TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Seres]

I like the relaxed mood and progression towards the beginning. The instrumentation wasn’t my favorite, though. The instrument at the beginning sounds a little generic, and the synth at :14 is very high-pitched and harsh-sounding. It might need a bit more treble taken off in the equalizer, because I think it could sound a lot more smooth and mellow to fit the easygoing vibe of the piece. That said, I did like the rhythmic variety and dense harmonies by around :35. You craft a gradual decrease in energy really well here, but the glitchy content at around 1:20 threw me off a bit - it didn’t seem to vibe well with the smooth-flowing nature of the piece up to that point. The piece sound pretty dark all of a sudden by 1:30 or so, yet 2:07 once again has a cathartic feel. Don’t get me wrong: all of the details in the phrasing and sound design here are fantastic, but the piece just simply has very little coherence. I also thought there were several moments of minimalism here that could be fleshed out a lot more. At the very least, I do recognize 4:28 as a repeated section, and the piece has a good sense of resolve by the end. The thing that bothers me most about this piece is the somewhat patched-together nature of the structure. The melodic content is amazing, and the mix is very clean. We’re both acutely aware that you’re facing Bassfiddlejones, but you should be immensely proud of this piece. Keep up the good work, 1f1n1ty!

8.75/10  

Onefin responds:

Hey TL. Your review covered pretty much all the things I thought it was going to :P

Like there were three big things on my checklist and you just ticked them all, no more no less

[Endowment]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. It’s a little slow to progress, and the string sample at :45 was a little inauthentic - the uniform vibrato is a dead giveaway that’s not a real instrument. I like the melodic content in the strings, although the texture is very slow to change during the first couple of minutes of this piece. The string arpeggios at 1:45 could also sound a bit more distinct - I’d suggest being a little stricter with the equalization there. The staccato ambient synth that comes in at 1:56 is really cool. The first true emotional height of the piece is at 2:30, and I find it’s quite enjoyable and energetic. The breakdown at 3:20 was a nice structural touch, although (again) the sample isn’t the best. I also thought it sounded pretty unnatural the way it faded out by 3:40. Personally, 4:28 was probably my favorite part of the piece - I like how it exposes those quirky synths and has a lot of tension, even in the minimalism. That section also made the second climax at around the 5-minute mark feel especially cathartic. The part at 5:21 was a bit of an unexpected progression. Given how long this piece is, I’m not sure that it was necessary. There are a lot of twists and turns during the last minute or so of this piece, and I’m not sure all of them paid off for you. You could’ve used 5:49 as a stop-start transition right at 5:20, without the bizarre interlude in between. Still, that’s a little picky. Overall, this piece is strong. The texture is nice and full, and it has a great sense of atmosphere. Keep at it, Ectisity! :)   

8.25/10

EctiBot responds:

Thanks again for the detailed feedback :D.
The part at 5:21 definetley sound forced. I really wanted to have that part in there, but didn't find a natural transition.
Really glad you liked it, and thx for the review :).

[The Afterlust]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the powerful chords. The vocals are really smooth and rich, and overall the song is just really easy to listen to. The lyrics themselves are also pretty good, although they take a bit of a jarring turn in implication at 1:36. The pacing of the lyrics was also a bit slow, making the piece seem a bit dragged-out (it’s almost 5 minutes, after all). I also like how the second refrain at 3:09 was much more full-textured than the first, giving the piece a nice sense of direction. I really like the solo at 4:00, and the “hey-ey-ey” vocal motif is great throughout. The piece is really well-structured and smooth-flowing overall, and the mixing is top-notch. Perhaps the instrumentation here wasn’t as creative as it’s been in the past with your pieces, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. The lyrics are really relatable, and I can’t help but think they’re almost an extension of your last piece. The protagonist wanted to put his ambitions in front of his emotional connections, but he can’t help but realize how others have contributed to his success. Really powerful work. Keep it up, FinnMK! :)

9.5/10

FinnMK responds:

Thanks for the tips as always!

[Rushing into Deepness]

I like the instrumentation and atmosphere. The gritty bass at :11 and sharp percussion at :23 are particularly enjoyable. It’s a little slow to develop, although I like the melodic content in the piano at 1:08. That said, you also go a long while (roughly a minute) without changing the texture until the bass comes back in at around 1:58. You did a good job of filling out the texture throughout, though, and the mixing is quite strong. My main problem with it is that the latter half of the piece lacks an emotional height or refrain that adds resolve. I think you channel the energy well here, but the lack of strong melodic development later in the piece makes the last ⅓ or so sound a bit underwhelming. Still, I really enjoyed the attention to detail in the composition and sound design. Keep it up, Adjeye! :)

9.25/10

Adjeye responds:

Thanks for the feedback :), it is much appreciated. I wanted to create a sort of suspense and contrast between a bit more quietness and then the dynamic build of the drums after 1:58, too bad it didn't come out as strong as I would have wanted.

[Timekeeper]

I like the atmosphere you provided at the beginning and the tranquil piano that fades in shortly thereafter. Nice use of reverb on the piano and the subtle percussion in the background. The pace of the piece is very slow, and the crash at 1:04 seemed a little exaggerated. I did like the sense of climax, though. At around the 2-minute mark, I’m really itching for some more melodic content. I do like how you wove the theme of clocks into the piece, and the emotional outro at 3:57 really hits this piece home. The string riff at 1:37 is melodic, but it’s made to blend in with the vocals, and the way you phrased it made it feel transitional more than cathartic as an emotional height. You have a habit of saving all of the resolve in your pieces until the very end, which might not be a bad thing right now, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind if your pieces are much longer than this. The one-climax model is risky in that it relies on keeping the listener engaged for a long period of time in which not much is going on. That said, the compositional risks you took here largely paid off IMO. The mix seems a tiny bit strained at around 3:30 - I’d encourage you to go easy on the reverb - but otherwise I didn’t notice any major problems there. Overall, this is a really enjoyable piece with a strong atmosphere, theme, and sound design. Keep it up, Papkee!

9.25/10

[Battle In The Halls]

I like the smooth, easygoing vibe at the beginning. However, I don’t think that vibe meshed very well with the vocals - there was a lot of vocal layering/chorus effects that gave the vocals a really gruff sound. It just seemed a little overdone in that regard. I don’t think my issue is with the vocals themselves, just the way they were mixed. They probably need to have the high-mids boosted a little, just to give them a bit more distinction and avoid the gruff overtone. The pacing is good, and I like the lyrics a lot. The mix could use some sharpening - the weak snare especially caught my attention. I really like the solos at around 2:28, but I think they drag on for a bit too long. The second half of the piece also doesn’t feel too climactic. I know this is a long piece already, but it felt like you ended it right after a verse - it just wasn’t very conclusive in its instrumental content. I’ve picked at some smaller details here, but overall I admire your organic sound design and sense of flow and harmony. Keep at it, Ceevro! :)

8.5/10

Ceevro responds:

Thanks. I lost by .03, which tells me that those tiny details can make all the difference!

[Codename: Tom Selleck (NGADM '17)]

The fade-in at the beginning struck me as a bit lazy, but I did enjoy the catchy riffs and energy at :13. The build-up during the first minute or so is good, but I think you needed a stronger transition at :59. The melodic content there is enjoyable, though, and I enjoyed the transition at 1:25. I also enjoyed the melodic content at around 2:36, although I would’ve liked to hear a little more structural variety in the latter ⅔ of the piece or so. It has a near-constant sense of energy and drive that could use some variety. I also think the mix could use a little more clarity at 3:48 - the harmonies just seem to be straining to get attention. I also thought the ending was a tad bit rushed. You just seemed to be arriving at this really cathartic melodic section, and then it ended. Overall, though, I’m impressed with your effort here. The melodies are really enjoyable, and you keep the texture nice and full throughout. Keep at it, JDawg00100! :)

8.75/10

[Mi Pasion]

I like piano at the beginning, although I think it could use some more reverb. The brass at :12 sounds pretty inauthentic, especially in the higher register. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and harmony, though, and I liked the piano interlude at 1:32. I think the piece could sound a lot more varied in terms of energy and dynamics. At the same time, the structural elements of the texture were pretty variational, with not many repeating sections or themes woven throughout the piece. The composition is strong here overall, but unfortunately the cheap brass samples detracted from my enjoyment of it. Keep at it, AzulJazz! :)

8.5/10

AzulJazz responds:

Thanks a lot

[Last Will]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The bells have a few too many treble tones IMO - sounded a bit harsh in the higher register there. I like the sense of climax into :44. The filtering and panning at :48 was really interesting - cool transition there. That said, the pacing of this piece is really fast, with several stop-start transitory moments instead of phrasing and subtle instrumental changes. The melodic content here is enjoyable. I especially like the ones at 1:38. The mix is crisp and clear throughout. The breakdown at 2:38 worked well. I like the gradual sense of climax into 2:58. I suppose I would’ve liked to see you do a little more with the section at 3:44, especially since it’s repeated content and this is a fairly long piece. Perhaps some melodic development would help here. Overall, this is a really strong piece, though. I like the atmosphere and instrumentation a lot. Keep it up, NahuPyrope! :)

9/10

[Alien world]

I like the harmonies at the beginning. The choir sample sounds a little generic, but there's a much bigger problem at :11: this track is peaking...a lot.

Hear the crackling sound? That means the volume of the track was too loud when you exported it, and the result is a form of distortion (called peaking or clipping) that's notorious in the music production realm. You can fix this by turning down the volume on the master channel (or of specific instruments) until the track no longer peaks. How can you tell that a track is peaking? Several ways: if you're recording an instrument, the waveform should look flat and thick at the top, meaning the output signal has maxed out the power it can deliver. Also, many digital audio workstations come with a "peak meter" which monitors peaking, and will turn red whenever this distortion comes up in a playback. I highly recommend that you find out how to access a peak meter in whatever DAW you use, and then listen to your track at least one time through before you upload it, keeping your eyes glued to the peak meter.

So...why don't you fix the peaking problems in this piece and then reupload it? PM me again when you do, and I'll PM you back some more feedback on how to fix what I see as other problems in this piece. Sound good? Awesome!

Looking forward to hearing the cleaner, less distorted results. :)