TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[To Pilot A Moon]

I like the heavy guitars at the beginning. Catchy riffs, and really loud, crisp mastering. I also really like the dreamy synth riff at :37. The vocal layering is great. I like the tone of your voice, too. Sounds like you're a child playing out his fantasy. The structure of the track almost reminds me of a musical, because it's just itching for some visuals to accompany it. I also love the contrast between the legato vocal phrases and frantic guitar riffs. I really like how the cymbals kinda pulse back and forth in the mix at around 3:30, and the darker-sounding mid-section starting at 4:00-ish was great! The "radio" section at 5:10 was a great thematic touch. I also love how it comes full-circle with the structure of the vocal phrases by "been told I'm a loon." The ending was just haunting. I'm tempted to critique the lack of cohesion in a way, but the storytelling in this piece is just phenomenal. Fantastic work, Kor-Rune! Is there anywhere I can download this?

Kor-Rune responds:

thank you!! it should be up for download here now, it's also on Spotify. Thanks for your kind words!!

[FF8 - The Man With The Machine Gun Metal]

This is amazing! I love the energy and the layering and the well-timed changes in the rhythmic pacing (e.x., :35). The chord at 1:01 is awesome. There's a lot of different emotions in here, but in the end it comes across as victorious, frantic, and passionate. I also really like the breakdown at around 1:30. The second breakdown at around 2:30 even has a touch of dreaminess to it. Really strong work here, PirateCrab! You clearly put your soul into this track. Keep it up! ^^

PirateCrab responds:

Thanks bud! Got no soul left, gonna just make Metal memes now haha!

[endK - Ethereal]

Another cool short piece! I like the emotional appeal of this one. That piano has a really bright tone to it that's really soothing. All of the rolled chords and spaciousness of the texture are pleasant to the ear, and I like the somewhat dark ambient sounds that come in towards the middle of the piece. Compositionally, it's a bit simplistic, but it has this great inward and ponderous tone to it that I really like. Strong work! Keep it up, EndK. ^_^

endKmusic responds:

Much thanks for the review.
I'm glad you enojoyed it! :)

[Enter the Dungeon]

Cool stuff! Sounds very heroic and even cinematic in a way. Definitely a cute, VGM-ish take on a classical fanfare. While I like the sound design overall, some of the samples sounded more like fake brass than brassy synths, if you know what I mean. It's a short piece with a simple-yet-effective ABA form, though. I like it! There's a great anticipation-resolve set up in the structure of the A-section that repeats every measure. Keep up the good work, EndK! I like the username change, btw. :)

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for the kind words! :>
Yeah, totally agree with you for the brass. However, I think it does its part, since I didn't try to overhumanize or make it 'shine', eventhough there's a lot of stuff that could've been improved.

[Ashes]

I like the crisp drums and heavy guitars. The dark content of the lyrics complements the instrumental track well. The vocals, while very good overall, came through as a little dry sometimes, and the delay effects seemed like a bit of a formulaic solution to that. Maybe some reverb, chorus effects, or other mastering tools would help them sound fuller? The ending is also a tad sudden, but other than that I have very few complaints. I love the passion of the vocals and the pace set by the guitars. Keep up the good work, B-M-I!

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

Thanks man, glad you dig it overall. This is just a captured idea for the tune. Basically drums, press record. No mastering at all. Volume and channel control. Basically record it 4 times, with two slightly different tones, panned hard left and right and mid left and right. Then volumes. Zero post on the guitars.

I have a pretty standard set op for doing all this. It's mostly volume control. You are absolutely correct about the formulaic solution! To eliminate the work on the vocals, I record with minor delay on, set to the tempo of the song - so I don't do any post work. Just a minor compression, which fills up the delay. Eliminates a lot of work, for the idea of it and it still passes! Thanks for the review, mang!

[Zel - Diamond Caves (Spadezer Remix)]

Cool white noise at the beginning and sound effects that sound like water dripping. I like the catchy bass riff that starts at :36. The progression is really nice and anticipatory. The drop was cool, but I think there's a bit too much reverb in the texture for my tastes. I'd prefer the breaks there to sound sharper, and the reverb gives off a more atmospheric vibe. The ghostly melodies at 1:55 were nice, and I like the steady undercurrent of bass that's maintained throughout this section. Later, the bass gets even heavier, which is definitely a highlight, but the final melodic refrain at 3:10 or so definitely hits this piece home. The texture is very busy and maybe even a little bottom-heavy throughout, but the production quality is still really good. Impressive work here, Spadezer! Keep up the great work. ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Thanks for the feedback TL! I could see what you mean about the reverb, and even since I've uploaded this, listening to it again I think I'd agree and change up some of the mixing a bit. Like the kick needs trimmed up, and some of the bass I let get a little messy. I'm also really glad you like 3:10 section!

[Close to Her]

Beautiful! I love the Celtic-sounding instruments and the choir. The string swells and the modulation at :48 were both especially nice compositional elements. I like the emotional outro, too. Man I wish this piece was longer. Composition, mastering, and sound design are all fabulous. Great work, Bosa!

Bosa responds:

Thank you!

[Rhode Island]

Super fun track! The whispered lyrics at the beginning are a little hard to make out, but otherwise I have absolutely no complaints. Your vocal range is great, combining a rich baritone with a strong falsetto. Do you take voice lessons? I love all the vocal layering and call-and-response effects ("that's right!", etc.). The instrumental is smooth, too. Reminds me of the soundtrack of an 80s sitcom. Great comedic value too - I burst out laughing at "their mascot is a scrotum." Just of curiosity, have you ever been to Rhode Island? XD Admittedly, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't take up the opportunity to write a song about my home state of Massachusetts, but seriously: fantastic track here, LE! ^_^

LunacyEcho responds:

Thanks for the review as usual! Haven't been taking vocal lessons haha, but definitely have been trying to get better at singing recently (this song pretty much hits both the upper and lower limits of my range too)

And heyy Ylvis already did the Massachusetts one! It's a riot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvUMV1N7eGM

[Underbound]

Hi Ale and Jordi! Been a while. This is a super cute piece. Overall, I like the unconventional sound design, but a couple of the choices sounded a tad unpolished, especially the cloudy pads at 1:26. The piece definitely comes across as a collage of ideas, but upon watching the animation it does come together a bit more as a cohesive whole. I think my favorite riff is the somber one at 1:48, although I like how the initial riff returns at 2:34 to bring the story full-circle. Nice work, guys!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm on the hunt this night!
I think this may be the last one to have slipped through the net :O
Thanks for your thoughts! ^____^