TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[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!