TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Abendmusic - Wilderborn]

I like the majestic and tranquil mood at the beginning. The flute solo at :18 is really lovely, and the soft reverse crash at :32 was a nice way of transitioning into the more Celtic-sounding section thereafter. I think the melodies are pretty simple, but the variety in the sound design and texture of the piece keeps me engaged. The arrangement is a bit choppy during the middle minute of the piece; it felt like a battle for the soul of the piece for a while there. Eventually, I think the adventurer turns to a volatile life on the run to soothe his aching soul, but he doesn’t forget his regal, cloistered past. It says a lot that this piece can place such a vivid image in my head. You really told a story with this one. The composition, sound design, and production quality are all strong here. Well done! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Abendland responds:

Thank you a lot for sharing your thoughts and giving me such a thorough feedback! Your words mean a lot to me!
All the best, Chris

[Stellar]

I like the smooth pads at the beginning and the sense of tranquility that pervades the piece. There’s a good sense of build into :30, and I like the blissful mood there. The finger snap sample sounds cool, and I like the upbeat vibe and melodies a lot. The production quality is solid, too. My main problem with the piece is probably that it sounds pretty generic, between the synths that could easily be Nexus presets to the arrangement and chord progression. I also think you could’ve hit the piece home a little more with a bolder final refrain and a proper outro. Still, this piece has a nice sense of atmosphere, solid sound design and mixing, and catchy melodies. Keep at it, SnapskiMusic! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

SnapskiMusic responds:

Yo! Thank you for the surgical dive into this piece.
While there wasn't any instances of Nexus, I'd agree that some of the sounds had a generic feel. I'd also admit that the second phrase could have had much more energy, but there was this subconscious fear of ruining the serenity of the whole composition. Should've been bolder, you're right! All the more reason not to disappoint during the next round.

[To Da Beach (NGADM 19)]

I like the smooth pads at the beginning and the cute synth riffs. Some elements of the instrumentation are pretty generic, but I like the sense of climax into :34 and the blissful mood here. The melodies are nice, if a tad formulaic at times. The texture is well-balanced and the production quality is pretty good, although sometimes I thought there was a tad too much reverb in the mix. The re-intro with the added bass at 1:45 was a nice way of offering some structural contrast in this piece, although I would’ve liked to see more variation on the main melodies later in the track. The arrangement of the piece and the sound design both lack originality, which might actually be my main problem with the piece, along with the repetition. Overall, I like the cute mood, atmosphere, transitions, and production. I think the composition could use a little more variety and inspiration, though. Keep at it, Squarion! :)

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Warhead]

I like the whirring sound at the beginning and the crisp percussion at :13. I thought it was a great idea to use a car engine acceleration sound as a riser, but the minimal texture and lack of harmonic depth in this piece doesn’t do much for me. The brass stabs towards the ends of phrases are a little generic, and a lot of the drums are percussion is a little too loud, like the clap at 1:27 and the percussive instrument at 1:33. Overall, it’s a solid beat, but it also doesn’t show off the wide variety of compositional skills that I’m looking for. Still, nice job with the production, sound design, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Arbelamram! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6.5/10

[endK - Resonance]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the catchy synth riffs. The injection of intensity at :22 is nice, and I like the bass-y snare sample tom-toms at the transitions. The melody line at :44 is also nice, and the piece is pretty downtempo for a track of yours. The piece doesn’t have a lot of structural variety, but rather a constant sense of energy. I also think the piece gets a bit repetitive after a while, especially with the tom-tom transitions, crashes, and lead synth riffs. I also think it would’ve helped create some more contrasting energy and dynamics levels if you had fleshed out the breakdown at 2:48 without re-introducing the other harmonies so quickly thereafter. Still, the production quality is crystal clear here, and the modulation at 3:49 really helps hit this piece home towards the end. I still feel like this piece sounds like a danceable piece trying to be a slow jam, but otherwise you nailed the mood, atmosphere, mixing, and melodies. Keep at it, EndK! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

endKmusic responds:

Totally agree with every word you said, eventhough it's structured of four different parts in total that repeat with few changes now and then.

I had the same thought about 2:48 as you mentioned, maybe if I had few days more I would've made a proper breakdown or something like that.
'dancing piece trrying to be a slow jam' - This is so well described, maybe it could be kind of a trademark? ;D
Even if I try to stay within the boundaries of a genre there's always something that kinda 'betrays' me. I don't mean that as a bad thing. I GUESS.

Thanks for the amazing review as always TL. ^_^

[Drifting in Space, Low on O2]

I like the refreshing guitar riffs at the beginning and the slow rhythmic pacing of the lead. The melodic content at :32 is nice, and the piece has a great sense of flow too. You also do a pretty good job of giving the composition a sense of ebb and flow over time, although there are a couple of long sections where the piece has a pretty constant sense of intensity. I appreciated the variations on one of the main riffs at 2:30, and I think the production quality of the piece is also pretty sharp. I think the piece would’ve come together a bit better towards the end if you had a full-length climactic section there. I also think the fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. Still, strong work overall.

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Stubbed my toe]

I like the refreshing synth patterns at the beginning and the sense of climax into :20. The refrain at :20 is really catchy and fun, and you did a good job with the rhythmic content and textural balance at the drop at 1:01 too. The “puffs” sample at 1:23 seemed a bit too prominent in the mix, but I see it’s very much tied to the thematic content in this piece. The content in the second half of the piece gets a bit repetitive, and I think you could’ve taken some more risks with the composition overall. Still, I like the sound design, mood, and mixing. Keep at it, Aoraz! :)

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Individually Compliant]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning, but the progression is a bit slow-paced, and the synth that comes in at :23 sounds a bit harsh in the upper register. I like the sense of climax into :50 and the crisp percussion. The piece has a nice ominous mood and some solid sound design to boot. I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth and melodic content in the piece, but the filtering at 2:10 works well to channel the energy and leave space in the texture for further shape and contrast. The breakdown at 2:19 has a distinct emotional appeal, and I like the direction the piece goes in from there with the renewed sense of energy. The heavy bass at 3:50 is nice, and the drumwork remains really creative and rhythmically appealing until the end. I still would’ve liked to hear some prominent melodic content in this piece, but the harmonies are structured well here. The production quality is probably the strongest attribute of the piece, and the atmosphere and mood are a close second. Keep at it, Adjeye! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Inevitable]

I like the glitchy content at the beginning and the punchy drums. The synths at :19 are cute, and the production quality is really high here. The rhythmic content is nice, and I like the sound design as a whole too. The piece is very slow to progress, and probably needs more structuring and some more prominent melodic content in places. I love the airy choir chords at 1:05, although the string samples at 1:23 sound a bit cheesy. You really take this piece in a different direction by the end. I like the sense of climax going into the end, but I wanted a stronger point of resolve after you built up all that tension. There are a lot of good ideas here, but I think you could capitalize on the groovy intro and the cinematic flair alike with a more fleshed-out arrangement. Overall, though, your experimental composition definitely paid off. Really cool sound design and atmospheric elements here. Keep at it, Vocaloutburst! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

vocaloutburst responds:

Thanks so much for the feedback and review!!