TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Immersions]

I like the pensive and tranquil mood at the beginning. I like the distortion at :21, as well as the somewhat clashing harmonies. The pulsing effect at :40 was cool too. I think you need a stronger transition at 1:01, because the explosion of energy there came on a bit suddenly. I thought the bass was a little loud at 1:40, but the drums were cool and it has this quirky yet engrossing mood about it. Sounds like the kind of music one listens to when (s)he wants to ingest certain illegal narcotics (and that's a good thing!). I think you could've done more with the main melodies you had in this piece (such as 2:37), especially after you had already used them once. Melodic development is often an important way of creating variation in a piece, and variation itself is very important when your track is almost 6 minutes long. It didn't need to be that long IMO. It was a little hard to follow the rhythms at 3:17, but I understand that you were going for a very distorted and affected sound here. The ending itself seemed pretty conclusive, yet it bothered me that it cut off so suddenly (although that's probably a project system error more than a compositional one). Even with the rather quirky sound design, I think you sometimes needed to connect the various structural components of this piece a little more. The transitions at 3:16 and 4:23, for example, seemed almost nonexistent. A simple crash or a dramatic pause would've sufficed, yet this piece sort of has a continuous flow of energy that makes it hard for the listener to stay grounded. That said, I commend you for taking a risk (several, in fact) with this piece, as it is quite unique, original, and creative. It's a bit rough around the edges, but overall the sound design, mood, and atmosphere have me convinced that this is pretty solid work. Keep at it, Crueldeity. ;)

7.5/10

Crueldeity responds:

Why thank you for a wonderfully insightful review. I am totally up for tomatoes about how somewhat disconnecting this track feels. Looking back on it, I usually will work on a song for longer than 3 days, so this song definitely feels a bit rushed. I slap my hand on the transitioning part of the project, but I do feel it still it's a pretty strong piece without giving enough time to color inside the edges so-to-speak. I do still need to keep up with proper spacing to keep instruments from hitting each other, but all in all this was a very fun contest to enter and thank you for a very thoughtful review, and thank you in advance for your consideration TaintedLogic! \m/

[Is This What You Want?]

I love the organic guitar sound here. The rhythm of that very first riff from :03 - :06 was a little hard to follow, but I like the percussion you brought in at :11, and it had a haunting, mysterious, and apprehensive vibe to it, almost like an approaching storm. I think the chant-like, spoken lyrics really add to that mood, although they were just a bit too quiet IMO. I also liked the more electric elements you started incorporating at 1:36. The throaty, intense "what do you want from me?" seemed like a fittingly conclusive last line to the lyrics, too, perhaps ironically as, after all, it is a question. Overall, the lyrics are quite clever and topical, and I think it's exceedingly impressive that you made the percussive sounds using a piece of cardboard. I can picture a wandering minstrel with a guitar, seeking shelter under a boulder and looking out at the eye of the storm, asking "what do you want from me?" :D Despite the funky, energetic riffs at 1:50 and thereafter, I think you could've done a bit more with this piece. There's this sense of bottled-up intensity throughout, and I was waiting for almost 3 minutes for the sky to open up and explode with some thundering, punchy and powerful content, but the piece never quite got that far. It would've helped sell the drama and the tightly-wound energy of this track if you loosened it up more at one point. I also think the very ending was a bit lazy and inconclusive. Fade-outs generally are IMO. Still, this is a really cool, down-to-earth, and unique piece here, Ceevro, and the mixing and mastering are quite solid. Keep up the good work! :D

9/10

Ceevro responds:

Hehe...well, I think I nailed the feeling I was going for here, judging by the review. A couple people have said that I should have gone over-the-top on this, but I never intended this to be a Satriani-style setup for an epic guitar solo...I wanted to brood for a bit. I wanted my eyebrows to cast shadows. I felt like glowering.

[Uplifter]

I'm going to be tougher on you than I usually am, because, well...this is for a competition. I liked the warm pads at the beginning, but the brass at :07 seemed a bit punchy by comparison. The synth at :14 is a little high-pitched and harsh-sounding, and I think you could've gone in a lot of different directions with it melodically. I was a little confused when :41 offered an almost breakdown-like section because I expected there to be a notable climax before any sort of re-intro. I liked the melodies at around :56, and the progression by around 1:20 is rather pleasant. I love all of the melodic development you offer by the end of this piece, but I'm not sure you needed much of the first 40 seconds. It's, overall, very smooth-flowing and structurally sound. I think you could've done a bit more with dynamic contrast (even though there are clear structural ups-and-downs to the piece). I think the harmonies around 3:22 are my favorites of the piece. The ending is a bit sudden, though, and I think it gets a bit repetitive by the end. Still, I love the upbeat mood and melodic content. The mixing is also rather good. I suppose one big drawback for me was that it didn't seem very unique. I've reviewed a LOT of upbeat techno/trance/house songs for this contest already, and while the melodies are memorable and the production solid, perhaps doing something more original with the sound design or adding some interesting effects would be a better way of distinguishing yourself from the other competitors. Still, this is a cool piece. Keep up the good work, LunacyEcho! ;D

7.5/10

LunacyEcho responds:

=> brass at :07 =>

My bad! I was planning on raising the volume of the pads in the intro and automating the volume of the brass and trance synth to gradually get louder after a somewhat softer entry, but I didn't get the chance to. :P I'll fix it once the competition is over, though!

=> synth at :14 =>

Is it really? I just used a really common trance synthesizer. :P It's basically a preset, actually! Just with a few tweaks in regards to resonance.

=> :41 breakdown =>

Yeah, I think the only reason that happened was because :27 was the very first thing I wrote, so I kind of got used to hearing it at the beginning :P I do agree it feels a little out of place, though.

=> sudden ending =>

That was another part I didn't have enough time to fix :( I DEFINITELY agree with you on that account :D

=> unique =>

I was kind of hoping the solo melodies would add to the uniqueness of the song :P Hey, if you've heard a lot of songs in the same vein as this, mind sharing some? This is the kind of style I love to listen to :D

Thanks for the review! And thanks for all the reviews you'll be giving over these next few days :D All your work has been appreciated!

[Heartsteps]

Hey LE! Thought I might as well leave a review since you asked me to help you decide what to audition for NGADM with. ;) I really like the progression with this one, although I will say that the chords at the beginning seemed a little indistinct (maybe you went a bit overboard on the reverb, or otherwise the mix could be clearer). I liked the cute melodies, and the transition at :56 was really cool. The minimalistic section at 1:33 could've also used some more texture - maybe some light pads or something. I liked the melody at 1:51, but I think it would do you some good to make sure those notes are held right up until the next one starts. There are a few awkward pauses in there (like at 1:57), but that's a pretty small detail. Still, it's a really flowy, cute, and upbeat piece. The ending was appropriately conclusive. I think I like this one more than "Analog Rush," but it might be worth your while to simply clean up "Shimmer" based on the feedback you've received if you have time. Hope this helped! Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck! ^^

LunacyEcho responds:

Haven't responded to this one yet :P Figured it was time!

=> chords at the beginning =>

Yeah, they were a little reverb-heavy. Mixing was an issue for me :D (was then, still is now)

=> transition at :56 =>

Yay! I liked that one too.

=> 1:33 =>

I wanted to make a huge contrast, especially after listening to johnfn's "i believe" and thinking about how to effectively use silence in music. But pads would probably have worked well too :P

=> awkward pauses =>

I guess my justification for keeping those in is realism? Then again, for an electronic song... Yeah, I get what you're saying :P I don't pay attention to that sort of stuff much, and it's attention to detail that's going to make or break a piece :D

=> ending =>

I thought it felt a bit tacked on :P Glad you think it was conclusive!

Hey, thanks for the advice! I ended up changing my submission song from Shimmer to this one, and it looks like it worked! Thanks a ton, TL! :)

[Starlit Flight of the Dirigible]

I like the mysterious mood and cool bell-sounding instruments at the beginning. The (oboe?) also sounded rather beautiful, and I think this is a very flowing and well-structured. I like the drums at 1:18, but I wish they were louder and sharper. You have a very good sense of harmony and progression. I would've liked to see a bit more melodic development on the last refrain at 1:38, even though the piece is very short. The mixing is pretty good, too. I think you could've done a bit more with this piece (taken a few more risks, you know?), but for what it is I appreciate the effort. I also like how you decided to experiment with a new genre for this piece. Submitting experimental pieces is almost always better than submitting generic ones. I love the melodies, and I'll also compliment you on your samples AND the fact that this sounded rather authentically classical stylistically. Good job, ZombieSlayer5P! :D

8.5/10

ZombieSlayer5P responds:

Thank you very much for your review. I can see how the piece could have benefited from a little more something in the second half of the middle section. Just trying not to make things overblown or too complicated to follow along with. Though, this track may get a revision after thinking about it.

I thought about bringing out the snare more, but I didn't think it would sound as authentic if I brought it too forward in the mix (I was a hardcore band nerd, and became familiar with the sound of a symphonic group from the listener's perspective), so it wound up being a bit more subdued as though it were actually in the back of the band with the rest of the percussion. Still, your review has given me the urge to play with the mix some more, and continue to experiment.

Thanks again for the review. I always appreciate any information/criticism which will help me improve. :)

[New Town]

Some of the piano notes at the beginning sound like they weren't quite struck at the same time as the other notes in their chord, which made the track sound rather unpolished. The saxophone that comes in at :10 sounds rather fake. You could at least have smoothed it out by adding some reverb, and I would suggest "humanizing" it, if that's possible in whatever program you use to make music. I appreciated the attempt at structural relief at :46, but that section still sounded rather minimalistic. If you're going for the simplicity approach there, please at least add some reverb and have some tempo automations so I don't know you recorded it with such a simple rhythm. That way, it would really give the piano some feeling there. You didn't really have much melodic development in the piece, although it is quite short. I liked the ending with the strings fading to nothing. Still, you could've done a lot more with this piece. I wanted to see some more predominant melodies, and maybe some stronger drums to move the piece along a bit and create some contrast in energy between :46 and the rest of the piece. The discrepancies in the piano chords also make me wonder how exactly you produced this piece. If you fix some of these production errors and try to do more with the melodies and progression of the piece, this could be a pretty solid work! Until then, though, keep at it, Zechnition. ;)

5/10

Zechnition responds:

Thanks for the review I will use it to make my work better =D

[Still There]

I like the groovy guitars at the beginning. I love the soul that your voice has. It's a really catchy, yet down-to-earth and organic-sounding piece. I love the classic rock sort of vibe it has. I'm pretty sure you're the only competitor to submit a classic rock-style song to the competition, at least among the Underdogs group. I really like the dry-throated twang your voice has, which is especially noticeable at places like :30. I like the lyrics too, but I really wish you put them in the description (because I'm terrible at discerning lyrics from listening to the music along). You even went for some layered recordings around the 3-minute mark (which I've tried before and they're really hard to do), and they sounded great! One complaint I have is that there isn't really a moment of structural relief in this piece. It's already pretty long, but I think it would help the flow of this piece if at some point you had had a breakdown or re-intro with some dynamic contrast, and then an epic guitar solo before launching into your last refrain. Still, I really liked the ending - the vocal samples fit in well - and I think the mixing was also rather good. Very unique content (compared to many of the rest of the competitors)! Well done, ZacCurran! Keep up the great work! ^^

9.5/10

ZacCurran responds:

Thank you very much! I've put the lyrics in the description for future reference.