TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A New Discovery]

I like the jumpy riff at the beginning and the atmosphere that comes in at :05. The airy guitar riff at :15 is super nice too, and overall the sound design and progression is distinctly “Beyond Our Eyes-style.” :D The melodic refrain at 1:05 is nice, and the compositional details here are pretty neat, like the descending line at 1:04. There are still long sections of this piece where the texture is mostly rhythmic in nature, especially early on. I really like the bridge at 2:21 with the prominent bass and added electronic elements. I feel like the piece is missing a climactic section towards the end to hit the piece home, and that at times the arrangement is a bit formulaic, with a lot of transitions made with quick drum fills as opposed to broader phrasing techniques. Despite the rich atmosphere, the mix holds up incredibly well, though. Really clean and well-balanced production here. Overall, this is a catchy and well-produced track with your trademark killer sound design. Keep it up, BOE! ^_^

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

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Great appreciate the score and feedback as always! I do wanna revisit the ending of this song for sure and build it out more cinematically rather than it stop as abruptly as it does, I just ran out of time lol but Imma jump on it and make some other tweaks very soon!

[Hold The Candle ft. Ragga Twins]

Wow, been a while since I heard from you! I like the spacey atmosphere at the beginning and your characteristically crisp drums. The energetic vocals are engaging and fun, and the drop, while a little minimal, was catchy and well-varied. The arrangement is a little generic, but the production quality is especially good, and I like how you switch up the drop the second time around. Strong track, Spitfya! Hope to hear more of you on Newgrounds in the near future. ^_^

[Miracle]

I like the cutesy, echo-y chords at the beginning and the dreamy pads that start fading in at around :14. Love the conversational tone of the vocals at :27 too. I also applaud the relatable lyrics and the production quality. The instrumental tracks could’ve used a little more variety, and the arrangement here is a little generic. The synth solo at 2:55 is awesome, though, and I also like the subtle variations on the final chorus. Overall, really solid effort here, Zane! Pleasure having you in the contest this year, and congratulations on your success in it (and NGADM too!). ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[Common Area]

I like the quirky beats at the beginning - the blissful-sounding lead, cutesy harmonies, and heavy bass actually work really well together. The texture sounds a tad thin for the first couple of minutes - some stronger drums and a little more room in the mix for the middle-range frequencies could help. The dissonance at 1:16 actually works really well to advance the progression of the piece, and I really enjoy the rhythmic content throughout. The fairly thin texture is a bit of a turn-off for me here, and at some point you could’ve balanced out the staccato-y synth lines and short-lived flourishes with some smoother pads or something. Still, I really like the sound design, progression, and beats here. Full credit for instrumentation and originality for sure. :D Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, xkatttt! Always a pleasure hearing your work. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

xkatttt responds:

Thanks for your review! Glad you enjoyed and super grateful to have made it this far in the contest :)

[Stuck with me]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The sound design is great, as is the groovy bass line. The vocals at :28 sound soothing and conversational in tone, but also could’ve been more up-front in the mix. It also sounds like some of the articulations on the notes are a little odd, almost like you aren’t staying a consistent distance away from the mic when you record. “I just WIISH we cOOUUld,” etc. Honestly, it’s a fine line between being expressive and being campy with this sort of thing for me. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty small detail.

The guitar solo at 1:05 is really refreshing and blissful-sounding, and one of my favorite parts of the piece is the second half of the vocal bridge at 2:02. I thought the vocals sounded a bit mumbly and strained at 1:55, though - working on breath control would be a good next step for you.

Overall, really nice work with the moody vibe, rich atmosphere, instrumentation, clean mix, and progression here, Xehao! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC again this year. Been a pleasure having you! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[X3ll3n - Bring Out the Flame (NGUAC Finals 2023)]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning, although the rhythm is a bit square. Reminds me of some of ErikMcClure’s stuff, actually. The buildup into :32 is nice, although the drums at the drop are very soft in the mix. The melodic breakdown at :54 is pretty cool, and I also like the energetic bridge at 1:18, although the lead synth there also sounded a bit distorted in the mix. The arrangement and chord progression here are pretty generic here, and I would’ve liked to hear more variety towards the end of the piece. The added harmonies at 2:13 are barely audible, and overall I felt like you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here. Still, I enjoyed the sound design, progression, and melodies, and it’s been an absolute pleasure having you in the NGUAC again this year, X3LL3N! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
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

X3LL3N responds:

Thanks ! I will try to do better next year if I qualify ^^

[Aag Ka Gola]

I like the eastern-sounding stringed instruments and percussion at the beginning. The rhythmic content and the little swells in the texture are really nice, too. The one at :34 sounds a tad unnatural, although by the time the piece gets really sub bass-heavy shortly thereafter, it’s clear you’re going in a more electronic direction with the piece. The drop/chorus section at :35 is pretty minimal and repetitive, though, and the pitch automations on the vocals struck me as a bit cheesy. I think it would’ve helped if you had built a richer atmosphere around the vocals and focused on blending and harmonic depth a little more. The vocal chops are pretty cool, but I feel shouldn’t be the main thing going on for so much of the piece, especially the last minute or so. Overall, I’d love to see you go back into the studio with this one and flesh out the composition a little more. The sound design has a lot of potential, and I know you’re a really talented producer, but I’m not sure you’re maximizing impact with this particular arrangement yet. Still, thanks for coming out to the NGUAC as always, Walpang! It’s been a pleasure hearing so much of your stuff this summer. ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Dragonslayer]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning and the crisp beats at :16. Feels very cinematic and apprehensive. Haha, I recognize SamuraiOwl’s downright demonic vocals from last year too. The heavy breaks at :48 sound delicious, and I also like when you go in a more atmospheric direction at 1:12. The vocals at 1:39 sound a bit over-processed IMO, but the uplifting and triumphant mood certainly fit the narrative arc of the piece well. The drop at 2:15 or so has some harsh-sounding tones in the upper register that I thought could’ve been smoothed out a bit, and the transition into 2:32 was a bit abrupt. The blissful part with the strong beat at the end hit the piece home nicely, but the transition into it at 2:58 also could’ve been smoother. Overall, I really like the production quality, mood, rhythmic content, and variety here, but the arrangement feels a tad disjointed and the sound design could use a tad more polish. Still, this is a really catchy track with some great storytelling attributes. Keep at it, VFG! Pleasure to have you in the NGUAC as always. ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

SamuraiOwl responds:

im demonic :)

[xX FIND MY CURE Xx]

I like the graceful piano line at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The vocals at :20 blend into the texture well, but could also use a bit of a boost in the mix. The piece is a little slow to progress, and could use some drums or something to give it a sense of drive. I also think the lyrics are a bit generic and uninspired at times, but I really enjoyed the transition into the drop at 1:22 and the frantic energy there. The bass may be a tad loud, especially compared to the drums, and the transition back into the twinkly piano line at 2:01 was a bit abrupt. The vocals strike me as particularly heartfelt at the verse at 2:11, and I like the articulation and rhyme scheme too. The part at 2:33 is another one where I think the vocals needed to be more up-front. Scaling back on the reverb on the guitar might help a tad, but some compression and pushing up the upper-mid tones in the EQ might also do the trick. The second drop could’ve been switched up a little more compared to the first one, but it still helps hit the piece home nicely. Really solid work overall, TheNewAge! Congratulations on your success in this competition, too. Been a pleasure listening to all of your tracks these past couple of months. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

TheNewAge responds:

Thank you so much!! I cannot believe I made it this far, and the constructive criticism helps so much!

[SUNSCREECH - rebirth]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The distorted vocals definitely contribute to the creepy mood. The texture might need some thickening up at times to keep me engaged, especially during the first 1.5 minutes or so, but I did enjoy the swell into :52 and the airy piano riff at 1:17. The transition at 1:43 was surprisingly smooth considering what a rapid shift in the texture it is. The pacing of the piece is still rather slow, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth to balance out the gritty rhythmic content, but the mixing is impressive and the progression feels downright cinematic. If there’s one particularly jarring transition here, it’s at 2:55, although I feel like a drum fill or brief flourish would smooth it over more. I also enjoyed the climax into 3:47 and the return of the piano at 4:00. The skin-crawling wall of sound at 4:33 caught me by surprise a bit, but in retrospect you foreshadowed it well. Overall, I think the arrangement here is a bit disjointed, and the composition could be more well-rounded, but you absolutely told a story with this one, and I have a lot of respect for that. Sound design and production are very good as well. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, SUNSCREECH! Been a pleasure having you. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10