TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[It is not me]

I love the pensive and relaxed mood at the beginning. It has this awesome, soothing, drone-like quality. The vocals are soulful and emotional, and I love the melodic content in the lead guitar. The lyrics themselves are also pretty good. The rap at 1:17 was also cool. You took a risk by combining the more direct, spoken words with such a smooth, classic rock-style piece, but I think it paid off. I really admire your ability to layer the vocals, like at 1:56. I understand that it can be very hard to do. I love all the little guitar solos, and this piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing. I thought the kick was a little weak, and you could’ve done a little more with the drums in general, especially towards the last “emotional height” with the repeated “not me” vocals. I would’ve liked to see you do a little more with that emotional height than just repeat “it is not me” too. I thought you also could’ve used more of a breakdown/re-intro section towards the middle with some more dynamic contrast and phrasing. Overall, though, this is a strong performance. I love the emotion, the instruments, and the reverb. Keep up the good work, DivoFST! ;)

9/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[Codename: Michael J Fox (NGADM '15)]

I like the upbeat guitar sound here, although I think you could’ve found a more creative way of introducing the piece than with a fade-in. The drums are a little dry. I think they should’ve been a lot more up-front in the mix, with more reverb too. Compressing them might help. The melodic content in this piece is great, and overall it seems well-structured and smooth-flowing. I like the structural relief you offer at 2:25. However, I think you missed an opportunity to play with the dynamic contrast/phrasing a bit more throughout that breakdown section. I wanted to see a more dramatic crescendo into the next refrain, and also some more interesting mini-phrases so that the entire section didn’t sound so structurally flat. The mood here is really cool. It sounds almost victorious by the end, and I liked your idea of using the tempo automation to wind things down. The very end literally made me groan, though. You should’ve used more reverb and/or echo effects (or at least some sort of volume/filter automation) so that the last chord doesn’t cut off so suddenly. Overall solid work! Hope this review helped. Keep at it, man. ;)

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

JDawg00100 responds:

Thank you for the detailed review!

[Setting Out]

I like the soulful mood at the beginning, but that instrument you used for the lead is very harsh-sounding. I think you need to equalize out some of the treble tones in that instrument. This piece is very slow to progress, and lacks some textural fill for much of the first minute or so. You tried to offer some structural relief at 1:29, but the mood there is really different from in the first 1.5 minutes. You go from a bare-bones, raw, and even creepy and mechanical vibe to a dreamy, atmospheric, and upbeat one. I’m really confused as to what you intended to be the main themes/moods of the piece. The part at 2:08 sounds much more like the mood at 1:29 than at 0:00 as well, giving the piece the sense of being structurally incomplete and also lacking some coherence. There are some good ideas here, but you need to flesh them out more and also think more about how you’re connecting them with each other. Right now, this sounds like 2 or even 3 separate songs. I’d like to see you continue to work on this after the competition. As for now, I hope this review helped. Keep at it, man. ;)

6/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

SourJovis responds:

Thank you for the review. It's very helpful to know how I can improve the song.

I will replace the lead instrument (the harmonica) by someone whistling. That gives perhaps more of a western like feel. It also has a less harsh sound. I'll have to see how I'll mix it in when I've recorded it.

The first part sounds a bit empty indeed. I'll think about what instruments or effects to add. I'm thinking about an accoustic rhythm guitar and a jew's harp. Perhaps add some nice percussive effects. Maybe it's best to save some of those instruments for later in the song, and instead bring in the organ earlier. I'll just have to figure out what works in relation to the rest of the song. I'm also considering going double speed at a certain point, for the sake of progression. Perhaps with a nice tambourine.

The part after 1:29 has a different mood indeed. That was supposed to be the wide world. It starts of kind of cold. Like there's a vast plane with a lot of wind. I think I'll add a recording of actual wind from 1:29 to 2:08 to make this point clear, and tom make it sound more lively. From 2:08 onward I'll slowly fade it out again.

The part from 2:08 onward is supposed to be a bit more action driven. Like before you were overlooking the windy plane. Now you're riding through it at high speed. I think this part also needs some additions to make it sound more interesting. Perhaps more metalic percussion. Or some woodwind flutters.

You're right about the song beind structuraly incomplete. I think I can fix this by having the theme from 0:00 to 1:29 return after 2:50, this time with the addition of more orchestral instruments so the part 1:29-2:50 acts as a bridge.

I will indeed continue the song after the competition. Working with a deadline can at times be a bit of a problem for me. I've had a very hectic time. My boss went missing and left with all of the money. Now 45 people are left without a job, and I had to write a letter to the councillor for social affairs and employment to explain what happened. We have an invitation to speak to him in person in a few weeks, so at least my letter was succesfull. Also I thought the deadline for this competition was later. When I received a message I had to upload the song in 30 hours I had to rush. On top of that my internet provider was hacked so I had to ask for a delay, so I could upload it halve a day later from a friends place, right before we went on holiday. I didn't think I would win with this song, but I didn't want to cop out and not submit anything either. I'm glad I at least contributed something for the competition. Competitions like this are always nice to get people to listen to your music and give usefull feedback.

Thanks again for all of the usefull advice. I'll improve the song now I have more time. Good luck with the rest of the competition.

[.: Far Sky :.]

I like the edgy guitar sound at the beginning. The melodic content in this piece is pretty strong. I think the kick was a little weak, though, and the snare could’ve been more prominent in the mix too, especially at :19. I also felt like sometimes the lead guitar was a little too loud. This piece is smooth-flowing, catchy, and well-structured. I thought you could’ve done more with dynamic contrast and phrasing, especially during the breakdown section at 1:54, which dragged on a little long IMO, all the way to 2:52. You needed a smoother transition at 2:52 as well. Perhaps that was a good time to leave some space in the texture and aim for a start-stop sort of transition instead of rushing right into a re-intro. I also would’ve liked to see more melodic development here, especially in a piece that’s relatively long and somewhat repetitive. The last refrain didn’t have quite the emotional height I was looking for. I liked the ending with the last bass guitar chord, even if it was a bit cliché. Overall, this is pretty solid work. Some more structural contrast and variety would help spice up this track, but as I said I liked the melodies, moods, and (for the most part) transitions. Keep at it, Larrynachos. ;)

7.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[Level 01]

I love the ominous mood at the beginning, and how you left yourself a lot of space for climax and contrast. The more hard-hitting vibe you start aiming for at around :20 is really cool. It progresses a little slowly at times, but the mood is great. The breaks at :58 are nicely done. The quirky instruments and effects complement each other well. I would’ve liked to see some more melodic content, though. You kind of use arpeggios in place of melodies, which is not only frowned upon in and of itself but also leaves little room for melodic development later on in the piece. I like that you created some structural relief at 1:36, though. The song is catchy and upbeat, and I admire your sense of harmony and progression, but you still need some more melodies in there. The modulation at 2:34 was effective in channeling the energy, and I like how you capitalized on that intensity by adding an interesting high chord part. Still, the fade-out ending was a bit lazily done IMO (there are so many more creative ways of ending a piece than with a fade-out). The production quality here is pretty high, though. My main problem here is still the melodies. You simply need some that aren’t strictly based on arpeggios. Overall, though, this was a solid effort. Keep at it, man. ;)

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[NGADM'15: Higher]

I like the mood at the beginning. It seems apprehensive, yet the piece is also very energetic. I love how much space you left for contrast and climax. It progresses a little slowly at times, yet I love the melodies you have by around 1:15. I also appreciated how you played with the phrasing and dynamic contrast with the breakdown at 1:56. It was quite welcome structural relief there, and the climax into 2:25 is awesome. The built-up tension in this piece is great, but I think you could’ve gone further towards the end to let some of it go and create a more cathartic vibe. It seemed that just as you were getting to an emotional height at 3:21, you immediately stripped the texture away. Still, I admire your sense of harmony and progression, and I think the ending is quite solid as well. Nice work! Hope this review helped. Keep at it, man! ;)

8.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[Take-off]

Interesting mood here. I think there are some balance issues here, though. I would’ve tried to keep some of the mid-range tones in that bass at the beginning because for several sections of the piece it’s one of the most engaging things going on. I liked the melodies, and I think the 8-bit instruments fit the moods well. The production quality here is pretty high, too. The transition at 1:22 is a little sudden, and you change the pace really dramatically. I would’ve tried using a tempo automation or something, because the bubbly energy of the first 1.5 minutes contrasts sharply with the drone-like pads of 1:22. Speaking of which, I think the pads are distorting that mid-range bass you have at 2:10. I really like the A-B-A structure this thing has. You did a good job of bringing it full-circle at the end. I also think you needed a smoother transition at 2:51, though. The ending was cool, and it probably wouldn’t make a bad loop if you decided to go that route. I thought you could’ve done a bit more with dynamic contrast and melodic development, though. Slight variations can really add a lot to a piece, especially later on, and I would’ve liked to see you play with the emotions of the listener by experimenting with phrasing more during the middle section (i.e., 1:23 – 2:35). Still, this is nice work overall! Keep at it, Mawnz! Hope this review helped. ;)

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

Mawnz responds:

Thanks for the review man. I like that you are straight to the point with your criticism, and that you keep it short and in simple terms. I'll try to take what you've said here in consideration to future songs :)

Thanks again and good luck in future judging!

[Caribesque]

I like the exotic beat at the beginning. Interesting mood you have here. It’s danceable and catchy, yet also very unique. I think the percussion at the beginning gets buried in the mix too much at :08. You might need to equalize the percussive elements more careful. Compression might also help. The piece has a nice flow and progression about it, but at the same time its continuous energy sort of trivializes the intensity after a while. I would’ve liked to see you keep the listener grounded in the main themes of the piece a bit more by using a breakdown/bridge/re-intro at some point. You have a lot of different melodies here, and they even occasionally compete for attention with each other, like at 2:30. In fact, from 2:30 until about the 3-minute mark, the texture of this piece is way too busy. I would focus on developing one main melody at a time. I think you needed a smoother transition at 3:39 as well. I like a lot of the isolated ideas here, but you have so many of them packed tightly into one track that the piece loses a bit of coherence after a while. There’s another abrupt transition at 4:27. Even a simple crash would’ve helped you connect the two sections on either side of 4:27. I liked the ending, though. My main concerns are the concision and the “overflowing” harmonies. Your listener should be able to digest what’s going on in your piece pretty well at all times, both structurally and harmonically. That means that a casual viewer should a) be able to discern the structure of the piece pretty well and b) understand which instrument is playing the “main melody” at all times. There are some times in this piece where it’s hard to do either of those things. That said, I think this piece could be very solid if you fix those things at the spots I’ve designated above. Hope this helped, and keep at it, man. ;)

7/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[NGADM 2015 Submission (WIP)]

I love the smooth, jazzy feel this has. I admire your sense of harmony and progression (or what little of it there is here). I don’t think that you provided enough content for me to be able to judge you properly. I’m sorry. This clearly isn’t a structurally complete piece, and you know it. The ending cuts off very suddenly; it doesn’t even loop. It sounds like the main menu music for a videogame instead of an engaging, stand-alone piece. The instruments were cool, the production quality is fine, and there isn’t really anything wrong with the content of the piece itself. However, I can’t analyze how well you’ve structured the piece because, as you acknowledge, it’s a WIP, and you barely even reach the point of needing a transition, so I can’t really analyze your transitory content either. There are some good ideas here, but they need to be fleshed out a lot more (and you know this! I’m sorry!). A lot of what I look for in a piece is related to the structural and/or transitory compositional content, and I’m afraid I can’t take into consideration that this piece is a WIP. I hope you keep working on this after the competition, though, because it does have some strong potential, but as for now I hope this review helped. Keep at it, man. ;)

6/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

[One of Those Days]

I love the jazzy vibes at the beginning. Sounds very bluesy. I love the lyrics, and your voice is very soulful. The simplicity makes it feel very organic, down-to-earth and even improvisational. At 1:56, you seemed to be using some sort of reverb effect that I liked, and I also think it enhances the old-timey feel of the piece, but I also think you should’ve applied it to the rest of the piece. I like the structure of the piece, but I would’ve liked to see you add a bit more to the texture. Some simple drums, an acoustic bass, or even some sort of woodwind solo would’ve contributed a ton to the piece while simultaneously making sure the listener stays engaged. It’s a fun piece, but I think you could’ve done a lot more with this. If you wanted to get around adding more instrumental parts, I would’ve at least liked to see you emphasize elements of dynamic contrast or phrasing more at times. Still, as I said, it’s a fun piece. Nice work! Hope this review helped, and keep at it, man. ;)

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

ChronoNomad responds:

Hey, thanks for my very first official NGADM judge review, TaintedLogic! Really glad to hear that you dig the bluesy style, and to see that you think my voice sounds soulful makes my day. I didn't want to use the triangular low-pass+LFO effect that you hear at 1:56 too much, mostly since I wanted it to have more impact, but I suppose it could have been applied in other ways or to a lesser degree throughout the rest of the song. I had a few more ideas for improvements late in the game, but was pretty satisfied with the overall vibe and didn't want to end up accidentally wrecking something that already sounded solid. That, and my voice kept going in and out from one day to the next. Summer colds really suck.

I did consider adding some simple ride cymbals and other drum elements to the mix, and also gave thought to the acoustic bass angle, but ultimately decided to be super ballsy and make it all about the piano. The only thing you mentioned that I hadn't really considered was adding some sort of woodwind solo, though a bit of jazzy clarinet or flute would likely have made for a pretty cool addition, as well.

Once again, thank you very kindly for the excellent review! I can hardly believe I'm still in this thing, though I've got an almost insurmountable obstacle directly ahead of me in the form of the LucidShadowDreamer & dem0lecule combo. I'll be doing something quite different in this round, so we'll have to see how it stacks up against whatever those two wild and crazy guys come up with. Cheers!