TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[Nostalgic Dreams]

I like the emotion and the melodies. The quirky instruments were cool, especially that ghost-y back-up melody instrument at :15. I like the structure and transitions. It's a pretty solid piece. I suppose one complaint I have is that it gets way too busy after around 30 seconds in. There's just too much going on imo - it makes it hard/confusing to listen to. I love the piano and flute harmonies at 1:28, though, and how you then transition into the last refrain. While I'm nitpicking, I think the drums could've been a little more interesting, though. That said, overall, I like this one a lot. Keep up the good work, LunacyEcho! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

I didn't actually think the instrument choice was that good at first, but I was too lazy to change it so I kept it and adapted it to the best of my abilities. I'm glad you liked it!

As for the tons of instruments, yeah. I agree. I guess I got used to listening to it, but I can see how it might be a bit much for anyone newly listening to it.

I think the transition I used into that final part would work better in a more electronically-themed song, since the basic driving instrument was the drums. Speaking of, I see what you mean by them being boring. I mean, I literally just looped it from around 1:15-1:45.

Anyways, thanks a lot for commenting!

[-Home sweet home- (AAG OST)]

I love the quirky synths and the energy and mood. It's very upbeat and fast-paced and fun! :D It loops really well, and I love the melodies that come in at :36. Nice work! I should check out this game! ;D

Waterflame responds:

Thanks :D Its in the featured of this week on ng!

[The Flute Song]

Yay! :D It's very cute and catchy. I love all the instruments and the melodies, too. I appreciated the structuring, even if it is a really short piece. Maybe it'd be good for a children's learning game or something...idk. I love the upbeat and cute mood, though, and it could even potentially make a pretty good loop, too. Nice work! ;D

LunacyEcho responds:

I think I stole the chord progression from that Discovery Channel "I love the blah" song. Maybe. I'm not quite sure.

Children's music, huh? Yeah, makes sense. I was considering making this into a loop, but I made it a while ago and only recently decided to put it on Newgrounds. In other words, you can thank human laziness that this isn't a loop.

Thanks for commenting, TheDoor! I appreciate you taking time out of your religiously upheld commenting to come to my little shadow of the Internet.

[canopy melody]

I absolutely love the mood and instruments. The combination of the prominent bass and dreamy melodies in the beginning is really interesting. I love the percussion, and the structure and transitions are very good. It's also very climactic, and I love the melodies. Everything about this piece is so beautiful, perhaps with the exception of the last chord, which felt a little irrelevant. Still, why is this rated a 3/5?! This is yet more excellent work, Johnfn! Great job! :D

johnfn responds:

YOU ARE A REVIEWING MACHINE. I'm glad you liked this one (I did too). I've basically given up on gaining any sort of meaningful information out of ratings hahah. P.S. I think you can learn to love the last chord. It's got dat jazz feel!

[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!