TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Divide]

I like the bouncy piano chords and the quirky atmosphere around them. The vocals at :15 sound a tad over-processed - the reverb and delay effects are a bit overwhelming. The build-up into :45 is good, but the drop at :46 is a bit minimal and introduces a lot of new instruments at a rapid clip. The catchy rhythmic content is certainly a plus, and the mix at the drop sounds loud, clean, and well-balanced. I still think you could do a better job of integrating the spacey vocal sections and the drops - they don’t quite sound like part of the same narrative to me yet. I also would’ve liked to hear more variation on the main riffs of the piece the second time around, including more of a proper outro. The arrangement of this track is a bit generic, although the sound design overall is pretty neat. The production quality holds up well too. It’s mostly the compositional details that I think could use some more effort here - gradual transitions, fuller textures, more variety, etc. Still, I enjoyed the atmospheric and rhythmic elements and the build-ups. Keep at it, D4W1LL! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10

D4W1LL13 responds:

duly noted! excuse the late reply, thanks for the contest!

[jazzy sunday]

I like the smooth pads at the beginning and the lo-fi production. The minimal snaps at :13 make for a good, mellow way of keeping the beat, and I really like the strong rhythmic content and bass at :24. I would’ve liked to hear the leads be a bit more prominent in the mix at :47 - the melody synths there seem to take a back seat to the bass and E-piano until 1:33 or so. The texture is also fairly minimal and bottom-heavy for much of the piece, and could use some more upper-mid-range frequencies to balance it out. Felt like the piece was just getting started when it ended, though (which is both a compliment and a criticism, I guess). Overall, a bolder composition where the melodies don’t just blend in with the backing harmonies would really help take this piece to the next level. But I still really enjoyed the atmosphere, sound design, and beats. Keep at it, Crysstal! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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

Crysstal712 responds:

thank you! c:

[Cobblestone Cliffs & Errant Appetites]

I love the crisp string riffs and rhythmic content at the beginning. The tremolo effect at :07 sounds really neat, and the airy piano at :16 helps smooth out the texture nicely. The transition at :46 was a bit abrupt, but the rich chords there are great, and I also like the piano bridge at 1:25. The middle section of the piece sounds a bit minimal, but I like when the dark, murkier string lines come in at 2:05 and add more of an air of mystery to the piece. The track also comes full-circle well with the waltzy riff at 2:34. At times, the composition of this piece could’ve been a bit bolder, but the sound design, progression, and production quality are all strong regardless. Very relaxing and evocative piece, Cresince. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Cresince responds:

I am glad you enjoyed it! I'll be trying my best for the final round

[New Prey]

I like the foreboding mood at the beginning. The synths are a bit cheesy, though - that main pad at the beginning sounds like a preset from Nexus or Autogun. The vocals at :32 sound pretty good, but they also could’ve been more compelling if you had put more intensity behind them, as opposed to the furtive, whispered tone you have now. The mix is also pretty good, but the reverb is clogging up the texture throughout, and the drums could use a bit of a boost at times. I’d also suggest finding ways of creating variety within the vocal verses, which otherwise seem rather long and repetitive. Singing the first section of each of them down the octave could help, or adding additional layering later on. Otherwise, I like the eerie atmosphere and progression of this one, as well as the spoken word vocals during the bridge at 2:50. Finding ways of playing up the industrial aspect of the piece would really help take it to the next level IMO - more powerful vocals, more distortion and less reverb, pushing that synth guitar at 3:21 to the front of the mix, etc. I really like the dark themes in the lyrics and the creepy synth harmonies - you just need to bring out that apprehensive quality more in the rest of the sound design. Keep at it, Cotnp! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

cotnp responds:

Thanks for the feedback! We'll see if I can do any better next year :)

[~ DISABLEDspace vol. 1 ~ // 04 EVERYTHING IS ROSY //]

I like the spacey pads and chirping birds at the beginning. The mix is a bit quiet, but otherwise clean and well-balanced. The crisp beat at :26 is really nice, and the piano melodies at :45 have a really sweet and upbeat tone to them. Long stretches of the piece are a bit minimal, and at times the mix feels like it’s missing some mid-range frequencies. The composition could be a tad bolder in general, with a pretty repetitive harmonic framework and similar instrumental hierarchy throughout the piece. You also start overusing the reverse crash during transitory moments after a while. Still, the mood, sound design, and atmosphere of the piece are really cool, and the production quality is rather strong as well. Very relaxing and blissful-sounding track, BottomKek! Keep it up. ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[the dark reign]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The percussion at :15 could use a bit of a boost in the mix, but otherwise I’m enjoying the build-up into :30. The drop there is pretty cool, but I would’ve liked the choir to come through more clearly when the bass is playing. The mix is also a bit over-compressed, and the composition could use more variety in the harmonic content. I really like the sound design and progression of this, though. I hope you’ll keep working on it. With some more dynamic drops and a more well-balanced mix, this could be a top-notch track. Keep at it, blankfacedj! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

camelymusic responds:

Thank you so much! Even if I didn't make it into the final round, I'm still really happy that I got to this point. I'll try to keep working on my mix, as that's my weakness in terms of music production (I don't own expensive headphones, I got audition problems, I don't own a personal studio etc). Anyways, thanks for everything! Until next year :>

[mb it will b ok (NGUAC 2023)]

I like the haunting atmosphere at the beginning. The mix is a bit quiet, but I like the rich texture and melancholy tone. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, and I would’ve liked the strings and later brass to be given a bit more room in the mix. There’s a great sense of gradual build-up into 1:50. The transition at 2:03 could’ve been a tad smoother, and at 2:04 the mix could’ve been a bit sharper, with the guitar getting a bit buried after the drums come in. The build-up into 3:25 was also enjoyable, but it ended up being a bit anticlimactic. I feel like this piece never really resolves all of the pent-up tension here, which could be a good area of focus if you decide to keep working on it. Still, I love the mood, sound design, progression, and atmosphere. Keep at it, ax1tl! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[3manon - What's left? Everything. (NGUAC2023KO)]

I like the pensive piano riff at the beginning and the heavy bass at :12. As the piece goes on, the bass seems to be taking up a bit too much of the mix, but I like the minimal beat at :43. The texture still feels a bit thin overall, though. I would’ve liked the guitar solo at 1:15 to pop through the mix a bit more. The airy guitar at 1:39 is cool, but that section also seems to double down on the minimalism. The piece starts getting a stronger sense of direction at 2:27 - I love the accelerating tempo and atmosphere there, but the extended pause at 2:39 kinda disrupts the flow. The heavier drums and frantic synths starting at 2:57 help hit the piece home nicely, but this track could still use some more harmonic variety and thicker textures throughout. Still, I especially like the melodic synth line at 3:19. The outro at 3:50 was majestic, but also felt a tad superfluous, and it might’ve functioned better as a bridge somewhere, maybe even at 2:39. Overall, solid effort here. Love the progression, sound design, rhythmic content, and mixing. Keep at it, 3manon! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Something's Wrong]

Dark indeed. I love the foreboding atmosphere at the beginning and the gritty bass drone. Very evocative sound design here - :26 sounds like I’m listening to the wind chimes on grandma’s front porch while on LSD (the drug, not the musician). The dark brass and thunder clap at 1:03 felt like a good way of progressing the piece beyond the abstract, bell-like textures of the first minute. The mood and progression of this track remind me of “Vos Postergum,” an old piece of yours that I still listen to sometimes. The skin-crawling descending phaser at 1:30 is great, and the spidery, pulsating synth at 1:44 and the eerie E-piano blend really well together. Rather incredible sense of pacing here, Alex. Sometimes I wish you had threaded the brass throughout the structure of the piece a little more - as it is now, the triumphant riff at 2:44 feels a bit out-of-place. Still, I like how you brought the piece full-circle with the bass drone and ambiance. Overall, this is an ambient beauty with some stellar sound design and a ton of variety! Keep it up, Lucid. ^_^ Also, for what it’s worth, I just want to point out that I’ve heard you make the “the dream is a Lucid Shadow Dream” joke both in real life and on the internet now. I laughed both times. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
9/10

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Haha, I'm very positively surprised that you still remember Vos Postergum!!! This is definitely a similar genre. One that doesn't always do so well in competitions, but it's what I was inspired to make, because of my dream. Honestly, I wish I had time/reason to write more ambient music.

I've always appreciated your vivid descriptions! Please keep going with those ^___^

In retrospect, I agree that the second time the brass comes in, I could've worked harder on translating that idea and contrast. It's a bit sudden, and not only in a good way!

My Logic, Tainted or not, tells me I should always let Lucid Shadow Dreams in through The Door! :6

[The Big Band Theory]

Albe, you know that song titles don’t affect my judging rubric, but IF THEY DID…you’d be in good shape. Luckily, you’re STILL in good shape because this piece is awesome. I love the Latin-inspired rhythmic content and sound design. The mix sounds a bit overly-contained here, though - the sax at :42 sounds both quiet and also like it’s missing some mid-range tones. The thick texture and syncopations by the 1-minute mark are absolutely gorgeous, btw - just in time for you to quite smoothly transition into the flute solo at 1:20. The furtive piano solo at 1:42 is another highlight, with the spidery percussion backing it up really well. There’s a great subtle swell of energy into 2:18, and while the piece doesn’t quite get back to the same euphoric quality it had earlier, by 2:35 I feel like I’ve walked into a traveling circus mid-act. Really evocative work here, dude! Ease up on the high-pass filtering, and this piece would be borderline unstoppable. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10