TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[To Zanarkand (Piano Cover)]

This is another piece I deeply regret neglecting to review when it was first released. I love the emotion and mood. It has a great sense of direction, too. Nice job with the dynamics and phrasing. I can't exactly give you points for originality (compositionally), but I still applaud you on a well-performed piece. The ups and downs of the piece really tug at my emotions. Nice job keeping up the mood! I'm not very familiar with Final Fantasy X, but this piece really puts an image in my head, which I love. Nice job, LSD! Keep up the inspiring work, and good luck in your final days in the army! ;D

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Whoah, 4 new reviews from you while I was gone o.O
Thank you!
The only originality of mine in this piece is indeed the arrangement, so I forgive you for not giving me points for that XD
Final Fantasy X is a great game in my opinion, and I think in order to really understand the piece one needs to play it. Even better if one has played it during early youth, as nostalgia is (at least to me) what the piece delivers.
It's a beautiful piece to most any listener though, as far as I'm concerned :)

P.S. ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT!

[Jungle Swing]

Hmm...I love the tribal theme. I can see why both "donkey" and "kong" are tagged. ;) The monkey FX helps establish the mood. This is an excellent arrangement, friends. Obviously, the original is a classic, but the amount of creativity and originality you bring to the table is superb. I especially love the guitar solo around 2:15. The heavy use of drums really adds a lot to the theme of the piece, and the structural relief provided by 3:10 helps create some much-needed contrast. I like this style of music...somehow it fits Donkey Kong. :) I definitely think it was appropriate to bring back the main theme as you did at 4:35. That said, I didn't think the bit at 5:00 was quite necessary. It's a little misleading to have a soft ending after an apparently grand conclusion at 4:59. I know a lot of your pieces have quiet endings, Step, but it doesn't quite seem appropriate here to me...Anyway, marvelous work overall! I greatly admire people who can play real instruments this well! :D Nice job, everyone!

Step responds:

There are two things I strive for when making an arrangement. I want it to be enjoyable (surprise surprise), and I want it to provide an experience that's WORTH listening to, even with the original in place. I mean, what's the point of an arrangement if it sounds similar to the original? So I always try and add new things that weren't in the original, and basically create a listening experience that differs from the source material. Therefore, it's great to hear that you think it's creative :3.

You know, regarding that fluff at the very end... I initially didn't have anything there. I added it afterwards to add more references to the Stickerbrush Symphony theme, and because I intended it to transition into Rush of the Rainforest by Buoy (in the official track order of the album). With an ending like that it would transition beautifully into that track. It ended up not being before Rush of the Rainforest in the final album order though, and by then it was too late to remove it haha.

But yeah, I agree it isn't entirely fitting. Thanks for the review!

[Tune of Tempests]

Ah, I love the emotion right off the bat. The combination of the bells and the piano really pulls at my emotions. The strings add to that effect. Great sense of direction this song has once the horns come in. I love how the piano arps/sweep combo at :48 gives the effect of wind. I imagine a lone man with an overcoat and briefcase wandering the Great Plains during the Great Depression, looking for work. You combine an incredible amount of instruments, and the flute and vocals around 2:00 really demonstrated a height of the haunting beauty which always pervades your pieces, Step. Excellent job with dynamic contrast, instrumentation, mixing/mastering, and pretty much everything else. Your sense of melodic development is top-notch, and I absolutely love your use of the running water FX around 3:55 to transition back to the bells/strings/piano combo. I absolutely adore when pieces like this come full-circle. It really makes for an excellent perspective on the world behind the music. I'm running out of adjectives to describe your music, Step. Marvelous, fantastic, outstanding, superb, bone-chillingly beautiful, and amazing are a few, though. ;D Keep it up, my friend!

Step responds:

I am definitely quite proud of the intro, and the way it come a full circle. I had that idea in mind ever since I began working on the track. I have little ideas like these at the start of a track's production, and I always get excited to implement them :p.

This is a huuugely encouraging review, man. I feel like Beethoven right now seriously. STAHP.

Thanks a lot!

[Crushed]

Ay, it's Larry! :D I like the mysterious intro. There are some pretty cool synths in here, like the one at 1:01. Overall, though, it felt sort of dry and bare - not a lot going on, especially during the first minute or so. I love the breaks at 1:30, and you did a nice job with the structuring and transitioning, but it progresses very slowly. I like those arpeggios at 1:56. At some points, some of the instruments were a little loud, like the piano that comes in at 2:11. The mixing also isn't your best, but I understand that you made this project a long time ago. You have a great sense of harmony. Those breaks at 2:53 were a little disorienting, but I think they could've worked if you had a beat going on in the background to keep them grounded in the rhythmic development of the song as a whole. The coda was pretty effective in concluding the song, though. Overall, not your best work, but I'm still looking forward to seeing what else you'll produce this year and beyond! I'm TheDoor6, btw. I changed my name in September. Good luck with school and your future projects, man. ;D

larrynachos responds:

Hey TL! I'm glad you enjoyed the song. I agree with most of your points. I'm terrible at mixing, so the instruments are always conflicting.

I don't think I'll ever be able to live up to my "best work". My passion for music composition is on a steady decline, and I think I'm nearing the end of my golden age ("The Fall of Larrynachos" or something).

P.s. I must have accidentally unfollowed you. Sorry! I re-followed you :)

[This is Snake]

I love the atmosphere at the beginning, and the spacey drums and pads (with portamentos at :39!) are just awesome. It sounds like my soul is slowly being sucked into the maw of hell by the powers of black magic! The riff at 1:04 gave this piece an ethnic vibe, and the production quality is amazing! I love the emotion and the sense of climax, and moments like 2:03 really help put this dramatic mood in context. The subtle synth arpeggios around 3:10 really got to me too. I love your style, Step - the neo-orchestral cinematic music with electronic influences is just amazing! 5:03 really got me re-oriented with the direction the piece was headed. Amazing sense of variation and originality. This is spectacular! Not only does this piece paint an image in my head, it physically takes me on a journey. At the same time, you maintain an excellent sense of coherence and flow, despite the fast-paced nature of it. Has anyone ever told you that you could make a living out of this? Because I think you can if you really set your mind to it. Hollywood's calling for soundtracks like this, Step! All you have to do is respond...Keep up the awe-inspiring work, my friend! I deeply regret not reviewing this earlier. :O

Step responds:

Whoopsies, just realised I forgot all about this review. I deeply regret not RESPONDING to this earlier. D:

First off, thanks a million for all those reviews you left me man. Huuuge amount of support! I have an ego the size of China right now hahaha. I'm really happy you picked up on all those little things which I gave particular attention to myself.

I don't know if you've played Metal Gear at all, but all the stuff up till 1:47 is an arrangement of the theme that plays in Metal Gear Solid 3 when the enemies go into "caution mode" (when they're patrolling and looking for you). The cool part about you calling it ethnic is that the original (http://goo.gl/WIxCsT) is actually very ethnic in itself, so that was a good observation! It takes place in a jungle, which is probably why.

2:03's voice-over is actually the same thing that the guards say in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops when they've found you and are calling for backup. Of course, I couldn't just use the sample from the game so I got my friend Benjamin to record that and added a bunch of radio effects on it. That synth arpeggio is a nod to a similar arpeggio that appears in the Super Smash Bros arrangement of the Encounter theme. The bit at 5:03 is an arrangement of one of my favourite video game pieces of all time; the Metal Gear Solid 2 main theme... Echo and I put a lot of thought into this haha.

Yes, people have told me I can make a living out of this, and while I'm flattered, I don't think it'll work out. I'm just too worried about the unstable nature of a musician's career, and plus I'm deaf from one ear which places a few limitations on me when it comes to music production.

Anyway, this is some really high praise. I am super thrilled you enjoyed this, since it's one of the recent tracks I am most proud of. THANKS for the review!

[Comodo]

I like the bell at the beginning. Very dark...I love how you left yourself a lot of space for an epic build, although it does progress pretty slowly. I think you did well with all the structural changes, and you definitely keep up the dark mood throughout! It's good for Halloween. :) I think some parts sound a lot like your other pieces, e.x. the transition at 2:10 is very similar to some you've used before. That said, the mixing is top-notch. It does get a little repetitive by the end, even though it's relatively short, but the ending seems fitting. Keep it up! Despite my criticisms, I like your style a lot, BoomKitty. ;)

BoomKitty responds:

<3 .

[Birthday]

Yeah, can't say I know much about brit pop either...this is fun and upbeat and cute, though. Sounds like it'd be good for a videogame...kind of has that bouncy vibe, y'know? The instruments are cool, and the drums really help with the transitions. It loops well, although it's not really a structurally complete piece. It might be good for a game menu or something. I think you should do more with this, though! In the meantime, keep it up! Sorry I haven't been checking out a lot of your stuff recently. I'm swamped with stuff for school, college apps, key club, you name it! D:> I'll have some more free time soon...I hope. ;)

LunacyEcho responds:

=> videogame =>

You know, I never thought of it that way. Then again, game developers probably shouldn't put songs with weird time signatures on their games, for fear of making musicians lose their train of thought. :P

=> drums =>

I think I tried making my drums more complicated here. I've been critiqued in the past about how my drums seem pretty boring, which is pretty disappointing for me. I tried making no two bars of drums the same (yay kick drums), and went to town on those transitions. Glad they worked!

=> swamped =>

Hey, no sweat! There's nothing wrong with being really busy. I'm pretty busy as well, so I'd hate to imagine the amount of work you're going through. :(

I've never heard of Key Club before! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! In the meantime, just focus on your stuff. You come first. Thanks for reviewing!

[The One Without a Name]

I owe you some reviews. This is an interesting piece! I like the theme of nameless people...gives this piece a pretty quirky vibe. I can see how it's "a bunch of ideas mashed together," but that also gives it a sort of pleasantly fluid vibe to it. Of course, all of these piano solo tracks of yours are incredibly flowing and smooth, yet I'm noticing a sufficient structural pattern and degree of repetition nevertheless. An interesting piece, again...I can't help but be reminded of one of those weird montages they have on cheesy T.V. shows sometimes...the flow-y piano is the perfect epitome of the passage of time. ;P Anyway, hopefully I'll respond to your PM by Thanksgiving (last Thursday of November) as I'm trying to finish all of my college applications by then. After that, I should be able to respond to them more regularly until cramming for AP exams (in April/early May) rolls around. >_< Anyway, cool piece! Talk to you soon, LSD, and may the Holy Date of December 16th (or is it December 13th?) come ever sooner!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hahha, no one owes me any reviews XD I've been getting a lot more of them than I've given back :p

I also like the concept of nameless things is general. As for the repetition in the piece, I'm happy about it. I'd say it doesn't repeat too much; just enough for you to get a grasp of the melody so that you will know how it'll go the next time the same or a similar melody is played.
Heh, I guess that a lot of music I do would work as background music, which might explain why you imagine a montage while listening to this :)

I'll be looking forward to that PM of yours! By the end of November, I won't even have too long left in the army, as the date that I'm done with it all is on the 18th of December XD

Good luck with all your applications, and thanks for the review! :3