TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Open Your Eyes]

I like the emotional appeal of the spacey piano at the beginning. The blissful melodies and quirky synths at :32 are really nice, and the heavy pads at 1:00 and crisp beats thereafter work really well too. The drop was good too, although I thought you could've gotten a little more creative with the ascending pattern in the gritty mid-range bass that starts at 1:29. This piece has a really nice rhythm between the mellow piano bits and the energetic electronic sections. I suppose I would've liked to hear a little more variation on the drop the second time around, and maybe also an extended outro, but overall I'm really liking the sound design, mixing, mood, and atmosphere of this piece! Keep at it, Jacob. ^^

Jacob responds:

Thank you for the review, TL! You pointed out two things with which I struggled - so good ear.
With the ascending bit at 1:29, I thought it was funny for the robotic voice to resolve the tension by dropping it - but I landed on this after being unsure of where to go with the build, so it was absolutely a cop-out.

I tried a few things on the second go-around of the drop, but ended up not liking any of them. Instead, I decided to treat it more like a slightly modified repeat of a chorus than a drop. It would have most likely been more riveting if I had brought more to it.

I think you're right about the ending. I actually wrote the drop/chorus and that ending before the rest of the song. After bringing the piano into the mix, though, it probably would have been more gratifying to end the song by resolving with the piano - especially if I'd chosen to build up more energy in the climax.

I always appreciate your feedback! And I'm excited to make more tunes. :)

[The Seventh Chord]

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the chromatic details in the melodies. The tone is a good combination of blissful and energetic. Chord progression is a tad cliche, but the smooth flow and rich atmosphere of the piece help keep me engaged. The modulation at 2:00 was a nice touch too. The spacey outro works well, and the production quality is solid too. You earned a scout, my friend! Keep up the good work. ^_^

TranceMasterGD responds:

Tack så mycket herr

[Roads (In the works)]

The ambiance at the beginning is a little eerie, and the bass and beat bolster that effect further. The jazzy vibe and the occasional dissonant moments (e.x. 1:17) are nice touches that round out the character of the piece. I think there's still a lot of room for you to take a more compositionally daring approach with this, but the sound design and atmosphere have me itching for more. Welcome back, Trunotfals! I'm loving your new style, too - as I recall you composed a lot of EDM back in the day. ^_^

trunotfals responds:

So glad to see you commenting on my music again!!! And yes I still make edm, haha, I just havent made like, ANYTHING for almost three years.

[Sakura Raceway]

Hahaha I like the cheesy melodies and upbeat tone. I know you made this in an hour and stuff, but I thought the bridge at :55 was a little bland - the very least you could do to spice it up would be to add some punchier drums to really make that solo pop. Still, the cutesy details of the piece, right down to the ritardando and plunky last note at the end, made me smile. Solid work, LE!

Also, somehow this feels a little slow-paced for Mario Kart, but maybe that's just because I always put the game on "aggressive items." >:D

LunacyEcho responds:

yeah i totally agree, definitely could've done more with the drums—i was just experimenting with some new samples i got. thanks for the review!

[Uncontainable Love]

I really like the emotional appeal of this one. The piano melodies are beautiful, and you did a great job with the string swells at around :47. It was a little sudden when the instrumentation almost completely changed at :28, but it still sounded pretty smooth because the same melody was playing on either side of the transition. The orchestration here is a highlight at the end of the day, especially towards the end of the piece when it adds so much variety and flavor to the track. The outro with the piano is just the icing on the cake, too. Love the string drones and full-circle compositional approach here. Lovely work, CS! ^_^

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks a ton! :D

The idea I was going for was to present the melody plainly in the beginning and then have it blossom like a flower with the orchestration (Hence the cello melody + viola countermelody at 0:28 before everything else slowly fills up the space). The orchestration was definitely the main focus while I was working on it and I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect of it!

Thanks again for the great review!

[SWEDEN (MINECRAFT)]

Woah! Been a while since I've heard from you. I like the tranquility at the beginning. The rich strings at :47 are really nice, and there's a great warm tone to the piece once the texture starts filling out at the 1-minute mark or so. The sound design here is especially admirable. The mix could've been a tad louder, but you definitely emphasize the contrast between the beginning and the climax quite well. I like the portamentos during the drop - really nice touch that adds some dynamism to the chords there. Naturally, the full-circle approach to the composition that you took here is really effective. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, Dave! Hope to see you posting more on NG in the near future. ^^

Daveisgr81 responds:

Thanks! I'm still around - been a long time since I've been here!

I hear you about the volume, it was a problem during the mix :/

[Hold Me, Love Me]

I like the dreamy quality and cheesy synths. The progression is a little slow-paced at times, and the chord structure is a little bland. I think you overdid the reverb on the percussion, especially during the fills at 1:54. The melodies at 2:03 are nice, but the bass and drums get a little drowned out at that section. The smooth flow and atmosphere really help sell this piece, and the seductive saxophone is a highlight for sure. Some of the harmonic details might need more fleshing out, but this is a solid start. I'm far from being a "retrowave nerd," but I'm looking forward to hearing more of your experiments with '80s synths. ^_^

sleepFacingWest responds:

thanks! Yeah, when I think big 80's drums I imagine cavernous reverb but I think I overdid it. They're a bit boomy. I think I need to book up on actual 80's production methods to capture that feel.

[Summer Vista]

Nice! I'm not used to hearing jazz from you. I like the relaxing guitar melodies and percussion. There's a tad too much reverb on the drums, though - it sounds a bit unnatural. The sound design is well done overall, though, and the filtering work at :56 was a nice touch. The piece doesn't have a ton of variety in the texture, but I think the piano solo about 2/3 of the way through goes a long way towards breaking up the structure of the piece a bit. The variations on the drums towards the end were pretty unexpected, but they serve as a fitting echo of the rhythmic contour of the rest of the piece. Solid work, 8-bitheroes! ^^

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for the feedback sir! Have a great day :)

[Will of the Wisp - 05 - Withers]

Wow. Much more energetic texture compared to the rest of the soundtrack. You've really created a well-varied and evocative OST here. The rhythmic component is also a bit stronger here - I especially like the low strings at :58. Paired with the ominous piano, it really lives up to its title, which suggests both an air of mystery and a state of decay to me. I've got to compliment you on being quite prolific recently. You keep producing, I keep fanboy'ing...it's a win-win. Bravo on this lovely and versatile soundtrack, Miyo! ^^

Miyolophone responds:

thank you once again for all your kind words, TL! we'll see if i can keep up this pace for the rest of the year, but i promise i have even more music coming soon :)

[Äventyraren]

I like the flute melodies at the beginning and the background noise. It has a very organic sound. The percussion is great, and the key changes, instrumental palette switches, and octave jumps add some flavor and variety to an otherwise relatively repetitive piece. The strong clap at the end is a nice touch of added energy, although I thought the applause at the end was a bit cheesy, especially since the timing there sounded so unnatural. Still, this piece has a lot of character to it, and your mixing is getting better. Good luck in AIM, EverErratic! ^^

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the review :)

I'm glad the sound is organic and you notice the progress I've made in mixing.

With regards to the timing of the applause, the setting I envisioned is one where the song is played in a tavern in a popular market area, and there are many spectators. Because it's a folk song, the townspeople heard it hundreds of times, and therefor they know exactly when it ends, and thus, I thought it would make sense for the applause to begin relatively early. With that said, this is something I'll pay more attention to if I use the applause effect again. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Thanks for the luck wish, but this isn't an AIM submission. I'm not sure if I'll enter any competitions this year.