TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Clockwork]

Ooooo...I like this! The piano is very soothing and tranquil, as well as fitting for winter. I thought the drums were a little unnecessary, or at the very least didn't need to be so energetic. It kind of detracted from the mood of the piece at times. Maybe some strings or something would've been appropriate. That said, I absolutely love the piano improv. It's very well-varied, has a good sense of direction, and flows very smoothly. I like how the brass and drums come back in later...that part didn't take away from the mood so much IMO. Nice job with the structuring and all. It may have ended a little suddenly, though. Instead of just fading out the drum riff after the big climactic point of the piece, I would've taken 4 or 8 bars or so to wind everything down a bit more, you know? Overall, though, great work! Happy holidays, Adieuwinter! :D Hope this review was helpful...

adieuwinter responds:

Thanks for the comments!

This was a stream-of-consciousness sort of piece, so I didn't flesh it out as much as I could have. I'll go back through and make some changes before I release this on Bandcamp.

Happy holidays to you as well! :)

[Get Into The Groove!]

Very punchy and anthemic - I like it! Also, is it just me or is that one distorted snare sample also used in Larrynacho's "Rise?" Pretty big coincidence...I'm fairly sure it's the same exact sample. Anyway, I really liked the instruments and mood, but it might need some more fill and harmony parts. It's pretty minimalistic, like a lot of your pieces, actually. The ending was fitting, and I like the structure and transitions. Otherwise, you should use more pads and back-up melodies and mid-range basses and stuff. Also, I think there were some mixing issues around 1:30. The drums get really distorted there. See how the drums at 1:40 sound MUCH clearer than at 1:30? That means you have to EQ those frequencies more. You probably know this, but just bear in mind that sometimes you can never really do enough with the EQ. ;) Hope this was helpful. Overall, I like it! Keep it up, Teravex. ^^

TeraVex responds:

Pure coincidence that I used the same sample, I haven't listened to that song yet so I wouldn't know.
I haven't learned yet to work with the hardware I'm given, I'm used to writing basic songs because my old computer limited me on how complex a song was. I'm trying to get out of it though so bare with me.
Thanks again!

[Winter Winds]

Oooo...I love the spacey intro. It's almost...ominous! I can definitely see how you were inspired by Etherealwinds. I loved the breathy whispering around 1:25 - how did you do that? It's very climactic, and that authentic snare really adds a lot to the mood. It progresses a little slowly, but that's all right. I loved the piano around 2:15 - 2:24...very ominous again, yet beautiful! I could definitely see how you could do more with this...too bad your computer was having issues! It's also too bad that the ending cuts off so suddenly, but maybe you could make it loop (?). Overall, though, great work, LN! Happy holidays. ;D

larrynachos responds:

The breathy whispers are a bunch of notes from Shevannai "Voices of the Elves" Kontakt library. It's meant to progress slowly :)

It wasn't supposed to cut off. I'm gonna re export it so it lingers a little bit longer and fades out.

My computer isn't having troubles; it's just not capable of the kind of songs I'm trying to compose.

Thanks for the review! Happy holidays ^^

[Medieval Adventure]

The mood was well-established and heroic and fun, but the poor instrument quality somewhat detracted from that experience. I'm sure you have better instruments now than you did when you made this (right?), so I'll let it slide. ;P Otherwise, I really like the melodies and transitions and harmonies and structure. I like how it transitions from a glorious fanfare-type thing to a depressing fugue around 1:30, then it gradually brightens again. Some of the chords threw me off a bit, like the one at 2:07 that didn't even really correspond to the previous rhythmic pattern. If I didn't know you better, I'd say it sounded like a mistake. 0_O Despite my criticisms, pretty solid work here! Keep at it, LSD! Also, did you get my PM from a week or two ago? :3

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

The poor instrument quality sucks indeed. I think this is the last song I'll submit that sounds like this though. I'm back in action, and I think I've uploaded almost all of my older pieces, except for a few that I might just remake for fun :3
I'm not promising not to upload horrible tracks in the future though XD
I actually think the melodies are pretty decent in this song, and the transitions are fine, albeit a bit drastic.

It's interesting that you think the chord sounds off at 2:07. It's the exact same chord as in 1:53, used in the very same chord progression too :p I think it's the poor instrument quality that once again causes the part to sound slightly queer.

Thanks for yet another review!!

And yes, I read your message long ago :')
I've just failed at writing a response. As I said... These are busy times... Not for long though. I'll hopefully have a response up in a few days :'D

[Ancient Resentment]

Cool! I like the instruments in this one. It's pretty upbeat, which is strange based on the title and theme apparently surrounding the piece. Might be good for a videogame menu or something. You should've made it loop! Anyway, not much more to add...looking forward to more of your 2014/2015 pieces. ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hi! Sorry for the late response, these are busy times...
Well, as I mentioned, the title and the piece have little in common :p
Oh my, maybe I should've made it loop XD
I'm looking forward to my future pieces too, as well as yours!

[Requiem Loop]

Ooo...was this the piece I kept forgetting I promised to review? I'm sorry, Matt! I was really busy with school and stuff. :'( I'll do better next time. Anyway, I love the progression and climactic nature of it. That piano just floats on top of all that heavy bass work - I love it! At times, I thought it could've progressed a little faster, but the melodies are top-notch, as usual. ;) You made a loop for a change, which is cool. A lot of the same synths you use all the time are in this one...but that's not a huge deal, I guess. If you're looking a genre suggestion, it kind of seems like house with the prominent kick later in the piece. Couldn't hurt to throw in an open hat on the off beats if you really want to make it unambiguous. ;) Otherwise, great work, DM! How's college going?

Dylnmatrix responds:

Hey, man. Was not expecting a review on this one actually! But hey! A review's a review, and any review is always appreciated.

As it stands, this project was simply a way to test out the new bass that I made which is now being used in the new Equilibria project as well as trying out some cool ambiance effects with the intro. Also using that lead that I made, but that's beside the point. As usual, it's a hit or miss with my usual synths, but at the end of the day I do make the music for me, and those synths are so pleasant for my ears, it's gonna be awhile before I find something else I like. (still working on it though!) I'm not too worried about the musicality of this, as it is just a remix of Requiem for a Dream, but I'll keep those suggestions in mind if I ever write another house song (so bad with progression in House music haha)

On the school front, I'm now on Winter Break until about the 2nd week of January so me and Ionic Force are buckling down on this EP, that's almost becoming an entire album, which we've promised the public. Our solo originals are done, with minor tweaks being made to fit the EP, Ionic Force's collab with Willteknyx is about halfway done and the Equilibria originals are coming to fruition with us working on the drops and sound design of them alongside the verses and breakdowns being 90% done.

[Becoming Independent]

Hmm...this is different! I love the emotion and the climactic nature of it into 1:00. The intro might've been a little long, but it really has a simple beauty to it that compliments the film very well. I really love the victorious yet reflective mood. 1:55 was one of my favorite parts. Overall, it's well-structured, smooth-flowing, and has an appropriate amount of structural variation and dynamic contrast. It's at times upbeat and energetic, and at others slower and more emotional - just what I like in a piece of this style. May I ask why you chose to call it pop instead of classical or cinematic? Anyway, the quality of your instruments, as always, is superb. This could be a professional orchestra performing this right now, and I couldn't tell the difference. I also really liked the outro with the cellos and basses and then the soothing piano once again. Really good work, especially for making this in only one night, Step. :O Happy Independence Day, Malta! :D

Step responds:

Man, your reviews have become pretty much consistent. I always love reading what you have to say, so thanks a lot for yet another review!

The intro was on the long side, I'll agree, but my goal over there was simply to complement what was being shown on screen, as opposed to actually creating a musical progression that was a bit more sensible and didn't drag out as much, so I'm mostly glad I pulled that off haha.

Yeah I agree 1:52 is probably one of the stronger parts of the score, so I'm happy you like it!

Like I said to SilverFoxJams below me, I just felt like the instrumentation was more suited to pop, what with the piano, drums and guitar. It isn't really classical because it has almost no qualities of a classical piece of music. I guess maybe it could sorta fit in Cinematic, but ehhh. No biggie :3.

Once again, thanks a lot for reviewing! Gonna be posting two more tracks before the year ends.

[Funked Too Hard]

That synth sort of has a smooth, atmospheric vibe to it - good for hardstyle - yet the pauses sort of ruin that smooth effect IMO. Still, it is pretty catchy, and you used the reverb really well. I think it's a little bare throughout, though. Your mixing has improved, yet there just isn't that much to keep my attention throughout. You need more melodic development, dynamic contrast, structural changes, and the addition of new instruments throughout the song for variety. Also, the ending wasn't really satisfactory either, my friend. There's really no indication that it's about to end...it just sort of does. It might be cool to loop it so that it would be fitting for a videogame, but idk...It could still work better as a full-length song, but it needs more content that keeps me engaged throughout. Sorry to be so tough on you, man. It has potential, so keep at it! ;)

TeraVex responds:

Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, the reason it's the way it is, is because I couldn't really figure a way of making it more interesting without redoing everything completely.
My envision was to have this song as like a jam backtrack type of thing, which I personally think it works fine, but as a song by itself, it doesn't have enough variety, yes.
I agree with all of your points! So yeah!
Thanks again!