TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Can't Stop Me Now]

Hahaha, I remember this piece from last year’s NGUAC! :D I like the dark tone and apprehension at the beginning. The mix is a lot cleaner than I recall, and there’s a good sense of build into the drop at :45. The rhythmic content is nice, and the vocal samples add a nice punch to the texture without being overused. The re-intro at 1:45 was a good decision, and I like the furtive piano solo at 2:00 too. The melodies at 2:15 feel almost blissful compared to the dark undertones of the piece earlier, and the drop at 2:45 with the prominent pads is especially crisp. The harmonies at 3:30 or so are killer, and the extended breakdown starting at 3:45 also contributed to the variety and narrative form of the piece. The very ending of the piece (4:30 onwards) felt a bit superfluous, like it was trying to take this fairly minimal, clubbish track in a more atmospheric direction, but by itself it was pretty evocative and enjoyable as well. Overall, I’m really impressed with your work here, Ackee. You’ve built on your past successes and improved immensely on the shortcomings of your previous work. You should feel really proud of yourself, whether you make it into the group stage of the NGADM or not. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Ackee39 responds:

Thanks for taking the time to write this incredibly detailed review!
Yeah, I do remember making the first drop of this for NGUAC about a year ago… gives me nostalgia thinking about it almost haha. I’m really glad I was able to improve on the mixing in a way that was noticeable, sometimes when you make too many fine adjustments you feel like its either worthless or sometimes just making it worse… also i was pretty worried that all the different parts would make it feel too messy so the fact that i more or less avoided both is quite reassuring

[I Fly So High | NGADM | Wave | Royalty Free + MIDI |]

I like the mellow pads and crisp drums. The editing on the vocals isn’t perfect, and sometimes your tone is a little uneven. It changes very quickly from being furtive-sounding to throaty and husky to full of confidence and expression. I think it might’ve helped smooth over the uneven tone if you had held out the notes for a little longer - working on your breath control might be a good next step for you. The added rhythmic elements at 1:55 are nice, and I like how you brought the piece full-circle with the “moonlight touches the sky” refrain towards the end. Overall, the composition could’ve been a tad more ambitious here, and the vocals could’ve been more polished. But I do like the instrumental tracks, mood, and production. Keep at it, Aalasteir!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[A Newborn Spirit]

I really like the emotional appeal of the beginning melodies and the sound design. The plucked strings are a particularly nice touch, and the brief dissonance at :47 serves as a great transition into the section with the swelling string chords. The melodies at 1:15 felt like a true moment of triumph - like a kid recovering from cancer is performing in a ballet recital. If I had to complain about one thing here, it might be that the ending came on a bit suddenly. But otherwise, the sound design, production quality, composition, and atmosphere are all top-notch here. By all means, keep it up, A145! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

[I'm So Happy I Could Die]

I like the bouncy mood and crisp beats at the beginning. The kick has a little too much bass in it for my tastes - some more mid-tones might help it pop in the mix more - but that’s a nitpicky thing. In general, I think the drums could be a bit louder too. The cutesy vocals starting at around :30 are great, although it’s pretty difficult to make out the lyrics. The harmonic content gets a tad repetitive after a while. Especially with the frantic tempo, it might’ve been nice to have an extended breakdown earlier in the piece (like at 2:46). I think my favorite element of this piece is the transitions - the one with the dissonant piano chords at 2:57 stands out, but there’s also a neat one at 1:54 that fits with the energy of the piece really well. Overall, solid effort all around, 3xBlastMx! Despite my minor complaint with the drums, the production is really strong here, and the triumphant-sounding synths, energy, and blissful vocals make this track irresistible. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[3manon - Brainstorm (Mindscapes EP)]

I like the moody pads at the beginning. The woodwinds and brass sound pretty inauthentic - iit might be advisable to replace them with instruments that are meant to sound synthetic. The mix could be a tad crisper - the strings at :40 or so don’t come through particularly well, although you’ve balanced things out much better at :56. I like the busy beat at 1:38 and the burst of intensity at 1:49, although that’s another spot where the harmonies are ducking under the mix a bit. You might need to get a little stricter with the equalizers here, and also scale back the reverb on the pads and strings at some points. The extended pause at 3:20 threw me off a bit, and I thought the transition back into the refrain with the gradual fade-in could’ve been more creative. The key change at 3:44 was a good idea, although the new harmonies at 4:05 clash with the main melody a bit. I like the transition at 4:25, especially compared to some of the risers earlier, and the vocal sample you incorporated during the last minute of the piece was a welcome change. That little sitar riff towards the end is another element that probably needed a boost in the mix, but I like how you wound down the piece with the smooth-sounding guitar. Overall, there’s a lot to like here between the catchy rhythmic content, memorable melodies, and variety in the sound design. I still think the mixing needs more attention, as well as some of the arrangement details, but overall you’ve put a solid effort into this track, with a solid result. Keep at it, 3manon! ^_^

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
.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
7/10

3manon responds:

Thank you for your constructive criticism ^-^ will definitely work on these points in the future

[Spiderman vs greengoblin]

I like the organ stabs and percussion at the beginning, although the mix is a bit muddy. It seems you’re combining a lot of samples with very different instrumentation here, and the result is a tad disjointed. I like the lo-fi groove at :23 with the vinyl scratches. The vocal samples were a little overused, and they also had very different positions in the mix, with “my spider sense is tingling” at :44 much louder and more up-front than the others around it. The vocal samples are the only thing driving the narrative aspect of the piece forward, and most of the melodic elements of the track (like the orchestral flourish at 1:00) seem to also come from the sampled content. Overall, the beat is cool, and a lot of the sound design here is well-selected, but this piece has a long way to go in terms of harmonies and progression before it’s a well-rounded original composition in my opinion. I’d challenge you to tell a story with your music without relying so much on vocal samples - add and subtract some instruments to the backing track over time, use drums and risers to build up intensity during certain parts, or increase/decrease the pace at which the notes play to change the energy level etc. When you feel like you’ve done that, feel free to send me a PM, and I’ll give you some more feedback. Until then, thanks for coming out to the NGADM, 15grams!

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

[Show Me Your Heart]

What the hell, I need a break from judging.

I love the inspirational tone at the beginning and the swell into :06. The twittery synth line and warm, hearty strings mesh well together, and the production quality is fantastic as always with you. The cutoff of the beat and synths at :36 was a bit sudden, but I like how the modulation at :48 injects a new sense of energy into the piece. During the final section at 1:06, I wanted the strings to be a bit more prominent in the mix, as I feel like they're playing the more climactic/melodic line there. Still, the sound design and compositional details are superb here. Keep it up, Bosa! ^_^

Bosa responds:

yeah I may have popped the clutch at :36 but we were still movin lol. At 1:06 I can understand your feelings on that, I guess I was trying not to push past the ceiling too much while still not detracting from the strings.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and leave me a review! I love to hear what your thoughts are

[Artistic Process]

I really like the rhythmic content and sound design here. The instruments are groovy, and the beat is creative. The texture is a bit minimal at times, often because the melodic instruments are very staccato-y and thin-sounding, but you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The call-and-response thing among the several different leads from :13 to :40 or so (and other places) is probably my favorite aspect of the piece. It's a really effective way of creating variety in a piece that otherwise has pretty much one simple chord progression. That said, the relaxing mood and spacey atmosphere are big pluses, and I also think the breakdown section at 2:03 was an effective way of adding some variety. Solid work, dude! Keep it up. :)

EmsDeLaRoZ responds:

Thank you very much for the feedback, i'll keep working for the better

[AIM - Bellowers of Grief]

Haunting! I love the atmosphere at the beginning and the furtive piano shortly thereafter. The strings are warm and rich-sounding, and the mood is alternately filled with wonder and tranquility. The piece is a tad slow to develop at times, but I love the subtle key change and the dark string riffs at 2:02. You're really playing up the dynamic contrast and cinematic flair of the piece by the woodwind solo at 2:30ish. Really captivating work, Everratic. The way you use the music to tell a story has grown into one of your strongest qualities as a musician. Best of luck in AIM! ^_^

Everratic responds:

Thanks for the review!