TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Beside You]

I like the emotional appeal of the beginning. The rhythm and volume automations are a little wonky at around :04; it kinda damaged the flow of an otherwise soothing piece. The glitchy effects are a bit cheesy, and the arrangement is pretty choppy. The piece needs a bit more coherence in the structure, although there is a good sense of direction over time. I like the minimal breakdown at 1:28, although I think I hear some peaking or other distortion at 1:35. I also think the drums could’ve been more prominent in the mix, especially towards the end. Overall, I like the sound design, melodies, and mood of the piece, but I think you really overdid the glitchy breaks and mixing effects. Keep at it, Thomaisho! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Thomaisho responds:

Ah, I see. Thank you very much for the feedback and score, I appreciate it ^^

[「鬼人妖魔」 ～ Otherworldly Wrath]

I like the hard-hitting guitars at the beginning. The atmospheric pads at :15 are nice, but it also becomes clear at that point that the mix is a little muddy at times. The panning at :31 is really heavy, but I like the crisp drums and frantic riffs at :45. The progression is a little wonky, with a lot of sudden textural changes that occur at a fast pace. The guitars sound pretty authentic as far as I can tell, but sometimes the melodies are a little jumpy, like at 2:58, which came across as both unrealistic and confusing to listen to harmonically. I would’ve liked to see you expand on some of the main riffs later in the piece, like the one at 3:30. The piece might also need a few more structural breaks from the near-constant intensity of most of the piece. I admire your sense of harmony, as well as the energy, rhythmic content, and rich texture here, but it bothers me that the arrangement feels so disjointed and the structure lacks shape and phrasing a lot of the time. Still, the production quality holds up pretty well despite the busy texture, and I mostly like the frantic melodies too. Keep at it, SuperKidVN! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Forethought]

I like the dramatic strings at the beginning and the low percussion. The melody at :17 has a really forlorn sound, but you weave the different moods of the piece together pretty well until later in the piece. The transition at :33 is pretty abrupt, and you also overuse the crashes after a while, especially at around the 1-minute mark. You have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the piece is missing some dynamic melodic content. The upper-register violin part at 1:05 reveals that the sample is fake, and 1:22 is another sudden transition. You have a lot of good harmonic ideas in this piece, but the piece as a whole doesn’t feel very well-connected yet. The percussion also sounds pretty muddy in the mix later in the piece when the texture is busier. Overall, nice work with the mood, melodies, and texture. Some of the compositional and mixing details could use some polishing, though, especially the choppy structuring. Keep at it, spcialist! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Joyride]

I like the emotional piano at the beginning and the atmosphere. The synths at :23 are a bit cheesy, and you may have a tad too much reverb in the texture at times. That said, the melodic content is nice, and I love the crisp percussion at :45. There’s a good sense of climax into 1:09, but the lead there sounds a bit harsh in the mix. You might consider taking off some more of the treble tones in the equalizer. I think the bass could be a bit louder during the refrain, and the transition at 1:55 was pretty sudden. I like the more melodic transition into 2:24 (unlike the sole presence of the cheesy riser at the first refrain) and the frantic synth arpeggios at 2:47. The harmonies could’ve been a tad louder here, as the texture seems heavily balanced in favor of the melodies. I also thought the piece needed a more complete outro, as the ending came across as a bit abrupt. Overall, I like the melodies, atmosphere, cute mood, and rhythmic content here. The arrangement could be a bit more flowing, and the mixing details could use some polishing, but otherwise nice work, Solize! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Solize responds:

Thanks for the feedback, might release this in the future but wayy more polished

[Kavez - Through [Dead]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the vocal samples. The bass at :09 is a little heavy, and the drums could use a little reigning in on the volume levels, especially the kicks. I think the mood and sound design is good, although the composition is clearly not complete. It has a nice bouncy vibe to it, though, and I hope you’ll still finish this piece. Please send me a PM when you do, and I’ll give you a full review. Keep at it, SlyFrost! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Triumph]

I like the sense of masked tension at the beginning and the violin tremolos. The brass at :27 sounds a bit inauthentic, and also has a bit heavy of a panning pattern. Nice job with the evocative mood of this one. The climax into :59 was well-done, although at times I wanted to hear more lower tones in the texture. The mix is also rather quiet here. I like the re-intro at 1:45 and the melodic content at around 2:00. The abrupt transition actually works really well, and I like the change-up in the instrumental hierarchy there, including the fun percussion at 2:14. You might’ve needed a smoother transition at 2:25, however, and overall I think the arrangement of the piece is a bit choppy. I liked the variations on the melodies at 2:46, although I would’ve liked to hear the drums a little more up-front in the mix there, which would’ve heightened the sense of climax. The drawn out tonic chord at 3:10 was also a nice touch. Overall, strong work with the harmonies, rhythmic components, melodies, and clarity of the production. The structure of the piece could be a little more flowing, and the mixing details could use a bit of polishing, but it’s still an enjoyable and uplifting track. Keep at it, SirQuebi! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Thalia's Rhythm]

I like the spacey pads and minimal drums. The sound design here is really good, although the progression is a bit slow-paced and there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture. The mood of the piece is very evocative, and this track has a really smooth flow. I think there could be a bit more variety in the instrumental hierarchy of the piece, but 1:22 served as a pleasant breakdown. The percussion sounds a bit harsh in my ears at 1:36, likely because of excessive panning. I think it’s usually a good idea to keep major rhythmic elements like that front-and-center in the mix. Still, the piece is really flowy and soothing, even if the chord progression was a bit cliche at times. The subtle climax at 2:46 with the strings is really nice - great way of hitting the piece home towards the end. The added bass riff at 3:39 was a bit bizarre; sounds like a combination of a traditional and fade-out ending. Overall, great job with the instrumentation, rhythmic content, melodies, and arrangement, though. This piece is a good reason why I often think my structural standards are too strict. Keep it up, shadow-ghost! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
8.75/10

shadow-ghost responds:

Wait, I could've SWORN I posted a reply to your review already, but... it turns out I didn't? Terribly sorry about that. I just wanted to send a (belated) thank you for the in-depth analysis and commentary; I appreciate it immensely! :) I'm really glad to hear you liked the track, it means a lot.

[The Escape]

I like the catchy beats and harmonies at the beginning. I think there’s way too much reverb in the texture, although the mix holds up pretty well regardless. The ominous synth riff at :38 is pretty sweet, although there’s not a lot of structuring here to satisfy my compositional standards. Overall, this sounds like a great start to a piece, and I’d love to hear the finished product. For the purposes of the NGUAC, it’s a little underwhelming right now as a stand-alone track. Please do PM me if you ever finish this - I’ll leave you a full review. Keep at it, Shabbyjazz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
5.5/10

CielOuvert responds:

Well for a piece that's mostly unfinished getting a score like this, and the combined ones from other judges, do make me wanna try to finish it.

[Saruz - Land of Wrath]

I like the emotional appeal of the strings at the beginning, as well as the rich atmosphere. There’s a nice sense of climax into :22, but the call-and-response action between the brass stabs and the piano doesn’t work very well for me. I think the piano’s rhythm kinda gets in the way of the brass’s reverb fade-out, which makes it difficult to discern the beat. I like the drop at 1:03, but there might be a bit too much reverb at the lead-up at :50 or so. It’s hard to hear the strings at :50, although they’re used well again by 1:28. The cello solo at 1:49 sounded particularly haunting. The sound design here is great, if not entirely authentic-sounding. The second drop serves as a good way of hitting the piece home. I think you overuse the stop-start transitions a bit, although overall the structuring in this piece is good too. Nice work overall, Saruz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[[•] NGUAC19: Astral Transfer]

I like the rhythm of the kick at the beginning, although you might’ve needed a smoother transition into :12. The piano chords also sound a bit crunchy - you might want to open up the sound a bit by spacing the notes wider. The instrument itself is also pretty inauthentic. The melodies at :36 are nice, although the underlying chord progression is a bit cliche. I like the mysterious vibe at 1:14 and the filtering work at 1:23. The transition at 1:48 might’ve needed to be a bit more gradual, but I like the emotional appeal there and the structural contrast you provided with the decrease in energy. The melodic content in this piece is great, but sometimes the arrangement of the sections feels a bit formulaic and square. Major changes to the texture almost always occur after 16-bar phrases, and there isn’t a ton of variety in the energy level or dynamics over the course of the piece. The drum beat also could’ve been more creative at some point to make up for the square rhythm of the melodies. That said, I like the more mellow outro. The reverse crash at the end (and throughout this piece) seemed like a bit of a Band-Aid attempt to smooth over some otherwise abrupt transitions. Still, I’ve been tough on you in this review. The harmonic content, energy, mixing, and mood are all enjoyable here. Keep at it, RabidAutopsy! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10