TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Stuck with me]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The sound design is great, as is the groovy bass line. The vocals at :28 sound soothing and conversational in tone, but also could’ve been more up-front in the mix. It also sounds like some of the articulations on the notes are a little odd, almost like you aren’t staying a consistent distance away from the mic when you record. “I just WIISH we cOOUUld,” etc. Honestly, it’s a fine line between being expressive and being campy with this sort of thing for me. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty small detail.

The guitar solo at 1:05 is really refreshing and blissful-sounding, and one of my favorite parts of the piece is the second half of the vocal bridge at 2:02. I thought the vocals sounded a bit mumbly and strained at 1:55, though - working on breath control would be a good next step for you.

Overall, really nice work with the moody vibe, rich atmosphere, instrumentation, clean mix, and progression here, Xehao! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC again this year. Been a pleasure having you! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[X3ll3n - Bring Out the Flame (NGUAC Finals 2023)]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning, although the rhythm is a bit square. Reminds me of some of ErikMcClure’s stuff, actually. The buildup into :32 is nice, although the drums at the drop are very soft in the mix. The melodic breakdown at :54 is pretty cool, and I also like the energetic bridge at 1:18, although the lead synth there also sounded a bit distorted in the mix. The arrangement and chord progression here are pretty generic here, and I would’ve liked to hear more variety towards the end of the piece. The added harmonies at 2:13 are barely audible, and overall I felt like you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here. Still, I enjoyed the sound design, progression, and melodies, and it’s been an absolute pleasure having you in the NGUAC again this year, X3LL3N! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

X3LL3N responds:

Thanks ! I will try to do better next year if I qualify ^^

[Aag Ka Gola]

I like the eastern-sounding stringed instruments and percussion at the beginning. The rhythmic content and the little swells in the texture are really nice, too. The one at :34 sounds a tad unnatural, although by the time the piece gets really sub bass-heavy shortly thereafter, it’s clear you’re going in a more electronic direction with the piece. The drop/chorus section at :35 is pretty minimal and repetitive, though, and the pitch automations on the vocals struck me as a bit cheesy. I think it would’ve helped if you had built a richer atmosphere around the vocals and focused on blending and harmonic depth a little more. The vocal chops are pretty cool, but I feel shouldn’t be the main thing going on for so much of the piece, especially the last minute or so. Overall, I’d love to see you go back into the studio with this one and flesh out the composition a little more. The sound design has a lot of potential, and I know you’re a really talented producer, but I’m not sure you’re maximizing impact with this particular arrangement yet. Still, thanks for coming out to the NGUAC as always, Walpang! It’s been a pleasure hearing so much of your stuff this summer. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Dragonslayer]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning and the crisp beats at :16. Feels very cinematic and apprehensive. Haha, I recognize SamuraiOwl’s downright demonic vocals from last year too. The heavy breaks at :48 sound delicious, and I also like when you go in a more atmospheric direction at 1:12. The vocals at 1:39 sound a bit over-processed IMO, but the uplifting and triumphant mood certainly fit the narrative arc of the piece well. The drop at 2:15 or so has some harsh-sounding tones in the upper register that I thought could’ve been smoothed out a bit, and the transition into 2:32 was a bit abrupt. The blissful part with the strong beat at the end hit the piece home nicely, but the transition into it at 2:58 also could’ve been smoother. Overall, I really like the production quality, mood, rhythmic content, and variety here, but the arrangement feels a tad disjointed and the sound design could use a tad more polish. Still, this is a really catchy track with some great storytelling attributes. Keep at it, VFG! Pleasure to have you in the NGUAC as always. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

SamuraiOwl responds:

im demonic :)

[xX FIND MY CURE Xx]

I like the graceful piano line at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The vocals at :20 blend into the texture well, but could also use a bit of a boost in the mix. The piece is a little slow to progress, and could use some drums or something to give it a sense of drive. I also think the lyrics are a bit generic and uninspired at times, but I really enjoyed the transition into the drop at 1:22 and the frantic energy there. The bass may be a tad loud, especially compared to the drums, and the transition back into the twinkly piano line at 2:01 was a bit abrupt. The vocals strike me as particularly heartfelt at the verse at 2:11, and I like the articulation and rhyme scheme too. The part at 2:33 is another one where I think the vocals needed to be more up-front. Scaling back on the reverb on the guitar might help a tad, but some compression and pushing up the upper-mid tones in the EQ might also do the trick. The second drop could’ve been switched up a little more compared to the first one, but it still helps hit the piece home nicely. Really solid work overall, TheNewAge! Congratulations on your success in this competition, too. Been a pleasure listening to all of your tracks these past couple of months. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

IrisStar responds:

Thank you so much!! I cannot believe I made it this far, and the constructive criticism helps so much!

[SUNSCREECH - rebirth]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The distorted vocals definitely contribute to the creepy mood. The texture might need some thickening up at times to keep me engaged, especially during the first 1.5 minutes or so, but I did enjoy the swell into :52 and the airy piano riff at 1:17. The transition at 1:43 was surprisingly smooth considering what a rapid shift in the texture it is. The pacing of the piece is still rather slow, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth to balance out the gritty rhythmic content, but the mixing is impressive and the progression feels downright cinematic. If there’s one particularly jarring transition here, it’s at 2:55, although I feel like a drum fill or brief flourish would smooth it over more. I also enjoyed the climax into 3:47 and the return of the piano at 4:00. The skin-crawling wall of sound at 4:33 caught me by surprise a bit, but in retrospect you foreshadowed it well. Overall, I think the arrangement here is a bit disjointed, and the composition could be more well-rounded, but you absolutely told a story with this one, and I have a lot of respect for that. Sound design and production are very good as well. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, SUNSCREECH! Been a pleasure having you. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[FACUNDO GARDIOL - Summer Fan ( Glitch Hop )]

I like the glitchy effects at the beginning and the blissful synths at :08. The mix is really loud and punchy, and the texture feels nice and full and well-balanced at :17. The melodies at :34 are really cutesy and fun, and you use the vocal samples well too. The rhythmic content of the piece absolutely rocks throughout, and the progression is smooth too. Some parts sound a tad over-compressed, like at 1:45 - very heavy sidechaining there. I also think you could’ve done more to offer some contrast in the energy levels. Seems like everything here that doesn’t have a really strong beat is a build-up leading into one. Aspects of the sound design are a bit generic, and later on the main harmonic riffs could use some more variation as well. All of that said, you absolutely nailed the production quality, upbeat mood, melodies, and arrangement of the piece. Seriously catchy and well-mastered content here, Spirali. And thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year - been an absolute pleasure hearing your stuff. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

SPIRALi responds:

I love you!

[When it’s over (the bright future)]

I like the catchy beat at the beginning, although the claps at :03 really duck in and out of the mix with the atmosphere. Most of the rest of the sound design is really nice, though, and I’m also enjoying the rhythmic content. The peppy synth at :42 is great, as is the dreamy pad sequence at :55. Overall, the piece is very smooth-flowing, but also doesn’t really feel structurally complete. With a little more effort, it could make for a good loop, but it still could be a lot more dynamic and variational within these 97 seconds. Still, I love the danceability and the instrumentation here. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, Sirbru! Been a pleasure having you. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[Obsidian Knight]

I like the cutesy synths at the beginning and the bassy atmosphere at :05. The rhythmic content is good, although the mix is a bit bottom-heavy throughout. Sounds like there’s some reverb on the bass too (or maybe it’s just extra juicy?). Either way, I’m tempted to say the sub takes up a bit too much of the mix. Getting serious Halloween-ish vibes from this. I like the sassy main synth riff, but I would’ve liked to see it get a boost in the mix, and maybe transposed up an octave or two just as a counterweight to the rest of the texture. The piece also gets rather repetitive after a while. It would certainly make for a good video game soundtrack, though. Overall, maybe not your best work, but I appreciate the risk-taking with the experimental texture and lo-fi mix. Been an absolute pleasure having you in the contest this year, Sednova! Best of luck with your future projects. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[The Depths]

I like the eerie piano riff at the beginning. The texture sounds a bit minimal at first, and could at least use some more reverb or something to fill out the atmosphere. The snare sample is not my favorite, but the other sound design choices are nice. There’s a good sense of build-up into 1:03, but it ended up being a bit anticlimactic given the quirky synth riffs at 1:04. That said, I like the drop at 1:18 and the hip-hop-inspired drums at 1:50. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of the piece is how often you switch up the drum pattern. That’s an underrated way of creating variety, and you do it a lot here. That said, the mix sounds a bit over-compressed at times, and I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in the harmonic content, especially later on in the piece. I like the rich pads and grouchy bass during the last refrain at 3:30, though - that was a good way of hitting the piece home. The powerful chords and tempo automation during the outro were nice touches as well. Overall, I enjoyed the sound design, progression, rhythmic content, and compositional details here, but the production could’ve been a bit tighter and more organic-sounding, and the harmonies needed a tad more variety. Still, this piece is seriously catchy and fun - thanks for coming out to the NGUAC this year, Rici! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10