TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shooting star]

I like the spacey mood and atmosphere, but the pulsing effect on the pads was a bit too heavy for my tastes. The airy synth at :15 is a nice touch, and there’s a good sense of climax into :46. The slow-paced drop was great harmonically, if a bit over-compressed. The beat at 1:48 is cool, and I like the more consistent flow of the second drop at 2:17. The melodic variations at 2:33 really help hit the piece home. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture throughout, though - I wonder if you could’ve gotten away with loosening up on the compressors a bit if you toned down the reverb. Still, this is a creative piece with some really neat sound design and atmospheric elements. My main concern is probably the generic arrangement, actually. Keep at it, Retrize! :)

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

retrize responds:

I will try my best, thank you very much ;)

[Rising]

I like the quirky pads at the beginning. The melody at :07 is nice, although the synth playing it is a bit cheesy and generic. There’s a good sense of build into :29, and the texture is well-balanced and catchy during the refrain. The mix could be a bit cleaner - I’d suggest getting a bit stricter about how you filter and equalize the piece, especially with the bass frequencies. Also, the transition at :59 is a bit sudden, and I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic content later in the piece. The riser at 1:50 was clever, but also got in the way of the main melody a bit. Overall, my biggest problem with the piece is that it uses a lot of cliches in the instrumentation, chord progression, and arrangement. Still, the rhythmic content, progression, and melodies are all strong here. Keep at it, Qruintrox! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[:Nitro:]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty cliche, but the synths are cute, if a tad cheesy. I like the injection of energy at :21. The texture could use a bit more reverb to make it sound richer, especially during the less energetic parts like :43. I thought the build-up at :54 was a bit generic, but the drop at 1:04 was cool. Nice job with the crisp drums and bright-sounding chords. The transition at 1:47 was a tad sudden, but provides some nice structural contrast. The stop-start transition at 2:06 didn’t quite work for me, but I’m enjoying the final refrain. I would’ve liked to see some more variation in the harmonic framework at some point, but the piece is short enough that it doesn’t bother me too much. I think the transitions in this piece could’ve been smoother and more creative, with more advanced techniques like filtering, automation, and cross-fading. My biggest problem with the piece is probably how generic it is, from the instrumentation to the chord progression to the arrangement. Still, you did a good job with the mixing and mastering, harmonies, and atmosphere, especially later in the piece. Keep at it, Purple-Rocket! :)

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
.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
7.5/10

[Approaching Battle]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The dark chord at :21 is a nice touch, and there’s a great sense of build-up into :34. The string melodies there are beautiful, and you’ve really sold the drama well with the phrasing and instrumentation. The brass solos during the middle section were also really nice, and you tie the piece together really well with the melodies at the end. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the mix is a little quiet. But overall, really strong work here, my friend. You’ve earned a scout and, pending the approval of the other judges, a spot in the next round of this competition. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
9.75/10

potato-stick responds:

Thanks for the clearly thought out review! The mix has been something that I haven't gotten too deep into, so maybe I'll focus more on that for the next submission. I'm glad to join in on this competition and this community :)

[The Villains Plan]

I like the gritty texture at the beginning and the build-up into :30. The texture and sound design are both really creative, and the mix is clean and loud. The rhythmic content is enjoyable, but there could’ve been a little more depth to the harmonies here. Later on, I was looking for a little more variety and shape to the composition. The repetitive vocal samples at 2:12 were a little overdone, and the composition lacks a narrative arc or sense of development over time. You’re certainly a talented producer, and the instrumentation here is really cool, but the composition needs more fleshing out imo. Keep at it, PeaZen1! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
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
6.25/10

[old pal old buddy o mine]

I like the cute mallet riff at the beginning and the orchestral harmonies at :08. The mix gets a little muddy there, though. I’d suggest compressing the percussion more, toning down the reverb, and filtering out more of the bass tones in all of the melody instruments with an equalizer. The chord progressions used in this piece are pretty cliche, but I like the flow of it overall, perhaps with the exception of a couple transitions. The one at 1:28, for example, was a bit sudden. I like the breakdown at 1:52 and the filtering effects at 2:06. The piece comes together pretty well during the final climactic section at 2:24, but I would’ve liked to see some more variety in the harmonies later on. The piece also could’ve used some stronger melodic content, as the most prominent instrument playing at any given time in this piece is usually very chordal or rhythmic. I also think you need to work on crafting some smoother transitions - crashes or sweeps can help a bit, but more advanced methods include automation, cross-fading, and filtering. Overall, I like the sound design and atmosphere of this one, but the composition is a bit bland and the mix sounds a bit strained in places. Still, you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, and I like how you incorporated both synthetic and orchestral sounds into the texture here. Keep at it, Novent-Music! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Explode Cat]

I like the beat at the beginning and the ghostly synths at :05. The texture is a bit dry, though, and could use some more reverb or other mixing effects. The rhythmic content is pretty cool, but sometimes the instruments don’t blend super well together. The strings at :31 sounded a bit out-of-place, for example, and I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic content later on. The outro was a bit cheesy, too. The production quality is strong, and I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout. I think you could’ve put more effort into the compositional details, and the piece doesn’t really feel structurally complete. I think it would help if you had some more creative progression techniques, like filtering and automation, as opposed to just adding and subtracting instruments over time. Overall, the rhythmic content and mixing are my favorite elements of it. I hope you’ll keep working on this, because it has potential as a more fluid, full-length track. Keep at it, Noobster! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

maybenotriver responds:

I Agree with Everything you said, I feel like it was to empty and and I made it in one day. Thanks for the feedback ^-^

[nn - ?]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the melodies at :16. The piece is a little slow to progress, though, and the mix is very quiet. I like the pizzicato strings at 1:20, but they don’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. The legato strings at 1:35 do, but they also drown out the other elements a bit. You might need to use more equalizers to keep the frequencies of each instrument more distinct. I would’ve liked to hear some more structural contrast in the piece, with some more gradual transitions and more variety in the harmonies. I also thought the fade-out ending was a bit lazy. Still, I enjoyed the sound design and atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, NNmusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10