TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[80's getaway]

I love the effect that sounded like police sirens - it really helped set the mood of the piece. That said, I think it needed a smoother transition into :12. The mood of this piece changes really quickly, from ominous and apprehensive to groovy and danceable at :29, and then back to apprehensive at :56. I think you overused the riff at 1:21 a LOT. However, I really liked the funky variations at 1:37, which helped really add a new dimension to this piece. I'm not sure it felt structurally complete, though, but maybe that's just because a lot of your pieces these days are 4+ minutes long. I've been tough on you in this review, though. I really like how you combined atmospheric and danceable elements in this piece, and the moods, instruments, and melodies are, as always with you, top-notch. Keep up the good work, Johnfn! ;D

johnfn responds:

Lol I kinda did abuse 1:21, I think I used it every 4 bars or something.

After listening to a 6 minute piece it's understandable to think that this is a little incomplete haha. I don't think that's the only reason to think so though, when I relisten I think that the middle section is quite undeveloped (I approached the arrangement process in a slightly different way this time, which is probably way).

Thanks for the review dude!

[starlight dreams]

I love all the creepy ambient effects. It almost sounds like a clock ticking in the beginning! The synths were really cool, too. It does progress a little slowly at times, but I love that beat at 1:04, even if it is very repetitive. It IS very atmospheric, and I love the combination of the dreamy melodies and mechanical ambient effects/beats. I especially like the synth that sounded like vibes, and the really dreamy one at 3:12. The structure is also really good - I noticed a lot of your songs have two main "high points," and a long mid-section of melodic variations/a breakdown. In that way, the structure reminds me of "Inside the Machine." I really see a theme of time in this song, but maybe that's just me. I love the way you ended it btw - it was unexpected, yet fitting, like time came to an end just as the universe collapsed. Overall, great work (obviously), and I'm glad you're experimenting across genres a bit more. ;)

johnfn responds:

> very repetitive

Of course beats are repetitive! What did you expect? hahahaha

> time

This is really interesting to me and kinda makes me want to describe my songs less because I often enjoy other interpretations of my songs more than my own. Thanks for the neat perspective.

> I noticed a lot of your songs have two main "high points,"

Yeah you can kinda tell I'm dialing in arrangement when I do this I guess. The initial peak is to grab your attention and the second one is the epic finale. I guess this is something worth diversifying!

Thanks for the review! I appreciate you managing to do it, even with school :)

[Venkman's Boogie]

Nice! :D I love the strong beat and creepy synths. The one at :24 is probably my favorite. It loops very well, and would be good for gameplay. I think it is a bit repetitive, though, even if it is short, so maybe only a level or two...Anyway, nice job! The energy and ominous mood of this one really set the context for this game! ;) Keep at it, Possibly! ^^

Possibly responds:

Thanks, yeah, the devloper only wanted very short loops for levels, I don't think they last very long.

It went live yesterday apparently, hyere.

http://www.shiftjump.com/

[The Sacred Grove]

The combination of instruments was extremely interesting. I especially love the flutes and the bird sound effects. It's also very celtic and majestic. Can I get these plug-ins you mentioned in the description for FL Studio? Anyway, I was really glad you added some progression to it at 1:48, but I think the transition into 2:11 is very sudden. The vocals truly were beautiful, though, and it seems very authentic, which is excellent. I love how you end it with the sound effects you began it with. This is really inspiring work! I'm looking forward to seeing what else you produce in 2014, Possibly! ;D

Possibly responds:

Sorry for the slow reply - yeah, I have a habit of sudden transitions, I'm quite fond of the jarring effect - and in this case I think that with further listens it becomes a little less surprising perhaps. East West andAlchemy work as VST within most DAWs, I would imagine they work in FL Studio.

There is a free version of Alchemy player which has a good selection of sounds/synths etc - you could give that a try. In the FAQs there seem to be references to FL, so I assume it works.

http://www.camelaudio.com/AlchemyPlayer.php

[[SM 321] - Sadness]

I love the emotion and simplicity. It's very apprehensive, and sad in a way. I like the progression, and the moods are just beautiful. My one complaint is that the ending doesn't feel conclusive enough. I would have loved for it to come full circle, and have a quiet, slow, and reflective ending, just like the beginning. However, it's clear that you took into consideration dynamics, structuring, and the like. It makes for a really polished and professional-sounding composition. Keep up the excellent work! ;D

MidnightSugar responds:

Wow, thank you for the very positive and constructive review, I really appreciate it! People like you
are one of the main reasons why I upload my songs here.

And, yeah I kind of rushed the ending, (unfortunately) since I will be going on vacation
pretty soon. Since I like the sound of this, I will attempt to put in a slower, reflective
ending when I get back.

I see you make music too, so I wish you good luck with that as well!

[Neon Kaleidoscope]

I love the instruments and mood, especially the melody instrument at :31 and the harmonies at 1:02. It's very dreamy and atmospheric in a way. Perhaps it progresses a little slowly at times, but that's the very nature of the genre, I suppose. It's definitely climactic and catchy and has good structure and transitions. You used reverb well, especially on the melody instrument, and the mixing is good. Overall, it's a solid piece. Keep up the great work, Pfrequency. ;D

pfrequency responds:

Thanks! I kind of agree with you about it progressing slowly. The arrangement I ended up using works for me but there may have been a better one.

[Otafu Army's HQ [8bit]]

I like the upbeat mood and harmonies a lot. Some of the riffs at the ends of phrases (like at :57, :100, etc.) seemed a little unnecessary though. I thought the drums were very quiet and needed to be mixed in better (and if you don't know what I mean by that, PM me). It loops very well, but it also lacks structure and is very repetitive. I know it was meant to be in a videogame, which probably doesn't help, but it's good to add dynamic contrast and variation in your songs. I thought the overall sound quality wasn't great, but it does have potential. I like the melodies and mood a lot. Sorry this isn't a very positive review, but I hope you find it helpful moving forward! ;D Keep at it, SuperDragonMasters! ^^

SuperDragonMasters responds:

Thanks for the useful comment. :)
To tell ya the truth, I wasn't very thrilled on how this project went also. >:(
I sort of rushed this one quite a bit. ^_^;
(I meant a lot!)
I'll keep in mind for future reference. Maybe for something else. :D

As for the sound quality, I recorded it using Audacity with DFX Audio Enhancer on. (Thought it was off ) :P

[you win!]

Fun fact: You now have more songs uploaded in 2014 than I had uploaded in 2013 before May! Anyway, it's very dreamy, yet also more energetic and fast-paced than a lot of your other recent tracks. I think it does a great job of capturing the mood of victory: the sense of heightened glory and completion of a grand accomplishment, especially with the melodies at 1:37. The structure really tells a story, which I love. I really like the use of drums in this piece, even if it was a bit subtle at times, because I think it adds a lot to it. I love the part at :33, btw - that's one of the parts of this piece which feels so blissful, but also creates a lot of room for climax. I'd say the conclusive nature of this piece seems fitting, if you don't mind me saying - your last 6-8 pieces or so are so similar that they've simply started to bleed together in my mind. I think it's important to have a lot of variety in the way you create songs and the instruments you use, etc. It's good to experiment more - it helps you grow as an artist. You already know that, don't you? You've grown a ton since before NGADM: your transitions are rock-solid, you really have an in-depth understanding of structure and sound design, etc. But there are other excellent genres of music besides chiptunes and, as much as it pains me to say this, I feel like it's time you've moved on from this. Sorry. I may have heard this piece 6-8 times before, but it's excellent nonetheless. Keep it up, Johnfn! :D ...and I'm still waiting to hear those guitar/indie tracks you were going to experiment with a couple of months ago. ;)

johnfn responds:

Haha, I completely understand where you're coming from with the whole "omg johnfn you just wrote 66 chipstep pieces in a row". I really can't explain why but my brain has decided to go deep into chiptune territory, especially after I used to be like "lol different genre every song". And yeah I totally see that being tiring to dedicated listeners. But personally it's been helpful for me for two reasons:

1. I always listen to songs from a melody/arrangement perspective first. imo sound design is just a way to get melodic development across.
2. I learn more about mixing/production this way. I think this might be my best mix ever. I was able to take that step forward because I could focus directly on the mixing aspect of the song. If I had made this song orchestral (or something else), then there's no way I could have achieved that result, because there would be too many other conflicting variables.

So really it's all just a learning process for me... but I can understand how it would drive other people crazy =D

Anyway I take your advice to heart and will be sure that the next piece I release will be so experimental that it will make you wish that I went back to chipstep *cackles maniacally*

P.S.

"Where are your indie tracks?"

BLARG I DONT KNOW HOW TO RECORD ACOUSTIC GUITAR. I think my mic isn't good. I need to figure this out.