TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Gecko]

Haha, I love the funky mood! :D It's very bass-y and cool, and the instruments all compliment each other really well. It even has a degree of mystery to it which I love, like this gecko is leading a double life as a secret agent! XD One thing I'd be careful of is not to make things too busy, especially during parts like :01 to :30. However, that does fit the action movie-style fast pace you established here. Anyway, keep up the good work, Possibly! You should post on NG more often! ;D Also, are you planning on entering the NG Audio Underdogs Competition? I think you'd be a great candidate to go far. ;)

Possibly responds:

Cheers - yah, twas just a bit of fun really. I will take a look at the competition thing - typically I'm catatonic by the time I'm half way through the rules for NG competitions.

I do more music than I post on here, I tend to post most of what I do on Soundcloud then update NG sporadically.

[Monochrome]

I love the atmosphere and the guitar. The instruments work well together, although sometimes the guitar seems to have a bit of a harsh, penetrating tone to it. I really liked the beat to this one, and I think the progression was better than in the last piece I reviewed. It really had a good sense of climax about it, even if a touch more dynamic contrast would've been ideal. I really liked those synth melodies at 2:16 and 2:44. The ending seemed fitting, even if it was dragged out a bit. This one really had more a direction to it than the last one, though, so that was really good. Nice work, Adieuwinter! This is worthy of your audition piece. Also, you're from Beijing? That's so cool...0_O Hahah, well...keep up the good work, Mr. Winter! ;D

adieuwinter responds:

Thanks for the review (again)!
This is an old piece, so I hadn't quite figured out how to make the default guitar setting sound less edgy - I've been successful to a certain degree by now. I appreciate the comments!

And yes, I've been in Beijing for the past five years, I just moved back to the States, though. I should probably update that :D

[Lucky Stars]

I love the atmosphere and synths. The slap bass actually goes pretty well with the trance-ish synths, but I think was a little too loud in the mix. I like how you transitioned into :52, but the melody at :52 came in a little suddenly. Some sweeps or crashes could really help you out there. The beat is a little hard to follow at times. I liked the break-down at around 2:05 though, but the synths at 2:15 came in a little too suddenly and were a bit jarring. I lot of your melodies and background synths are a little too busy-sounding. There just seems to be too much going on at 2:38 to make it very relaxing or atmospheric like I thought you were going for given the beginning part. I love the chill parts, like at 3:04, but I think you need to find a more effective way of transitioning between those parts and the others. I'd suggest lowering the volume levels on the busy synths and adding a lot of reverb. Make the simple synth melody and slap bass groove stick out a little more at 2:38, and I think it'll set the pace a little more for the rest of the piece as well as tie some things together structurally. Overall, I like it, though, especially the ending. I was tough on you, my friend! Keep at it, man, and best of luck at NGADM! ;D I can review the piece you auditioned with too if you want. :)

adieuwinter responds:

Hello! Thanks for the comments.

I agree with you when it comes to the many issues in volume, I'll work to resolve these with my future pieces. I'm still figuring out the reverb settings in Logic, so hopefully improvements in that area will come with more experimentation. Essentially I just felt that I was a bit lazy with this piece, transitions, velocity adjustments and all. If I ever get the chance (or become enthusiastic enough about this song) to make changes, I certainly will. Hopefully that happens soon...

I really do appreciate you being tough on this piece though, although I felt positive about it upon posting, your thoughts have really helped me see its issues more clearly. Also, I'd be thankful if you had a listen to my audition piece, anything you notice would be of great help.

Thanks for the review!

[Last Stand]

Yeah, sometimes that happens to me too where it sounds better in FL. Do you by any chance use a plug-in called Autogun? I've especially noticed that happening with that. Anyway, I like the beats and synths and rhythm. The melody at :31 is especially cool. Sounds like the limiter or compressor or whatever is pulling on that synth a bit, though. I loved the transition at 1:31, though, and that part at 1:34 was nice and bass-y. ;) It probably could've used a little more variation in that minimalistic mid-section, but I like how you then transition back into the more melodic part. This is a catchy and fun piece overall. Nice work, TeraVex! ;D Say, are we ever going to get around to finish that collab? I trust you're feeling more up to it now? :)

TeraVex responds:

Yeah sure! I'm just waiting for my trumpet to be repaired and I'll be back in business!

[Necromantic]

I like the theme and mood. It certainly is ominous...I like how it gradually gets faster. You play with the intensity in a more meaningful way than in the last piece I reviewed, I think. Your pieces do seem a bit rushed, though. I'd personally prefer to see you space them out a bit more, add some more harmonies and structuring, and go from there! Maybe that's just me, though. It was kind of strange how it faded out before the end, because that made it not loop so well. I like your work with the tempo automations, though. Couldn't hurt to drag them out a bit to increase the drama imo. ;) Keep at it, man! I like this one too! ^^

WingoWinston responds:

The last piece was from 2009 I think. This one is newer. It's only a loop in that the melody keeps looping, but I imagine it would eventually fade out so that's what I did, can't really call it a song. This piece doesn't need anymore because it is what it is. When I have the time or if I consider the piece worth it I put in the time and effort, otherwise I live a busy life so I just post a long as I go. I appreciate the review.

[Forever Baroque]

I like the instruments and progression, but it seems a bit...mechanical and dry. It couldn't hurt to add more of a climax at the beginning. Also, it seems a bit fast-paced. I liked the tempo automations, but I felt like you could've built up to 1:13 a bit more using the tempo automations. Also, the structure is a little hard to follow just because it changes so quickly. Maybe you could extend this a bit (I mean, literally switch things up every 8 bars instead of 4 or whatever) and focus on the details a little more. You could add some crashes to help make the transitions a bit smoother, or something like that. Don't get me wrong, though...it's an amusing piece. I like your style, Mr. Winston. Keep up the good work. ;)

WingoWinston responds:

Ehn, I know it could be better. I just pulled this one out of the gutter. I doubt I'll ever return to this piece haha. Thanks for the review though.

[Heightened Hope]

It's pretty. :) It's also a little fast-paced imo. Could probably use some more pacing - some parts fast, others slower. Also needs some more rhythmic variation - I like the ups and downs of the scale and the modulations, but it's basically 3 minutes of quarter notes. The structure is pretty hard to categorize...like many of your other improvs, it's very flow-y. What I especially liked about "An Improv on Clarity" is that you switched up the mood and harmonic content frequently, while staying almost painfully loyal to the main theme. This piece, on the other hand, needs a little more direction and dynamic contrast. Right now it kind of sounds like an angry professor pounding out his woes on the keyboard in the university's church...lol. Anyway, overall it's an amusing piece. Hopefully you can do more with it at a later date, as well as cleaning up that mixing! ^_^ Talk to you soon, LSD! ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

This piece is one of the most monotone pieces I've ever made XD
I have at least two other piano compositions that are very similar to this one in that sense. I guess that I sometimes just get the feel to do stuff like this (it has been a while now though). I was mostly focusing on the chords and the flow while making this I think, so it's no surprise it ended up being so rythmically unchanging :D
This is no improv though. The only thing really changing throughout the entire song is the chords. Even the melodies are similar; simply with different chords :)
Thus, it's a very easy song to remember how to play.

I think I never really put that much work into this song, as I figured I would probably orchestrate it at some point anyway, which is why I didn't bother with the structure that much. Poor defence though, and I agree with all of the criticism XD
Thanks for your review!

[He Comes]

Wow, I love this! The medieval theme is really cool, and the lyrics and vocals are really good as well! :D It definitely has an interesting structure...climactic and emotional, yet the firmly plucked strings make it seem almost mechanical at the same time. It really tells a story - both with the words and the music. Nice work, both of you two! ;)

WingoWinston responds:

I struggled with the harp for a bit, but I got it somewhere I liked. I realize now I forgot to add human playback, but I still am quite pleased with the end result. The reaction you got is exactly what I was hoping for people to receive. Thanks for the review!

[Candid Candy]

I like the mood and progression. Sounds like music from a montage or flashback thing they would do on The Simpsons. ;) It's fun and upbeat, yet also has an attractive degree of simplicity. Good work, LSD! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks! I agree with the fact that this could fit in the Simpsons too. As LunyAlex mentioned, this piece has some Danny Elfman-esque feels to it XD

[Dreams of Darkness]

Sorry I didn't review this earlier, LSD. Been busy, plus my computer has been having trouble loading media recently. :( Anyway, I love the dark mood that gradually brightens throughout the piece. I always hugely respect your improv skills. I think it's a great composition with an excellent sense of flow, if a bit long-winded. I loved the pads that started becoming apparent at around :45. Overall, though, it's beautiful. Sort of sounds like climbing the basement stairs of a church into a beautiful house of worship. Thus, the title fits well. I think the ending could've been a little more conclusive, though. If you weren't going for a big show-y finish (which I got the sense was the case), I'd have at least tried to really drag out a quiet one. ;) Seriously great job, though. If this is "low-quality" by your standards, I'm really excited for when you start making "higher-quality" stuff again. ;D I'll respond to your PMs soon. I'm sorry. I've been busy with work and stuff, and on August 1st the Common Application page for colleges is released. DX I also have to finish all my driving lessons by August 5th if I want to get my license before school starts again. Ugh, so much stuff...but, yeah, hope the army position is going well!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Don't worry, there's no hurry :3
My phone has been a **** lately, although it's new XD I should get it checked, as it clearly has some kind of issue :p

Well, to be fair, only part of the arrangement was improvised, while the melody and chords where already decided upon on beforehand :)
This piece is supposed to be a bit long and possibly even samey, sorry for that :)
I feel that soundtrack music (for a book though) has far less borders than other pieces, and can be allowed to be a bit more free, as long as they follow the story.
To me, the composition paints a slightly more dark image in mind, while still being a bit dreamy. I understand your interpretation though!

I'm happy with the ending myself. For the intents of fitting the story, I wanted the end to resemble the beginning a lot, which I think it does :)
This is a bit low-quality if you listen to the intruments and find all the mistakes, but compositionwise, I think this is a pretty good song XD
I am still working on a few "higher-quality" compositions, but I have little to none time to finish them up :(
Eventually though... Eventually...

I can totally understand that you've been busy! Don't work yourself too hard :')
The army thingy is going okay, although it's pretty tough :/
Hear from ya soon!