TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[VS. The Procrastination Demon]

I like the rhythmic content and bouncy synths. The bass has a bit too much reverb on it imo - that’s probably contributing to what is a pretty distorted mix here. The foreboding mood and energy of this piece are great, although the drums could’ve been a bit more punchy. The piece is smooth-flowing and has a decent amount of variety. I especially like the multiple sections that have dense harmonies with distinct patterns of emphasis. The tempo automation at the end was also a nice touch. Overall, the mixing is my main concern here. You might have to do more to pull apart the frequencies from the different instruments here - none of the instruments except for the bass and kick should have any frequencies below 200 Hz, and the pads/arpeggios could probably use some stereo widening or maybe just a tighter equalizer range to give the bass and main melodies some more room. Still, the composition is really fun and dynamic here. Love the instrumentation, too. Keep it up, JorelSimpson! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Savage]

I like the ominous and vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding riff at the beginning. There was a nice subtle build-up into :14, and the drop at :14 is catchy, if rather minimal. The mixing effects are tasteful and add some flavor to the piece, but I still think the texture could use some more fill here, and the harmonic content could use more variety. Rap vocals would certainly do the trick. Some of the transitions are also abrupt, like at 1:50. Otherwise, the compositional details are pleasant here - I especially like the build-up at 2:38, and the vocals and glitchy elements at around 3:00. It just needs more variety and maybe a more original arrangement. Still, this is a seriously catchy track with some creative sound design. Keep at it, JoeStasi! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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

JoeStasi responds:

Thank you Andrew for organising this comp and for your extremely detailed feedback it's much appreciated!

[Petrichor - NGUAC]

I like the majestic chords at the beginning. The rhythm is a bit square, but I like how the higher-pitched tones of the chords soften in the lead-up to :31. The string pads are beautiful, although admittedly the fade-out of the piano/bell chords wasn’t quite gradual enough for my ears to adjust in time. The part at 1:16 sounds really whimsical. The pacing is much slower during this section of the piece, but I like how you brought it full-circle with the initial chords at 2:14. Overall, this is a really cute piece. I think you overused the stop-start transitions a bit early on, but otherwise the composition is pleasant, if not particularly bold. No complaints with the mixing or sound design. Keep at it, Irish-Soul! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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

Irish-Soul responds:

Thanks for the review and thorough feedback! It's always such a pleasure to participate in NGUAC :)

[The Descent Of A Champion (NGUAC Finals Rank 23)]

I like the quirky synth brass instrument at the beginning and the church bells on the downbeats. The melodies are catchy, although there’s a bit of dissonance at :32, and the percussion could come through clearer in the mix. I’d suggest mixing the percussion to include more mid-range frequencies, and also double-checking the equalizer in other instruments to make sure there aren’t so many low-pitched tones that are interfering with them. That might help make the percussion sound more distinct in the mix.

That said, I especially like the melodic contour at 1:01 and the cute, 8-bit breakdown at 1:26. This track is well-varied harmonically, and flows smoothly as well. It sounds a little too dynamic to fit into a video game soundtrack, but the sound design and flavor are certainly there. Overall, strong work here, Interloping! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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

[Tortuga]

I like the strong emphasis on the downbeats and the frantic string lines in between. It sounds like a large, lumbering beast indeed, almost like the camera is viewing the tortuga from the perspective of an ant. The mix is very quiet, though, and the melodies at :47 could be a bit more up-front in the mix. The composition could be a bit more fleshed-out and variational, but the content you have here now is still evocative and well-orchestrated. Keep at it, IglicaV! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
7.5/10

[Crystallis Ultima]

I like the downtempo piano riffs at the beginning. The string pads help round out the atmosphere nicely, and the flute solo at :50 sounds lovely. The string melodies at 1:02 seem to contribute to a quickening of the pace going into the climax at 1:27 - that’s a smart compositional choice. The mix is a bit quiet for most of the piece, but the dynamics are generally well-shaped within the phrases here. The arrangement feels a tad disjointed at times, with a lot of stop-start transitions. The piano breakdown at 3:26 serves as a nice re-intro, and the pacing of that transition serves as a nice and subtle attention-grabber. The next climactic section at 4:08 might’ve benefitted from a more gradual build-up, especially since it’s the main “point of arrival” towards the end of the piece. That said, the melodic content is beautiful, and in general the orchestration is both well-varied and channels the mood of the piece quite well. The emotional appeal of the coda at 5:24 is a nice touch as well. Overall, strong work, Holland! This piece is majestic, melodious, and well-structured. It could be a tad more smooth-flowing in places, but in general all of my complaints here are minor. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

HollandAlbright responds:

Thank you for the detailed breakdown, and especially thank you for hosting the contest! It gave me some motivation to write some new music and was fun to participate in something like that. ♫

[Conductor - NGADM Round 2 & NGUAC Finals!]

I like the muffled vocals and piano at the beginning. The sound design here in general is really strong, and the rich harmonies and rhythmic elements are also enjoyable. The part at :31 felt a bit like an anti-climax. I kept expecting it to be just an extended stop-start transition, but by the time the goofy sound effects came in at :31, the piece just lost all its momentum in my mind. There are definitely some cool elements of the piece later on, like the distorted vocals and syncopations at 1:49, and the production quality is top-notch. The doppler effect at 1:13 is also a nice touch, and the piece is certainly catchy throughout. I just think the body of it is a little too minimal and understated to be effective. Sorry! I think if you had successfully capitalized on the emotional appeal of the first 30 seconds of this piece, it would score at least a full point higher. Still, I’m giving you full credit for mixing, sound design, and originality here. Keep at it, GameBoyFireworks! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Powerful Melodies (NGUAC - Final Round)]

I like the rich atmosphere at the beginning. The synths have a distinctly wintery feel, and the thick, slidey bass at :24 really hits the spot. The piano melodies sound a bit square rhythmically, and also don’t take up a ton of space in the mix relative to the harmonic elements. The modulation at :51 was a pleasant surprise, and the transition into 1:15 was a tad abrupt, but also effective. The section at 1:35 sounds nice and climactic, but also a tad over-compressed. I really like the glitches starting at 1:45. I’ll also note that the kick doesn’t come through the mix very well, especially compared to the punchy snare. Overall, the piece has a nice triumphant mood and some great sound design. The harmonic content could use a tad more variety, but the atmospheric elements help keep things interesting regardless. Keep at it, G2961! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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

[(NGUAC '24 Final Round) So Close, Yet So Far...]

I like the powerful chords at the beginning and the floaty arpeggios. It’s a little hard to follow the pattern of rhythmic emphasis at first, but it gets substantially easier once the beat comes in at :15. The drums could use a bit of a boost in the mix at times, especially the snare, but otherwise the production quality is solid here. I love the “naked arpeggios” at :45 and :53 interspersed with the heavy guitar riffs. There’s a good amount of variety in the guitar riffs, too - I think the jumpy melodies at 1:14 are my favorite, and the string harmonies there are a nice touch too. The transition at 1:43 is a bit abrupt, both harmonically and in terms of the mood. The frantic harmonies at 2:43 are nice, though, and the rich pads at 2:55 really hit the spot too. Love the triumphant feel at 3:20 or so, which completely changes again by 3:24 into a foreboding and harmonically unstable riff.

There are a lot of good ideas here in isolation, but the arrangement feels a bit choppy overall and the piece often lacks an overarching sense of direction. There are some great compositional details - like the pause at 4:20 and the funky rhythms at 5:34 - but also some abrupt transitions, like at 5:06. The phasing effects at 6:00 are also really cool, and the piece comes together well in the end with the higher-register melodic content. That said, starting at 5:52 the lead guitar is struggling to stay on top of the rest of the mix, particularly the pads. I’d double check to make sure the pads don’t have any low-register tones that could be creating some mud, and maybe employ some stereo widening or other space shaping tools to separate out those frequencies as much as possible. The bass fill at 6:38 was a good idea, and the somber and dissonant piano/strings outro seems fitting too.

Overall, there is a ton of awesome creative energy in this piece. Love the sound design, melodies, and rhythmic content. The mixing could use a bit of cleaning up at times, and I think this piece would feel more cohesive if you would consolidate some of the compositional ideas and focus on crafting more gradual transitions. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the guitar riffs, atmospheric content, and mood shifts here. Keep it up, FourTHat3! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Untinted]

I love the evocative chords at the beginning and the jazzy flair. The strings at :28 are beautiful, and the piece flows really nicely into the clarinet and sax solos at :40. The texture is a bit minimal, and part of me thinks it could use some more prominent percussion to give it a sense of drive. The tuba and “oom-pah” rhythmic emphasis at 1:38 are great, and also provide some variety in the mood of the piece compared to the more upbeat tone earlier. The second string section at 2:22 hits the piece home nicely. I still think this piece would be a tad stronger with a richer texture and atmosphere at times, but the melodies, sound design, and progression are all rather enjoyable as they are. Keep at it, Everratic! ^_^

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

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I agree that the piece is a bit too minimal at times. I could have added more lines and doublings throughout different sections. I do like a minimal approach for a track like this for a cute, lighthearted vibe, so I wouldn't have added that much more though.

For most of the submission period I worked on a totally different track, and it wasn't working as well as I had hoped, so I made a difficult decision shortly before the deadline to start fresh. I got lucky because this track was extremely easy to compose, but I still didn't have enough time to fully develop it. The version I submitted had a few big mistakes that I didn't think I should mention :p I updated it after the results were released.