TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bio - Skyland]

I like the rich texture at the beginning, although the instruments are a bit cheesy and inauthentic. There’s a nice sense of climax into :20, but I think the gritty pads there are both dry and clunky. I think you use chords with the notes spaced too close together there - going for a more open sound, especially towards the beginning of the piece like that - probably would help you fill out the texture more. That said, I like the energetic drums and loud mix. The ghostly synth riff at 1:03 is fun, but I don’t think you took the piece in a very promising direction by 1:23 - it’s the same generic chord progression as the beginning. My main complaint here is the lack of harmonic variety, in fact. You do have some structural variety - like the breakdown at 2:24 - but besides that the melodies are very repetitive, and the chord progression is the same throughout as well. Despite the clear mix, the texture sounds pretty thin at times, although I liked the transition into 3:48. Overall, strong work with the production, sound design, and transitions. Elements of the harmonies and sound design could use some more innovation, though. Keep at it, BioHexagon! :)

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[Beyond Gravity - Beyond the Horizon NGUAC Entry (Instrumental)]

I like the atmospheric effects at the beginning. The pads at :06 sound a bit cheesy, but once the texture fills out a little more the piece sounds really cool. I think the kick at :33 has a tad too much treble, and the drums could sound a bit wetter to fit with the atmosphere. The saxophone was a nice touch, but I think you could’ve foreshadowed its entry a bit better. The melodies it plays also seem a bit meandering at times. I see what you’re trying to do with the gradual escalation of the piece, but it might help keep the listener grounded a little more if the composition was a bit more drawn-out. I like the more legato melodic elements at 1:52. I think the piece could’ve benefitted from a bit more structuring - the instrumental hierarchy is pretty much the same from around :52 onwards, and the one-climax model is hard to pull off in my experience. I also think you could’ve had a bit more intensity at the emotional height at 1:52. Another layer of harmonies or something beyond the synth arpeggios would’ve really given the piece that extra “oomph”. Regardless, I admire your sense of harmony, progression, and sound design overall. Keep at it, BeyondGravity! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Soulfire]

I like the rich chords at the beginning and the blissful flute melodies at :07. The mix is a little muddy in the low end - there might be a bit too much reverb, or maybe just not enough equalization work. I think some of the instruments are a bit cheesy (especially the brass - you can tell it’s fake), and the piano at :21 strikes me as being a bit undecorated. There’s a great intensity in the texture by around :40, and the melodies at :52 are really cute. That said, the melodies also could’ve been a lot more prominent in the mix. I like the chill breakdown at 1:02, although I think the drums could’ve sounded a lot more distinct. Cutting back on the reverb and adding some more compression might help you there. I would’ve liked to hear more of a gradual transition into 1:45 (and also 1:56 for that matter), but overall the progression of the piece is really pleasant. Despite a lot of distinct sections, the percussion and atmospheric elements tie this piece together well. Towards the end, I think you overuse the crashes a bit, but the piece still feels really conclusive and climactic. The compositional elements of this piece are quite strong overall - the mixing and sound design are my main concerns. Keep at it, aRho! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[[NGUAC 2019] Reminisce]

I like the sharp synth bass at the beginning and the catchy melodies at :13. There’s a good sense of climax into :40, and the energy and drive of the piece really helps keep things engaging. The sound design is a little cliche, especially the drums and lead synth. I also think the strings at 1:10 sound pretty inauthentic, but that section was good for some structural contrast. The airy arpeggios at 1:47 are nice, although I would’ve liked the piano to be a bit more prominent there. The pause at 2:01 was just a tad too long, although I appreciated the variations and additional harmonies at 2:35. Overall, the piece comes together really well, and the blissful mood helps. The ending cuts off a tad suddenly (perhaps you meant to make it loop?), but my main complaint here is probably the lack of originality. Everything from the instruments to the arrangement to the chord progression is largely generic. Still, the emotional quality and danceability are definitely there! Keep at it, 4203. :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[The last airbender - Azula's Theme]

Nice! I like the choir and the murky bass at :43. The percussion here is rather foreboding, and the brass really adds some punch to the texture. The harmonies at around :25 are especially juicy. My only complaint is that the end seemed a bit rushed, but if it's a straight cover I suppose there's no helping that. Nice work, VociferousMusic! ^^

VociferousMusic responds:

I also think about it that way. But here I literally copied the original soundtrack and only re-built it with my own instruments. So I would say your 'complaint' about the ending would be criticism towards the original composer. :P

[Jump Start]

Fun piece! Good to see you using vocals for a change. The production quality here is especially strong, and the sound design feels really light and fun. The lyrics get a little repetitive after a while, but I appreciate the additional rhythmic elements to the refrain as the piece goes on. The spacey outro with the vocal distortions was a nice touch too. Strong work here, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks a lot for the feedback! :)

[Geoplex - Subvert]

I like the cinematic vibe at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The strings have a powerful and uplifting feel, and the jazzy harmonies at :38 add a lot of character to the piece. The blissful mood during the refrain at :57 is great, and the production quality here is quite strong. I think you could've done a tad more with the drums during the refrain, as they sound a bit generic, but overall the texture comes together really well here. I appreciated the melodic variations at the breakdown (2:10) and the sense of climax into 2:38. The rhythmic content at 2:56 is also really enjoyable. Perhaps you could've done a tad more to vary the main melody during the final refrain, but I liked the additional prominence of the bass-y breaks there, as well as the atmospheric outro. Keep up the good work, Geoplex! ^_^

Geoplex responds:

Hey man! I appreciate the detailed thoughts, thank you :D I think in particular you're right about the section prior to 0:57, it's not the most percussively intricate buildup haha.

[Cream]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning and the filtering work. There's a synth that cuts off a little suddenly at :18 - I think it would help the flow of the piece if you added some reverb there and let it fade out more gradually. Same thing happens at :25, although by :33 it blends into the rest of the atmosphere better. The progression here is really nice, though - despite the repetitive nature of the harmonic content, the texture has a lot of variety between the angry edge to the bass at 1:25 and the glitchy melodies at 1:50. I suppose I'd like to hear some more structuring here, though. The piece could use a break from the main underlying riff at some point - a more atmospheric bridge or something would add a lot more shape to the piece. I also think the piece is missing some higher frequencies for a lot of the track. Even some hi-hats or something would help fill in that top end a little more. Still, I absolutely love the jazzy melody at 2:42. It's a great way of escalating the sense of mystery and intrigue of the piece towards the end, while at the same time keeping the same mild-mannered tone in place. Solid work overall, YHTFLKC! ^_^

[After Hours]

I like the refreshing piano riff at the beginning and the rhythmic guitar patterns at :16. The section at :30 has a fresh, funky vibe, although the pacing of the intro is a bit slow. Sometimes the delivery of the vocals seemed a bit clunky to me. For example, "it's time to go out" doesn't have the same swung rhythm that the previous two lines had. I also think the vocals are a little too quiet relative to the piano at 1:10. Otherwise, the production quality is really good, and I also like the sound design. The mood and instruments here are reminiscent of ABBA. Nice job with the filtering at the breakdown at 2:26. The piece comes together well towards the end with the additional vocal harmonies at 2:58. Overall, I think the vocals are what needs the most work here. They could use a tad more energy and precision, especially at parts like 3:28, where the blending between the multiple voices wasn't great. You might've needed some more reverb, or simply a re-recording there. I also think the vocal harmonies can come on a bit too strong in the mix relative to the lead vocals. Still, this piece has a nice sense of energy and danceability, and much like your last piece some great rhythmic content, instruments, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Time0ff! :)

Time0ff responds:

Thank you so much TaintedLogic!! As always your feedback is super helpful :D

Just fixed the volume, compression and EQ on all the vocals and piano, pls let us know if feel it sounds better ^^

Thanks again, u da best!!
T0

[DV - Fire to the Floor]

I like the dark, ominous texture and the gritty synths. There’s a nice sense of climax into :22, and the sound design sounds really edgy and refreshing. Despite the nice sense of atmosphere and fun rhythmic content, you never really followed through on this great sense of tension and anxiety in the texture with a dramatic climax or point of resolve. I think my main problem with the piece is that you need to flesh out the composition a lot more to give this piece a sense of ebb and flow. Right now, it sounds like an amazing chase scene that’s just getting started. The sudden ending is a testament to how there’s not a lot of structuring or contrast in the energy level of this piece. You left yourself a lot of space in the mix in the beginning for a fuller texture with more intensity, but you didn’t quite capitalize on it. Still, the atmosphere, sound design, and mixing in this piece are all very good, and that certainly counts for something. Keep at it, la-yinn! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

la-yinn responds:

Dude, it's awesome getting a review like this. To think you wrote one for every entry is mind boggling. You're the man, TL!

I've had this idea spinning around in my head to add lyrics/vocals to this track; a (lot) slower bridge part with a good bit of melancholy and then smash out an editted second drop to give it a lot more depth and that 'ebb and flow' you describe. But I never got even close to that. Hell, I'm pretty content I managed to get this produced as it is because there's a lot of technique I've had to learn over the last month or two that I wasn't comfortable with at all. Couple that with some automation failure when I exported to .mp3 a day before the NGADM deadline and, well, you get this loop. Hence the sudden ending. ;-)