TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lordant - The Lost Tale]

I like the sense of wonder at the beginning. The vocals and bell-like atmosphere are great, and the rich string swells and melodies are absolutely beautiful. The mix is sharp and well-balanced, and you also make the most of simplicity with the majestic piano breakdown at 1:34. I thought you could’ve done a bit more to give the section between 1:46 and 2:30 a stronger sense of direction, though. This piece seems to be missing a strong “point of arrival” later on that would’ve really hit it home. Still, you get full credit for production quality, atmosphere, and instrumentation here. Another gorgeous piece, Lordant. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

Lordant responds:

Thanks for feedback, as always!

[Shortcuts]

I like the quirky riser at the beginning and the frantic, cutesy riff at :05. The mallets at :11 sound like a doorbell, which is fun. The pacing of the piece is a bit fast - it seems like the texture shifts substantially every 15 seconds or so, and sometimes the transitions could be more gradual too. I like the blissful melodies and the sound design, although at times I think the bass is too loud and the drums could come through the mix clearer (like at 1:25). Basically, the mix could use a high pass, with a boost in the upper-mid range to the melodies and more room in the middle for the drums. The rhythmic content here is really neat, but the arrangement seems a bit chaotic. The piece has a lot of stop-start transitions and is almost constantly high-energy. There’s a fair amount of variety in some of the individual riffs, but overall the piece seems to lack a strong sense of direction over time, which is concerning especially for a relatively long piece. Still, the rich texture, sound design, melodies, and cutesy mood win me over here. I think the production quality and arrangement details could use some more shoring up, but otherwise this is a catchy and fun piece, Zane. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Somewhere I'll Find You]

I like the punchy guitar riff and drums at the beginning. The saxophone at :25 was a good idea, but I think it could’ve been a bit more prominent in the mix. The rich atmosphere and electronic/rock hybrid sound design are really good here, although at times the composition didn’t feel as dynamic as it could’ve been. The transition at 1:53 with the heavy panning is cool, and I really like the solos at 2:21. The last minute and a half or so of the piece seemed like a missed opportunity to shake up the harmonic framework and/or main riffs of the piece, but I enjoyed the echo-y, mellow outro nonetheless. Overall, this is strong work, BOE! Definitely has a distinct emotional appeal. Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Thank you for the feedback and score, glad you dig it! I probably would have pushed the sax volume up a tad if it was a more convincing / realistic VSTi, I'm looking into replacing the basic one I used here. But I'll keep this all in mind for future tracks and the next submission! \m/

[Static Equilibrium]

I like the dreamy synths at the beginning. The texture sounds a bit clogged with reverb at :43. It's hard to make out the claps at times, and there's a bit of dissonance here between about 1:00 and 1:45. I like the piano melodies at 2:10 and the 80s-esque sound design.

The part at around 3:00 is another bit where you could probably use some tighter mixing. Stereo widening on those pads could help clear out the center of the mix for the main melodies and drums, and some stricter EQ work at the bottom end of the frequency range also couldn't hurt. Generally, you don't want any tones below about 200 Hertz to come through on instruments besides the bass and drums.

The composition of this piece is compelling, though. The transition at 4:59 was a little abrupt, but otherwise the progression was smooth, and there's a good amount of variety and melodic content to keep me engaged. I especially like the rhythmic section at 7:11 - sounds very eerie and futuristic.

Overall, I think it would be good for you to focus on mixing going forward. You clearly have a strong sense of melody and progression, and a cleaner production could truly set you apart from the many other aspiring electronic artists on this site. Good luck!

I may or may not circle back and listen to the other track you sent me as well, btw - I have some personal stuff to catch up on after several weeks of being flat-out with contest stuff. :)

[Floating Platform Glitch]

I like the glitchy (but blissful) riff at the beginning and the smooth bass at :19. The rhythmic content here is great, as is the sound design and production quality. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, but the piano at 1:11 serves as a nice element of variety. There are also times where the texture feels a bit minimal, with not a lot of frequencies in the low-mid range. Finding ways of filling out the atmosphere more could really help take this piece to the next level. Starting at around 2:00, you take the piece in a very experimental direction, first rhythmically, and then harmonically, but the descent into chaos is gradual enough to not be too jarring. The texture still sounds pretty dissonant by around 2:45, but you have a great way of acclimating the listener to it with the chaos at 2:00ish. The transition into 3:30 was much more abrupt, although given the familiar sound design it seemed like a good way of helping the piece come full-circle. My goodness, xkatttt. You’ve walked right up to the line between experimental and too experimental with this one, haven’t you? Overall, though, I think you did a good job of bringing the listener along with you when the piece goes into avant garde mode. This piece has a really evocative sound design, solid production quality, and an enchanting composition. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[translucent!]

I like the quirky atmosphere at the beginning. The mix could be a bit sharper here, though. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture at times, and the piano doesn’t come through very clearly at :15. The drums also seems a bit overly contained in the mix - the snare is too quiet at :22, and the entire kit could use a boost at :55. Otherwise, you might try to create some more room in the EQ for the rhythmic section here if possible. My biggest problem with the piece is the lack of a coherent arrangement, though. It feels very meandering, and the pacing is so fast as to be jarring. I think this could easily be a solid 3-minute-long track with some more repetition and more gradual transitions, but instead it sounds very frantic and thrown-together. Still, there’s a lot of potential here between the refreshing sound design and catchy rhythmic content. I hope you’ll keep working on this. Keep at it, Xetto! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Emerald Funk]

I like the quirky lead at the beginning. There’s a great sense of build into :41, and the rhythmic content and dynamism in the melodies are really nice. The production quality is fantastic too. The texture is a bit minimal, but the more authentic-sounding saxophone solo at 1:12 and the funky sound design throughout help keep me engaged. There’s some great variety in the texture later in the piece, with every given melody having a slightly different tone and articulation to it. The piece cuts off a bit suddenly at the end, and it would’ve been nice to have a grand, concluding refrain to hit the piece home. But otherwise, stellar work here, Walpang. I look forward to seeing what you produce in the final round. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[Techno = Club]

I like the rhythmic content and sound design at the beginning. The panning is a bit strong on some of the percussion, especially that one high-pitched one in my left ear that first comes in at :02. The piece is pretty minimal and slow to progress, and has a rather bottom-heavy mix, with the bass often overwhelming the mid-range harmonies. I like the glitchy breakdown at 1:35 and the prominent hi-hats at 2:06. A lot of the composition details and sound design elements are really cool here, but the texture doesn’t seem very well-balanced. Some soft pads in the treble range with some wet reverb or something might help at least fill out the atmosphere a bit more. The minimal outro at 2:55 was enjoyable, but as I said earlier, I would’ve liked to see some more fill in the texture for most of the rest of the track. Overall, the mix is clean, the beats are bumpin’, and the instruments are nice and quirky, but the composition gets pretty bland and stagnant after a while. I’d encourage you to keep working on this - there are a lot of good ideas in here, and I’m confident you can take this piece to the next level with a little more time. Keep at it, UPT3! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Runner]

I like the dark atmosphere at the beginning and the dystopian voiceover. The groovy bass at :30 and the tense, apprehensive vibe are enjoyable, but the minimal texture and overuse of the spoken-word vocals are turn-offs for me. Right as the instrumentals seem like they’re picking up, the vocals often cut in abruptly. If the vocals are original, it’s certainly impressive voice acting, but frankly voice acting isn’t what I’m looking for in competitions like this. I think you could’ve done a lot more with the instrumental tracks in terms of variety, richness, and melodic content. The production quality is probably my favorite element of this piece - the mix is clean, if a bit bottom-heavy. The sound design is a close second, though. I especially love the gritty old-school techno synths. Still, the fact that the vocals are the main thing driving the narrative here is a bit concerning to me, and the vocal sections often don’t have much else going on simultaneously to keep me engaged. Overall, I’m not sure this functions well as a stand-alone track, but if you can team up with someone from the movie portal, it would make for a compelling short film. Keep at it, Ukatz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Ukatz responds:

Yea, everyone says like "IT'S DEFINITELY A GAME OST", "Maybe a film soundtrack?".
Just don't know how show myself to someone :c

About diversity in instrumental part, i think just not enough time, try my best for this deadline.
Just happy to participate in this competition, thanks :3

[Omniscience Of Gods]

I like the rich atmosphere and crisp drums at the beginning. The transition at :20 was a bit abrupt, as was the one at :30. You just switched out a lot of different instruments all at once, and the risers and drum fills bridging the gap feel like Band-Aids over bullet holes in that regard. The blissful melodies and VGM sound design are both enjoyable, but at times I wanted the drums to be a bit stronger in the mix. Once the texture gets busier at around the 2-minute mark, they get rather buried. Part of the problem might be that there’s a lot of reverb on the pads and bells. Stereo widening could potentially help clear out the middle of the stereo space for the drums, bass, and melodies. The second half of this piece (2:12 onwards) also doesn’t have much in the way of dynamic melodies, and the melodies you do have seem pretty square rhythmically. Switching up the energy level more might help solve that. Still, I enjoyed the dense beats and cinematic flair of the sound design. Keep at it, TheTrester! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10