TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Disturbed waves (NGUAC 2019 KO Round)]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, and I also would like to hear more of the synth arpeggios in the mix. Maybe you would consider centering them a bit more instead of panning them so hard to the right? The beat at :44 is really nice, although the texture still sounds pretty minimal, with not a lot of high-mid frequencies or melodies. The kick at 1:50 also sounds pretty treble-heavy. Despite being a little abrupt, the transition at 2:13 works pretty well. I like the mellow melodies at 2:14, although I thought they could’ve been a bit more dynamic. The harmonies of the piece could use more depth at times, and there are long stretches that sound pretty minimalistic. I like the climax at 3:42, although it still doesn’t sound like you properly concluded the piece by integrating a lot of the sub-themes from earlier. Instead, you introduce the strings and piano. The strings also sound a bit over-panned, btw. I’d encourage you to look into stereo widening a bit more instead of panning - it helps clean up your mix without things sounding lopsided in a thin texture. Overall, I think you played the composition a bit safe here, but I like the mood, progression, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, L-E-R-U-O! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
6.75/10

[Khora - Chroma]

I like the cinematic climax at the beginning and the smooth synths at :16. The production quality is solid here, even if the compression is a bit overdone sometimes, and the beat at :39 is really creative. When the vocals come in at :44, I start to think there’s a bit too much going on in the texture, as the syncopations are quite complicated and the reverb is rather heavy. That said, I enjoyed the drop at 1:11 and, after the content before, its minimal harmonies. The re-intro at 1:57 was nice, and I like the airy section at 2:18 too, even if the sidechaining was a bit much there. I think you needed a more gradual transition into 2:40, and the rhythm between the gritty mid-range bass and the pensive synths at 2:52 doesn’t really sync up that well. The powerful chords at 3:27 are nice, but towards the end I get a little lost in all the distinct structural elements of the piece. It seems like you could cut down on the middle section a bit. I also thought the piece needed more of a proper outro, instead of ending right after a moment of climax like it did. Still, the energy, production quality, mood, and sound design all push the right buttons here. Keep at it, Khora! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[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