TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Writer's Block Anthem]

I like the chord progression and the vocals. Sometimes your enunciation on the consonants isn’t quite there (“write” at :06 sounds like “wry,” and “void” at 2:11 sounds like “voy”). At :20, the kick is a little weak, although I like the layered vocals a lot, and the saxophone solo at :35 was a nice touch. The hip-hop inspired hi-hats were a nice addition to the texture, too. The vocals get really buried in the mix at 2:25, though. I also think the piece needs more structuring - there are a lot of stop-start and sudden transitions, like 1:43 and 2:16. Overall, I commend you for trying something out that was outside of your usual style. The piece has a lot of strengths - it’s catchy and fun, topical, and the sound design is really strong. Keep at it, Ectisity. ;)

8/10   

[Zyzyx - Screw Physics]

I like the bouncy, upbeat vibe at the beginning. The melodic content is great, even though some of the synths sound a bit generic. The drop is really refreshing and smooth. The production quality is also rather strong, and you do a good job of using the entire frequency range throughout. I also like the breakdown section at 2:34 a lot - you have a decent amount of structural relief in this piece, even if the pacing is pretty fast. I thought the transition at 3:08 was a bit rough, and the ending is also a bit abrupt, but overall this piece is really flowing. Overall, really strong work here! Keep it up, DJ-zyzyx! ;)

9.5/10

[Jacques Melissa - Screw everything]

This is a catchy and fun piece. I think the first problem I noticed is that the texture sounds very thin - for example, at :09 the instrumental could just use a lot more fill. The mastering is actually pretty strong, but I think you could’ve used some pads or denser harmonies to eliminate some of the minimalism that pervades a lot of this piece. The piece is very repetitive after a while, and the comedic value of it doesn’t exactly convince me to take it seriously as a stand-alone composition. It also has an abrupt ending and, while the theme and mood are amusing, the instrumental doesn’t actually have a lot of moving notes. Overall, I liked it. I laughed. I had a good time. But I think you need to do a lot more with the composition in order to get full credit in the “melody/harmony/texture” category. Keep at it, Djhoneyb. ;)

7.5/10

Jakki responds:

thanks for the criticism! I'll keep your points in mind when I am doing more songs.

Also glad you laughed haha, it's supposed to have a little comical value, but certainly it isn't totally a joke song.

Cheers

[Courage]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The piece is rather slow to develop, but does a good job of utilizing the entire frequency range right off the bat. I like the dissonances at around :45 and the sense of climax into 1:07. The bass was a little overwhelming by around 1:40. I understand the effect of pumping the bass up is to lead into the energetic section at 2:08, but I thought it was a bit over-the-top. The injection of energy at 2:08 was cool, but the slow pacing didn’t exactly change there. I think you needed some stronger melodies earlier on in this piece, too. The sound design and production quality are quite admirable, though - the excessive bass was just a bit much. I like the tranquility at 5:15. You’ve really put a lot of emotion into this piece, which I appreciate a lot. That said, I didn’t think it needed to be so long or drawn out. I know you were going for a cinematic vibe, but without many prominent melodies or particular riffs, the composition didn’t quite come together for me. Overall, it’s a cool track that just needs a bit more work on the arrangement to hit it home. Keep at it, Cursedsnake! ;)

8.5/10

[Shades]

I like the air of mystery at the beginning. The pacing is a little slow, but the spacious nature of the texture during the first 30 seconds or so really helps spur on the apprehension. The transition at :59 could’ve been a bit smoother. I also think you might’ve overused the minimalism here a tad. The piano also sounds a bit indistinct at 1:43 - perhaps toning down the reverb would help give it some clarity. I think this piece is also lacking strong melodic content. The arpeggiated guitar riffs at around 2:15 don’t quite fulfill my melodic desires. I think the structure could also be a bit more cohesive - you don’t really keep the listener grounded in repeated sections very well. 3:31 was another rather jarring transition. I liked the distorted experimental noise 3:37, but I think you could’ve implemented it into the rest of the composition a lot better. Overall, there are a lot of cool ideas here, but I think you should try consolidating them a bit more. Production quality is strong overall, and you nailed the mood and atmosphere here. Keep at it, Azhthar! ;)

8.25/10

Azhthar responds:

Cool! Thanks a lot for the feedback! It is good to get these many different oppinions and I really appreciate all the work you people are doing by listening, judging and reviewing all these tracks.

It is funny how different the feedbacks from the different judges are. Also funny that you write the production quality is strong because I thought that´s the biggest flaw in this track. Johnfn liked the composition but heavily critizised the mixing. You liked the production but critizised the overuse of minimalism while FinnMK pointed out that my overambition ended in too much complexity, lol... I get your points, though ;)

You wrote about the lack of strong melodic content. I have to say I this is a bit complicated in this track. There is a melodic motiv which is varied a little all along the track (introduced in the solo piano part after the intro). The motiv is very simple and actually starts even more simple by repeating the same note (G). The G is quite important for this piece because it´s part of every chord, except in the part from 3:18 to 3:30, where the piece ironically shortly is transposed to G-mayor. You find the G all around and after that short solo piano part from 1:00 to 1:14 it is taken over by the bass which is continually playing the G under every chord until ~2mins, while the melodic motiv is now covering different notes. The part with the arpeggiated guitar you mention is (except the intro) the only part without melody in this track...

Sorry... I think straggled a bit :) For sure you are right that it isn´t very catchy, though, but more nerdy and making the piece a bit more congruent overall I guess ;)

[Wick3dRabbit - B.E.A.S.T (Original Mix)]

I like the grouchy bass at the beginning. Really cool sound design here. The piece is a little slow to progress, though. The drop at 1:00 was a little underwhelming - I think you overused the siren effects, and you still didn’t have any melodies or more flowing, legato content. The breakdown at 1:30 offered some much-needed structural relief, and the melodies at 1:45 were an appreciated change in the texture. I think the main thing you need to work on is filling in the texture - there are a lot of moments of minimalism in this piece that could use some more harmonic depth. I also thought the melody could use some more variation when you reintroduce in at 2:45. The mixing and mastering are solid, though. It’s an enjoyable piece, but I’d be careful not to overuse some of the effects/transitions here (siren sound, sweeps, etc.). Keep at it, Wick3dRabbit. ;)

8/10  

Wick3dRabbit responds:

Thanks! I'm currently making a better version of this, so i'll take everything you said into account :)

[Shimmer]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. It has a very dreamy and pensive vibe. Nice and spacious mix and good use of reverb during the first minute or so. It’s rather slow to progress, though, and by 1:20 or so I’m really itching for some more textural fill and melodic content. You have a good sense of harmony and flow, but the piece lacks a strong sense of direction sometimes, as the pacing is very slow. Instead of having a sense of continuity for long stretches of time, I’d suggest doing more with phrasing, dynamic contrast, and filtering. The mixing and mastering is pretty solid, and the sound design is refreshing. My main problem here is that the piece needs more shape and variety. Keep at it, Strykur! ;)

8/10

Lubloom responds:

Thanks man! I agree with what you said, I had quite a bit of creative block when making this so I didn't really know what to do with it. I'll take those suggestions on board!

[O Mysterium]

I like the air of mystery at the beginning. The high-pitched percussion sounded a tiny bit harsh. I’d suggest toning down the treble a bit. Overall, the sound design is really cool, though. The piece is a little slow to progress, but the melodic content at :33 is really refreshing and smooth. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals, tbh. They sounded really unnatural, and the pronunciation really betrays that (e.x.: “watuuuurr” at 1:17). The piece has a soothing flow, but I think you could’ve done a lot more to give it some shape and also flesh out the structure. The lyrics themselves are really good, and I love the melodies at 2:06. The atmosphere and sound design are probably your strongest assets here. The composition just needed a bit more variety in the energy and dynamics to keep me engaged. Keep at it, SleepFacingWest! ;)

8.25/10

[The Pursuit (NGUAC 2017)]

I like the funky vibe. The mix is a little quiet, but you clearly have your good sense of rhythm on display. The composition is what’s really lacking here, though. It just needed a stronger sense of direction, as well as some melodic content. You have some melodic content in there at the 1-minute mark, but it was so quiet - that’s a balancing problem that really constituted a missed opportunity IMO. I also thought you could’ve done a better job throughout the piece of using the higher end of the frequency range. Good start with the refreshing mood and instruments, but the underwhelming composition is really holding this piece back. Keep at it, Rekuiem! ;)

6.75/10

Rekuiem responds:

Thanks so much for the review and yea I totally agree with everything you say there, and well, not that I have an excuse but I really could have done a lot more with this. I'm glad that the underlying efforts were able to shine through despite many of the things that fell short on my end. I actually really wanted to lay down a lot more with it but I think I got too worked up into starting several different pieces at once that I deservedly missed the mark with this piece.

I plan to use all the feedback and overwhelmingly encouraging results of the contest and what I learned about time management as well as my strengths and weaknesses to begin producing some of the best content I have to date. Thank you so much for having me be a part of this experience.

1 love,
rek