TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Silvera - The Archaic Forest (NGADM & NGUAC Entry)]

I like the ominous piano riff at the beginning and the thematic vocals at :13. The choir and the crisp drums at :28 were valuable additions to the texture, and the climax into :53 is enjoyable. I like the gritty bass at the drop, although it kinda drowns out the atmospheric organ sound, which throws off the balance in the texture a bit. Perhaps you should turn down the gain on the compressors on the bass and consider cutting some reverb too. Stereo widening on the organ also might help make it more present in the mix. Still, the vocals at the breakdown at 1:20 were nice. You did a great job with the mixing effects and tone of them, too. The bridge at 1:46 was nice and haunting, and overall the composition here is quite strong. I might’ve liked to hear some more melodic content, but this piece is also very engaging with the sound design and vocals. I also would’ve liked to see you vary the drop more the second time around and provide more of a conclusive outro. Still, the atmosphere, clarity of the production, harmonies, and sound design of this piece are all rather enjoyable. Keep up the good work, JAXXN! ^_^

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

[Xentiment - Summer (NGUAC 2019)]

I like the relaxed vibe at the beginning and the cute sound design. The mix is a tad quiet, and also has a lot of pizzicato-y elements to the texture (as opposed to legato and smooth). The melodies are nice, and the strings (while not entirely authentic) add a folksy charm to the piece. The minimal breakdown at 1:58 was nice for some structural variety, and I like the melodic variations at 2:53 with the saxophone. The production holds up pretty well here, although at times I thought the drums could’ve been a bit louder. I also thought the fade-out ending was a bit lazy, and also that you could’ve used a more energetic section towards the end of the piece to really hit it home. Right now, it seems that the most prominent climax of the piece occurs about halfway through, which isn’t really conducive to keeping the listener engaged in a piece that has such repetitive harmonic content. Still, nice job with the cute mood, mixing, sound design, and melodies here. Keep at it, IXentimenTI! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

IXentimenTI responds:

Hey dude thanks for leaving a review! Those seem to be pretty hard to come by.
I can agree with pretty much all criticisms you laid out but have to point out that mix is quiet mostly because I didnt have enough time to make separate masters so I just made one at -14 LUFS and uploaded it everywhere. Im very glad with fact you thought production was decent because its difficult for me to produce well since Im mixing on pretty shitty headset.
Although I sadly didnt pass Im quite happy with scores (6, 8 (that was a *suprise*, 7.75) considering Im producing for less than year and the half. You can bet youll be seeing me next year.
Cheers,
- Xent. ;)

[Puzzle]

I like the quirky chopped vocals at the beginning and the rhythmic content. The smooth pads in the background add a refreshing vibe to the texture. The section at :29 has a nice sense of climax, but also might need some more mid-range frequencies to balance out the texture. The same problem occurs at around 1:25 and other sections of the piece. The vocals at 1:06 have a nice and soothing vibe, while also hinting at the energy of many of the other sections of the piece. This piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing, and also has a good sense of harmony and rhythm. That said, I think you could’ve maximized the emotional appeal a bit more with some more fill in the texture at times. You may have overused the high-pass filters or equalized things in a bit of an unbalanced way here. I wanted to hear a little more bass at times, and definitely more mid-range frequencies. It also gets a tad repetitive towards the end, although the additional harmonies on top of the vocals at 3:43 help alleviate that issue. Overall, solid work with the structuring, melodies, sound design, and catchiness! Keep at it, icantpronouncethis. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.25/10

icantpronouncethis responds:

Thank you for your awesome critques. I was wondering if you can clarify what you mean by "I think you could’ve maximized the emotional appeal a bit more with some more fill in the texture at times" I also noticed the lack of bass and mid-range a little too late in the game, but I'm making the fixes now. Though I didn't make it to the finals this year, this was a great chance for me to explore and see where I am now.

[Latitude]

I like the somewhat somber mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture, although the mix holds up pretty well regardless. The drum samples are a bit cliche, but I like harmonic content and the subtle sense of climax into :45. The transition at :45 could’ve been smoother, but the injection of energy at 1:00 was a nice touch. The melodies at 1:15 sound blissful and light, if a tad repetitive. The transition at 2:04 could’ve been a bit more gradual, but I enjoyed the re-intro with the emotional appeal of the piano. The second half of the piece is very similar to the first half. I would’ve liked to hear a little more variety in the melodies and transitory content leading into the last refrain. Still, solid work overall with the harmonies, rhythmic content, energy, sound design, and production. Keep at it, HactasticBeast! :)

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

Benji-G responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback! I will look back at this in my future work so I can fix the things you said. :)

[Grand Tourer]

Fun idea with the homegrown car sound effects. I’m not sure it was quite worth a 30-second solo in the texture, but I like the atmosphere at :26 and the dissonance in the chords. The tambourine on the off beats is a tad too prominent in the mix, and the mix as a whole is very quiet. It sounds like there’s some more melodic content in the texture at a higher register, but it gets very lost beneath the minimal pads and drums. I think the mixing here needs a lot of polishing to bring out the different elements of the sound design. It would be cool if the presence of each instrument in the mix was oscillating a bit more, because otherwise there’s not much structural variety to keep me engaged. Overall, the instrumentation, atmosphere, mood, and rhythmic content are really good, but I think you need to flesh out the arrangement more and solidify the compositional details. At the end of the day, the piece doesn’t feel complete, unfortunately. Still, I’d encourage you to keep working on this one. It has a smooth, mellow vibe that seems perfect for a hot summer day. :) Keep at it, G4CEsz-Official!

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

[Maelstrom]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the quirky synths and automations. The piece is a little slow to develop, and the sweep at :47 sounds a little harsh in the upper register. You might want to get a little stricter with the equalizer there, and maybe also add some more effects to the sweep. Still, I like when the texture starts to fill out at :48. There might be a tad too much reverb in the texture, because the mix sounds a bit distorted. Another problem could be too much bass. Try using high-pass filters to cut out some of the muddy lower tones. Otherwise, I think this piece has very little harmonic variety, and most of the transitions are either abrupt or simple fade-ins. The result is that the arrangement feels a bit formulaic, and there isn’t a strong sense of dynamism in the composition by the end. I also thought you could’ve done more creative work with the drums here, and you begin to overuse the sweeps by the end as well. I like the atmosphere, mood, and harmonic content here, but the composition is a bit underwhelming and the structure feels too stagnant. I’d encourage you to keep working on this track - it would be really neat if you could go for a bigger climax to capitalize on the ominous tension in the piece. Keep at it, Electronox! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[To Be Well]

I like the smooth, bluesy vibe at the beginning and the transition into :16. The texture by then has an unstable, anxious feel that fits the lyrics well. I think your vocals have gotten a lot cleaner since I last heard you sing - especially in terms of the recording/production quality. The vocals also have a nice conversational tone. The call-and-response pattern starting at 1:07 came across as a bit cliche and overdone, and occasionally the articulation is a little bizarre, like at “but” at 1:29. I like the addition of the organ to the texture by then, and the content of the lyrics themselves is also pretty enjoyable and really tells a story. Sometimes, the syllables don’t fit inside the beat perfectly, like at the “you will control me until I’m out” line. The breakdown at 2:32 was a nice break from the intensity of the sections around it, and the lead at 2:58 has a strangely blissful vibe that I really like. I like how you reach only the conclusion of the lyrics in its entirety (“I deserve to be well”) at the very end, and the cough was a nice thematic touch. :) Overall, despite my complaints with the compositional details, I think this is a very strong piece overall. The mix is crystal clear, the texture is energetic and catchy, and you have me thoroughly convinced that the narrator should break up with his SO. Keep it up, dude2312! ^_^

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

[Newgrounds Round 2 Submission]

I like the contained sound at the beginning - sounds like you recorded a song that was playing through the speakers at the mall. :) The texture at :11 has a smooth, mellow vibe, and I like the well-balanced drums and sound design too. The progression is a little slow-paced, and by the 1-minute mark I was really itching for some variety in the harmonic content. Some more dynamic melodic content would also have been nice. Despite the clean production and good use of effects, the mix is a tad quiet throughout. The minimal piano section at 1:40 was good for some structural contrast, but also didn’t do much to switch up the simple chord progression that forms the root of this piece. I like the subtle, gradual climax into 2:13, but I would’ve liked to see you aim for a stronger escalation to really hit this piece home. There’s a great sense of atmosphere, progression, and balance in the texture, but the composition is rather underwhelming at the end of the day, and that’s the main thing holding the piece back imo. More variety, more ebb and flow, more risks - that’s what you needed here. Otherwise, nice work with the mixing and mastering, instrumentation, and mood of this one. Keep at it, ChristopherReeves! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
7.25/10

[Between Space]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the rich texture. The melodic flair and wave-like quality are both really nice. The piece is a little slow to progress, although I’m enjoying the more ominous elements at around :53. I think you needed a lot more dynamism in the composition here. The instrumental hierarchy is almost exactly the same throughout, and at some point it would’ve given the piece a stronger sense of direction if there was a more regular rhythmic component. I really like the solo at around 2:40, as well as the shimmering pads at around 3:30. I also think you didn’t have a lot of prominent movement in the bass range for a lot of the piece. The ending feels pretty inconclusive, which is likely a product of the rather flat structure of the piece. There were moments of slightly increased intensity, but overall the piece lacked a strong sense of ebb and flow that could really help maximize the emotional quality of these haunting pads and airy synths. Overall, wonderful job with the atmosphere, sound design, and harmonic content. The arrangement and compositional details could use a bit more fleshing out. Keep at it, BasiatordeCoronatus! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10