TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[PHNX DWN]

Yeah, I have some catching up to do with your tracks from last year. I like the gritty, robotic synth pattern at the beginning and how it gradually smooths out over the course of the first minute to become more dreamy and atmospheric. The dissonant high-pitched chords at the 1-minute mark or so sound rather grating, but that section in turn flows nicely into the glitchy breaks at 1:45 or so. The transition at 2:26 felt a tad more abrupt, but the beat is great, and contrasts nicely with the chill piano and string patterns. The eerie drone at 3:23 instills a sense of urgency into the texture somehow, like hearing your phone ring while you're trying to sleep in on a Sunday morning. By the 5-minute mark, I'm acutely aware that you've covered a lot of ground since the piece started, only for the beat to shift into a more pulsing, minimal direction by 5:10. Really evocative work here, LAPSE! A ton of variety and flavor to this one. Keep it up! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Thank you!


This song was one of those nightmare tracks to produce. Lost a portion of it, had to redo it, stitched some other things up, changed the ending a few times. Nearly lost the entire track to time, but recovered it in an old email. The intro is sorta melancholic and spooky -- like someone has just died and is waiting to be reanimated with some video game potion. Smooths out as the person is revived from death. Still something not quite right by the end. Was the head lore while producing, haha.

[Hey Pard!]

Love the spacey vibe at the beginning and the quirky meter throughout. The pads sound nice and bright, and the addition of the guitar at around :55 is a nice touch. The piece can be pretty slow to progress at times, but when the melodic content breaks through at 1:28 it sounds absolutely euphoric. The distortion effects and the killer sound design help keep this piece interesting. I especially love the cello at 2:30. The somewhat melancholy conclusion to the piece (besides the last chord) is a nice contrast from earlier on. Overall, a great start to 2024, LAPSE! Keep it up. ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Yeah, it does feel a tad slow on progression. I think it's partially due to me pitching the song down from it's original speed. All that string section is beauty OST in the game. I maxed them up for the mix. Fell in love with the melody so hard. When I hear it now, I'm filled with this wonderful dopaminergic nostalgia. Thanks for the reviews and ears as always, TL.

[hyperParadox]

I like the ominous tone at the beginning and the fluttery synth that comes in at :12. The drums are a tad over-compressed, but the lead riff at :39 is catchy, and the airy harmonies fill out the atmosphere nicely. The bridge at 1:25 sounds a bit minimal, but in a way it fits the eerie vibe of the piece nicely. I like the louder, punchier second refrain at 1:40. The lead synth keeps ducking under the mix, which is something to watch out for - again, the sidechaining is a little too heavy for my tastes. That said, the composition here is really good. I'd say you have a knack for EDM! Keep it up, Crysstal. ^_^

Crysstal712 responds:

i found out for level automations which is what i do my sidechaining with, if i try to move it to the left so its shorter, it just doesn't let me do it for some reason. still trying to find out how to fix that though!

[aurora/aether]

I appreciate the dedication to the craft, man! The beginning sounds a bit minimalistic and murky. The floaty synth that starts fading in at around :30 is nice, but I wish it took up a bit more of the mix compared to the harmonies and bass. The blissful vibe at around 1:00 on is great. I also think you could've been a lot more creative with the drums here. The melodic content is a highlight, though, and the stop-start bridge at 1:45 was a good idea as well. Overall, I don't think this is your best work, but it certainly has potential, and I hope you keep working on it. Giving the lead a boost in the mix and filling in some of the mid-range tones in the texture would give this piece a bit more intensity and richness. I think that's what it needs. Still, props for the sound design, progression, and compositional details here. :)

Crysstal712 responds:

yeah ive been definitely working on those. im getting it

[At The Seams ("Deathslab!" 's BOTB ENTRY)]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning. The lead at :18 is nice and quirky, and the sweeps in the background give the texture a distinct extraterrestrial feel. I like how the piece “resets” itself at around :54, and the furtive vocals at 1:10 are haunting. The mix is a bit over-saturated with reverb by the 2-minute mark, and sometimes the vocal harmonies at 2:03 don’t blend very well together, and might benefit from being re-recorded. I also would’ve liked to hear the vocals be more up-front in the mix, especially between 2:03 and 2:43, when they make up most of the moving notes in the texture. The transitions in this piece are simultaneously bold and very smooth - I especially like the one between 3:03 and 3:18. Somehow the guitar solo at 3:20 is both a big surprise and something that really fits with the flow of the piece. With the repeat of the quirky transitory material at 3:30 or so, I feel like the piece lost a bit of momentum. Perhaps it would’ve helped keep the energy level up if the drums were a bit punchier in the mix.

The transition into 4:18 was another really good one. The vocal phrase at 4:28 is probably my favorite of the piece - very expressive and dynamic. Reminds me of @Garlagan’s vocal style, actually. Also, the thin percussion at 4:47 adds a great, whimsical vibe to an otherwise pretty dark-sounding part of the piece. The dissonant “oom-pah” chords at 5:07 continue the comical, almost circus-like theme of the previous section. The stop-start transition at 5:57 is another one of my favorites. Up to that point, almost all of the transitions in the piece have been smooth and gradual, but in a longer piece with a lot of moving parts, a moment like 5:57 really forces the listener to keep paying attention, right before the outro. The chaotic guitar riff there feels like a dream sequence - I might even suggest scaling back some of the reverb on the harmony parts there for clarity in the mix. The drone-like bass at 6:20 helps the piece come full-circle in a way - it’s just as ominous as the quirky atmosphere at the very beginning. The crash rolls and phasing effects on the final chord are just icing on the cake.

Overall, I’m really impressed with the arrangement and composition here. The sound design is another highlight - a TON of variety and, other than the vocals early on, great blending and a rich texture throughout. The mixing and mastering could be a lot tighter, but other than that my complaints are very minor here. Massive props to you guys for going with such a bold and variational composition for this contest. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

bottledf0x responds:

Thanks for being a judge!

The sweeping, ominous pad in the first minute was one of my contributions to this track. I was aiming to give that section more of a krautrock vibe, since I've been listening to more of it lately. The track as a whole is like a journey through time and space, and I'm glad to have taken part in its creation. Full credit to Carb for the brilliant arrangement!

[This Corpse Can Still Dance]

Ah, I remember hearing the original! This one seems a bit more energetic. The E-piano at around the 1-minute mark really helps smooth over the texture - I especially like the low-register cadence at 1:38 or so. The gritty synth at 2:40 is really groovy, and it contrasts nicely with the higher-pitched synth that kinda sounds like a violin. The minimal percussion and airy pads at 3:10 wrap up the piece nicely. You've certainly captured the moody, jazzy vibe of the original. I think the one thing that's missing from the texture compared to the original is the echoey vocals. But perhaps I shouldn't compare it to the original too much. On its own, it's a really well-produced piece, full of variety, that threads the needle between catchy and chill really nicely. Keep it up, LLAAPPSSEE! Happy holidays. ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Thanks for checking this out TL!

Y'know, I thought about adding vocals to this, but nothing came to me, haha. Lots of times, I just make these little offchute/side pieces/extensions to the original piece. They sorta turn into their own little things. Glad you likes it though. Always a pleasure seeing your reviews pop up.

[The Santa Detective]

Ah, a classic waltzy Everratic track for the holidays! Love all the mallets and other percussion. The melody writing is a bit more subdued than some of your other recent tracks, but the atmosphere, mixing, and sound design are fantastic as always. The big swell of emotion during the last 15 seconds puts a nice little bow on the piece (see what I did there?). Happy holidays, Everratic!

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the review!

[Great Asset (Lethal Company Original Song) By Feisty Fennekin]

Sorry for the slow response, Feisty! Busy times.

I like the eerie bell-like synths at the beginning. The glitchy vocals at :06 also work well, and I like the sense of build into :38. The pacing is a bit slow, and the texture is a bit minimal at first. The blissful lead synth line at :39 could use a boost in the mix - the distorted vocals and acid synth overwhelm it a bit. Speaking of the mix, the drums are also a bit weak at times and could use some more compression and maybe even looser EQ'ing. There's also a lot of harmonic dissonance in the texture. A little bit of dissonance is fine when the piece is supposed to sound creepy, but once the vocals come back in at :51 it's a bit much IMO.

The rhythmic content here is good throughout. I really like the gritty riff at 1:13. Some of the transitions are a bit abrupt - there's not much of an overarching sense of direction to the piece, but rather a bunch of short-lived riffs that come and go suddenly. The filtering work sounds really good, like at 4:01-4:05 for example. It would be cool if you used that as a basis for more of your transitions.

You also do a good job of keeping the piece well-balanced frequency wise. For example, the bass-y breakdown at 3:12 still has these nice, prominent hi-hats to keep it from being too bottom-heavy. Otherwise, a lot of the piece sounds a bit choppy. You've squeezed a lot of different riffs and synth patterns in here, but most of the variety is created by adding and subtracting instruments rather than creating a sense of evolution from the riffs you start with. It might be good for you to consolidate some of your ideas and focus on doing more with those few ideas. For example, the vocal riff at :06 could have a different rhythm or pace later in the piece, or the synth pattern at :39 could use slightly different pitches, or even be transposed up or down an octave. Instead, right now all of these riffs sound very copy-and-pasted whenever they appear in the piece.

Still, I think the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content of the piece are really neat. Most of my complaints are about the arrangement and mixing details. Keep at it, man! ^_^

music69012 responds:

thanks for the comment! even though it the final version, there is nothing wrong with editing it for future vip or final master edit. it will be worth while and i will be creative with ideas again!

[Youth Television Cathode Ray Tube Supervision]

Love the upbeat vibe at the beginning. The vocals sound a bit strained at times, and also could be just a tad further up-front in the mix. I really like the processed vocals at 2:12, as well as the ones with the alternative filtering at spots like 1:20 and 2:20. The lyrics are really good, if a little hard-to-follow in real time. The guitar work here is really nice. The drums could've been more powerful at times, especially during the busier sections, but there's some great vocal layering towards the end that keeps up the energy regardless. Overall, really cool track, AjSkull! Happy holidays. ^_^

AjSkull responds:

Awe thanks so much for the review! We just finished this one in the studio. Interesting note about the vocals. I actually had to record it with a cold that just wouldn't quit, but we had the time booked so I went for it.

Happy holidays!

[Catch My Breath]

Love the airy pads at the beginning and the glitchy beats at :22. The frantic arpeggios at :46 add a nice, lighter flavor, and the breaks at 1:10 are really nice too. Some of the percussion at 1:15 gets a little too loud and harsh-sounding for my tastes, but the compositional details (like the little woop-woop at 1:53) are great. The piano breakdown and nature sound effects at 2:13 were some tasteful sound design choices, and at 3:01 I'm really digging the quirky lead with the pitch automations. The piece doesn't quite get back to the same energy level it had during the first half, but the soothing atmosphere and creative sound design helps keep me engaged. Solid work, LN! Enjoy the holiday season. ^_^

larrynachos responds:

I might have to update the song and fix that buildup, the drum levels do kinda jump up accidentally.

Thanks for the listen and thorough review TL!