TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Psybot - Enhanced]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the atmospheric ornaments. The first minute or so is a little generic, and the beat could use a little more creativity. I liked it better after the synths started to fade in at :50 or so. The melodic content at 1:00 is enjoyable, and the tranquil section at 1:35 was really smooth and pretty. I wasn't a huge fan of your clap sample - sounded a bit cliché - but you did a good job of transition back into the melodic section at 2:45. One of the strongest elements of the piece is the mastering, though - everything blends really well, and sounds clear and crisp in the mix. The piece comes together really well with the final melodies at 4:05. I think the composition here is a fair bit stronger than the last piece I reviewed. Keep up the good work, Psybot! ^^

Psybot responds:

Wow! Thanks alot for the review! I think I went for the cliche style because I wanted to get a better grip on the mastering of the song. Hopefully I will get a better touch of my own style at the next project. I love these reviews! I would really love to hear what you think of my next piece. :)

[Psybot - first trial]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the sense of climax into :20. I think your mixing has improved a lot since when you posted more regularly. The chord progression is a little cliché, as is the sound design, despite the refreshing mood and atmosphere. The breakdown at 1:45 was good for some structural relief, but I think there could be a lot more variety in the composition overall. The track has a good sense of finality by around 2:30. Cool track! ;)

[NGADM 2017 Quarterfinals Podcast]

Aha! Instantly recognized Finn's piece from last round. The vocals got a little distracting, though. I think it would've been best to ask him to send you a version without the vocals. Thanks again for the shout-out, haha. Well-produced podcast, though. Good balance between the music and talking, despite the distracting vocals. The other piece that pops in at about 4:40 was also a good fit for the podcast. Also, tiny detail: I suspect McGorilla is pronounced "emcee gorilla," but I'm not entirely sure. I'd certainly be curious to see @McGorilla42 clarify this. Regardless, happy to see these podcasts live on! Looking forward to the next round of pieces. ^^

ChronoNomad responds:

Aw, yeah! Well, this continues to be a rather spur of the moment thing, and getting it all nailed down in a single sitting is my goal. That said, just sitting and waiting for a response, let alone any actual music just isn't my style.

Interestingly enough, my initial thought was actually to use Battle Born by bassfiddlejones & joshgawaldomusic, mostly because it has a really nice Audio Deathmatch vibe, but since that's not even available for download and I don't feel like waiting for goodness knows how long for a possible green-light, I figured I'd just move ahead with another amazing track that actually WAS available!

So I took Finn's Lavender Air Balloon track and relegated the volume to what I believe is a very doable 20%. While I know just what you're saying about the vocals being a bit distracting, hey--maybe it will inspire people to listen more than once to get the full effect! Nothing wrong with that.

Oh, and regarding the pronunciation of McGorilla42, I asked him about that over Discord a while back. Rather surprisingly, it's not actually "emcee," which gives him something of an edge when there are already so many folks named MC this and DJ that in the Audio Portal. Fun little factoid.

Thanks again for listening, and I really appreciate your feedback! I personally feel that this is my best podcast yet, but finding that elusive "perfect balance" between talk and music is an ongoing journey. Also really happy to hear that you enjoyed my little podcast filler jam and found it to be a good fit.

Viva la Podcast!

[Anki & Kabuki - Come Alive]

I love the relaxed vibes at the beginning and the vocals at around :18 - the intro sets the mood really nicely. Great sense of atmosphere, and I like the cute melodies at around :35. Nice job with the climax into 1:17, even if the intro was a bit dragged out. Production quality is really strong here, and the melodies are quite enjoyable as well. I liked the fun breaks at around the 3-minute mark, but I think you overdid them a bit to the point that the piece lost its flow. Overall, really solid track though. Keep up the good work! ^^

[Creo - Dimension]

Fun sax solo, which in turn blends well with the pensive synth patterns. Like the pulsing texture at :36. I think you could've done a little more to highlight the melodies in the sax at around the 1-minute mark, but you certainly kept the energy up. Composition could've been a bit more creative too, but overall I like it. Pretty cool sound design and solid production quality. Keep at it, man! ^^

[Colour in Greyness]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning, and the rain FX is a plus. The thin-sounding synths at around :35 were a nice touch. By around 1:15, the mix doesn’t feel quite as spacious as it could. You might want some stricter equalizing or perhaps just reworked volume levels, because the pads and FX overwhelm the moving notes until around 1:45, and I think you could’ve done more with the melodies at that. There are some cool rhythmic elements to the piece at around the 2-minute mark, and the minimalism there works well to offer some structural relief. It’s a really cool piece overall. The sound design and atmosphere are amazing, and overall the structure and flow are good too. I think my main problem here is that you could’ve done a bit more with the composition - there’s a lot of tension built up in this piece, and it never really has an emotional height to hit it home. That said, I thought your combination of ambient and DnB was really creative. Definitely gets full credit for atmosphere and originality. Keep it up, Adjeye. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Invisible Magic]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning, and the chimes were a nice touch. The soothing vibe and warm texture are both huge boons. I think the pacing is a little slow, and you may have overdone the reverb on the vocals a tad. I commend you for avoiding 4/4 time. I think you could’ve done a better job of leading into the section at 1:45. The sudden injection of energy there needed some priming. Nice job creating a sense of climax into 2:24, but I still think the pacing is off a bit. The vocals are delivered really rapidly during the entire second half, whereas the entire first half moved by much slower. Perhaps I would’ve liked to see you integrate these two textural details to give the piece a more interesting shape. That said, I think the devil truly is only in the details with this one. You’ve made another feel-good, well-mastered track here, Finn. Nice work! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

FinnMK responds:

Thanks for the tips!

[Osman - "Power! Rushing Burstman!" (NGADM)]

The texture at the beginning feels a little too busy, and the piece kinda throws the listener into the middle of the action without much of a proper intro. I also thought the transition at :31 could’ve been smoother. There are a lot of good ideas here, between the instrumentation, melodies, and rhythmic elements. I just think the pacing could’ve been a bit slower so that all of the rapid changes (1:21, 2:15, 2:25, etc.) didn’t seem as jarring. Between the beat and the frantic melodies, the texture was pretty overwhelming for most of the piece. It’s certainly a fun piece with a lot of creative ideas, but the arrangement could use a little more nuance and shape to keep the listener grounded. Overall solid work! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Jealousy]

I like the beat at the beginning. Super catchy stuff. The guitar sounds a little thin, and might need a bit more reverb, but overall the texture is really refreshing and cathartic. I love the bass solo at 1:16, and the vocals are really smooth as always. I appreciated the structural contrast at 2:17, and you lead into the final refrain really well. This is a smooth-flowing, well-produced, well-structured, and catchy piece with a fun, upbeat vibe. I personally didn’t notice any crackles or pops, and I commend you for undergoing the extended time and effort to eliminate them. Really strong work here, man. Keep it up!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
2/2
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
9.75/10

[-Dark Matter-]

Cool instrumentation and quite catchy from the beginning. I think you overuse the sweeps a bit, especially in the first minute, and the mix has a few too many lows. I was really itching for some melodic content by around 1:30, and those melodies at 1:37 were enjoyable. I think you tried to do a little too much rhythmically during that section - the bass line and melody at 1:37 got it each other’s way a bit. I also think you could’ve done more to give this piece a sense of climax and resolve at the end. You kinda defaulted to those bassy breaks at 2:58, and they didn’t make for a very conclusive coda IMO. Overall, though, this piece is really catchy and enjoyable. As always, your sound design and mastering are really good. Keep it up, ThaPredator! ;)

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