TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Uxvellda - Fire Phoenix]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the furtive melodies at :25 or so. The dense percussion and more orchestral flair later on take the piece in an unexpected, though welcome, direction for me. The texture still feels a bit minimal, although the atmosphere and vocals help keep me engaged. I'm definitely hearing the Xtrullor influence at 2:06, although the drop itself felt a tad uninspired and repetitive. The breakdown at 3:30 was a nice touch - almost serves as a re-introduction despite being so late in the piece. The string melodies then hit the piece home nicely after 3:45 or so. Overall, great mixing, sound design, and progression here. Best of luck in the final round of the ADM! ^_^

[Spirited Winds - NGADM'22 FINAL ROUND]

I like the dreamy strumming at the beginning and the flute melodies. Elements of the sound design and harmonic framework sound vaguely far east-inspired, and the atmosphere and flow of the piece work quite well. There's some dissonance in the texture from around 1:10 - 1:25, but it serves to smooth over the transition into a new key very well, and the more energetic last minute of the piece gives it a triumphant and conclusive flair. The final chord seems to be of ambiguous character, like the winds are soon about to shift again. Overall, fantastic work, Elias! Best of luck in the final round. ^_^

Santi-Montali responds:

Thank you very much TL!

[Super Bright Colours]

I like the cutesy piano lines at the beginning. The school bell was a bit cheesy, though, and the rhythm/progression were a bit hard to follow. There are multiple points in the piece where I feel like the individual riffs are tripping over each other a bit, like at :33. That said, I'm really enjoying the atmosphere and creative stream-of-consciousness structuring of the piece. The transition at 1:30 works well to change up the pace, and the blissful and frantic feel of the middle section thereafter is really nice. The piece is almost like the inverse of traditional EDM/pop, where the less-energetic part is in the middle. The quirky, rhythmic, and glitchy conclusion of the piece was another highlight, though. Overall, the arrangement is a bit disjointed at times, but overall I'm impressed with the extent that you integrated all of these disparate ideas into one piece. The production quality is great, and the sound design is really unique and engrossing. Good luck in the final round, Zech! ^_^

[The Final Resolve - NGADM 2022 Final Round]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and the crisp drums. The mix is really clean and crisp, and I'm enjoying the build-up into :38 and the cutesy leads there. The melody at 1:06 is nice and dynamic, and the flashy sound effects and rhythmic content are great there too. The brief breakdown and glitchy arpeggios at the 3-minute mark were also enjoyable, and the final refrain hits the piece home nicely. Really unique sound design, strong mastering, and an engrossing eerie atmosphere have me more than sold on this. Good luck in the final round, Spadez! ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Thanks for the review TL. Glad you enjoyed it

[The Witch at the Prom]

Wow, first review on a FP'd track! This is awesome, Everratic. I love the suspenseful beginning and the creepy waltz section thereafter. The saxophone solo at around the 1-minute mark was a pleasant surprise, and the brighter tone to the piece starting at 1:45 was subtle enough to bridge the gap into the more triumphant tone at the very end. Strong work! Looking forward to seeing these NGADM results. ^_^

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the review Andrew! Glad you like the saxophone :)

[Synth the Girl]

Dreamy and pensive. I like it. The melodies are neat, too, although the rhythms they play are a bit square. The drums are nice and crisp. I also like the pads at 1:03. I like how the texture thickens up towards the end - the arrangement of the piece has a really satisfying arc. The punchy drum fills are probably one of my favorite aspects of the piece, although the sound design and production quality are not far behind. Congrats on a killer sample pack, Adrean! ^_^

ADR3-N responds:

Thanks for the in depth review! The low pads at 1:03 are raw patches Halo Pad and Voice lead pushed out of their range, low and hi pass modulated for that sweeping effect, and spread from mono to stereo with thick chorus and a stereo widening plugin

[Adreanaline Sample Pack!]

Love the rhythmic content and crisp drums. Reverb and eerie mood help make up for the minimalism. The organ-like instrument at 1:30 helps smooth out the percussive texture, too. Really appreciate that you're making free sample packs, Adrean! The rich orchestral symbols complement the eastern-sounding percs really well. Cheers! ^_^

ADR3-N responds:

Heya! Thanks for the review! The "organ" is actually a Japanese reed instrument called the Sho. It is capable of crazy polyphony and was my favorite instrument when I was younger. I'll have to turn it into a sample instrument, now that I mention it.

[Nebulous Mind - Track 2&3]

Ooohh, didn't even realize this was a re-master of the track I just reviewed lol. I like how you carry the arpeggios throughout the intro with distinct notes a little more in this version. The rhythmic density at 1:20 is great, and flows much better into the eerie breakdown at 1:30. The spacey texture at 2:44 functions much better as a bridge than an outro. I like the echo-y guitars at 3:05 and the change-of-pace during the middle section here. The transition back into the more edgy and energetic section at 3:45 was also really nice. I also like how you integrated the dreamy guitars with the drums at 4:10.

At 4:30, the mix sounds a bit strained, but otherwise I didn't notice any major problems with it. I've never been a huge stickler for mixing, though. If you want more specific advice, I'd suggest reaching out to @midimachine or @ADR3-N. Feel free to tell them I sent you. :D

The arrangement still sounds a bit choppy, but you've squeezed a LOT of ideas into one piece. Some more gradual pacing and some consolidation of those ideas might help. But at the same time, I love the atmospheric details and variety in this piece. So glad you're back, Trunotfals! Keep up the good work. ^_^

[Split Consciousness - DJENT BABY]

I like the dreamy mood at the beginning and the crisp drums and edgy synth guitars at :25. At times, the texture sounds a little empty in the middle of the frequency range, but the rhythmic content is engrossing. The transition at 1:26 is a little sudden, but I love when you play up the atmosphere there with the pensive guitars and, eventually, solos at around the 2-minute mark. I think my favorite element of the piece is probably the mixing and mastering quality. Really clean and well-balanced production here, Tru. The dreamy outro was a nice touch, too - made the piece really come full-circle. I think the arrangement is a tad choppy in places. You could use some more gradual transitions or work to integrate the different motifs (heavy rhythmic content, atmospheric bridge, ambient filler) a little more, but the compositional details and sound design here are really impressive. Looking forward to hearing more of your new stuff soon! ^_^

[Bad Smell]

Catchy stuff. I like the sound design and rhythmic content a lot, especially the mallet-like instruments. The piece could've used a bit more structuring, though - the texture sounds very similar throughout. I like when the rhythm suddenly becomes more square at 1:45 and the mood becomes more blissful towards the end. Neat track overall! Cheers. ^_^