TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Misham Studio - Apollo Justice Remake]

I like the prominent bass, 6/8 meter, and ghostly pads in the background. The texture is quite minimal, and there were times I thought you could use more reverb or other mixing effects to fill it out a bit. The trumpet at :28 sounds a bit inauthentic, and its square rhythms seem a bit bland compared to the funky texture of most of the rest of the piece. There’s an underlying sense of apprehension in this piece that doesn’t really ever get resolved in my opinion. I also would’ve appreciated if you did more to make this piece your own - maybe some harmonic variety the last time the trumpet came in, or an unexpected melodic flair at some point? Overall, you nailed the atmosphere and production, and the sound design also hits the spot, but the composition is a tad bland. Bolder melodies and a more dynamic arrangement would easily add a point or two to your score. That said, it’s nice to see some stylistically authentic jazz in the NGUAC this year. Keep at it, Azurenite! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

[Stratosphere]

I like the glitchy synths at the beginning. The kick drum and hat in particular are way too heavy, though, and the excessive reverb doesn’t help too much. I think you overdid the distortion after a while. The texture sounds really harsh. Meanwhile, the piece doesn’t have a strong sense of development in the harmonic department. The rhythmic content and a lot of the sound design is creative, but stylistically it’s a bit too experimental to come together well for me. I think a lot of my complaints here are a pretty easy fix. Dialing back the mixing effects alone would probably get you another 1-2 points from me. Filling out the harmonies and creating some more structural variety would be next steps after that. That said, the instrumentation and rhythmic elements are strong here. Keep at it, Axova! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[Then I'll Just Save Everybody Again]

The frantic arpeggios at the beginning are a little hard to follow, but the atmosphere and sound design are nice. There’s a good sense of climax into :31, but the bass there is a bit too loud. The panning on that lead synth at :57 is cool, but it also sounds like the mix is getting a bit overwhelmed there because the kick doesn’t come through super well. The modulation at 1:30 was a little unexpected, as are the ones at 2:00 and 2:11. Sometimes the arrangement of this piece is a little too choppy for its own good. I think you tried to pack too many narrative shifts into 8 minutes - the result is that the structure is a bit jarring, and it’s hard to follow the overarching flow of it. As a general rule, there should be very few times in your piece where you have a sudden transition that completely switches out the instrumental palette for a different one. It’s disorienting to the listener, especially when you hadn’t previously introduced the content on the “after” side of the transition. I think 4:52 is actually one of the most disorienting parts - the tone, key, and pacing of the piece change all at once, whereas at least the previous 5 minutes all had a consistently high energy. Don’t get me wrong - finding a balance between creating enough variety and having a cohesive final product is one of the hardest aspects of making music in my opinion. But this piece tilts the scale way too far towards the variety side in my opinion. That said, the production quality is pretty solid, and you clearly have a good sense of melody and harmony. I also enjoyed the atmospheric elements of the piece. The sound design could be a tad more interesting at times - that piano sample is a bit overused considering how generic it sounds. Still, I can tell you put a ton of work into this piece. All you need to do earn another 1 or 2 points out of 10 from me is consolidate your ideas a bit and smooth over the choppy progression. That’s easier said than done, I know, but you’re already off to a strong start on a lot of the other elements of a top-tier track - mixing, atmosphere, melody writing, sound design. Keep at it, aRho! :)

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Fly Away]

I like the atmospheric fade-in at the beginning and the bright pads and piano. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but the production quality is great, and I’m digging the upbeat mood and energy. There’s a great sense of build-up into :47, and the melodies there are nice too. The drums are a tad over-compressed, and the melodies feel like they could’ve been a tad more dynamic after a while, both in terms of melodic contour and rhythm. The atmospheric breakdown was a nice touch, but the arrangement of the piece is also pretty generic. I also would’ve liked to see a second refrain that was more distinct from the first one, just to give the piece a stronger sense of overarching development and storytelling. I think what really has me sold on this piece is the atmosphere and emotion - the piece sounds not just happy but also triumphant, like it’s coming at the conclusion of a grand adventure. And while I’ve been critical of some of the compositional details here, the sound design, mixing and mastering, and harmonic content are all quite strong. Keep at it, Aquilyzer! :)

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[STARGIF (Audio)]

I like the cutesy synths at the beginning. The pads at :13 sound a little unpolished, but I like the stringed instrument and 8-bit synth bass that come in shortly thereafter. The texture changes pretty rapidly at 1:00. I think some sort of drum pattern or sweep/crash to help smooth over those transitions would be welcome. When the drums do come in at 1:20, they’re a little too quiet to have a major driving impact on the texture. That said, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The mix is a tad quiet, and the texture seems pretty devoid of effects like reverb and compression at times, which could be a major area of exploration for you going forward. Reverb in particular could help smooth over some of the rough transitions here and make the cutoff of the string melodies (like at 1:59) sound more natural. Compositionally, though, the piece is already strong and has a good emotional appeal between the nostalgic-sounding string melodies and cutesy synth arpeggios. Keep at it, Anonymous-Banonymous! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
7.25/10

[ROSE]

I like the crisp drums and sense of build at the beginning. The drop could’ve been a bit more creative rhythmically, and I also think the piece could’ve used a more inventive intro before the build-up. The arrangement and several aspects of the sound design (drums, gritty mid-range bass, risers) are pretty generic, and the persistent minimalism of the piece makes it hard to stay engaged after a while. The production quality is very good, but elements of the composition were pretty bland, especially harmonically. In the future, I would aim to fill out the texture with more melodic content and also more variety in the tone and energy level of the piece. The bridge at 1:12 was a good opportunity to do that, but the lead synth there falls a bit short of a truly dynamic melody in my opinion. Still, you’ve got the rhythmic content, mixing and mastering, and structuring down for sure. Keep at it, AlertBass! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

AlertBass responds:

I didn’t notice your SMS ...
but thanks, I fixed all my mistakes and will do better!

[Investigation]

I like the ominous synth bass line at the beginning. The reverb is very heavy, but with the minimalism I suppose it’s a fine way of filling out the texture. The quirky synth at :38 is awesome, and I’m enjoying the filtering/volume changes at around :47. Otherwise, the piece is pretty slow to progress. It would make great background music for a video game or animation, but as a stand-alone track the composition is a bit underwhelming. More variation in the energy level, and also some more melodic content, might help make it more engaging. The more square part at 3:30 was a nice touch of variety, but it still maintains the minimal, plucked sound to the texture throughout. The percussion at 4:59 was a nice addition, but like a lot of elements of the soundscape it had a bit too much reverb for my tastes. The texture started sounding really muddy at around the 6-minute mark, and the reverb is likely a major culprit. I like the higher-pitched synth at 7:00 or so that matches the contour of the bass line. My favorite part of the piece is probably the mysterious and apprehensive mood - you set the scene in my head really well with this one. The sound design is also pretty neat. I can tell the piece is meant to loop, and I suspect it does so pretty well, especially in-game. A cleaner mix and bolder composition are the main tools you need to get a higher score from me. Until then, keep at it, Aelkamal! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Fish & Chips]

I like the crisp drums at :14 and the rhythmic content. The gritty synth bass at the beginning sounds a bit unpolished for my tastes, but the mixing and balance of the piece is really strong, and the quirky elements of the sound design really help keep me engaged. The breakdown lead at 1:15 with the ping-pong echo effects is awesome. Harmonically, the piece could be a tad more creative - despite the unique sound design, the foregrounded content of the piece is mostly outlining the chord progression, as opposed to giving the piece a stronger sense of melodic direction. The melody at 1:43 helps break that pattern, but also seems to lack dynamism itself after a while. That said, the instrumentation, rich texture, and strong production quality still have me sold on this piece. Going forward, working on melody writing and “storytelling” will help you turn the 8.75 I’m giving you into a 9.75. Until then, keep it up, Ackai! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Wyoming]

I like the spacey pad at the beginning and the distorted bass. The lead synth at :20 is a bit cheesy, but I like the upbeat mood and quirky percussion. The pad that starts fading in at around 1:05 clashes a bit harmonically with the lead - it sounds like they’re competing for attention a bit too much there. The breakdown at 1:25 came on a bit suddenly, but I like the bright pads at 1:42 and the rhythmic content. The melodic variations later on are nice, and I’m usually not a huge fan of fade-outs, but I think this one works well here. Overall, this is a cute and well-structured piece. Sometimes, the reverb on the pads is a bit too much - I think that might be part of the reason why the harmonies clash a bit at times. Still, solid work all around. Keep at it, 50Steaks! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

50Steaks responds:

To be honest I couldn’t agree more. Back when I made this I was still putting extreme reverb on some instruments for some reason. An interesting point you said about the breakdown coming suddenly, it never occurred to me but yeah there’s no real indication that it would revert back to the intro. I think you hit the nail on the head with this, and I would rate it 3.5/5 as well.

[Canyon [NGUAC 2021]]

I love the energy and sound design right off the bat, especially that airy synth at :08 and the frantic percussion. The meter change at :41 was a pleasant surprise, and once the orchestral pads come back in at around 1:15 I get a good sense of just how well the mix holds up. The vocal samples later on aren't necessarily my favorite, nor is the pseudo-fadeout ending. That said, the evocative string solos at 1:20 and the fun synth at :16 that sounds like whistling are some stellar sound design choices, and as usual with you the overall composition is great. Keep at it, Scott! ^^