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TaintedLogic
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    5,132 Audio Reviews

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    2 reviews are hidden due to your filters.

    I like the pensive riffs at the beginning, although the synths themselves are a bit cheesy, especially the higher-pitched atmospheric one. Really creative rhythmic work at :14, but I wanted the drums to be a bit stronger and the reverb to be a little less saturated in the mix. The melody at :28 is cool, and there’s a nice renewed sense of energy at :56. The modulation at 1:15 was a nice touch, although I think you overdid the key changes a bit when another big mood/harmony shift comes at 1:23. That synth brass solo at 1:45 was really cute, and definitely sounds like something out of a retro video game. The outro at 2:30 kinda threw me off - it’s a big change in emphasis pattern and energy compared to the section before it. It almost sounds more like the 2nd half of a breakdown rather than an outro. Still, the conclusion of the piece comes together well, and you definitely have a good amount of variety and flavor in the piece to keep me engaged. Nice work with the melodies and sound design, especially. Keep at it, Pheanir! ^_^

    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
    .75/1
    Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
    1.25/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    1/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    1/1
    Composite score
    8.5/10

    I like the tasteful ascending roll at the beginning and the bouncy feel of the texture. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at times, with some very sudden changes in emphasis starting at :11. I like the more contained sound at :36 and how you quickly open it up with the bluesy bass line at :45, and the cadence at 1:05 cements the blues theme for me. The pause at 1:07 was a bit long, although it also did a good job of predicting the more downtempo section that followed. I like the gradual increase in energy level until 1:32, and the frantic doodling there sounded rather impressive. I like the wonky, refreshing vibe at 2:13, but by 2:43 I’m starting to feel that the piece resets itself a bit too much to really come together how I want it to. The final phrase at 2:58 is nice regardless, and I think the slight ritardando and jack-knife descending scale there really sell the conclusion. Overall, you took a lot of risks with this piece, many of which paid off wonderfully, but some of the more dramatic transitory moments are still going to take some getting used to for me. Still, I applaud your exploring a new genre, and given the piano’s rich tone and good balance of frequencies it’s hard to complain about the sound design or mixing either. Nice work, Ale! Keep it up. ^_^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1/1.5
    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?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    9.25/10

    LucidShadowDreamer responds:

    I must apologise for the very late reply! I've been fairly busy in my own life, and much of the free time I've had I've tried to dedicate towards composing and the like. Now that the NGADM is nearing its end, I find I have a little bit more time to dedicate to other things too, which is nice. So I am trying to get back to people I haven't been very good at responding to in a timely manner. Here we go!

    As you noted in your review, jazz isn't a genre I typically compose in, although I've dabbled with it here and there. For this piece, I just wanted to see what I could do if I tried to make a full-length piano composition with a jazzy style in mind. In this specific instance, it ended up becoming a little jazzical. It was fun to play! When composing, I spent faaar to much time making and learning the part at 1:32. I had to practice for hours on just that short part, because of the speed and complex finger placement. Not the smartest decision for a competition like this, but I'm glad it worked out in the end, and I'm happy with the sound. I suppose I ended up making my final piece even more difficult to play, though, looking back at this :p

    I understand that parts of the structure and progression can be a little bit wonky, since I was quite experimental with this piece. I am glad that you enjoyed it anyway, and thank you for the high score!
    I hope you're doing well :)

    I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning. The texture comes together well by :32, and the slap bass really helps fill out the low end. The mix is a tad quiet, but also really clean and clear. It has a much more organic/acoustic vibe than most of your other tracks as I recall, but I like when the more synthetic elements start to bleed in at around 1:04. This track has a really smooth vibe overall, and I love the harmonic variations at the bridge at 3:00. The funky guitars at 3:14 are another big plus. There could've been some more prominent melodic content at some point, but for now this track really has a refreshing, down-to-earth coffee house vibe. Looking forward to hearing more of your work soon. Welcome back, NoisySundae! ^^

    Noisysundae responds:

    I've come to learn that letting the peak sit too close to zero is not a good idea since those samples can be clipped when encoded. My mastering rules right now is first keeping the loudness difference between the middle channel only and middle + side in between 0.5 to 1 dB, then adjust the loudness on the loudest part of the track to -16.xx LUFS with -2.xx dB peak. I got these numbers from when I was doing 15 remasters a few months ago and it works quite well on them. Also, that's one way to make sure the sound won't be altered too much on Spotify (they use a limiter).

    At 3 minute mark, it's actually just a sped up elevator and funk music (I mean, try listening to that part with 0.75x speed on YouTube.). Btw, I admit that I got a bit burnt out towards the end and didn't come up with better melodies. I got overwhelmed by all those earlier parts, but I can't really imagine the shorter version of this track so I went with 4.5 minutes.

    Thank you again for the detailed review! And yup, already having a bunch of new menu projects going on, and the remasters I mentioned.

    I like the grainy ambiance at the beginning and the smooth electric piano (?) at :17. The progression is a bit slow-paced, but the air of mystery at around :50 helps keep me engaged. The shift in the background content at 1:10 works well, but I’m still not getting a strong sense of direction from this piece. The sudden lack of fill in the texture at 1:56 doesn’t work great for me, but that section is also one of the most evocative and haunting of the piece. By 3:10 or so, there’s a little more regularity in the texture, as if the protagonist has just come out on the other end of a cave he’s been in for the last minute or so. I like the big swells that continue until around 4:00, but I still wanted to see you do a bit more with the dynamics/phrasing if you were going to keep the moving notes and harmonic content to a minimum. Really strong sense of atmosphere and flow here, though, and the production quality is also good. I think the ending deserves more of a drawn-out fade-out, but the piece is also rather long as it is. Still, enjoyable content here. The compositional details are what makes this piece engaging until the end. I’m still not sure I want it as a stand-alone piece yet, but it’d be great music for a video game that takes place in a haunted Victorian house. Keep at it, RedSoul92! ^^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    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
    1.25/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    1/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    8.25/10

    I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the cute synths. The melodic content at :20 is wonderful, and the crisp percussion and atmosphere-heavy mix really help fill in the texture. Really creative work with the percussion at around :56. The production quality here is great, and I love the tempo automations at 1:05. The section at 1:26 has a more energetic vibe, and the background percussion really does sound like a ticking clock there. The rhythmic shimmering effect at 1:42 didn’t quite work for me - I feel like that section functions as the most legato part of an already atmospheric piece, and the wavering effect lessened the impact of the climax for me. Still, the sound design and melodic content in this piece are awesome, and the emotional appeal of the outro at 2:43 was very well done. Strong work overall again, guys! ^_^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    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
    1.25/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    1/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    9.5/10

    Onefin responds:

    thanks for the review! these help a lot

    i need to ask jessieyun for a review lol

    Very different than what I’m used to hearing from you! I like the sound design in this piece a lot, although the rhythm at the beginning is a little hard-to-follow at first. The piano at :05 really helps anchor the syncopations in place, though. The vocals at :13 add to the thematic flavor, and the guitar at :28 is a really refreshing addition to the texture. The saxophone melody at 1:12 serves as a wonderful point of arrival, and I also love the bass line there. There’s room for a little more structural ebb and flow in the piece, although the solos at 2:01 help hit the piece home well. The ending also comes on a tad suddenly, but the percussion fill during the last few seconds helps. Overall, I love the compositional work here, and the production quality is strong as always with you. Another strong effort, Phono! ^_^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1/1.5
    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?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    9.25/10

    Phonometrologist responds:

    Thank you for your review here for which I do not take for granted. Regarding the rhythm in the beginning, this was my inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0aQ4PVAdI
    There's not much critique here for me to gnaw on, but I appreciate the comments nonetheless. Regarding the ending...well.. you know

    I like the smooth guitars at the beginning and the crisp drums. The rhythmic content is enjoyable too, although the piece is a bit slow to progress at times. The arrival point of :59 really anchors the piece imo, although I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content there. I would’ve liked to hear a stronger sense of ebb and flow in this piece over time. Especially the verses here feel a little flat and stagnant. Nice job with the high-energy section at 2:29, and I appreciate the addition of the melodic content at 2:58. I still think you could’ve done a tad more with harmonic development and adding more dynamism in the composition here, but overall the piece comes together well towards the end in terms of a narrative arc. I also have no complaints with the production quality, mixing, or sound design. Keep at it, JDawg00100! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1/1.5
    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
    .75/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    1/1
    Composite score
    8.75/10

    JDawg00100 responds:

    thanks for the detailed review :)

    I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the melancholy tone of the piece. The vocals are a little over-processed imo, especially given the down-to-earth and conversational character of the lyrics. The guitar chords at :44 were good for some emotional appeal, yet the texture remains rather minimal throughout this section. I like the “ah”s at around the 1-minute mark and the melodic synth riffs. The kick at 1:32 sounded a bit heavy, and the harmonic shift at 2:20 was a bit sudden. There’s a good sense of climax into 2:52, and I like the sense of arrival and modulation there too. I like the breaks at 3:56 and the drum patterns towards the end. The piece has a good narrative arc and sense of resolve. I think the autotune really detracts from the piece, though. I was getting broadway vibes from the instrumental tracks and storytelling in the song, like the narrator is speaking directly to me, but that was undermined by the vocal effects. That said, the mixing and sound design are otherwise good, and I especially enjoyed the progression here. Keep at it, Johnfn! ^_^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1.5/1.5
    Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
    1.25/2
    Instrumentation and sound design
    .75/1
    Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
    1.5/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    1/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    8.75/10

    I love the fade-in of the frantic line at the beginning and the delivery of the vocals. The content of the lyrics is a bit cliche at times, but the narrative and conversational form of the piece is pleasing nonetheless. You’ve also affirmed to me what a talented vocalist you are with this piece, and your willingness to tackle a genre that you aren’t familiar with for the ADM is rather admirable. The rhyme scheme of the lyrics is really cool, too. The country dance vibe at :26 is super fun, although sometimes the little melodic filler content there is a little heavily panned for my tastes. I like the singing at :29, and the synth solos with the groovy bass at :40 are great. The jazzy vibe at :57 is really neat too. While the breakdown at 1:38 comes on pretty suddenly, you did an effective job of setting up the harmonies to make it sound as fluid as possible. The vocal phrase at 2:22 is a little stumbly in the beginning, and I would’ve liked to hear a little more variety in the string riffs and vocal refrain (“don’t you listen…”), but you’ve certainly taken a bold approach to the composition here as it is. Overall, strong work yet again, LE! ^^

    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
    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

    Hi. I'm Andrew. Audio portal junkie since 2010, supporter since 2017. I always want to improve what I do! I make music, run the NGUAC, post poetry on BBS, and am the all-time #2 audio reviewer. I love this site, and I want to make it the best I can! ^_^

    Andrew Mikula @TaintedLogic

    Age 27, Male

    Policy Research

    Bates College

    Wellesley, Massachusetts

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