TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mystical Flight]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning. The arpeggiated piano is a bit of a cliche, and your vocal and string samples weren’t my favorite. The piece has a good sense of climax int :32. I like the cinematic vibe and constant sense of direction of the piece. The melodic content is gorgeous - sounds very victorious. The low percussion at 1:45 or so sounds a bit indistinct, but overall I thought you did a good job of keeping the texture full and providing a good balance of frequencies. The pacing of the piece is a little fast-paced, and I would’ve liked to see you flesh it out a little more, but at the same time I don’t think I can complain much about the composition in general. Enjoyable piece overall. Keep it up, CloakedSoup! ;)

9/10

[Myriad (Original Mix)]

I like the atmospheric fade-in. I would’ve liked the drums to be a bit more up-front in the mix, though, and several of your synths are a little generic. The drop at the 1-minute mark didn’t add a ton of new compositional elements to the piece, which was a little disappointing. You’re good at giving the piece a sense of direction and flow, but there’s very little variety in the instrumentation and chord progression, giving the piece a rather repetitive and stagnant feel nonetheless. The melodic content is pretty enjoyable, but it’s also very heavily grounded in the chords and arpeggiated in places. Overall, the piece comes across as pretty unoriginal, which is probably my main concern in general. It’s catchy and well-reverberated, but the composition was pretty lack-luster. Based on other tracks I’ve heard of yours, I don’t think this is your best work, but I’d encourage you to keep working on it. ;)  Good luck, Kaixomusic!

7.5/10

KaixoMusic responds:

Yeah, I had to make this on a Laptop with headphones while in France... not something I usually do, the challenge was fun but I had a hard time making progress because I wasn't used to the workspace... I totally agree with your review, this song lacks a lot of things, but that more because I was kinda in a hurry because of the holidays, good luck in the next rounds. I will try again next year :D

[Identify]

The riff at the beginning is really catchy, but I think the synth you used sounds a bit unpolished and generic. You could’ve used a smoother transition into :12, and the snare sounds a bit thin here. You also have some rough transitions at :49, 1:14, 1:26, 3:31, etc. I like the more laid-back vibe at 1:14, although the sub-bass is a little overpowering. The part at 2:05 was great for some structural relief, and I appreciated the strong melodic content at 2:23 - a long time coming, those powerful melodies. Overall, the production quality is clean, and I’ve always appreciated how crisp and clear the drums are in your music. The piece has an A-B-A form overall, but the most climactic and cathartic section is the B section, which I found a little off-putting. You also don’t do a lot with the second A section that you didn’t do in the first one. Overall, I think my most pressing complaint is the connectivity in this piece. I’d encourage you to try using more drum fills, dynamic contrast, phrasing, and automation to make the flow of your piece smoother. Right now, the structuring is a bit choppy. Overall, though, strong work with the production, catchiness, and mood. Keep at it, Metallica1136! ;)

8/10   

[f o v e a - 3]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The percussion that started fading in at around :20 was interesting, and the filtering and other effects really add a lot of character to this piece. A couple of your drum samples sound a little generic, especially the clap. I was really itching for some more melodic content by around 1:30, and it finally came at around the 2-minute mark. Overall, the sound design is really cool here, and the experimental nature of the texture is enjoyable. That said, I think you’ve really sacrificed some harmonic depth and other compositional strengths for the purpose of a bunch of really subtle details. The subtle details are really cool - whatever that puttering effect is in the background at 2:44 made me smile - but the piece still feels pretty repetitive, which isn’t helped by the slow pacing. Still, this is a strong effort in terms of atmosphere/mood/sound design. Keep at it, Midimachine!

8/10

[Monstrous]

I like the angry tension at the beginning. The innovative use of percussion is impressive. The sound design is rather impressive, and the melodic content at :58 also adds a lot to the piece. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to follow the structure, which detracts from my enjoyment of the piece. Overall, the piece doesn’t seem very cohesive arrangement-wise. I’m also concerned by the lack of melodic content later in the piece, as well as that there’s no obvious sense of conclusion or resolve until the second-to-last note. The level of originality is excellent, but I think the composition needs more fleshing out. You may also need to consolidate your ideas to give the listener a coherent experience. Nevertheless, I remain congratulatory of your unique sound design, use of rhythm, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Demon-Wolf!

8.25/10  

[Refract]

It’s a little rhythmically hard-to-follow at the beginning, but I like the quirky instruments and atmosphere. The mixing is strong overall, but I wish the snare was a bit more up-front. I think you nailed the sound design - it’s so refreshing and quaint. The transition at 1:49 was a little sudden, and I couldn’t help but notice that you use reverb to fill in the texture instead of harmonic depth for large swaths of the piece. The transition starting at 2:20 was really cool, though - I like how it foreshadows the really frantic section at 2:32. The piece comes together really well thematically, although 3:45 was another less-than-smooth transition. Overall, I’m really impressed with the level of originality and the mood, atmosphere, and instruments. Keep up the good work, Garlagan! ;)

9.25/10

garlagan responds:

you really care about transitions! (i do too though -- and it's what i gotta work on the most probably rn). thanks a lot for the feedback TL! <3

[Clear Skies]

I like the atmospheric beginning. The progression is pretty slow, and goes in a rather unexpected direction with the chords at :34. The mix is pretty spacious and well-reverberated. The kick also has a lot of treble, though, and the transition at 2:12 was a bit lazy. There isn’t a lot of strong melodic content in this piece, which is a huge problem. The melodic content that is there is very heavily grounded in the chords, arpeggiated, and rhythmically repetitive. In general, the composition needs more variety, flavor, and a stronger sense of direction for much of the piece. I’d say my main problem here is the lack-luster composition. It’s a smooth-flowing piece with a cool atmosphere, but it just needed more harmonic depth and melodic development.

7.25/10

5TanLey responds:

k thanks for your words :)

[Lavender Air Balloon]

I like the thick texture at :03, and the cathartic guitar riff at :23. The vocals are really refreshing and uplifting. During the verses, the constant call-and-response between the piano/vocal sections and the instrumental guitar sections is a little much, though - it just changes the texture drastically at very short intervals. The acoustic guitar solo at 2:30 was a great touch, though - it really cements the overarching tranquility of this piece. I also like the low register of the vocals at 2:52. It both complements the texture, allows space for contrast at 3:20, and also sounds quite sexy. The minimalism at 3:47 was a little unexpected, but works really well in giving the piece a little bit of spacing going into the final refrain. The refrain itself might’ve needed a bit more development (as it’s the final chorus in a relatively long piece), but overall this is really admirable work. I think this might be your strongest work yet in this competition. By all means, keep it up! :D

9.75/10

FinnMK responds:

Thanks for the tips, and will do.