TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[FGS] A nebula beyond reality]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Some of the higher-pitched effects sound really harsh, though. I’d think about being stricter with the equalizer in the treble range. The progression of this piece is really slow, but the mood is pretty sweet. I like the booming percussion, too. It felt like there was a huge climax into 1:04, which was a bit disorienting with the minimalism on the other side, but I see the real drop is at 1:16. That said, the piece never quite achieves the level of catharsis it sets the listener up for, imo. The section at 2:04 with the phasing pads was also interesting in taking the piece in a different direction, but I personally think you needed some melodic content or other memorable moving notes to sell the piece towards the end. That said, the experimental texture, creepy mood, and glitchy effects pay off well for you here. Full credit for originality, sound design, and atmosphere for sure. The mix sounds full and crisp, but not overly compressed. Not particularly loud either, though. My main complaints are with the composition, especially with the highly transitory nature of the piece and the pacing. That said, strong work overall. Keep at it, IIIFoggySundayIII!

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
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
8.5/10

[[IV]Suns of Carcosa]

I like the dramatic choir sample at the beginning. The sudden cut-off at :07 wasn’t that smooth, though. Same thing with :17, although at the very least the energy kept up on the other side of the transition. The mix is a tad quiet, but also pretty clean. There’s a lot of suspense in the mood, and the string swells starting at around :50 are a nice touch. The dramatic brass hits at 1:18 really help sell the drama. There’s not a lot of melodic content in this piece, but the atmosphere is well-preserved by the near-constant choir and string chords. The descending brass line towards the end seems like a fitting B-theme. The afterthought at 2:27, probably portraying the slain sojourner on this foreign planet, is also a nice addition. The sense of suspense is great, but I can’t help but feel that you didn’t quite capitalize on the emotional qualities of the piece here. The composition might need some more ebb and flow over time to achieve that. Dynamic contrast, more dramatic phrasing, etc. Still, strong work with the sound design, progression, and mood. Keep at it, IglicaV!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Spinning]

Very loud mixing throughout. Usually that’s a good thing, although I think it distorted some of your other instruments at times because the compression’s so heavy. The drums also sound a tad generic, although a lot of the synth riffs here are super catchy. The change-of-pace at :51 wasn’t foreshadowed very well in my opinion, but you did a good job leading into the drop at 1:16. The drop itself is a little minimalistic, and overuses ascending lines that don’t really add to the sense of direction of the piece. The re-intro at 2:05 is nice, and the riff at 2:21 is probably my favorite of the piece. It’s also probably the closest you get to offering some strong melodic content up to that point, and I wanted to hear more melodic content early on in general. I also think the second build-up of the piece is very similar to the first one, and I would’ve liked to see some more variation in that regard. The part at 3:24 was a pleasant surprise. You really took the piece in a different direction towards the end, which was a risk that paid off in my opinion. The piece sounds conclusive by the end, and the thematic elements of the piece come together nicely. Overall, this is strong work. My main complaints are probably with the generic sound design and arrangement elements, the overuse of minimalism at different points, and maybe even the over-compression. Other than that, strong work with the structuring, mastering, mood, and harmonies. Keep at it, Hippokopter!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Hippokopter responds:

That's a schmancy system you got there. xD

Thanks for the insightful review, too! By the way, when you say, "too much compression," that doesn't really register in my dubstep infected mind as a bad thing... xD

As I write this review, I see that I've been eliminated... At least I can get back to my one-song-per-week-ish pace. On the bright side, if I got this close to getting past this round, and I haven't been producing for more than a year, get ready for me to wallup this comp next time around. xD

[Antrax - Haboob (Original Mix)]

I like the grubby bass on those downbeats and the ethnic vibe. The instruments are really nice, regardless of the cliche-sounding percussion. The drop at :45 is cool, but I think the bass there was a bit much. Fun melodic riff at :58. The breakdown at 1:15 was a nice touch, too. Takes the piece in a bit of a different direction, even though it’s short-lived. The build-up at 1:40 was also really nice. Even though this piece is pretty short, it has a pleasing structure, solid production quality, and even a sufficient amount of variety. That said, I would’ve liked to see you do a tad more with that final refrain, and also maybe put in a proper outro. The mixing is loud and clear, but not overly compressed. Very impressive piece overall. Keep it up, Gvdclubber!

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Dark Secrets (NGUAC 2018)]

I like the dark mood at the beginning. The strings sound a tad muddy in the bass range, and the (piano?) at around :20 sounds a tad harsh in my ears. Great suspense, though. It’s really nice for an ambient loop in a video game or something, but it also doesn’t really sound like a structurally complete stand-alone piece. The progression just seemed to be getting started when you launched into that ritardando on the main riff at the end. Overall, it’s a good start, though. Please PM me if you ever flesh this out more. I’ll leave you another review. As for now, I can’t give you much credit for structuring or composition, but the content you do have here is pretty good. Keep at it, GearWax!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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
6.25/10

Iosun responds:

Thanks, yeah, this actually is supposed to be a loop in a video game. It’s for a project as well.

Don’t really plan to pull it past this cause of that reason

[Firestride]

I like the majestic orchestral sound at the beginning and the sense of climax into :22. The melody at :22 is nice, and the mix is strong and clear without being overly-compressed. The oscillation between relaxed and energetic sections in the piece is great, but occasionally the transitions between them are a bit abrupt (2:12 and 3:01, for example). Well-balanced texture and frequencies overall. The super quiet and emotional breakdown at 3:01 is something I didn’t really see coming, but it really helped you maximize the dynamic contrast in this piece. I think occasionally the instrumentation here is a bit cheesy, especially with the synths, but overall I don’t really have many complaints with the sound design either. The pacing of the piece can be a bit slow, relying on big changes every certain length of time instead of gradual ebbs and flows within the phrase. Overall, though, the piece comes together really well with the extended climactic section towards the end. The transitions and shape of the piece are the two elements I think need the most work. Strong effort overall, though! Keep at it, EverReverb. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

AED4 responds:

Thanks for immensively detailed review once again :) And thank you for hosting and arranging NGUAC for the fifth (?) time!

Cheesiness was indeed something that i was afraid of, but in the end I just had to embrace it :P

[Derpcat - be happy]

Cute synths at the beginning, but they sound a tad dry. The riff at :15 is really cute and fun. Nice filtering work leading into :30, but the minimalism there threw me off a bit and didn’t really help with the directionality of the piece. The filtering at 1:00 compromises the sense of catharsis typical of a refrain, though. Much of this piece sounds rather transitional and repetitive. The melodies are nice, and perhaps 1:30 functions better as a refrain despite the conspicuous build-up into 1:00. I also think the mix, while loud and clear, is a bit over-compressed. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that the piece isn’t really sufficiently varied during the second half. There’s very little new harmonic content added to this piece after the first minute, and the result is that it’s hard to stay engaged after a while. That said, the production quality, blissful mood, and fun synths sell this piece well. Keep up the good work, DerpCatOfficial!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

DerpcatOfficial responds:

thanks!

[DeathbringerMusic - Everything]

I like the cool pads at the beginning and the distorted eastern-sounding instrument at :12. The claps sound a tad generic, but the mid-range riff at :26 is super catchy. I’m not sure how it fit into the directionality of the piece, though. The piece seemed really smooth and atmospheric one minute, and then the next it was this foreboding build-up. A bit of a jarring mood change imo. Regardless, the build-up at :52 was well-done, and the drop felt climactic, even if it was a little minimalistic. The riff at 1:17 is fun, and has an edgy and alarming tone that suits the darker thematic elements of the track. The mix here is very loud and clear despite the plethora of reverb. The mix also doesn’t sound too loud or overly-compressed either, but I’m usually not a stickler for that. I wish you had varied some of these harmonic themes the second time around, though. It seems like there’s very little new content after around 1:30 or so, despite the fun arrangement of that main riff in the higher register at 3:00. I think my other big complaint is that there isn’t a lot of strong melodic content in the piece. Overall, the piece together pretty well by the end, and the vocal samples throughout add to the texture considerably. Fun track with a lot of energy and some strong production. Keep at it, DeathbringerMusic!

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

[Change of Heart]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning. Sounds ominous, too. I like the warm string sounds and the emotional appeal of the piano. The progression is nice, and the lead-in to :58 was a nice touch. The strings at :58 are panned way to the left, which I found bizarre for such a foregrounded element of the texture. The piece is starting to sound a bit more victorious at this point, but I really like when more ominous elements of the texture begin to seep back in at 1:12. Nice job once again with the transition at 1:57. The brass solo there compliments the strings quite well, and the victorious mood wins after all. I suppose I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in some of the main string riffs, though. Some stronger melodic content earlier in the piece would’ve also been advisable. I found the transition into 2:34 to be a bit jarring, but the atmospheric fade-out in the outro was beautiful. Overall, this is strong work. The piece comes together really well by the end, and the instrumentation and production quality are great throughout. Keep up the good work, Columbers!

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

Columbers responds:

Haha I was 1 spot away from advancing to the finals which is kind of hilarious... oh well. Thanks for leaving the review!