TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[And on the Third Day]

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

[Clocktown]

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

[Salsa Verde [Arby's Revenge]]

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

[Sanctum]

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 :)

[sad person anthem]

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

[Light it Up]

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

[Neon Gaze]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the luscious atmosphere. I wasn’t a huge fan of the clap sample - it sounded a bit dry, and also didn’t sit very well in the mix at times. Otherwise, the sound design is enjoyable. The harmonic content has a serious lack of variety here, though. I like the transition at 1:08, but otherwise there’s not a lot of variety to keep my attention. Nice use of phrasing and filtering later on, but I’m afraid the composition here is just seriously underwhelming. The mix is also a tad quiet, although it’s still clear and clean. The piece needs some more structuring, melodic content, and variety. I think you’ve set up the mood and thematic content well, though, and I hope you keep working on this. For a short and (admittedly) incomplete piece, it sounds good. Keep at it, AceMantra! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

AceMantra responds:

Thanks for the review and your hard work. I'll definitely work on this some more.

[Don't Sleep On It]

I like the dreamy quality at the beginning and the instrumentation. There’s a distinct emotional quality in the texture, and I really like the string swells (like at :38). The piece is a little slow to progress, and I was a little thrown off when the texture thins out so suddenly at 1:06. The crisp drums and string harmonies are nice, though, and the production quality here is really sharp overall. I would’ve liked to hear a more dynamic composition here, though. The texture falls together nicely at 1:58, but I think you could’ve done a lot more to give the middle section (1:06-1:57) a more distinct sense of direction. The dreamy mood, sound design, and progression of the piece are all really nice, but I think you needed to do more to hit this piece home. Still, solid work for such a short piece. Keep at it, vocaloutburst! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Square [WIP]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the bright tone to the synths. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but I’m enjoying the melodic content at :33 and the full, well-balanced texture. I might’ve liked the drums to be a bit punchier in the mix, but overall the production quality is quite strong as well. The harmonic content gets a bit repetitive after a while, and I appreciated the element of structural variety once the breakdown rolls around at 1:28. The melodies at 1:38 are nice, too. At some point, I would’ve liked to see you shake up the instrumental hierarchy of this track a bit. The harmonic content and lead instrument are both very similar for almost the entire piece. I appreciate the variations on the main melody at 2:57, although I think you could’ve done a bit more with them besides the relatively simple layering at 3:16. The dreamy mood and atmosphere of this piece are particularly effective, although I think you could’ve done more with the composition here. The harmonic framework, arrangement, and textural considerations are all pretty generic, and overall it sounded like a piece that was almost entirely free of compositional risk. Still, the sound design and mixing are both really nice, and I commend you for giving the piece a tasteful balance of energy and atmosphere. Keep at it, Blackhole12! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10