TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[the seas will forget your name]

Fantastic! :D I love the pizzicato-esque beginning - combined with the reverb, it really conveys a dark yet also strangely calming mood effectively. The harmonies and melodies were, as always, excellent, although I think you did an especially good job this time of creating a sufficient amount of fill throughout the piece. I love the title by the way - it really speaks to the mood of the piece. Of course, the glitches always help - a piece of yours can never be completely pure again, can it, Johnfn? XD I think the drums at 2:25 are a little too loud. I understand that you were trying to add energy/drama, but I think you over-did it a bit. You did a good job of creating contrast and variety throughout, though, especially with that "high point"/climax between around 3:00 and 3:30. The chill yet ominous mood it takes on around 4:00 is really interesting. I love all the reverb on the drums there, too - they really add to the sense of mystery. I love those pads that keep fading in and out of the mix for the last 1.5 minutes or so - they appear most prominently at 4:20, I believe. I thought ending with the piano was very fitting as well. Amazing work as always, Johnfn! :D

johnfn responds:

Thanks! Haha I spent a lot of time thinking about the name for the piece. So I guess it worked :)

Glitches are the one constant in music. They will ALWAYS make a song better. (Even if it already has glitches.)

God darn it I actually completely agree with how loud that one snare is at 2:25... I didn't even notice until I uploaded and then I was like "argh" :p

Glad you liked it though :D

[Midsummer Revel]

I like the feel-good vibe you have going here, especially at :17. I like the structure a lot, but I felt that the transition into the breakdown at 1:23 was a little sudden. Maybe you could try a tempo change there or something (can you do that on Noteflight? Idk). That said, the breakdown itself was good, and I liked how you took it from there as well. The ending was cute and fitting, but I think you overused the crashes a bit by then. Otherwise, nice job, LunacyEcho! ;) I'm looking forward to hearing more from you soon, man. ^^

LunacyEcho responds:

=> vibe =>

It does have quite a feel-good vibe, no? The task was to create a 'rock' song, and I felt this embodied classic rock more than any other type.

=> breakdown transition =>

I can do a tempo change, but it sounds really weird. There's no piano rolls, no adjustable velocity, no EQing or other effects, etc. In other words, transitions are going to be rough.

=> ending =>

I definitely overused the crashes here. :D Normally, in my songs, I use a variety of crashes, but the Noteflight drum kit is EXTREMELY limited. ;(

Thanks for the review!

[unshackled]

I love the synths and the apprehensive mood and how the instruments swell constantly. The atmospheric synth at :28 is especially cool, and I also like the percussion at :41. That beat is awesome - it makes the piece really climactic. The filtering at 1:35 is also rather well done. The clave at 2:32 was a nice touch. That snare has a really interesting almost squeaking-sounding effect to it. It's very original and creative! Brings me back to the days of "Substructure" and "Inside the Machine." You should have no idea what you're doing more often. ;)

johnfn responds:

Thanks! The thing at 2:32 is actually a wood block :D My knowledge of perc instruments is really limited, I just wanted something high pitched.

Lots of notes = substructure :D But yeah I was thinking the same thing, it's kinda neat that you've listened to me for so long that you can refer to pieces a year old!

[Unimaailma]

It's pretty! :) I love how melodic and soothing it is, and I barely even noticed that it looped. I liked the instruments, especially that flute-like sound in the background. Really nice work on this one! You have a lot of short little tracks that you should really expand upon. Also, may I ask what the title means? :) Looking forward to collab! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks a lot! :D
I think this is one of my best loops! I know I should expand upon some of these, but it feels like these short projects kind of come and go :3
The flute-like instrument you're talking about is probably the viloin. It has been EQ'd as well as undergone deep filtering, which makes it sound a bit like a flute XD

The title translates to "Dreamworld". I could've named it that, but I figured I wanted a Finnish name for once :p

I think you'll like the collab whenever it's done ;)
Thanks again for the reivew ;3

[Quarter-Conscious (WIP)]

Oooo...so ominous! :D I like it! The instruments were chosen well, and had just the right amount of reverb on them. The suspenseful and apprehensive moods add a lot to it, but it's also very catchy and danceable in a way. I could totally see it in a '90s cop show! ;) Complaints include overuse of sweeps towards the beginning and weird compression/mixing issues at :16 which make that part a lot quieter than it should have been. Otherwise, I like it! It has a lot of potential. Keep up the great work, LunacyEcho! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> reverb =>

I've been having a lot of problems with that lately. Thanks!

=> suspenseful/danceable =>

Wow, glad I could evoke so much!

=> 90s cop show =>

...? :D

=> overuse of sweeps =>

I was exploring different stuff with that and I guess it didn't work well. :/

=> mixing issues =>

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that part. Then again, mixing has never been one of my strong suits. :D

Thanks for taking the time to review such a small, simple piece!

[A Midnight Dream 2nd Edit]

Dude, where have you been for 5 months?! I love the nature-related sound effects and the climactic nature of the piece into 1:07. I love the combination of the trance-ish atmosphere with the energy of the beat. The drums sound really good - the mix is really clean. I love how you expose that echo-y pluck synth in that breakdown at 3:19. The filtering on the drums is really cool throughout. The structure is good, and of course as always it's very languid, calming, and smooth-flowing. It's repetitive and progresses extremely slowly at times, but I understand that it's the nature of the genre. At the same time, maybe we could keep a piece with this little melodic development to 5 minutes next time, please? Still, I really applaud you for your work here. All the reverb works really nicely, and the ending was very fitting. You just keep getting better and better and making me fall in love with whatever genre you make, but PLEASE POST MORE OFTEN (unless you're busy with school or something, in which case I totally understand). Keep up the inspiring work, RoVeRDude! ;D

SynchroSpectre responds:

Its school lol; the SATs ;-; I never have time, and I'm studying another genre. and yea thanks this is just a remake of a old song c; You'll be seeing more post soon.

[-Thumper-]

I love the beats and mood, as well as minimalism at the beginning. It makes the song really climactic. I love the vocal samples, pads and guitar riffs. I love how you re-filter the vocals (or however you did it) at 2:51 so that it sounds very electronically manipulated. The sound effect at 3:33 is interesting, and there was even a really cool melody at 3:49! :D One complaint I have is that I think the vocals were a bit too loud, especially given that they are sort of just gibberish. For example, I think you should've brought out that melody at 2:36 a little more so that it was more up-front in the mix with the vocals. Otherwise, though, it's a really fun and feel-good track. The piano is also a really nice touch toward the end. Keep up the great work, Waterflame! :D I'll always be a fan! ^^

Waterflame responds:

Thank you! And thank you for the constructive criticism, I agree with your points and will remember it for next time :)