TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Krea - Crystal [NGADM 2023]]

I like the rich pads at the beginning, although there’s a lot of reverb in the texture, especially at the very beginning, that distorts the mix a bit. The glitchy piano line at :25 is nice, but the transitions at :25 and :37 were very abrupt. The blissful melodies at 1:05 are great, and they in turn transition well into the bassy section at 1:18, but overall the pacing of this piece is VERY fast, and feels constantly in-your-face and high-energy. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear a bit of a break from the frantic and chaotic synth patterns, whether via a breakdown or atmospheric bridge or something. The part with the chopped vocals at 1:43 is even a little TOO chaotic to be danceable and catchy. Overall, there are a lot of good ideas in here, but I’d like to see you consolidate the texture a bit, focus more on the mixing details, and slow down the pacing a tad (not necessarily the tempo, just the pace at which different elements of the texture change - every 8 bars vs. 4, etc.). Still, I can tell you poured your soul into this track for the last 3 weeks, and the fun sound design, dynamic melodies, rich textures, and catchy rhythmic elements clearly reflect that. Keep at it, Kreagato! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
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

[The Last Warlord]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the string melodies shortly thereafter. The percussion could stand to be a bit sharper in the mix, and the mix in general is a bit quiet. That said, the piece also has a nice subtle building tension into 1:12. It really does sound like a battle march, and the cowardly villagers are watching the conquerors slowly approach. I would’ve preferred a smoother transition into 1:22, but I love the choir and brass melodies starting at 1:36, and with the string swells and additional layering on the melodies later on, the composition comes together rather well. There might’ve been more room for you to break out of the paradigm of the strong beats marked by the drums and lower strings and make the piece feel a tad looser and more cathartic towards the end, but that’s a bit of a nitpick. My main critique here is probably with the mixing. Especially when the texture gets busier here, the string harmonies and percussion tend to start sounding rather muddy. That said, the composition and sound design are great as always with you. Keep it up, IglicaV! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Take Me Away (NGADM Entry)]

I like the airy piano at the beginning and the emotional quality of the strings at :13. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but the mix still sounds loud and punchy. The powerful vocals at :25 really hit the spot, and there’s a great sense of climax into :51. The drop felt full, rich, and dynamic, although it did drag on for a tad long. The breakdown at 1:40 is pretty cool, but I think you start to overuse the pulsating effect after a while.

The cutesy melodies at 1:56 are nice, and they also lead well into the echo-y beats at 2:09. The transition at 2:33 was a tad sudden, and I would’ve liked to hear some more variation on the build-up the second time around at 2:46. The added high-pitched synth at 3:13 and other variations during the second drop are nice, though. I also think that, throughout this piece, you could do a tad more with the drums. The piano outro at 3:50 is nice.

Overall, the arrangement and sound design of the piece are a little generic, and consolidating some of your ideas at the drop could help better maintain interest. Still, this piece is catchy, well-produced, and has a strong atmospheric appeal that I really like. Keep at it, DenPelm! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[locked in (NGADM ROUND1)]

I like the reverse riser at the beginning and the crisp beats at :14. The quirky pads at :43 are great - really nice, bouncy vibe with some sweet ancillary harmonies around it. The breakdown at 1:26 was good for some structural contrast too, and the vocals at 1:38 added a nice rhythmic component to the atmosphere there. The grouchy bass at 1:55 comes and goes a bit suddenly, but you transition well into the second drop at 2:22. The second drop felt a little chaotic and aimless, but the atmospheric outro at 2:51 is really smooth. The mixing and mastering are rock-solid here, by the way. The arrangement is a tad generic, but the sound design and atmosphere are really refreshing. Overall, great work with the instrumentation, rhythmic content, progression, and production here. Keep it up, CrowdDoll! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[NOAH!]

I like the 90s coffee shop rock vibe at the beginning. The dark content of the lyrics contrasts heavily with the upbeat, pop style of the piece. The vocals sound good. At first, I thought this was a vocaloid because a couple of the words are mispronounced, but they also have a really even and organic tone. Is it sad that I’m surprised when people actually have a human record vocals for their NGADM tracks these days? Yes. Yes it is.

Anyway, the piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing, and after the repetitive verse-chorus structure, the solo at 1:57 really hits the spot. The additional vocal layering on the chorus at 1:44 is nice, but the final chorus at 2:12 still could’ve used a bit more “pizzazz” - 4 repeated phrases in less than 3 minutes is a lot, after all.

Overall, the production quality here is pretty good, but the drums could use a bit of a boost in the mix, especially during the chorus. This is a catchy piece with some creative lyrics and punchy guitars. Reminds me of Avril Lavigne’s first couple of albums. Keep it up, Zip-Zap! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Zip-Zap-Official responds:

Thank you for the review! I was going for a 90s vibe and I'm glad I was able to capture that here (I got Nirvana and Spiderbait to thank for that haha). Believe it or not, it IS a vocaloid :D Some of the words weren't supposed to be mispronounced; Hotel Arcadia is an Australian punk rock band so the singers are supposed to have a faint accent. I can now rest accomplished knowing I tricked somebody into thinking it was a human voice ;)

[Trauma]

I like the eerie whirring effect at the beginning and the crisp strings that come in shortly thereafter. The snare at :23 really pops in the mix, which is nice, but many of the other instruments sound a bit thin and inauthentic, especially the guitars. It might help to either give the bass more space in the EQ and/or add some reverb and other atmospheric elements to fill out the texture. There’s a good sense of build into 1:33, and the glitchy effects and added pads there are nice touches. The main riff (1:55) feels pretty bland and repetitive to me after a while - it and the other lead harmonies are doing little else besides outlining the chords for most of the piece. The re-intro at 2:45 was a good idea, although I still want some of these instruments to have more space in the mix. I also thought the extended stop-start transition from 3:22 to 3:34 interrupted the flow of the piece a bit. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear more variety in the harmonic content and more ebb and flow within individual phrases to break up an otherwise disjointed arrangement. Otherwise, I enjoyed the production quality, atmosphere, and rhythmic content of the piece. Keep at it, WingsOfAsh! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[The Threat in the Corner of Your Eye]

I like the pensive guitar riff at the beginning and the eerie atmosphere. While slow to progress at first, the texture really starts coming together with the powerful guitar chords at :45. The drums are rather soft in the mix, although it’s less noticeable during the verses. I absolutely love the lead riff at 1:36. The transition at 1:50 was pretty abrupt, as was the re-entry of the lead guitar at 2:06. The melodic content here is fantastic, but again, the mix could use some tightening up.

The drums should be way stronger at sections like 2:48 - idk what DAW you use to produce this, but if stereo widening is an option, it might be useful to keep the atmospheric elements panned to the sides so that the drums have more space front-and-center. I’m sure it’s also really tough balancing the heavy guitars and the drums in a piece like this, but giving the top end of the drums a nudge forward with an EQ might help.

The composition here is really strong, though. I’m really digging the variety, sound design, and progression of this piece. I think one of my favorite individual sections is the call-and-response between the bass and the kinda atonal lead riff at 4:03. You also hit the piece home strongly with the climax at 4:55.

Overall, this would be a top-notch piece if the different instruments, especially the drums, sounded more distinct and crisp in the mix. The composition is a storytelling journey, the sound design is evocative and blends well, and the rhythmic content and atmosphere really string me along nicely between the sections with the heavy guitars. Keep it up, Mischa-head! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Mischa-head responds:

Thank you! Really useful feedback too :)

[ShadowFox - Predator]

I like the warm pads at the beginning. The grainy bass at :25 isn’t my favorite instrument, and the distorted vocals on the off-beats at :38 sound a bit tinny. The drop at :52 is pretty catchy, but also pretty generic given the sound design and structure. You could also use a smoother transition into 1:19. I like the hip-hop-inspired snare at 1:45. I also think you start overusing the stop-start transitions (like at 2:09) after a while. My favorite aspect of the piece is probably the production quality - everything sounds crisp, loud, and clear in the mix throughout. I also think it was a good idea to end the piece with the more energetic section at 3:17. Overall, the piece is catchy and has a lot of cool compositional details, but the sound design could sound more polished and the arrangement less disjointed. Still, you really showed off your strong sense of rhythm and harmony with this one. Keep at it, ShadowFox! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Fever]

I like the eastern string riff at the beginning and the eerie atmosphere around it. The chord progression is a bit cliche, as is the hardstyle lead, but once the beat comes in at :31 the piece has a great energy about it. The drop at 1:01 is pretty catchy, although the sidechaining is a tad heavy for my tastes. I like the breakdown at 1:32, especially with the echo/delay automations at 1:44. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more variety on the main riffs and harmonic framework of the piece, although I like the variations on the drop at 2:34 too. Overall, aspects of the arrangement and sound design are pretty generic here, and the composition could’ve been a bit bolder in places, but I like the atmospheric elements, rhythmic content, and production quality of this one. Keep at it, PsiStar! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Lost Island (NGADM '23 R1)]

I like the echo-y strings at the beginning and the floaty flute line. The low-pitched piano chords at :40 really hit the spot, and by the 1-minute mark this is turning into a real “tapestry of sound” approach to composition, with no one instrument dominating the others melodically. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, though, and sometimes the drums get a little lost in the mix. The breakdown at 1:54 was good for some structural contrast, and the piano and strings blend really well together at 2:20. The string line at 2:36 is gorgeous, and at that point I might’ve liked to hear the main melody stay on top of the mix a bit more. You’re always so good at giving your tracks a rich longer melodic section towards the end, and this is no exception. Beautiful composition here, Papkee. I’m going to challenge you to tighten up the mix a bit for next time, though. Keep at it! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
9/10