TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Phase Cancel]

I like the intensity at the beginning. You have a good sense of rhythm, and the drums feel pretty loud in the mix. The piece has a sense of continuity without much structural variety, though. The energy level is almost constant the entire time, and I would’ve liked to see you experiment more with dynamics, phrasing, and the like. The piece has a really clean and polished sound, though. Everything sits really well in the mix, and there are a lot of cool riffs here. Keep at it, man! :)

8.5/10

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! I'm happy to hear this went over well in the NGADM auditions :) looking forward to coming up with another over the next couple weeks!

[Reality Shift]

I like the rhythm and drive the punchy guitars have at the beginning. The texture feels a little harsh in my headphones, though - perhaps this is a mixing problem? It’s hard for me to tell tbh. The transition at 1:28 was a little rough, although the section after that offered some nice structural relief to contrast the energy and drive of the previous section. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy, though. There are a lot of cool ideas here. My main problem with the piece is that it has very little coherence. There are some sections that are repeated, but the near-uniform intensity of the piece throughout really makes it hard to keep the listener grounded in the overarching structural pattern. That’s definitely my main concern, though. There are a lot of neat riffs here. I think you just need to consolidate your ideas a little to add some cohesion to the piece. The emotion, melodies, and drive the piece has is great nevertheless. Keep at it, man!

8.5/10

[A Hero's Return]

I like the sharp strings at the beginning and the energy of the piece. Good sense of climax and apprehension during the first 30 seconds or so. The sweep at :48 felt a little out-of-place here given the orchestral instrumentation. The melodic content here is beautiful, though, especially at 1:14. I think the percussion and strings are struggling to come through the mix during the busier sections of this piece. Perhaps some more equalizing and compression would help. The bass slide at 1:45 is a little cheesy, but overall this is a well-structured, smooth-flowing, and grippingly dramatic piece. It is a bit short, but there’s enough phrasing and dynamic changes to constitute a relatively complex structure here. Nice work! :D

8.75/10

[Tango with the Devil]

I like the sound design and mood. The piece has a good flow and amusing melodic content. The section at 1:56 offered some great structural variety, although I think you could’ve done a lot more with dynamics and phrasing in this piece. The part at 2:58 is really amusing as well, and I like the soft, somewhat somber ending. You could’ve done a bit more with the drums here, just to give the piece a little more drive, but in a way simplicity is an asset for this piece. In some of the busier sections of the piece (such as 2:30), the cymbals had a little trouble coming through the mix, but overall the instruments are very well-balanced. Perhaps the main riff could’ve used a little more variation, too - there are a lot of repeated cadences here. Still, this is strong work. Keep it up! :D

8.5/10

PomicStone responds:

Thank you very much for taking time to rate this. This analysis is very helpful for me to get better :)

[Take it off]

I like the soulful, slow-paced guitar line. I think there isn’t a ton of power behind your vocals, though, which made the climactic sections of this piece feel a little less climactic. For example, “save” at 1:43 should probably carry through into the downbeat of the next measure in order to maximize the intensity at the chorus. Little details like that would really give this piece a little more punch and emotion. The mixing and mastering are solid, though, and the solo at 2:12 is really well done. I like the lyrics, and this piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing. From what I’ve heard of your other work, it seems that this piece is very much in your comfort zone. In future rounds, I’d love to see you experiment more with other genres, themes, and moods, but for now this is more than enough for you to advance. Keep up the good work, DivoFST! :)

9.25/10

DivoFST responds:

Thank you so much!!! You are always "that judge" that gives me amazing scores xD
I might try an adventure in a diferent genre for the next round ^^
Your love is much apreciated!

[Undine]

The beginning sounds really distorted and ominous. I like the mood, but I think some of the instruments, along with the chord progression, sound a little generic. I like the strings. They add a great sense of drive and urgency to the piece. The change-of-pace at the 1-minute mark was a bit wonky. I like the melodic content at 1:06, but I think the mix was a bit strained there. It’s hard to hear the strings and percussion. The re-intro at 1:31 was a good way of channeling the energy during the second half of the piece. You have needed a bit more contrast with the dynamics and phrasing, though. Still, the piece sounds rather climactic, dramatic, and emotional. Your composition skills are excellent overall. Mixing is the next crucial step for you. Please be stricter with equalizing, and don’t be afraid to compress the percussion and string harmonies. Stereo widening and panning are your friends you call in an emergency. Overall solid work! :)

8/10

Guylee responds:

I have to admit that this is a very fair review. Thank you for taking the time to go into detail. I will take your advice to heart.

Cheers.

[Bubbly Clouds Remix - TXL]

I like the cute riff at the beginning. The instruments are a bit generic, but you clearly have a good sense of harmony. I thought the percussive content should’ve been a lot more upfront in the mix, though. The melodic content is also quite enjoyable. The ending is a little abrupt, and I would’ve liked to see you incorporate a little more structural variety into this piece. Even when you strip away the drums at :52, the piece has a sense of continuity, and doesn’t do much with phrasing, dynamics, filtering, or other elements that could give it a bit more shape and contrast. Overall, I like it. The cute, catchy riffs got to me. :D Keep it up, man!

7.5/10

trixelbit responds:

Thanks a bunch! Really helps narrow down what I should work on!

[I.N.O]

It’s a catchy piece, and I liked the bass at the beginning. It fits the character of this piece really well. The vocals have a good amount of reverb, and sound very clear and rich in my headphones. The lyrics themselves are also pretty enjoyable. The kick gets a little lost in the mix at :58 or so. I think it could use some more compression, and I’d double-check to make sure you’ve eliminated the bass frequencies from all of the other instruments in the mix. The guitar harmonies may have gone overboard on the reverb - that may be part of what’s impacting the kick so much. I also feel like the vocals weren’t as upfront in the mix compared to the guitar harmonies at :58 and 1:56. Overall, the piece could also use some more melodic content, and I don’t feel like it’s entirely complete structurally. It lacks variation on the main riffs and vocal lines, and even though it’s short I would’ve liked to see you include some more variety. The piece has a good sense of atmosphere, and I like the sound design a lot. Keep at it, man. ;)

7.25/10

[The Chase Begins]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The harsh bell sounds at :17 fit the suspenseful backdrop well. The sound design here is killer. The piece is a little slow to progress, though, and has a lot of pent-up tension that never really gets resolved. I would’ve liked to hear more melodic content here as well. You’ve given the listener the intro, but now I need the chase scene itself. Your title even implies that the piece isn’t structurally complete: “the chase begins.” I have no complaints about the production. The sense of climax is great here. Clearly you’re a talented composer, but in the future I’ll need to see you demonstrate that you know how to flesh out the structure of your pieces more. Keep at it, man. ;)

8.5/10