TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Surge - Nathán Dzul]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. Those dance plucks are super fun, and the wobbly bass that comes in at :13 was a nice addition to the texture. There’s a good sense of climax into :41, and the build-up continues from there. The melodic content sounds really blissful, too. I think the drums might’ve been a tad over-compressed. They almost sound punchier than is appropriate for the piece. That said, I like the re-intro at 1:36 and the filtering work on the lead building up to 2:10. The bass at 2:10 is a little heavy, but I liked the emotional climax of the second refrain at around the 3-minute mark. I think you could’ve varied the main melody a little more, and also the ending is a little sudden. The arrangement is a little generic too, but there’s still a lot to like in this piece. Solid production quality and melodic content, fun sound design, good mood and atmosphere. Strong work, Cesarinmono! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Last Wish]

I like the distorted noodling at the beginning. The recording quality isn’t as sharp as it could be, and the drums seem a little weak, but I like the powerful guitars and melodic content. The progression is solid, and the added distortion at 1:25 really helps up the intensity. I thought that section started to drag on for a bit long after a while, though. There’s little sense of shape to the piece over time, but rather a constant sense of intensity that doesn’t serve a larger structural purpose in the piece. I would’ve liked to see you break down the underlying bass guitar pattern and drum beat at some point and purse some structural contrast with a more relaxed bridge or something. You’re clearly a talented guitarist, but after a while it’s hard to stay engaged with the constant intensity. I think you needed a little more dynamic contrast and phrasing to maximize the emotional appeal of this piece. Still, the piece starts coming together nicely at around 4:45, which has a nice rhythmic density and harmonic flavor. Despite the underwhelming drums, the mix is overall loud and relatively clear in this piece. I didn’t think the part at 5:40 did a great job of concluding the piece, though. It’s pretty dragged out and harmonically incoherent with the rest of the track. That said, I definitely admire your talents with the electric guitar, and I think you’re well on your way to developing a variety of compositional skills. Keep at it, Catpocalypse! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Clades - Untitled]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. Really wet sound here - I’m almost tempted to say you used too much reverb, but I think that would only be an issue if you had more instruments that potentially distorted the pads here. The little melody that pops in at 1:16 is haunting, and I love the ⅛ note pizzicatos at 1:55 too. At 2:26, it seems like there’s some distortion in the mix, because there’s a popping noise and the pads briefly cut out. My main problem with the piece is that it sounds like it’s just starting to progress into something more epic before it ends. I think that, at this pace, you needed another 3-4 minutes to truly capitalize on the emotional appeal of this piece. I was waiting for the tension of the first 3 minutes to finally break and a deeply cathartic melody to tear my heart in two. Instead, you’ve left me rather torn about this piece as, for all its captivating atmospheric motifs and engrossing textural details, you could’ve done so, SO much more with this. I think my compromise with myself is that I dock you a lot for the lack of structural completeness and variety, and I don’t dock you a lot for everything else. This is beautiful work, but with almost any other piece, I would need a lot more overarching shape and direction to the track to give a score as high as I gave you. Please, pretty please write a killer melody to hit your piece home next time. If you do, I promise you’ll not only stay in the competition, but also get an insta-fave and download from yours truly. Keep up the good work, BlockDaH1! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Bio - OblivioN]

I like the powerful piano chords at the beginning, despite my instant recognition of FL Keys. The melodic line at :08 has some fun harmonies in it, to the point that it almost sounds atonal. The build-up was rather short-lived, and the mid-range bass quickly takes over the mix at the drop. It also sounds a bit harsh in my ears. The chords at :59 were nice for some structural relief, but the pacing of the piece seems a little fast. I also would’ve liked to see more harmonic variety in a piece that changes up its instrumentation a lot more than anything else. The cello sample at 1:22 sounds rather inauthentic, and you might be better off replacing it with something that’s meant to sound synthetic. After that, there’s very little novel content in the piece, although I enjoyed the atonality in the last chord that you created with the reverb. Keep at it, BioHexagon!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7/10

[Beyond Gravity - Digital Hope]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The synth at :09 was a bit thin and cheesy imo. I like the drums, pads, and bass, though. The progression was rather slow-paced, although the melody at 1:16 is pretty engaging. That said, I think the balance is off a bit in the texture there, with the melodic instrument completely overwhelming everything else. Elements of the composition also feels a bit formulaic after that point, with the same end-of-phrase transitions employed over and over again, like that 3-note descending riff at :37 (and other places). After a time, it also seemed like the melodies had too many notes to effectively provide the most memorable content. For example, there’s a period of about 10 seconds between 2:15 and 2:25 where I thought the melody was coming to a proper cadence several times. In other words, it’s easy for the listener to get lost in the complexity of the melody. My main complaint might actually be that you never quite reach a distinct moment of climax. Rather, the piece has a sense of continuity that is simultaneously soothing for an ambient aesthetic and frustrating for its lack of emotional height. Still, I think the production in this piece is really strong. There’s a good sense of balance of frequencies, clarity, and full textures throughout. The percussion fills also come through the mix rather well. The strongest element of the piece is the atmosphere, although I appreciate the sound design, flow, and rhythmic elements of the piece as well. Solid work overall, BeyondGravity!

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[REPEAT]

The vocals at the beginning sound pretty haunting, and really set the tone for the rest of the track. The distortion and vocal layering here is really nice, and I like the moment of contrast when the vocals finally ascend to earth from Satan’s cradle at :17. It almost has a sugary pop sound all of a sudden, and your voice gives a simultaneously innocent, inquisitive, and intelligent angle to the subject matter of the lyrics. The crisp drums and instrumental breaks are also valuable additions to the texture, and I love how you manage to make the theremin (the ultimate creepy, haunting instrument) sound just as sweet and sing-songy as the persona the narrator has taken on in the chorus. At around 1:20, the syllables in the lyrics don’t quite fit the beat pattern all that well, especially at “happen from the start.” The combination of the atmosphere and re-introduction of the horror elements at the 2-minute mark are great. The key change at 2:20 could’ve been a bit more subtle, but overall I love the flowing aspect of that section, and you transition back into the last refrain quite effectively. Great job with incorporating the distortion into the refrain at the end. The coda felt a tad drawn out, but I really like how the piece comes together with the emotional appeal of the piano there. Overall, this piece is fantastic. Strong production quality, structuring, compositional details, thematic elements, sound design, and atmosphere.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.75/10

BeoWeapon responds:

I'M SO BLESSED THAT YOU GAVE ME A REALLY POSITIVE REVIEW! THANK YOU SO MUCH
I have the song on youtube if you're interested of supporting my channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sSEr4_uTxc

[Summer is coming]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. The synths are cute, if a little cheesy, and the underlying pulse to the piece really helps drive it forward. At the end of your little 2-bar mini-phrases at the beginning, the piece occasionally descends into atonality, if only for a split second. I also think the melodic content doesn’t feel very dynamic. Rather, you’re repeating 2-bar mini-phrases with slight variations at the end, which makes for a predictable arc to the overarching refrain. That’s a little detail-oriented of me, though. I like the filtering work at :38, and it leads well into another more climactic melodic section around the 1-minute mark. The change of instrumentation at 1:16 was a little sudden, but the tempo changes at 1:29 breathed new life into the piece. The minimal section helped push the reset button on the track a bit, which was refreshing after a rather fast pace of progression for the first couple of minutes. The piece came full-circle by the end, although I think a final climax like that of 1:00 would’ve hit the piece home more. Still, there are some really creative and appealing compositional details of this piece. One gripe I have with the production, however, is that at times the mix feels really thin and dry. I think the drums could’ve used some more reverb/delay effects, and I would suggest some more advanced techniques like stereo widening to get a thicker texture out of your existing instruments. The mix is still loud and generally clear, although I think the clap was fighting to push its way to the front at 1:30 a bit. Overall, solid work with the composition, sound design, and atmosphere. A lot of my complaints are more “missed opportunities” than things that actively bothered me, which is a good sign. Keep it up, BBouthillette!

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
.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

BBouthillette responds:

Thank you for your feedback! In fact, the tempo increase gradually from 1:16 to 1:40 if you look my LMMS project. After that, the tempo decrease until 1:46.

[DMT]

I like the soothing instruments at the beginning and the eastern-inspired theme. I like the transition into :14, and the beat there was also rather enjoyable. I think the bass might’ve been a little too heavy, though. The song has a strong sense of atmosphere, and the panning on the hi-hats helps the spread of the stereo feel nice and full. Harmonically, there isn’t a lot of variety in this piece, and the brief moments of structural relief (like 1:35 and 3:05) needed more fleshing out and gradual transitions. I like how you slightly shake up the hierarchy of the instruments in the second half, with more emphasis on the airy pads. That said, I don’t think you went quite far enough in providing a proper amount of memorable or dynamic content here, especially in terms of melodies. The strongest element of this piece is probably the mixing. The instruments are quite well-balanced, clear, and loud, but there’s never an excess of compression or limiting. The high-pitched instruments have been properly filtered to avoid any excessive harshness. Even my initial gripe with the bass seems less relevant as the piece goes on. That said, the composition here is underwhelming at times, and the piece feels like more of a background track than something that tells me a story. Otherwise, solid work here. Keep at it, Attackofthetroy! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10