TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sugar High]

The atmospheric flair at the beginning is nice. The gradual fade-in approach to the beginning could’ve been more creative, but by the time the beat comes in at :28 the piece has a great, warm sound design and soothing melodic elements. There’s a lot of blending and mastering effects, though. I wish the individual lines were a tad more distinct during the refrain. I like the downtempo section at 1:22. The entire piece is really smooth-flowing and well-structured. I’m tempted to say that you could stand to cut out some of the reverb here, but the atmospheric quality of the piece is pretty nice. Mixing is solid overall, but I wanted the kick and snare to be sharper at times, like at 2:12, especially the kick. The texture has a good balance of staccato-y and more legato sounds, although is leaning towards staccato-y at times. Sometimes, the pace of the piece seems pretty fast. There’s certainly enough repetition in the harmonic framework and melodic content of the piece, but I wish you had fleshed out certain sections a bit more. The fade-out ending also didn’t come off well. I feel as though you were struggling with how to conclude the piece. Overall, the sound design is good, but be careful not to overuse Nexus. Part of the problem with the reverb might be with how generously Nexus ladles it on. I’d highly recommend getting rid of Nexus’s built-in reverb and adding your own later (if you haven’t done so already). The blissful melodies, mood, and atmosphere of the piece really help sell it in the end, and everything comes together really nicely during that final refrain. Keep up the good work, Colin! ^_^

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

ColinMuir responds:

Thank you as always TL. I liked the things you said. I felt the end should just live on, but that was probably a lazy thing to do as you stated haha. :)

[Unraveling the Mask]

I like the cute instruments and waltzy meter. The celesta melody was nice, and has a great call-and-response effect with the strings. I like the percussion at :43, too. There’s an enjoyable amount of variety in the texture here, while at the same time a near-uniformity of theme that’s quite pleasing. One thing I think could really improve in this piece is how the individual phrases are shaped. Right now, it seems like most of the transitions consist of Band-Aid-like approaches (reverse crashes, sudden changes in dynamics) rather than more carefully crafted, gradual lead-ins. My second biggest problem is that the coda at 2:13 really takes the piece in a different direction. All of a sudden, the mood is very melancholic. Instead of wrapping up the thematic content of the piece, it seems to function more like a bridge or breakdown to my ears. I also thought the underlying harmonic framework of the piece (as indicated by the strings that play on every beat) can be a bit cliche, and this is most conspicuous at the very beginning. That said, these are all tiny details. Overall, the piece has the same immaculate sound design, melodic content, and mood as your other recent tracks. Keep up the good work, BO! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
9.25/10

[Forever Jazz]

I like the fun piano riffs at the beginning and the fast pace of the harmonic progression. The ornaments on the melodies are a bit excessive at times, and make the melodies a tad hard-to-follow, especially at :22. The saxophone solo at :19 is great otherwise, though, and I love how you scaled back the texture for the guitar solo at :40. The rhythmic elements at 1:10 are great. At times, I found myself wishing the drums were a tad louder, though, especially during the first third of the piece. This piece showcases your talents for harmony and progression really well. Any given transition never feels abrupt, but the plethora of transitory moments throughout the piece (and corresponding huge variety of different textures) can feel a bit jarring. I think my biggest complaint with this piece is that I wish there was some sort of refrain to tie this piece together more, even if it only came in at the beginning and end. That said, the production quality here is really strong, and the variety of textures also function to give this piece a lot of structural variety (with both moments of relative minimalism and flourishing emotional heights). Personally, I think this is your strongest piece of the competition. The track really starts coming together with the slower tempo around the 2-minute mark. You can just hear the victorious mood in the brass stabs (and see the dramatic leg kicks of the cabaret’s cast) at that point. Congratulations on all your fantastic work this year, AzulJazz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

AzulJazz responds:

thank you so much friend

[ALESDA! - Wake Up]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. Has an atmospheric flair too. The guitar riff at :15 is really smooth and satisfying. The percussion at :27 is creative. Not sure I liked the instrument that functions like a snare there. It sounded a bit flat and strangely eerie, which doesn’t really fit the character of the rest of the piece. Overall, the blissful mood is really great, though. Nice sense of climax into 1:06. Sidechaining is really heavy, but I can still trace out the form of the melody during the refrain. Nice job with the structural relief provided at 2:00 and the subsequent transition back into the more climactic part 20 seconds later. I also really enjoyed the filtering work at 2:40. The details here are what’s really admirable, though. The fun rhythmic elements and electronic effects during the melodic sections add just enough variety to keep me engaged throughout, even though the emotional heights last a really long time in this piece. Nice job with the emotional appeal of the outro, too. The vocal samples are used really well here, and the bright piano at the very end was a fitting way of concluding the piece. Overall, this is a very enjoyable piece. Only things I docked you for were the overuse of compression, a couple of sound design details I didn’t like, and some generic aspects of the arrangement. All of these are really minor things, though. Great work, Alesda! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Dragon Slayer]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning. The progression is a tad slow, but I like the bright mood and reverb. The transition at :38 could’ve been a bit more gradual, but I appreciate the thick texture and victorious-sounding melodies there. The part at :58 was great for some structure variety, although (again) I would’ve liked to hear a less abrupt transition. At 1:38, I think the harmonic progression makes that transition a bit jarring. My ear was expecting you to resolve a half-step up like at 1:18, but instead you stayed on that F# for the downbeat. I could go on to critique other transitions, but I won’t. One thing I really like about the piece is that the production is super clean. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but it serves to fill out the texture during moments of minimalism. When the texture is thicker at the refrains, the drums are crisp and the instruments are well-balanced. The solo at 2:36 is when the piece really starts coming together in my mind, having finally broken away from the A-B-A-B cycle set up in the first half of the piece. The tempo change at 3:18 actually comes off rather well. The change in the rhythmic emphasis between the drums and melodies actually made it sound like a meter change too. I like how you brought the piece back full-circle towards the end with the main melody and rich vocal pads, but I think the tempo change at 3:58 could’ve been executed a tad more smoothly. The re-imagining of the theme at 4:40 was fun, and doesn’t really detract from the piece as a whole. Overall, excellent work with the melodic content, mixing and mastering, and overarching structural qualities. You might want to think more carefully about the transitions, harmonic progression at times, and textural fill. Overall, though, my complaints are minimal here. Keep up the good work, 350teric! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.75/10

350teric responds:

Thank you man! You're on point with the review on all parts. In contrast to my composition from the knock-out round (where all of the comments were like - "great stuff but I was expecting that"), I tried to be a bit more surprising with structure of the song and the sudden rhythm changes and ruff transitions, but one can never make people happy. The main thing is I had tons of fun with this song in particular (with that "epic" metal stuff) and the contest as well! :)

[The People's Daring Ones]

Sound design is creative. The progression is a tad slow at times, and by the 1-minute mark or so I was itching for some more moving notes. I like the rhythmic eccentricities, although personally the mix is a little wide for my tastes. There's a great sense of climax, and a pretty well-balanced texture given the lack of melodic content. Production is strong otherwise, and the loop is clean. I guess it doesn't really satisfy my compositional needs, but it sounds great for an edgy movie soundtrack or experimental concept album. Solid work, I0ta!

zybor responds:

Thank you for dropping by, TL :)

Have a good weekend!

[Five Finger Discount]

Nice job with the quirky instruments at the beginning. The texture sounds a tad muddy, and I think the kick could be a bit stronger. That said, the ominous mood here is really nice. Progression is a bit slow, but it's definitely the kind of piece that just washes over you anyway. I'd love to see the harmonies fleshed out a little more, maybe with some more mid-range frequencies to give it a little more fill. Rhythmic content here is pretty pleasing - I like the riff that comes in at 1:36. There could definitely be some more melodic content, though. Overall fun track! Keep at it, YHTFLKC. ^^

P.S.: Where did you get those synths? They sound like half Moog, half acid or something.

YHTFLKC responds:

I think i did this track at the end of last year lol idk if im gonna work on it anymore i usually don't come back to them but as far as the synths go i just opened the old file back up and two of them (the bass i think) are modular synths i set up with caustic's simple modular thing. it works ok but yea they usually sound kinda muddy but i think thats cause im still learning how to set up modular to sound halfway decent. also cause im not sure which synths youre asking about the rest of them in there are subsynth and theres something i did with a bongo drumkit and a wah wah pedal i think. And as always thanks for the review yooooo! also stay tuned for more tracks cause i have another 2 or 3 i havent been able to post because my computer has been gone but its back now so i can post whenever

[-Klutzy Hero- (2014)]

Cute piece! I like the funky breaks and the instrumentation. The brass hits at :20 are especially fun. The chord progression and pick-ups (like at :42) are a little cliché, but I think it's the mood that really hits this piece home. I also wish I heard a bit more of the drums (especially the kick) during the busier sections. I think I recall a couple of those samples that you've used before, too. Otherwise, it's a smooth piece with some great melodies. I especially like the percussion at the very end - wraps up the piece nicely. Keep at it, Waterflame!

[Beluga Whale Tale]

I like the energy at the beginning. Sweeps were a bit bland, though. Could use more effects to spice them up. I like the cutesy synths and progression. There's a tad bit of atonality in the texture around :40, and the reverb at :57 is a bit excessive. The mix, while loud and clear, is also severely punctured by the drums imo. My favorite element of the piece is probably the mood. It's dark, foreboding, and also implies a narrative form. Sounds like the boss battle at the final level of a nautical-themed video game. At around the 3-minute mark, some of the elements of the drum pattern are panned strongly to one side or another, which makes them sound a bit harsh in my ears. Another thing I really like about this piece is the arrangement - structure, transitions, dynamic contrast, and phrasing are all done really well here. The ending was a bit bizarre given the pause at 4:40 and the subsequent riser that's filtered to nothing, but I'd imagine this looping in an in-game scenario regardless. Cool piece, Spadezer! Keep up the good work. ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Thanks TL

Interesting observations. I could see how some of the panning might not be the best decisions. It was one of the later additions to the mix so I didn't get as much "ear time" with that and some of the louder percussion changes. Most of the mixing was done with headphones initially and then worked between that and my speakers right at the end. I could be more creative with sweeps but that requires work, lol. But still is a good point.

Not originally intended to be video game music since there was literally now guidance to what I wanted the song to be about, so I find it funny that you think that. I've been told my music generally sounds like video game music anyway so it's not the first time I've heard that either lol. Glad you enjoyed it

[Life Goes On]

I like the reserved, majestic mood at the beginning. The emotional appeal of the melody at :27 is great. The progression of the piece is also really lovely. Structurally, it's a bit of a simple piece, but the simplicity also highlights the beauty of the harmonic content. I like how the pace picks up a bit towards the end, although in a way I wanted it to come full-circle back to the spacious, emotional content like at the beginning. It's also mixed a bit quietly, but perhaps that fits the mood well. Overall, I'm glad you were able to push through your writer's block and make this piece. It came out well. Good luck in the ADM. ^_^