TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-Wavy Fox-]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the synth guitars at :13. The crisp drums at :28 are a nice touch, although that section really slowed down the pacing and sounded really minimal overall. I’m enjoying the melodies at :55 - I can definitely see the pirate theme coming through there. The powerful synth at 1:23 is nice, but the rhythm there feels a bit square. By the time the second melody comes in at 1:55, I’m really enjoying the cinematic flair of this piece, although at times the melodies feel a little over-decorated, so that it’s hard to follow their contours. At the same time, the main melody gets a tad repetitive towards the end, and the chord progression here is a bit cliche. Still, the mixing and mastering is really strong, and I’m enjoying the progression and sound design throughout. Solid work overall, Predator! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, and best of luck with your future tracks. ^_^

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
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

[Moon City]

I like the smooth pads at the beginning and the cutesy sound design, especially the mallets and plucked strings. The saxophone solo at :17 is great, and the relaxed mood of the piece is awesome. The victorious mood at 1:03 is awesome, and I like how you cycle through the mallets/piano bit and the saxophone solos. The injection of energy at 2:16 was also a welcome change, and I appreciate how you varied the main melody the second time at 2:30 and layered on some additional vocals. You absolutely nailed the blissful mood, instrumentation, production quality, and melodies here. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be the sudden ending, or maybe the occasional slow pacing or thin texture. That said, this is easily one of my favorite pieces of the entire competition - of any round. You painted a clear picture in my head of what Moon City is like, all while showing off some killer melody-writing and orchestration skills. Congratulations, Michael, and best of luck with your future projects! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

Michael-Flaherty responds:

I really appreciate this review. Thanks for including me in the contest!

[Name_Data_Unknown [NGUAC 2021 Final Round Submission)]

I like the gritty synth at the beginning and the quirky texture at :12. The texture might need a tad more fill in the mid-tones, or maybe just some more legato elements in general. Part of the problem may be that the synths are a bit dry - some more reverb and other mixing effects might be advisable. I also thought the transition at :48 was a tad sudden. The mixing is good, but the harmonic framework could use more variety, and I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content at some point. You also start to overuse the transition with the descending tomtom drums (like at :46) after a while. The sound design and production quality are probably my favorite elements of the piece, and I like how the texture starts filling out more by around 2:36. The pads at 1:36 offer a much smoother tone, which is good for some variety compared to the sharp, jumpy synths that otherwise dominate the piece. The rhythmic content is strong throughout. Overall, I like the quirky instrumentation and harmonies, but the piece is lacking an overarching sense of direction, and the arrangement is a bit choppy in places. Still, really fun and catchy piece here, MetaHumanBoi. Keep at it, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Lordant - Arkhangelsk]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The sub-bass drone is a bit heavy and harsh in my headphones, but I like the dramatic rasp at :32 and the atmospheric details. The melodic flair at :55 is a great touch, although the sudden change in volume level at 1:09 caught me off guard a bit. The cello riff at 1:27 is beautiful, although the piece has some pretty slow pacing combined with some abrupt transitions, like at 2:03. Maybe part of the problem at 2:03 is that the main string pluck riff is much louder than the content that comes before it. The climax at 2:33 is great, though, and I’m really enjoying the echo-y percussion and full, well-rounded texture. Given the somewhat eerie first couple of minutes, this piece has a surprisingly upbeat conclusion. That said, you’ve crafted an effective narrative here. The sound design and atmosphere are probably my favorite elements of this piece, and I have no complaints with the production quality either. Most of my complaints are minor compositional and arrangement details. Keep up the good work, Lordant, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
9/10

Lordant responds:

Thanks a lot for the review!

[(NGUAC final round) Matured State]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The synths at :11 sound a bit sharp compared to the smooth pads, and the drum beat at :20 is pretty generic. The melodies at :43 are nice, although at times the mix feels like it’s missing some mid-tones. I also think the harmonic framework gets pretty repetitive after a while, although you did a good job of switching up the energy/volume levels with the piano breakdown at 2:10. The frantic percussion at 2:32 was a good idea, but also dominates the mix a tad too much towards the end imo. The vocal samples towards the end are a nice touch, and overall the piece comes together well. There are a couple of sudden transitions here, like at 1:09 and 2:01, but otherwise the progression is pretty good, just a tad drawn-out. I think my favorite part of the piece is the dreamy atmosphere and emotional appeal of the breakdown at 2:10, but the rhythmic content, melodies, and mood are also strong. Overall, solid work, LordAndiso, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year! It’s been a blast. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

LordAndiso responds:

Hell yeah! Thank you for your detailed critique.. I'll keep in mind on what things to improve on,
thank you soo much :)

I see why your favourite part is the dreamy part. It's because I think the dreamy parts are my stronger side. I only recently started to really focus on making more energetic sections in songs. I am very glad that my Mixing, mastering, and balance was rated considerably high, because it sucks to learn how to mix properly :D

[GO]

I like the synth bass and vocal samples towards the beginning. The rhythmic content is nice, although the texture is pretty minimal and some of the transitions are a little abrupt - notably at :29 and 1:00. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content or otherwise harmonic depth. The mix seems a bit bottom-heavy for much of the piece, and also over-compressed, although I can hear everything clearly throughout. I also think the drums could’ve been more creative at times. The minimalism and lack of originality in the composition are probably my biggest complaints here, but it’s still a catchy piece with some fun sound design and cool build-ups. Keep at it, Lagiarathalos, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year! ^_^

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
.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
6.5/10

PsiStarOfficial responds:

Thanks for the review mate, and for everything you did to make this contest possible.

Now I understand why this track isn't frontpaged haha

[No Restrictions Need Apply]

I like the relaxed tone at the beginning. Sometimes the harmonies trip over each other a bit, like at :25, but the guitar solo there is full of variety and flair. I like it when the texture starts to fill out a bit more at 1:18, but up until that point there wasn’t a strong sense of overarching progression here. The modulation at 1:53 helps fulfill that goal, and in fact that section really feels like the climax of the piece. Sometimes, it’s a bit difficult to follow the contour of the melodies here, which is why I appreciated that the outro grounds the listener in a more repetitive riff at 2:46. I also thought the fade-out at the end could’ve been a bit more creative. Overall, I really like the melodies, mood, progression, and sound design of this one. I honestly think the more soft/“mellow” drums fit the character of this piece pretty well, but I can also attest to the broader benefits of compressing percussion. Keep at it, Krinn! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year; it’s been a blast. ^_^

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
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
9/10

KrinnValKhristi responds:

Thank you so much for the opportunity to learn more about music production! I appreciate your helpful feedback and I am so happy to be a part of such a wonderful community of artists!

Congratulations to the winner of the competition!

I hope to take your feedback and apply it so that my songs will be even better next time!

From Krin's brain I say buh bye for meows!!!

[Perseverance]

I like the bright piano riff at the beginning and the stereo clicks in the background for most of the intro. The melodies are cute, although some of the lead synths are a bit cheesy. I like the drop at 1:22, and the production quality holds up well. I think the bass was a bit too loud at times, and you might want to rein in some of the other volume levels during the climactic parts of the piece too. I appreciate the frantic variations on the main melody at 2:37, and I like how you brought the piece back full-circle by the end. Perhaps my biggest problem with the piece is that it sounds a bit generic at times, from the sound design to the progression and compositional details. Some of the individual sections also feel a bit dragged-out, especially the section from 2:37-3:28. That said, I really enjoyed the melodic content, mixing, atmosphere, and upbeat mood of this one overall. Keep at it, Joe, and thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year! ^_^

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10