TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The House by the Cemetary]

Okay. Right off the bat, I love the creepy, clashing chords and spooky mood. I appreciated the crescendo in the strings into :15 as well, but then I didn’t understand why you had this gloomy yet relatively tranquil piano part in there. The crescendo at the beginning made me anticipate a huge explosion of creepy wonder, and that turned :16 into a bit of a disappointment. The piano also drags on for a bit too long IMO. The strings at 1:04 add a lot to the mood, though. I like the more hard-hitting vibe you aim for at 1:27, as well as the subsequent effects with the clock. I think it would’ve helped the drama, though, if you had brought out the drum that was playing on the downbeats during that section a lot more. I think the drum needed a ton more reverb, and probably also some more careful equalizing so that it just causes the listener to freak out when (s)he hears it. You completely change the vibe of this piece at 1:52 – it’s a lot more energetic and frantic. Kind of has more of a Golden Eye feel than sneaking-around-Old-Lady-Wilson’s-house. The thing I like about these mood shifts is that it helps the music tell a story. The thing I don’t like is that it makes the piece lose some coherence. This piece is pretty short. I would’ve liked to see you flesh out these ideas a bit more if you wanted to incorporate these different moods. That way, the pacing will help keep the listener grounded instead of frantically flip-flopping between Old-Lady-Wilson-is-undead and James-Bond-infiltrates-the-bad-guys’-headquarters. Still, it’s a pretty captivating track, and the production quality is rather high. Nice work! Hope this helped, man, and good luck! ;)

9/10

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

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback. It´s good that you pint out a lot of critical points and actually I´m quite surprised that you gave me such a high rating with such a critical review. Thanks for that I guess ;) I already knew that it was a bit risky to throw that many ideas together, do to the coherence. That´s why I put a lot of work into the transitions to connect the contrasting parts. I also always tried to adapt themes from the previous parts to give the piece a bit more consistance. Actually I didn´t really have James Bond in my mind for the energetic part :) But maybe that´s because I´m in the age grown up with the "old" James Bond which had these typical "spy music" stuff (with big band and guitars and stuff). You are definitely right about the percussion in the middle section. At the end I think this part was a bit too crowded with noise in any case... The strings at the beginning were more supposed to show the creepy house from outside and represent some danger, while the piano "inside the house" should have more represented the "sneaky, spooky" atmosphere. Maybe a string decrescendo instead of crescendo would have been more consequent here... I was surprised that you meant this piece is pretty short because it´s about 3:20. Maybe the sections are quite short but I have to regret that I hate it, just to repeat sections, even if I slowly build them up. So... Thanks again for the input! I´ll try to build my track for the next round with more coherence but I can´t promise ;)

[(NUB) Dont Leave]

Interesting use of those chords at the beginning. I like the quirky instruments and somewhat mysterious mood. I think this piece is pretty slow to progress, and the transition into the “emotional high” at 1:10 felt pretty rushed. I thought you should’ve brought out the melodic content at 1:10 a lot more, too. By around 1:32, the texture is pretty thin and I think you need more harmonies to build off of that chord progression. A lot of the effects are cool, like at 2:18. By the end, it felt pretty repetitive, though. I’m not sure it needed to be this long. The breakdown at 2:45 was a welcome change structurally, but then I think it dragged on for a little too long. You also could’ve done more with dynamic contrast during that section (breakdown sections are usually good times to play with the phrasing). The transition at 3:43 was pretty sudden, and I think you needed more of a coda in there, instead of rather generically wrapping things up with a simple crash. Overall, I like it, but I think you could’ve done a lot more to make this piece more memorable, including emphasizing melodic development more and adding some more texture at times. Still, it’s a pretty cool piece when all said and done. Hope this helped! Keep at it, man. ;)

7/10

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

nubbinownz responds:

definitely helped ! This song wasn't actually finished, but i have had a series of events that took quite a bit of my attention and I figured it was better to just submit it as is and call it a day. I'll be removing it from newgrounds next week to release later once it's actually done.
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback :)

[Chip 'n' Swing]

I liked the arpeggios at the beginning. The drums were cool. I liked how the track sort of built on the chords at the beginning as it went onwards. The melodies are cool. The one at :49 has an especially cathartic vibe to it. I also like the variety you started incorporating at 1:19. It sounds really fitting for a videogame. The production quality is pretty high, although I think you might’ve been able to fill some more texture at times, even if that simply involved using more reverb. This piece is varied a lot, though, which is usually a good thing, although I think you took it a little too far. It kind of lacks coherence after a point. You never brought back any of the more memorable melodies from the first half of the piece during the second half. You also ended the piece a little ambiguously, which was not really in keeping with the videogame theme. In fact, practically speaking 0:00 to 1:16 and 1:17 to 3:20 could be entirely separate songs, albeit probably part of the same game. Still, my main problem with the piece is that you never really bring it full circle by the end. I suppose you could say it’s structurally disjointed. I admire your sense of harmony and rhythm, though. The jazzy vibes you have during the second half of the piece are awesome. Keep at it, man. ;)

8.5/10

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

[Sidestep]

I liked the ominous and apprehensive mood at the beginning. I thought the fade-in method you used for the intro could’ve been a bit more creative, though. I also like that spooky, pulsing bass at around :48. This piece is slow to progress, but the sense of climax into 1:10 is superb. However, I don’t think you really primed the listener for such a heavy drop or even the chords you used during the drop. In fact, the drop almost sounds like a modulation. I would’ve probably had that same chord playing way back in the mix during the intro, because it’s not good to change keys just in time for a refrain. Anyway, the drop is awesome. I love the variety and the synths. In fact, I might’ve put a bit more reverb on the snare too, just to make it a little more impactful. I think you needed a smoother transition into 1:57. Even a crash or sweep would’ve helped ease some tension there. The part at 2:12 confused me a lot. It sounds like a completely different song. I realize it’s based largely on the intro, yet I could’ve sworn it changed key again. Usually, modulations should be used only when a) you want to create a sense of climax and direction towards the end of a piece, or b) you want something to sound jarring and atonal, which I don’t think was your intention here. I appreciated your attempt at varying the drop during the second time around, but 3:18 sounds a little too disparate from the part at 1:10. Then, amidst all of the heavy, industrial sounds, the piece starts taking on an upbeat tone at 3:42, which confused me further. The coda would’ve been fitting if it had anything to do with either the drop or the intro/re-intro. Instead, this piece simply comes across as lacking coherence, I’m afraid. I would suggest trying to flesh out one of two ideas you have here rather than skim the surface with a whole bunch in one track. That’s essentially my main problem with the piece. Otherwise, I like the synths and breaks. There are a lot of riffs that, isolated, are really cool. Hope this helped! Keep at it, man. ;)

6.5/10

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

AeronMusic responds:

There is some small reverb on the snare, but I prefered it not to be that long in this song. I know that there lacks coherence in this song. I also tried multiple things on how to continue this song at 1:57 but they turned out to be pretty shit, in my opinion. So yeah, you could say this song actually becomes different when the second part starts. I know I could have solved most of these issues you stated if I took more time but that's just my fault.

Anyway, I thank you a lot for the detailed review. This really helps me improving! (:

[Death Match]

I like the soothing mood at the beginning. Your vocals are soulful, down-to-earth and flowing. I also really like the lyrics themselves. The solo at 1:06 was very heartfelt and catchy, and I liked when you started getting slightly less unplugged at 1:26. The solos at 2:13 initially seemed overly busy and crowded the mix a bit. I think you have to work up to the level of intensity you had at 2:14 more. One thing I liked about the solos at 1:06 and 1:26 is that they still left a lot of space in the texture. However, I also felt like by around 2:50 you had successfully led up to that emotional height, although I was disappointed by the fade-out ending. It struck me as a bit lazily done tbh. Still, I appreciate this piece stylistically, and you know I like the organic soundscape and the passionate vocals. Keep up the good work, Ceevro! ;)

8.5/10

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

Ceevro responds:

I know how much you hate fade-out endings. But I like 'em! Gotta end things somehow, and it seems that I get flak no matter how I end! Perhaps I need to look at that.

Thanks for all the work you've done over the past while...I'm sure that by the end of all this you'll not wanna be listening to a new song for quite some time! See ya next year, though!

[Wings]

I like the atmospheric intro, as well as the pensive little synth that comes in at around :15. The vocals at :30 are really cool. They have this soulful vibe to them that compliments the mood here very well. The lyrics themselves are also quite enjoyable. The piece progresses pretty slowly, though. I’m not sure it needed to be quite this long. Obviously, the bass is very prominent in this piece, but it’s also the main thing going on for long sections of the piece instrumental-wise. I would’ve liked to see you do more with the instrumentals at times, especially during the verses. I did like the Spanish vocals you incorporated, though. Also, the melodies at 3:10 are really cool. You have a lot of quirky and fun instruments here. I like how you start adding some variety at 3:42, although at the same time that part lacked engaging content and got pretty repetitive after a while. I recognize that vocal sample at 4:05! I’m afraid it doesn’t really fit the groovy yet contemplative mood you have during the last 1.5 minutes of the piece. The vocals at 4:35 were comical, well-timed and edited. I will say that I expected you to at least return to some more prominent themes you had during the first 2/3 of the piece, though. 0:00 to 3:42 and 3:42 to 5:22 sound like 2 completely different songs! The glitchy industrial sounds at 5:07 also didn’t really compliment the mood you established earlier in the piece, especially since you tried to make it function as a coda in your piece. You have a lot of interesting ideas here, but I think you need to focus on concision. I would try fleshing out a couple of ideas more, rather than skimming the surface with several separate themes. The result is that this piece lacks coherence IMO. Still, I like the soundscape and the synths. Hope this review helped, and keep at it, man! ;)

7/10

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

TheMoebiusProject responds:

Thanks!! This review is really helpful, very thorough! Yes I think i could have been more creative with the guitars but i had to rush it cause I had to work on other stuff U.U. And yeah that mood change in the end was with the idea of taking flight, going faster but youre right it does feel like a whole new song! jaja. But anyway, even if we didn't make it to the next round, it was a very stimulating contest, so Im glad we were able to participate..You'll be hearing from us cause we got a whole bunch of tunes just waiting to be shared!! And, now, to keep rockin!!!

[Oxidize]

I liked the atmospheric intro. I thought the kick was a little weak, and I’m not sure I liked your hat and snare samples too much. That said, your voice had this smooth and soothing quality to it that I really liked. I also appreciated the chorus at 1:12. I liked that you aimed for a texture that was nice and full there, although I think the lead guitar and kick could’ve come through a lot clearer in the mix there. You might’ve needed to do some more careful equalizing. The “heartbeat” part at 1:29 was clever. I liked how you then created some structural contrast with another relatively soothing verse. I also thought that the transition into the second chorus at 2:11 was a little rushed, though. The post chorus at 2:26 was a valued addition to the structure as well. I thought you really overdid the crashes at 2:43, and they quite noticeably duck under the mix at 2:49. I didn’t think you needed that last chorus (it was sort of just extraneous repetition), although this piece did feel pretty conclusive by the end. I like the vocals (as well as the lyrics themselves) and structure. The main problem here is the mixing. Fix that, and you’ve got a really solid piece, my friend! Keep at it! ;)

7.5/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015

Jacob responds:

Myyy reviewwww!

The mixing and EQ of the drums has been a consistent challenge for me, and I think I honestly need to step away from Addictive and start using separate samples and soft synths that I can master as discrete entities. But, that may not fix it. I also lack some fundamental understanding of the mixing, and I have to figure that out sooner or later. You've pushed me to experiment more. :)

I think I agree with you on the abruptness of the second chorus transition. Although that was the intent, it wasn't done properly. And that may have been as simple as finishing four measures instead of only three. Or maybe the idea itself was lame! Man I don't know I'm just a username.

THANK YOU for telling me that the last chorus was unnecessary. I have this annoying nagging voice in my head telling me that three choruses are absolutely necessary, but it almost always feels so FORCED when I do it. I've gotta figure out my own non-ABABCB song structure.

Your review is so appreciated, man. It's nice that you're taking time out for the losers. Hahaha
I'd love it if you could give me some detail via PM on remedying the mix, particularly the percussion. But you're busy as hell with technical advice as it is, so it's 100% cool if it's not in your time-budget.

Thank you so much! Happy judging. :)

[[NGADM] Undertow]

I like the mood at the beginning, but I think the pauses were extremely unnecessary. The piano has this awesome, flowy and smooth quality, especially with the reverb, and the pauses sort of detracted from that flow. Once the synths come in at :43, I understand where you were going with the pauses, but they still impact the pacing of the piece negatively IMO. This piece progresses very slowly. I liked the part at 1:00, although I thought you might’ve been able to equalize out some of the treble tones in that rather high-pitched lead. The part at 1:00 is still rather minimalistic, though, and I thought you could’ve done a lot more to add to the harmonic content and progression of this piece. The strings during the breakdown at around 2:30 also sort of caught me off guard. Generally, it’s not a great idea to introduce new instruments 2/3 of the way through a track. By the end, this track is repetitive and fails to keep me engaged, unfortunately. The octave jumps around 3:00 – 3:15 don’t really serve to channel the energy in this track very well, and the coda was a bit rushed and lazily done IMO. I admire your sense of rhythm, but overall this track was pretty generic and repetitive. It’s also catchy, and the production quality is pretty high. Still, I would’ve liked to see some more creative and varied content. I hope this review helped. Keep at it, man! ;)

6.5/10

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

[NGADM round 1 [WIP]]

I liked the mood at the beginning. You left yourself a lot of space for climax and contrast, which is good. That said, though, it’s very slow to progress, and you only actually reach an “arrival point” of your piece about halfway through. That cool, quirky melody instrument at 1:05 made for a neat post-chorus section, although I think the instrument was a bit too loud. Obviously, this isn’t a structurally complete piece. I know this is supposed to be a WIP, but I’m afraid I can’t take that into account when judging your submission. You could’ve done so much more with this. I think it has a lot of potential, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it after the competition. The production quality is solid. The soundscape is cool, and I like the melodies and harmonies, etc. But for this competition, you need to show me more of your abilities, especially regarding structuring/transitioning, that often are on display later in the piece. Despite the fact that this piece was cut short, I thought you could’ve at least tried to conclude it in a more creative way. Instead, you had this sort of cliché sweep in there. Again, I’d encourage you to keep working on this. For what it’s worth, “Recharge” is still one of my personal favorite tracks from the NGAUC 2014. Hope this review helped. Keep at it, man! ;)

5.5/10

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

DjAbbic responds:

I also feel like this has a lot of potential, and it's a shame I couldn't really get it out before the deadline. I'm personally feeling a bit conflicted about everything after the intro, because I feel like there are other directions I could take it. I'll probably continue working on this but it may be unrecognizable by the time it is finished.

I'm glad you're still enjoying Recharge, I still think it's one of those 'outlier' songs which is better than what I normally make, but then again I have thought the same thing for a fair number of my latest (kinda old now) songs. Perhaps it is a sign that I'm improving :).

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate your input!