TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[CloudBreaker]

Interesting choice of instruments here. I like the pensive-sounding lounge vibes, and the melodies that first come in around :20 add a lot to the piece. I admire your sense of harmony, and this is a pretty smooth-flowing and structurally appealing piece overall. You might want to work on your mixing just a little bit - I'm not sure the drums came through as clearly as they could've. Have you tried compressing them? I also enjoyed the more energetic section at 1:35. It was an effective change-of-pace. You then transitioned back into the refrain well, and the ending felt very conclusive. Overall, this is solid work! I'd say your experiment turned out well. ;)

UniversalAnarchy responds:

Thank you again for the detailed review! and FYI, i haven't tried compressing the drums, ill have to work around with that. over-all I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[Descent Into Erebus]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the flute. Interesting transition at :13 into the pizzicatos. I like how you increased the drama after around :25. This piece is very short, but structurally it has all the elements of a cinematic piece that I look for. It has character, climaxes, and feels very conclusive by the end. If I had to complain about one thing, I might say that the transition into 1:00 is a little sudden, and a crash there would go a long way. Other than that, really nice job, man! Mix sounds pretty clean as far as I can tell, too. Keep it up! ^^

samulis responds:

Thanks for the review! I forgot the mention, but the flute and harp are actually my own sample work as well. Hopefully those will appear for public use at some point, hopefully free. :)

Yeah, kinda gave up and didn't add any percussion. Maybe if I get around to it I'll add some swells and the like just to smooth out the transitions. :)

[Aurora (Original Mix)]

I love the synths and the reverb. It gives this piece a really chill aesthetic. Moody atmospheres are awesome! I love the sense of climax into :30 as well, although you didn't really go much of anywhere with it. The transition at 1:00 came on a little suddenly. Honestly, I don't even think you needed the piano from around :40-1:00 anyway. It's just a little overused among your tracks in general IMO. I enjoyed the drop at 1:59. It reminds me a lot of "Party Hard," so much actually that the first time I heard this when you released it on SC, I thought it was a remix. I think transitions are something you should really focus on, Lockyn. Even the breakdown at 3:00 comes on suddenly, and it seems to me that breakdowns seldom come on suddenly. I will compliment you on your mixing, though, as it's superb (as usual). I might also challenge you to do something more interesting with your drums sometimes. Some more rhythmically varied hi-hats or percs could go a long way. The transition into 5:41 might also need a bit of work, btw. The ending to this one wasn't that bad, though. I thought it was fitting how it was so atmospheric. :) Overall, great work! Thanks for uploading all these old tracks of yours to NG. It really makes it easier to make sure I've heard them all that way. ;) Keep it up, man!

Lockyn responds:

You've touched on all my usual problems, as usual :P Thank you for the concise critique as always! Thank YOU for taking time out of your precious day to listen, hope you enjoyed it even if it's the second time around. Thank you!

[[Dubstep] - Zelda - Lost woods remix]

Okay, this is interesting. I liked the melodies, but I'm not sure they fit well with the snappy snare and breaks you had at :32. It also lacks some harmonic support, and is in general pretty minimalistic. At the very least, some reverb and/or filter work would help you out in that regard. It's pretty repetitive and predictable, although short. The drops in and of themselves I enjoyed, but otherwise I'm not sure the concept of pairing this otherwise cheerful piece with hard-hitting dubstep appealed to me. Maybe that's just a personal preference though. Still, the ending was sudden, and you did little during the verses to keep this piece interesting IMO. It needs some chords, more interesting drum beats, and more complex structural changes and melodic developmental patterns. I can't exactly give you points for originality either. It has potential, and, as I've said, it's a pretty interesting idea, but I have a feeling you didn't really go all-out with this one. I want to see you go all out next time. I hope you found this review helpful. Keep at it, man. ;)

LegatusRj responds:

Wow thanks man! I'll be sure to take these into account when i remaster this! ;)

[Rigged]

I like the chords at the beginning, and the darker elements that gradually started fading in soon after. It's very ominous, and gives a sense of imminent doom. However, it does progress rather slowly, not really picking up until around 1:15. I didn't think it needed to be this long, but the thick texture and snappy synths admittedly kept me engaged throughout. I liked the vocal samples around 1:20-1:50 and also later around 2:30. They really help establish the theme and reinforce the mood of the piece. May I ask what movie/show the samples are from? The ending was interesting, although not very conclusive IMO. Maybe it would function well as a loop (?). Still, really unique and cool work here, man. I'd like to compliment you on your mixing - probably some of the best I've heard in a while on NG. Keep it up, man! ;)

Bobeo responds:

Thanks! Originally the intro was way shorter but in that state I felt like it didn't really create the atmosphere I wanted before the first drop. I totally understand that bit of criticism though.
Also, I'm always really paranoid that my mixing is actually horrible and I just don't realize it or something so that last comment means quite a bit.

(The vocal samples are from the first resident evil game.)

[Aqua (Original Mix)]

I love that nice bright and clear piano you have. With that chill electronic bass around :35 it reminded me a lot of "Lockout," actually. It does progress a little slowly, but given the mood of the piece that doesn't bother me too much. Really chill stuff going on at 1:15, and I love that pulsing mid-range pad that just slides between notes. :) I also enjoyed the quirky harmonies at around 2:05, as well as the melodies around 2:30. This is actually more minimalistic than a lot of your other tracks, but you use the reverb really well here too. I like the structure and transitions, and you channel the energy nicely in this piece. It had just the right amount of repetition IMO, and despite being a little long, it kept me engaged throughout. It's the perfect combination of chill and energetic. I appreciated your attempt at making the ending a little more conclusive, although I think you didn't really transition into your 5-second coda very well, tbh. If you had the piano playing chords that led up to the chord at 5:48, it might've been a more effective way of concluding the piece. Still, this is great work overall Lockyn! I hope you start producing more over the summer. ^_^

Lockyn responds:

Man, TL, I owe you so many reviews for your continued detailed insight on each and every one of my pieces. For that I thank you, I really do respect your opinion. I'm gonna be posting all the stuff I wasn't able to post before, so I do hope you're enjoying the listens beside typing out these reviews. Thanks for the comments, I do agree with you. My endings are always the problem LOL. I will be undergoing an extensive medical procedure at the beginning of summer, so I will be incapacitated for around a month or two - hopefully I can get geared up afterwards! Looking forward to the summer besides that, so thank you thank you again! Cheers TL ^^

[Bird's Eye]

Okay, I like the atmosphere at the beginning. That guitar portamento at :07 (as well as other places) really adds some character to the piece, and that echoing arpeggio at around :25 is really cool. I love the sense of climax it has into :53, although it does progress a little slowly throughout the first minute or so. I love the blissful mood and beat at around 1:15. Really interesting progression to this piece, man. It is a little repetitive, kind of like the last track I reviewed, and tbh I thought your synths weren't as interesting this time. I enjoyed that riser into 2:38, though. The drop was awesome! Cool melodies at around 3:05, and I love the full texture it has during the last couple of minutes. The ending with the sweeps was a little cliché, and I didn't like how it sort of cut off suddenly at 4:11. You might've at least thrown some more reverb on and let it fade out. Still, this is, again, really solid work man. Why hadn't I heard of you before? :D

akopa responds:

More great feedback - again, thanks! Again I agree with your points about it being less interesting and repetitive, I think I noticed it but then dismissed it due to the nature of the prog house genre which has some space for repetition.
The ending is an error of mine, I think I accidentally clipped it off when exporting. Good catch.
Again, I'm glad you enjoy my music - lots more you can listen to!
Thank you

[Sunset Orange]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. I loved the transition at :22, and the energy and space you leave for that build-up is awesome. Nice work with the frantic synths and grouchy bass. I love the melodies around 1:30, and all of your instruments were fun, complex, and cool. The drums were awesome, and I love the breaks around 2:25. The build-up/transition into 3:47 was very drawn out. I'm not sure why you needed all the repetitive content between 3:00 - 3:47 in there. In fact, the last half of this piece was a little disappointing. To be honest, there wasn't much melodic development or even anything conclusive. I was waiting for that second drop until 4:37, and even then it was a pretty sudden ending. One thing I really admire about this piece, however, is your mixing skills. Everything sounds so clear and tight - that quality of production is sometimes hard to find on NG. Overall, good work. I don't think it needed to be 4.5 minutes long, though, and if it did it needed a second climax point to tie up some loose ends. Still, I'm excited to see what else you produce. Keep up the good work, man! ;D

akopa responds:

Great feedback, I appreciate it and am happy you liked it :). I do agree with your points about it being drawn out - I don't remember why I made it like that but I'm fairly sure it was due to boredom and needing filler. Bit of an older track of mine.
Thanks

[Radiant Cascade]

I like the melody at the beginning. The synths might be a little high-pitched, but that wasn't a huge problem once the bass and beat came in and balanced out the texture a bit. The chord progression was a bit cliché, I agree, but you did do an admirable job of imitating Waterflame's style. This is a cute song with a lot of awesome melodies and fun riffs. I think it could've benefitted from some reverb, however. Also, the ending was a bit sudden. The mixing wasn't bad, though, but I think it'd be much cleaner if you used something besides Garageband. Maybe this summer would be a good opportunity for you to experiment more with FL Studio! :D I also have to say that I really liked the snare sample in this piece: it's sharp and bassy, yet also bouncy and buoyant. Overall, nice work LE! ;D Enjoy your hw-free week! ^^

LunacyEcho responds:

=> high-pitched synths =>

Yeah, that was a problem I was having. I wanted to clean up the mix and take johnfn's advice about having more higher frequencies than lower ones, but in the end, the higher frequencies started sounding REALLY cluttered. I guess I still ought to change a few things. :P

=> reverb =>

Haha, reverb is an effect I've been really reticent to use after my three contest-written songs last year, which all featured WAY too much reverb. WAY too much.

=> Garageband =>

Oh, I haven't actually used Garageband to write a piece in a long time! I think 'Crunch' was the last Garageband-written piece. Sorry for not making that clearer! I've been using Logic Pro X for over half a year now, and I'm really satisfied with the results. :)

=> snare sample =>

A while ago, I found some drum samples on Youtube that I've been using ever since. Sadly, I can't exactly tell you where to find them, since I've forgotten, but on my desktop, they're labeled as "Krux Samples". :/ They're really good, though! And I've been trying to do them justice for at least a year now. :D

Thanks for the review! I'll be enjoying my hw-free week by putting out much more music during it! :D