TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[I still gym]

The drum samples are really generic, although I like the somewhat ominous vibe of the synths and the sighing sample at :30. Shortly thereafter, it sounds like the audio is peaking a bit, though - the sound quality is just a little on the harsh side. The minimalism at 1:02 served the compositional purposes of the piece well. I like how you then led into the climax at 1:30. The kick totally gets lost during the refrain at 1:30, though. I think you need some stronger equalizing and compression to tighten up the mix. The synths are pretty generic, but I did enjoy the mood and atmosphere throughout. This piece is a little on the short side, and I’m ambivalent about whether it’s truly a structurally complete piece. Adding another refrain is probably worth lengthening the piece by a minute or so, just to offer the listener some melodic development. Overall, though, I’d say your main area of focus in the future should be mixing and mastering. Keep at it, man!

7/10

[-Chilljoy-]

Fun title. I like the relaxed mood and cute synths. I wasn’t a huge fan of the was the kick was mixed, though - the sample just has a bit too much treble for my tastes. It’s a very smooth and upbeat piece, though. I enjoyed the sense of catharsis at 1:06. With slightly different instrumentation, this piece would work really well as a pop song (which is a good thing, at least during auditions). It does get a little repetitive after awhile, especially at around 2:30. I don’t think it needed to be quite this long. You may have also overused the sweeps by the end. This piece’s simplicity is a blessing and a curse in a way. The texture fits the style really well - easygoing, carefree, etc. - in that it doesn’t sound too busy at any given time, but I think you still need a little more variety in here. Overall, pretty solid work. I hope you’ll get the chance to make something else for the competition. Keep at it, man! ;)

7.5/10

GlitchmasterMusic responds:

Thanks a lot man, you basically nailed exactly how I feel about this song :)

[~The Permanent Destination~]

I like the dark mood at the beginning and the instrumentation, which certainly helped facilitate the ominous nature of the track. It’s a little slow to progress, but I enjoyed the dissonance at :58 and the subsequent vocal samples. You have a good amount of reverb in here that helps to create a nice, full texture. The drop at 1:28 was thoroughly enjoyable, although after that I was looking for some stronger melodic content, which isn’t really present for much of the piece. I liked the descending synth line at 2:40 or so. The reverb might detract from the mixing a tad, but personally it doesn’t bother me that much. The atmospheric breakdown at 3:20 was also a tasteful point of structural relief. I’m really impressed this is the first track you made using FL Studio. I would’ve liked some more variation on the drop the second time around, but that’s a small complaint. The outro was effective, and just as mysterious as the opening in a way. Solid work. I like this piece a lot!

8.5/10

Gravidi responds:

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a thought out review! It really does mean a lot that you enjoyed this track. I'll make sure to think about how I can improve on future songs based on your comments here. THANKS!

[Ninja Cube Credits]

I like the mood at the beginning. It certainly seems like it’s leading up to something...almost reminds me of the little riffs a broadway composer puts in to foreshadow the start of a number after a section of dialogue. The transition at :23 is cool, and I like the melodic content thereafter. The synths mesh well together, even if that lead was a bit generic. The loop is smooth, but I don’t really consider this a structurally complete piece. Production-wise, I thought the drums could’ve been a lot stronger, especially the snare. Some more careful equalizing would really help you out there. You don’t do much with drums in this piece, either, but that’s probably because this piece only really has one cycle of intro-chorus-postchorus. Flesh this piece out more, and you could make a lot out of it. As it is now, it doesn’t really satisfy my needs compositionally, but I do think you have a great sense of melody and harmony. Keep at it, man!

6.75/10

[AIM - The Lonely Hermit]

The string sample at the beginning sounds pretty fake with the uniform vibrato and timbre. I like the mood of the piece - it’s very atmospheric and somber, with a rich texture. The piece is pretty slow to develop, although I thoroughly enjoyed the melody at 1:15. The instruments blend well, but overall I’m not sure I like the samples you used, especially the ones that tried to mimic orchestral instruments. I like the breakdown at 2:26, but I think the balance is a little off there. I would’ve liked to hear the moving notes in the foreground more, and the sloshing water effects kept in the background. The wind sample at 3:06 also struck me as a bit cheesy. The pacing of this piece started slow, but got even slower towards the middle...I think the ambient minimalism dragged on for a bit too long. The last part of the piece seemed pretty militaristic and brassy. There isn’t a tone of coherence in the piece overall. The dramatic ending was amusing, though. I’ve been pretty tough on you in this review, but I commend you for taking some compositional risks with this piece. With a little polishing (notably, switching out some of the samples and cleaning up the mixing in the middle section) this could be a great track. I very much hope that I’ll hear more from you, but as for now the sound design and lack of coherence did detract from my enjoyment of the piece, and my score reflects that. Keep at it, man!

7.5/10

[Wings]

I love the instrumentation right off the bat...it seems reminiscent of celtic music. The pace is a little slow, but the relative minimalism and space in the mix really allows the nuances of the vocals to come through. The lyrics are beautiful, and I’m exceeding impressed and curious that you invented your own language for the piece. There’s a lot of soul in this piece. I especially like the floaty part at around 3:45. The autotune work in there is quite amusing. If I had to complain about something, it might be that you could’ve filled in the texture a bit more. Percussion strikes me as a particular area you didn’t capitalize on. The instrumentation also rarely changes throughout the piece, but it’s still absolutely gorgeous. Your voice has an easy, light quality that really makes this piece what it is. Keep it up, Jordi!

9.25/10

[Abril]

I like the somber mood at the beginning. Those string samples sound very romantic, almost in an over-the-top Hollywood sort of way...I’m a little ambivalent about them. The harmonies really emphasize the 1-and-2-and- pulse of the piece, but I would’ve liked to see you add some more space to the texture at some point in the piece. That said, the mood and atmosphere of the piece really won me over here. You have a great sense of melody, and the piece’s oscillation between more and less energetic was very effective. Good job!

8.75/10

AzulJazz responds:

Thanks a lot!

[Them Strangers - Wrong Place]

I like the groove at the beginning and the sense of climax into :20. The progression is pretty cool, and I’m really enjoying the instrumentation. The vocals are super clean, and the distorted guitar in the background of the chorus works really well to add some atmosphere. I think the mixing is a little weak. You can especially tell that the drums need some compression - the kick gets lost on the chorus, and I wasn’t a fan of your samples anyway. The mood of the piece really made it special, though - there’s a lot of character here. I might’ve asked that you vary the chorus a bit during the last refrain, and the fade-out ending was a bit lazy, but overall I like this piece a lot. Well done!

8/10

oldmanorange responds:

Well thanks for enjoying it.

[AIM - Theme for the Keeper of the Reef]

I like the aquatic theme, manifested in the wave samples. Nice job establishing the mood - it’s very tranquil and dreamy. Instead of adding onto the dreamy pads, though, you replaced them with this square, wandering synth, which I thought was questionable. The progression thereafter is a little slow-paced, and I wasn’t a fan of the short pause at 1:33, which halted the flow IMO. The sound design here is really interesting, but the minimalism really doesn’t help this piece. Almost 3 minutes in, I have yet to hear some strong melodic content. The piece also has very little coherence, and the structure seems like somewhat of a collage of ideas. I really would’ve liked to see you carry those pads with you throughout the piece - they really could’ve helped tie the piece together, which you made a last-ditch effort to do by bringing those wave samples back towards the end. It wasn’t enough for me. The numerous different directions of the piece make the listener’s experience jarring. Clean up the structure and coherence of this piece, and it has some serious potential. Otherwise, your quirky instruments and well-crafted mood gave you a lot of points. Keep at it, man!

6.5/10

Maverickmode responds:

Well, thank you for the encouraging words and honest critiques. That pad synth you were talking about is the one I lost about halfway through. I would have liked to use it more, but it's lost to time.