TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Radiance]

Hey TheGrassGuy! Believe it or not, two months later I'm still circling back and trying to give people some NGUAC feedback on tracks where the judges didn't provide it initially.

Love the laid-back mood and acoustic sound design here. Reminds me of a 70s soft rock ballad or something. There's a great sense of gradual build-up into the part at 1:35 or so. The breakdown at 1:52 comes on a bit suddenly, but you transition well back into the upbeat and busier section at 2:25, and the expressive piano there is especially nice. The mixing here is also rather good - crisp drums and well-balanced frequencies throughout. The rich strings and melodies at 3:08 hit the piece home quite nicely, and I'm also a fan of the mellow outro. "Radiance" is a fitting title - this piece just has an elegant kind of buoyancy to it. Stellar work! Hope to see you back in the NGUAC next year. ^_^

[Silver Phoenix]

I like the echo-y strings at the beginning and the dark tone of the piece at :08. The eerie percussion at :11 helps establish the atmosphere, and the brass and other sound design elements all mesh nicely together as well. I think I would’ve liked to hear a bit more of the militaristic percussion in the mix at around :40 onward, but otherwise the production quality is great here. There’s a lot of pent-up tension in this piece, but I’m not sure it ever really gets resolved. You do a good job of creating variety with the instrumentation, but after a while the harmonic framework gets a tad repetitive. The pattern of the heavy downbeats with the dramatic quarter note riffs following (1:06, 1:21, 1:38, etc.) is effective at ratcheting up the intensity for a while, but also gets fairly predictable after a couple of minutes, and it doesn’t help that during many of those riffs the rhythm is fairly square. Still, the melodic content, sound design, and mixing are characteristically strong here, and I thoroughly enjoy the cinematic style of this piece. Keep it up, LSD! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Finally I have a bit of time to respond :'D

I composed the short intro on the piano, but it took the longest time for me to figure out what instrument should play it, in this cinematic version. I tried all kinds of things, but ended up going with just a solo violin at the end. I'm glad you like it, for that reason!

Nice catch with some of the percussion dropping out after the first section of the piece! The idea was to change things up and keep things progressing, but in hindsight I agree that the execution could have been better. I also see your point about the lack of many satisfying resolutions. On one hand, that's intentional, as I wanted to keep the tension growing until the climax. But I think it just goes on for a bit too long and stagnates a bit, unfortunately.

Those problem-areas aside, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the composition! I would like to do something very similar to this again in the future, but just... A bit better xD

[Bewitched]

I like the phasing synth and quirky percussion at the beginning. Super catchy and creepy content here - it’s starting to sound like Halloween already! The piece is a bit slow to progress, but the rich atmosphere and rhythmic content help keep me engaged. The drums get a tad buried in the mix at times, although otherwise the production holds up rather well. My main complaint here is probably the lack of variety, especially early on, although the breakdown at 2:36 does help break up the quirky, energetic sections a bit. There’s a good point of arrival at 3:08, and overall you hit the piece home well. Aspects of the chord progression are a bit generic here, but that’s surely counterbalanced by the experimental texture. Overall, this is a really creative and evocative piece, LordAndiso. Still not sure if it’s supposed to be a nightmare or a daydream, but that’s probably a good thing. Keep it up! ^_^

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
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

LordAndiso responds:

Thank you soo much :D As always... this keeps me super motivated :3

[Walking with Anxiety]

I love the wonky meter and rich sound design here. The increasing frequency of the electric guitar strums over the first minute gives the piece a subtle sense of build-up, even if it’s fairly slow to progress overall. The prominent bass at 1:23 is really nice, as are the soothing vocals at 1:39 and the subtle build-up into 2:00 or so. When the lyrical vocals finally come in at 2:07, it feels really profound somehow, like everything else up to that point was an attempt to say something as directly as you do at 2:07. The 4-count at the end was a bit cheesy, but also strangely meditative. You definitely broke the fourth wall with this one, Spoonman, and your raw, down-to-earth style has always been really compelling to me. Strong production and phrasing here, too. Thanks so much for participating in the NGADM this year! Been an absolute pleasure hearing your music (and I damn well intend on listening to plenty more of it after the competition, too). ^_^

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

[Wonder Of Heavens]

I like the dreamy sound design and tranquil mood at the beginning. The fade-in at the beginning threw me off a bit, though - sounds a bit unnatural for a piece like this. That said, the texture comes together really well by :18, and I love the melodies and crisp drums. The rhythmic content and progression are also good, and the organ riff at 1:10 hits the spot after a high-octane first minute of content. This piece is full of variety, and yet it’s so smooth-flowing. The production is also rather good, although at times I would’ve liked to hear a tad more of the drums in the mix. Still, you’ve thoroughly knocked this one out of the park, FJOB. Killer melodies, sound design, mixing, and beats here. Keep it up! ^_^

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
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

[Rediscovery (NGADM '23 R3)]

I like the majestic riff at the beginning and the gradual swell in energy and volume over the first minute of the piece. The melodies and sound design are beautiful as always with you, Papkee. The return to the pitter-patter piano riff at 1:15 or so was very gracefully phrased, and the middle section of the piece strikes a great balance between a sense of wonder and a sense of anticipation. The stop-start transition at 2:36 actually works rather well too, and the final climax at 2:42 is characteristically orgasmic. The mixing is not perfect here - I wanted to hear a bit more of the shakers during the final minute and more of the woodwinds in the places where they came in (:45, notably). Otherwise, this is a top-notch track, Papkee. By all means, keep it up! ^_^

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
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
9.75/10

[Lordant - Rain Elegy]

I like the dreamy arpeggios at the beginning and the rich bass line at :15. There’s a nice subtle sense of build into :34, and the texture fills in nicely by then as well. The piece has a really bright tone to it, and at times actually seems to be missing some frequencies in the lower register. I also feel like you didn’t quite release all of the tension that you built up in the piece over the first 1.5 minutes. Instead, by 1:45 the piece has descended into this eerie, meditative texture which suggests a lot of lingering tension, maybe even a transition into something more sinister-sounding. That said, I’m a steady admirer of your knack for phrasing and cinematic flair. Beautiful sound design and melodies as always, Lordant, and the production here is quite clean as well. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[A New Discovery]

I like the jumpy riff at the beginning and the atmosphere that comes in at :05. The airy guitar riff at :15 is super nice too, and overall the sound design and progression is distinctly “Beyond Our Eyes-style.” :D The melodic refrain at 1:05 is nice, and the compositional details here are pretty neat, like the descending line at 1:04. There are still long sections of this piece where the texture is mostly rhythmic in nature, especially early on. I really like the bridge at 2:21 with the prominent bass and added electronic elements. I feel like the piece is missing a climactic section towards the end to hit the piece home, and that at times the arrangement is a bit formulaic, with a lot of transitions made with quick drum fills as opposed to broader phrasing techniques. Despite the rich atmosphere, the mix holds up incredibly well, though. Really clean and well-balanced production here. Overall, this is a catchy and well-produced track with your trademark killer sound design. Keep it up, BOE! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
8.75/10

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Great appreciate the score and feedback as always! I do wanna revisit the ending of this song for sure and build it out more cinematically rather than it stop as abruptly as it does, I just ran out of time lol but Imma jump on it and make some other tweaks very soon!

[Hold The Candle ft. Ragga Twins]

Wow, been a while since I heard from you! I like the spacey atmosphere at the beginning and your characteristically crisp drums. The energetic vocals are engaging and fun, and the drop, while a little minimal, was catchy and well-varied. The arrangement is a little generic, but the production quality is especially good, and I like how you switch up the drop the second time around. Strong track, Spitfya! Hope to hear more of you on Newgrounds in the near future. ^_^