TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Tune of Tempests]

Ah, I love the emotion right off the bat. The combination of the bells and the piano really pulls at my emotions. The strings add to that effect. Great sense of direction this song has once the horns come in. I love how the piano arps/sweep combo at :48 gives the effect of wind. I imagine a lone man with an overcoat and briefcase wandering the Great Plains during the Great Depression, looking for work. You combine an incredible amount of instruments, and the flute and vocals around 2:00 really demonstrated a height of the haunting beauty which always pervades your pieces, Step. Excellent job with dynamic contrast, instrumentation, mixing/mastering, and pretty much everything else. Your sense of melodic development is top-notch, and I absolutely love your use of the running water FX around 3:55 to transition back to the bells/strings/piano combo. I absolutely adore when pieces like this come full-circle. It really makes for an excellent perspective on the world behind the music. I'm running out of adjectives to describe your music, Step. Marvelous, fantastic, outstanding, superb, bone-chillingly beautiful, and amazing are a few, though. ;D Keep it up, my friend!

Step responds:

I am definitely quite proud of the intro, and the way it come a full circle. I had that idea in mind ever since I began working on the track. I have little ideas like these at the start of a track's production, and I always get excited to implement them :p.

This is a huuugely encouraging review, man. I feel like Beethoven right now seriously. STAHP.

Thanks a lot!

[Crushed]

Ay, it's Larry! :D I like the mysterious intro. There are some pretty cool synths in here, like the one at 1:01. Overall, though, it felt sort of dry and bare - not a lot going on, especially during the first minute or so. I love the breaks at 1:30, and you did a nice job with the structuring and transitioning, but it progresses very slowly. I like those arpeggios at 1:56. At some points, some of the instruments were a little loud, like the piano that comes in at 2:11. The mixing also isn't your best, but I understand that you made this project a long time ago. You have a great sense of harmony. Those breaks at 2:53 were a little disorienting, but I think they could've worked if you had a beat going on in the background to keep them grounded in the rhythmic development of the song as a whole. The coda was pretty effective in concluding the song, though. Overall, not your best work, but I'm still looking forward to seeing what else you'll produce this year and beyond! I'm TheDoor6, btw. I changed my name in September. Good luck with school and your future projects, man. ;D

larrynachos responds:

Hey TL! I'm glad you enjoyed the song. I agree with most of your points. I'm terrible at mixing, so the instruments are always conflicting.

I don't think I'll ever be able to live up to my "best work". My passion for music composition is on a steady decline, and I think I'm nearing the end of my golden age ("The Fall of Larrynachos" or something).

P.s. I must have accidentally unfollowed you. Sorry! I re-followed you :)

[This is Snake]

I love the atmosphere at the beginning, and the spacey drums and pads (with portamentos at :39!) are just awesome. It sounds like my soul is slowly being sucked into the maw of hell by the powers of black magic! The riff at 1:04 gave this piece an ethnic vibe, and the production quality is amazing! I love the emotion and the sense of climax, and moments like 2:03 really help put this dramatic mood in context. The subtle synth arpeggios around 3:10 really got to me too. I love your style, Step - the neo-orchestral cinematic music with electronic influences is just amazing! 5:03 really got me re-oriented with the direction the piece was headed. Amazing sense of variation and originality. This is spectacular! Not only does this piece paint an image in my head, it physically takes me on a journey. At the same time, you maintain an excellent sense of coherence and flow, despite the fast-paced nature of it. Has anyone ever told you that you could make a living out of this? Because I think you can if you really set your mind to it. Hollywood's calling for soundtracks like this, Step! All you have to do is respond...Keep up the awe-inspiring work, my friend! I deeply regret not reviewing this earlier. :O

Step responds:

Whoopsies, just realised I forgot all about this review. I deeply regret not RESPONDING to this earlier. D:

First off, thanks a million for all those reviews you left me man. Huuuge amount of support! I have an ego the size of China right now hahaha. I'm really happy you picked up on all those little things which I gave particular attention to myself.

I don't know if you've played Metal Gear at all, but all the stuff up till 1:47 is an arrangement of the theme that plays in Metal Gear Solid 3 when the enemies go into "caution mode" (when they're patrolling and looking for you). The cool part about you calling it ethnic is that the original (http://goo.gl/WIxCsT) is actually very ethnic in itself, so that was a good observation! It takes place in a jungle, which is probably why.

2:03's voice-over is actually the same thing that the guards say in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops when they've found you and are calling for backup. Of course, I couldn't just use the sample from the game so I got my friend Benjamin to record that and added a bunch of radio effects on it. That synth arpeggio is a nod to a similar arpeggio that appears in the Super Smash Bros arrangement of the Encounter theme. The bit at 5:03 is an arrangement of one of my favourite video game pieces of all time; the Metal Gear Solid 2 main theme... Echo and I put a lot of thought into this haha.

Yes, people have told me I can make a living out of this, and while I'm flattered, I don't think it'll work out. I'm just too worried about the unstable nature of a musician's career, and plus I'm deaf from one ear which places a few limitations on me when it comes to music production.

Anyway, this is some really high praise. I am super thrilled you enjoyed this, since it's one of the recent tracks I am most proud of. THANKS for the review!

[redemption]

HOW DID I MISS THIS ONE?!?!?!?! I love the atmosphere in the beginning - that soulful guitar and the spacey piano and synths are beautiful! The melodies at around :50 just add to the emotion more, and those drums add an appropriate element of energy to the piece. The children's voices that come in at around 3:00 add a lot of meaning to the piece in my opinion, especially given the title. EtherealWinds' vocals added a lot to the piece, too. Man, he is GOOD! It's strange how the lack of words in the vocals seem to give them meaning...almost like "redemption" means finding an identity again, but now there are no words left to describe yourself. The saxophone-sounding synth and heavier bass synth at 4:15 added some much-needed contrast. I can tell you thought a lot about where to include the drums and where not to. This is fantastic, though. I was beginning to yearn for some dynamic contrast, and then 5:54 happened - just hauntingly beautiful, Johnfn. I deeply regret not reviewing this earlier. Hopefully it will all be worth it when (if?) I get into college. :') Well, anyway, this is an instant favorite and download. This needs to be on my iPod NOW! I love the change of style, btw. Keep up the inspiring work, my friend. ;'D

[Comodo]

I like the bell at the beginning. Very dark...I love how you left yourself a lot of space for an epic build, although it does progress pretty slowly. I think you did well with all the structural changes, and you definitely keep up the dark mood throughout! It's good for Halloween. :) I think some parts sound a lot like your other pieces, e.x. the transition at 2:10 is very similar to some you've used before. That said, the mixing is top-notch. It does get a little repetitive by the end, even though it's relatively short, but the ending seems fitting. Keep it up! Despite my criticisms, I like your style a lot, BoomKitty. ;)

BoomKitty responds:

<3 .

[Deflect]

I love the blissful melodies right off the bat. Those (vocals?) add a lot to it as well. Nice use of reverb. That synth at :29 is awesome. I love the upbeat vibe you got going on here. There are a lot of ups and downs in the structure, but tbh it could've had a better sense of direction during the first couple of minutes IMO. Good job with variation later on in the piece, though, and I love that slap bass that pops in occasionally between 1:00 and 2:00 or so. The transition at 2:22 was interesting, and I think it worked well overall. I like how you dialed it back a notch for the outro at 2:49. Pretty quirky piece overall, but I like it! Makes me think of a rubber man bouncing (literally) down the road in an ever-happy land. Trippy... ;) Keep up the great work, Garlagan! :D

[Acidulus 8]

Hey! I really need to catch up on my NG faves, huh? I love the smooth vibes you got going for the first minute or two...very trance-y and flowing. The melodic variation throughout that span makes it really relaxing and enjoyable, too. Nice job with the reverb - you added just the perfect amount. Those arpeggios at 1:40 are awesome, btw. I can definitely see (err...hear) the transition into D'n'B. That synth bass really adds a lot later in the piece. I especially like the part where it becomes really prominent...I believe around 2:55. Those vocals at 3:12 added a lot to the piece as well - they really helped in the final climax of the piece, just to add that extra level of intensity. That glitchy part at the end gets me every time, haha! Super huge congratulations on winning NGADM, btw. I wish I had had the time to follow it minute-by-minute. ;'( Glad to see you're still on top of your game, Garlagan! Never stop! :D

[Falcon Punch]

I love the bass and how it contrasts to the rather cutesy melody right off the bat. That funky synth at :25 really brought the energy, and then it felt really climactic into :44. I'm not a huge fan of dubstep, but you make it cool! Those soaring arpeggios that come in every 2 measures or whatever during the drop really add a lot. You incorporate some melodic content very well here, and I like those frantic synths at around 2:24. The build-ups are great, and that funky melody at 2:45 gets me every time. ^_^ Nice work, Mr. Valentine! ;D