TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Changing Tides]

Wow. I love the rich atmosphere at the beginning and the mysterious mood. The mallets/bells that come in during the first minute help create a sense of motion, while the brass melodies at :55 solidify the sense of tranquility and majesty that pervades the piece. The different elements of the texture blend together quite nicely, and as the atmosphere fades starting at around 1:50 I'm reminded of the long exhale of a large sea create, perhaps a whale. The minimal outro also fits the piece well. Really strong work here, Ben! Happy holidays. ^_^

BenTibbetts responds:

Hey, thank you for the lovely description and kind words! Happy holidays to you as well. :)

[Last Morning]

I like the pensive piano riff at the beginning. The mix is really quiet and muddy here, though. The murky pads at :15 don't sound very polished, and the synth at :32 sounds a bit harsh on my speakers. Have you tried downloading higher-quality sample packs from the internet? That said, I like the brighter tone the piece has by the end. Cheers!

Melon4ikpro1772 responds:

Thx <3
I made this music in FLMobile out of boredom in literally 10 minutes. I'm not much of a musician :)

[Water from the rock (feat. etherealwinds)]

This is lovely, guys! The warm, pulsing brass pads and pensive string arpeggios mesh together beautifully, and the transition into more synthesized elements was really smooth. Jordi's vocals are as haunting and majestic as always, and the piano outro was a pleasant surprise. The piano had just enough atmosphere to it, and winds down the energy of the piece while also creating something new out of it. This piece also loops quite well, which is rare to find on Newgrounds these days. Brilliant work, gents! Happy holidays. ^_^

Phonometrologist responds:

I hope the holidays treated you well. You've done much for the community here, and it is nice to see you again. On the note about Jordi's vocals, how spot on you are about it being as haunting as it is. I was quite surprised to hear such depth in the notes when he first brought it alive in this track. A sampled instrument really cannot compare.
I really do appreciate you putting down your thoughts here. Thank you!

[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!

[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

[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!

[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