TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Kids]

I like the cute, 80s funk vibe at the beginning. The vocals sound super clean and clear in the mix. The space you left in the mix at 1:01 right before the chorus was really well-done. Unpopular opinion: the synth at 1:23 didn’t quite fit the mood of the piece very well. Despite the melody itself, it had an ominous tone that didn’t vibe well with the bouncy and upbeat vibe of the rest of the piece. The lyrics, despite your self-deprecation in the description, are actually pretty good. Down-to-earth and relatable, if a little cliche. My favorite element of this piece is how you had a nice full texture during the breakdown/bridge of the piece (2:02), and then you treated the refrain at 2:17 as a breakdown instrumentation-wise. That seem weird, I know, but it was actually a very refreshing structural detail. I did think you went a little overboard with the reverb on the chords towards the end. When one chord bled into the other, it even sounded slightly eerie, which - again - I don’t think you were going for. Still, overall this is a fantastic piece. You just put most of the pop music on the radio to shame. Keep up the good work, McGorilla42! ;)

9.5/10

McGorilla42 responds:

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my submission, TaintedLogic. I'm so grateful to you and all of the rest of the judges for all the work you're putting in to facilitate this competition. All the positive response and honest, helpful criticism has been wonderful. I'll try to make my next piece better!

[Love Beyond Time]

I like the emotion at the beginning and the melodies. The oboe is beautiful at around the 1-minute mark. You go a long while without changing the texture very much, though. I’d suggest experimenting a little more with the dynamics and humanizing the instruments more. Subtle tempo changes and the like can really give a piece like this a lot more flavor. The slight pause at 1:33 was also a bit awkward. Perhaps some reverb could smooth that over (some reverb would also help make this piece sound like it was being played in a concert hall)? Your samples are actually rather good, but I can still tell that someone’s not actually playing those instruments - the uniform vibrato on the cello, the synthetic overtones in the upper register, and unnaturally slow attacks (e.x., 1:10) are all giveaways. You have a great sense of harmony and atmosphere, and the mixing is also rather impressive. I suppose my main problem with the piece is that it has a sense of continuity without much shape and variety in dynamics. In order to really give this a cinematic appeal, I think you need to incorporate more phrasing. The piece also didn’t have much coherence structurally. It was hard to stay grounded in similar themes or riffs, unlike your audition piece. Still, I really enjoyed the high production quality and melodic content here. Keep at it, PomicStone! ;)

8.25/10  

[Ravenholt]

I like the storm FX at the beginning and the thin sound of the synths that then widens into the texture at :12. I think the hi-hats get a little distorted in the mix at :28. You may need to take a little treble off the chords or lead in order to make them more distinct. I really like the climax into 1:02, and the kick and snare are nice and crisp, which is a big plus mixing-wise. The hats get even more lost during the refrain at 1:02, though. The melodic content here is enjoyable, and I like how you offer some melodic development during the second refrain at 2:18. Tiny complaint: I think it would help the part at 2:18 sound more cathartic if you had lengthened the notes a bit. It may sound ridiculous, but details like that go a long way towards triggering the part of the human psyche that understands “oh, this is a point of arrival and conclusion.” Overall, though, really strong work here. Keep at it, Lethalix. ;)

8.5/10

SmallTownRook responds:

Thanks for the review man. Really appreciate it!