TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[/Ultraviolet Dreams\]

I like the engaging, energetic, and bouncy vibe of the beginning. This piece has a full-texture, and you’ve clearly displayed a good sense of harmony here. I suppose one of my chief complaints is that it’s structurally extremely flat. Just because it’s a loop does NOT mean you can’t vary the texture of the piece at all throughout. I wanted to see you strip away the drums, pads, or bass (or all three) at some point during the piece and create a breakdown or bridge section that channeled the emotion more. You had very little in the way of dynamic contrast or phrasing to give this piece a sense of structural ebb and flow. This flat plateau of a soundscape is fitting for background and/or video game music, but not for maximizing musicality. There was nothing particularly unique you did with the sound design or progression. I also thought that some of the melodies (such as the piano melody at the beginning) needed to be brought out more and that the drums - especially the snare - were much too quiet, especially considering this is D’n’B. The melodies themselves were quite strong, though. The loop is very smooth, and the mood of this piece is a good balance of energetic and atmospheric that I wish you had capitalized on with some more phrasing. These structural details can make a big difference at this stage of the competition, but nevertheless I enjoyed the mood, full texture, and melodies. Keep at it, EverReverb. ;)

6.25/10

AED4 responds:

I certainly didn't make this a loop to excuse the lack of structure, that was my own incompetence :< I really wouldn't have wanted to enter with this piece, but you gotta do what you gotta do :P

At no point did I believe that this particular piece would take me somewhere on this round. I just made this so I would have *something* to enter with. But it's good to know that there was still aspects you found enjoyable :)

Anyways, thank you for well thought out review, and great competition ^^!

[Freeman]

I like the dark mood at the beginning. It’s ominous and apprehensive, yet also atmospheric. I think the intro lasted a little too long without much sense of direction, though. You have a good sense of rhythm, and the instruments blend well together. My main problem with the piece is that it needs more melodic content and structural variety. You have that flute-like high pad playing a simple moving part, but it’s just too repetitive and simplistic to keep my attention. I also wasn’t a huge fan of your instrument choices. They appeared to consist mainly of bass bombs, with some atmospheric fill. The drums were engaging and dynamic. I can’t discern any problems with the mastering or production quality, but the piece is missing some higher-frequency tones throughout the piece. I know this is D’n’B, but you still could’ve capitalized a lot more on the whole textural space here IMO. One thing you have nailed here is the mood. It maintains its mysterious and sneaky vibe for the entire duration of the piece, even throughout the energetic sections. Still, I think 2:18 functions better as a breakdown than a coda. I would’ve liked to see you flesh out this piece more, but with a little more structural ebb and flow. Right now, it lacks elements of phrasing and dynamic contrast that can add a lot to the overarching direction of a piece, especially in tracks like this that don’t add or strip away instruments very often as the piece progresses. Overall, this piece has a fun theme and mood that you really could’ve taken advantage of more. I wanted to see a more cathartic finish with moving parts that finally released the tense anxiety of these 3 minutes. Without that, the piece is a little underwhelming and, despite the solid atmospheric work, doesn’t keep my attention as well as it should. I actually really want to see you keep working on this, though. Please PM me if you decide to expand it further, and I’ll review it again. ;) Keep at it, Demon-Wolf!

5.5/10

DEM0NW0LF responds:

Thanks for your review.

[End Times]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Nice job with the panning, too. It has a really pensive and calming vibe to it. Despite the slow progression, you have me entranced. The instruments blend really well together, and the melodies at 1:03 are beautiful. It’s a bit minimalistic for the first 2 minutes or so, and I think you could’ve more gradually transitioned into the part at 2:14, just to maintain the slow pace of the first half of the piece. The guitar solos are wonderful, however, and you did an excellent job of bringing the piece full-circle at 2:50. I’m not always a huge fan of “one-climax” formats, as I think they tend to offer little in the way of structural variety over the duration of the piece, but I think the melody at 1:03 helped give some shape to the first half of this track. And there’s no way you’re not getting full credit for emotion and atmosphere here. I see (or, rather, hear) no problems with the mixing and mastering. This piece has a haunting and embeddable beauty about it that’s extremely well-developed, which makes it stand out among the other submissions. Some fuller pads or something may have helped create more textural depth, but the minimalism is my main complaint. Great work, my friend! ;D

9.25/10

Daveisgr81 responds:

Thanks for the positive review - I'll work on it for future submission!

[Pacifist]

I like the warm brassy pads at the beginning and the sense of climax throughout the first 30 seconds or so. Perhaps that initial riser was a little cliche and drawn-out, but I enjoyed the melody at :44. The piece is mastered nice and loudly too. The quirky instruments are cool, and they certainly seem reminiscent of classic video game music. In my experience, it’s usually good to be subtle about filtering, phasing, and portamento effects, but you seem to pull off some not-so-subtle phasing &c at around 1:02 - 1:10. ;) This piece is generally well-structured and smooth-flowing, with an odd drone-like quality. I liked the ominous string melodies at 1:36 a lot. The piece is very flowy, yet lacks dynamic contrast, phrasing, and a proper breakdown or bridge section to give it an overarching sense of development IMO. The final chorus seemed short-lived and concluded the piece very suddenly. I almost thought you had intended to loop it at first. I also would suggest varying your melodies more the 2nd time around. Otherwise, the piece feels a little stagnant and repetitive. Otherwise, this is solid work. The melodies are memorable, and you did a good job of selling the theme and mood of the piece. Keep at it, AeronMusic! ;)

8/10

AeronMusic responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic!

[Tidelocked]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The pads at :04 kind of disrupt the flow a bit, though. It’s a little hard to follow the rhythm, and they seem a bit stuttery in a way that doesn’t positively contribute to the texture. The synths at around :11 seemed a bit hollow. You seemed to be going for a really expressive quality with the vocals, but at the same time they’re a little dry. You also don’t really articulate the consonants clearly, which results in the vocals sounding a bit drunk and incomprehensible, to be honest. The lyrics themselves were enjoyable, but I only really know that because they’re written in the author’s comments. I really would’ve liked to see the vocals mimic the atmosphere in terms of the volume of reverb and harmonic depth. Perhaps some chorus effects would help. You also overdo the delay effects at times, such as 2:00. You tried to add a sense of climax to the piece, but it fell flat a bit when the texture got too busy at 2:09. I think it’s the arrhythmic piano that’s really dragging the piece down there. The mood of the gentle vocals and dreamy pads clashes big-time with the punchy piano, and the drums get a little lost among the chaos, especially the kick. The piece doesn’t sound very conclusive either. It also lacks some strong melodic content, and overall the structure doesn’t really appeal to my emotions with any phrasing, build-ups, or dynamic contrast. Sorry man. I hope this review helped, but I think you were right when you implied you had some work to do on the “development.” I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though. PM me when you finish and I’ll give the final version another review. I know you’ve put out tracks 10x stronger than this before. Good luck! ;)

5/10

[Veva]

I like the atmospheric intro and the short pauses at the end of every 2 bars. The pauses give the piece a nice sort of cycle of anticipation and relief. The melodies at :39 are really smooth and enjoyable. The modulation at 1:17 was a good way of building the energy. The piece progresses a little slowly for the first 90 seconds or so, but the moment of catharsis at 1:34 is rewarding. Everything seems really well-balanced in the mix. I thought the tempo at 2:10 was a little rushed. It almost sounded like a completely different piece thereafter. I think it would’ve helped if you gave the piece a little more breathing room after that first “emotional height” (1:34 - 2:09) before launching into another melodic section. I would’ve liked to see you do more to make this piece coherent. I see you tried to bring it full-circle at the end with those radio effects (3:18), but it wasn’t enough IMO. As far as I’m concerned, this piece only has one true moment of climax, which limits any sense of direction and conclusiveness it has at the end. The part at 2:10 sounds a lot more like a final climax, yet it occurs only a little more than halfway through the piece. The “quiet ending” format can often be effective, but I would’ve liked to see a little more structural ebb and flow first. These structural complaints are my main concern. I think you have a great sense of harmony, and the texture was full and engaging throughout. I thought your instrument choices enhanced the mood a lot here - the piece felt pensive and relaxed at times, and danceable at others. You might’ve been able to do more with dynamic contrast and phrasing, but you still did a nice job of fleshing out the piece (besides that minor complaint I had about 2:10). Nice work overall! :)

8.5/10

Onefin responds:

Hey, TL!

So... big structural complaint, huh? I went from a drop straight into another drop, so I can see how that would be jarring. Maybe I could have written something in between to bridge the gap, but I always have a hard time writing something that's exactly what I want it to be in exactly the right place, since in the process of creating a section the idea changes based on what happens. Also, I suck at transitions, so that must have played a part. Always trying to make those better.

The ending breakdown at 2:47 was made basically to allow for a full circle ending with 3:18 - I had to change the key back to B major in a calm, conclusive way. Perhaps if that section didn't exist and I let the piece end with a shorter outro, the 2:10 part would be pushed closer to the end? I don't know. I think my main issue would have been that between 1:34 and 2:10 there was no softer part.

Well, thanks for reviewing! My response is kinda late but hey. No mixing complaints? Huh, I'm kinda surprised. Maybe Gragon's advice helped more than I thought it did. :)

[Tyto Alba]

I love the mood and atmosphere of this piece. It has a haunting beauty to it. I think you could've brought out the percussion a lot more, as percussion is often the main thing creating a sense of drive in tranquil orchestral music. That said, you've done an excellent job of building up the texture throughout the piece. By the end of the piece, it's downright empowering and graceful, like an angel has finally come to free the oppressed citizens of a desolate kingdom. The melodic content is simplistic yet carries the depth granted by emotion. Fantastic work. Keep it up, man!

[ParagonX9 - Chaoz Fantasy [Dubstep RMX]]

Ah, yes. I'm very familiar with the original. I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The strings, piano, and synths all mesh well together. Having heard the original countless times, it was really enjoyable how you gradually brought out distinguishable riffs from the original starting at :54. You did a good job of fleshing out the piece, even if it seemed to progress a little slowly at times. The drop was nice, and then you did a good job of offering some contrast with the moody trance of the section at 2:25. There were times when I thought you could've used smoother transitions, even a simple sweep or something, such as 2:48 and 3:12. You also did a nice job of varying the drop the second time around, and the vocal sample at 3:36 was a welcome addition to the texture. The coda seemed a little too long (4:13 - 5:00), especially given the lack of direction the piece has at that point. The piece also cuts off suddenly at the end, almost as if you intended on looping it. I would recommend using some filtering effects or something to wind the piece down earlier. 5 minutes is already pretty long. That said, overall this is really solid work. As a next step, I'd recommend branching out style-wise and trying to explore other genres besides dubstep with your compositional talents. Keep up the good work, man. ;)

[IV]

I love the atmosphere at the beginning. The spacey instruments are cool, from the luscious pianos to the synth arpeggios at :09. The mixing and mastering are top-notch as always. It's a little slower to progress than most of your other pieces, but it affords the track a great sense of climax and "breathing room." I guess one instrument I wasn't a huge fan of was the melody synth at 1:15. It was just a little high-pitched and harsh-sounding for my tastes. The melodic content itself was very enjoyable throughout, though. Also, I've digging the chord progression by around 1:35. I'm also a huge fan of bass slides (1:32) in general. :3 When the piece started adopting a more orchestral texture, I was completely hooked. I guess I was a bit disillusioned by the build-up at 2:07, however. It didn't really lead anywhere, and then you switched gears and launched into another tension-ridden electronic section, as opposed to the cathartic orchestral content I was expecting based on the build-up. Oh, wait, it's a mash-up. That explains some stuff. XD When the Latin vocals came in, I knew I was missing something. I still think this medley lacks some sort of epic climax, but at the very least it feels conclusive enough by the end. Overall great work, undoubtedly! I think you should experiment more with electronica, Step. ;)

Step responds:

Heyyyyy. Thanks for reviewing!

You read my music like a book sometimes. I definitely intended this to progress more slowly than my usual music, which you pointed out. Things like the buildup lasting from 1:32 - 2:07 or having such a long instrumental intro before the vocals come in aren't things I usually do.

We're gonna have to agree to disagree on the synth at 1:15 :(. That kind of thin, sine/triangle-based synth is something you hear often in the Metroid Prime soundtrack, and I wanted to emulate it. I like how precise its pitch is and how it cuts through the mix, just like it does in the original soundtrack. Perhaps it was a bit too harsh/shrill though. You might be right!

2:07 is something I can't disagree with you on though. I was hoping that the buildup with 2:07 would be the tension building which would carry over during the quieter bit and then get released at 2:12. That was my plan, at least. Didn't really turn out like that and what we ended up with was an almost arbitrary-sounding change in direction. In my defence, it was damn difficult to smoothly transition between those two sections! As I told Skye below they're in a different key/mood/time signature, so I definitely found trouble progressing to the second half in a way that made musical sense.

Aw, I was kind of hoping 4:08 would be the "epic climax" you're talking about. I threw everything I had into that part haha.

Thanks a lot for the honest review. I'm glad you enjoyed it!