TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Stardust]

The piece is pretty catchy. I think your synths are a little generic, and the high-pitched one could blend in a little better - a little more reverb, equalizing out some of the treble tones, and a slight decrease in volume might help. I like the atmosphere at around :25, but the stop-start transition at :44 threw me off a bit. Your drum samples are also cliche, although the production quality here is strong. I think you could use a smoother transition at 1:30, and also some more coherence with the structure of the piece. The piece is very flowing, but I would’ve liked to see you keep the listener grounded in a more cohesive structural pattern. The repetition of the pizzicato-y lead at 2:50 or so helped, but overall this piece is rather variation for my tastes. Overall, it’s a strong piece. My main problem with it is the lack of originality in the instrumentation and chord progression. Keep at it, Techmo-X! ;)

8.25/10

Teckmo-X responds:

Thank you TaintedLogic. Allow me to explain the song or so. So I was going for a spacey theme with a bit of melodic sounds. It has been a while since I've worked on music due to work and errands so not enough time to make music but I try. With the song I did want to add more and make it a masterpiece of sorts but I've thought to myself that I didn't want to go all out on adding too much as I have a habit of stretching things more and more. When it comes to instruments used here I didn't know what I was doing to be honest and just chose what went right with my ears. Now it's true that I don't have much experience with percussion's and instead I try to improvise with my synthetic and bass parts. I've been pretty rusty lately but I'll try harder and aim to do my best. Thank you for the review!

[Kytoon - Magnifying Glass]

I like the dreamy guitar and reverb at the beginning. Great job with the atmosphere and progression here. The sub-bass was a great touch, too. One thing I would’ve liked to see more of is emphasis on the melodic content. You have this great piano melody at around 1:20, but it’s a little hard to track because it sits behind the guitars in the mix. I also think you really could’ve fleshed out the structure more here. Overall, killer mood and atmosphere, but the composition could use a bit more effort. Regardless, you’ll be happy to know that this piece was my 500th favorited audio submission on the site. Keep it up, GhostLawyer! ;)

8.5/10

[Go away]

I like the heavy (though groovy) bass riff at the beginning, and the distorted vocals. The mix is really clean, and the piece is rather catchy overall. The drums are a little dry, and I think the vocals could use some more reverb on the chorus, too. I also think you could use some stronger transitions between the verses and the chorus, like at 1:58 for example. The guitar solo at 2:56 is really strong, though. I also liked the atmospheric outro. Overall, this is a strong piece. Good job with the structuring, instrumentation, and mood. Keep it up, DivoFST! ;)

9/10

DivoFST responds:

Yeah i had massive trouble with the transitions in this one... :S
Thanks for the kind words ^^

[Carpe Diem]

I like the flowy piano at the beginning. This might be a little picky, but I wasn’t a fan of the rhythm/articulation in the strings - it just gave the texture a bit of a stumbly vibe that didn’t aid the flow very well, and they were also just a little too distracting. Perhaps it would’ve been a little better if the staccatos were shorter, so that the strings were a little bit out-of-the-way. How’s that for grossly specific criticism, huh? I like the little fake-climax into :22. The melodic content at :37 is great, and the quality of your samples is really high, as is your production. I really like the injection of intensity at :59. I really like the bright and energetic vibe of the piece, too. I think you could’ve had a bridge or breakdown section in the middle for dynamic contrast and variety, but the additional melodic section at 2:16 really hit this piece home IMO. Thrilling and beautiful work overall. Keep it up, CloakedSoup (awesome username, I might add). ;)

9.5/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks for judging! I've been working hard to improve both my compositional and mixing abilities this summer, and I'm glad it's starting to pay off!

[[0003-DCOF] 血祭]

I like the dark mood at the beginning, but the notes of that first instrument sound a little indistinct. I like the sense of climax into :30, and the instrumentation is really cool. Unfortunately, I don’t really consider this a structurally complete piece. There’s very little melodic content, and I’m not sure what the static at 1:25 added to the piece. This piece has a ton of potential, but the composition is quite simply very underwhelming, I’m afraid. I’m sure this isn’t your full potential, though - you seem to have struggled with recording and mixing because of an accident, based on your description. I hope you have more time to invest in your future projects! Also, ‘gratz on being user of the day. ;)  Keep at it, DwightFalcon!

6/10

DwightFalcon responds:

Hi TaintedLogic,
thanks a lot for the detailed review and also your hardwork in judging all the submission.
Apparently I just realized I have uploaded an unmastered version.
But anyway, I really leartn a lot of new tips and tricks from various submission and look forward to future/upcoming events. :)

[You Are The Air I Breathe]

I love the atmosphere at the beginning. The snare seems a bit heavy and loud compared with the relaxed soundscape of the rest of the piece, although I did like the bass line that came in at :34. The progression is really slow, though, and the synth at 1:09 comes in without warning, which is a problem - and you do the same thing at 2:20, 3:45, and 3:53. I also think that at 1:10 the kick loses its distinction in the mix. There are a lot of good ideas here, but I think you could’ve put a lot more effort into the composition. Despite being very atmospheric and flowy, there’s very little phrasing or variety, especially with regards to dynamics or energy levels. I also don’t think it needed to be this long given the few changes in texture throughout, and I definitely don’t think you needed this much reverb in the piece , mostly because of detrimental effects to the mixing (especially during the busier sections). Overall, the composition is a little underwhelming, but the atmosphere, mood, and harmonies are really well done. Keep at it, Rahmemhotep! ;)

7/10  

SoulSecure responds:

It was supposed to have vocals and that's why it's so long and not super complicated. I just ended up not having enough free time to do all that.

I enjoy the abrupt entrance of the loud synth used during the chorus and I've always been criticized on my transitions or lack-there-of, it's just how I do things sometimes. The only thing I might add to that abruptness would be maybe a loud crash cymbal or something.

I agree that as a standalone instrumental this piece is underwhelming. Eventually I'll slap some vox on it.

[Deadshot Desperado]

I love the tone of this piece. Your tracks always have so much character. The instrumentation is refreshing, and the “yee-haw!” vocal sample, while a little cheesy, was amusing. The texture here is nice and full, and I love the melodic content at :48. The pacing and flow is absolutely superb here, and the thematic elements and pacing seem very fitting for a videogame while also having quite a bit of structural variety. The vocal samples at 1:09 just add so much to the texture, and the production is generally clean and clear. If I had to complain about one thing, it’s that the kick is a little weak and often gets distorted by the heavy bass you have in there. Also, I might’ve asked for a little bit of dynamic contrast or changes in energy, but in a way the section at 1:09 covers that. Damn...I usually avoid favoriting competitors during contests because I want to appear as unbiased as possible, but I just can’t resist anymore! Fantastic work. Instant fave and DL. Keep it up, man! ^_^  

9.5/10

[Reveries]

Right off the bat, I love the instrumentation and the soulful vocals. Perhaps I would’ve liked to hear more of a clear intro instead of being thrown right into the action - even a quick drum fill - but maybe that’s a little picky. The lyrics are really strong, and the production quality is amazingly high. I think the vocals are not quite as pronounced in the mix as they should be at 1:36, but I loved the injection of passion there. The same is also true of 2:25, in fact. Still, that’s my main complaint. I also thought the ending could’ve been a little stronger - less abrupt, perhaps. All the same, you’ve put an amazing amount of effort into the composition here, and my mouse was spamming the invisible download button for quite some time. Keep it up, guys!

9.5/10

bassfiddlejones responds:

Alas, still no downloads for now. I appreciate you taking the time for the review! Excellent points, will consider them all.

[Never Told Her]

I like the smooth guitar at the beginning, but I think you may have overdone the reverb a bit. The vocals sound smooth, distinct, and up-front in the mix (which are all good), but I couldn’t help but notice that the lyrics have a lot of cliche phrases riddled throughout (“don’t give a fuck,” “sucks to suck,” “what do I know,” “nothing left to prove,” etc.). I also thought the minimalism at :54 didn’t really help the piece that much. The composition is pretty lack-luster, and you use reverb to fill in the texture. You also scoop up to a lot of the notes at the beginnings of phrases in the vocals, which is a cliche of pop that I personally think is poor (although common) technique. The fade-out ending also struck me as lazy, and I thought the melodies were pretty underwhelming. You seem to have a really formulaic approach to making tracks, and it really shows. I know I’ve been really tough on you here, but I think you didn’t quite put enough originality or effort into the composition here to make it stand out amongst this round’s pool of competitors. That said, the mixing and mastering is still really strong, and the piece has a good sense of atmosphere and catchiness. Keep at it, Steelside! ;)

7/10