TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radioactive Apocalypse]

I love the dark mood and the distorted vocals. The kick could be a bit stronger, but the sub-bass has a lot of punch, which is nice. Sound design is amusing. I especially like the wet, glitchy percussion that comes in at around 15 seconds from the end. I would've liked to hear it loop more smoothly, but excellent work with the atmosphere and mood nonetheless. Keep at it, LN! ;)

larrynachos responds:

Thanks TL!

[-Can't Sleep-]

I like the hollow-sounding pads and atmosphere. It sounds like restless sleep, all right. The rhythmic elements are cool, and the sound design is a huge plus. The lapse in energy at :50 helps give the piece a sense of ebb and flow, but the drum samples at that came in at around 1:10 weren't my favorite. It has a nice sense of atmosphere, but not much melodic content or distinct structuring to tie it together IMO. Has a strangely bright mood to it. I liked the bassy-er elements that came in at 2:35. You may have gone a little overboard with the reverb at times, but overall the mix isn't bad. Cool track for a background/ambient piece. Keep it up, Waterflame!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks for the feedback! :)

[How to Have a Perfect Day]

I like the comic appeal of the alarm at the beginning. The cheesy brass and bright, pop piano made me smile. This piece has a ton of character, and seems reminiscent of a 1980s sitcom. It gets a tad repetitive after a while, but I guess that's the point. The melodic content is great, and the mixing is fairly strong as well. Sometimes the mood changes are a little sudden, but I really liked the darker tone and the distorted drums at around 2:30. I also really like the harpsichord-sounding instrument you introduced later in the piece (3:50 and other places). Definitely feels conclusive and climactic by the end. I should check out that short story! Keep up the good work, man. ;)

Miyolophone responds:

Thank you for the review, TL! Glad you enjoyed!

[The Fall]

I like the atmospheric content at the beginning. Great use of the full frequency range and general glitchiness. Hearing Jordi’s voice was a fun surprise. The progression here is really interesting as well, while simultaneously maintaining its coherence. Tiny detail: it bothered me when the vocals cut off suddenly at 1:43. I would’ve at least let the reverb do the work there. Overall, the mixing and mastering are really strong, too. The section at 2:08 is my favorite part, though. You guys seamlessly integrated Jordi’s smooth vocals and the glitchy content that appeared earlier in the piece. The modulation toward the end helped up the ante. Very well-structured and engaging piece. Admittedly, I took pity on you guys when you only had 4 days to make a track, but I’m completely blown away. Really strong content here. Keep up the great work! ^_^

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

johnfn responds:

it's funny you liked 2:08. i liked it personally but I rememeber almost deleting it entirely at the last minute because i thought everyone else would think it was garbage =P =P

ty for the review(s) :D

EDIT: great, now 1:43 is going to annoy me forever