TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Guilt]

I like the smooth guitar strumming at the beginning and the dark vocals. The mix is really clean and sharp, and the vocals are quite well-balanced with the instrumental tracks. The lyrics have a great conversational tone that make their content feel really personal for me, and the overall tone of the piece is really haunting and ballad-like. You do a great job of gradually leading into the refrain at 1:18. I like the flowy and more mellow vibe of the section at 1:40 too, as well as the more melodic flair of the texture at around 2:06. The transition at 2:22 was a bit sudden, but the burst of intensity there was a great way of providing contrast with the dark, soft-spoken vocals thereafter. You hit the piece home with the second refrain quite well. I liked the dissonant guitar screech at the very end, too. I think your production really has improved a lot in the last year or two, man. This piece is awesome. My only real complaints here - a couple of sudden transitions, some missed opportunities for more variety, some cliche elements of the arrangement - are pretty small details at the end of the day. It’s been a pleasure following your work throughout this competition, and I look forward to keeping up with your upcoming projects as well. Congratulations on your hard work over the past couple months! ^_^ Also, is there anywhere I can download/buy this?

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

dude2312 responds:

I'll send you a copy of the wav file. Let me know what your email is! It is an honor to receive such comments from you, TaintedLogic. Let me know what your email is and I'll send it right away!

Thank you for checking my stuff out.

[Macrocosm [NGUAC Final Submission]]

I like the warm feel of the synths at the beginning and the crisp drums. The mix is well-balanced and clear, but not particularly loud here. I’d suggest exploring some more compression techniques. The piece is a little slow to progress, but I like the emotional appeal of the section at 1:04 and the atmosphere/build-up leading into 2:03. The harmonic content is pretty minimal for a lot of this piece, and I think you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here overall. You’ve definitely done a good job of sculpting these phrases, especially the drawn-out risers and snare rolls, even if they were a bit cliche. The section at 3:04 feels like the main arrival point of the entire piece, and I also like the rhythmic variations at 3:34. I also thought it was a smart choice to return to the more airy piano line at the end. Overall, nice job with the production, mixing effects, atmosphere, and flow of this one. I think you played it a bit safe with the composition, though. Regardless, it’s been a pleasure to listen to your tracks over the course of the competition, and best of luck with your future projects! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7.25/10

[Futuristic Dream]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the atmosphere. The chord progression is a tad cliche, and the pacing of the piece is pretty slow too. The mixing is good, and the texture seems pretty well-balanced and full overall. The melodies at 1:12 are cute, and there’s a good sense of climax into 1:44. A lot of the drum samples and other elements of the sound design (like the riser at 1:28) sound a bit generic, and the arrangement of the piece also seems overused. I would’ve liked to see you vary the melodies more towards the end, and also shake up the chord progression at some point. Overall, my main concern with the piece is that it lacks originality, especially in the instrumentation. Still, nice job with the production, melodies, and flow of the piece. Keep at it, DJFrankMusic! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

DJFrankMusic responds:

You are right, I will be more original since all this I take as a hobby, now I have a new PC, I will be more original, that of mixing and mastering is not a problem for me :)

[Deep Throat]

I like the ominous and somewhat exotic sound design at the beginning. The texture is pretty bass-heavy, and the harmonic content is a bit thin for much of the piece. The nature FX build up at :35 is a little drawn-out, but I like the catchy beats at :48 and the foreboding vocals. The mix is pretty clear and loud, if a bit dry, and after a while I’m craving more moving notes and dynamism in the composition. You start to overuse the vocal samples quite a bit later on, too. The new vocal samples and percussion at 2:40 offered some nice variety, but the texture remains quite thin until the end. I also like the fuller, glitchy section at 3:12, although the arrangement of these fun sections towards the end is a tad choppy, relying on stop-start transitions and drum fills a lot. Despite the cool sound design and catchy rhythmic content, the composition of this piece is just a bit underwhelming. The thematic content is fun, but overall I wanted to see you do more with the harmonies and overarching structural details. Still, it’s been a pleasure listening to your tracks throughout this competition, and I wish you the best with your future projects! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Little Brave Robots]

I like the oom-pah bass pattern and the fun melodies towards the beginning. The mix is super loud, clear, and clean, and I like the sound design too. The piece could use a bit more harmonic variety at times, and I think some of the transitions were a bit abrupt (like at :54). The energy level is pretty similar for a lot of the piece, although I like the moments where the mix is a bit more spacious (like at 2:18). The orchestral elements at 2:18 were nice, although I wish they came through the mix a bit louder. I like how you finished the piece off with a more climactic, bass-heavy section, although the arrangement of the piece still feels a bit formulaic and square, with major changes almost exclusively occurring at even 8-bar intervals. It’s just not a recipe for a very dynamic-sounding composition. Still, the mood, instrumentation, and mixing are all top-notch here. Keep at it, Depard! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Sunset On The Hill]

I like the bright tone at the beginning. Fade-ins generally aren’t the most creative ways to start pieces, but it works relatively well here. I like the rhythmic syncopations at :15 and the quirky sound design. The kick drum might be taking up a tad too much space on the low end of the frequency range, and I think it could come through the mix a little clearer with more mid-range tones left in it too. I love the injection of intensity at :58 and the blissful mood of the piece overall. There isn’t a lot of dynamic melodic content in this piece so much as variations on the same theme/progression throughout. The instrumental palette is really fun, though, and the more “organic” samples even sound fairly authentic. I appreciated the short breakdown at 2:06, although I would’ve liked to hear some more structural variety in this piece. Some more gradual transitions and phrasing might help this piece out, especially towards the end when the harmonic content starts to get a bit repetitive. My favorite part of the piece was probably the outro starting at 3:06, though - you really took the piece in a different direction by then with the slower rhythmic pace and pizzicato samples. Overall, this is a super cute piece, and the solid mixing, sound design, atmosphere, and harmonies definitely keep it afloat. Keep at it, Dag0! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[ONE WAY HOME]

I like the tranquil vibe at the beginning and the emotional quality of the piano line. The echo/delay effects towards the beginning might’ve been a bit overdone, and the pause at :39 really threw me off, especially given the otherwise legato texture of the piece to that point. I would’ve at least let the reverb bridge the gap there. There was a good sense of climax at :40, but the rhythmic pace of the piece still feels a bit slow, and the percussion could’ve been a bit more distinct in the mix. I really like the gradual transition into the quiet section at 1:26, and the quality of your samples is rather good here. The ascending line of the strings at 2:15 is beautiful, and the piece certainly has a nice build into 2:35. I still wanted the percussion to be a bit sharper here, though, and despite the beautiful harmonic content I feel as though you haven’t done much in the way of dynamic melodies here. The melodic content that is in here kinda comes in short bursts, and also serves to lay out the chords more than carry a direction of its own. Overall, beautiful work with the atmosphere, harmonies, progression (other than :39), and sound design. The mixing might need a tad bit of tightening, though, and I also can’t help but feel that you played the composition a bit safe. Still, it’s been a pleasure listening to your work throughout this competition, and I wish you the very best with your future projects. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Voyage]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the cute vocals. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the blissful melodies and fun sound design are both pluses. The mix is loud and clear. The drum fill at :55 threw me off the flow of the harmonic progression a bit, and there were some other transitions that could’ve been a tad less sudden (like at 1:10). Still, I like the mellow, jazzy feel of 1:11 and the subsequent re-iteration of the cheerful, VGM-ish content later on. I think the piece might’ve benefitted from a more distinct climactic section towards the end, and the repetition of the sections started to feel like they weren’t fulfilling an overarching structural role after a while. It also might’ve been nice if you had changed up the harmonic progression towards the end. The piano arpeggio at the end is tasteful, and also makes the synth-heavy sections feel a bit more integrated with the fun, jazzy bridge. Overall, I like the melodies, mixing, and rhythmic content of the piece a lot. Major areas for improvement are the dynamism in the composition and originality. Keep at it, 8-bitheroes! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!

[Ode To Seek]

Good for you for exploring the non-traditional time signature. I love the atmospheric flair and the sound design of this one, especially the pizzicato-y sound at the breakdown at 1:51. Production quality is amazingly high here, although I thought the effect at 2:21 sounded a bit cheesy. This isn't as melodic as some of your other tracks, but it's nice to hear a more introspective tone in this piece which helps give it a vivid sense of storytelling. Nice work, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. :D

[Closer]

I like the furtive feel of the vocals at the beginning. The vocal layering/mixing effects at :17 don’t quite blend well imo. I like the glitchy, climactic part at :36, but the synths are pretty cheesy, and the lyrics are a bit generic. I like the melodies at 1:08, and the glitchy outro was a nice touch too. I think the structure of the piece could’ve been fleshed out a little more, but you still did a lot of good work towards giving the piece an emotional appeal by varying the energy levels between sections and such. Overall, I think the recordings/production could’ve been a bit cleaner, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition (add a full breakdown, other climactic melodic section, etc.), but the melodies, rhythmic content, glitches, and passion in the vocals are all good. Keep at it, TenodiBoris! :)

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
.25/1
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

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you very much for detailed review, constructive criticism helps me improve my work and gives me hints where to look, and how to level up with my work 😊