TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Horizon's Edge]

I like the funky pads at the beginning and the crisp hi-hats. The cutesy melodies at :12 works nicely, although the kick seems a tad heavy and over-compressed. The chord progression is a bit generic, but the texture is well-balanced and full. I also enjoyed the frantic riff at 1:03 and the atmospheric breakdown at 1:16. The transition into the main melody at 2:00 was smooth, and overall you’ve done a great job of combining a dreamy atmosphere with energetic beats here. I might’ve liked to hear more variety on that main melody by 2:30 or so. That said, the sound design (especially the mallets) is great here, and the production quality is solid as well. My main complaint is probably the lack of originality in the chord progression and arrangement, but clearly you’re a talented producer and melody writer. Keep at it, C0mc1ol! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Catalytic Overdrive]

I like the drums at the beginning, but they’re really quiet in the mix. I think the synths overpower the mix a bit too much - I’d suggest bringing down the volume levels a tad, or otherwise filtering out the stereo clicks that play along with them. The frantic riffs and rhythmic flair of the piece are both really neat, but the composition doesn’t feel very dynamic here. The harmonies also pretty much copy the lead, which makes the progression a bit bland after a while. The sound design is good, and the mix is clean, but honestly the composition feels unfinished here. Also, the way you balance the frequencies between the melodic instruments and the drums here is a bit bizarre. That said, your melodic instruments blend well together, and you definitely get points for atmosphere and catchiness. Keep at it, Bradley-Pittman! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Bottom Kek- R. P. M.]

I like the riser at the beginning and the synths. That snare sample is really punchy, and helps give the piece a really energetic vibe. The chord progression is pretty generic, and the filtering/phasing on the pad that comes in every 4 or 8 bars is a nice touch. I like how the piece takes more of a melodic turn at 1:15, but even then the melodies there could’ve been a tad more dynamic. The composition here seems a bit overly formulaic, between the regular changes every 4-8 bars and the simplistic ABAC structure. Overall, my favorite elements of the piece are probably the mixing, instrumentation, and rhythmic content. More originality in the harmonic content and progression could really help take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, BottomKek! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Circuit Bored - Fair Dancin']

I like the relaxed vibe at the beginning and the smooth atmosphere. The mix could’ve been a bit punchier, especially since so many of the instruments have a languid vibe. The kick in particular doesn’t come through very well, and the overall volume levels are pretty quiet. Seems like you left yourself a lot of room to make use of compressors and other mixing effects, but didn’t necessarily capitalize. The funky guitar at :54 was a fun addition to the texture - I’m liking the jazzy sound design and progression. At times, the composition was a bit bland. The melodic content could’ve been a bit more dynamic, overall the piece lacks a strong sense of direction after a while. The additional guitar harmonies at 2:50 are very faint, giving the piece a sense of over-repetition towards the end. Overall, you nailed the instrumentation, atmosphere, and harmonies. The composition might need a bit more fleshing out, and the mix, while well-balanced and pretty clean, could also be louder and sharper in places. Otherwise, it’s going to be stuck in my head for a while. Keep at it, BoredMusic! :)

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

[Hyper Birds - Super Competitive Song]

I like the spacey atmosphere and beat at the beginning. The production is solid, and the sound design, while a bit cheesy, fits the mood nicely. The melodies at :55 are great, although by around 1:30 they feel a tad repetitive. The active percussion line helps keep things moving, and the drum solo at 2:04 was a nice touch. Lots of rich crashes and hats in the top range to balance out the frequency range. The more frantic lead at 2:27 is good for some variety too, and it starts feeling more dynamic with the ascending line at around 2:55. The chord stab at 3:10 was a nice idea too. Overall, this piece gets a bit repetitive after a while - some more dynamic melodies or even a modulation would help give it more variety. That said, the production quality is strong, the sound design is fun, and the energy and upbeat mood enhance the catchy rhythmic content. I’m not a huge fan of fade-out endings, but that’s probably my only complaint with the arrangement. Overall strong work here, BasiatordeCoronatus! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[stolthet]

I like the quirky percussion towards the beginning, although I’m not sure I like that the percussion gets so much blander when the guitar comes in at :22. The guitar riffs are nice and relaxed, and I’m enjoying the filtering and atmospheric details by :40 or so. The bass harmonies are a bit dissonant with the lead, but in a way that fits the experimental texture. The section from :37 to 1:36 could’ve been a tad more dynamic, and I also might’ve liked to see a smoother transition to the breakdown at 1:46 besides a fade-out/fade-in. That said, the ping pong echo effects are really nice during the final minute here, as are the cheesy synth brass pads. Overall, I have no complaints with the production quality or sound design either. Really evocative piece, Aweror. You won me over with the spacey mixdown, relaxed mood, and instrumentation. The composition could’ve been a tad bolder, but overall solid work! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Aweror responds:

thanks so much! i hope everyone judging nguac knows that the feedback is really helpful!!

[ALGO - Attack (NGUAC 2021)]

I like the beat at the beginning and the funky white noise effect. The texture is pretty minimal and dry, and despite the cool rhythmic content the composition could’ve been a lot more engaging after a while. The production quality is solid, and once the bouncy piano at :46 comes in the piece starts to come together. That said, overall this track didn’t feel very dynamic, and also seriously lacked melodic content. The build-up into 1:31 was strong, but it ended up being a tad anticlimactic after reverting to the same piano riff at 1:33. The additional vocal samples during the second half were a nice touch, though. Overall, I’m really enjoying the sound design, mixing, and catchiness of the piece. The composition was a tad bland, though, and it would’ve helped to have a thicker texture and a stronger sense of progression throughout. Still, I can tell you’re a talented producer. Keep at it, ALGOfficial! ^^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
7/10

[Cave Siren]

I like the water sound effects and relaxed atmosphere at the beginning. The drum beat and twittery synths at :34 come together nicely, and there's a good sense of climax into :44. There's a bit of dissonance in the harmonies by :45-:50 or so, and some of the riffs end up tripping over each other a bit. The drop was a little more straight-forward harmonically, and had some cool rhythmic syncopations to boot. The sound design and mixing are both pretty good here. The piano line at the breakdown at 2:05 or so seems a bit generic and stale, but the synth guitar thereafter helps thicken up the texture and make that section feel a tad more dynamic. The re-entry of the vocals at 3:15 or so was well done, and the added harmonies at the second drop at 4:03 fit in nicely. Overall, I'm enjoying the upbeat mood, instrumentation, and production quality here. Some of the compositional details could use some more fleshing out, especially the melodic elements. I also think that the structure felt a bit dragged-out at times. That said, overall it's a strong, memorable, and catchy piece! Keep at it, Ziondiac. ^_^

Ziondiac responds:

Thanks for the feedback and vote.

[Get to the Checkpoint]

I like the murky harmonies and crisp drums at the beginning. The mid-range bass in the foreground is a little dry and overly harsh-sounding, and the part at :40 seemed a bit aimless. I like the production - the mix is loud and well-balanced throughout. The rhythmic content at 1:01 is enjoyable, although much like the rest of the piece that section also doesn't feel very dynamic. For most of the piece, the texture is very thin and the frequency range is pretty limited to the mid-bass range. There are a lot of cool isolated ideas here, but the arrangement is a tad choppy. Some smoother transitions might help tie the piece together a bit more, but that's hard to accomplish when most of the variety in the piece comes from fairly sudden additions or subtractions of instruments (e.x., 1:32, 2:26). It might help if you had some consistent elements of the texture, like drums or pads, that played throughout. It might also help to consolidate some of your ideas here - the piece feels like it's going in a bunch of different directions at once, especially with the unexpected drop at 3:04. One thing you could do is analyze the structure of a track you really like and try to emulate it as closely as possible, even if it ends up sounding like a pretty generic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-breakdown-chorus-outro. Other than that, I'm enjoying the sound design (especially that ghostly melody synth at 1:55), drum beat, and mixing. Keep at it, CJspellsfish! :)

[loopd ft dr funkenstien]

I like the chill electric piano and guitar melodies. This is another example where the rhythmic intricacies in the drums kinda clash with the rest of the texture, though. You clearly have a great sense of harmony, but I think you're trying to do a bit too much with the rhythm in this track. At some point, some variety in the underlying instrumental tracks/chord progression would've been a welcome change. The guitar solo really does make the piece special, but I think it would be more effective if it was a little more broken up, as opposed to just a meandering 2-minute-long musing. Overall, though, this is really enjoyable. Once again, the mixing is strong, and the sound design and melodies in particular are really nice here. Keep at it, Desiel391! ^^