TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Drift]

I like the bass riff at the beginning. There’s a bit of an excess of reverb, although I like the vintage feel of the drums and the synths at :27. The mix is also a little quiet overall, but the production quality holds up pretty well and the texture is well-balanced. You have a good sense of rhythm and harmony, and the melodies at 1:39 are really fun with the pitch-bending and the chromatic motion. I think this piece needed a bit more structural variety, though. It has a sense of continuity between the beat and harmonies, and an atmospheric breakdown or something would really help give it some more shape. Still, I love the jazzy harmonies and quirky mood of this one. Keep at it, YHTFLKC! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

YHTFLKC responds:

I feel like a lot of my music is rather quiet, like when I listen to other music on Spotify for instance, compared to mine I can hear it over the speakers at work whereas mine I can not. I think I'm gonna try turning up the master volume a little bit before I export next time. Thanks for the feedback, and glad I was able to participate again this year, but now I can go back to making stuff at whatever pace I feel like, lol. Still, looking forward to next year as well, this is always a good time.

[Nebula]

I like the airy atmosphere and drums at the beginning, although I might’ve liked to hear a more gradual introduction to the piece. The crackling in the background is a tad overdone, and the progression is a bit slow-paced here. I like the section at :58 where the texture comes together a bit more, and the vocals at 1:22 add a lot of value to the texture. There’s a great sense of atmosphere here, although the mix is a little quiet and the composition could use a bit more structuring. The one-climax model is a bit risky imo, and this piece is no exception. Still, the mood, melodies, and production quality are strong here. Keep at it, WolfgangMiakoda! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
8/10

[Beside You]

I like the emotional appeal of the beginning. The rhythm and volume automations are a little wonky at around :04; it kinda damaged the flow of an otherwise soothing piece. The glitchy effects are a bit cheesy, and the arrangement is pretty choppy. The piece needs a bit more coherence in the structure, although there is a good sense of direction over time. I like the minimal breakdown at 1:28, although I think I hear some peaking or other distortion at 1:35. I also think the drums could’ve been more prominent in the mix, especially towards the end. Overall, I like the sound design, melodies, and mood of the piece, but I think you really overdid the glitchy breaks and mixing effects. Keep at it, Thomaisho! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Thomaisho responds:

Ah, I see. Thank you very much for the feedback and score, I appreciate it ^^

[Forethought]

I like the dramatic strings at the beginning and the low percussion. The melody at :17 has a really forlorn sound, but you weave the different moods of the piece together pretty well until later in the piece. The transition at :33 is pretty abrupt, and you also overuse the crashes after a while, especially at around the 1-minute mark. You have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the piece is missing some dynamic melodic content. The upper-register violin part at 1:05 reveals that the sample is fake, and 1:22 is another sudden transition. You have a lot of good harmonic ideas in this piece, but the piece as a whole doesn’t feel very well-connected yet. The percussion also sounds pretty muddy in the mix later in the piece when the texture is busier. Overall, nice work with the mood, melodies, and texture. Some of the compositional and mixing details could use some polishing, though, especially the choppy structuring. Keep at it, spcialist! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Kavez - Through [Dead]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the vocal samples. The bass at :09 is a little heavy, and the drums could use a little reigning in on the volume levels, especially the kicks. I think the mood and sound design is good, although the composition is clearly not complete. It has a nice bouncy vibe to it, though, and I hope you’ll still finish this piece. Please send me a PM when you do, and I’ll give you a full review. Keep at it, SlyFrost! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Triumph]

I like the sense of masked tension at the beginning and the violin tremolos. The brass at :27 sounds a bit inauthentic, and also has a bit heavy of a panning pattern. Nice job with the evocative mood of this one. The climax into :59 was well-done, although at times I wanted to hear more lower tones in the texture. The mix is also rather quiet here. I like the re-intro at 1:45 and the melodic content at around 2:00. The abrupt transition actually works really well, and I like the change-up in the instrumental hierarchy there, including the fun percussion at 2:14. You might’ve needed a smoother transition at 2:25, however, and overall I think the arrangement of the piece is a bit choppy. I liked the variations on the melodies at 2:46, although I would’ve liked to hear the drums a little more up-front in the mix there, which would’ve heightened the sense of climax. The drawn out tonic chord at 3:10 was also a nice touch. Overall, strong work with the harmonies, rhythmic components, melodies, and clarity of the production. The structure of the piece could be a little more flowing, and the mixing details could use a bit of polishing, but it’s still an enjoyable and uplifting track. Keep at it, SirQuebi! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Thalia's Rhythm]

I like the spacey pads and minimal drums. The sound design here is really good, although the progression is a bit slow-paced and there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture. The mood of the piece is very evocative, and this track has a really smooth flow. I think there could be a bit more variety in the instrumental hierarchy of the piece, but 1:22 served as a pleasant breakdown. The percussion sounds a bit harsh in my ears at 1:36, likely because of excessive panning. I think it’s usually a good idea to keep major rhythmic elements like that front-and-center in the mix. Still, the piece is really flowy and soothing, even if the chord progression was a bit cliche at times. The subtle climax at 2:46 with the strings is really nice - great way of hitting the piece home towards the end. The added bass riff at 3:39 was a bit bizarre; sounds like a combination of a traditional and fade-out ending. Overall, great job with the instrumentation, rhythmic content, melodies, and arrangement, though. This piece is a good reason why I often think my structural standards are too strict. Keep it up, shadow-ghost! ^_^

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
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
8.75/10

shadow-ghost responds:

Wait, I could've SWORN I posted a reply to your review already, but... it turns out I didn't? Terribly sorry about that. I just wanted to send a (belated) thank you for the in-depth analysis and commentary; I appreciate it immensely! :) I'm really glad to hear you liked the track, it means a lot.

[The Escape]

I like the catchy beats and harmonies at the beginning. I think there’s way too much reverb in the texture, although the mix holds up pretty well regardless. The ominous synth riff at :38 is pretty sweet, although there’s not a lot of structuring here to satisfy my compositional standards. Overall, this sounds like a great start to a piece, and I’d love to hear the finished product. For the purposes of the NGUAC, it’s a little underwhelming right now as a stand-alone track. Please do PM me if you ever finish this - I’ll leave you a full review. Keep at it, Shabbyjazz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
5.5/10

CielOuvert responds:

Well for a piece that's mostly unfinished getting a score like this, and the combined ones from other judges, do make me wanna try to finish it.