TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sentience Bazaar]

I like the jazzy tone at the beginning. Like many of your pieces, it seems like the backing track for a moment of decision-making or personal reflection that's very character-driven. Not about which flavor of ice cream to choose, but whether a person's essence is embodied in ice cream or meat and potatoes. One is carefree and optimistic, and the other is more solid and real (though not particularly healthy either). Anyway, the flute-like melody instrument adds a great sense of buoyancy to the piece later on, and the dreamy atmosphere and solid mixing give it a sense of balance and blending. This is relaxing and pensive, but also catchy and engaging. The texture of the flutes - staccato-y and crisp, despite the reverb - is the thing that sticks with me the most. Keep at it, LLAAPPSSEE! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

You are what you eat, eh? *laugh track*

This pesky existence stuff is always poking and prodding. I suppose it's nice we have this ability to influence our reality though. Sometimes it feels like your hard-stuck no matter what you do. Choice fatigue got me down.

The flute-like sound you're hearing is actually piano. ;)
It has a very sharp volume envelope cut on it that creates the staccato feeling + some heavy and quick-acting tremolo effect for that warbling + delay/reverb, If I recall correctly. Outside of the use here, it kinda has a 60/70's funky feel to it when you play it dry and harder. When played softly it has a pleasant lilting feeling. Was sorta an accident. :D

[This Song Means Nothing]

It means nothing until someone gives it a meaning, so let me try to do just that. I like the synth at :05 a lot - sounds like a guitar in a way. The characteristic glitchiness seeps in just in time for the energy of the beat to join it. The snare seems a bit high-pitched and almost tinny for my tastes, and the volume balance on some of the other elements (the loud, mid-range synth at 1:15, for example) seems a little off. The melodies at around 1:30 are super nice, though, and the wet ambient effects at 2:05 make for a great transition into the next section. The variability in this piece is truly impressive, but at the same time the flow is very smooth throughout. The effects at 2:55 are a bit harsh-sounding, but I like how they vacillate in a wave-like structural form - is there an echo/delay effect on them? The tame (though eerie) ending to the piece seems fitting, too. The entire track sounds like a search for getting the most out of life - for stability even at a high level of performance. The protagonist says he'll die for glory, but in reality his plans end with a whimper, not a bang. The aspiring actor moves back to Ohio from Los Angeles, and maybe she goes back to school. The independent business owner, faced with setbacks, ends up finding more fulfillment with 2 kids and a dog instead of in his career. That's what this song means to me. It's about the internal dissonance between what we dare to dream vs. how we ultimately live our lives. And any song that can put such a strong (though abstract) image in my mind is a good one, LLAAPPSSEE! Keep it up.

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Been a while since I've made this. Can't totally say for sure what the effect is @2:55. I think it's some time-stretching+panning/granular synthesis inspired thing.

Title is basically a long way to say it's "untitled" -- It /might/ even be a bit deflective/reflective. Maybe the brain can find meaning in anything when there isn't inherently anything? Ideally, I think I'd like to leave everything untitled and let people feel the way they want. Is it meaningful or is it simply what I like to hear and make? Solving self-created audio puzzles. Why do these arrangement of frequencies feel expressive? I chose them for a reason, right? Easier to face myself sonically? Need to get an audio-psychoanalyst in here.

I've always wanted to a do a small project where I title things in a joyous way, but the music is dour as heck. Just to mess with people -- an extension of how my failing persona is or something.

What you get out of it is quite interesting. It's definitely a relatable feeling. I think if you love doing something you should always try and make some time for it. That said, these priorities can change. What if you're stuck in the dream because no other life is for you? You toil away. Existence seems easy, but happiness is hard. These paths find you sometimes though. Sometimes you don't know you wanted something till you're in it. The future is a wild place. I think a lot of people struggle with this sorta dissonance in their lives. Sometimes it's ok to not settle on the answer. Be the devil and the advocate. :\

but, enough of my psuedo-psudeo'ing. Sussudio.

[The Isles of Self-Once-Whole]

Wow! Art-Inspired Music outside of the contest itself. :D I like the glitchy texture and ominous tone at the beginning. The mix is clean and clear, and the rhythmic percussion and effects blend well with the tranquil instrumental tracks. I'm really liking the soaring melodies at 2:03 and the glissandos at 2:21. You've really captured a complex mix of emotions with this one - external triumph amidst internal struggle, perhaps. The twittering synth line at 3:42 is gorgeous, and the distorted pads that carry the piece through the middle section are a good balance of calm and a slight edge. The breakdown at 4:30 gives the piece a great sense of dynamic contrast, so much so that the moody vibe at 5:45 feels like a completely different track in a way. The jazzy solos for the next couple of minutes or so are great, and the gradually more glitchy background elements work really well with the oscillating intensity of the solos. It's almost a long-form call-and-response between the glitches and the jazzy melodies, and it sounds beautiful. What can I say, LLAAPPSSEE? You nailed it again. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the ending felt a tad sudden. But that might just be because I want to hear more of your music, haha. Cheers! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

I didn't even realize the contest was going on till you mentioned it, haha. Art and literature has inspired me a good bit through the years.

Y'know, it's pretty funny and perceptive that you mentioned the end of the track. It was something I always felt to when I'd come back and listen to it. I actually edited the track many years later and added that ambient reverb tail outro, haha. It used to just end more abruptly. I guess my past self liked it that way for some reason. The way it is now it's l like the islands sunk under the sea or something. I never really knew how to end this piece. It's been a while since I've made a song this length, but some pieces I could just riff on seemingly endlessly.

[Amiss]

I like the airy tone at the beginning and the vacillating tone of the piece - seems cheery and full of wonder at one moment, and the stuff of horror films at others, and sometimes both at once. The texture is pretty minimal, but it makes for a good ambiance. The denser rhythm at 2:09 was a good way of adding some variety to the structure in a piece that otherwise has a pretty uniform texture. The loop doesn't seem to be that smooth, but I'm also not sure it's intended to be. Just wouldn't be an AIM without an LSD submission! Cheers, Ale. ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey there!
I'm glad you enjoyed the oxymoronic feel of this piece. I was really close to missing this AIM, but thankfully @Everratic reminded me of the NGADM, and then I happened to see the AIM deadline at the same time. It's been a hectic year for me, but I hope to be getting back to music a bit more now after the summer :D

As for the loop, try downloading the piece, put your DAW to 7/8, at tempo 107, and set it to loop, and I think the loop should be seamless (some DAWS might be able to loop the audio-file without changing any settings). I also know that the Winamp player is capable of it, but only on the Windows version. It's a shame, because Newgrounds used to be able to loop songs almost flawlessly, but not since the new player. The only way is to have a bit of complete silence at the beginning and end of the piece, and even then it jumps almost a beat, which limits composing a bit if you do it with the player in mind :V

[Gaea]

SFW! It's been too long, my friend. I like the tranquil and pensive mood at the beginning. Sounds like robot babies learning how to walk for the first time. XD You set the atmosphere really nicely, and the gentle build into :55 was well-done. The snare-equivalent there sounds a tad grating to me - I might've softened the treble tones and added some reverb, but in general I'm not sure I'm qualified to give you of all people production advice, lol. :D The uplifting mood and floaty atmosphere is a 10/10, though, and the piece has a good sense of build into 3:10. You might've been able to sell the emotional quality of 3:10 a tad more, as that felt like the climax of the piece. That said, the piano at the end was a wise choice - really makes the piece come full-circle. Solid work, SFW! You're clearly a really talented and versatile composer. ^_^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thank you! I always look forward to your insightful feedback. That sine wave snare can get a bit harsh. I was trying to replicate something I’d heard nearly a decade ago at a modern dance event and unfortunately never got to speak with the composer about his sound design technique. It was like he took a bunch of super high sine waves, loaded them into an inflated balloon, then sprayed them out through a wet filter. It was incredible. This emulation is a bit more hard, but I think my ears got used to it after awhile.
Thanks you for listening!

[MECHANIZED]

This is the sort of stuff I remember you making! I like the gritty bass at the beginning and how you start breaking them up with the dreamy guitars at :17. The more melodic flair to the piece by :35 or so is also a very welcome development. Later on, the arrangement feels a tad choppy. I'm enjoying the rhythmic content, and the production quality is particularly impressive here. That said, I'm not sure you quite capitalize on the momentum of the solos at :35 by reverting to the gruff undertones at :53. I similarly enjoy the more slow-paced emotional height at 2:02, but it also feels a tad isolated from the rest of the composition - not much build-up into it or break-down thereafter. Almost feels like this piece is torn between two personas - the soaring melodic ones and grouchy rhythmic ones - and the rhythmic ones win out at the end of the day. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think the composition would be more interesting to me if you had tried to thread the two personas together a bit more. In short, you can totally shred on these solos, and your mixing skills are really strong. The transitions (or lack thereof) are what's giving me pause. Either way, glad to see you're still around, man! I remember listening to your stuff as far back as 2015. ^_^

Ritz190 responds:

Big thanks for the reviews and glad to see you still active around here as well!

If I'm being honest about this song it's def a blend of 2 personas that clash fundamentally. These set of songs were more focused on working with limited tools and time as i wrote this using garageband on my apple ipad using an irig to record guitars and bass. I agree with you about the transitions there wasn't much though put into that aspect and the ones that are there are basic and repetitive. These days my main focus has been my band but I feel my chops up somewhat with these kinds of projects.

I appreciate your feedback!
Peace!

[Virtua Hotel (WIP)]

I like the groovy bass line and crisp drums. The synths are a bit cheesy, but the melodic content and variations in the sound design starting at around :55 work well. The production quality is pretty good too, and the more atmospheric elements at 1:13 help fill out the texture nicely. The piece could've used a stronger sense of narrative later on, but it's still really catchy and smooth-flowing. The guitar solo at the end starts to take the piece in a very different direction. I love the energy level and atmosphere around the guitar, but it also seems like a bit of an appendage to the piece - not fully integrated yet. Piece has a lot of potential, though. I hope you revisit it! Cheers, Ritz.

Ritz190 responds:

Oh yeah this song is nowhere near finished but I still wanted to share. I really miss the days when I posted what I had finished or not for feedback like this.

Cheesy elements in my music is a guilty pleasure on my part but I try not to make it the main focus. Guitar for sure needs work and I was def unsure of how to approach it when putting ideas down but I at least have a direction now.

I'll def expand upon this using your feedback.

Much appreciated as always!
Peace!

[Can't]

I like the perky piano riff at the beginning and your characteristically crisp and creative drum patterns. Again, I'm tempted to say the texture of the piece is minimal, but the piano just feels so full and echo-y that it helps fill out the texture nicely. I also wasn't sure this piece was what I would call "jazz" at first, but I can see some of the jazzy harmonic elements start to come through at the piano solo at 1:20. There are also a lot of cool additions to the sound design later in the piece, from the airy guitar and percussive elements to the prominent hi-hats. The core harmonic framework here is pretty simple, but you have built such a luscious tapestry of sound around it. I also think the abrupt ending of the piece works really well here. Another 10/10, LLAAPPSSEE! ^^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

This may be the most minimal or faux-"traditional" piece I've made to date. It's the first in a theme of tracks that would come to be over the years.

A bit of an oddity in my work. I think I'm a bit hypocritical in my taste. I love densely ever-changing complicated pieces and I also like loop-based chill-out stuff. Timbre & texture really help though. When it works, it works.
If it ain't jazz in the beginning what would you call it? I guess I attune to a nebulous idea of jazz...the free spirit/syncopation/improv/self-styling? There are many sub-genres and sub-sub-genres XD. None of that really matters to me. I simply want to make stuff. No pretense. I find myself dipping into any of those lines. I'm really just trying to stuff myself into some kinda relatable hole. Especially on a website that offers only some niche genres. As an autodidact you do what you do. Human brains gotta box stuff up though, it's what we do. I'm not much of a music theorist. I just make stuff and try to force into a pretty little dress.

The ending of this leads into an old song I've not release yet.
Really appreciate the thoughtful reviews. Thank you.

[Glow]

I like the dark, moody tone of the (E-piano?) at the beginning. The airy guitar-like instrument at :56 is awesome, and you contrast the smooth legato of the guitar nicely with the plunky piano riff at 1:26. At times, the mix sounds a bit over-compressed here, but that may just be the bitcrush. It's hard to tell. The piano solo at 2:10 helps hit the piece home nicely. Despite the somewhat bizarre sound design and rhythmic content of the piece, the fairly "tame" structure of the piece helps me stay grounded and follow the flow of it. Strong work yet again, LLAAPPSSEE! ^^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

It is a rhodes throughout for the general ambience. There is no guitar in this. I think what you're hearing at :56 is a kalimba sample? I can't remember, heh. It may just be modified and resampled e-piano plucks. A lot of the sounds in this track have some kinda distortion on them. The mix is hopefully a bit stuffy...cottony; warm...like a thick blanket or something. I could be making fluffy excuses, too. Maybe the mix ideas just don't pan out in retrospect. Bizarre can be good or bad, no? Hopefully intriguing. I'll leave tradition/expectation/normality to someone else. This is mine -- warts and all. Someone's oddity can be another persons normality? Wait till you hear some of my other stuff? :P