TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dreamland]

I love the energy and the oom-pah synth harmonies. Production quality is super strong, and the melodic content is really catchy and dynamic. The fun call-and-response thing you have going on between the gritty synth riff and blissful melodies from :24 to :44 is a great touch too. The vocal details and brass flourish at the end are also really nice here. You've totally earned my scout, my friend. Congrats on a baller track! ^_^

[Tea Cup Massacre Epsilon: Descent Into Madness]

I like the dreamy synth arpeggios at the beginning and the rich atmosphere that’s quickly formed around it. The minimal drop at :47 was a nice choice, but some cool rhythmic content and sound design changes to keep things interesting. The production quality is really strong here, too. The section at 1:44 threw me off a bit, but at the end of the day it’s a clever transition into the ominous part at 2:05. The texture is still pretty minimal here, but I like the crisp beats and glitchy details by around 2:50. The transition at 3:10 kinda feels like I’m climbing out of whatever funk I was in for the last minute or so, only to realize I’ve landed in another sadistic hellworld. Sound design, atmosphere, mood, and production quality all get full credit from me here, but at the end of the day the composition is a tad underwhelming on the harmonic side. Still, I appreciate the storytelling element of the piece - there are a lot of fun “narrative” surprises in this track, not least of which is the riff at 4:21. Keep at it, WolfgangMiakoda! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Wertw - Universe Travellers]

I like the glitchy beats at the beginning and the blissful synth riffs at :17. The mix is nice and crisp and well-balanced, and the melodic flair starting around :30 is nice. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, but I’m enjoying the variations you introduced during the drop at :56. The second build-up/drop cycle happens pretty fast, but the extended breakdown with the dissonant piano and melancholy strings works well. The gritty texture at 2:46 was a nice way of re-introducing the electronic elements and re-establishing the intensity before the third build-up. I’m glad you varied the drop the third time around at 3:14, and the filler riff at 3:26 made me smile. Cool rhythmic content throughout the piece, and the modulation at 3:46 was a nice touch to hit the piece home towards the end. The glitchy details during the last few seconds are a nice homage to the intro, too. Overall, while I’m not a huge fan of the sound design and repetitive use of cliche build-ups, the compositional details, variety in the drops, and production quality here make this a thoroughly entertaining listen. Strong work, Wertw! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Sentimentality]

I like the groovy percussion at the beginning and the quirky pads at :14. The sound design in this piece is awesome, and you nailed the sound design too. The melodies at :46 are nice, even if the refrain sounds a bit choppy overall with all the stop-start phrasing. The guitar at 1:19 was a fun surprise. It sounds a tad out-of-tune, but in a way that contributes to the quirky vibe of the track overall. Some of the chord progressions are a little cliche, but I like the variations on the refrain the second time around at 2:40. The blissful mood and instrumentation really have me sold on this one. Keep it up, Walpang! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Walpang responds:

Woahh I finally got approval from TaintedLogic :0

[Desert Fever]

I like the drone at the beginning and the flutes and sitar riffs you fashion around it. You’ve really set up a haunting, cinematic flair to the piece, and by around 1:20 the vocals are just chilling. The injection of energy at 2:45 was a welcome change - something sounds devious about that string line, and the contrapoint with the horns later on was a nice touch. The percussion at around 3:20 is awesome. The (vocals?) that pop in at 3:35 or so had a bit of a strange articulation, and some of the transitions later in the piece (at 4:18, for example) were a bit sudden. Naturally, you follow that particular one I just mentioned with a gorgeous string melody, and my slight, nitpicky concerns with the piece fade away yet again. I also really like the moaning vocals that fade in at various places in the piece, notably at around the 7-minute mark. The last couple of minutes, starting with the danceable fanfare at 8:00 or so, provide for a climactic conclusion to this momentous work of art - and then you outdid yourself again with the cello melody. This piece is a truly special cinematic event, Vocif. Well worth the 60-70 hours (but that’s easy for me to say). Well done. Also, consider this an early invitation to join the judging squad for next year, if you want. We’d love to have someone with your acumen on the team. :)

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

[Rainwave]

I like the mellow riffs at the beginning. There’s a bit of atonality in the texture by around :15, but I'm really enjoying the lyrics. The echo/delay effects on the vocals were a bit cheesy, and might’ve felt more well-rounded with some richer atmosphere around them - reverb and chorus effects and such. The way you articulate some of the words at the ends of lines (“stride,” “tide,” “brine,” etc.) was a bit overdone, and occasionally the vocals sound a bit flat there too. I’m really enjoying the additional layering at 1:08, and the intensity of the refrain at 1:22 was really nice. The echoed bit during the second hook at 2:24 was a fun detail. The solos at 3:18 are really nice too, although the percussion that was playing at that part sounded a bit dry in the mix. I like the acoustic guitar and the percussion instrument itself, though. The ending comes on a bit suddenly, but the plethora of dynamic melodic content still helps complete the arc of storytelling here. Overall, some of the vocal editing and compositional details didn’t quite work for me here, but I still really admire your guitar and vocal skills, sense of progression, and memorable melodies. Keep at it, Verbicidemusic! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Our Last Day]

I like the crisp drums at the beginning and the gritty guitars shortly thereafter. The breathy vocals add some nice texture to the mix, but it’s a little hard to make out the lyrics. Upon reading them, though, I really like the dark content. The melodic riff at :32 is really catchy, but I think the refrain at :42 would’ve been a little more effective if the vocals had a little more substance in them. The intricate rhythmic content at 1:20 is nice, and the groovy bridge at 2:10 came just in time since I was itching for a break from the verse-chorus structure. The riff at 2:27 is super neat, and flows really well into the verse riff at 2:46. At some point, it might’ve been nice to hear some more structural variety that had some more pronounced changes in the energy level, dynamics, or atmosphere of the piece. Still, you nailed the instrumentation, rhythmic content, production, and mood with this one, and the modulation at 3:25 is a nice touch to hit the piece home. Keep it up, TSRBand! ^_^

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
.75/1
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

TSRBand responds:

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for all the notes and the work you guys put into the comp :) It's been a lot of fun!

[Stargazer]

I like the smooth guitar riffs at the beginning. The transitions between the phrases could’ve been a bit more fluid, though - it seems like there’s an extended, awkward pause at :24 and then some overlapping recordings at :51 (or maybe just an early cutoff). The harmonic content gets pretty repetitive after a while, but I’m enjoying the subtle variations, like the chromatic line at 1:08 and the shorter note lengths at 2:08. The texture could’ve used some more fill at times. The occasional string swells were nice, but some drums or even a consistent drone would’ve helped fill out the soundscape a bit. I like the transition at 2:50, although at that point it might’ve been nice to have a more emphatic or variational final refrain to hit the piece home. Still, this is a really cute-but-minimal piece with a fun, organic sound design, smooth progression, and pleasing compositional details. A bit of a bolder approach to the composition would’ve been welcome, but I’m beginning to think the laid-back vibe here hews closer to your style. :) Keep at it, Thomastique! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Thomastique responds:

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback 😁😁

[Amazona NGUAC 2020]

I like the atmospheric fade-in at the beginning and the energetic flair at :07. The echo-y synths and heavy filtering towards the end of phrases give the piece a bit of a wonky flow, and the harmonic content is rather minimal, but it’s still really catchy and the reverb helps fill out the texture. Some aspects of the sound design are pretty generic, notably the drums, and the piece is often rather slow to progress. I like the stripped-down approach you took to the section starting at 1:57 - I wasn’t expecting that, admittedly. There isn’t a lot of melodic content in the piece, and I think the atmospheric bit at 2:25 would’ve been a great place for that, although the bird sound effects were some nice substitutes. There’s a great sense of climax into 3:47, and the texture feels especially well-balanced and full thereafter. The piece is still missing some more memorable melodic content, and despite the smooth transitions and rich atmosphere I think you could’ve done a lot more with this piece compositionally. Still, the production quality is solid and I enjoyed the return to the more energetic, bass-heavy bit of earlier at 5:42. Overall, strong work! Keep at it, TerraNation! ^_^

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
.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
8/10

TerraNation responds:

Yes iknow what i have done wrong and right on this song and i will be fixed for final release of it, I normaly take mutch mutch more time to work on my tracks short limit time for contest is abit hard to make something very very solid.

But i let you know when i finish this with a final touch and it will be even better.

[Nebulous - Paranoia (NGUAC 2020 | R3)]

I like the cutesy melodies at the beginning. The skipping beats at :16 threw me off a bit, and the “reset” at :27 was rather abrupt. The gritty, minimal drop at :53 works pretty well, but lasts a bit too long for my tastes. That said, the second iteration of that section (1:34) with the creepy vocal drone in the background at least brought some variety. I think you could’ve made better use of the treble range of the frequency spectrum throughout this piece, although the experimental flair of this piece does help keep things amusing. The sound design and production quality are both strong, and the rhythmic content is rather creative throughout. Overall, the arrangement seems a bit choppy at times between the gritty drop sections and the blissful synth riff at 3:44 (and other places), and the piece lacks a sense of resolve without a more well-integrated relationship between the two. Still, this is a neat track thematically (girl saying “don’t be afraid” actually gave me nightmares) with some strong mixing and mastering and engaging instrumentation. Keep it up, ShockblastDeluxe! :)

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