TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[SoFtBOILeD-Un Viaje a Mi Propio Multiverso]

I like the cheery mood at the beginning. Some of the melodic riffs are pretty jumpy - take the one at the very beginning for example. It's got a lot of big intervals (in terms of pitch) between notes, which makes it harmonically a bit hard-to-follow sometimes. A lot of the instruments also sounds a little dry and generic, too.

The part at :46 with the cutesy synth bass and beat is nice. I think you overdid the reverb on the kick there, even while most of the other atmospheric elements were really minimal. For a lot of the first half of the piece, the harmonic motifs are pretty succinct, even if the track is quite long. I liked the transition at 2:16 too, although some of your transitions later in the piece (like at 8:00) didn't work as well for me.

Sometimes you went for a little too much with some of the rhythmic elements, like at 3:03. The percussion there gives off a frantic, energetic vibe that doesn't fit too well with the blissful, downtempo melody. You definitely fleshed out the ideas you had a lot with this piece, and some of the more experimental elements of the piece work well.

The ghostly-sounding part at around 4:15 was super nice. The mix is pretty clean, although the quality of the instruments you're using isn't great. It could be just the limitations of your DAW, but if you're at all able to make your own synths or download higher-quality samples, I'd suggest looking into it.

You definitely have quite a few good ideas between the catchy riffs (like at 8:24) and some of the more interesting rhythmic components. The piece does start to lose coherence after a while, with a lot of distinct sections that don't sound very interconnected. I get the sense that you didn't really know how to end the piece. I think it's worth consolidating some of your ideas here in order to keep the listener following the "storyline" of the piece.

I'd still like to see you find more creative ways of giving the piece variety besides adding and subtracting instruments over time. Mixing tools like filtering and automation, as well as changing the volume levels over time, can help channel the emotion in a piece even if the harmonies and instrumental arrangement are slow to change.

I'd also like to hear a richer atmosphere and fuller texture at times. Much of this piece is really minimal, which gets a bit bland in such a long piece.

Overall, the highlights of this piece for me were probably the loud, clear mix, rhythmic components, fun individual riffs, and creative percussion/drums. I think you should work on creating structural cohesion, gradual transitions, and more original sound palettes. Otherwise, I can already tell you're improving, which is great to hear. :)

Since you asked for a NGUAC/NGADM-style rating, here it goes:

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Lost With You (feat. Ruby Chase)]

I like the emotional appeal of the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The vocals are beautiful, if a bit quiet at times relative to the instrumental tracks. The production quality is top-notch as usual, and I also like the rhythmic aspects of this piece. Some aspects of the arrangement and lyrics are a little cliche (e.x., "caution to the wind" at 2:10), but the way you channel the energy here is also really effective. I would've liked to see you vary the post-chorus the second time around, but I enjoyed the haunting, airy outro. Nice work overall, FarOut! ^^

[PUMP (OST)]

Cute piece! I like the somewhat foreboding harmonic elements combined with the quirky, cute instrumentation. The melody instrument at :09 is especially nice. The percussion also solidifies the somewhat raw, industrial edge to the texture, despite the rich atmosphere and flow. Perhaps the mix could've been a bit louder, but it's still very clear and well-balanced. Cool stuff, CG! ^^

[~Fore~ On Your Own]

I like the crisp hats and spacey synths. The dissonant texture at around :45 was really neat, and I like how it gradually builds into the more cathartic "arrival" moment at 1:22. The production quality is super high as always with you, and I like the more spacious feel of the texture by 2:10. There's a real victorious feel to the quirky synths by 2:40, and overall the piece comes together really well by the end. It also feels incomplete in a way, though, especially with the fade-out at the very end. Is that on purpose? Regardless, solid work here, Aliaspharow! Looking forward to hearing the rest of the EP. ^^

[Tempest Engine (demo)]

I like the grainy, hollow ambient sounds at the beginning and the bright piano at :26. There's a great cinematic flair to the piece, and the guitar solo at 1:05 is really refreshing. The mix is relatively quiet, but also clean and clear. I like the bridge at 2:31 - it's spacious enough to offer some structural relief while also retaining the cool sound design and rhythmic elements of the rest of the piece. The rhythm at around 3:21 is a little hard-to-follow, but the piece has a great sense of climax and resolve by 3:40 or so. Nice job with the filtering at around 3:58, and overall the piece comes together well towards the end. Solid work! I especially like the instrumentation and atmosphere on this one. ^^

MetalRenard responds:

Thanks for the comments on this track. I ended up going back through and making changes such as shortening it, I think it works better this way since originally it repeated to allow for vocals/lyrics.

[Boss Life (Mashup Remix)]

I like the distorted pads at the beginning and the airy, emotional quality of the synth that comes in at :11. The piece is a little slow to progress, but I like the sense of energy by around :40 and the drop at :56. Really smooth sound design once again, and the mix is tight despite the rich atmosphere here. I also really like the melodic content at 1:20 and the sub-bass at 1:35. The searing rhythmic riff at 2:03 sounds a little overly harsh in the mix, and doesn't do much to enhance the otherwise soothing, blissful vibe of the piece. By 2:57, the piece gets back in touch with that vibe, although I think the use of the "switch" vocal samples gets a bit repetitive and cheesy after a while. The piece drags on a bit too long towards the end, with the rhythmic riffs not really moving the piece forward in a meaningful way and the melodies blending together until the very end (~5:10, when it felt more climactic). I liked the outro with the quirky synths and return of the vocal samples. Overall, this is a fun piece with a strong production quality and catchy melodies that might just need you to consolidate some of your ideas a bit more. Still, solid work, Akaruhime! Feel free to hmu again when you release your next track. ^^

[Chocolate and Skittles (Remake)]

Catchy beat. I especially like the rhythmic details at :14 and the breaks at :25. The build-up at :23 was a bit short-lived, and could use some more fill in the texture to make it feel more climactic. The mixing is probably the strongest element of the piece. The composition could use a tad more variety besides the stop-start transitions later in the track. The piece has a smooth flow, but little sense of structuring. It couldn't hurt to up the ante towards the end with some additional layering or variation in the chords/rhythmic content. Overall, the sound design and mood of this piece are really refreshing and quirky. I think the composition could use a tad more effort here, though. Keep at it, Akaruhime! ^^

[Plümmet]

I really like the articulations at the beginning (i.e., how the note lengths alternate every 2 notes between legato and staccato). Between that riff and the pulsing pads the atmosphere just sounds beautiful. I wanted the drums at :44 to be a bit stronger in the mix, but perhaps it fits the character of the piece better if they’re a little on the soft side. The piece is a little slow to develop at first, but by 1:12 there’s a very different pattern of emphasis in the rhythmic framework that comes across as a bit jarring. I also think you tried to do a little too much with the melodies after around 1:20, as it was difficult to follow the harmonies there. The chill section at 1:40 leaves me even more confused about where this piece is going, but the re-introduction of the riff at 1:55 helped clarify things a bit. The pause at 2:50 threw me off the mark again, but 2:51 was the point of arrival and structural stability that I was looking for in the first ⅔ of the piece. It’s still pretty short-lived, and I think this piece does end up feeling pretty incoherent after a while, between the overwhelming number of distinct sections and a somewhat choppy arrangement at times (I think the sudden transitions at 1:12 and 3:19 are big culprits for me in that regard). Still, the melodies, atmosphere, and sound design in this piece are so beautiful that I want to like this piece a lot more than I probably do. I think you guys might need to consolidate your ideas a little more next time, though, because after a couple of listens I’m still a little lost with this one. Hope that makes sense. Overall, though, there’s a lot to like here, not least of which are the moody piano plinks and scrumptious wave-like pads. Keep at it, guys! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Affliction]

The fade-in at the beginning was a tad bizarre, but I like the guitar riffs at :10 and the syncopations at :32, even if the rhythm is a bit hard-to-follow there. The snare sample sounds a bit thin in the mix, but also crisp and clear. The texture comes together well by around the 1-minute mark, although there are a couple of sudden transitions (at 1:14, for example) that detract from the sense of flow and shape of the piece. I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodic content earlier in the piece, too, although the mellow breakdown at 2:18 was a nice touch that added some structural relief. The solo at 3:01 really helped this piece imo, offering a point of arrival that hit the piece home towards the end. While the end came on a tad suddenly, overall the track feels conclusive and cathartic there. I think aspects of the mix sound a bit undecorated and thin, and I still do want to hear some more gradual transitions and phrasing from you. Still, you nailed the solo at the end, the rhythmic content, and the clarity of the mix here. Keep at it, JDawg00100! ^_^

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
.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
8.25/10

JDawg00100 responds:

Thanks for the review :)

[Life Goes On]

I like the bouncy vibe at the beginning, and I applaud your use of real instruments to aid the down-to-earth cabaret feel of the piece. I’m consistently jealous of your ability to mix vocals this well, and the comedic elements of the lyrics make the appeal of the vocals that much greater. There’s something vaguely cheesy and/or cliche about the arrangement of the piece in some regards, and I think there’s room for a little more variety in the content of the instrumental tracks. I think this piece is short enough that it could use a solo or harmonic shift in the middle just to spice things up; the structure of the vocal phrases gets pretty repetitive after a while, and part of me feels like it’s a bit too narrative-driven for its own good. That said, you clearly put a lot of creative energy into the lyrics and thematic content, and it pays off. This piece sounds like a conglomerate of a richly detail-oriented creative process, and it was refreshing to hear several vocalists in a piece in the NGADM. Keep up the good work, LE! ^^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10