TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[XTechno - Frozen Solid]

I like the cute arpeggios at the beginning and the harmonies at :10. The sound design is really great here, from the heavy bass to the piano. The mix is a little dry, and could probably use some reverb or other mixing effects to create more of a sense of atmosphere. That said, the bass does a lot of that work in its place, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The composition could use a little more ebb and flow over time, as opposed to the relatively sudden transitions and the fact that the instrumental changes are the main sources of variety (as opposed to dynamic contrast, phrasing, filtering, automation, etc.). I’m liking the slower pace at 1:40 and the organ at 1:51 - it’s nice how you rebuild the texture with different instruments during the second half of the piece. Overall, solid work here, XTechno! The sound design is awesome, the mixing is solid, the composition is well-organized if a little square, and the harmonic framework and progression work well for me. Keep it up! ^_^

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

XTechnoMusic responds:

Thank you for the in-depth review :)

[Legacy]

I like the sense of build at the beginning into :04 and the bright synth melodies thereafter. The drum samples and synths are a bit cheesy, and I think there may have been a tad too much reverb in the texture. Still, the melodic content is really enjoyable, especially at :38 and beyond. The kick drum at 1:27 is very heavy and has a bit too much treble, but the drop at 1:45 is well-balanced and continues your run of solid melodies, including some neat variations on the earlier content. The high notes at 2:33 were haunting, and overall I’m loving the victorious vibe this piece has. The cutoff at 2:52 was a bit sudden given the lengthy legato section before it, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the percussive element that first appears on the off-beats at 3:04. That breakdown section works well towards the goal of providing some structural contrast, and I like some of the sound design variations that come afterwards, even if the brass synths at 4:03 or so are a bit cheesy and inauthentic. The outro is a little lengthy, but the bare piano towards the end was a nice choice at capitalizing on the emotional quality of the rest of the piece. Overall, solid work here. I wasn’t a huge fan of all of your sound design choices, but the production quality is solid, the progression is smooth, and the atmosphere is rich and well-balanced. Honestly some of the most beautiful melodies I’ve come across thus far in the competition. Keep up the good work, Xrus! ^_^

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

Xrus responds:

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it! The kicks I use are just my own personal preference. I just like a heavy kick. XD

[Picture Yourself]

I like the jazzy chords at :22 and the overall pensive mood. There’s a bit of dissonance between the chords and the drone at the beginning, though, and the pace of progression is very slow here. Production-wise, the mix is also very quiet, and the sound design could use more variety and flavor. If you’re going to use one instrument for 3+ minutes, I’d suggest at least doing more with varying the volume levels and using automation and other mixing effects to make the texture more interesting. The piece settles into a pretty nice groove by around the 2-minute mark, but it still could use a bit more variety and a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time. The drums at 3:25 have a bit of the opposite problem as the first half of the piece in that they have way too much reverb and completely hijack the mix. The ambient pads during this section are pretty cool, but they also get a little drowned out by the drums and piano. I’d also suggest using equalizers to get rid of the bass tones in the non-rhythm-section instruments, which should reduce the amount of distortion that comes from using a lot of reverb in the first place. The strings at 4:50 sound really dissonant with the other elements of the texture, but perhaps a bigger problem is how distorted they are in the mix. I appreciated the somewhat blissful resolution of the piece at 6:17, but I think you could’ve at least foreshadowed that sudden change in the texture in some way, maybe with a variation to the drum pattern or a slow reverse crash. Overall, the composition is a bit experimental for my tastes here, and I think the mixing and mastering could use some cleaning up. That said, the sound design and atmosphere of the piece were pretty cool, and the piano riffs were catchy once the texture filled out at around 2 minutes in. Keep at it, Windman03! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

Windman03 responds:

Damn. Then I guess I didn't progress into the contest. Of course, I'm still glad to get an honest review. Obviously, I have to work on mastering!

[Spasmodic]

I like the majestic tone and rich atmosphere at the beginning. It contrasts nicely with the heavy mid-range bass and ominous swells (like at :25). The sound design is really well-done here, and the progression is intriguing between the rhythmic content, phrasing, and apprehensive mood. The drop at 1:00 was pretty minimal, but also full of variety in the sound design. The distorted vocals are a great touch, too. Nice job with the dynamic contrast at 1:21, and the tempo automations work well at 1:30. Pretty sure Nintendo might have something to say about you using the samples at 1:37, 2:06, and 2:31, but admittedly they work well in the piece. The sub-bass at 1:43 was a little loud, but otherwise the mixing and mastering here is really strong. The ominous synth riffs starting at 1:55 really help hit the piece home, and you kept the texture full and engaging until the very end. Nice work here overall! Keep it up, Walpang. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Walpang responds:

Thanks for this, it means a lot! I remember last year when I entered I only got like a 6/10 so it's nice to see that I've improved for real.

[Cyberpunk Soundtrack]

I like the groovy bass at the beginning, even if it is just a stock Apple loop. The synth patterns at :31 are nice, but the drums get a little lost in the mix once the texture fills out later in the piece. This piece is catchy and has some decent progression and sound design, but the harmonic content gets a little dissonant after a while and could also use some more variety. I’d like to see some more melodic development later on in the piece, and the lead synth at around 1:20 sounds a bit unpolished and cheesy in its upper range. Overall, the strongest elements of the piece are probably the cool rhythmic content and ominous mood. Keep at it, VoytekPavlik! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Superspeed II]

I like the exaggerated crash at the beginning and the cutesy, frantic synths thereafter. The atmosphere is nice, and I like the pulse of the beat. The reverb is a little heavy here, and I think the mix sounds a little distorted because of it. Also couldn’t hurt to get a little stricter with how you use equalizers and such. The piece doesn’t feel structurally complete, and I would’ve liked to see a little more variety in the harmonies and melodic development over time. Still, the sound design is pretty solid and I’m enjoying the mood and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Velsyan! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Velsyan responds:

I will keep in mind, although I've got better at those things!
~Velsyan
(Also I am very thankful for the review :3)

[Odyssey]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the sound design. The percussion at :20 is nice, but could sound a bit sharper in the mix. The strings in the background there also sound a tad indistinct. I wonder if it would help to cut back on the reverb and get stricter with the frequencies you cut out of some of the instruments with equalizers. Still, the mood here is really captivating - I especially like the atmosphere at 1:16. I was itching to hear some of the tension in this piece resolved with some more prominent melodic content, so I enjoyed the woodwind solo at 2:05, although I wish it was a little more front-and-center in the mix for full dramatic impact. I love how much the breakdown section at 2:20 features that frantic percussion. I can just picture the dudes playing it, hands flying by in a whir. The quirky solos at 2:52 were great, and they flow nicely into the horn melodies at 3:24 as well. There’s also some really cool plucking going on in the strings there. The emotional appeal of the outro was great, by the way, and the creepy details there (like the pulsing synth at 4:17 and the bass slides) were very well-done.

Obviously, the composition and sound design here are both excellent. My main concern is the mixing - right now, it’s pretty loud and well-balanced, but not always clean enough to highlight all of the fun nuances of this track. Again, I’d get very choosy about how much reverb you use and what instruments you use it on. Try experimenting more with automating the amount of reverb on a given instrument over time. You could also make more generous use of filters and panning in this piece to really keep instruments that have the same frequency ranges isolated in the mix. Still, overall you knocked this one out of the park. Really fun solos, compositional details, sound design, atmosphere, and mood. Keep it up, UndervaniaMusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
9.25/10

uvimusic responds:

Yo! This is absolutely surreal having the 'Anthony Fantano' of Newgrounds not only give my track a review, but give my track a great review! Seriously, whenever I look at someone else that got a good review from you, I have always wondered if one day I would be able to get to their level of skill to be able to secure a similar review. I'm more than happy that I managed to please you and I'll shoot for better next round. Have a great day! (And yes I have taken your suggestions, thanks a ton for them :)

[Breathe]

I like the grouchy bass at the beginning. It was a little bizarre when the bass suddenly ended at :34, but the atmosphere thereafter is really cool, and I love the dark radio effects. The pace of progression is pretty slow, but the experimental texture definitely helps keep me engaged. The production quality is strong, and I love the cool drum fills at 1:28 and other places. I think you could’ve made better use of the treble range of the frequency spectrum here, especially during the first couple of minutes, and the minimal texture wears on me after a while, particularly when contrasted to the engrossing intro. The sound design and atmosphere remain cool throughout, but I would’ve liked to see a little more harmonic depth or melodic development at some point. I liked it when you stripped away the drums and brought back that pulsing bass riff at the breakdown at 4:00. The lead-in to the more energetic section at 5:14 also worked well, especially given the relative calm section at 5:00 or so after a litany of bass-heavy effects. :) I still think you needed a more powerful statement to hit this piece home towards the end, but overall the sound design, atmosphere, and mixing helped carry this one. Keep at it, Ultimatepalmtree3! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Etheral]

I like the sound design at the beginning. Very quirky atmosphere here, though - it takes a while to get used to, especially the rhythmic elements. That pulsing synth chord towards the beginning feels like it’s not really helping the listener stay grounded. I like the burst of intensity at :45, but the drums sound a tad indistinct and it’s still a little hard to process what’s going on in the synth patterns - both harmonically and rhythmically. The transition at 1:30 is a little sudden, and the second half of the piece is pretty repetitive. Honestly, the combination of the abrupt transitions, often minimal texture, and wonky meter don’t work super well for me. There also isn’t much of a sense of direction to the piece over time, and the abrupt ending is a testament to that. The strongest element of the piece is the production quality in my mind, even if the mix is a little quiet, and the sound design is also pretty cool. The composition is just a little too experimental for me. Sorry. I can tell you’re a talented producer, though, and the rich atmosphere and creative drum fills were both really nice. Keep at it, Troike! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10