TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Hand In Hand- NGUAC 2020 Final Round Submission]

I like the soothing guitars at the beginning and melodic flair and syncopations. The vocals are a little soft in the mix, but I like the sense of climax into 1:09 and the strong beat. There’s a good sense of contrast in intensity between the chorus and verses, and I like the extended refrain at the very end. After a while, you overuse the guitar riff that pops in at 2:07 (and other places), and I also would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic framework later on. That said, the drawn-out lyrics at around 3:30 were really nice for some variety in the pacing, even if they didn’t introduce much in the way of novel harmonic content. Overall, this is really strong work, Connor. I’m loving the sound design, production quality, and emotional quality in the vocals. If there’s somewhere I could download this, please PM me a link. :)

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

ConnorHeather responds:

Excellent, thanks for the time to leave such great constructive feedback really appreciate it! I'm thinking of making this part of an album i am recording, but i can send you a link to download, to say thanks! PM you email address.

[Ahurac - ID 2 (NGUAC Final Round Entry)]

I like the stereo crackles at the beginning and the blissful chiptune melodies. There’s a good sense of climax into :15, and the mix is really clean and well-balanced. The progression is really smooth, and I love the melodic variety and upbeat tone here. The bridge at 1:26 with the ghostly counter-melody was a nice touch, although by the end the piece doesn’t feel entirely structurally complete. I was looking for another climactic section to hit the piece home towards the end, but instead it feels like the most engaging part of the piece is in the first half. Structural gripes aside, the production quality here is awesome, and you clearly have a great sense of flow and harmonizing too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, Ahurac. Strong work! ^_^

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

Ahurac responds:

Thank you so much Tainted for this nice review, it was a pleasure for me to enter NGUAC and I'll come next year to beat my score ^^. The song is not finished and I'll take notes of what all of you said to make it perfect.

Best regards, Ahurac ~

[Axel F]

Nice! The cute sound design and pleasing arrangement really do justice to the original. I'm not sure the echo-y drums at :23 quite worked for me, and you also overuse it a bit by the end. That said, the stop-start transition at 1:03 with the descending synth line was a nice touch. I like the bridge section at 1:36, although the transition back into the refrain at 2:06 with the sweep could've been a tad more creative. I also think the beat could've been a bit more prominent in the mix throughout this piece, and at times the texture sounds a bit thin. Otherwise, the production is solid. Overall, cool remake, NGVirus! Keep it up. ^_^

[Dark Heart with Love prelude]

I like the majestic string pads at the beginning and the thunder rolls in the background. The rhythm feels a little square, but the guitar at :27 helps add some variety. There's a lot of really interesting reversal of the instruments and other mixing effects starting around the 1-minute mark. It certainly makes the instruments sound less natural, but also helped create some variety during an otherwise pretty harmonically stagnant section. I like the more electronic bent the piece takes on after the 2nd minute or so, although the sidechaining was a bit heavy for my tastes at 2:20. The progression and shape of the piece overall is really nice, but the texture is often a little too empty to maximize the emotional effect that the progression has. I think the chord progression could've used some more variation, and some additional harmonies really would've helped too. The breakdown at 4:10 is another nice touch on the dynamic contrast/phrasing side, but it also doesn't introduce any new motifs into the piece. The more energetic section at 5:35 or so helps wrap the piece up nicely, but once again the compression is a bit much there. Overall, you've shown a lot of advanced methods of transitioning between different sections and channeling the energy here, but the piece could still be more engaging in terms of the harmonic framework. Still, I enjoyed the sound design, and overall the mixing was also solid despite my gripes at certain points. Keep at it, Naval76! ^_^

[The Cyber Club]

I like the cute, catchy synth riffs at the beginning. The melodies are really nice, and the glitchy elements of the beat (example, :43) are neat. The texture has a lot of staccato-y elements, which is fine for a while, but could use some more shaking up at some point. The piece flows pretty smoothly, but could also use some more shape at times - the energy level feels pretty constant throughout. I also think the transition at 2:17 was a bit sudden, although I appreciated the variations in the texture there. The production quality is generally solid, and I'm enjoying the loud and clean mix. The section at 3:14 serves as a nice bridge, and the rhythmic content there is especially nice. I think the sound design is one of the strongest elements of this piece, actually - feels perfect for robot day. :) The final iteration of the main riff at 4:16 could've used a bit more development. Going bigger on the final refrain is a generally a good way of making a piece feel more dynamic, especially when it's relatively long like this one. Still, I really like the alternately cute and creepy mood of this one. Certainly seems fitting for a videogame. Keep at it, Codefreq! :)

Codefreq responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I really tried to do something unique with the instruments, so I appreciate that you thought it worked well. I’ll certainly keep the music flow in mind in the future.

[RejSende & Eonboi - Espresso]

I like the smooth E-piano at the beginning and the ambient noise in the background. Really nice tranquil and cool melodic flair. The vocals are a nice touch, and I like the simple ABAB structure of it. It's a little hard to follow the rhythm with that snare at 1:02, but overall the mood and sound design totally have me sold on this piece. The composition might need a bit more fleshing out, but you've really set the scene well here with these jazzy vibes and a strong production quality. Keep at it, RejSende! :)

Vimori responds:

Oh, thank you very much, TaintedLogic :)
Glad you like it

[The Crows Perch]

Sorry for the slow response! Was busy with some contest stuff.

I like the airy vocals at the beginning. The percussion sounds a little dry, but I like the layering at :22 and the tranquil vibes thereafter. The softer vocals at 1:13 are really lovely, and the guitar at 1:30 was a nice touch for some variety in the texture. After that, the composition gets a little bland, and I would've liked to see you expand on the theme of "my baby starvin'" more - seems like a narrative waiting to happen. The guitar could also use a more prominent solo or melodic riff - the part at 2:28 kinda feels like the beginnings of that, but the pattern there doesn't feel very dynamic. Overall, the mood and atmosphere are probably my favorite elements of this one. Really soothing and smooth soundscape. Keep at it, Anoth3rMind! :)

Anoth3rMind responds:

Thanks for the insight and taking the time to share your thoughts. This is all really encouraging and we are looking forward to putting out our next creation.

[Wertw - Far Away]

I like the reverse piano at the beginning and the tranquil riff at :14. The echo-y fade-in of the vocals at :27 was a nice touch, and I’m enjoying the crisp beats and rich atmosphere in the meantime. The melodies at :41 are nice, and I also really like the lyrics. The vocals themselves have some really heavy autotune, which is fine if it’s necessary, but ideally it wouldn’t be. The drop at 1:22 has a great sense of energy and drive, and the harsh leads there really goes nicely with the thematic content - it’s like it represents the singer’s passion for his absent loved one. The guitar during the re-intro at 1:51 was a nice touch, and while the second verse/build-up cycle is pretty similar to the first, I enjoyed the variations that were there, like the more aggressive-sounding vocals at 2:51 and the synth riff at 2:47. I also really enjoyed the variations on the drop the second time around. The piano echo of the vocal melody at 4:20 was a nice choice. It seems like the piece ends in the middle of a vocal phrase, but overall you did a great job with the progression and flow here. The arrangement itself might be a tad generic, though. Still, I’m impressed with the production quality, sound design, and intricacy of the rhythmic content. Pretty much all of my complaints here are small compositional details. Keep up the good work, Wertw! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Wertw responds:

Thanks a lot for the review! I'm gonna do my best now ;)