TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[City of the dead]

I like the eerie sound design at the beginning, and the crisp drums at :13 are cool too. The ghostly melodies at :27 are pretty nice, but also could use a bit of a boost in the mix. In general, the piece is pretty slow to progress, and the arrangement feels pretty formulaic, with regular changes every 16 bars, and mostly consisting of slight switch-ups to the instrumental palette. The section at 1:25 has an extra level of tension to it, but by 1:40 or so the low-mid synth plucks are kinda tripping over each other - might be a delay effect that’s a little too strong. The harmonic content comes together well for the final refrain at 2:20, but the mix is pretty muddy at that point. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, and the ghostly melody still isn’t really coming through. I’d run the EQs of the harmonic content a little tighter in the low and mid-range and ease back on the reverb a tad. Stereo widening on the pads might also help. Overall, the composition could’ve been a bit bolder, and the mixing could use some more polish, but I really like the sound design, ominous mood, and rich atmosphere of this. Keep at it, CielOuvert! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[~cC~ Hands Up, Alien Overlords!]

I like the blissful melodies and rhythmic content here. The pads at the very beginning sound a tad clunky, though - it might help to space out the notes a bit further apart, even if that just means moving some of them up an octave. The brass lead sounds pretty inauthentic, but in general the sound design is pretty cute. The re-intro at 1:00 was a nice change-of-pace, and I like the prominent bass line here. The organ solo at 1:16 totally rocked, and the phased synth at 1:46 actually made for a pretty cool transition into the meter change at 2:01. The tempo change at 2:20 was also a cool compositional detail. The production quality is pretty good here, too. I especially like the crisp drums and well-balanced frequencies throughout. The final refrain at 2:21 could use a bit more distinction/variety compared to the first two, if only to provide a stronger sense of overarching progression to the piece. The dragged-out final cadence at 2:35 was a bit over-the-top, but I appreciate the flair of it nonetheless. Overall, this piece has a lot of fun twists and turns that are integrated with smooth transitions - a really advanced compositional skill to have. I also like the mixing and (for the most part) the sound design. Keep up the good work, CelestialChaos! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

CelestialChaos responds:

Thank you so much for the review! I appreciate the kind words for the melodies and transitions, I improvised a lot of them and was really happy with how they turned out. I’m definitely less confident with sound design as well as mixing and mastering, so I’m glad I had the opportunity with NGUAC to try some things out and get some solid feedback!

Also, just to be a music nerd… at 2:01 it’s a subdivision change, not a mater change. It’s still in a 4/4 meter, but the triplet is used as the subdivision instead of the eighth note. Sorry, couldn’t resist! Thanks again for putting on a great competition, and I look forward to coming back again next year!

[desolation]

I like the portamentos at the beginning and the airy vocals. Love the rich atmosphere and prominent sub-bass here, and the reverb and delay effects are just luscious. The drums aren’t quite as far forward in the mix as I would’ve liked, and after a while the piece could use a stronger sense of progression. The brief bridge at 1:10 is a nice touch, and I like how you went in a different direction with the second half of this piece with the piano at 1:37 and a brighter, more upbeat tone. It comes together well by the end overall, but the outro at 2:23 could’ve been a tad more creative. The harmonic content could’ve been a little more well-varied and dynamic here. Still, you won me over with the atmosphere and sound design. Keep at it, cantbemyself! ^_^

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
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
8.25/10

cantbemyself responds:

Thank you so much for the detailed review! I'll try my best ;)

[WTF]

I like the cute, plucked synth riff at the beginning. The low-pitched effect that first appears at :18 sounds a bit cheesy, but I appreciate the creative rhythms of that section. The production is a tad over-compressed, but otherwise solid. I appreciate the more tonal section at :49, and I’m impressed you recorded all the vocals yourself. Interspersing the vocals with the glitchy breaks from earlier at 1:08 was a good idea, but the piece could still use some more harmonic depth and a more fleshed-out structure IMO. The descent into wet reverb hell at the end was a nice touch, though. Overall, I like the experimental texture of this, but elements of the sound design could use a bit more polish, and the compositional details needed a bit more variety. I applaud you for taking such a bold compositional approach, though - full credit on uniqueness for sure. Keep at it, Camelymusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

camelymusic responds:

thank you for the feedback!

[Forest of Eternity]

I like the upright bass and organ synths at the beginning. It’s a little hard to follow the progression, though - there are a lot of disparate ideas thrown in here in close succession with little in the way of a smooth transition, at least harmonically. Some drums, or just some more gradual pacing, might help you signal to the listener more that the harmonies are about to change substantially. That said, the production quality is strong here, and I really like the instrument selection and harmonies. The arrangement of this piece just sounds very disjointed. There’s a lot of repetition after a while too, so the piece doesn’t really sound like it’s going anywhere as part of an overarching narrative. There are a lot of great individual ideas, of course - like the bass line at 3:22. The last minute or so has some really creative rhythmic content and a cute and upbeat mood, but it sounds like a completely different track from the 4 minutes before it. I would challenge you to analyze the structure of your favorite song - as in, assign each distinct section a letter and then track the order of the letters - and make a piece that has the exact same structure. I think this exercise will help you prioritize cohesion a bit more in your composition. Until then, there are a lot of catchy and fun individual riffs here, and I also really like the sound design and mixing. It’s just very jarring to listen to as a full-length track with so many different distinct sections and abrupt transitions. If you end up doing the “copy the structure” exercise, please PM me and I’ll give you another review on that track. Keep at it, BigBlueBazooka! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Timeless]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the cute vocals in the background. The build-up at :28 was well-done, and I like how you stripped away the beat at :41 to ease into the drop. The drop was catchy, although the rhythmic content was a bit square, and the mix sounds pretty over-compressed there. I also think the drop drags on for just a tad too long, although the more melodic elements at 1:37 help add some variety. The breakdown at 1:50 was a nice change-of-pace, but could also use a little more flair (maybe a secondary melody or other attention-grabbing element, especially since it lasts for a full 40 seconds). The piece flows smoothly into the second build-up/drop cycle, but I would’ve liked to hear a little more variety in the drop the second time around as well. Overall, this piece is really catchy and well-produced and has some neat sound design, but the arrangement is a bit generic and repetitive. Especially within some of these longer phrases (especially the breakdown), the composition just needs a stronger sense of ebb and flow. Still, the mixing and mastering are really strong, and the punchy synths and fat bass are big pluses. Keep at it, Axsou! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Belong (NGUAC 2024 Version)]

I like the distorted crowd noises at the beginning, although the harsh mixing effects on the guitar at :04 are a little bit too much IMO. I really like the vocals - very smooth and conversational delivery. The lyrics are relatable, too. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but the rich atmosphere of the piece and the quirky distorted edge to the mix help add some uniqueness nonetheless. I think the piece would benefit from a more fleshed-out structure, even if that’s just adding a brief solo or atmospheric bridge or something. Still, you won me over with the polished production and introspection. Keep at it, AveragePhoe! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Lost My Way in an Ocean of Sulfur]

I like the glitchy intro and the airy synths at :07. The non-traditional meter was a nice touch too. The drums don’t quite sit far forward in the mix enough for my tastes, especially once the texture gets busier at around :40. The synth harmonies and the upbeat mood are great, and you also do a good job keeping things interesting with the rhythmic elements. After a while, the texture does begin to sound a bit repetitive, though, with a lot of melody lines that don’t quite feel dynamic enough to be constantly repeated for 5+ minutes. At some point, a bridge or new solo or something to break up the uniformity of the texture would’ve been welcome. That said, the atmosphere of this piece is great, and I also love the outro with the cute, echo-y synths. Overall, this is a catchy and evocative track. Keep at it, Aardvark04! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[too long laces]

I like the quirky, distorted organ synth at the beginning and the refreshing beats that come in shortly thereafter. The mix starts sounding pretty distorted at around :16, with the higher-pitched clap that plays on consecutive off-beats at the end of every measure seriously ducking under the rest of the texture. I think you need to be stricter with the equalizers and balance the frequencies a bit better - there’s just a few too many instruments that have a lot of bass-range tones. Otherwise, the composition could be fleshed out a lot more, and the texture is a bit minimal for a lot of the piece. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though - it’s seriously catchy, and the sound design is really cool. Keep at it, Aaexx! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6/10

[4KKoRD - "Illusion" (NGUAC 2024)]

I like the foreboding pads and punchy drums at the beginning. The sound design sounds pretty good, albeit a bit generic, especially with the drums and FL Keys presets. The drop at :40 is catchy, and the intricate rhythms there help add some flavor. The airy breakdown at 1:34 was a nice change-of-pace, but I thought the transition back into the eerie pads at 2:12 could’ve been a bit less abrupt. The variations during the second drop are also nice, but a bit too subtle to give the piece that ultimate sense of closure. The outro could’ve been a tad more creative, too.

Overall, this is a catchy, smooth-flowing, and well-produced track with some solid sound design. I think the composition could be a bit bolder in places, and the arrangement and some of the instruments are pretty cliche. Still, the mixing and mastering are really strong, and the ominous mood is captivating. Keep at it, 4KKoRD! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10