TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Forgotten Past]

It has a really beautiful and emotional yet full sound. I definitely couldn't play this on the piano. I assure you that your skill with instruments far exceeds mine! I just love the structure and transitions. I also love how parts of it are full of feeling and heaviness in a way (e.g. :55), while others feel cathartic like screaming out loud on top of a lonely mountain (e.g. 1:36). It's a beautiful composition and feels very authentic (even if you seem to regret not playing it better, which didn't bother me at all). I think the reverb makes it sound like you actually played it in Symphony Hall! :D Excellent work, LucidShadowDreamer! ;D "Snowy Night" is an AWESOME song, btw. Johnfn fanboys unite! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yay! I'm glad you liked this :D
Well, might be you couldn't play it, but the piano is the ONLY instrument I can play, so I'm sure you're better than me at all the rest! And anyway, there's always someone better than you, so I guess I should be happy I can play this well :)

I'm glad you like the transitions, I was actually worried that they were too over the top or too random! I think that the reason this song is filled with feeling, is because a large part of it was originally an improvisation. After that it was easy to continue in the same style.

I like how you actually write in pictures and emotions in your reviews! It really gives a little bit more, and is appreciated!

"1:36"

=> Yes, that is the climax of the song, so it makes sense that it's "screaming" :D

I recorded this through my new computer, so since the settings were different I actually struggled quite a lot with the reverb, so it's good to see that I seem to have succeeded with it! :'D

Thank you for another review, and Johnfn fanboys unite indeed! ^ ^

[Assorted Blues]

It's very catchy, and I love the instruments and mood. I feel like it may be slightly cliché, though: this is pretty much the standard bassline to use in a large portion of traditional blues music. However, I thought you did a great job of providing a lot of variation, including an awesome acoustic bass at 1:30 and even electronic elements starting at 1:45. I liked the structure and transitions, and most of the instruments too, but the one at 2:18 sounded a little high-pitched and harsh to me. It started feeling a bit busy around 2:52. I think you have a habit of forcing the harmonies a bit too much after a certain point in your pieces, LunacyEcho. I have the same problem. We'll work on it together! ;) Anyway, the ending was cool. You managed to pack a LOT of instruments in there and still make in coherent, which is excellent! Keep up the great work! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

Whoa, a double review! Nice!

=> cliché =>

I know that it's an overused bassline, but I couldn't resist. It's the only standard melody I included, though, so I hope that cancels it out. :P

=> 2:18 =>

Yeah, I can see how it could sound harsh. It's not the best bitcrushing job in the world, I'll admit. Instead of saying 'harsh', I prefer to say 'nostalgic', for all those people that used to listen to this stuff when they were young. *goes and realizes that this sounds nothing like that* Ah, well.

=> harmonies =>

I have a habit of introducing stuff, breaking from that and introducing other stuff, then putting everything together into one. That's the basic structure of most of my songs. I really ought to try making something more minimalistic. That'd be interesting. You've just given me my next song idea!

Thanks a lot for the two-in-one, TheDoor!

[Analog Rush]

I love the atmospheric instruments at the beginning, and the harmonies that start at around :13. I think :26 was too loud in general compared to the relatively quiet first 30 seconds or so, but that's an easy fix. What bothered me most about this piece was probably the transition at :48 - it was very sudden. However, I love the melodies at 1:11. That instrument at 1:47 was really cool, too. Overall, I really liked the structure, and most of the transitions. I loved the portamentos and melodic variations at about 2:00 and beyond, but I thought you started to overdo it a bit after 2:30 or so. It felt a little busy there. Overall, though, nice work! I look forward to hearing more from you, LunacyEcho! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

=> too loud in general =>

I think when you write a song, you sort of become blind to how it might sound to people who listen to it the first time. Going back and taking a listen, I think you're right. That is a bit loud. Sorry!

=> transition at 0:48 =>

Yeah, that was a little annoying for me as well. I tried dampening the blow by putting it under Drum'n'Bass and hoping that people would sort of expect that, but once again, I guess I was blinded by creation. :P

=> portamentos =>

Whoa, there, going old school in terminology! I had to look up what 'portamento' meant! Probably because I only received formal training in piano and it's kinda hard to slide up and down a piano. Maybe because of the part with the keys. Not sure. Anyways, I call it 'glide' because that's how it's referred to in my software. :D

=> 2:30 =>

Really? Aw... That's my favorite part! It's not for everyone, I guess. I can see how it might seem really complex compared to the rest of the song.

Thanks for the review, TheDoor! I'm sorry for only really responding to the criticisms, but I think you've reviewed enough to know that your writing is appreciated. :)

[Scareludium]

This is beautiful! :D Did you play it live? If so, I'm very impressed! I love the mood, btw. It's creepy and ominous in a way, yet also strangely innocent - like a baby hypnotized by its mobile. I think it needs more variety and structural development, though. The phrasing gets very predictable and repetitive after a certain point. The simplicity of it gives it a stagnant feel as well. I'd advise you to add more instruments, variation, and dynamic contrast across phrases. I also thought the ending felt a bit...inconclusive. However, it is very harmonically sound, and had just the right amount of reverb. Good work! Keep at it, LucidShadowDreamer! ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks for another review! Yes, I did play it live, so thanks for being impressed. I've got to admit that it took a couple of recordings even to get it this good though :)
Interesting comparison with the baby :D

Yes, you're definitely right; this song is very predictable after a while, since it's structure stays precisely the same. I don't think I was aiming for a good song though, I made this pretty spontaneoulsy, one summers day XD

I've always been lazy about adding more instruments, but when I get time I'll try to do more songs that actually have more than one instrument in them.

That ending is just a random chord I came up with, since I didn't really know how to end the song :p

I'm glad you liked the reverb, since I tried my best adding it afterwards!

Once again, thank you, and I'll definitely try to keep up my (good?) work ;)

[leaving]

It is beautiful! You channel my emotions so well, and it really tells a story! I love the instruments and mood and atmosphere. I like how there's not really a very strong, regular beat (at least in the beginning). It makes it easier to show the emotion. Excellent job with the dynamic contrast and general show of passion. I think it is a little simplistic, but that's a good thing in many applications! ;D Keep it up, Johnfn! ^^

johnfn responds:

I channel YOUR emotions? haha but I like how you liked the lack of beat but it drove LunacyEcho insane.

Improv pieces are always simplistic! :D Thanks for the review.

[snowfall in an empty land]

Ah! :) I was just thinking earlier today that you hadn't had a new song in a long time! Then I realized it had only been 8 days. Anyway, I love the mood and instruments. The first 45 seconds or so feels very mechanical and insect-like, and then the next section is beyond beautiful. I love the contrast between nature and artifice in this piece. I absolutely love that effect at 1:29 and other places. The piano around 2:15 was amazing. I still have no idea how you managed to tie all these themes and moods together into one. 2:45 even seemed minimalistic and pensive, a huge contrast to 1:37, for example. The structure is amazing, btw. I love all the ups and downs that you shape so perfectly. That melody at 4:49 is killer, btw. This is just amazing, amazing work. You are my IDOL, Johnfn. I want you to know that this year, my junior year of high school, has been excruciatingly hard for me (a lot of late nights, college pressure, bad grades, nervous breakdowns, etc.) and your music has been one of the main things which has helped get me through it. Thank you so much! Also, please try not to go more than 8 days without posting a track, at least until mid-June. ;) Keep up the inspiring work, Johnfn! :D

johnfn responds:

Dude, junior year is the worst. There's a reason 2008 only has a single audio submission from me.

Oh gosh I don't think I can be anyone's idol though, I'm just some dumb guy with a DAW.

I'm really glad you liked it so much though! I was thinking about how you pointed out that most of my songs are small climax -> break -> big climax, and while this is a little similar, I tried to make the quiet parts stand out and be interesting too (see the flute solo, etc). I also streeetcchhed out the ending. I'm always nervous to have my piece just breathe rather than be attention grabbing all the time, but I was sure to make a lot of space here.

> I still have no idea how you managed to tie all these themes and moods together into one

TRANSITIONS. I demoed my song a couple of days ago and people were like "this sounds like 3 separate songs." So then I worked really hard on making sure that each transition was really convincing.

> 4:49

Yeah I was actually nervous about this because normally when I come up with really beautiful things I put them front and center and make the song EPIC so they stand out and the listener pays attention. Here I went in the complete opposite direction.

All in all thanks duude. I can't promise any sort of schedule with my music, but I'll try :)

[Lifework Unstopped]

I love the ominous mood and instruments. That sub-bassy kick was really creepy. I think you should work on your transitions a lot, though. Many of them are very sudden: :30, :54, etc. Also, the sound effect at 1:24 seemed a bit irrelevant. It seems like an interesting film, though. I think I'll check it out. Keep up the good work, BenjaminTibbetts! ;D

BenTibbetts responds:

Thanks for your thoughts. I am glad you enjoy the music. The transitions and sound effects in this track correspond to small events in the film.

[NOR4TO-For the Bass 2 min prew]

I think this is awesome! I love the energy and the synths and harmonies and the mood. Those tiny-phrase filters at :24 and other places really added a lot to the piece. The drop was amazing - so catchy and energetic. There are a lot of high-pitched sounds after 1:23 or so, but that's not a huge deal. I'm looking forward to hearing the full version! Please make sure to avoid a fade-out ending on the final track, though, please. Keep up the good work, Norato! ;D

Norato responds:

Thanks man ;)