TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Into the Sunset - NGADM]

I like the Wild West theme and the soulful trumpet melody at the beginning. The crisp percussion and whistling at :38 are excellent additions to the sound design, although the kick at :42 sounds a tad sub-bassy for a piece like this. The quirky chordal instrument at 1:16 is great - sounds like a rubber band on crack. The rubber band in turn contrasts nicely with the somber breakdown at 1:26. This piece has a great atmospheric appeal, while also having multiple high-energy sections and a good sense of pacing. I love when the main melody goes double-time at 2:37, although later in the piece the harmonic content could use a bit more variety here. Feels like variations on the main melody make up 80%+ of the “foregrounded” element of the texture here, which is not very conducive to holding my engagement after a while. The mixing is indeed a lot better than on “Tower of Tech,” although the composition doesn’t feel nearly as dynamic. Still, you nailed the sound design, progression, atmosphere, and production quality here. Keep it up, Irish-Soul! ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

[While We Still Can]

I like the orchestral tuning sounds at the beginning, although I’m not sure that transitions super well into the guitar melodies at :05. Love the punchy mix and rich harmonies, though. The panning work is also nice, although drums could’ve been a tad more up-front in the mix at times. The guitar work absolutely slays - I especially like the frantic solo at 1:30. I appreciate the variations on the main melody at 1:59, and the airy bridge at 2:15 was good for some structural contrast with the busy guitar riffs. The key change at 2:32 was really smooth, and the strings at 3:06 help give the texture a sense of balance before the final refrain. Overall, the sound design, progression, melodies, and atmosphere of this piece are really strong, and you’ve clearly put a ton of effort into making the composition as memorable and dynamic as it is here. Keep it up, Wontolla! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Dreamwalker]

I like the airy, blissful synths at the beginning. You’re definitely playing up the 80s synthwave vibe, but you integrate the punchy percussion and guitars at :21 very well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the kick sample - sounds very sub-bassy for a piece like this. That said, the synth melodies at :49 are really nice, and overall the production quality here is really strong. The bridge at 1:50 is refreshing, but otherwise the harmonic content in this piece is pretty repetitive, and the arrangement feels a tad formulaic after a while with all the stop-start transitions. Overall, the sound design, mixing, atmosphere, melodies, and rich texture of the piece are all really nice. Keep it up, BOE! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Thanks for the awesome score and feedback! Wow to be in the NGADM Top 16 is crazy and an honor, thank you - Now I really gotta bring it for the next submission, haha!

[That One Talks]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The piano is nice, but also feels a tad undecorated in the mix, and is a bit quiet relative to the strings at :18. There’s a good sense of climax into :52, and you follow that up nicely by introducing the guitar and interweaving the harmonies. Some percussion might’ve helped channel the energy a bit better, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some bolder and more memorable melodies. The coda section (last minute or so) felt a bit dragged-out and bland compared to the richer texture before it, and in general long sections of the piece are rather minimal. That said, the sound design, atmosphere, and production quality of the piece are all quite strong, and you’ve done a good job of creating some ebb and flow in the texture throughout. You certainly played up the emotional quality of this one, which is also to your advantage. Keep at it, A145! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Wings of Ash - Waltz of the Undying [Zeddius Remix]]

I like the eerie mood at the beginning and the trippy piano riff at :08. There’s a good sense of build-up into :33, but the 8 seconds of gritty mid-range bass drone disrupts the flow a bit for me. The sound design here is really nice overall, but the texture still feels a bit minimal for most of first half of the piece. The drop at 1:23 is really neat - the organ and grouchy bass complement each other well, and the rhythmic content is great. Another really strong aspect of this piece is the production quality - all of the instruments sound super crisp, loud, and clear in the mix throughout. The waltzy bridge at 2:05 was probably my favorite part of the piece. Sounds like a traveling circus that’s secretly also a religious cult. The airy synth lead at 3:02 is great, but the drums also duck under the mix a bit there. The minimal, creepy outro really cements the narrative appeal of the piece, though, and overall this piece is really compelling for its vivid atmosphere and sound design. The arrangement is a tad choppy at times with all the stop-start transitions, but otherwise my complaints here are few and far between. Keep it up, Zeddius! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Radiowaves]

I like the airy percussion at the beginning. The bassy groove at :02 sounds a bit distorted in the mix, though. Dialing back the reverb might help a bit, but you’ll also need to compress the drums more and get stricter with the filtering. Part of the problem might be that instruments with a similar frequency range are distorting each other. To help solve this, it might help to use equalizers more often. Also known as EQs, they’ll help you filter out the frequencies in the harmonic instruments (i.e., pretty much everything except the bass and drums) below about 200 Hertz. That’ll make all of the instruments sound much clearer in the mix, especially on the low end of the spectrum. You may already know about equalizers, but you should use them way more often, is the point.

Mixing aside, the sound design and texture of the piece sound really rich and neat. The harmonic content could use some more variety, but the catchy rhythmic content and subtle automations help keep me engaged here, and the melodic variations towards the end also help scratch that itch. I love the prominent arpeggios at 2:57 too. Overall, my main concern here is the mixing - this track would sound a lot cleaner and more distinct with some tighter production. Still, I can tell you’re a talented composer with a knack for retro sound design. Keep it up, X2scepten! ^_^

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

[Slawblade.mp2]

I like the eerie siren-like synth at the beginning. The drums at :05 are catchy. I think I recognize some FL Studio presets, though. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but the transition with the vocal sample at :32 was neat. The synth at :40 sounds a bit thin and unpolished - some more mixing effects might help give them some more atmosphere. That said, the riff it’s playing is catchy, and has a nice call-and-response pattern between the higher-pitched and lower-pitched sub-sections. The effect at 1:15 is cool, but could’ve been better integrated into the “body” of the piece, if you will. Otherwise, I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the composition a bit more here. Kinda feels like the piece ends right as it’s getting started. Overall, it’s not bad, just a bit bland. I’d encourage you to keep working on this - there’s a lot of potential between the catchy synth riffs and drums and the cool effects and transitions. Keep at it, WoogLord! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6/10

WoogLord responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate the in-depth analysis you gave and do agree with you on all that you said.

I look forward to improving more in the future!

[Dynamo Blitz]

I like the catchy rhythmic content at the beginning. The synths are a bit cheesy, but by :36 the crisp beats and low-mid pads help keep things interesting. The piece is missing some higher-frequency tones and melodic content for almost the entire track, though. The harmonic content is repetitive, and could use more depth at times. The variations at 1:40 help the piece come full-circle, but the bass is very loud relative to the other harmonies there. This piece is catchy and energetic, but the composition could use a bit more fleshing out. I would suggest focusing on melody-writing going forward. Melodies will add a level of dynamism and storytelling to your piece that’s hard to replicate in other areas of composition. Still, the production quality is strong here, and the rhythmic content, atmosphere, and progression are also quite enjoyable. Keep at it, WolFoxBeats! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[static (feat. eleanor forte)]

I like the pensive piano riff at the beginning. The instrument itself sounds both dry and distorted, though - it could use some wet reverb to fill out the atmosphere and maybe some filtering or something to add variety. The percussion at :18 sounds similarly dry and minimal. I like the lyrics a lot, and the vocals themselves sound pretty realistic despite being a vocaloid. I’m also not sure I liked how you overlap the vocal phrases - it didn’t really seem to fit with the pacing of the piece up to that point. The added layering at :52 is really nice, although some more bass tones would’ve helped fill out the texture there more. The melancholic bridge at 1:10 was a bit of a missed opportunity to add some bolder melodies or a beat drop IMO. With the repetition towards the end of the piece, I feel like the composition of this piece in general was pretty underwhelming, despite being well-structured and having some cool melodies and sound design. I’d encourage you to find more ways of filling out the texture here and adding variety, whether that’s with mixing effects, additional instruments, more dynamic melodies, or otherwise. Still, the existential content of the vocals and the distorted sound design end up serving you well here. Keep at it, wheremakingthishapen! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Left Adrift]

I like the hardstyle lead at the beginning and the frantic synth harmonies. The mix is very loud and pretty clean, although sometimes the balance seems a bit off between the harmonies. For example, the synth riff at :28 seriously overwhelms the piano, and in general the drums could use a bit more of a boost in the mix. The main melody at :58 sounds a bit square rhythmically, and you also start overusing the riff at :53 a bit after a while. That said, I like the breakdown at 1:26, and you transition well back into the frantic harmonies at 1:48. The key changes at 2:10 and 2:30 were good for some variety, although I might’ve liked to see you switch up the harmonies themselves rather than just transpose them to different keys. The piece also probably could’ve used a proper outro, as it ends pretty suddenly. Still, this piece is catchy, energetic, and has some really cool retro sound design. You have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression, and pretty much all of my complaints are nitpicks. Keep it up, VoltranixMusic! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10