TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[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.

[Drunk]

Hey, thanks for the shout-out! The background chatter at the beginning was a good idea, but it goes on for a bit too long without any moving notes. The audience cheering when the guitar solo starts was a bit cheesy, but made me smile nonetheless. The guitar solos and punchy "hey"s are nice, and I like the atmospheric synths and strings too. The waltzy breakdown at 2:00ish is really nice, and the section thereafter is full of variety. I especially like the drum riffs at 3:08 or so. The mix is punchy and well-balanced throughout, although you may have overdone the reverb at times. The glass breaking sound effects at the beginning and the creepy deflator at 4:00 were the cherries on top, and it seems like you're really getting into the Halloween spirit by the time that ghostly synth at the end comes in. Really cool piece overall, Theta! It seems like the energy level never quite got back to the level of the first half, but the sound design, production quality, and melodies are all really enjoyable, and your transitions have improved a lot! Keep it up. ^_^

Thetageist responds:

Yay! Happy to hear I’ve improved! And since you consider it Halloweeny enough, I’m going to declare that it did what I wanted it to, and enter it into the Spooktacular audio contest now!

[Channeling (Early Demo)]

Nice to hear your vocals again! I like the percussion and the long, lilting vocal phrases. The layering is really nice, and the warm pads in the background really give the texture a rich and full feel. The mic seems a bit overwhelmed at times (like at "much else" at :20-21), and it would be nice to even out some of the levels on the vocal recording. Other than that, I love the reflective mood and sound design here. Keep it up, KC! ^_^

SensoryDecay responds:

Yet another abandoned project. This is a rough draft, but I don't really ever linger on songs to a fault. I just move on. Also I think I recorded the vocals on a headset haha, which is why it sounds pretty garbage BUT does give it some "personality" at least that's my story haha

[Midnight]

Aww yeah, we're getting to the oldies now. I like the crisp drums at the beginning and the eerie atmosphere. What's that puttering sound in the background underneath the guitars and percussion? I can't quite place it. Really evocative and moody piece. I like when the guitar riff at :53 gives the listener some more solid ground to stand on, and the piece flows really well between a murky ambiance and some more concrete guitar patterns. Really beautiful piece, KC! Keep it up. ^_^

SensoryDecay responds:

So this...weird piece. I was drunk at like 12ish, which is why this is called Midnight, in college. I was kinda done with film school and just wanted out so I made this, not really as a "fuck you" statement, but more like a "awww fuck it" statement haha.

[X3ll3n - Spatium Cursu [NGUAC 2022 Final Round]]

I like the airy synth patterns at the beginning and the cutesy lead at :11. The snare sample at :22 isn’t my favorite - it seems really quiet and top-heavy compared to the kick - but I like the climax into :34 and the blissful melodies thereafter. The grouchy bass at :55 was a pleasant surprise, and you incorporated the vocal samples well too. The drums are struggling a bit to pop through the mix at 1:20, but the frantic synth riffs and rich texture there are quite enjoyable. The piano outro was a solid choice too, if a tad cliche. Overall, I really like the melodies, energy, progression, and atmosphere of this one. My complaints with the mixing and instrumentation are minor. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, X3LL3N! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

X3LL3N responds:

Thanks for your feedback !
It seems my entry, didn't stand out much compared to the other qualifiers, so I'll try to do better next year :)