TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Walking on Limestone Planet]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning, but I think it’s a little hard to follow the contour of the melodies. They have a lot of large jumps in terms of pitch. The production quality is pretty strong, with well-balanced harmonies and a clean sound overall. The riser that starts at :32 (and also appears in some other places) strikes me as a bit bland, but I like the rhythmic bridge at :45. The melodies at the 1-minute mark really helped give the piece a sense of direction and catharsis, but I think you also needed a more structurally complete piece to fully capitalize on that. Overall, the mood, sound design, and mixing are all solid, but the composition could use some more fleshing out and attention to detail. Keep at it, DawMii! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Amphitryonic]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the flowing piano line. The sound design and atmosphere really have a great emotional quality, and the injection of energy at :34 is nice too. I feel like the hi-hats could shine a little more in the mix - might be nice to give a boost to the treble a bit. The drop at 1:11 was cool - the drums didn’t quite come through the mix how I wanted them to, but the rhythmic content of the bass definitely keeps me engaged. The piano melody at 1:35 is nice, but the sample itself could be humanized a little more. I appreciate the variations in the bass-heavy section at 2:13. Sudden transitions don’t always work well for me, but I was a fan of the one at 3:02 - it seemed to fit the character of the piece, and the full-circle quality of the arrangement was a nice touch. The outro is another place where that piano could use a lot more ebb-and-flow, though - little dynamic and tempo changes that enhance the emotional quality and make it sound more authentic. I also think this track is a little generic in some ways, like the structuring and some of the transitions with the risers/build-ups. Still, the creative rhythmic content and ominous mood/atmosphere won me over here. Keep at it, CrispyCroc! :)

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

[Morning Breeze (NGUAC 2020 K-O)]

I like the bright piano chords at the beginning and the atmosphere. The pace of progression is a little slow at first, but the sound design and air of mystery work really well together. I’m enjoying the arpeggios at :48 and the build-up into 1:04. The section at 1:05 is a bit minimal and drawn-out, and I think the lack of fill in the texture made it feel a bit anticlimactic, especially with the call-and-response between the blissful melodies and the rhythmic percussion at 2:07. I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamism and continuity in the melodic content. The breakdown at 3:06 is nice, though, and I also thought the mixing was good here, despite the compression being a bit heavy at 1:05. There’s some nice variety in the instrumentation at 4:23, but I think the piece could also use some more harmonic depth at times. My favorite element of the piece was probably the mood/atmosphere, which often go hand-in-hand imo. Very dreamy and blissful quality that the piece has, and the sound design just reinforces that. Despite my complaints regarding the compositional details, you won me over here with the production quality and instrumentation. Keep at it, Crazy-Unicorn! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Crazy-Unicorn responds:

Thank you for the feedback dude! It'll help me a lot for sure :)

[NGUAC Submission- "That's Why I Stay With You"]

I like the relaxed guitars at the beginning and the vocals at :20. The chord progression is a little generic, but the production quality is really strong and I like how the texture gets richer as the piece goes on. The solos at 1:43 are nice, although during the following refrains there might’ve been a little more harmonic variety. On the other hand, the doubling of the vocals with the guitar at 2:05 did add a soulful bent to the tone of the piece, and I enjoyed the novel riffs at 2:50. I think the volume changes at 3:02 could’ve been a little more gradual - otherwise they come off as a bit unnatural. The slight ritardando and stand-alone vocals at the end work well, but also come off as a bit cliche. Still, the mixing and mastering sound professional, and you’re clearly a talented vocalist and guitarist too. Strong work overall - my main complaint is probably the lack of originality in the arrangement and harmonic structure. Keep at it, ConnorHeather! ^_^

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

ConnorHeather responds:

Wow what an absolutely great and in depth review! Awesome thank you!

[Racer]

I like the catchy guitar riffs and crisp drums at the beginning. The synth melodies at :28 were a nice touch, too. I especially like the frantic guitar solo at 1:40. Overall, the arrangement gives the piece a constant sense of energy and drive. At some point, it would’ve been nice to have a little more shape and structural contrast with an atmospheric breakdown or mellow bridge or something. I also think there are a lot of long sections where the melodic riffs follow a really predictable on-and-off pattern (example, 2:55 to 3:24). I think it would be more engaging if there was a little more variation in this format within the phrase, and would also help you build up to the more intense sections. Still, the modulations help keep things interesting, and I enjoyed the drawn-out outro. Overall, this is a solid piece. Production quality is especially strong, and the solos really kept me into it despite the harmonic repetitions. Keep at it, Catpocalypse! :)

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Catpocalypse responds:

I appreciate you taking the time to write this review, and thanks for all this good and helpful feedback! Though, I'm not really understanding how this song is repetitive, as the guitar and synth leads are are scattered across all parts of the song for the sole purpose of keeping it interesting.
Also, the constant energy you described is designed to run through the entire song. If I were to relax in any part, the track overall would lose its momentum, and as this is a song about racing, it would ultimately make sense for there to be a constant drive and speed to it.

[Traction Beast]

I like the ominous drone at the beginning and the cutesy plucks that outline the harmonies around it. The progression is pretty slow-paced and the texture rather minimal for a while, but I like the more energetic vibe at around 1:20, and the blissful tone at around 1:50 is a nice mood shift. The tone at 2:02 is a little darker, which fits the lyrics at 2:16 well. The vocals themselves were a bit cheesy - the pitch shifting effect is cool in and of itself, but the vocals were also a bit dry, and could use some more mixing effects to add some intrigue and variety going into the instrumental section at 3:00, especially since the rest of the texture was so bare before that. The sound design and atmosphere are both cool here, but I would’ve liked to see some more harmonic depth at some point. After around 3:15, the snare doesn’t come through the mix very well, although generally the mixing is pretty good here, with mostly well-balanced and distinct frequencies throughout. The atmospheric bridge at 4:00 is another nice detail of the arrangement, and I like the darker tone it takes on by around 4:30. The minimal rhythmic riff at 4:47 seemed a little bland of a follow-up, though, and I would’ve liked to see a more climactic or melodic section later on to hit the piece home. Instead, there’s quite a bit of repetition of the main riffs from earlier, and with all the twists and turns of the arrangement I lose a sense of overarching direction a bit. Overall, the piece has some solid production quality, atmosphere, and a good sense of flow. I think the composition is a little underwhelming, repetitive, and drawn-out at times, but you’re really good at shifting between moods, which is a pretty advanced skill to have. Keep at it, BlighterProductions! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[【NGUAC】BegissoR - Fortune Teller]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the catchy synth riffs. It feels like the piece throws the listener into the middle of the action without much of an intro, but by the time the bass riff at :20 and subsequent build-up into :38 roll around, I’m on board with the fast pace. The drop is also catchy, and the ominous riff at :57 is a nice touch. The transition at 1:17 could’ve been a tad smoother, especially since the part at 1:18 was so much more minimal than the drop before it. The detuned piano at 1:18 has a great, eerie quality, but that section could’ve used a richer atmosphere to really sell the ominous mood. The bridge at 1:36 was nice, especially with the syncopations at 1:55. The transition at 2:34 is another example of a “Band-Aid” approach to progression here - ideally you’d have at least one core element of the texture carry over on either side of the transition. Otherwise, the crash you have in there can only do so much to smooth it over. The more authentic-sounding drum kit at 2:53 was a cool sound design decision, but by 3:12 you lost me a little bit with all of the distinct sections in the middle of this piece. I think you needed a more climactic section at the end to hit the piece home and tie up some of the thematic elements of the track. Instead, the section at 3:12 sounds like it’s building towards something else (thus the transposition of that lead riff up an octave at 3:31) that never comes. Thus, functionally you have two bridge sections in the piece, at 1:43 and 3:12. Not to over-analyze, though. Overall, you nailed the sound design, mixing and mastering, and rhythmic and harmonic content. The arrangement could be a little less choppy, but all things considered my complaints are minor here. Keep at it, Begissor! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

begissor responds:

Thank you! Doing my best.

[battle_whatever]

I like the relaxed pads at the beginning. It’s a bit jarring when juxtaposed with the frantic hats/shakers, but that groovy bass and quirky snare at :10 help contextualize it a little more. The piano riff at :32 is cute, if also a tad out-of-place imo. A bigger problem is that the texture is pretty minimal here, with not-a-lot of harmonic depth or melodic content. The production quality and sound design are both strong, but the piece is lacking variety in the core riffs that make up the harmonic structure, and after a time the piece is also lacking a sense of direction. The vocal samples are a bit overused by the end, and the police siren sample came off as pretty generic. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm, sound design and atmosphere, but I think the composition and arrangement of the piece needed a bit more thought to really capture the mood you were going for. Still, it’s a catchy piece with some good mixing and memorable instrumentation. Keep at it, Bassclefff! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Retro Futurized Mech DEFAC-To 138]

So, before your DQ, I had already scored your track and typed up a review. Have at thee:

I like the frantic synth bass at the beginning and the groovy, echo-y pads at :07. The mix is loud, clean, and well-balanced, but the progression is a little slow-paced. The texture starts to get a little more engaging by around :50, and I’m really enjoying the melodies by 1:05 or so. The piece might need a bit more of a sense of direction after that point, and the minimal breakdown at 1:58 didn’t quite give me that feeling of ebb-and-flow that I was looking for. I like the added harmonies at 2:42, but the melodic variations at 3:40 are what really sold this piece for me. It just starts to sound a lot more dynamic by that point. I enjoyed the cross-fading action at the very end too. The sound design is cute, and the blissful mood and rich atmosphere complement it well. My biggest complaint is probably in the structure/arrangement. Even though the piece flows smoothly, it has multiple long sections of the piece that have a very similar energy level and overall flavor, which could use some breaking up to really emphasize the emotional highs and lows here. It might even have a similar effect if you varied the harmonic progression at some point. Still, that’s a relatively small detail in the grand scheme of things. Solid work with the production, sound design, and atmosphere here, BasiatordeCoronatus! ^_^

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
.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
8/10

[its been done]

I like the pensive vibe at the beginning and the steady rhythm of the ascending and descending lines in the guitar. The piano chords are a little strong, but the rest of the sound design fits in well. I would’ve liked to see you fill out the atmosphere a bit more with some reverb and other mixing effects, but the experimental vibe I’m getting from the rhythm and slight dissonance at around the 1-minute mark helps keep things engaging. I might’ve liked to hear some more melodic content at some point, but the experimental texture won me over at the end of the day. I still wanted the atmosphere to be a little richer, and the piece could use some more automation and phrasing just to capture the emotional quality of the arrangement a little more. Couldn’t hurt to humanize the piano more and create some subtle dynamics or tempo changes. Overall, though, the experimental composition paid off pretty well here. Solid sound design and mixing, and some creative harmonies too. Keep at it, Aweror! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
8/10

Aweror responds:

awesome, thanks for the detailed feedback, very much appreciated!