TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[This Universe Is a Cage]

I love the plucked acoustic bass and atmosphere at the beginning. The smooth synth guitar line and staggered drum riff are great, and the saxophone is nice and subtle - I almost thought it was a synth at first, and it blends into the texture super well. The E-piano solo is what really hits the piece home for me, though - much more carefree sound to it in that range. This is a bit of a slow-burner of a piece, but it comes together rather well by the end. Strong work again, man! ^^

[Mr. Carrion]

Okay, I have some catching up to do. I like the tinny sounds in the background and the echo-y vocals. The transition at 1:04 is great, too. I think the mix sounds a tad strained at times, especially with the vocals swallowing up most of the room in the soundscape. The variations in the vocal line at around 2:00 are a welcome change, but otherwise the piece is a tad repetitive at times. The more synth-heavy section at 2:40 is also a refreshing change, and the atmospheric outro with the haunting "ooh"s seemed like a fitting conclusion. Looking forward to hearing more of your tracks with vocals in them! Cheers, LLAAPPSSEE. ^_^

[Koto Mangetsu]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The vocals and piano arpeggios work well, although the chord progression was a tad cliche. Once the texture gets a bit denser at 1:10 or so, the piece really starts coming together for me. The crisp rimshots and guitars give the piece a nice edge that it was missing earlier, and the rhythmic content gets richer too. I think the melodic content could've been a tad more dynamic, as otherwise the modulations seem to be one of the principal sources of variety later in the piece. The tranquil outro was a good choice, though, and I'm continuing to enjoy that percussion groove until the very end. Strong work, guys! ^^

[-Time Machine 2-]

Oh man. Hard to top the original, but the blissful tone and more prominent strings really win me over here. I kinda miss the vocal samples - I thought the vocals really tied the narrative together well in the original. But okay - I'll stop talking about the original now. The sound design choices here are really good, though - like the groovy bass for that riff at 2:09. The busy beat at 2:35 is nice as well, although the piece gets a little repetitive towards the end and cuts off a tad suddenly after the last reverse crash. Overall, the sound design and mixing are really strong here. Always love to see you revisit old tracks! ^_^

[-Clockwork Maze-]

I like the exotic sound design and heavy downbeats here. The frantic low-pitched piano riff at :48 and the orchestral hits work really well together. The bells and percussion are a nice touch, too. I like the shift towards a more atmospheric flair at 2:00. Later on in the piece, the rhythms feel a tad square, and I feel like the piece didn't quite get back to a big "point of arrival" towards the end. I also think the snare is a bit buried in the mix during the last 30 seconds or so. That said, you nailed the apprehensive mood and sound design here, WF. Keep at it! ^_^

[Darkerly Thunder]

Yay! More old song mash-ups. I'm especially liking the flute at 1:10 and dense atmosphere at 1:22, led by that frantic mid-range synth riff. The added percussion after 2:00, the creepy bells, and dissonant vocal chords sell the mood really well, and that in turn transitions into the refrain at 2:46 quite nicely. The bells at 3:40 are a tad overused, and I thought the transition into 3:57 could've been a tad more creative. That said, the dramatic ending of the piece was top-notch creepypasta, and I really like how thick the texture of the piece is throughout. Strong work yet again, guys! ^_^