TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Quietude]

I love the intellectual and tranquil mood. The instruments were beautiful. At times, I think the piano riffs are a little too busy when compared to the calming strings, though. It definitely doesn't feel complete - I would love to see some more structuring and expansion on these ideas. Overall, though, it has a lot of potential and I commend you for your good work. Keep at it, B. Tibbetts! ;D

BenTibbetts responds:

OK. Thank you for your comment. :)

[you are not alone]

The chords are very soothing, and the slow start of the piece really adds to the emotion. As always, I loved the melodies and atmospheric space. The beat that comes in at 1:53 was quite unexpected, although I really like how it gives it a bit more energy there. Around 2:35 - 3:15, there were some eccentric harmonies which I wasn't really sure what to make of. I think they really add a new dimension to the interpretation of the song, which I suppose is a good thing. The kick at 3:29 felt a little out-of-place. Maybe you could transition into 3:45 similarly to how you transitioned into 1:53. I like how the beat at 1:53 is mixed and distorted so that it almost seems "hidden," although you didn't do that with the beat at 3:45. Perhaps you should, at least until 4:17. I think it will be fitting with the style of the piece. The glitch-y transition leading into 4:16 felt really climactic and cool, though, and I love the bit at 4:17. Overall, excellent work as always, Johnfn! This one is probably my favorite of the 3 pieces you've submitted in the last 24 hours.

johnfn responds:

Thanks! You have a lot of really good suggestions and ideas. I especially like the idea of reintroducing the filtered beat rather than just bringing in the kick for the buildup, that's probably something I'll do in the future. I have to say though, I'm confused that you say this one is your favorite but you give the other one a higher score!

[just hold on]

I like the mood and atmospheric synths, although I feel like you've used many of them before. Those dreamy riffs are beautiful. I love the modulations at 1:25. It does seem a little bit minimalistic at times, like at 1:50, but in a way that adds to the tranquil mood and creates some valuable dynamic contrast. At 3:18, the synths and pads started to sound really harsh, although I like how you transitioned back into the coda. I'm not even going to reprimand you for your fade-out ending this time, Johnfn. If it's really that deeply ingrained in your style and your identity and a musician, that's fine with me. ;) Overall, though, nice work! Waking up to 3 new tracks from you made me feel overwhelmed, but also happy! ;D

johnfn responds:

Yeahhhh when you go for that higher sound you always risk the frequency problems. Still glad you liked it.

Unlike my other songs for this one I really didn't want to go overboard with epicness or details or whatever, I felt like it'd work against the relaxing feel of the piece. Hence the more minimalistic arrangement as you pointed out.

I've come around to thinking that the fadeouts I've done in the past were usually not a good idea, especially with the hyper energetic tracks I was doing. But I still think that fadeouts in mellow tracks sound really beautiful ;-)

[Wasteland Overdrive]

I love the atmosphere and instruments - especially the drum kits. I love the combination of genres and the moods, too. The structure is good, but I wish there was a bit more dynamic contrast, just so it feels more climactic. The mixing is excellent, though, and this piece has just the right amount of reverb. I LOVE that snare that comes in at 2:18 and other places, as well as the flute-sounding percussive instrument and snare at the very beginning. Fantastic work overall. Keep it up, Deadlyfishes! :D

deadlyfishes responds:

"I wish there was a bit more dynamic contrast, just so it feels more climactic." It was designed this way to be fitting for use in the game. I actually did have more contrasting moments but it became too distracting for the game so I had to make it a bit less dynamic in terms of structure. Thanks for your review!

[We Are Strong]

I liked the instruments and mood, especially the synths that come in at :42. The edgy guitars and pads added a lot to the piece as well. I liked the progression, too. However, I'm not sure I like the vocals too much - they're a little repetitive and sound very angry/irrelevant. I wish they were at least sung instead of spoken. The fade-out ending was a little dull, too. Perhaps this would make a good loop. I like the beats and mood, though. Overall, it's a cool piece. Keep at it, Mistarogerz! ;D

mistarogerz responds:

It was in fact a little bit angry. I was angry that I could'nt think of any more vocals. LOL! Maybe I'll sing on my next one!

[The Arrival]

Hey! I remember you! Nice to hear from you again, man! I like the instruments and moods. Sometimes the pacing seems a bit off, though: at the very beginning it seems more energetic, but then at :10 the strings really slow it down. That's really picky though. The instrument at the very beginning actually sounded electronic to me at first, believe it or not! XD I like the progression, though, and it loops well. I'd love to hear this piece extended a bit. It sounds like the arrival of an Indian prince riding on a HUGE elephant - is that what you were going for? Overall, I like it a lot! Hope you'll post more often in 2014, man! ;D

Possibly responds:

Cheers - yeah, I have loads of stuff, I've just been lazy about putting it on here. Umm, you're pretty close with your guess - I was thinking of a Cleopatra arriving with grand procession type thing - very close indeed!

[theme for "only one chance"]

It's very soothing and contemplative. The melodies are beautiful. I appreciate the attempt at dynamic contrast, but I don't like how it got quieter as the piece went on. If you were ever going to turn this into a full-length piece, you could add a more energetic section at the end on full volume. The last note not only cuts off suddenly on the MP3 file, but it also sounds like you took your finger off of the piano key too soon. That's one note away from a sure-fire download by my standards. :( Otherwise, the pacing, progression, atmosphere, and pretty much everything else were perfect! Great job, Johnfn. Sorry I haven't checked out your game yet, btw. Admittedly, I completely forgot about it, but I'll be sure to do it this weekend if not sooner. This week at school has been HELL for me...Anyway, keep it up! ;D

johnfn responds:

Ah no worries man! There's no obligation to immediately review all of my stuff like you diligently do. I'm massively appreciative of the work you do already.

As someone else pointed out, I think that the weird volume thing works better when you're actually playing the game - I never really noticed it when I was playing, but a lot of people were pointing it out here.

Good catch on that one off note haha. Truth is I improvised this 100% off the grid so it was very difficult to get it to loop properly. Also I was rushing because of the time limit. Excuses execuses ;-P Thanks as ever for the suggestions and comments.

[Steam Box]

I like the synths and beat, but I think it's very repetitive and you overdid the panning on the lead. The mood was cool - energetic, yet somehow trance-like. I like how it got glitchy and break-ish after around 2:30, but I think it needed a lot more substance in general. It was very minimalistic and progressed very slowly. I liked the ending, as well as the mood and instruments, but I think it needs a lot more variation across the board. Keep at it, Zenovance! ;D P.S.: You're lucky. Two reviews in one day! ;)

oswald responds:

It'll be improved for the albums release, don't worry.

EDIT: Actually, I might not put this on the album, I'm not entirely sure.

[Dystopian Stars]

I love the synths and arps. It's very catchy and engaging, and you really improved the balance a lot since I heard it last. You've also gotten better at making your sweeps sound interesting. The structure is good, too. It does get a little repetitive at times, and when you start combining the arps with the more chord-based synths at 3:08, it seems a little too busy. However, I love the mood and instruments overall, and it's very catchy and upbeat and smooth-flowing. Excellent work overall, and good luck with the album! ;D

oswald responds:

I really focused on the balanced this time, nice to hear that you're satisfied. The only reason why the sweeps are a lot more interesting this time is because I'm using different Normal/Reverse cymbals whenever the song transitions into a new section and the equalized white noise adds to the variety in a sense. I knew that someone would say that 3:08 is a little busy! I had to add the arps here to be honest, otherwise this song would sound even more repetitive than it already is. Thank you very much! :D

[They feed on fear]

WOAH! 0_0 I haven't heard from you in a LONG time. I love the ominous riffs and instruments. The combination of that edgy guitar and eastern-sounding gamelan or whatever sounds really haunting! The structure is solid, and the transitions are good too. The ending was interesting. It almost sounded like a moment of humorous realization the way that guitar cuts off suddenly - like all of a sudden it turns out the zombie was just this goofy kid or something. Anyway, I like this experimental stuff you're doing, Mistarogerz. Keep it up! ;D

mistarogerz responds:

I only have a certain month out of the year to make any music at all and this is my window of opportunity. Best part is, I'm not stuck in the studio all day as my job entails traveling and a lot of gamble. This time, I'm going to travel all over the country and write songs on the spot just like this one. Spontaneous, and there will be more......