TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Remembering Our Journey]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning. The dissonance at :10 is a nice touch too. The melodies at :46 are really beautiful, although part of me wanted to hear more of the harmonies in the mix. The jazzy chords between 1:26 and 1:50 or so help spice up the piece nicely. The composition is really lovely, but also a bit understated at times - the texture is pretty minimal during the section between the refrains, even considering this is a piano solo. Of course, you know how to channel the emotion well towards the end. The final refrain at 2:22 felt very cathartic, and the soft echo of the main melody at 3:05 was a lovely way of concluding the piece. Overall, the fact that you made a piece like this in the “last few hours” before the deadline is a testament to your immense talent. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, Everratic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
9.25/10

[Rush]

I like the eerie synth pattern at the beginning, although it blends in a bit too much with the pads at :13. Maybe some stereo widening or other mixing effects would’ve made those two instruments sound more distinct from each other? Regardless, I like the chopped vocals at :29 and the blissful lead synths. The tempo automation at 1:22 is a nice touch, although I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic framework here as well. The piece gets a tad repetitive after a while - I kept waiting for a killer melody to hit the piece home that never came. Still, I like the energy, synths, and production quality a lot here. Keep at it, Enysmo! Pleasure having you in the NGUAC this year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[4th Entity]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning and the jazzy piano chords. The piece is a bit slow to progress at first, and the mix sounds a bit distorted at around :40, but there’s a good sense of build-up into :55. The lead synth at :55 sounds a bit harsh in the mix, and overcompression may be part of the problem. In fact, a significant portion of the sound design sounds a bit unpolished here. The arrangement, chord progression, and aspects of the sound design (especially the drums) are a bit generic, but the production quality holds up well overall. The bridge at 1:41 was good for some variety, and the bass line at the outro at 2:15 or so is really delicious. Overall, like you alluded to in the author’s description, I don’t think this is your best work, but you still got my foot tapping and showed off your production skills with this one. Pleasure having you in the NGUAC this year, entropicvoxels! Keep it up, and good luck with school. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[nguac final submission]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning and the crisp drums at :15. The piece is a bit slow to progress, and could use some more variety in the harmonies in particular. The creepy atmosphere is nice, although the mix sounds rather bottom-heavy overall, with not a lot of upper-mid-range frequencies to counterbalance the arpeggios, piano, bass, and kick. The production quality holds up pretty well, but with the fairly minimal texture that might not mean much. Overall, the composition is pretty bland and needs a stronger sense of progression, but the sound design and rhythmic content are cool. Keep at it, emersonkid! Pleasure having you in the NGUAC this year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Gazing Ball]

I like the bouncy beat and dreamy atmosphere at the beginning. The subbass is a bit loud IMO - the mix feels a bit bottom-heavy between that and the kick rolls. The rest of the sound design is great, though. I especially like the church bells during the intro and the synth melody at :45 that sounds like a woodwind instrument. The tranquil breakdown at 1:28 was great, and the majestic synth guitar at 1:39 is yet another strong addition to the instrumental palette. The pace of the piece is a bit slow at times, especially during the middle section (1:39 - 2:23), and one thing you might consider is switching up the drum pattern more substantially at some point. After a while, the arrangement feels a tad formulaic, with the copy-paste atmospheric section at the end and a very rigid harmonic structure throughout. Still, you absolutely nailed the sound design, atmosphere, and production quality here. Thanks so much for coming out to the NGUAC, Ellie! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[shopping at the mall]

Love the prominent bass and jazzy flair of this one. The drums are a bit flat, and could use some more compression or something to make them “pop” in the mix more. Otherwise, the production quality is fine, and the groovy synth melodies and slidey bass riffs seriously get my foot tapping. Overall, you’re right that the mixing isn’t perfect, but it’s hard to go overboard with synth melodies in my book. :D Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, Crysstal712! Been a pleasure having you.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Crysstal712 responds:

thank you for the opportunity, i'll be here next year!

[Superior Magnetic]

I like the rich strings at the beginning and the robotic-sounding atmosphere. The synth bass at :22 is a nice touch, and the rhythmic content of this piece is especially creative. The guitar at :47 was a pleasant surprise. There’s a plethora of reverb in the texture, and the drums get rather lost in the mix for most of the piece. The softer tone of the strings at 1:30 comes on a bit suddenly, but the ensuing 30 seconds or so served as a nice breakdown to contrast with the heavy bass and dense texture beforehand. Love the synth melodies at 2:02 as well. The distortion at 2:12 sounds a bit harsh in the mix, but the atmosphere around it helps soften the blow. Overall, you’ve put together another ambient beauty, Cresince. Congratulations, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC again this year! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
9.25/10

Cresince responds:

It's always a blast to compose for these competitions. I always learn so much from the wonderful judges, and I hope I can keep improving! Thank you for hosting such wonderful events!

[Une nuit proche des étoiles]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning, between the wind chimes, airy piano, and otherworldly synths. Not sure I liked the suddenly thinner texture at :53 - I think you could’ve filled out the atmosphere a bit more, especially given the rather slow pace of the piece. The emotional appeal of the sound design and composition is still really nice, and I also like the heavier bass at 2:15 and the sense of build-up into 2:40. The vocals at 2:47 were a nice idea, but I’m not sure I like the tone of the samples too much. Is this supposed to be a children’s choir? It just could’ve sounded…richer. Still, the outro is really majestic, and overall you absolutely nailed the cinematic appeal of the piece. Nice job with the production quality and sound design as well. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC again this year, BAOWZ! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

BAOWZ-Tobass responds:

Hey it scored quite well! Thanks! I had the same feeling about the choir and i think the problem comes from the legato : there is none and LABS don't have this option sadly. What i first had in mind was a solo soprano singer, but it wasn't free ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯. But hey i'm 12th! Almost 13th! Luck is on my side for next year!

[The Octagon - NGUAC 2023]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning. There’s a bit too much reverb in the texture IMO, and the drums sound rather thin in the mix. There’s a good sense of build-up into :41, and the quirky synth melodies there are nice, but could also use a bit of a boost in the mix. I would take a second look at the EQs and cut some more in the low (<200 Hertz) and low-mid (200-600ish) range - the bass and harmonies are the elements of the mix that “pop” the most right now, and I think it should really be the melodies and drums that stand out the most. The composition here is really fun, though. Love the dynamic and memorable melodies and the ghostly sound design. The chord progression and arrangement are a bit generic, but otherwise I have few complaints on the composition. Overall, the production could use a bit of tightening, but this is a really fun and upbeat track, AmishPimp! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC again this year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Different Shapes (NGUAC 2023)]

I like the tranquil, dreamy synth pattern at the beginning and the rhythmic content. The texture is a bit thin for a while, but it helps when you introduce the bass at :32. The production is clean and loud, and I love the prominent hi-hat in the drum kit. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, but the transitions are smooth and the sound design is great. The composition could’ve been a tad more ambitious at times - not much melodic content here. The breakdown at 1:56 has a great atmospheric appeal, though, and I like the guitars and vocals you introduce there as well. You balance creating variety with structural cohesion really nicely here - I love when the dreamy pads come back in at 3:28, and the energetic section towards the end hits the piece home nicely. Overall, strong work, ALG! It’s been a pleasure to have you in the NGUAC again this year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10