TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cs - 'Bittersweet Dance']

Cute piece. I like how you alternate between major and minor chords. It has an interesting progression, but I'd caution you about having so many jarring changes in mood. Still, it has a clean sound and a nice sense of direction about it. The melody could use some more rhythmic variety, but overall the melody itself is enjoyable. Obviously, it needs to be more fleshed-out structurally, but you're well on your way to constructing a solid piece, my friend. ;) Keep it up!

Csucskos responds:

Thanks a lot!
I'm happy to hear that I'm getting better.
Still don't know what do you mean with 'fleshed-out structurally' but OK, next time will be some interesting rhytms. ;)
(Maybe not next time but the time after that.)

[3MBER - Strawberry Sky]

I like the pensive atmosphere at the beginning. It has a good sense of climax starting at :31. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vocal samples at :56, although some of the subtle filtering (1:12) was enjoyable. I like the drop at 1:22, and I think the mixing and mastering are generally strong. Those loud, crisp hats at 1:37 really added a lot to the texture as well. I think the drop is a little drawn-out, lasting for very nearly a full minute, and then you transition into this re-intro section at 2:17 rather abruptly. I appreciated the variations you had on the melody at 3:12, but that instrument is not my favorite and also gets a little distorted by the drums. I think you needed some side-chaining there. The piece also lacked conclusiveness IMO and needed more of a substantive outro to tie it together at the end. Still, I enjoyed the piece a lot overall. It has a lot of really cool percussive sounds and, perhaps with the exception of some minor structural and transitional details, the composition is really strong. The quirky mood is a big plus, and you did a good job of maintaining a full texture throughout. Keep it up, x3MbeRx. ;)

8.5/10

x3MbeRx responds:

I focused very heavily on sound design and mixing for this piece, and the arrangement suffered slightly because of it. Making a completely original track in just two weeks time is hard work for sure. Thank you for listening :)

[Smokescreen to Lucidity (Part 1: Denial)]

I like the soothing guitar riffs at the beginning. Right away, I notice that when the melodic content comes in at :26, it distorts the initial guitar riff. That’s a problem that could be solved with some more panning, compression, and careful equalization. I like the soulful, down-to-earth vocals, and the lyrics themselves are also enjoyable. I’m afraid the production quality is still dragging you down a lot here. I can tell you’re a talented composer, so you should really ask your parents for a higher quality mic for your birthday or something. ;) I like the mood and atmosphere a lot, and this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the instrument you used as a snare. It sounded a little too sharp and hollow. Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about drumming, but I’d do some research on where to strike the snare so that you get as rich of a tone as possible. It also could be that your mic is bad at detecting certain frequencies. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the solos at around 3:30. You did overuse the crashes a bit by the end of the piece, though. Unfortunately, the mic quality and lack of proper mixing means that a lot of elements of the piece get distorted at times. You can physically hear when the drums sort of force their way through the thick texture during certain sections. Basically, the mic quality is affecting a lot of other factors here: the production quality, frequency balance, etc. I also thought you could’ve had a bit more dynamic contrast and phrasing in there, especially during the first ⅔ of the piece or so. Compositionally, this is a very strong piece, though. I may sound like a broken record here, but if you fix the sound quality you would have an exemplary piece. Keep at it, Verbicidemusic! ;D

7.5/10

[Memories]

I like the flowy, soothing piano. It has a great, human quality to it. Either you recorded this live or did some excellent work with the humanization, because I’m loving all the dynamic contrast, phrasing, and subtle tempo changes. At times it seems a little stumbly, such as at 1:55, but that’s a minor detail that just emphasizes the down-to-earth vibes even more. It has a great sense of structural ebb and flow. You did an excellent job of creating melodic development and structural variety. Compositionally, this is one of my favorite pieces of the round. All of the frequencies sit well in the mix, and you had an appropriate amount of reverb in there to make it sound airy and full-textured. To be honest, I’m a complete sucker for piano solo pieces, but at the same time, I might’ve expected you to take a few more risks for the Final Round: adding some string harmonies, an unorthodox key change or bridge, etc. That said, it’s hard to be overly critical because I’m swept away by this piece. Nice work! :D

9.5/10

sebastien01 responds:

Thank you very much for this review! I was going on a display of emotions on this song. I recorded an improvisation on my keyboard for around 1h30... Right after I oversaved on my project, in fact my song was supposed to be a D'n Bass composition. But whatever, I have to forget it now xD. It's still haunting me! haha

I've put my mind on this song. It's always when I come to a point where nothing else exists but my instrument and my imagination that I'm able to spread my feelings on my keyboard, a kind of state of trance. I don't know how to describe it better but I think the human feeling sound comes from there. I was lost in my mind when these notes came out :) But yeah I didn't play it exactly like it is right now, but all the notes stayed the same if I don't count some missed notes here and there. I corrected some flaws --and there are some more to get rid of on this version--, amplified some cresc. and Rubato, added the reverb, mixed the piano sound with two parallel eq and filter. Then I panned each of the freq/filter output to a compressor, having in mind to cover a large frequency range. I'm really glad you noticed this airy and full-textured piano sound resulting from the mix job :)

Adding some instruments and re-work on it is in my to do list. I would like to make a longer and fuller version, without the flaws I hear everytime I listen to it :P I seriously didn't expect this reaction from people and judges to this song, so the results are higher than what I expected. That's a nice prize for me :) Thank you very much for the good words and the contest! It just can get even bigger for the next year! :D Seriously you deserve the "contest master of the year" achievement! ;)

[The Power To End Us All]

I like edgy guitar riffs at the beginning. As usual, you’ve seamlessly interwoven engrossing melodic elements into a riff-based, dense heavy metal texture. I wish the drums were a bit more up-front in the mix, especially the snare and crashes, which could’ve added an enhanced sense of drive and passion to the track if they cut through more. I suppose my main complaint is that, for large swathes of this piece, the track has a uniform energy to it so as to detract from a sense of structural variety. And when I finally get this structural variety, it comes 2.5 minutes into the piece - that’s a long time to wait without much dynamic contrast or shaping. I loved that 20-second stretch starting at 3:09 when the bass completely dominates the melody, though. If that’s what you do to switch up the texture in a piece that sees very few instruments added or taken away as it progresses, I’ll embrace it. That doesn’t invalidate my grievances regarding the lack of phrasing, however. While this lack of phrasing makes it hard to follow the structure, I actually think this piece is very well-structured and smooth-flowing. It’s just hard to keep the listener grounded when your piece has a continuous intensity. I also think you could’ve maximized the emotion of the piece by thinking more about structural variety, but perhaps I’ve already beaten, stabbed, and decapitated a dead horse at this point. Despite my structural complaints, this is enjoyable work! Keep it up, PirateCrab! ;)

8.5/10

[At Peace]

I like the atmosphere and dreamy guitar at the beginning. It’s a little slow to progress, but I really enjoyed the phrasing once the string parts came in at :41. The string samples effectively channeled the mood of the piece, and the melodies at :57 are beautiful. The piece has a great sense of continuity about it, yet you also provided some structural variety at 1:46. I felt like you had my emotions dancing on puppet strings for the entire duration of the piece. You led up to 2:18 effectively, and the sense of climax and full texture there add a sense of overarching development and and finality to the piece that’s often missing in pieces submitted to this competition, even in the Final Round. The choral part that came in at around 3:10 also added a lot to the piece. I can’t hear any flaws with the mixing or mastering. This is an extremely well-structured and smooth-flowing track. This is exemplary work as far as I’m concerned, and if it were up to me alone you would win this competition. Keep up the inspiring work, Papkee! :D

10/10

papkee responds:

>Can't hear any flaws in mixing or mastering

Haha. Yeah. Sure.

Thanks for the review. I always love it when my hard work pays off.

[Deathmatch]

I like the dreamy and soothing intro. The slow wind-down and brief riser before the refrain at :34 was a creative idea that channeled the energy well. During the refrain, I wish you had brought out the piano melodies more than the arpeggios. It just seemed a little hard to get a grip on the melodic content as a listener there. The breakdown at 1:06 brings some very welcome structural variety. I like the danceable synth patterns at 1:22 a lot. The texture is full and engaging throughout, and the mastering quality is superb. The stop-start transition at 2:10 was well-orchestrated, even if it seemed uncharacteristic of what is otherwise a very flowy piece. Nice job bringing it full-circle with the smooth piano at 2:46. The fade-out itself seemed a bit lazily done, though. I also wished you had varied the melodies more during the 2nd refrain, especially since the harmonies are pretty uniform throughout the piece (the arpeggios are a near-constant presence in the mix, even during the breakdown section). The instruments blend well and help enhance the mood, even if they’re not entirely unique. Overall, this is a very enjoyable piece with a few minor details that could use improvement. Nice work, Noisysundae! ;)

8.5/10

Noisysundae responds:

Didn't expect the judges to like the breakdown that much. XD

I actually toned down the piano during the climax since it obstructs the arp which lacks mid and low. Should have done the panning on the arp instead, I guess. :/

This one was done just several hours before the deadline so indeed, the ending was lazily done. If only I got the idea of 3/4 DnB earlier...

Anyway, one thing I'm happy about making it quick is how it points out my weaknesses on music production more than when I have more time. Thanks for the review as usual, TL. Hope we'll meet again at the NGUAC '17! :D

[Plasma]

I like the atmospheric fade-in and subsequent cute melodies and synths. The kick at :19 is a little weak, but when you give it a little more bass at :34 it cuts through the mix pretty well. I enjoyed the build-up to :34 and the subsequent melodies. I like the space you left yourself for contrast and climax at 1:22. The melodic variations at 1:41 were also quite welcome. The chord progression is a little cliche, but I liked the more subtle approach you took to building up to the second drop at 2:26. The melodies at 2:57 get a little lost among what is either some heavy side-chaining or heavy limiting - I can’t tell. The ending was a little abrupt. Even a simple crash would’ve helped add a final touch of finality there. I would’ve liked to see you vary the drop the 2nd time around, too (2:26). I suppose my main grievance here is that it’s not a particularly unique or original piece, and the sound design reflects that. The piece in general sounded pretty generic, and this stage of the competition demands that your track stands out across a variety of parameters. That said, finding a unique style can take years of exploration, and I think you’ve improved the structure a lot from the piece I reviewed last round. Keep up the good work, Ggaero! ;)

7.75/10

ggaero responds:

Thanks haha C:

[Mad, Mad, Mad]

I love the Broadway-esque vibes I’m getting from this. The instrumentation is awesome. It’s the perfect mix of feel-good and punchy. I wish the drums were a bit wetter, but as they are they have a great natural and organic sound to them. The vocals have a really soulful and smooth quality, and the lyrics themselves are enjoyable as well. I deeply appreciate the variations you threw on the final chorus. This is an extremely fun piece that sounds like it’s pulled straight off of the Hairspray bonus track disc. If I had to be picky, I would say that I wanted you to vary that brass riff at 1:00 (and other places) just a bit more. I would also say that you could’ve brought out that funky guitar at :14 to be more up-front in the mix. Otherwise, I’m finding it very hard to complain about...well, just about anything. The piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing. The mood and atmosphere are just engrossing. Not only are you a Broadway singer - you’re a Broadway composer! I know you’ve gone far in this competition before, but this might just be your year (I’m writing this review before the results are completed). Regardless of the outcome, this piece deserves a congratulations! Keep it up, man! :D

9.75/10

FinnMK responds:

Thanks for all the comments, o mighty showrunner! I know what you mean about the drums. My greatest mixing challenge in past or present is to get the snare to sound right. I think it's probably a bit too dry here, but I couldn't find a good wet mix and at some point you have to step away and just say "I'm done."
Same sort of vibe with the horn variation. That same riff happens 5 times in a row every chorus which is not ideal, but I couldn't find something I liked better and I didn't want to wrack my brains into a stress-induced breakdown.

The Broadway comments are fun. I hadn't considered it musical-esque at all, but now that you say it I can certainly hear it in a few places.

I actually haven't gone far in the NGUAC before - this is my first year competing! I'm writing this after the results were released, and I'm pretty pumped that I managed to get the gold. Thanks again for the comments and for the opportunity!