TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Perception V2]

This is probably one of your best tracks IMO. I love the progression and instruments, and it's still really catchy and cool. It might need some more melodic content (the first melody as I see it is at 2:57, almost 3/4 of the way through the song). I try to have at least 2 melodic sections in my pieces, and I think that you could try to incorporate some more melodic stuff around :20, or if you're going to make the breaks between :30 and 1:55 last so long, they could use some harmonic support as well.

Your mastering is noticeably better than a lot of your other tracks, but I have a few suggestions that might improve it further. The general rule of thumb for balancing the volume levels (that I use, at least) is that the bass should be louder in volume than the rest of the instruments, but it should have much more restricted EQ frequencies. Still, you should be able to hear the higher-pitched instruments more clearly than the bass, especially if you're not using headphones. Certain sections of this piece, such as :30 to 1:55, are an exception, of course, but perhaps you should try to incorporate more high-pitched tones into your music?

Pads are tricky because they tend to use a lot of different frequencies. For example, the pads at :00 sort of drown out some more melodic content you have going on in the background there. You might fix this by restricting the pad's frequency range in the EQ more, or creating two separate peaks to accommodate the range of the melody instrument. The great thing about Parametric EQ 2 in FL Studio is that it's literally an infographic of which frequencies are used the most by the instrument you're EQ'ing. All you have to do is drag down the frequencies that aren't highlighted as much when you play a riff with the instrument. You almost never have to raise the volume in the EQ, just lower it. Occasionally, I'll raise the volume of a hi-hat or kick, but that's because none of the other instruments ever play frequencies in their ranges.

Kicks are also tricky because low-pitched kicks sound muddy and interfere with the bass, but high-pitched kicks sound like shit without headphones. One solution is to create 2 separate-but-small peaks in the kick. Another is to use 2 different kick drums, one for the lower frequencies and one for the more mid-range ones. I thought you did a good job EQ'ing the kick here, though. You might find it helpful to write down all of your instruments and the frequencies they take up on a piece of paper. Ideally, none of them would interfere with each other. Believe me when I say I need to work on this myself.

Anyway, I think this piece doesn't really have a proper outro. It was a good way of ending the piece to have that funky little riff and sweep combo, but you kind of transition right from a melodic "high point" to it. This piece is an appropriate length for a track like this IMO, so maybe you should cut out some of the repetition between :30 and 1:55 in order to add the outro. You might even be able to cut something from the "saw bridge" (:30 to 1:55) and paste it into the outro, but be careful about transitioning into the use of that heavy saw bass again. You did a good job with that at :30.

I think this piece is really catchy and smooth-flowing. I loved the sweeps you made for this, too. The melodies that are there are good, but I think you need to explore the upper range in your tracks a bit more, TeraVex. Also, it couldn't hurt to find ways of making the "saw bridge" less repetitive. Other than that, this is a great start to what I'm sure will be a fantastic album! Good luck, man. ;)

TeraVex responds:

Thanks for the review man! I've been working harder towards my mastering, I feel that I've benefited greatly because of it. I will agree this is probably the best song I've made although I like CHROM! a little better. I want to thank you again since your reviews make me strive to be better!

[DayDream]

Yo! Haven't been here in a while. ;) I love these chill vibes, man. The progression is great. Ambient and deep house are two awesome genres to fuse. I think it changes pretty slowly throughout, though, and might need some more melodic content. I could just imagine this really powerful lead soaring over the atmosphere; nothing too complicated, but I think it could add a lot to the mood you've already established here. I love the effects you used after around 2:10, and but I think you could've done more to make it feel more climactic/conclusive towards the end. The way it sort of just fades out was pretty lazy tbh. I think it needs more dynamic contrast and melodic development, although I understand that ambient tracks tend to be more drone-esque like this. Either way, pretty solid work here. Keep it up, man. ^_^

DjGubkafish responds:

thank you for feedback , You have good points

[Last Sunset]

Hey, you're back again! :D I like the relaxing mood at the beginning, and the progression isn't bad either. The instruments really added to the chill aesthetic, although I thought the instrument at :43 was a little too harsh-sounding and loud to fit the ambience of the rest of the piece. I like how it almost has a ballad-like vibe, though. Might use some lyrics or more melodic development, though, as it changes pretty slowly throughout. I can definitely understand where you're coming from with the "sunset" theme. Also might need a little more dynamic contrast. Maybe the breakdown at 2:33 could've been a little quieter before you climaxed back into 2:53. I like the sense of conclusion and "arrival" that the last part has, though. I think the echo effect at the very end was a good way to finish the piece, but the recording itself cuts off a little suddenly. Overall, good work. Hopefully I'll see some more from you in your 1-month annual window when you can upload stuff. ;)

mistarogerz responds:

Great review. I'm working on a flash game and hope to upload it soon. You obviously understand my limited time frame. I'll use the suggestions in my next song.

[Älvjakt]

This is beautiful. :) I love the instruments, and they work together really well. It has quite a bit of a climactic feel too, and I think it fits the poem pretty well. I must say, though: I'm listening to this with headphones (which I usually don't) and I can tell it gets pretty distorted at times, especially towards the end when the piano has those low chords. I loved those floaty synth arpeggios, though. The mood is fantastic, although I believe I have a challenge #2 for you, LSD: create a track that's mastered to the best of your ability. Equalize all of the instruments, adjust the volume levels and balance, and make sure there are no tones that interfere with or distort others. It always feels so awkward to critique your mixing when you know you didn't put much effort into it. BUT if you really put your greatest work into it, I could totally help you improve from there. :D So give it a shot! Otherwise, nice work. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you :3

Another challenge ey? And I am yet to start on your previous challenge, which is to create a less flowy piano piece XD
The thing with really good mixing, is that I don't really want to invest the hours upon hours of work into it (it takes really long as I'm a beginner), unless it's a piece I've been intending to do really well. This was more of a small side project, so I finished it quickly. I'm working on a different kind of piece at the moment though, and it will sure take some special mixing. It's probably have distrortion though (I actually tend to enjoy certain kinds of distrotions and dissonance). I usually do equalize all of the intruments. The most urgent things I should work on would be much more panning, as well as lessening the reverb I tend to use, as everything becomes muddy.

Oh, and the "synth arepggios" you're referring to are probably the zither XD I edited the sound quite a bit :p

"The mood is fantastic..."

=> heh, along with chords and melodies, I feel as though moods and atmospheres are something I'm actually pretty good at.

Speaking of mixing, I actually discussed with my piano teacher, and he agreed to focus a bit less on the piano for a while, and teach me more about mixing with my own software, so we'll see how that goes! He's a top class musician, so he knows what he's doing :D

Thanks for the review :)!!!

[Inside-Out]

I like the harmonies and instruments at the beginning. It definitely is climactic and catchy, and I'm glad you're starting to aim toward more of a full-sounding mix. However, it's that very same full-sounding mix that has revealed a few weaknesses in the mastering, I'm afraid. Do you hear how the clap at :46 is getting a little distorted? That means you need to use the Equalizer to get rid of tones that are interfering with other instruments.

Here's how to do that: in each mixer tab (that is, for each instrument you have), click on the arrow next to the box that says "1," on the right-hand side of the mixer window. Then scroll down to "Parametric EQ 2." Try dragging the knobs below 200 Hz (there's a scale at the bottom of the EQ window) all the way down to zero for EVERY instrument EXCEPT the bass and kick.

Also, you almost never need limiters or compressors on the master channel. Lowering the volume levels and adjusting the EQ is a more effective way of making sure it doesn't sound too harsh. I'm sorry if you know this already, but I think you should think even more about how you equalize your instruments, especially since you have so many different bass instruments in there.

Anyway, I like the breakdown you had around 1:50 and how that climaxed back into the part at 2:22. Another highlight was 2:55. I think your sense of harmony has developed a lot in the past few months or so. I also enjoyed the part at 3:26. Nice job with creating a lot of structural variety in this piece. Personally, I don't even think you needed the last 10 or 15 seconds. Still, overall nice work. Mixing is tough, but I think it'll really make the difference in taking your music to the next level, TeraVex. Believe me: I still need to work a lot on my mixing myself. Haha, keep at it, man! ;D

TeraVex responds:

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind for my next song!
Mastering is tough, but you being consistent in telling me has helped improve my music greatly!

[Abrakazam]

Oooo...I like the ominous mood. It has an almost exotic dance-like theme to it. I could just picture two Spanish dancers, one with a rose in his mouth, being the entertainment in a smoky joint in an old-fashioned movie. 0_O I think that, like a lot of your pieces, it has an excellent sense of flow and progression but is perhaps a little bit all-over-the-place. It almost seems like you combined 10-15 different riffs you made for a song and connected them all with stop-and-start transitions. It sounds rather improvised, although you do maintain the mood and atmosphere throughout. I love all the intricate details of this piece, though, such as the complex rhythm at 3:23. It ends a little suddenly. I think you should be careful in the future about adding some more repetition to keep the listener grounded, but I understand that you made this a number of years ago. Anyway, I continue to be extremely impressed with your ability to play the piano. Good work, LSD! :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Dance like ey? I kinda get where you're coming from!
Lol! I like the image you've painted XD

This is most certainly all over the place. As I just responded to Luncay Echo, I didn't really care about making this piece sense making; I just experimented in a lot of ways, until I was done. I understand that this gives the piece a sense of being improvised :D

Hmm. I can't find what's that special about 3:23 in particular, as that's the same rhythm I used in 0:28, 0,44, and 3:00. Although the parts may sound similar, there's actually different chords and melodies in all of those places :3

This piece does indeed end suddenly. I didn't want it to ever lose its momentum, but to end when it was at the very top XD Just weird experiments and such...

I have to disagree a bit about the repetition. I feel as repetition is a tool which may or may not be used. There's no need to use every tool in every piece. Repetition is a thing which you can do well without, but which is not so good when used too much. Repetition also exists in different forms! Example: Notice how 1:43-1:55 is actually a shadow of 1:33-1:41; though the chords and melodies are different, they clearly relate to each other (I don't know the musical term...).
Apart from that, 2:15 is clearly a variation of the beginning of the piece.
Also, the same chords are used in these four separate parts, with similar melodies: 0:20-0:28, 0,36-044, 2:51-2:59, and 3:13-3:20 XD
I understand your point though, as my piano music generally lacks that much general repetiotion, at least most of the time. I like flowing pieces. I do know how to repeat stuff though (like in the Last Dance). Much of the time, repetition can just be hard to notice in my songs I guess, but there is a lot in almost all of them. I just change something in each repetition, so it's never exactly the same! That is, the arrangement at the very least is not the same :3

Thanks a great deal for being so active at reviewing and listening!!!
:DDDDDD

[The Ocean]

I think it's pretty, but I'm not sure I like the samples you used. Also, the way the notes cut off around :09 sort of disrupted the smoothness of this piece IMO. I like how you tried to create some dynamic contrast at :14, although you may have needed a crash or something to transition into that part. I like the melodies, and the progression isn't that bad, but I think you need some drums and more structuring in order to make this piece more interesting. Also, it doesn't really loop that well IMO. Sorry this is such a negative review, but I like these harmonies and I think you could've done a LOT more with this piece. For example, :46 seems like it should be a climax, so maybe you should add some more pads there and some drums and really turn it into a cinematic one! Little things like that can really bring out the emotion in pieces like this. I'd love to see this made into a full-length track with more structural variation. Keep at it, man! ;D

CGA-999 responds:

I don't mind negative reviews, unless they don't give me good feedback. I love that you were honest and didn't just say you liked it. Thank you so much for the review!

[From A Fear Of Falling]

Ooooo...I love the chill vibes at the beginning. I think that synth that starts to fade in at around :20 doesn't really compliment that mood too well, especially with its intricate rhythm. I really enjoyed the synth at :55, though. I think the vocals added a lot to the piece, but maybe you should've added some more reverb to them just so they would've come out a little more. I love the melodies, and the beat is pretty cool, although I'm not sure I liked the clap sample you used. Another thing you might want to work on is adding some dynamic contrast, just to create some more structural variety. Toward the last minute or so, it does have a good sense of climax. Throughout most of the piece, the snare sort of sounded like it was quiet for a couple beats, and then soft for the next couple, which bothered me a bit. I'm not sure if that's because of the mixing or if it was intentional, but I don't think it works well in this instance. Speaking of the snare, I don't think you should've kept it in the outro at 3:25. It sort of adds a sense of energy and urgency that doesn't really fit with the chill pads and melodies you have going on in the background. I love the instruments you used for the synths, though. Overall good work! :D

adieuwinter responds:

Thanks! I'll work on the points you've made.

[Taken By The Shadow]

I liked how you combined the orchestral and heavy rock sounds. I'm not sure I liked your piano sample, though. It sounded sort of hollow and unnatural for some reason. The vocals are cool - they have sort of a tribal chant-like vibe to them, although they're so distorted that it's very hard to tell what you're saying. The flute solo in the middle also added a lot to the piece IMO. I also enjoyed the melodies around 2:35. This song is well-structured and smooth-flowing, and I liked how you set up the piece stylistically too. Overall, solid work! ;D

JytteHimself responds:

Thx man!

[Top of the World]

I like the instrumentation a lot, but I think you should've brought out the melodies/argeggios a bit more. That bass that keeps pulsing in and out gets in the way a bit IMO. Smooth loop, though. I like the sound effects and moods. Keep it up! ;)

ADR3-N responds:

Yeah, had some issues with the bass literally taking over -- was considering a fretless bass synth instead; I'll keep that in mind. Glad you liked it though!