TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[-Space Ghost-]

I like the quirky instruments and frantic harmonies. The effects at :17 really drown out the harmonies, though. I was also confused when you brought back those same harmonies after the transition at :24. It detracted from the sense of direction the piece had IMO. You also lack a strong transition into the drop at :29. The bass instrument at :29 is also too muddy for my tastes. I think you should try using equalization to restrict its frequency range a bit, because it's clearly distorting the harmonies that come back in at :41. I also think you should add some drums - that should help give the piece more direction too. You also lack a transition into 1:03, and after that the piece is extremely repetitive, and I think you overdid the reverb on the percussion later in the piece. The track cuts off very suddenly, too. I think my main concerns with this piece are the transitions and the sound design. I would suggest using drum riffs or crashes to prime the listener that a transition is coming. Also, I know muddy and distorted basses are in fashion, but they can sound a lot cleaner and more distinct (without interfering with the frequencies in other instruments) through a process called mixing and mastering. I would suggest looking up "equalization" tutorials on YouTube. One of the major ways of making your song sound clearer is to get rid of the bass frequencies (200 Hertz or below) in all of the instruments except the bass and kick drum. Hope this helped! Keep working at it, man. ;)

jpingo responds:

Thanks for the feedback! check out my new songs and a few of my older ones if you can, I would really appreciate reviews on them : ) and besides this one is one of my worst ; )

[Anime savage]

I like the somewhat melancholy mood and the sense of continuity this has. I think the drums are a little weak, though. Usually the snare should be the loudest instrument in the mix. Perhaps this is a mixing and/or mastering problem, though. I'd suggest looking up tutorials on equalization, panning, and compression. They'll really help you get a clear and crisp sound in your tracks. You also lack strong transitions into :29, :43, and other places. Even a simple drum fill or crash would help prime the listener that you're making a transition. I like the hard-hitting vibes at :29, though, and how you contrast that with the more sensual, emotional appeal of the last minute or so of the piece. At the same time, the distorted drums at 1:31 felt a little out-of-place. Overall, though, this is a well-structured piece with some cool sound design. Keep at it, man. ;)

Alyctro responds:

The problem is it's an old project i didn't attent to because i had it saved only in mp3

[Random Loop]

The loop isn't that smooth, and you kinda spam the snare, especially at :01. It's way too short to get any sense of progression, and personally I question the musical appeal of a loop this short. At the very least, I'd suggest making sure the loop occurs at the end of a measure. That usually makes it sound smoother. It could also be that you don't have the file settings on "wrap remainder," which will appear when you export it. Keep at it, man!

RealToxic responds:

Thank you for the review! I know it's not great, its my 3rd loop i made in FL Studio 11, so its not perfect but i hope to get better at making loops soon!
~ Toxic

[Integrity]

I like the punchy drums and cute videogame-esque riff at :06. It has a bit of an odd progression and there are quite a few moments of dissonance, but you have me captivated with the quirky mood and atmosphere. What bothers me about the structure is that it doesn't really build on itself as the piece goes on, and reads more as a collection of ideas delivered in rapid succession. I appreciated the moment where you stripped away the drums at 1:33 to offer some structural relief, but it still seems pretty repetitive by the end. Still, this is a catchy and cool piece that seems fitting for a fast-paced video game or something. Keep up the good work, man! ;)

MalcolmTurnbull responds:

That's so nice of you to say that, thanks for ur time citizen of whatever country come visit me at the embassy

[Medieval Electronic]

I like the melody at the beginning, but it sounds a little dry. I think you should add some more reverb. The chord at :18 is both too loud and rather dissonant. The bass riff at :36 definitely overpowers the celtic melody. I think you need to think more carefully about how you balance the volumes among different instruments. The transitory material in this piece is pretty cool, though, like the crash/sweep combo at 1:36. I wish you had varied the celtic melody towards the end of the piece a little more. Also, the guitar riff at 2:11 pretty much comes out of nowhere. Usually it's pretty jarring to introduce new instruments into a piece during the last 30 seconds, and this is not exception. Overall, this piece has a unique sound design and some cool melodies. I think you need to be more careful about how the different riffs connect harmonically, though. Keep at it, man. ;)

EatMyDonkey responds:

Thanks man! Love the feedback, I'll look to fixing those things. For the part at :36 was supposed to be bass driven while the Celtic melody is in the background.

Anyways,
Have a good day :)

[Out Of My Zone]

Awesome. This is totally unexpected from you. I love the gritty bass riff and crisp drums. Reminds me a bit of Zircon. It progresses a little slowly, but 1:17 offers some more melodic content, which is good. I think the transition into 1:17 could've been smoother, though. The mood is great, though. I could see this being in a videogame. The ambient bridge at 2:15 came on a little suddenly, too. I love how spacey and atmospheric it is there, though, and I think you transitioned well back into the busy section at 2:35. I love the sensual guitar and hi-hats and how they mesh so well with the gritty bass. It makes for a pretty unique sound design. I think the mixing and mastering might need a bit of work. The bass sounds pretty distorted towards the end, especially at 2:35 and 4:10. That said, I certainly enjoyed the instrumentation, mood, and structure. I'd highly encourage you to continue experimenting "out of your zone." :) Keep it up, Ceevro!

Ceevro responds:

Yeah, I'd love to try my hand at dubstep, but I no clue at all how to mess with the sounds like that. I'd also like to do some stuff like this with vocals...kinda want a hook. Thanks for the feedback! I'll take it to heart!

[Cling On Like Klingons (Acapella)]

This is great! I love the lyrics. Your tone gets more intense as the piece goes on, which is quite musical. I'm not sure if it's the mic quality or what, but sometimes the consonants don't sound as distinct as they could. For example, when you say "rake," the k sound doesn't come through so much, which makes it hard to discern the lyrics there. Same thing with "lake" a couple of seconds later. It might just be that you need to push the air through a little faster to emphasize the consonant sounds. Anyway, that's a pretty small detail. Keep up the good work, Cyberdevil! Happy 2017. ^^

Cyberdevil responds:

Hmm might be unpolished annunciation more than recording quality, shall try to better myself there. Lyrical clarity's probably the thing I need most practice with.

Glad you liked it overall; thanks for the good feedback! Happy 2017!