TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Raining Tears (WIP)]

It's very pretty and atmospheric and pensive. The reverb really adds a lot to the piece. Reminds me of rain. ^_^ The pensive and intellectual mood is what I really like about this piece. The progression is good, but maybe it could have used a little more dynamic contrast (at the same time, it is a loop though, so I'm willing to excuse that). ;) It loops well as it is, but I think I would've left a couple of beats extra at the end, just to create a more dramatic revelation when you hear the pick-up at :00 again. :) Excellent work, though, LSD! Keep it up! :D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I think I'm getting closer to understanding how much reverb I should use. But maybe not, as I always end up thinking; "let's add a ton!"...

This piece probably would've looked entirely differently had I actually played it on my piano. I was pretty lazy this time though, so I sat by my computer late at night and dotten in some stuff there instead. The version I actually play is much simpler, although this is not even that difficult a piece. I just haven't memorized all the weird variations on the chords, so I use standard versions instead XD

You are totally right about the extra beats. I actually had a more fitting ending (a few more hits and then silence) for the piece at first, but I decided to delete it, as making this into a loop was far too easy :p
(Lazy me... Oh well; it's still a WIP XD)

Thanks for your review!!! :'D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Illusions (Step 1)]

TeraVex, my man! :D I haven't heard from you in a while...Anyway, I really like the atmosphere and progression. The oscillating synths and sweeps really create this tranquil and pensive mood. I envision this as a prog house track in its final form, maybe with a bit more detail added to the intro (:00 - 1:02). 1:02 is a solid transitory moment into 1:08...I can just picture the sunrise, the strings coming in and the birds singing in contrast to the gray pre-dawn light in the part that ends at 1:02 (sorry, I'm in a weird mood today). Nice work, though. I think it lacks fill right now (but you already knew that). I'd love to hear some strings/pads moving and some uplifting melody coming in after 1:08 - a glorious morning in full form. I'm kind of getting a similar vibe to that of, say...Deadmau5's "There Might be Coffee." ;) Good to have you back, man! ^^

TeraVex responds:

Thanks for your thoughts! I was actually shooting for a deadmau5y feel to this song, so I'm glad you got that vibe!

[Vappu]

Don't worry - weird is good! :D It's very bouncy and busy and fun...I like it a lot! The bells and weird pads really add a lot to the piece! Why don't you make some of these pieces into full-length tracks, man?! The instruments and moods are my favorite part. Makes me think of getting lost in a giant obstacle course with tons of over-sized clowns, and basically being the pawn in a giant game of circus-themed pinball! XD Nice work as always, LSD! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Weird, bouncy and full of crazy stuff; that's what I was aiming for :3
I personally love bells! I would use them in every song if they'd fit XD

"Why don't you make some of these pieces into full-length tracks, man?!"

=> The laziness!! D:
I'm actually working on a full length track at the moment (two if you count the collab. Possibly up
to 3, but last one will take quite a while...)

I like using a large variety of instruments and combining them in new ways. If nothing else, it can help with keeping tracks interesting. I'm not really that traditional with instrumentation, I guess :/
(Whatever sounds good = good :p)

Thanks for the review! I should really go respond to that message of yours, now that I have time XD

[riding the harmonics]

Ah, I always enjoy your quirky beats, Johnfn! :D Interesting how you started this one with the drums instead of a fade-in with the synths or something. ;) Awesome melodies as usual. Cool synths and structure and smooth transitions...It would be great if you found a different library of synths/different plug-in to work with in the future though...just for some variety. That includes the bass too. Still, I liked it a lot: very blissful and catchy, and the ending was one of your better ones, too! :D Keep up the great work, Johnfn! ^^

johnfn responds:

Yay drums! Yes I do need new instruments. Perhaps that will be next month's theme!!! :O

Thanks for the review!

[Desert Sandstorm]

I love the tribal/ethnic theme and the dark mood. That creepy percussion at the beginning really introduced that vibe well, and you really did a great job of making it climactic/structuring it well. The percussion doesn't necessarily sound 100% authentic all the time, especially the melody instruments at 1:25, for some reason. I like how it got all energetic toward the end, though, and the ending in general was well-done. The mixing might need some work, however - the drums get masked by the pads and strings on the climactic parts. Overall, I like it a lot! You're definitely not just one to stick with techno and dubstep, LunacyEcho, and it's much appreciated! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> intro =>

Yay! You're like the first one who likes the intro. :D

=> melody instruments =>

That's actually an African marimba. I get that it probably doesn't sound really authentic, but you can probably chalk that up to low-ish quality instruments. :P

=> ending was well-done =>

I actually think I have a problem with all of my endings being structured as chorus->final note. At least it works (apparently)!

=> mixing of drums =>

See, the way things work in Garageband is that I put all of my percussion sounds into two tracks for the sake of not slowing my computer down. Any more and it gets really laggy. So, the only way to raise the volume of some drum noises while keeping the others at the same level is basically to stack notes in the piano roll (I think you've used Garageband before, so you should probably have a basic idea of what I mean). I do agree that I could've made the heavy percussive beats louder during the climactic parts, but I guess I got too lazy about having to keep copying and pasting stuff back onto a single track.

Thanks for the review, TheDoor!