TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mestrix - Reverie [King Step Release]]

I like the emotional quality of the piano at the beginning and the bouncy synths at :25. The progression is a little slow-paced, but I liked the build-up into 1:03. The percussion at the drop is a little generic, and I also would’ve liked to see some more harmonic variety at some point. You did a nice job crafting the upbeat mood and dynamic contrast, though. I also liked the cute melodies at the breakdown at 1:43. Things come together well at the second “emotional height” of the piece at 2:24, but it’s still missing a bit of dynamism in the composition, at least in terms of the harmonic structure. The mixing is strong here, although at times it feels a tad over-compressed, especially at :22 where the kick takes up so much space. Still, you won me over here with the upbeat mood, melodies, emotional appeal, and phrasing. Keep at it, MestrixMusic! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

MestrixMusic responds:

Thanks man, super stoked to be in the finals. I'll take what you said into consideration!

[S1LENT GHO5T - Take 2]

I like the upbeat piano riff at the beginning. The melodies struggle to come through the mix a bit once the harmonies come in at :20, but I’m enjoying the build-up into :41. I’m not a huge fan of vocoders, admittedly - it’s really hard to make them sound natural/articulate. That said, the vocals are mixed well, and the texture fills out nicely around them. The chord progression is a bit generic, along with some of the sound design (lead synth, piano, and some of the drum samples, for example). The piece is smooth-flowing and well-structured. I enjoyed the melodies too, although towards the end they could’ve used some more variety, especially during a relatively long piece. Overall, my main problem with the piece is the lack of originality in the harmonic structure, arrangement, and instrumentation. The production quality, transitions, and mood help make up for that, though, and the lyrics and rhythmic content are also really nice here. Keep at it, LordJabeebus! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[K.O.R.S]

I like the quirky chord progression at the beginning and crisp drums at :13. The rhythmic content is really nice, although the composition could’ve been a bit more dynamic. I also think you overdid the reverb on that effect at :40 that sounds like a duck quacking in slow motion. The texture is pretty bottom-heavy, and sometimes the harmonies blatantly clash (like at 1:35). After that, the piece felt a tad repetitive, and also could’ve used some more dynamism in the harmonies. Honestly, the clashing harmonies don’t bother me as much as the excessive reverb and lack of variety here. You did a nice job of setting up this really experimental and somewhat dystopian-sounding texture, but I wanted to see a bit more “storytelling” after that. Still, the mood, atmosphere, originality, and sound design get top marks from me, and besides the reverb the production holds up well too. Keep at it, Kalviter! ^_^

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
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
7.25/10

[star logic]

I like the echo-y synths at the beginning and the ominous mood. The texture is pretty minimal, and the piece is also a bit slow to progress, but the furtive-sounding melodic content at 1:06 is a nice touch. This would make a great backing track for a space-themed video game, but by itself I’m not sure the composition feels dynamic enough to make for a stand-alone piece. The wet percussion at 2:57 is cool, but by 3:15 I think it’s taking up a bit too much space in the mix, especially because of the excessive reverb. The melodies at 3:45 or so work really well towards giving the piece a sense of closure and resolve. The rhythmic liberties you took at 4:27 are cool, too. Overall, the mixing on this piece is solid, and by the end you won me over on the composition too. The quirky atmosphere, sound design, rhythmic content, and “slow burn” climax really work well together. Keep at it, Juicewhompa! :)

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

[Slight]

I like the rich atmosphere and solid sub-bass right off the bat, and the neat arpeggios at :13 are a nice touch. The vocals at :26 are a bit cheesy, but I’m enjoying the build-up into :53. The drop had some cool rhythmic content, but the lead synth sounded a bit harsh in my headphones. The breakdown at 1:45 with the piano melodies was strong, but after that the piece felt a tad repetitive. The drop at 2:40 is very minimal, and also a tad harsh in the treble range. Overall, the production quality here is very strong, if a tad over-compressed. The composition is solid, although some more variety in the harmonic content would’ve been appreciated. My main complaint with the composition is probably that the arrangement is very generic. That said, the sound design is good, although that clap sample has a lot of top-range frequencies in it for my tastes. Overall, though, this is a catchy track with a fun, upbeat mood, cool instrumentation, and some strong mixing. Keep at it, Jekoer! :)

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
.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
8.25/10

[Sacrifice for Everything]

I like the jazzy atmosphere at the beginning and the echo-y percussion. The distorted guitar at :20 is another nice addition to the sound design on top of the spacey pads and smooth bass. The atmosphere drops away a bit suddenly at :38, but the dreamy breakdown at :58 helps rekindle that moodiness that I found so appealing in the first 30 seconds of this piece. The production quality here is really strong, too. The return of the gritty guitars at 1:53 drags me back down to earth, at which point I might’ve liked to see a bit more harmonic variety. Still, you’ve kept me engaged with the creative drum riffs (like at 2:38) and pleasant surprises in the texture (like the addition of the acoustic guitar at 2:58). The composition on the refrain could’ve been a tad bolder, but otherwise all of the pieces are in place here - you nailed the emotive, dreamlike quality, in addition to the mixing, sound design, and progression. Keep it up, Introverse! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Introverse responds:

Thanks again for wonderful feedback!

[Electric Seasons]

I like the quirky percussion at the beginning, but the texture stays pretty minimal for a while thereafter. The mix is also pretty quiet, and you switch pretty suddenly between moods/textures a lot here. The plucky synth at :37 quickly fades to the smooth pads at :55, and there’s a completely different riff on the original synth at 1:14. That riff at 1:14 is also a bit hard-to-follow melodically, as there are a lot of jumps to far-off pitches. The atmospheric section at the end flows a lot better than the first half, although overall the piece still doesn’t feel very cohesive. I really enjoyed the sound design and a lot of the isolated riffs here, and the mix holds up well despite being very quiet, but the choppy arrangement and bizarre harmonic progressions (like at 1:14) are big turn-offs for me here. Working on some of the transitions here and integrating the different instruments as part of a coherent harmonic layer would help you earn a higher score from me. Right now, it’s just a little hard to follow the progression here, and then during the last part of the piece (when I can follow the progression decently well), the piece doesn’t feel very dynamic. Until then, I enjoyed the mixing, fun sound design, atmosphere, and mood of the piece. Keep at it, IndustryStandard! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.75/10

IndustryStandard responds:

A fair interpretation. I wasn't super happy with how this one came out to be honest, but the due date was up and this was the best I had. I was hoping to stumble on a bit of inspiration to build off of, so I kept playing with different ideas hoping one of them would grow into something but they never really did. Oh well, a great band once said: "They can't all be zingers"

[Welcome to the party!]

I like the gradual fade-in at the beginning and the synth brass. The melodies are really nice, although the filtering (like at :31) makes them sound a bit unnatural. I also think the harmonic details were a tad ambitious here sometimes, like at around :35 - the piano and brass are getting in each other’s way a bit. The tempo automation at 1:30 was a great idea - even though you’ve overused that main melody a bit by then, it made the texture feel refreshed. The added harmonies at 2:05 were a nice touch, and I really like the mellow outro. The mix is well-balanced and full throughout, although the compression is a tad overdone for my tastes. I usually like more variation on the melodies when it’s repeated this many times, but you found plenty of other parameters for creating variety in this piece, including a really creative tempo change that gave this track a second wind. Solid work, Indexation! :)

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

IndexatioN responds:

Oh wow, thanks for the feedback

[Legend Slayer]

Haha, I can totally see how this is stylistically a metal track through and through, even though the instruments are all synths. That bass is especially nice, and comes through really well in the mix. It might’ve been nice to add a bit more reverb onto the lead, just because it’s hard to mimic the full-sounding body of an electric guitar with a dry synth. The atmosphere at 1:23 helps that cause a bit, though. Sometimes, the arrangement of this piece is a bit choppy, like when you switch out the lead and drum pattern suddenly at 1:37 without much forewarning. I also think the composition could’ve sounded a bit more dynamic here - the energy and volume levels are pretty constant, and the structure feels formulaic sometimes. It felt like you needed something here to break the tension in the piece - a solo midway through, for example - that never really came. Otherwise, the piece sounds pretty anticlimactic and stale after a while. The production quality, sound design, and rhythmic content are all really good, though. It’s just the composition that feels a bit too robotic and square. Anyway, keep at it, Immitis! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

Immitis responds:

Thank you!

For instruments I used VST guitar and bass in addition to a synth playing the same parts, glad you like the sound. I was not going for an electric guitar sound on the lead, you said it, it's not really possible to replicate with only synthesizers.

As for the structure, I tried some things like putting an interlude around the middle of the track to break the tension, but I felt like it only detracted from the overall mood and I would have to change the rest of the composition too much. If not the time limit I could probably have come back to the song later with a fresh mind and change things up, but that's not the point of the contest.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Salt The Earth]

Really creative intro, and the sound design is really engaging and fun between the gritty synth bass and sitar. The texture stays pretty thin for most of the first minute, but the sense of apprehension is cool, and I’m enjoying the rhythmic content. The part at 1:01 felt a bit anticlimactic, and I’m not sure the cheesy plucked synth melody really fit well with the ominous vibe of the minute before that. I also feel like, during the post-chorus at 1:15 or so, the gritty bass and melodies trip over each other a bit. The piano and organ at the breakdown worked well, and I enjoyed the dark turn in the progression at 2:06. The crunchy rhythmic outro was also really unique. Overall, the composition was a tad too experimental for me here - I think part of the problem is that you went experimental on a number of different parameters - sound design, harmony, rhythm, progression - so it got a little hard-to-follow after a while. I also think the mix, while clean, feels a tad too thin and constrained. Maybe part of it is that there isn’t a ton of treble in the frequency range, which makes it feel off-balance at times. Overall, there are a lot of really cool ideas in here, but the choppy arrangement and experimental texture don’t quite come together for me. I can tell you’re a really talented composer, though - the melodies themselves are enjoyable, the mix is really sharp and distinct, and the sound design has some really cool samples in it that fit the piece well. Keep at it, GearWax! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.75/10

Iosun responds:

had a hard time working with the drop in general, nothing i did seemed to sound mono enough and the synth was a bit of a last minute change (as in i literally did it on the last possible day i could have sumitted)

the experimental sound is just kind of how I compose in general, it wasn't something intentional for this, I just kind of put ideas in based on whatever would sound good next most of the time which leads to the common review complaint that it feels choppy (as you pretty directly said lol)

thanks for review, even if it didnt make it. this is definitely on the table for a remaster or at the very least more attention put into it, I still think the ideas have more potential than i used them for