TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[My Infinity]

Somehow, I forgot to post my review here earlier. I apologize.
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Love the Celtic-sounding instrument and loose phrasing at the beginning. The part at :36 has a very pensive quality, and the strings at :46 were a nice touch too. Something about the first minute of the piece sounds very transient and unstable, with the tremolos on the strings absolutely contributing to that. There’s a nice moment of resolution at 1:40, and I especially love the prominent low strings there. Sounds like the strings and piano are running away from home together. I’m glad you brought back the flute at 2:21, though - it provides for a nice, lighter texture that counterbalances the melancholic tone of the strings, even though the strings and flute never play at the same time (fan theory: the flute is the piano’s mother, and the piano is running away from home to be with the strings, a romantic interest who the flute disapproves of).

Anyway, the melancholic tone absolutely returns in full force at 2:44, and the way the strings slowly bleed back into the texture shortly thereafter is very elegant. The string melodies at 2:57 probably constitute my favorite part of the piece - very chaotic and dramatic, but certainly displaying the heights of passion between the lovers in a compelling light. The transition into the more tranquil tone at 4:06 is a tad abrupt at first listen, but you once again find a way of ratcheting up the emotion in short order for the final flourish at the end. The piece sounds rather triumphant and even peaceful during the last few chords - a marked contrast to the direction I thought you were going in as late as 4:35 or so.

Obviously, I’ve spent a lot of energy just unpacking the “plot” of this piece. The pacing is very fast at times, and it’s safe to say I find it hard to follow all of the twists and turns in the mood. There are a lot of individual motifs that tie the piece together over time, but in a way it still feels a bit disjointed between the prominent string sections and the flute/piano duets (over-protective mother/naive teen lovers analogy aside). One thing I really love about the piece is the production - the texture is airy, well-balanced, and full throughout, and the instruments all sound crystal clear in the mix. The sound design is beautiful, and I feel like I need to recalibrate my standards for the level of emotion and storytelling in a piece after listening to this. I still feel like you tried to cram 9 minutes worth of composition into 5, but at the end of the day that’s probably better than the reverse. You certainly accomplished your goal of transporting me to a different world, and I commend you for that. Keep it up, LSD! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
9.25/10

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

No need to apologise, as I myself have been very slow to respond to review lately!
It's refreshing to re-read your review again now, as I quite like this piece. I love your fan theory ;)

Now that more than half a year has passed, I suppose I can reveal that this piece was quite inspired by a track from "Fumetsu no anata e" (To Your Eternity), called "Memory of the Flow". I just really enjoyed the energy the piece has and the emotion it evokes.

That said, this is very much its own composition, with its own "story" as well. Whilst I agree that it can aid a piece to follow a set structure or form, especially to work as a standalone piece, I also get bored of hearing the exact same patters again and again, which is why I like to throw in a twist or turn, here or there ^____^

I'm glad you feel like my production has improved, at least with regards to this piece, however!

Thanks again for taking the time to write such a thorough review; it's a really important part of what makes the NGADM so special :D

[Unlocked Access]

Somehow, I forgot to post my review here earlier. I apologize.
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I like the warm strings at the beginning. The pace of the chord progression is a bit fast at first, but it gets easier to follow the progression later on in the piece. Love the flair for the dramatic starting at :22 and how the cinematic elements are interspersed with a sultry intrigue (e.x., the riff at :29). The rich harmonies and solos are great, but I think you start overusing the transition at 1:14 after a while, and I also wanted to hear more of the drums in the mix throughout. I think my favorite element of the piece is the whimsical mood - “unlocked access,” combined with the sound design, suggests a James Bond-like adventure to me, which is something I can easily picture as I’m listening to the piece. I’m very impressed you made this in only “a couple of hours.” I also applaud you for the bold - yet seamlessly fitting - decision to conclude the piece with instruments that otherwise don’t really appear in the rest of the track (i.e., the vibes and guitar). Strong work yet again, FJOB! ^_^

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

[Separation (NGADM 23 Semifinals)]

Somehow, I forgot to post my review here earlier. I apologize.
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I like the radio voice and distorted atmosphere at the beginning - paired with the jazzy chords, the piece sounds downright moody. The subtle swell into :45 and the introduction of the cello line there are both gorgeous, and the rich bass there is a nice touch as well. The mix is strong, if a tad bottom-heavy towards the beginning. The riser into 1:18 is a bit cheesy, but I really like the prominent beats and soaring string melodies there. Love the dense rhythmic syncopations and rich texture throughout - even the relatively mellow bridge is really engaging and dynamic. I might’ve liked to hear the piano solo to be a bit more up-front in the mix, but otherwise you nailed the production quality here too. The final chorus feels really triumphant, and the ascending line leading into the post-chorus at 3:32 is a nice touch as well. I might’ve liked to hear more of a proper outro, but that’s a pretty small detail in the grand scheme of things. I’ll also say that the arrangement of the piece is a bit generic, but at the same time the progression flows so smoothly with all of the dramatic crashes and rich harmonies. I love seeing you put a jazzy, energetic twist on your style here. Keep it up, Papkee! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Lordant - Allegro Fratturato]

Somehow, I forgot to post my review here earlier. I apologize.
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I love the atmosphere at the beginning. It’s a bit hard to follow the rhythm at first, but once the texture fills out at :26 it certainly gets easier. Love the sound design here, between the crisp strings and dreamy harmonies. The piece has a nice escalation of energy over the first minute, too. A tiny detail that bothered me: the harmonies suddenly drop out at 1:07, but only for a beat. It was a bit jarring, is all. That said, I enjoyed the transition into the adventuresome bridge at 1:11 and the staccato-y percussion at 1:43. Part of me wanted to hear more of the percussion in the mix during the busier sections, but otherwise the mixing and mastering is top-notch here as usual. The final energetic section at 2:01 hits the piece home nicely, and I especially like the choir at 2:23 and the “afterglow” at 2:35. Stellar work, Lordant! I have a huge admiration for the consistency with which you churn out cinematic beauties. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
9.25/10

[Echoes (LE Remix)]

The chopped vocals sound really cool! Love the dreamy atmosphere and synth bass lines in the background too. The piece comes together nicely with the energetic part at 1:49. You've earned a scout, my friend. Happy New Year! ^_^

[Clyde! 2]

I like the frantic synths at the beginning. The synth guitar at :21 wasn't my favorite sound design choice, but the rhythmic content is still catchy. I like the filtering at :52 and the quirky percussion at 1:10. The harmonic content is a little repetitive, but I'm loving the energy, danceable synth riffs, and progression of this one. You've earned a scout, bonniii! Happy New Year. ^_^

[Shadow of a Doubt]

Dude, this is great! love the chill, airy pads at the beginning and the smooth bass. The cutesy synths and drum kits are also rockin' it. The piece is super flowing and relaxing, with some quirky melodies at 1:20 really putting the icing on the cake. Love the solos and prominent ride cymbal later on, too. Really awesome track, Busan. Happy holidays, and get well soon! ^_^

[This Corpse Can Still Dance]

Ah, I remember hearing the original! This one seems a bit more energetic. The E-piano at around the 1-minute mark really helps smooth over the texture - I especially like the low-register cadence at 1:38 or so. The gritty synth at 2:40 is really groovy, and it contrasts nicely with the higher-pitched synth that kinda sounds like a violin. The minimal percussion and airy pads at 3:10 wrap up the piece nicely. You've certainly captured the moody, jazzy vibe of the original. I think the one thing that's missing from the texture compared to the original is the echoey vocals. But perhaps I shouldn't compare it to the original too much. On its own, it's a really well-produced piece, full of variety, that threads the needle between catchy and chill really nicely. Keep it up, LLAAPPSSEE! Happy holidays. ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Thanks for checking this out TL!

Y'know, I thought about adding vocals to this, but nothing came to me, haha. Lots of times, I just make these little offchute/side pieces/extensions to the original piece. They sorta turn into their own little things. Glad you likes it though. Always a pleasure seeing your reviews pop up.

[The Santa Detective]

Ah, a classic waltzy Everratic track for the holidays! Love all the mallets and other percussion. The melody writing is a bit more subdued than some of your other recent tracks, but the atmosphere, mixing, and sound design are fantastic as always. The big swell of emotion during the last 15 seconds puts a nice little bow on the piece (see what I did there?). Happy holidays, Everratic!

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the review!

[Great Asset (Lethal Company Original Song) By Feisty Fennekin]

Sorry for the slow response, Feisty! Busy times.

I like the eerie bell-like synths at the beginning. The glitchy vocals at :06 also work well, and I like the sense of build into :38. The pacing is a bit slow, and the texture is a bit minimal at first. The blissful lead synth line at :39 could use a boost in the mix - the distorted vocals and acid synth overwhelm it a bit. Speaking of the mix, the drums are also a bit weak at times and could use some more compression and maybe even looser EQ'ing. There's also a lot of harmonic dissonance in the texture. A little bit of dissonance is fine when the piece is supposed to sound creepy, but once the vocals come back in at :51 it's a bit much IMO.

The rhythmic content here is good throughout. I really like the gritty riff at 1:13. Some of the transitions are a bit abrupt - there's not much of an overarching sense of direction to the piece, but rather a bunch of short-lived riffs that come and go suddenly. The filtering work sounds really good, like at 4:01-4:05 for example. It would be cool if you used that as a basis for more of your transitions.

You also do a good job of keeping the piece well-balanced frequency wise. For example, the bass-y breakdown at 3:12 still has these nice, prominent hi-hats to keep it from being too bottom-heavy. Otherwise, a lot of the piece sounds a bit choppy. You've squeezed a lot of different riffs and synth patterns in here, but most of the variety is created by adding and subtracting instruments rather than creating a sense of evolution from the riffs you start with. It might be good for you to consolidate some of your ideas and focus on doing more with those few ideas. For example, the vocal riff at :06 could have a different rhythm or pace later in the piece, or the synth pattern at :39 could use slightly different pitches, or even be transposed up or down an octave. Instead, right now all of these riffs sound very copy-and-pasted whenever they appear in the piece.

Still, I think the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content of the piece are really neat. Most of my complaints are about the arrangement and mixing details. Keep at it, man! ^_^

music69012 responds:

thanks for the comment! even though it the final version, there is nothing wrong with editing it for future vip or final master edit. it will be worth while and i will be creative with ideas again!