TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Where the Heart Is]

Beautiful! Invokes a lot of emotion. I suppose I would've liked to see a more gradual climax into :25. You added quite a few instruments at :25 and tied it to that piano solo with just a crash. That said, the following minute or so of luscious melodic content is gorgeous. I love the cello. :) The timing of the loop isn't great, but I like how it's loop able while simultaneously feeling very conclusive at the end. I would've liked to see you flesh this piece out a bit more, though. It's really short and probably deserves to be a full 3-4 minutes IMO. Otherwise, keep up the good work, both of you. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I actually disagree about the gradual introduction of 0:25. I like it the best the way it is, with just a simple reversed cymbal, and then the sudden addition of the entire orchestra.

I agree the timing of the loop could be better! Unfortunately though, the best possible timing doesn't work, as you'd hear some of the strings at the end at the beginning of the piece. Also, the first note is unfortunately out of rhythm, which makes the start a bit odd in contrast to the end xD

I disagree about the length too, as this is supposed to be a video game track, and a somewhat retro one, for an RPG. You usually wouldn't want too many super long pieces, as that'd cram up the project. So a lot of RPG music is actually around 1:30 in length, and loop instead :)

When we both have time, we'll work more on other pieces like this though! :D

[Hong Kong]

This is a catchy and fun piece. I really like the instrumentation here. The little pause at :47 is a great way of adding a little extra punch. The mixing and mastering is solid too. Simple, yet satisfying. Just like this review. :S Anyway, good luck in school!

LunacyEcho responds:

=> instrumentation =>

Awesome! johnfn told me certain things about my sound design that I should change, and I tried to incorporate them into this one.

=> little pause =>

That was... completely accidental :D Glad it worked out though!

Good luck in your school as well!

[Meltzer]

Woah...this is really groovy! I love the stuttery effect on that guitar with the descending line. The drums should've been a bit louder IMO, but otherwise the balance is good. A lot of bass! May I ask why "Philadelphia" is in the tags? Either way, I'll have it stuck in my head for a while. ;)

LunacyEcho responds:

=> groovy =>

Yay! That's all I was going for, really.

=> drums =>

Mixing :'(

=> Philadelphia =>

Gotta have those silent Ps! ...Okay, yes Philadelphia isn't actually a silent P. But I was too lazy to think of one and reverted instead to the examples that the Thompson twins would use when describing the difference between their names. Tintin!

[Looking for the Stars]

I love the dark mood and pitch shifting effects. I think your mixing has improved a lot recently, and this isn't even close to your most recent piece! The transition at 1:22 was really abrupt, but I'm sure you meant for it to be that way. Especially since the next section was such a jarring change-of-pace, I might've tried to at least make it seem more climactic into 1:22. It also didn't necessarily seem conclusive enough for my tastes at the end. The first half of the piece is very energetic and rushed, while the latter half is more fleshed out. I think you could've had a lot more direction to the piece during the second half, which would ultimately add more conclusiveness. Overall, though, I like it a lot. It's very moody and cinematic, and the instrumentation is fantastic. Keep up the good work, Ale! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Even though you think my mixing has improved a lot, there are a ton of things I'd probably go back and fix here at this point. Especially in the very beginning, where everything sounds way too silent, compared to the rest of the track. I do like the second part though, with the strings and the percussion.
Timewise, it's actually the second part of the piece which is rushed! I made that in a super short time. It was just easy to do, as it's standard symphonic arrangement, I suppose. The lack of time I had for this, is what limits the piece's potential, unfortunately. The transition is way too abrupt, but in order for the story to make sense, I needed there to be that second part as well.

I don't have a problem with the conclusion from a compositional standpoint though! I mean, it's a bit generic, but it puts a nice little dot at the end of the story, imo.
Thank you for listening :3

[UNHOLY CACE]

Very catchy, well-mixed and loudly mastered, harmonious and reverbalicious as usual! The silence at 1:10 was so sudden I thought I had accidentally pressed F10. I'm still not totally convinced that Newgrounds didn't just buffer right over the music between 1:11 and 1:20. Either way, I'm sure LunacyEcho loved it. *scrolls down* Yep, this is confirmed. Nothing says Johnfn like a little chipstep in the morning (err...10:00 at night). ;) Keep at it, man!

johnfn responds:

You must be referring to my amazingly perfect ending? Which is perfect in every way?

[Wanna hear me sing?]

I love the atmospheric vibe. It's great that each mini-phrase starts very harmonic and then descends into dissonance. You should definitely do more with this! Letting go of your inhibitions about how your voice sounds will only quicken your improvement. ;)

trunotfals responds:

It has been put into a song actually I just am not quite satisfied with it yet and im trying to collaborate with an artist to sing for me. I should finish it though i loved it more and more as I listened to it

[[Future Bass] Never After (Original Mix)]

I like the quirky instruments and drop at :24. I thought the kick could've been a little stronger, but I enjoyed the retro-game-style effects. The melody at :46 is cool. The breakdown section was a welcome change-of-pace, but I thought you may have dragged out the build-up into 2:05 a little too much. It just seemed that the progression was a lot slower than the rest of the piece when you extended that build-up the extra four measures IMO. Maybe it's not that big of a deal though. Overall, I liked it, but it's pretty mellow. I thought you could've done more with this piece. That said, I recognize that you've got finals and stuff. ;) Keep up the good work!

trunotfals responds:

I agree with you on the kick. After having this out for quite a while and coming back to listen to it here and there, this really needs a re-master. I should do that soon I love this song haha.

[The Clairvoyant OST]

I love the still beauty encapsulated by the beginning. The somewhat abrupt transition at :31 actually worked well for me, like the protagonist turned a corner and was thrown into the midst of a celtic market. I thought it was really cool how the acoustic guitar sort of interrupts the rest of the piece at 1:22. I thought you needed a smoother transition at 1:51, though that section in and of itself is probably my favorite of the entire piece. It's just so calming and majestic. The ending was also a bit abrupt, but I'm getting the sense that it was designed that way in order to fit with the film (?). Either way, this is hauntingly beautiful. Two years is a long time, but I'll be listening to this song obsessively for longer. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! ;D

Step responds:

Thanks for another review!

Man, transitions are so difficult in scores! I agree that the transition at 1:51 needs work.

Glad you enjoyed this one too. c:

[The City of Gold]

I love the ominous atmosphere at the beginning. The calming guitars really add an interesting dynamic to the once-apprehensive mood. I also enjoyed the subtle tempo automations, and the melody at 1:05 is just beautiful. Excellent mixing and mastering as always. I don't know if you did this on purpose or not, but I loved the slight separation of each note in the string solo at around 1:35. The transition at 2:15 was a little sudden, but your music does tend to progress relatively quickly. The vocals didn't feel as powerful as they should've been IMO. I think they could've stood to be further up-front in the mix, possibly with more reverb too. I liked the structural relief offered by the relatively tranquil section at 4:10. I also enjoyed the uplifting melody at the end. It was a fitting conclusion. Overall, amazing work. Well worth the 35 hours if I say so myself. Good luck with your studies, and keep it up, Step! ^^

Step responds:

Hey man! Thank you very much for dropping by. I always enjoy reading your reviews.

The slight separation of each note is likely due to the legato transitions between the notes, which is something that the East/West Hollywood libraries do. Instead of just playing each note after the previous one, there's a tiny period of time dedicated to making a smooth transition to the next note, simulating a real string player moving his finger to another note.

2:15 was definitely quite sudden. On the one hand I enjoy that sudden change in mood, but on the other hand it makes more sense story-wise than it does music-wise.

The vocals had me torn. They introduced this really weird phasing with the violins, and I couldn't for the life of me get rid of it. This was the volume level I was happy with which wasn't too quiet that you can't hear them but too loud that the phasing becomes noticeable.

Really glad you enjoyed this! Thank you.