TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-High Road-]

I like the acoustic drum kit and funk-inspired instrumentation. The dreamy texture of the lead guitar and organic feel of the rhythmic content is great. I like the added percussion when the drum beat comes back in at 1:14, as well as the spacey, minimal section at 1:58. The subtle solo at 2:20 is a nice touch, too. Overall, this is very relaxing, well-mastered, and catchy without being over-stimulating. Really looking forward to the album! Keep it up, WF. ^_^

[Keep On Running]

I like the cutesy percs at the beginning and the rhythmic syncopations. Kinda sounds Latin-inspired in a way. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the vocals. Not sure they're quite prominent enough in the mix for my tastes, though, and somehow they don't quite have the same energy and richness as the rest of the texture, at least not until the additional layering comes in at :44. Still, really catchy and fun piece, SFW! Cheers! ^_^

[A Fistful of PIPI]

I can already picture the dust bunnies and saguaro shadows from the first 5 seconds alone. Love the sound design and atmosphere on this one. The guitar melodies and shakers help fill out the texture nicely, and I'm loving the triumphant feel to the melodic contour by around 1:10. I like the dreamy outro too. It's great to see you recording all the sounds one at at time with a massive split screen in the video - makes the top-notch production quality all the more impressive IMO. Keep up the great work, SFW! ^_^

[Moonlighter [NGUAC '22]]

I like the punchy drums and groovy guitar at the beginning. The lead sounds a bit thin in the mix, but there are a ton of catchy riffs and rich harmonies to keep me engaged. The production quality is strong, with a well-balanced and loud, clean mix. The piece might’ve used some stronger structural contrast between the various sections, especially towards the middle. Otherwise, the energy level and instrumental hierarchy seems very similar between the chorus and verses/bridge. The piano solo at 2:43 begins to accomplish that level of contrast, but it’s both short-lived and functions more as an outro in the context of the piece. Still, overall I love the sound design, melodies, progression, and mastering here. The piece sounds blissful, energetic, and triumphant. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Zip-Zap! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Make it up]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. Kinda sounds like a cartoon cat meowing for some food. The rich texture with the distorted vocals and blissful melodies is great, and I like the selective use of reverb, like at :52. Underpinning the vocals seems to be a rather generic vocoder, but you make the quality of the sound fit rather well into the context of the piece. It’s impossible to discern the lyrics from the song alone, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The mix, while a bit quiet, is punchy, well-balanced, and clean. Usually, I’d suggest incorporating some more variety in the harmonic content or at least main melodic riffs, but there’s a lot of variety in the texture regardless between the pitches of the vocals, the amount of reverb and mixing effects, and other parameters. Full points for originality and sound design for sure. The arrangement feels a tad disjointed at times, and part of the reason might be that the drums stop playing and then restart several times over the course of the piece. That said, this is one of more creative pieces I’ve heard in the NGUAC this year, and I can certainly appreciate the message too.

TL;DR: you made a song by starving a cat to death, and somehow I love it. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, ZaneLittle! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
9.25/10

[Last Minute Riot]

I like the groovy synth bass, quirky effects, and crisp drums at the beginning. The synth lead is really catchy, and I’m enjoying the synth arpeggios at :54 too. The breaks at 1:23 were creative, and I like the transition into the more frantic section at 1:51 too. The tempo automations give this piece a really trippy flair. The sound design, from the screechy transitory effects to the chiptune and 80s-style synths, is top-notch here. I also think the production quality is rather good, and the progression works quite well despite you taking some unconventional turns in the piece (tempo automations, modulations, huge switch-up in the texture at 1:17, etc.). The piece is a bit minimal and bottom-heavy at times, but otherwise really neat. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Xehao! ^_^

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

[X3ll3n - Spatium Cursu [NGUAC 2022 Final Round]]

I like the airy synth patterns at the beginning and the cutesy lead at :11. The snare sample at :22 isn’t my favorite - it seems really quiet and top-heavy compared to the kick - but I like the climax into :34 and the blissful melodies thereafter. The grouchy bass at :55 was a pleasant surprise, and you incorporated the vocal samples well too. The drums are struggling a bit to pop through the mix at 1:20, but the frantic synth riffs and rich texture there are quite enjoyable. The piano outro was a solid choice too, if a tad cliche. Overall, I really like the melodies, energy, progression, and atmosphere of this one. My complaints with the mixing and instrumentation are minor. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, X3LL3N! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

X3LL3N responds:

Thanks for your feedback !
It seems my entry, didn't stand out much compared to the other qualifiers, so I'll try to do better next year :)

[The Custodian]

I like the cinematic flair at the beginning and the eerie synths at :15. The thick atmosphere and tense build-up into :39 complement each other well, and I also like SamuraiOwl’s intensity on the vocals. The drop is catchy, hard-hitting, and loud, and contrasts nicely with the mellow piano lines during the following breakdown. I also really like the added hi-hat rolls and mid-range synths during the second drop. The sub-bass is really sweet too. The mix is really punchy and clean here, if a bit over-compressed at times. Some of the transitions later on in the piece were a tad abrupt, especially into the tranquil outro. Still, you’ve really sold the emotion of this piece quite well. Sounds like this custodian has a dark past…and maybe a dark present too. Congratulations on your success in this competition, VFG! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Typhon (Unfinished Demo)]

I like the guitars and rhythmic elements at the beginning. I can recognize FL Keys right away. The quirky percussion and electronic elements at around :40 work nicely to channel the energy. The drop is catchy, if a tad minimal, and the snare doesn’t quite pop in the mix there relative to the bass. The re-intro at 2:15 is an effective compositional choice, and I’m enjoying the build-up into the final refrain at 3:19 as well. I think the sound design was more variational and engaging during the second drop, which I appreciated. The piece probably could’ve used a more distinct outro, rather than ending fairly suddenly, but overall the progression is strong here. The production quality holds up rather well, and I’m enjoying most of the sound design choices too (besides some of the percussion and the ever-generic FL Keys). The composition here is strong between the smooth flow and creative rhythmic content, although the arrangement is a bit cliche. Overall, this is a solid and catchy track with a nice and clean, punchy mix. Keep at it, Venomite! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
8.5/10

Venomite responds:

Haha thanks for the review!! Was trying to record a vocal to replace the keys and extend it slightly but ran out of time! Had a blast being in this competition!