TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Body High]

The reverb seems a little excessive, but I like the sub-bass and some of the other samples (maybe not the low brass hits, though - sounds a little generic). The refrain at :32 was cool, though. The has a rich, full texture that’s uncommon in trap in my experience. I also like the ominous synths and the breakdown at 2:00 or so. The piece is pretty short, and I would’ve liked to see you have more melodic content after the breakdown. The track also sounds like it cuts off suddenly. Mixing-wise, it’s a little hard to distinguish the kick and sub-bass, but besides that everything sounds pretty crisp and clear. Submitting trap to the NGADM is a bold move, but overall I like this piece. Keep at it, man!

7.25/10

Zodiax responds:

Thank you for the kind words sir. Constructive criticism is always very helpful.

Trap is very overplayed, but I'm quite happy with this piece which is why I submitted it.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to join!

[The System\\Shutdown]

I like the distorted synths at the beginning and the crisp percussion. It lacks a strong sense of direction, though, and the minimalism was wearing on me after awhile. I think you overdid the reverb on the snare at :55. You really need some more melodic content in here. The piece also has very little structural variety - the energy, dynamics, etc. are almost uniform throughout, and that’s a huge problem. Perhaps this would be fitting for the background music of a videogame, but as a stand-alone piece the composition falls flat. I’d encourage you to shape your piece more by adding and subtracting instruments over time and changing the volume levels more often. On the positive side, I didn’t notice any problems with the mixing and mastering, and I liked the atmosphere and mood of the piece. Keep at it, man!

4.5/10

[Empathy]

I like the dreamy beginning. The piece is a little slow to develop, though. The texture doesn’t change significantly until around 1:30. The drums (especially the snare) seemed a bit weak. I like the frantic synths underlying the melody at 2:15. The piece is very flowing, yet is a little hard to follow structurally because of the continuous wave of sound. Unfortunately, this makes it sound more like background music than a stand-alone piece. Still, I think you won me over with the mood and instruments. It’s a pretty piece. Keep at it, man!

8/10

[80's Chase Sequence]

I like the gritty synths at the beginning. The drum samples weren’t particularly my favorite, especially the kick - seemed very weak compared to the snare, and it got lost in the mix a little later in the piece. I like the energy and the melodies at around :40. The relaxing pads were a nice touch at 1:10 in contrasting the frantic melodies. There was a bit of a sudden change of instrumentation at 1:50, though. That riser will help channel energy, but it still allowed the addition of new instruments to be a little jarring. I appreciated the structural relief offered at 2:17 - contrasting the energy across the piece was a good idea, and it allowed for another climax later on. Unfortunately, you never really capitalize on forming that climax, but the chill guitar solo at 3:13 was almost as rewarding. Overall, the instrumentation in this piece is pretty enjoyable. Despite a couple of transitional flops, the composition here is also quite strong. Well done!

8.25/10

[Exploration]

I like the bass riff at the beginning. The instruments that come in at :07 are a bit cheesy, and the drums shortly thereafter are very weak. The snare should almost always be the loudest instrument in the mix, and this piece is no exception. I think you have a good sense of melody and harmony, and the piece is pretty well-varied. The pacing is a little fast at times, and I think you should’ve made better use of percussion throughout to give the piece a little more drive. The composition is definitely the best part of the piece, though. Keep at it, man!

7/10

Quebi responds:

Thanks for the review! I do find I have trouble properly using percussion, so I'll make sure to work on that

[Taking Shape]

I was hoping you’d return to the NGADM, my friend! The beginning of the piece has an excellent air of mystery, and the guitar groove at :19 adds a lot to the texture. The mix is super clean, and the instruments blend together very well. By :52, the rhythm is quite inventive and drives the piece along really well. The texture is never really busy at any given time, but the piece has so much variety in the sound design and mood throughout. I love how prominently you feature the bass in this one, too. The piece sounds somewhat experimental, yet really shows off your amazing compositional skills. If I had to complain about something, it’d probably be the lack of cohesion. The piece seemed a little directionless at times, and was energetic throughout, which made me itch for a change-of-pace after a time. The finality of the last chord seemed a bit forced. I also half-wish you had some less staccato-y instruments playing throughout, like a pad or organ, just to add a smoother element to the texture in what often seemed like an ever-changing tumult of sound. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, though. Overall, this is a stunning piece that displays an amazing amount of attention to detail. Well done!

9/10

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you so much for your awesome review and crit my love!! <3

[The Masochist]

I like the flowing vibe at the beginning. The cello sample was actually pretty good, despite the uniform vibrato (which is a giveaway that it’s not a real cello). I actually thought the cello doing the arpeggios was a little too upfront in the mix, and the percussion/harmonies should’ve gotten a little more attention. Cool idea with the tempo automations at around 1:35. The piece is a little minimalistic overall, but certainly has plenty of fresh content going on throughout to keep me engaged. It does sacrifice a bit of coherence in that regard, though. The smooth-flowing nature of it almost reminds me of some sort of cinematic montage. My main problem with the piece is actually the cohesion. The piece has a lot of different twists and turns, which limits the conclusivity and makes it hard to thread a storyline throughout the piece. The ending comes on very suddenly, and while the transitional elements of the piece are enjoyable, the piece as a whole feels somewhat directionless. That said, I quite enjoyed your sense for harmony, instrumentation, and emotion. Solid work overall.

7.75/10

Baumarius responds:

Hey TL, thanks for the review! I don't totally know why it feels directionless to you, but it may just be me. I'm the one who wrote the story it's for, after all, and it flows well with what I've imagined. However, several others have said that my music is a little strange because there are many songs I've made that focus on emotions people aren't too familiar with... which is really weird for them to find as an issue in the first place, but oh well. I'm glad you found the rest of the song to be engaging enough for you to enjoy, and I'll be working on these issues in future songs.

[Chael - Resilient]

Good for you for making something that’s not always in 4/4! I like the upbeat mood, although the instruments were a bit cheesy. The transition to 4/4 at :41 was pretty cool. Neat idea. The kick at the refrain (1:02) is a little overpowering, and I think you could’ve done a lot more creative things with the drums there. The melody itself is really enjoyable, though. I liked the post-chorus with the transition back into 3/4 too. It’s a catchy, energetic, and well-structured piece overall. The cute piano riff at 3:30 was a nice touch too. Solid work.

7.5/10

Falsesouth responds:

Thank you very much for your feedback! Perhaps there could have been some more dynamic percussion; however, this was my first swing piece ever. I was exploring, haha. You should expect far more dynamic beats in the future.