TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[All the Raps]

How the hell do you already have 6 submissions in 2015? 0_O Anyone, I love this piece! It has a lot of character, and is super catchy and funky and cool. That said, I think you had a couple of balance issues. For example, at :29 the organ is really drowned out by the drums. Otherwise, I love the groovy drums and the guitar. It's well-structured, yet simple, but it loops really well. Personally, I couldn't really picture someone rapping over this...sounds more like an 80s/90s coffee shop groove or something. XD Anyway, keep up the great work, LE! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> 6 submissions =>

Quantity over quality, my friend. ;)

=> organ =>

I once again fall victim to bad mixing! I need more earphones.

=> couldn't picture someone rapping =>

Really? I sort of based it off of Run-DMC era rap beats, mainly 'It's Tricky'. I guess it sounds nothing like modern rap beats, though! Coffee shop groove? Interesting...

Thanks for the review! I know you've been really busy lately.

[Winterscape]

Ale, I haven't reviewed one of your pieces in a year! :O Seriously, though, arpeggio nightmare?! No, this is beautiful! I love the tranquility and the progression. The emotion is fantastic, and as always it's very flow-y and majestic. I love how you create contrast with the more punchy sound at 1:59. Sufficiently varied, well-structured, and smooth-flowing, I don't hesitate to call this my favorite piece of 2015 from you so far! ;) Ahh...there go my beginning-of-the-year jokes again. Anyway, keep up the great work, my friend! Looking forward to the orchestral version you make of this in 2025, btw. Remember - you promised! XD

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I've been waiting this entire year from one of your reviews! Finally I got one; I was almost getting worried XD

The arpeggio nightmare part was solely intended as an inside joke between me and LunacyEcho (there are in fact a ton of arpeggios of differing kinds in this track). It really pleases me to see you consider this piece to be beautiful, as it's a very cherished composition of mine. This is a piece I'm really emotionally invested in while playing, if I'm not always.

1:56 - 2:20 is quite possibly my favorite section of music I've ever created. It seems simple, but I feel as though the melody, chords and arrangement of that part hold a lot of power in it.

This is among my three favorite pieces from 2013, actually. Two of which are yet to be uploaded! The thing is, they are so difficult to play without mistakes that I've been too lazy to make proper recordings. I'm intindending on changing that soon though (I'll probably cheat a bit by editing the few mistakes that'll appear in the MIDI files)!

Thanks!
I've promised nothing!!! But I will make one, eventually. Unless I die or something D:
Now see what you made me think of :'(

Anyhow... Can't wait to see what you'll upload this year (when you get a bit of free time, especially) :D

[To the Stars]

I love the mood at the beginning - mysterious, perhaps even apprehensive at first, and then the strings add a new element of impending beauty, like I'm seeing a sweeping view of the English countryside from the perspective of a helicopter. Of course, you combine the chiptune and orchestral elements amazingly well, and I especially like the synth at 2:08. It has a lot of variety, but is perhaps a little too fast-paced at times. Still, it almost seems fitting for a Disney movie at others: 2:45 had both the cuteness and charm of a children's film. It sounds as if robots are interacting with creatures of the forest, and it's clear from the score when either party is doing the talking. ;) Ingenious use of the Super Mario Galaxy tracks in here, btw. I quite enjoy your innovative styles of music, Step. Another 5-star track. I almost feel guilty for not giving you more suggestions for how to improve this - but, in reality, it's simply top-quality content! :D Keep up the fantastic work, my friend. ^_^

Step responds:

Andrew, man, your reviews are just... gsggferfae. Thank you very much!

I feel really happy reading this review since a lot of the stuff you described about the track is what I was trying to aim for in terms of mood/atmosphere myself. For instance, I indeed wanted the beginning to have a bit of mystery and tension to it, as if you're trying to find your footing in a zero-gravity area (that was the original idea at least haha). When the cello comes in, I tried to make it sound beautiful and warm, but at the same time still kinda trippy and light-headed.

2:08's synth is also my favourite. That's a pulse-wave-based synth with 25% width, reverb/delay and some vibrato. It's really the vibrato that sells it - vibrato sounds great on chiptune leads, I've come to conclude. I think I get what you mean about it being too fast-paced. I guess I was kinda worried to have longer notes on it since in the end it's still a pretty raw synth and I didn't want it to get too annoying. That metaphor with the robots and creatures interacting with each other is awesome by the way haha. I can't not think about it now when listening to the track.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[In a Dream]

I love the combination of instruments and the climactic nature of it. The vocals (which were beautiful, btw) added a lot to the theme. The lyrics in and of themselves are also quite good. I absolutely love the drama and the energy. It's engaging and fast-paced, yet also fantastically beautiful. Excellent job with dynamic contrast, structural development, and the like. Not much more to add - I got a little distracted by the vocals, tbh. XD I think I know what the intro song is going to be for the next James Bond movie! Instant favorite and download. Amazing work, Step! ;D

Step responds:

Yeah, the vocals are lovely. I can't thank Stina enough - she nailed her vocal performance, and she has a real powerhouse of a voice which worked perfectly for the climactic nature of the track, which you also noticed.

I have a soft spot for James Bond music so I had tons of fun doing the sections like 0:35, 1:17, 2:40 and 3:35.

Really glad you liked it; thanks for all the support!

[Lifted (Original Mix)]

I love the atmosphere and the climactic nature of it. It progresses a little slowly in the beginning, but I love the part at 1:12. Your mixing and mastering is top-notch, of course. Sounds pretty different from your other stuff, too. I think you might've needed a smoother transition into 2:24, though. It's a pretty chill piece overall, even if it does have a strong beat, so I think it's important that it be smooth-flowing. I love the subtle snap-sounding drums like at 4:40 and other places, though. Perhaps it does get a little repetitive after a while. I'm not sure it needed to be 6 minutes long, to be honest. Still, I thought the ending was a little less sudden than in your other tracks, which is good. Couldn't hurt to let the reverb do the work even more there, too. Overall, I like it a lot! Keep up the great work, Lockyn. ;D

Lockyn responds:

Been so long since I've been here! School is crushing my schedule as usual so I've been tied up. Hope you're doing well, and glad you enjoyed the piece despite its repetitiveness :3 Cheers!

[Vex]

I love the cinematic mood in the beginning, as well as the synths. That riff at :43 and other places worked really well with the sense of impending climax. I thought the more high-pitched synths should've been faded in a little more or something at :34. They sounded a bit hollow, too, but I liked the reverb. Also, I think you needed to EQ them a lot more, and that should help with the hollow sounds too. See how all of a sudden the synths get really quiet when those pads come in at :43? That's a sign that the mixing needs work. Also, I thought when the kick first came in at 1:02, it was a little disorienting. I would've used some sort of drum fill to transition there instead of a big, bass-y kick drum. Also, I thought the droning pads in the background were a little too loud throughout. I liked the part at 1:44, though, and how you bring the pads back over the next 20 seconds or so. At 2:30, it seemed like it needed a little more fill, although I really liked the rain and thunder roll FX. I think you should've done more with the piano at the end. It plays a couple of more upbeat chords at the very end of the track, and then the FX just cuts off. I think you could've made a final, climactic melody or something at the end, and it couldn't have hurt to incorporate those pads toward the end, just to add a little more coherence. Structurally, it's a little all-over-the-place, if you know what I mean: not a lot of repeated sections to keep the listener grounded. I like the new genres you're trying out, though. Seems like a fusion of ambient, trance, and maybe house. XD I've been tough on you in this review, TeraVex, but overall I like it. Keep at it, man! ;D

TeraVex responds:

I can see where you're coming from, and everything I agree with expect the ending.
The ending is supposed to be like this as the end goes through to the 2nd song as originally this was supposed to be 1 huge song, but I'm spiting it for the reason because I risk I might make the listener bored.
But I'm glad you're hard on me, It makes improvement all the easier!

[Boss X]

Oooo...eerie 8-bit music! I love it! Really fits well with the theme of an old-school video game boss, and I love the melodies and soaring synths that fade in and out with the tremolos around 1:25 (and other places). Darn shame that your computer crashed. D: I love the strong beat, though, and it's all very smooth flowing and funky and cool. Might even make a good loop if you decided to go that route, i.e. perfect for a video game! :D Great work and keep it up! Happy 2015, Johnfn. :)

johnfn responds:

Thanks TheDoor! OR WHATEVER. Happy new years to you too. Though it's not even new years any more.

[Holiday Spirit]

Ah, I love bass-y trance. :) The trance-ition (see what I did there?) at :28 is cool, but I think those high-pitched, upbeat chords that sound like they're from an 80s workout video needed a little more reverb to fit in with the smooth background. Otherwise, they came across as strangely punchy. They also might be a bit too up-front in the mix. I loved the piano at the breakdown and the melodies around :55, though. You structured this really well, and it's a good length for this kind of piece. I like how the chords fade back in, which leads to the transition at 2:42. The piece cut off at the end, which sort of ruined the mood. :( Always be sure to leave a measure or two at the end, LunacyEcho! Otherwise, though, great work! See you in 2015, my friend. ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> trance-ition =>

omg yes

=> 80s workout video =>

Definitely NOT what I was going for. :D I really should've lowered that track's volume.

=> breakdown =>

Glad to see you liked the breakdown! That was probably the iffiest part of the piece for me. (Funny how autocorrect thinks 'Newgrounds' isn't a word but 'iffiest' is.)

=> transition at 2:42 =>

I like those transitions, but I never remember to use them when I try and think 'what's a good transition to use here?' Chances are, that sort of thing will probably work, so I ought to remember it more often.

=> cut off =>

AHHHHH SORRY that's not going to happen again. That NEVER happens to me. This is the last time I will ever cut off a piece early. Gah!

Thanks for the review, and have a great new year! :)

[A Dream From the Past]

Hmm...the moods are what really make this piece interesting IMO. Interesting instruments, too. Starts off kind of sad and longing, then gets more hopeful yet also long-suffering, like - GASP - a soldier returning from war! :O I thought you overdid the reverb a bit, to be honest, because it almost feels a little too busy with the frantic synths in the background at places like :16. Interesting progression...almost feels like (dare I say it?) it'd be good for a montage of some sort. Perhaps it's a recovering alcoholic reflecting on his darkest days. Anyway, solid work! Looking forward to 2015, and I hope you are too. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Interesting comparisons there!
I did overdo the reverb. Weird thing is, when I tried taking some away, this piece sounded worse in my humble opinion. If I would've done all the mixing anew, I'm sure I could've found a solution, but... Laziness :p
Those are actually not synths; just poor samples of strings XD
Hmm, I wonder what kind of montage this would fit in, as it sounds so harsh, somehow. If it'd be the memory of an alcoholic I'd figure it to be a more distant piece, while still having a lot of "darkness" in it.

AAANYWAY. Thanks for the last review of 2014 ;)
I'm definitely looking forward to this year :'D