TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Find The Party]

Good to see a post from you again. I like the bouncy, upbeat vibe at the beginning. The texture is a little bare at times, but the lyrics are fun, if a little generic. At some point, I would've appreciated a break from the repetitive instrumental tracks and 4-pronged phrase structures - I guess you do that briefly at 3:17, but it was pretty short-lived, and the pace of the piece was slow enough that it wasn't quite enough. Overall, there are some good ideas here - I like the mood and sound design the best - but the composition feels a bit uninspired at times. Keep at it, Sloan!

[Accelerated A]

I like the quirky chopped vocals at the beginning. The bubbly synths at :45 are really nice, and they lead nicely into the climactic melodic part at 1:02. Nice work with the reverb and filtering automations throughout, although the harmonic content is pretty repetitive after a while. The breakdown at 2:26 with the classic synth bass and frantic arpeggios was a nice change to the texture, and I like the heavier feel of the beats at 2:53 before the tempo change at 3:05. Really creative work to keep things fresh in this piece despite the repetitive harmonies. The glitchy 8-bit ending was just the cherry on top! You found your way back to the tonic at the very last second, haha. Keep at it, Garlagan! ^_^

[Fusion [Exobolt Release]]

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the drum fills. This is another track that feels a little over-compressed for my tastes, but the drops are super catchy and the sound design is fun and cutesy. The filtering work during the bridge at 2:06 is impressive, and I really liked the "delayed drop" at 2:50 that only hits with full force at 3:09. Another neat track, man! Always good to see you so active on NG. ^_^

[Echo Circuit [Exobolt Release]]

I like the groovy bass at the beginning and flashy synths. The melodies at :45 have a really interesting contour, but are also a bit difficult to follow at times. The build-ups here are a tad generic, but I especially love the second drop at around 2:40. The rhythmic content there is really creative, and you do a good job of re-integrating the melodic content during the post-drop too. Nice atmospheric outro is the cheery on top. Keep it up, MKT! ^_^

[Never Stop (ft. Lupis) [Exobolt Release]]

I like the vocals at the beginning and the upbeat mood of the piece. The build-up was great, and the drop was fully of energy and variety. The mix is clean and crisp, but also a bit too loud and over-compressed. That said, the composition is fantastic. The melodies during the bridge at around the 2-minute mark are great, and the bridge at 2:46 with the chopped vocals and quirky instrumentals was a pleasant surprise. Always love how melodic your tracks are, MKT! Keep it up. ^_^

[Water from the rock (feat. etherealwinds)]

This is lovely, guys! The warm, pulsing brass pads and pensive string arpeggios mesh together beautifully, and the transition into more synthesized elements was really smooth. Jordi's vocals are as haunting and majestic as always, and the piano outro was a pleasant surprise. The piano had just enough atmosphere to it, and winds down the energy of the piece while also creating something new out of it. This piece also loops quite well, which is rare to find on Newgrounds these days. Brilliant work, gents! Happy holidays. ^_^

Phonometrologist responds:

I hope the holidays treated you well. You've done much for the community here, and it is nice to see you again. On the note about Jordi's vocals, how spot on you are about it being as haunting as it is. I was quite surprised to hear such depth in the notes when he first brought it alive in this track. A sampled instrument really cannot compare.
I really do appreciate you putting down your thoughts here. Thank you!

[The House of Lithriel (COMPLETE)]

Good to know you followed through and contributed to some competitions this year! ^_^ I like the foreboding tone at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. Some of the percussion could've been a tad crisper in the mix, notably the snares, and excessive reverb is potentially the culprit. After a riveting opening, I like how you stripped back the rhythm section and reinvented the texture with some majestic string and woodwind lines. I think the mix also sounds a bit muddy at 2:15, and also maybe too bottom-heavy. Perhaps it would work better if the woodwind chords were transposed up an octave or two. At times, there are some balance-related choices that don't quite sit right with me, like how the flirtatious string line at 4:00 is so far back in the mix. The part at 5:05 - 5:30 was very intense for something that was not the ending of the piece, haha. I like the accelerating tempo at the end, but I think the faster pace and sudden cut-off only makes it more clear that there's too much reverb in the texture here. That's my main complaint, though. The composition and sound design are truly impressive. Really glad you're making more full-length orchestral tracks these days. I still think of you as an EDM artist, haha. Regardless, happy holidays, TNF! ^_^

trunotfals responds:

What a great review as always! I actually agree with you on the excessive reverb. I went back and forth on making the mix overall clear and crisp, and trying my best to simulate a real concert hall. At some point I got sick of changing it back and forth as I wrote, and so I committed to a bit of heavy reverb. I customized the reverb per instrument, and found a good spot, then decided I didn't like it, so I put some pretty light reverb on the master instead and found I liked it enough to commit.

Admittedly, the Kontakt Patches for Cinebrass and Cinestrings etc. already have reverb on them, as there are close, far, and room mics that are customizable, but I stuck with the original settings which is a full mix.

I decided I wanted that character of the "concert hall" rather than providing as much clarity to the composition as I could, which may have been an overall mistake, albeit, I liked it. I decided to lean into the slight loss of clarity to go for a realistic sound. A commitment I can easily fix at anytime as well. And I also may have somehow gone too far with it, which is interesting cause the master reverb is very light. I might dive into my Ozone patch to see if I can fix it a bit.

Thank you as always for your amazing reviews, I look forward to them every time, Tainted! I do believe EDM is not my true wheelhouse. I believe orchestral is where I belong, and what I've learned through so many years of EDM production actually lends to my Orchestral production. I hope to do more, and to be honest, I don't know if I'll re-approach EDM at all, but we shall see!

[Te Desidero]

Wow, I'm not used to hearing vocals from you! I like the soothing tone at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. Sometimes the instrumental tracks bury the vocals a bit in the mix, and there are some moments of dissonance in the vocal lines that I'm not sure are intentional (like at 1:50). The melodies and rich string chords are really nice, though, and the more energetic feel at 3:00ish helps keep me engaged. At 3:50 or so, I'm impressed by how much projection you can get out of the low range of your voice - even if some of it is probably reverb and other mixing effects. :D Overall, great composition as always, Vocif! Happy holidays. ^_^

[giveusthesun]

Dreamy and evocative, yet sounds a tad harsh in the treble range. I think it's the percussion more than anything else that could use some smoothing out, though. Sound design is a little top-heavy, too - a more prominent bass might be nice. The rhythmic content and the ascending synth lines are pretty sweet, though. Keep at it, LAPSE! ^^

[Marble Mouth]

Hmm... a short and sweet one, huh? Really pensive mood and some trademark LAPSE-ish synths - jazzy and smooth, with a nearly unbounded range. The melody almost reminds me of a warbler, chirping in fits and starts. The beat, while minimal, is appropriately scaled back and out-of-the-way. And those rich, low pads help round out the sound design so nicely. You were born 80 years too late for your compositional skills, LAPSE, and it's a damn shame. :D Keep it up!

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

80 years too late? Haha, I probably would've been in WWII :O
Thanks for the reviewsies. <3