TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Recheck [NGUAC '24 KO]]

I like the ominous atmosphere and grouchy bass at the beginning. The bass is a little loud relative to the drums, but the rhythmic content and huge jumps in the bass line’s contour are really creative and fun. The mix is a bit distorted at times - especially at :55, you can tell some of the pads and atmospheric details are ducking under when other instruments play a note. The piece also peters out in energy a bit as it goes on, and with the constant frantic beats, an atmospheric or melodic breakdown at some point might’ve made for some good variety. That said, I really like the sound design, mood, and catchy beats here. Keep at it, Kz-N! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Kz-N responds:

thanks a lot!!!!

[Lightspeed (NGUAC Knockout Round + NGADM Round 1 Entry)]

I like the bright, airy tone of the pads at the beginning and the vocal sample shortly thereafter. The bubbly synth lead at :22 is a nice touch, and the atmospheric details and crisp drums are also really pleasing sound design details. The compression is a bit heavy for my tastes at :44, with the pads getting pigeonholed into tiny gaps in the texture. The beats are catchy, but the harmonic content is very repetitive. It helps add some variety to introduce new instruments, like the piano at 1:50, but overall I was craving a B melody or other major switch-up in the texture. The breakdown at 2:12 is a nice change-of-pace, but it doesn’t quite feel new enough to constitute a “major switch-up.” The funky arpeggios at 3:45 are a nice way of adding a little variety during the second major refrain, and the piano melody towards the end helps hit the piece home. Overall, I really like the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content here, although the mix is a bit distorted at times and the composition could’ve been a bit bolder and more variational. Still, you’ve got a smooth-flowing and catchy track here, Joe. Keep at it! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[3_0_3 - BREACHING]

I like the distorted synths at the beginning and the gradual build-up into :22. The chord progression is a bit cliche, and the mix is a bit distorted. By :33, the melodies and pads are seriously distorting the mid-range bass and drums. I would double-check to make sure that the harmonic instruments (other than the bass) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so in the EQ. That said, the breakdown at 1:05 was a nice change-of-pace, and I love the filtering work on the bass (like the build-up into 1:16 and other places). The soaring melodic solo at 1:34 is great, too, although much of the rest of the piece is a bit too minimal and could use some more harmonic variety. The filtering and other compositional details help keep things interesting, but some more variation on some of the core riffs and melodies later on could really help take this piece to the next level. Still, overall this is a really catchy and fun track. The distorted, unwieldy mix is my main concern. Otherwise, the sound design, melodies, and foreboding mood are great. Keep at it, Joecoustic! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Joecoustic responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I had a lot of fun partecipating in this contest and I wish good luck to everyone in the finals ^^

[Autumn Girl]

I like the mellow guitar at the beginning. The kick is very heavy for a piece with such a tranquil mood at first. I like the high-energy section at :37, and how you intersperse the rhythmic and melodic elements there. The change in the meter at 1:00 is a bit clumsy - some of the drum patterns there might need to be re-recorded - and the transition at 1:10 is pretty abrupt. I like how you slow down slightly at 1:41, though - it was a nice, subtle way of foreshadowing the breakdown at 1:44. Overall, the frantic guitar riffs and sound design here are really enjoyable, and the mixing is solid, but the arrangement feels a bit disjointed, and lacks a strong sense of overarching direction. Some smoother, more gradual transitions might help in that regard, and also more distinction between the high-energy sections. Still, this piece has some killer rhythmic content and a great, engrossing mood. Keep at it, itskosama! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

itskosama responds:

Thank you! It was a blast participating in this!

I'll definitely practice on those transitions! I also really enjoyed time constraint of the event! It was really good on getting me going to make something! Super grateful to everyone! 

[Keep Them Coming! (NGUAC Knockout Round)]

I like the ghostly synth riff at the beginning and the Old West-inspired harmonic content. The melodies are killer here, although at times the mix is a bit muddy in the lower frequency range. It’s often hard to make out the contour of the bass line, and at around :50 the cute synth arpeggios in the background are also a little buried. The bridge at 1:07 where you strip the beat away was a nice change-of-pace, and you transition smoothly back into the busier texture at 1:38. The second half of the piece seems like nearly a straight copy-paste of the first to me, which leaves some room for some more variety in the melodic contour and phrasing. That said, the loop is very smooth, including at the end, and there’s a lot of fun phrasing and ebb-and-flow within the 98-second loop itself, so it doesn’t bother me too much. One thing that really impresses me about this piece is how much you rely on what I call “melodic transitions,” where you’re using an entire harmonic phrase to smooth over a major transitory moment (example: 1:24 to 1:38) instead of just a sweep, riser, drum fill, reverse crash, or other cliched sound in electronic music. Melodic transitions are a very advanced composition skill to have, my friend, and you absolutely nailed the ones in here. Overall, I like this piece a lot. It has some top-tier sound design and composition. Keep at it, Interloping! ^_^

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

Interloping responds:

I think one of my favorite parts of participating in these events is seeing how you break down my work and let me know what I'm doing right and wrong, I'm glad that you picked up on the amount of effort that I have put into my melodic transitions, as most of my time and effort, if not put into the drums and diversifying them, is how my scales flow with each other in such a way that matches the overall tone of the piece. I really wish I could convey the sounds that I hear in my head onto FL studio in such a way that I could let the world hear them, but that will only come with time. I was worried about the volume of the baseline providing too much gain because it is specifically a slap bass sound font, and if it's too loud it almost sounds like a percussive instrument that drowns out the drums. That being said, I wasn't sure how to make it blend in such a way that it wouldn't just become noise. I'll try to keep this in mind for my next piece, should I actually contribute one, because I have no idea if I can pull something out of my ass that was nearly as great as this piece was :P

Maybe, just maybe, I will have another submission ready before the deadline. If not, just know how grateful I am not only for your open-hearted criticisms, honest opinions, and most importantly the opportunity to be front paged as a result, and showcase that I am absolutely capable of moving outside of my comfort zone and composing in the sound font that breaks the barriers of square wave.

Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to prove myself in this community, and I look forward to next year when I have more knowledge of FL studio!

[Geekum - Laced]

I like the flashy synths and catchy beats at the beginning. The rhythmic content and sound design are really solid here, but the composition could use a bit more structuring. The production quality is also really solid, although at times the atmosphere could’ve been a bit more filled out, with some reverb on the clap for example. Some vocals or other more dynamic melodic content would really take this piece to the next level, and the arrangement could use some more fleshing out as well. Until then, I’m still scoring this high for instrumentation, mood and atmosphere, mixing, and catchiness. Keep at it, Geekum! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[(NGAUC '24 KO Round) Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen]

I like the echo-y guitar at the beginning and the crisp drums and smooth bass at :21. The phased synths in the background were a nice touch, too. Love the injection of energy at :43 and the call-and-response action between the chaotic melodic patterns and the groovy bass riffs. The mix seems to have a really strong high-pass filter on it, although overall the production quality is very good here. The arrangement of the piece is a bit hard-to-follow at times, with a lot of fairly sudden transitions and twists and turns, like 2:00, but the sound design and rhythmic patterns tie everything together nicely. The piece could also use a stronger sense of an overarching direction at times, with a longer solo or other moment of arrival and climax. The atmospheric bridge at 3:09 helps scratch that itch a bit, and I like how it transitions so smoothly into the re-intro at 3:36. Really helps bring the piece full-circle. Overall, this is really strong work, FourTHat3! I love the sound design, melodies, variety, and creative compositional details. Keep up the good work! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Dry]

I like how you fooled me into thinking this was in 3/4 at the beginning. The thick bass and beats are nice sound design choices, but the texture could use a lot more fill for most of this piece, and the harmonic content simply needs more variety. The piece is very slow to progress, although the echo-y pads and high-pitched rhythmic pattern that come in at 1:02 are pretty cool. Once you add the 2nd note of that tonic chord at 2:06 it really captures my attention, and the piece really picks up in intensity from there. The drums struggle a bit to stay on top of the mix by around 2:40 - some stricter equalization in the low-end frequency range might help resolve that. I like the re-intro at 4:07 and how it’s interspersed with some echoes of the busier section shortly before. Otherwise, the piece is pretty repetitive towards the end, and lacks a strong moment of climax to hit it home, despite the build-up into 5:09. Overall, this is a catchy piece with some cool sound design and some decent mixing, but the composition needs much more depth and variety to score well on my rubric. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though - the ominous mood and gritty synths are really captivating. Keep at it, FireJoJoBoy! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Deep Down]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning. The melodies and sound design are also nice, and the minimal, airy section at :30 was a pleasant surprise. The post-chorus/drop at :47 is catchy, but also needs some more fill in the texture and probably some more harmonic depth as well. The breakdown at 1:18 has a nice emotional appeal to it, and the variations at 1:48 and the more stop-start transition there was a neat idea. The composition still feels a bit bland in places here, though. I think some vocals or a more dynamic melody would really take this track to the next level. That said, the mixing is solid, the instrumentation is tasteful, and the rhythmic content is catchy. Keep at it, Farmobus! ^_^

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

[melting into goo]

Ooo…love me some 3/4. The E-piano and synth melodies are really nice instrument choices, although the rhythmic content is a bit square. The clock ticking and bass help balance out the texture well. At first the beat at :38 caught me off guard, but in retrospect it was a good way of transitioning to a new meter. The melody at 1:02 is cute, although the extended drum fill at 1:21 is a bit jarring. It just disrupts the flow of the piece a lot, just when it felt like it had a strong sense of direction for the first time. In general, my main concern with the piece is probably the lack of narrative appeal it has. There’s a lot of variation in the riffs later on, but with so many jarring transitions in between, they just don’t feel like they’re part of a cohesive whole. More gradual transitions that foreshadow the harmonic and instrumental changes in advance would help smooth out the arrangement of the piece a little more. I also found the section at 2:28 a bit dissonant and clunky - it might help to space the notes of the low-end chords a bit further apart in pitch. The part at 3:07 sounds absolutely lovely, but also feels out-of-place amidst some of the other riffs in the piece. Overall, there are a lot of good individual ideas here, with some great instrument selection and solid mixing. But the structure sounds a bit choppy and thrown-together - fix that, and this easily gets an additional point or two from me. Baller title, by the way. Keep at it, Ellietonin! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10