TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[NGAUC Finals!]

In my opinion the fade-in technique is a little lazy as an approach to intros. That said, I thought the synths and beats were refreshing and cool. The melodies are innovative without being all-over-the-place, although I did think they could've been a bit more up-front in the mix. The minimalistic drop at :48 seemed a bit out-of-place, although admittedly it did sound pretty unique and creative. Still, this piece starts to have some serious coherence problems at 1:30. That melody might've functioned well as a breakdown later on in the piece, but you need to keep the listener structurally grounded and 1:30 was a step in the wrong direction IMO. I can discern some repeated sections, such as 2:24, but I think you could've done more to tie this piece together structurally. Otherwise, it's kind of confusing to listen to and/or seems to lack direction. I also thought that the ending of this piece didn't sound conclusive enough. This is a really original soundscape you've got here, and I really admire your sense of harmony. The production quality is also very good. However, I want you to think more about the way you structure your pieces. A casual listener should be able to discern the basic structural components of your piece, and the energy/emotion/drama of the piece should be channeled by structural changes. This is why the verse/chorus-based structure works so well in pop. The artist creates contrast between the verse and the chorus so that the emotion-driven intensity of the chorus gives the listener a sort of "high," which the verse then resets so it can happen again. However, I can't discern a repeated chorus in this piece, and the one repeated section that's easy to discern (:48) almost feels like a bridge or breakdown. I'm not saying you have to conform to the verse-chorus structure, but I want you to realize that the structures of most songs are relatively simple and easy-to-follow. You can (and should) vary several aspects of your song's texture between different choruses or verses, but with this piece I honestly found it hard to tell where you wanted the emotional highs and lows to occur for the listener. I've spent enough time talking about that, though. Overall, this is a cool piece that just needs a lot more structural consideration IMO. I'd encourage you to keep working on it (after the contest, of course). It has a lot of potential. I love a lot of the synths and textures here. ;)

7.5/10

TimerClock14 responds:

Thanks for this! I've honestly never been strong at the actual structure of my songs and it's one of my weakest areas as a composer; so this gives me a lot of direction in where I should look to improve.

[An Alternate Solution]

I love the warm pads at the beginning. It kind of has an organic, almost bright sound, yet at the same time the sweeps at :15 work beautifully. The percussion is a bit dry. I think some reverb might've helped enhance the atmospheric vibe you created here. I think you need a stronger transition at :46, and perhaps at 1:02 as well. You have these cool swells, like at 1:16, but they don't really lead much of anywhere. The progression to this piece is cool, albeit a little slow-paced. You have a full texture and a really unique soundscape here, which I love. I will say that I think you could've heightened the drama/emotion a lot more. You seem to be creating a sort of "after the storm" affect at 3:07, yet you never quite hit a concrete arrival point IMO. I could understand the argument that the emotional height of the piece is 2:19, but I still felt like you could've done more to contribute to the cathartic mood there. The production seems solid. It's a cool piece. You definitely didn't disappoint. You just didn't necessarily go as all-out as I was expecting. There are a few sections - like 1:02 to 1:30 - that seem a bit structurally flat and could use more phrasing to, again, heighten the emotion. Add more phrasing/dynamic contrast here, and this'll be a really solid piece, my friend. Keep up the good work. ;D

8/10

OmegaP responds:

Thanks for the review TaintedLogic! I will take everything that you said into consideration. You are right when you say I did not go all out. I really just wanted a solid piece , but maybe that was not the best idea. Anyways, again thanks for taking the time!

[~ Decay ~]

I love all the reverb and echo effects you put on here. They really enhance the mood IMO. While I liked the progression, I think (and I'm sure you know) that you could've done a lot more with this. You got the mood across really well, and I like the atmospheric vibes, though. It loops well, too. Looking forward to the album, man! Keep at it. ;)

larrynachos responds:

Almost 2 months late, but finally, a reply!

I'm glad you liked it, TL! I definitely could have done more with this, but at the time I was almost sick of composing music, so I just wanted to make something short and sweet.

Thanks!

[Let it Out]

I like the sense of adventure this has. Interesting combination with the bass and the dreamy pads. I kind of wish you had built up a bit more to the drop at :45. I think you needed a stronger transition there. Your mixing has improved a lot in the past few months, but I think the bass was a bit too loud. You could've done a lot more with this piece. It gets really repetitive by the end, even if there are a few structural changes here and there. Overall, I like it, but I think it needed more of a sense of direction. Some more melodic content could help you establish that direction. Either way, keep at it, LN. ;)

larrynachos responds:

With this song, I was trying something new. To me, the bass isn't too loud. I've recently taking a liking to powerful bass that rumbles my headphones and massages my ears.

I do have to agree with you on the structural parts though. I didn't really build up to the drop, and it is kinda repetitive.

Thanks for the review!

[Overcome]

"Outrageously catchy" --> This, I can confirm! I really like the progression of this piece, especially around :30 - :45, and the lounge jazzy vibes at :47 (and other places) added a lot to the piece. As usual, the mixing is really good. I thought that the kick could've been just a bit stronger at times, but that's a pretty tiny detail. Obviously, these are engrossing melodies, and I love the arpeggios at 2:38 (and other places). This piece has a really cool energy about it that you've really highlighted in a lot of your recent tracks. I love it! Keep up the great work, Johnfn. ;D Looking forward to hearing your NGADM track. ^^

johnfn responds:

Just wait until you hear my NGADM piece its EVEN CATCHIER HA HA HA HA HA

[Radiant Palace]

I like the heroic and adventuresome vibe this has. It's definitely fitting for a videogame - full of variety and little riffs that really make it great. It could've used some stronger transitional content IMO, especially at :37 and 1:15. It's coherent enough without being overly repetitive. It has a full texture and a well-built atmosphere to it. It's also structurally pleasing, although the ending was a bit sudden. Are you intending to loop it? Overall, this is a cool piece. Keep up the good work, man! ;D

carhondalet responds:

Thanks for the review, I found it very helpful! When you say stronger do you mean adding more interesting melodies or more instruments? I was intending to loop it for a game although I'm not exactly how or if that can be done in FLStudio but I suppose I could make a proper ending seeing as it presented as a standalone song here. Thanks again for your input man! :D

[The Infinite Cosmos]

I like the edgy sound here. There are a lot of catchy, engaging guitar riffs, and the progression is really cool. The lyrics are good, but the pacing on the vocals seemed kind of strange. The vocals have a very similar intensity between the verses and the chorus, which makes them a little hard to distinguish from each other. You also could've done more with dynamic contrast in that regard. I love the solos at around 2:15, though. The ending could've been a little less sudden. It almost sounds like you cut the recording off a little too early. Instead of ending this rather intense track on a staccato-y bass guitar riff, I sort of expected that bass riff to lead into a more sustained final chord. That's probably a pretty tiny detail, though. Overall, this is a job well done, MetalRenard. ;D

MetalRenard responds:

The sound actually, I didn't check it on enough sources. On my phone it doesn't sound so great. On a full speaker system it sounds good though so I guess it's not all bad. ^_^

Haha! That ending. I was criticised for the ending in a previous song for ending too quickly so I thought I'd mimic the extra section from Underdogs Rise which people seemed to like. I can't win! :P

As for intensity, I wanted it to be a non-stop rollercoaster ride from start to finish, manic, exciting with only a second to breathe in the middle to build anticipation for the moment of truth - are the aliens truly peaceful or are they going to rip us to shreds... Resolved through their mutual love of music. Peace woo!

Thanks for the detailed feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and a score, cheers buddy! Sorry for taking ages to respond.

[Euphoria (ringtone cut 1) {Dj-Abbic}]

I love the upbeat vibe this has! It's melodic, engaging, and has a really full texture. Solid production and progression (even if it's such a short piece). It serves its purpose (as a ringtone) pretty well, too. I like the instruments and the mood, and I liked the filters you used on the pads leading up to around :24 or so. Good job, man! I'm rooting for you in NGADM this round, btw. Keep up the good work! ^^

DjAbbic responds:

I'm glad you liked it. There's is a full version in the author's comments section by the way, this is just a cut from the full song as someone wanted me to make a ringtone out of it. Thanks for the support :D

[The Horror of Self]

Beautiful string melodies at the beginning, although the drone that plays in the background for at least the first minute or so sounds a little dry and dull. This piece has a simple beauty to it that I like a lot. Sounds like an introduction to some sort of movie, perhaps one that takes place in Scotland. XD The progression was rather beautiful, although that drone is still bothering me tbh. I might've transposed it down an octave at the very least, where it sort of rounds off the texture a bit and gives this piece a fuller-sounding mix. You could've done a lot more with this, too. I might suggest holding the slow-paced melodies you have playing here to a minute or so, and then coming in with something more energetic and climactic. I wouldn't really regard this as a structurally complete piece. Either way, I like the sound and I hope you expand upon this at some point! ^^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! I wanted to go further with this one, but I wasn't 100% sure where to go. I could keep meandering with the modal melody, but it seems to lack direction after awhile.

As far as the drone goes, the stagnant quality was sort of on purpose. I like the way that it creates this dull lifeless ground from which melodies can ricochet and intertwine. I took a lot of influence from early plainchant like this -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eFPJa95qQE

That's one of my favorite pre-polyphonic composers (ca 1100).

I had a teacher who always stressed that a drone is never just a drone and that it's important to find ways to activate them somehow. It's pretty much what I feel like you're saying as well. All good advice. I'll spend some time trying to figure it out. I WOULD like to continue writing this piece, and that might help give it a more solid sense of direction.

[My Fondest Heartache]

Interesting atmosphere here you got here. I think it needed a bit more spaciness, though, which you could've accomplished with some reverb. The snare was a bit dry, and the distorted vocals could've sounded more ominous and cool if they were smoothed out with some reverb. You have a cool mood with the blissful synths and vocals, though. I think you might've needed a smoother transition into 2:11. Even a crash probably would've sufficed. I also thought the snare was a a bit too loud. Again, dialing back the volume but increasing the reverb would've really helped give this piece a nice, flowy and smooth vibe. I admire your sense of harmony and progression, though. There's another sudden transition at 4:14. After around 4:30 it also becomes obvious that the vocal sample clip comes in and cuts off rather suddenly, which probably could've been fixed with some more careful editing techniques. Also, this piece lacks conclusiveness IMO, ending on a rather ambiguous, clashing chord instead of any tonic I could discern. It's really unique and engaging work, though, so I'd encourage you to keep working on this! About the "chipstep" NG genre: I'm pretty sure it's generally used for miscellaneous electronic music. XD Keep at it, SleepFacingWest! ;D

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! I wasn't super happy with this one in general. It was supposed to be on a new album I'm working on, but I cut it out. I'll give your suggestions a try. Hopefully they'll help me like it a bit better.

Thanks for your thoughtful response. As always, you give me good things to work on.