TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Don't Mean a Thing]

I like the rich quality of the vocals at the beginning and the conversational tone inherent in the lyrics. The guitar sample sounds a bit cheesy, though, and I thought the kick was very heavy and sub-bassy for a piece like this. The content of the lyrics is really clever, and I like the cutesy mallet instrument at :50 during the more mellow refrain. I’m not sure to what extent this piece describes your real life (I’d imagine your Dad doesn’t have a union job, and I’m also not sure you have siblings either), but the down-to-earth tone of the piece and the passionate vocals makes the entire thing very believable. Almost sounds like you plucked this song out of a quirky off-broadway production. The refrain at 1:32 with the high-register pads and fuller texture is great, and there’s also a great comedic quality to the spoken work vocals at 2:00 and the teacher’s “advice for girls.” Once you get to the banjo line, I’m straight-up laughing my ass off. The production quality is excellent here, btw. Overall, this is a super fun and catchy piece with a great message. At the end of the day, my main concern is probably the lack of originality in aspects of the harmonic framework and arrangement, but that honestly doesn’t even actively bother me that much. Seriously, LunacyEcho, save some good pieces for the other competitors! :P

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

LunacyEcho responds:

you're definitely right that all the content in here was just made up haha, i don't have a brother and i just thought it had a nice campfire-y folksy vibe. and thanks for all the kind words <3 i'm 99% sure this song was a fluke so i'm hoping that i can pull off another fluke for this next round. cheers!

[XenoXenon - Magical Kingdom]

I like the spacey atmosphere at the beginning and the cute melodies at around :20. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture, though, and I think the mix is rather quiet in general. The strings have a nice emotional quality, too. I think the progression could use a stronger sense of direction at times, but I like the shimmering pad at 1:10 and the gradual build into 1:36. I didn’t think the extra pause at 1:37 was quite necessary, and the percussion sounds a bit muddy in the mix later in the piece. The piece has a really uplifting vibe, but I think the production quality and generic harmonic content are my major concerns here. Still, nice work with the emotional appeal, melodies, and mood/atmosphere. Keep at it, XenoXenon! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

XenoXenon responds:

thx for feedback

[F-777 - Ice Cream (Preview)]

I like the bright piano riff at the beginning and the energy and drive the piece has. The synth lead at :14 sounds a tad on the harsh side, but my main concern here is the lack of structuring, which you probably could’ve guessed. I like the build-up at the end, and I look forward to hearing a more fleshed-out version of this piece. I do like the melodies, production quality, and rhythmic content, though. Looking forward to getting a “full scoop” of this piece later, but this taste-test sounds like it’s heading in the right direction. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

[Take Off Beta]

I like the mellow, jazzy feel of the piece. The sound design is pretty quirky, and the chromatic descending scales in the harmonies add a pretty unique edge to the piece. I think the piece could use a little more structuring. It has some rough transitions, and the harmonic content gets pretty repetitive after a while. You took the piece in a more interesting direction by 1:32, which did a pretty good job of hitting the piece home for such a short piece. That said, I can definitely tell that this was rushed, and I’d encourage you to take a few extra measures to add more gradual transitions and air out the pace of the piece a bit. Still, fun mood, instruments, atmosphere, and melodies here. Keep at it, Trixelbit! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Trapped in this Time Machine]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and the cinematic strings. The Middle Eastern theme is a nice touch here. The sudden volume change at :27 was a bit jarring, and I wish the vocals were a bit more prominent in the mix. The burst of intensity at 1:04 works well, although it’s easy to get a little disoriented with the rhythmic syncopations going on at 1:11. The arrangement of the piece is a bit choppy here, although that does help emphasize the punchy, adventurous vibe of the piece to some extent. The piece was also missing some dynamic melodic content. Still, I think the vocals are very good, and the lyrics themselves are also rather enjoyable. Overall, nice work with the production, harmonies, energy, and sound design. The arrangement could be a bit more fluid, and the composition could be a tad bit more fleshed out, but otherwise I really like the thematic content of the piece and the storytelling here. Keep it up, LunyAlex! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

LunyAlex responds:

Thanks a lot, as always, for the detailed review, critique and nice words!

[Offvelo]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning, but the bass is a little too loud imo. Some of the synths and drum samples, like the pads at :32 and the clap at :38, are a bit cliche. The mix is also a bit wide for my tastes. Generally, drums and other rhythmic components of the texture should be front-and-center in the mix, although transitional material (like the claps at :38) might be an exception to this rule. I’m really liking the groovy bass riff at :55, and I’m really liking the harmonic framework and atmospheric content here overall. That said, there isn’t always a clear sense of direction to the piece, as reinforced by the sudden transition at 1:32. The dreamy section at 1:47 is nice, and I love the cute solo at 2:20. I liked the climax into 3:15 and the tempo automation there. The rhythmic content during the last 1.5 minutes of the piece is really creative, and I like how you slowly bleed out the atmosphere at the end. Overall, there’s a lot of strong compositional work going on here, but the arrangement of the piece could utilize gradual transitions and clear structuring more. I’m still concerned about the balance and centering in the mix, although the production quality is still clear and loud. Overall, solid work, quantumdylan! :)

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

[Zero G]

I like the mellow guitar riff at the beginning and the atmosphere. The mix is clean, if a tad quiet, but I like the groovy yet introspective mood and the crisp percussion. The meandering melodies have a really refreshing, organic feel, yet the progression is pretty slow-paced and occasionally choppy. The breakdown at 1:20 comes on a bit suddenly, but I like the circular contour of the riff at 1:36 and the lead thereafter. I think it would help this piece to have a stronger sense of direction at times. It almost feels like you strung together three different “final climax” sort of solos for a slow jam here. The third one comes at around 2:50, and is also cool in isolation, but despite the consistent underlying harmonies and solid sense of flow, the structure doesn’t quite feel coherent here. Overall, solid work with the melodies, sound design, atmosphere, and mixing. Perhaps you could’ve channeled the emotional qualities of the piece a bit better here, though. Keep at it, MintyFreshThoughts! :)

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
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
8.75/10

[Minimized (NGADM 2019)]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the mellow mood. The kick at :15 is a little too heavy, and kinda hijacks the mix there. I think the vocals could also come through a bit more prominently in the mix. I like the coughing noises you used for a percussive effect, and - much like your audition piece - you’ve done a good job with the distorted vocals at :39. The lyrics themselves are rather good, but are also hard to discern just by listening to the piece. The melodies at 1:00 are really cool, and I like the re-intro at 1:25 too. I like the addition of the hi-hats at 1:46, but I also think you could use some more gradual transitions in this piece at times. I appreciated how you upped the intensity of the drums during the final refrain at 2:22, but that section still felt a little short-lived. The atmospheric outro works well, but it also comes on a little suddenly after the big climax. I think you should work on your transitions and also on balancing the different elements of your texture in the mix, but overall this is a really enjoyable piece with some cool melodies and a fun mood. Keep at it, Drewpy! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Till ett träd]

I like the rhythmic patterns at the beginning and the introspective tone. The lighter material at :27 is nice, too. The recording quality is great here, and the texture is full and well-balanced despite this being a solo instrument track. The floaty line at 1:22 comes in a bit suddenly, but otherwise I have to complaints with the flow of the piece. The composition might’ve benefitted from a more extended climactic section towards the end to tie things together a bit more, but you did a job offering some cohesion here overall between the recognizable main theme at 3:01 (and other places). Nice job with the gradual ritardando into that last section too. Overall, excellent work, LSD! I’m looking forward to hearing more from you soon. ^_^

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

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Apologies for the delayed response!

1:22 repeats the theme from 1:10, but in a cooler way, so I wanted it to come in quite powerfully. But perhaps the velocity of the first hit is ever so slightly too high!

The whole song is definitely based around the rhythmic patterns from the intro. That's also what I came up with first, so it's the seed that grew into the tree that is the composition, if I may (play on the title).

I felt that after the climax starting at 2:11, the piece needed something unexpected and not too melody heavy, before letting it breathe for a bit, until it finally got into the ending.

Thank you for the very generous score, as well as for the dedicated reviewing as always ^__^!

[Psalliota Xanthoderma]

I like the cute, waltzy vibe at the beginning. The percussion is a bit cheesy, and the snares at :25 could be sharper in the mix. The melodic content is fun, but sometimes the progression is a bit choppy (the transitions at 1:00 and 1:23, for example, were pretty abrupt). The piece also doesn’t sound structurally complete. I liked the more mellow breakdown at 1:23, but I would’ve liked to see you hit the piece home with another climactic section later. Still, nice job with the harmonies, atmosphere, flavor, and rhythmic content here. Keep at it, Mrcoolisimo! :)

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