TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Youtube Intro]

The build-up is pretty cool, and the vocal sample fits in well. The synths and drums are both rather generic. If you're going to use presets, I'd suggest at least modifying them. Production-wise, the drums are really quiet. Usually you want to have the snare be louder than your synths, even during the drop. Besides that, it's just too short! I'd love to see you expand on this, maybe with some more treble-range instruments. Keep at it, man. ;)

[-Meltdown-]

Very smooth-flowing yet energetic track. The atmosphere is great, and I love the seamless transitions between more melodic and rhythmic content. The vocal samples at around 3 minutes in were a nice touch, and the texture is nice and full throughout. The creepy popping sounds at the very end are also amusing. I can certainly see the resemblance to Radioactive, but at the same time you've progressed so much stylistically since then, which also shows. I think the piece is a little long, but at the same time is very catchy and engaging throughout. Keep up the good work, Waterflame! ^^

Waterflame responds:

Thank you for the input as always! :D Taking it with me. Thank you so much!

[C'mon, Girl]

Really catchy piece, guys. The sample at the very beginning wasn’t my favorite. It just sounded a tad unpolished and didn’t fit the context of the next section very well. The drop is probably my favorite part of the song. You really display your rhythmic talents, and Jordi’s vocals are a huge addition to the texture. That said, I think the lyrics are pretty cliche. The solo during the breakdown was great. Obviously, your melodies have remained fantastic for the duration of the competition. You also didn’t add a ton of novel content to the piece during the second half. I noticed you incorporated some of the vocals from “After the Rain” at the very end to try to take it in a more interesting direction, but it seemed a little forced to me. Overall, the production quality is rather strong as usual, and the piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing. As usual, there’s a cool sound design here too. Guys, you’ve accomplished an amazing amount of great work over the course of this competition. Congratulations and keep it up! :D

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

johnfn responds:

<3　

[We Are Heroes]

I really like the relaxed guitars at the beginning and how the intensity builds over the course of the intro. The drums are really loud and crisp, and the vocals are strong as always, although it seemed like you were a bit too forceful/breathless at the “I’ve got a special kind of way” line. I love the thematic elements of the piece - the tie-ins to superhero lore, the narrative implied by the lyrics, etc. It also connects with relatable, real-life scenarios very well. Finding out that the “arch nemesis” was really just your girlfriend’s boss was very amusing. I also couldn’t help but think that some of the lyrics really spoke to the NGADM: “this is the final fight,” etc. The production quality is great. The instrumentation is also strong here, but not quite as well-varied as in some of your other tracks. There also wasn’t a ton of variety in the structure of the song. The bridge was a little short-lived, and I would’ve loved to see you go for something a bit riskier, like a passionate guitar solo or the addition of a new element to the texture. Still, this piece is really strong overall. I like the relatively abrupt ending, too, as if the fantasy of being a hero was suddenly interrupted. Finn, you’ve put an amazing amount of effort into this competition. Congratulations on your hard work and achievement! :’D

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

FinnMK responds:

Thanks a bunch! All good comments and feedback.

[EDM Samurai - Broken Mirror [Nirimi Remix]]

Sounds like house all right. ;) It's a catchy and fun piece, and the risers are cool. I think some of the synths are a little generic, especially the lead, but you're right about one thing: your mixing has improved a lot. The only thing that stuck out to me is you might want to take a tad bit of treble off of the lead - it was just a little grating in the higher register. Besides that, I think you could've used some more creative transitions and variety in the composition. The entire piece is essentially a series of variations on the same riff, and the second half of the piece doesn't really add much more new content. I'd encourage you to try to mimic the structure of your favorite tracks to see if you can give the piece a little more shape (calm moments with less texture, dramatic emotional heights, and everything in between). Overall, though, you're definitely on the right track. Keep at it, man! ^^

RobinvanDommelen responds:

Thank you so much man! I will definitely try my best to keep getting better :D

[Chapter II: Believe]

I like the soothing atmospheric vibes at the beginning, the pulsing strings that come in shortly after, and the soulful vocals. The pacing is a little slow, but the first section with the lyrics has a great emotional appeal. The instrumental is pretty light, and perhaps could’ve used some more fill in the higher frequencies, but the production quality is very strong. The vocals make the piece sound very intimate and personal, which is a huge plus. I really feel like you’re speaking directly to me throughout the piece. The vocal harmonies are beautiful, and you do a fantastic job of using your voice to channel the emotion of the piece. I like how the piece comes full-circle with the piano at the end. Structurally, I feel like the piece completely took me on a journey without sacrificing much in the way of coherence. Overall, this is an enormously strong piece that’ll be hard to beat. Downloaded and fave’d. Keep up the great work, Jordi! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

[Oh Mama Hey!]

I like the fun, organic feel. The piano that comes in at around :10 is very bright and upbeat, yet seemed to be slightly out-of-tune, unfortunately, unless my ears betray me. That said, it almost fit with the down-to-earth, campfire sing-a-long vibe of the piece. The lyrics are amusing and light-hearted, and the production quality is really strong. It was absolutely fantastic to see you express so much of your upbringing and heritage in the song, too. If I had to complain about one thing, it was that you didn’t do anything particularly interesting with the piece after the bridge. It still comes together pretty nicely, but at this stage of the competition the last refrain sounding exactly the same as the others seems a tad underwhelming. But allow me to put that last comment into perspective: this piece is still a wonderful achievement that makes me want to call my mother right away. Keep up the good work, Finn!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

FinnMK responds:

I detuned the piano on purpose! I liked the feel of it.
That's a good point about the last refrain. I'll make sure to keep things fresh for the grand finale...

[Fires]

You really told a story with this one. The synth at the beginning had a bit too much reverb, though, and didn’t seem quite polished. I like the lyrics, especially during the verses, but I think that intro synth is a tad distracting. Still, it works well for the post-chorus. I also think the chord progression is still cliche and the instrumental as a whole lacks variety. Structurally, the piece is well done, but I also think the ending came on a bit suddenly. It’s not your strongest piece, but let’s put things into perspective: the mixing and mastering are very good as usual, and your vocal performance is one of your strongest IMO. Unfortunately, where you lost a lot of points is for originality. The chord progressions, synths, and even the vocal themes (“fire”) stood out as pretty cliche. Overall, I like this track. It’s catchy, fun, and the vocals (which I recall harshly criticizing in past rounds) are much improved. Keep at it, Steelside. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Dreamworld]

I like the funky guitar synth at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, and you may have gone a little overboard on the reverb. The mix is pretty clean overall, and I really like the solo at around ⅖ of the way through (RIP time counter). One thing that bothers me about the piece is the lack of structural cohesion. It seems like you tried to take the piece in a very different every 30 seconds or so, and the entrance of the main melody again after the bridge was not very subtle TBH. I also thought the chord progression was a little cliche. The ending comes together well, though, and the “last hurrah” guitar riff was both extremely amusing and entirely unnecessary IMO. I’ve been tough on you here, but there’s no denying that the killer melodies, spacey atmosphere, and sound design carry this piece. That's not a bad thing, though - you guys are really good at killer melodies, spacey atmosphere, and sound design. Keep up the good work! ^^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Happy Birthday BlueOceans!]

I love that you guys did this for BO. Rather traditional rendition of the birthday song, but the ritardando at the end and the emotional qualities of the track were executed perfectly. Excellent vocals as always, Jordi, and excellent pianicizing as always, Ale. Also, @Johnfn's birthday is coming up in February if you're so inclined. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I've done my fair share of untraditional renditions, so I wanted to do a normal one for once. Naturally, with the twist of asking Jordi to help me turn it into something actually worth dedicating for BO's birthday ;)
I like how you say coming up, and it's like 4 months there :'D
We shall see what happens when the date closes in :3

Thanks for listening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!