TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Velcro]

I love the dreamy, pensive synths at the beginning and the drums. This track has a really cool energetic and engaging vibe about it. The funky instruments and melodic content help it a lot too. It kind of threw me off at :44 when you seemed to creating a re-intro only a fifth of the way through the piece. Typically, I’ll only let things like that slide if its purpose is to create contrast for an epic, impending climax, which wasn’t really the case here. That said, I really like the direction this piece is going in by around 1:30. This piece is smooth-flowing and well-structured and overall has a great, upbeat, and feel-good vibe about it. You create a sufficient amount of variation for your melodies while also keeping it coherent. I also liked the way you wound the piece down at the end. It made it feel very conclusive. I think the drums should’ve been a lot more up-front and prominent in the mix, though. I also think that the last refrain wasn’t the most climactic instance of melodic content here. I would encourage you to really go all out at 3:15 next time, just to make sure you maintain that sense of direction and emotional height. Still, overall this is really solid work. Keep it up, LunacyEcho! ;D

8.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

LunacyEcho responds:

=> vibe =>

That's definitely the feeling I wanted to create! :D

=> 0:44 =>

Personally, I prefer a song that has a lot of ups and downs in its structure, as opposed to just gradual development. :P Perhaps I should have a breakdown, but make it less variant maybe?

=> variation for your melodies =>

After all the repetition in the last piece I put out (which was for the NGAUC!), I really wanted to make a song that could maintain melodic interest!

=> drums in the mix =>

I think johnfn once said that novices in mixing almost always mix the drums in too quietly, and I guess I've shown my novice-ness through my drum mixing here! I definitely have a lot to learn in terms of production. :P

=> last refrain =>

Really? It had the most instrumentation, but I guess it didn't have the most melodic variation within the tracks. I think I can see what you mean, and in hindsight, I definitely should've put more effects onto the synth at 3:15! It sounded interesting at first, but now when I hear it it sounds a little simple. :P

Thanks so much for the review, and thanks for all the judging you did for the NGADM! :D

[Serenity (Prince Fisher)]

No one else submitted from your group – so sad. :’( I love the mood here, man. The FX at the beginning sets the atmosphere nicely, and I love the soundscape you put together. I will say that I think you could work on the balance a bit. The flute is really quiet relative to the pads, bass, and drums. The jazzy vibe you went for here is really cool, though. With the FX at the beginning, it sounds like I was outside on a hot summer night and walked into a bar out of my parents’ generation. ;) I thought that the texture of the piece started to feel a little too busy at around the 2-minute mark. There were just a few many isolated and rather engaging riffs to latch onto there that it sort of sounded…confusing, in a way. The ending was cool – kind of mysterious and chill, yet the recording also seems to cut off suddenly at 2:50, which bothers me. Overall, though, solid work! Hopefully, you’ll have a competitor next round. ^^

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

frootza responds:

I know, it is an odd feeling not going up against anyone :( I hope pharow stays with me haha.

You are right about the mix, it was tricky since I haven't recorded or mixed live flute before. I tried to get all the levels right, but didn't take into account how loud the flute gets at higher registers which threw the song off a bit (among some guitar parts I should have put more thought into and cleaned up a bit).

I didn't realize the cutoff, but I will look into it. I'd like to revisit these tracks with a less rushed mindset in the future and actually track the drums live :P

Thanks for the review though TL, good advice! Gotta start writing for the next round!

[Pluto]

I like the distortion at the beginning. However, the chord progression was warm and soothing in a way, and that kind of made the really harsh-sounding instruments you chose seem odd. This piece also progresses really slowly. The sudden entrance of the snare at 1:43 seemed pretty bizarre. Not only did you not lead up to it at all, but it also didn’t seem to be playing on the downbeat. That said, I liked the drop at 1:58 a lot. Quirky, bass-y and cool, it had this really funky and creative mood about it between the somewhat solemn melodies and punchy mid-range basses. I think you could’ve equalized some of your instruments a lot more carefully, though. When that melodic synth comes in at 2:34, it sort of hijacks the mix and buries a lot of the other instruments beneath itself. Also, when it comes back in at 3:19 it’s not only way too loud but also cuts off way too suddenly. The ending was extremely underwhelming too. It was abrupt, inconclusive, and to be honest a bit lazy and cliché. Bass slides are awesome, but they should be used conservatively. You have a lot of great ideas here, but you seem to have taken some mixing and/or structural/compositional shortcuts here which I think will hurt you. I suggest you try and fix these things (after the competition, of course) because this piece is worth it, trust me! Good luck, man, and keep working at it. ;)

6/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

Pandasticality responds:

i did some shortcuts with some sounds because i was in a hurry :x thanks for the review, good feedback!

- Pandasticality

[~Echo~ Redemption (NGADM R1)]

I love the chill aesthetic at the beginning, and the thunder roll-sounding FX sort of adds to the “eye of the storm” vibe this gives. It progresses quite slowly, but the progression in and of itself is good, and really tugs at my emotions. I think it’s pretty minimalistic for a lot of the piece. Between 1:15 and 1:40, the only thing you have going on is those arpeggios. I’m not going to let you get away with trying to fill your entire texture with reverb, I’m afraid. That said, I did like the direction you were taking this piece in by around 1:30. The drop at 1:46 is really cool. I like how you fade in the reverb at times – it really adds to the flowiness of this piece. The blissful melody at 2:19 was great. I think you didn’t need to (essentially) repeat it for a minute, though. This piece probably didn’t need to be 5 minutes long IMO. I really liked the structural relief you offered at 3:43, though. The emotional quality of this piece is fantastic. I love seeing people prove that electronic music can be just as emotional as any classical piece, haha. The ending felt a little rushed, however, especially compared to the rest of the piece. I’m also not sure it was quite fitting to have that crescendo-and-let-the-reverb-do-the-work combo at the end, as I was looking for a conclusion that fit the relaxed vibe of this piece. Still, this is really solid work. My biggest complaints are the slow progression and repetition. Anyway, keep it up, Aliaspharow! ;)

8.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

aliaspharow responds:

lol yeah it was pretty rushed actually... I agree with most if not all of your points after giving it some time to think it over. I especially did not want to keep the ending the way i did, I still think it sounds horrible... I havnt even put this song on my phone as its not up to my standard tbh. Ill get back to it when i can and hopefully my round 2 will be better :)

[Euneirophrenia]

I like how you took on a more you-sounding approach for the ending credits! It's beautiful and flowy and smooth and overall very LSD-ish. ;) By the end, it felt very conclusive as well, yet I also think you could've looped it. I'm sure it loops in the game (or does it?), but I certainly want it to play again, especially since it's so short! It's awesome that you were asked to make music for this game, though. I'm looking forward to playing it, maybe on my laptop since (news flash: Internet Explorer sucks). DX Keep at it, LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yeah. Out of the three tracks I made, this is the only one that would kinda work as a stand-alone. Chaz basically told me to do whatever I wanted for the credits, so I took one of the melodies from "Inner Eye", and made it longer, and 3/4.

The reason it feels so conclusive, is probably because I made it just long enough for it to end by the "fin" in the credits ;)
Which is also why I didn't loop it. Originally, Chaz asked for a 15 second loop, but I extended it to last the whole credits instead (though this track can loop perfectly at 3 spots).

Thank you for your support :3
Surprisingly enough, the first track actually loops better inside the game (probably because it's not in mp3 format), and I think that the tracks are better in context.

[Hypnopompia]

Again, I love the sound design here. It loops flawlessly, and the big, spacey percussion is really cool. I thought that the rhythms you used, especially across the various instruments, were a little convoluted. I wasn't sure if you were trying to emphasize the downbeat or the offbeat more. However, I will also say that I thought the string-sounding instrument in the background was perhaps the most elegant thing about this piece, and I think you should've brought it further up in the mix. Great work again, LSD. ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Reviewing faster than I can respond, hahha XD
This one does indeed loop flawlessly, when the previous one only almost does. The sound design is a bit similar to the stuff you might hear in The Binding of Isaac, I've been told.

As for the rhythms, I kinda agree. But it's also intentional. I wanted it to sound a bit weird, rhythmically (maybe it makes more sense if you actually fight the boss in the game, as none of these are supposed to be standalone tracks). I even use two different rhythms at the same time, if I can explain it like such.

Interesting that you'd mention that altered string. I think it was the original base of the track. It was way louder at first, but I felt like it distracted from other important elements of the piece, so I didn't want it to overpower them too much. But maybe that was a mistake?

Thanks again, dude! :D

[Inner Eye]

Oh, cool! You made music for a game! :O Unfortunately, my web browser is having trouble loading the game, but I knew that the music would be the best part anyway. ;) I love the moodiness of this one. Somehow you manage to combine the bright, almost cute toy piano sound with some dark, drone-like atmospheric content. It's a beautiful piece, yet also not too distracting. Perfect for a videogame! Well done, LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yay!
I was super stoked to get to work with Chaz on the musical department of the game making. It's a real shame that you're having trouble loading the game! I think the game is very good in its own right (it actually had pretty decent music made by Chaz before I re-scored it). This is a bit brigther than many of my other ambient tracks, as it wouldn't fit the game as well otherwise. But I couldn't help but to include some darker aspects too, hehhe.

There's a piano in this track, but then there's also a music box, which may be the toy piano you're talking about. Though I get what you mean! I've actually played on a more professional version of a mini/toy-piano (worth around 500$) I think, and the sound is very similar :)

And I did indeed aim for this not to be too distractive (though I did want to include some melody, and I ended up liking it enough to do a variation of it in "Euneirophrenia").

Thanks a lot for another review! I am pretty busy this week, and next week, school is starting for me again (well, introduction days). Can you imagine? Me beginning to study again? How will I survive?

Point being, I currently don't know when I will reply to your PM (I need to write a blog this month too). But I'm sure I'll find the time at some point not too far in the future ;)

[Breathe]

I love the warm strings at the beginning. You've really gone all-out to create a full texture here. The progression is absolutely amazing, and I love the more atmospheric shift you made later in the piece when the pads came in around 1:15. You really gave this piece the full cycle of emotion, from hauntingly beautiful stillness and tranquility to drama and energy. I love the oboe solos that come in at around the 2-minute mark. You really tell a story with this piece, too. Fantastic! I thought the ending could've used some more work. It just seemed a little ambiguous and quiet. I was waiting for another emotional high like at :40 for the entire rest of the piece, and I think it would've been well worth the effort to add another "refrain"-like structural element to the piece to better give it some more direction. I generally don't think that the "arrival point" to a piece should come 1/5 of the way through, especially if there's only one. Another issue I see with this piece is that it lacks some coherence. You don't really ever bring back some key themes from the first minute or so, and if you do they're very subtle. That said, paired with the right movie or videogame this piece could channel emotion extremely effectively. It's flowy and smooth, it has hauntingly beautiful melodies and harmonies, and the production quality is very high. This is exceptionally good work despite my structure-related grievances. Keep it up, DSykMusic! :D

9.5/10

DSykMusic responds:

Appreciate the kind words, thanks!

[A New Future]

I love the down-to-earth and organic vibes at the beginning. It progresses pretty slowly at the beginning, but I love the part at :36 with the flute. At 1:05, the pizzicato-y stringed instrument that comes in and the flute get in each other's way too much IMO. They both sound like they're playing rather dominating melodies, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to be absorbing more. The breakdown at 1:33 offered some highly-valued structural relief. You really capitalized on dynamic contrast as you built the texture of the song back up using the tranquil flute melodies from around 2:00 onwards. I think you've really captured a story with this piece, which I love. The melodies at 2:30 are good, but I'm going to have to repeat my comment that occasionally they seem to get in each other's way, especially when they're playing different rhythms. I love how the mood oscillates between calming and adventuresome, though. The coda was also cool. You almost fooled me with the half-fade-out followed by the piercing, loud and conclusive note at 3:38. Either way, this is a job extremely well-done. I really admire your work here. The instruments and moods are incredible, and the melodies are beautiful. Determining the winner of this contest is going to be excruciatingly tough! ;)

9.25/10

NyxTheShield responds:

Can't. Wait.

[Some of My Foolishness]

Again, I'm loving the organic sound here. The vocals are generally strong, and they have this attitude to them that I really like. It's as if you're defensively trying to justify the fact that you're making music. :D The lyrics are good. I think you overused the chorus a bit too much by the end. I also think that you could've enhanced the intensity of the chorus a lot more by simply holding out the notes longer (because I know that reverb and other forms of electronic manipulation aren't really your thing). Despite the generally strong vocals, I thought you briefly went a bit flat around :49, during the last stanza of the first chorus. I understand that you were a bit rushed to record this, though. I like how you have a more hushed tone at :56 just to contrast the verse to the previous chorus. The solos around 1:30 also offered quite welcome structural relief. The production quality seems pretty high, despite the fact the texture is not as full as I'm used to hearing in a lot of other songs. I also thought that the ending was a bit sudden, but I also understand that was part of the edginess and attitude you bring to your pieces, which I generally love. Overall, I obviously like it a lot. It's a fun, short piece with a feel-good down-to-earth vibe to it. I suppose I would like to see you take a few more risks in the future, but as for making good use of the resources you have to make music, you've nailed it! Keep up the great work, Ceevro! ;D

9/10

Ceevro responds:

I wanted to dig a little deeper into this one, and perhaps I still will. The time constraints I had to work with were...well they were nearly impossible. Not your fault, but my own life and various happenings. Not something that you should cut me any slack on, however, because this is a contest, and any issues that I bring to the table are mine and mine alone.

I considered auto-tuning my vocals into perfection, but then deliberately decided against it. This piece was about vulnerability, and obsessively hiding my own inabilities would have destroyed the spirit of the thing. I will, however, spend some time learning how to do more electronic manipulation in the near future, because I do see value in it. That's why I enter these things - to learn!

This was me. As I am. Not to say I can't improve, but certainly not my normal fare of slapping on whatever character I think might suit the lyrics. If my last piece was about fronting, then this was the exact opposite.

Thank you for the helpful review, and for hosting this contest. I've taken a lot away from it, and promise that, whatever the results, you'll see me again next year!