TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Virtual Human]

Oh man, this piece is awesome. Spacey, jazzy, and relaxing, but also with some great rhythmic percussion work and a mix with some sharp edges. The way the piano just floats on top of the texture like a toy boat in a hurricane. The sheer variety in the sound design is so impressive - from the mid-range E-piano towards the beginning to the squeaky synths at 1:30 to the moody rumblings of the breakdown/bridge section, and last but not least the crisp, grainy beats at around 4:00. Also, the gorgeous, pulsating pads during the last minute or so are like a siren warning me that the song is about to end. Top-notch work here, LLAAPPSSEE! ^__^

[Breathing Derelict]

I like the moody chords at the beginning and the distorted E-piano riffs starting at around :27. The heavy hats at :27 are great, and they flow really nicely into the crisp, acoustic beats throughout the rest of the piece. The lead-up to the melodies at 1:06 is just subtle enough to give the piece a real sense of release when 1:06 finally hits. The distorted breaks at 2:15 aren't quite my cup of tea - they clash a bit with the tranquil, languid vibe in the background at the same time. That said, the atmosphere, sound design, mixing, and arrangement are all really compelling here. Keep at it, LAPSE! ^_^

[Satisphylled]

Dreamy and evocative stuff here, LAPSE! I like the percussion and blissful melodies. Sounds like the mix was missing some mid-range tones at some points, but maybe that's just me. Sound design and flow are killer as always. Keep it up! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Always love to see the TL reviews.
<3
Appreciate the mix review. I see what you're saying though, I mostly mixed this in headphone..the joys of being a night owl in city life. I think the piece overall is just a touch bright. I blame the Luminaria's expressive twinkling inspiration. ;)

[no more chances]

I love the crisp beats and dissonant guitar riffs. The atmospheric riff at :18 is a nice touch, and the vocals sound rich and heartfelt. Would love to see a full version of this sometime. Nice work, Bryce! ^_^

[-Journey to Welkin-]

Hey man. Thanks for your patience! Finally have a relatively free evening.

I like the creepy pads at the beginning - there's something ghostly about them. Some of the other instruments sound a little out-of-place, though, like the bass guitar that first comes in at :19. The part at :43 was a bit dissonant for my tastes, and had a lot of murky low-pitched tones that didn't mesh too well together. The rest of the piece feels a bit disjointed, with a lot of sudden transitions and isolated ideas for riffs that don't really feel like they're leading anywhere. I like the crackly atmosphere and effects at around 2:20, minimal though they are, and the rhythmic content during some of the busier sections of the piece was cool too.

Again, I'm going to suggest that you think more comprehensively about the chords you're using at a given time, and make sure that all of the notes sound good with all of the other notes. It might help to write the chord/melodic progression in a single instrument first before you assign different aspects of it to different instruments. And remember that a little repetition across different sections of the song is a good thing; right now, this piece almost feels like several separate songs played in a row, which is a bit jarring.

When you feel like you've incorporated my advice, feel free to PM me again. Cheers! :)

Creeperforce24 responds:

Well that was a bit much to read, but thank you anyway, I want to keep getting better so all I can say is thank you for your honest opinion. Thanks man

[<MWA> Skittles on Crack]

Glad I found this again! It's a classic. Super catchy, with a lot of great rhythmic content, and that violin solo is iconic. Love the spacey build-up at 5:10 too. Killer sound design across the board. Been in my iTunes library for damn near a decade now. First heard it through Xmillsa on YouTube, I believe. Mjattie, if you're still around, you rock! Hope you're doing well, even if you don't post on NG anymore. Cheers. ^_^

[-Clad-]

Oh man, I love all the effects, vocal samples, and rhythmic syncopations. It is indeed more vocal-heavy than I'm used to hearing from you, but the samples fit in so well with the beat and progression of the track. The production quality is really solid, too, and I love how the vocals don't take over the entire mix like they do in a lot of hip-hop tracks on the radio. The more melodic vocals at 3:05, as well as the brass solos at 2:30 or so, really help take this piece to the next level. I love the electronic bass too. You should do more tracks like this! Probably my favorite of yours of the year. ^_^

[-Going Now-]

I like the pulsating energy at the beginning and the guitar solos shortly thereafter. I can tell it's not a "real" guitar - very uniform articulation from note to note - but the more downtempo guitar work at 1:00 has a great sense of atmosphere about it. The solos at 1:25 feel like hallmark Waterflame melodies - from the rhythm to the contour to the way they sit in the mix. :D I think my favorite aspect of the piece is the rhythmic content at the bridge and coda, though - reminds me of some of your older tracks like "Viscid." Rock on, WF! ^_^