback, much apprciated. I agree with you on that 2nd drop, think I got a bit lazy at that point :p. I love using natures textures to add extra flavour to my music.

[Mayya Malyshka]

I like the spacious arpeggios and strings. It has a very dreamy and atmospheric vibe. The vocal samples contribute to the mood a lot, too. By around :40, I love the victorious mood, simultaneously injected with child-like wonder. I love the female vocals at around the 2-minute mark. They display such a raw sense of uplift and empowerment. Your pieces have a strong sense of continuity, yet are full of variety, and this is no exception. The strummed strings at 3:35 (and other places, I believe) are a nice touch as well. The coda was a little drawn out, but also fittingly delicate and majestic. Very dreamy, unique, and imaginative piece, my friend. Do yourself a favor and have an excellent new year. :)

Phonometrologist responds:

Than you my friend. I appreciate you letting me know your thoughts on it. I don't know what to say. It's been a while since I've written this, and so hearing it over, I hear many flaws still.
I'm contemplating your statement, "strong sense of continuity, yet are full of variety."
For which I think of now: 'tis are the days we live in.

[Death Slumber: Lucid]

I like the foreboding ambient theme, and how the atmosphere clears away in a subtle way right before the piano comes in at :22. You did a great job of bringing out emotion in this piece. I also like the gradual signs that something is "wrong." First, there's the bizarre pause at 1:09, as if the pianist had to stop and stare at the moving shadows following him, and then the stutter effect at 1:17 and the dark strings at 1:24. I think the transition at 1:47 could've used a bit more fleshing out, but the frantic "chase scene" through music immediately following was fantastic - full of drama. Also, excellent job with the gradual transition back into the tranquil section at 3:20. It's much more soothing in tone there, as if the pianist finally escapes on a boat destined for a safe passage on calm waters. The sound design and composition in this piece are simply top-notch. It definitely puts a story in my head. Excellent work, Phonometrologist! ^^

Phonometrologist responds:

Thank you very much again. Yes, I think the transition at 1:47 could be better fleshed out, and I know what I could do to make it so. I just tend not to dwell on a singular piece for very long while continuing on to the next. Even so, I thought abruptness of sections reflect more accurately a dream, but I also written the two parts separately while linking them together. The whole piece is a bit abrasive and sudden. I think it's interesting you find the repeated piano theme at the second half more soothing than the first as the second is downtuned. I suppose because of the context and the added melodic instrument. Regardless, I want to share with you the inspiration for the "bizarre Pause at 1:09." Chopin wrote this in in his second ballade at 3:30 in this video:
https://youtu.be/MsoUIBcl7iw?t=3m19s
In fact, the whole piece can be compared to a jarring dream as well with it's sudden shifts in tone.

[Twitterpated]

Wow, you weren't kidding about trying dubstep! Good for you! I like the soothing tone in the beginning. Reminds me of sunrises on the ocean. ^^ Naturally, then the texture gets a bit more hard-hitting, but I'm not sure this qualifies as dubstep, exactly. It certainly has some of the edgy and distorted qualities associated with dubstep, but the instrumentation seems much more typical of rock, and the drum samples are more reminiscent of hip-hop IMO. For me, the most distinctly "dubstep" sound design involves a heavy contrast between the kick and the snare, with a prominent mid-range electronic bass with some LFO automations. That said, this is a beautifully composed, well-structured and smooth-flowing piece with an excellent variety of moods, and has instantly gone on my favorites list...but I don't think it qualifies as dubstep. ;) Sorry to be that guy telling other people what genre their productions fall under. XD Keep it up, Ceevro. ^^

Ceevro responds:

Hehe...I don't think it qualifies either, which is why I kinda noted the homage to hair-bands in the description. But it's also not 80s rock, either. All I know is that the synth sounds came from the 'dubstep' file of my sound library, and I'll admit that I mixed the percs between electric and hiphop.

Not sure how I'd classify this. But that's always a pain in the ass, isn't it? I just played what sounded right.