TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[Schwank - Neon]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning. The cute synth at :10 and the sense of climax into :24 both work well. Nice melody at :48, too. Elements of the sound design and arrangement of this piece sound pretty generic, but I did enjoy the frantic bridge at 1:30. The mixing and mastering are pretty strong, although I’d be careful about the volume levels if I were you. It’s a tad over-compressed. Overall, this is really strong work, though. I love the VGM influence, the pacing, the catchiness, and the structure too. Keep up the good work, BoonanaOfficial! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[The Hall Of Kings]

I like the percussion at the beginning, even if the reverb is a bit excessive. The quirky string instrument that comes in shortly thereafter is great. I love the atmosphere and the foreboding mood, too. The piece has a drone-like quality, with a relatively slow progression. I also think the mix could stand to be a tad louder. In contrast to the creepy mood, the vibes at 1:30 sound somewhat cute and catchy. I would’ve liked to see you come up with a more gradual way of bridging the gap between the cute mood there and the ominous mood of before. I like the breakdown at 2:40, though. You’ve given this piece a decent amount of dynamic contrast despite the drone-like quality. The return of that bizarre stringed instrument at 3:30 helps give the piece some cohesion too. Really engrossing mood here. Despite my compositional complaints, this is solid work, AvapXia. Keep it up!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Second Oportunities Come Packed in Honest Apologies]

Soothing piano chords at the beginning. I really like the atmosphere too. The emotional appeal of this piece is great, even if the pace is a bit slow. The bass at :40 really fills out the texture, too, and the rest of the instrumentation really blends well together. The piece has a nice sense of directionality. At around 1:20, there’s a bit of atonality in that cutesy, frantic synth. After a time, the piece has a real drone-like quality. I wish it had a bit more shape. The mood is really engrossing, though, and the arpeggios at 3:00 or so are a nice touch as the piece is winding down. I’m not usually a huge fan of the one-climax model, especially in full-length tracks like this, but you had me sold with the mood and atmosphere of the one. The loop is not that smooth, but the production quality here is pretty high. Enjoyable piece overall. Keep at it, AlbeGian!

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