TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Corporate Espionage]

I like the ominous mood and bottom-heavy mix. The mysterious pads at :28 were a nice touch, and the brass also adds a lot of character to the piece. The title evokes the piece's connection to some sort of mystery/thriller old-timey movie. The details win the day with this piece, from the drum fill at 1:30 to the theremin at 1:45 to creepy outro. Keep up the good work, Possibly!

Possibly responds:

Thanks for another review, appreciate you taking the time :D

[A (Mountain) Range Of Options]

Very evocative! Sounds like sunrise over Wyoming. I love the power of those descending rolled chords and the mysterious plucking at around the 2-minute mark. Doesn't quite sound like a coherent piece yet to me, though. The pacing is pretty wonky, with a lot of extended pauses that hold a little too much tension without giving way to a point of resolve. Still definitely puts an image in my head, but it might need some drums or something to move it along. Keep at it, Possibly!

Possibly responds:

Cheers - yeah, I don't think there was supposed to be any resolution, cos they are lost and isolated in a wilderness. Think of it more of a piece meant to work in conjunction with images I guess. Thanks for the review.

[Bass Camp!]

I like the frantic slap bass and drums. Very bizarre texture - energetic, yet also kinda minimalistic until :30 or so. I like the strong beat and structuring too. The orchestral hits add some nice flavor, and the production is also really clean. Overall, it feels both very innovative and very organic, which is a nice combo. Keep it up, Possibly! ^^

Possibly responds:

Thanks very much, glad you like it, I appreciate the kind words.

[Enter the Dunes (original)]

Catchy beat, if a little minimalistic. I like the bass line and rhythmic percussion. Sound design overall is really smooth, but I think the texture was missing some higher-pitched tones. The mix is pretty clear, if a tad undecorated. Compositionally, the piece is a bit repetitive and lacks melodic content. I'd encourage you to find alternative ways of creating variety besides just adding and subtracting instruments over time, though. Phrasing, dynamics, filtering, and automation can all help vary the intensity of your piece, especially a track that has so much underlying apprehension like this one. The ending of the track was a tad sudden, but I did like the short bridge at 2:39. Nice work overall! You're certainly getting better. Keep at it, DJRemedy! ^^

djRemedy responds:

Thanks, TaintedLogic! I always appreciate your constructive reviews and will try to apply them to my next piece!

[Diacrisis OST]

Provocative use of vocal samples. Where did you get them from? The mix isn't all that sharp, though, and overall I found the composition here to be a bit dry and repetitive. The piece needs a high-pass, as well as some more high-pitched frequencies in general. It's minimalistic and harmonically underwhelming, even if you sell the mood and atmosphere well. The muddiness in the mix is my main concern here, though, even though the mix itself is loud. I'd suggest trying to rein in some of those bass frequencies with an equalizer and fill in some of the texture with some pads or other harmonies. Right now, the piece lacks any meaningful sense of directionality. I've been harsh on you, though. I'm sure it fits the tone and purpose of the game you made it for quite well. As a stand-alone track, it just needs a stronger sense of progression. Keep at it, man!

Alucard responds:

Your feedback was very helpful!

[Timescape]

I love the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the chord progression. Excellent job with the phrasing and intensity throughout. I love the gritty synth bass that comes in right before the beat, and the pensive, arpeggiated patterns maintained throughout the rest of the piece. The transition at 1:51 is a little sudden, but the cinematic vibe of the piece really helps hit it home in the end. Sound design and production quality are both strong, even if the drums don't come through the mix quite as well as I want them to at 1:51. I really like how you slid the arpeggios up an octave for the outro, though. That really helps maintain the intensity until the end. Solid work! Good luck in the ADM. ^_^

LunyAlex responds:

Hey thanks for your review!
It's very motivating. I'll give my best, hehe.

[Hide the Light]

I love the ambiance here. Reverb is beautiful, especially combined with the haunting pads. Definitely has a celestial vibe about it, and I absolutely love the collage of instruments on display later in the piece, from the cello to the electric guitars to the piano. My only complaint is that the piece needs to be at least 3 times as long to satisfy my craving for ambient music. Fantastic work, Ale. Your production skills have improved a lot recently, too. Looking forward to hearing more from you soon! ^^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad you liked it! I just got a new reverb plugin, which makes the sound a lot less muddy, even if you use a lot of it. I had fun picking out the instruments. You're right about most of them, but there is actually no cello, the Joshua Bell Violin just hits some pretty low notes ^____^

I know! It totally should be longer. Alas, it's time to move back to Finland tomorrow :3
Thank you for the review :D

[Hollow Knight Main Theme Remix]

The beat is a little simplistic, but moves the piece along nicely. The ominous melody is cool, but it would've been nice to have some additional harmonies in there - bass, back-up melody, etc. - before 1:26 or so. I think the main riff sounds really indistinct in the mix, which is probably my main problem with the piece. I'd suggest removing some of the reverb and delay effects to add clarity. It's possible that they come with the instrument you used, but I think having fewer mastering effects in the texture would add some clarity to the mix. I hope you continue to work on this, though! It's a catchy tune with a cool atmosphere. Keep at it, man! ^^

DaVaP responds:

Oh damn, thanks. This was made in a bit of a rush to have something done for the game's anniversary, but that doesn't excuse it being as not-well-made as it is. Thanks for all the tips, means a lot. This was made in FL Studio Mobile which isn't quite as versatile as its PC counterpart, and I'm new to making music. I'll definitely try to do better on my next song/s as I'll be getting a laptop fairly soon, so look forward to that. Thanks again for the review!

[Etherscape]

I like the atmospheric style and soothing instrumentation. The pulsing of the pads at :47 was refreshing, but overall the piece is a tad slow to develop, and just when it seems to be coming together and building towards a climax, you launch into the breakdown at 1:24. The huge build-up of reverb into 2:05 was fun, and I like how it suddenly gives way to the frantic synth line and drums at 2:06. In fact, that last minute and a half or so is probably my favorite part of the piece. The mood and harmonies just come together more in that section. Overall solid work! Looking forward to those DnB tracks, too. ;)

Alloud responds:

Hey thanks for listening! Your review is very appreciated I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Whirlwind]

I like the strings at the beginning. Love the fusion orchestral-breakbeat style. Reminds me of some of Waterflame's old tracks. You have a great knack for creating catchy, energetic riffs that progress well over the course of the song. I especially like how one section bleeds into the next, like at 2:37. The piece gets a tad repetitive towards the end, but the energy is certainly maintained and the mastering is great throughout. Keep up the good work!

P.S. Where do you get your string samples from?

ErikMcClure responds:

Pretty much everything here is EWQL