TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[meet me outside]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the eerie atmospheric elements at :12. The prominent bass and lo-fi beat are nice, although the piece remains pretty minimal throughout, with a rather bland composition and repetitive harmonic content. I think it’s a great start, but I’d like to see you flesh out the structure a bit more. Hope you get a chance to finish this sometime. Keep at it, NashQP! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

NASHqp responds:

Thanks! I was extremely busy at college and was wishing an extension for the deadline so I could complete this song, but I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I might consider finishing the song.

[Exaltation (NGADM r. 2)]

I like the riser at the beginning and the 8-bit sound design. The chord progression is a bit cliche, and the drums at :25 could use more lower-mid range tones. The rest of the sound design is enjoyable, including the chopped vocals at :39 and the mid-range basses at the drop at 1:04. The rhythmic content is certainly a highlight throughout the piece, and despite the plethora of stop-start transitions, the progression is pretty smooth. I like the energetic bridge at 2:22 and the emotional quality of 2:48, too. The goofy snare at 3:25 kinda takes the edge off the otherwise punchy mix, but overall I would’ve liked to see more variety during the last minute or two of the piece, especially given the generic harmonic framework here. Still, the sound design, atmosphere, crisp mix, and catchy beats really make this a strong piece. Keep it up, DenPelm! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Guest of Honour]

I like the smooth guitar riffs at the beginning and the rich, echo-y harmonies at :13. The vocals at :25 are a bit soft in the mix, but the furtive tone and thick layering are both really nice. I love the defiant attitude at 1:08, although the drums get seriously lost in the mix there. The rhythmic content and variety in the instrumental tracks throughout is totally a highlight, here. At 2:38, a more ambitious solo or something would’ve been welcome - otherwise, I felt like the last 30 seconds was the most bland part of the composition here. Still, you nailed this, Mischa. Love the edgy vocals, sound design, progression, and atmosphere. Make the drums sound punchier, and this piece is damn near a 10/10. Rock on! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Mischa-head responds:

Thank you very much!

[Lagrange Point (NGADM '23 R2)]

I like the adventuresome mood at the beginning. The transition at :28 is a little abrupt, with a much more romantic mood all of a sudden. There’s a great sense of build-up into 1:20, and the melodic content throughout is rather graceful. The mix at 2:07 sounds a bit strained, with the percussion and piano harmonies both getting a bit lost amidst the dense melodies. That said, I enjoyed the piano outro for its simplicity and emotional quality. Overall, the sound design and melodies are top-notch as usual, Papkee. All things considered, the first 30 seconds of the piece sound a bit out-of-place, and later in the piece an excess of reverb may be compromising the mix a bit. Still, you’ve mastered your craft at composing cinematic beauties. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Ryzmik - "Calima"]

I like the airy pads and apprehensive mood at the beginning. The mix is loud and punchy, although the texture sounds a bit over-saturated with reverb. I love the bongo rolls at :48 and the catchy breaks at 1:08. The mix sounds a bit bottom-heavy, and the arrangement is a tad generic here too. The ambient breakdown at 1:59 is probably my favorite part of the piece, between the rich atmosphere and creepy solo at 2:20. I would’ve liked to see you switch up the drop the second time around at 3:05. That said, you get full credit for the sound design and mood/atmosphere here, and the progression and mastering also hold up well. Keep at it, Ryzmik! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[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