TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Blast Off! (ft. Lupis)]

I like the minimal vocals at the beginning and the upbeat mood. Has a much more pop sugar sensibility than some of your other tracks. The melodies at :48 are great, and the extended post-chorus is nice too. The lyrics themselves are a bit cheesy sometimes, but the production quality and sound design are great. You've also paced the track really effectively too, with the short-lived re-intro at 1:36 and the extended melodic/high-energy sections. Really strong work overall, MKT! ^_^

[Resolution (NGADM '23 Finals)]

I like the pensive, echo-y mallets at the beginning and the woodwinds shortly thereafter. Sounds very Far Eastern. The string melodies and plucks are lovely, and the piano at the 1-minute mark provides a nice element of contrast from the richer texture of before. The mix could be a tad more polished here - it seems like almost all of the harmonies are playing the middle of the frequency range on down, so maybe opening up the frequency range a bit with some transpositions would help the mix breathe a bit, especially earlier on in the piece. As for the composition, I absolutely love the meditative piano riff at 1:41 and the gradual (and then not-so-gradual) swell into the final climax at 2:25. You absolutely nailed the sound design and melody-writing here, Papkee. Oddly enough, I remember especially liking another Eastern-inspired piece of yours from a few years back, “Heart of the East.”

Also, I’d be remiss not to point out that your work has been an inspiration for me for 10+ years now; I think the first piece of yours I heard was “Utopia,” which you submitted to the 2013 NGADM. :’D Anyway, heartfelt congratulations on your success in this year’s competition! It’s been an absolute pleasure hearing so much of your work these past 5 months, Papkee. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[Whispering Willow Waltz]

I’m always a sucker for waltzes, and this is no exception. :D The graceful piano melody and strong bass line at :11 are in a lovely dance of their own, and the occasional swell of the strings (like at :38) is a nice touch as well. The mixing and mastering of this piece could be a lot sharper, though. It feels rather muddy at the very beginning, and the mix is rather bottom-heavy throughout. The percussion towards the beginning could also come through more strongly, but that’s a relatively short-lived problem.

I think my favorite part of the piece is 1:25. The syncopations in the piano line are great, and the strings have a much more tense and driving tone than before, which is a great point of contrast from the warm swells of earlier. The ritardando at the end, cheesy as it is, really put a smile on my face.

It’s great to see you branch out from your jazz roots here. Apparently you also make EDM? I’ve got to check that out sometime. Congratulations on your success in this competition, FJOB! It’s been an absolute pleasure listening to so many of your tracks over the last 5 months. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Eonian Sweven]

I like the theremin and waltzy meter towards the beginning. The texture sounds a tad watery, but the mix is still pretty clear. In fact, it’s almost jarring when the watery atmosphere fades away by around :30. The cadence at 1:05 or so sounds a bit melancholic, as does much of the piece, actually. There are a couple of places where I would’ve liked to hear a shift in the balance between a couple of the instruments. For example, the violin melodies at 1:35 don’t pop through the mix quite enough, nor do the strings at 3:23, and there are a couple of places where I do think the murky texture got a tad overwhelming (like at 1:25 or so).

The sound design of this piece is fantastic, though. I love the bells right at 2:00, the aforementioned theremin, the ambient textures, the flute at 3:10, and the rich strings later on. As always, your compositional details are scrumptious, like the tremelos at 2:30. The section at 3:50 feels like a big moment of triumph and arrival later on in the piece, although the descent back into the melancholy is swift (4:16 or so). I also thought the transition at 4:22 was a bit sudden. Even a pause for dramatic effect may have helped foreshadow the lightening of the mood there. The chord progression at 4:56 is a great way of concluding the piece, though. It felt simultaneously climactic and humorous, almost like our beloved protagonist is finally realizing it was just a dream after all. :)

Powerful stuff here, Alex. You’ve clearly shown your versatility as a composer, both in this piece and throughout the NGADM this year. Heartfelt congratulations on your success in this competition. It’s been an absolute pleasure listening to so much of your work over the past 5 months, which reminds me of old times to boot. :’D

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Lordant - A Star Like Me]

The Celtic flute at the beginning is absolutely haunting, and the reverberant atmosphere and warm strings help give this an adventuresome and profound aura. I love the string swells, like at :47. The mix is perhaps a tad quiet, but very well-balanced and clean. The contour of the flute melody gets a tad repetitive at around 1:20, so I’m glad you decided to break it up a bit with the piano bridge at 1:33. The texture is pretty minimal for most of the piece, but the reverb and well-balanced frequencies help keep me engaged. The energetic, ascending string line at 2:26 is really nice, and captures the tension of the piece well going into 2:54 nicely. The vocals and the way the piano rejoins there makes for a fairly subtle yet very effective final climax. The callback to the flute and strings works nicely too. The emotional appeal of the string solo during the outro is top-notch. Overall, what can I say? You did it again, Lordant. Despite my nitpicks, this is a fantastic piece all around. Congratulations on your success in this competition. It’s been an absolute pleasure hearing so much of your work these past 5 months. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Lordant responds:

It's kinda ironic that every entry of mine that you've favorited got 4.5 stars, and the ones that you didn't, on the contrary, received 5 stars from you :)
Thanks for feedback, as always!

[Anywhere Else]

I like the hip-hop inspired beats and dreamy guitar at the beginning. Love the rich bass and atmosphere too. Similar progression and sound design as the last piece I reviewed, but that's fine. This one sounds much more fleshed-out with the beat and well-balanced frequencies. Could use some vocals or a lead melody to give it a stronger sense of drive, but otherwise I really like it. Cheers, man! ^_^

SensoryDecay responds:

Haha yeah this and Nethermind were made in the same session, didn't really feel like figuring out a way to mesh them together so I just SLICED them apart like a savage. I've been overcoming this darker feeling lately and I've not been in a very good headspace most days and this song kinda reflected that. I would sing on it, but this is one that I just wanted to let meander in my headspace

I've really been trying to work on my drums, I never practiced drums and my rhythm is pretty god awful so anytime I can hone drums is pretty cool. My personal trick is to layer a lot of different styles and find a cool melody between them. I will always default to hip hop sounding beats though, I don't find acoustic drums too satisfying. When played right they are amazing, but usually they sound way too pedestrian to be interesting. I also sound like a total ass using words like pedestrian with a straight face.

*Edit - Deantoni Parks and Jon Theodore come to mind as far as modern great drummers (there are WAY more I know OH John Stanier is another mONster drummer.)

[Nethermind]

I like the relaxed guitar at the beginning and the dreamy organ drone at :16. The piano that came in every 4 beats for 2 notes was a bit loud in the mix, but once the rest of the atmosphere falls together it blends in nicely. Solid work overall! Sounds (fittingly) very pensive and introspective. ^_^

SensoryDecay responds:

Dude, I had no idea what to do with this. It started off as a cool idea and then I was like...EH? I stumped my head on where to go with it, and then Anywhere Else happened. And I was like...well I should marry these two...and then I didn't. Also, everything is too loud haha, not mixed well.

[The Stand]

Ahh, I missed this one. I like the catchy guitar riff and the twangy vocals. The texture is a bit minimal and bottom-heavy sometimes. I definitely wanted some of the compositional details to come through more, like the hi-hat rolls starting at 1:21. I definitely like the spoken vocal clips that pop up occasionally, like at 1:38. The lyrics themselves are also really good here. I think my favorite line is "I've been looking for the devil, I don't see the signs." The layering at 2:36 is a nice way of hitting the piece home towards the end. Solid track overall! Definitely feels bluesy and introspective, which I like. Keep it up, Lil Arm! ^_^

[I Didn't]

Love the sound design and energy here, Connor. I can tell you've gotten a lot better at mixing vocals over the last few years. The composition details here (the screech at :38, hi-hat rolls, etc.) are also top-notch. Really catchy beats and strong production quality all around. Hope you do more like this in the near future! ^_^

ConnorGrail responds:

Thank you friend! Ive definitely been working a lot more on production/vocals/etc so that means a lot! glad you enjoyed the track, I put a lot of me into agonizing over it and I am quite happy with the result

[my grandma (wrote the bible for me)]

Love the distorted vocals and the 1950s rock 'n' roll sound design. Almost thought the vocals were some sort of kazoo at first. XD The solo at 1:32 with the spoken word lyrics is probably my favorite part of the piece. The ending is a bit sudden, and I do want to at least know what the lyrics are despite the distortion sounding really cool. Still, neat track that is, as usual with you, very well-produced. Cheers, Bryce! ^_^