TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Love at sea]

I like the airy pads at the beginning. Sounds like something out of Autogun. The guitars at :16 are really smooth and cool, and I like when the lead guitar becomes more prominent in the mix at :30. I think you could’ve used a stronger transition into :45. The synths at :45 are also a bit overcompressed. I would’ve liked to hear the claps more than the synths during that section. The melodies at the drop (1:18) sound nice, and I like rhythmic content there too. There’s another sudden transition at 1:45 - I would’ve at least let the reverb smooth things over a bit more there. I’m enjoying the climax into 2:45, although I wish the refrain had a little more variety the second time around. This piece could also use a proper outro. Despite the choppy arrangement and repetition, the sound design, mood, and melodies are all really fun, and the production is pretty good overall too. Keep at it, Lagiarathalos! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Dovax - The Time (NGADM 2019)]

I like the catchy synths at the beginning and the sense of climax into :15. The vocals sound good, but the lyrics themselves are a bit cliche. I liked the drop at :50 too, although the drum samples and some of the synths also lack originality. Later in the piece, there isn’t a lot of variety, perhaps with the exception of the variations at the second drop. Still, I think you could’ve done more with the composition here (a fun, contrasting breakdown, perhaps?), and the sound design and arrangement of the piece are pretty generic. Still, the mixing, rhythmic content, and progression are all enjoyable. Keep at it, Dovax! :)

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

[Tyrant]

I like the ominous tone at the beginning and wavering quality of the low-register chords. The strings give the piece a smooth, flowing feel. I really like what you did with the subtle crescendo over the course of the first minute and the rich chords. The pensive, furtive sound at 1:18 is beautiful, and I like the melodies at 1:27 too. The rhythm on the melodies is a bit square, and at times I think the pace of progression here is rather slow, but ultimately it helps you build up suspense for the climactic sections later in the piece. The vocals at 2:02 are a nice touch, and the first true “arrival point” in the piece is at 2:38. I think the church bells could’ve been a bit more prominent in the mix there, as well as later in the piece. The composition comes together very well toward the end here, though. I also liked the hushed, emotional quality of the coda. Overall, excellent job with the composition here especially, Papkee! All of my complaints are minor. Keep it up. ^_^

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

[NGADM '19 - Apogeon]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but I like the echoy synth riff at :28. The beat at :55 is nice, although the texture remains pretty minimal and dry. I think the snare at 1:23 is a little too loud relative to the harmonies, and the texture still doesn’t fill out quite how I want it to here. I think it would help to have some more consistent, legato elements in the texture, such as pads or an atmospheric piano riff. I like the sound design of the breaks at 2:19, but at the same time they don’t do much to alleviate the repetitive and minimal nature of the rest of the piece. The chord progression and arrangement of the piece are both pretty generic, and overall I think you could’ve taken a lot more risks with the composition here. The production quality is strong, and I like the instrumentation, rhythmic content, and progression too. My main complaint is the safe, dry composition. Keep at it, Jimmypig! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Life of Pain]

I like the echoy string instruments at the beginning and the relaxed mood. The strings at :21 are beautiful, although the piece is a bit slow to progress thereafter. I like the more intricate syncopations at 1:01 and the graceful woodwind solo. The percussion could’ve been a tad crisper in the mix, and the mix is a tad quiet for a lot of the piece, but overall the texture is well-balanced and full for a satisfying duration of the piece. The melodies here are beautiful, and I especially like the rich string harmonies at 2:40. The structure is pretty intricate, and some of the transitions are pretty sudden (like at 3:11), but overall I like the smooth flow of the piece, and you gave it a soothing sense of ebb and flow over time that keeps things interesting despite the sense of continuity. The texture comes together really well by around 3:30, but I think the ending could’ve been a bit stronger than a gradual fade-out. Overall, beautiful work though. Very evocative piece with some great sound design (especially the percussion) and mixing. Keep it up, Syamori! ^_^

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

Baumarius responds:

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I think I know how to fix the issues you described, so I'll probably be using your review later to add some finishing touches. Thanks for the review, TL!

[Clash [Melbourne Bounce]]

I like the Middle Eastern vibe at the beginning and the catchy synths. The drum samples and arrangement of the piece are both a bit generic, but the mixing is good and the texture seems well-balanced. There are a lot of transitional moments in this piece, and the minimal drops with the overused riffs don’t add a lot of depth to the composition. The breakdown at 2:20 was good for some structural variety, but the harmonies are still pretty repetitive throughout. I also wanted to see you hit the piece home a bit more with a more prominent and climactic section. Overall, I think the piece needed some more harmonic depth and variety, but I liked the progression, rhythmic content, and atmosphere. Keep at it, DrayxMusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Derpcat - Radium]

I like the atmospheric intro and the sense of mystery at the beginning. There’s a great sense of climax into 1:06, and the drop is super fun, even if the mix is a bit overcompressed. I like the bright, airy synth at the breakdown at 1:48 too. The drop at 2:32 is great - what an explosion of energy and passion. The melodies in this piece are great, and I also like the sound design (despite the relatively cliche drums samples). The other thing I noticed that actively bothered me is the sudden cutoff at the end. Otherwise, most of my complaints are more missed opportunities than anything else. I also think the arrangement/structure of the piece could use more originality, but overall this is a strong and engaging piece with some great harmonic content and mixing. Keep it up, DerpCatOfficial! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Sexual Tyrannosaurus]

I like the gritty, atmospheric/industrial effects at the beginning and the clever vocal content warning. The beat at :21 is pretty quirky and fun, although I think the drums could’ve been a bit more prominent in the mix. The vocals are really well done, although I think they could’ve used a few more mixing effects and atmosphere. The transition at 1:17 is a bit sudden, but I really like the vocal layering at 1:24. I would’ve liked to hear some more bass tones in the texture at times. The section at 2:18 is probably my favorite. I like the coughing noises in the background and the way the vocal phrase grows in intensity until around 2:50. I like what you did with combining the atmospheric vocals and the gritty synths at 2:50 too. The texture at 3:08 sounded a tad too busy with the synth arps, but the piece comes together well at the end. The fake-out fade-out kinda threw me off a bit, but I really like the experimental texture overall. You basically broke every rule in the book regarding my compositional standards, and some cynical part of me wants to give this like a 7, but I’m totally getting down this. Seriously unique sound here, man. Keep up the good work, GoldenSHour! ^_^ Also, is there any particular reason you have downloads on your tracks turned off?

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[Knight Fight]

I like the frantic synth riffs at the beginning and the flow of the piece. The melodic content is really fun, as are the synths. I think the drums could’ve been a little stronger in the mix at times, but my main problem here is the lack of structuring. The energy level is pretty constant throughout, and it’s hard to discern the distinct sections of the piece in what often feels like a patchwork of riffs. The composition doesn’t have much shape over time, and the ending comes on pretty suddenly. I liked the little breakdown at 1:33, but it was pretty short-lived. Overall, you clearly have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, but the composition needed to be just a bit more fleshed out here. Keep at it, PSiMetronome! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10