TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[G035]

I like the energy and thick texture at the beginning. Cool use of frantic rhythmic elements at around :25, and the piano melodies at :33 are nice too. I’d encourage you to bring the piano line a bit further front in the mix, though, as the low chord is clearly a secondary harmony there. The loop is smooth, but this piece still isn’t structurally complete, which is my main problem here. You simply need to do more with the composition before I can properly judge things like structure, variety, and phrasing. I do like what I’ve heard here, though. Keep at it, EverReverb. ;)

7.5/10

AED4 responds:

I don't know how this review slipped from me. Thank you for in-depth review TL, as always ^^

[endK - Sunflowers & Ants]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The instrumentation is interesting - the instrument you used for the chords was pretty bizarre, yet fit with the texture rather well. I like the melodic content a lot too. The drums are seriously weak, though. I can barely hear the kick, and the snare could be a lot crisper and clearer. I’d definitely invest in some compression at the very least. You could also layer on another kick drum to make it sound more distinct - often a good idea in energetic piece like this IMO. Still, the quirky instruments and cute mood really won me over here. You have a good sense of harmony and structuring, too. Keep at it, EndKashika! ;)

8.5/10

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for one more review TaintedLogic! Really appreciate it.
I didn't want the drums to stand out in this one, eventhough I hear the kick nicely oO (been reuploading the song for a couple of times).
Snare could be crisper, I agree with that one.
Thanks for advices and compliments once more. :)
Cheers!

[ELEPS - ZOMBAESTING (DUBSTEP)]

I like the energy and pulsing vibe at the beginning. The instrumentation here is not my favorite, though. A lot of these synths sound really unpolished and basic, like they’re straight out of 3xOsc. The melodic content and progression is cool, though, and the mix is really loud and crisp. The sub-bass was a nice touch, too. The production quality is strong. I think the drop drags on for a bit long, though (:51 - 1:42) - the structure has a bit of a stagnant feel after a while. I’d strongly encourage you to find more creative ways of creating variety besides adding and subtracting instruments over time. Dynamic contrast, phrasing, filtering, and automations will really help you take your compositions to the next level. Right now, the structure sounds rather formulaic and cyclical, which is a problem. At the very least, I’d encourage you to incorporate a breakdown or bridge where you strip away the beat and energy for a while. Pieces that have constant energy often fail to stay engaging (although this piece isn’t long, that’s still a problem you need to address). Still, it’s a really catchy piece with a fun mood and strong mastering. Keep at it, ELEPS44! ;)

7.5/10

[Salsa Man]

I like the percussion at the beginning. The mix is very loud and punchy. Great instrumentation and mood/theme. The chords at 1:00 are clearly heavily compressed and/or sidechained, which gave them a bit of an unnatural-sounding pulse. I also thought the transition at 1:30 was quite abrupt. You really overused the “salsa” vocal sample after a while, too. The “hey” vocals toward the end didn’t add much to the piece IMO - perhaps they could’ve worked better if you had introduced them earlier. I liked the trumpet solo at 1:45, though. Overall, the composition/structuring seem a bit formulaic and cyclical, but you won me over with the fun mood and atmosphere. Keep at it, Dukebartje. ;)

7.5/10

[These Dreams Are Yours]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the pads in the background. I think there’s a little bit of distortion in the lows after a while - by around :30 the low percussion sounds a bit indistinct. I like the intelligent string riff there, though. The progression and harmonies are solid here. The section at 1:14 was really interesting - nice job creating some structural contrast. And then the melody at 1:27 was gorgeous. I really like the climactic feel at 2:12, too. Very bright and dreamy. That’s another section where the mix sounds quite strained, though. I think you may need to be a bit stricter with the equalization. I also wish you varied the melodies a bit more, as they are pretty simplistic. The ending was a bit lazily done. Still, this is a rather strong piece. You won me over with the mood, atmosphere, and instruments. Keep at it, Densle! ;)

8.75/10  

Densle responds:

Thank you very much for the critique!

[Tropicool (NGUAC KO 2017)]

I like the bright piano and atmosphere at the beginning. It may be a little slow to progress during the first minute or so, by around :45 I’m loving the dense harmonies and sub-bass. Excellent job with the structuring here - you channel the energy really well, so that the melodies at the 1-minute mark hit like a wave of euphoria. I think that lead synth is a little generic, but I liked the re-intro at 1:45. Melodies at 2:15 are strong too. The piece gets a little repetitive by the end, but I enjoyed the harmonies you threw in at the 3-minute mark. The melody at 3:28 seemed a little out-of-the-blue, yet it still has the warm dreamy vibe of the rest of the piece. Overall, this is solid work. Probably the strongest mix I’ve seen so far this round. Keep it up, Death2go! ;)

8.75/10

death2go responds:

Thanks! I understand its a bit repetitive, it was originally going to try and add more unique melodies and such, but time started to grow short, i began to rush, leaving some ideas out of the track, supposed this wouldve done better if i didnt have to deal with personal things, but i guess i cannot change that! Thank you for the info, ill be sure to apply some of the things you gave me in future tracks!

[Unhoned [NGUAC]]

I like the atmospheric sound effects at the beginning, but the pause at :02 was a bit awkward. I think you could make the piece sound a little less experimental and jarring with some reverb and more careful pacing. You also needed some more concrete melodies. The synth at :40 began to accomplish that goal, but the stumbly rhythm didn’t make it particularly memorable. The piece is also rather minimalistic throughout. I also didn’t hear much in the way of coherence or structuring that tied the piece together. Overall, you have some good ideas here but I think you went a little too experimental with the composition. Full credit for sound design and originality, though. Keep at it, DarkBlueFX! ;)

5.5/10

DarkBlueFX responds:

I certainly went a bit far with 'doing something weird for the sake of being weird'. I'm sure you get it a lot but you give the best reviews, thank you for being an awesome judge!

[Hellfire]

The little sweep at the beginning was cool. I think the bass sounds a bit too loud and unpolished, though. The ghosty melodies in the background add a lot to the mood, and I like the climax into :33. The piece is pretty minimalistic, though, and :47 betrays some noticeable mixing problems. The drums are rather weak and indistinct, and it sounds like the bass is getting distorted on the downbeats. Equalization and side-chaining are both tools that could seriously help you there. The piece is quite catchy, though, and you have a good sense of harmony and progression. The transition at 1:47 was a little melodramatic, but I enjoyed the structural contrast that the following breakdown offered. The piece comes together texturally at 2:36, but it felt like the melodies were interfering with each other a bit there - one of them isn’t really more prominent that the other, and that makes the section a bit confusing to listen to. I also thought the ending was a bit lazy. The sound design wasn’t that creative or original, either. Overall, it’s a pretty solid track. I like the mood, melodies, and structuring. Keep at it, BoonanaOfficial! ;)

7/10

schwankk responds:

Thanks for the extremely detailed review and I hope to compete in nguac next year :)

[Dope Run]

Sorry about the slow response. This is a catchy piece. I think you needed a smoother transition at :22, and also the bass is too loud there. You're good at creating textures, but I think you could still use some more fill and melodic content. The kick at :30 or so really need to be compressed - they're fighting to get through the mix a bit. I'd also encourage you to make sure to equalize out the low frequencies in every instrument except for the bass and kick. Looking into advanced mixing techniques like sidechaining might also help you here, especially since the bass is so prominent in this piece. This piece is well-structured, but I think you could use some variation on the riff at 3:06 towards the end. The fade-out ending also struck me as lazy. Overall, pretty cool track. I think my main concern is the minimalism that characterizes most of the piece. I'd consider adding some pads or harmonies for flavor. Keep at it, DjRemedy. ;)

[Sky travellers - N G A D M 2017]

I like the emotional piano at the beginning. I think you could’ve used a smoother transition at :15. I like your use of reverb and atmosphere, though. Beautiful melodies in the bells, although they have somewhat of a stagnant feel. The production quality is pretty strong, too. My biggest complaint about this piece is that it’s not structurally complete. My second biggest complaint is that the structure feels very pasted-together here, with a lot of hurried transitions in place of phrasing, dynamics, percussion fills, and other effective methods of giving a piece flow. It’s a good start to a piece, but I think you need to do more with the composition here in order to be up to par here. Keep at it, Keepwalking. ;)

8/10