TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[ODYSSEA - Grief and Ashes]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning with the rich piano chords and warm strings. The percussion is a bit soft at first, but gradually gets more prominent as the piece goes on. I like the injection of energy at :50 and the gradual climax into 1:17. The choir is really nice there, but also overwhelms the strings and percussion in the mix a bit. The bridge at 2:17 does a nice job of transitioning into the final melodic section, and the victorious mood towards the end hits the piece home nicely, although the end cuts off a tad suddenly regardless. Overall, this is another strong cinematic piece with compelling sound design and a strong narrative appeal. The production details might need a bit of cleaning up, but this is still a solid effort all around. Congratulations on your success in this competition this year, Omson! ^_^

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

[Realm Between Heaven and Earth]

I like the cutesy synths at :11 and the staticky harmonies around it. The melodies at :34 are really nice, although a bit too loud relative to the beats and harmonies. I like the airy breaks at the 1-minute mark and the tempo automations going into the bridge at 1:30. The piano melodies and church bells at 1:55 complement each other quite well, and the loud, punchy mix really shines at 2:17. The drop at 2:54 has a really blissful feel, and the rhythmic syncopations there are super nice. It was quite the point of contrast between the drop and the majestic orchestral section at 3:45. The strings there sound a bit artificial, though - they consistently come in slightly after the downbeat, but I can’t tell if that’s because of the sample or the sidechaining. Either way, this is compositionally a really ambitious piece that, overall, you pulled off really well. At times, the arrangement sounds a tad disjointed, perhaps because the pacing is so fast. Feels like the piece should be more like 6 minutes given how many different ideas you squeezed into here. That said, the sound design, melodies, production quality, and atmosphere are all huge pluses here. Congratulations on your success in this competition, NebulaTrax! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

RiSUKU responds:

WOW! Thank you so very much! I didn't expect this at all haha!
Thank you, this piece does mean quite a bit to me as it's one of those tracks where I went above and beyond. Your feedback as well as all of the other judges are really helpful and did help open my eyes so some tips production-wise.
The strings definitely were cause of the sampling, I don't know if there's any way to really adjust the attack on it.

Thank you very much for hosting and inviting us to NGUAC 2022! Looking forward to next year's. Cheers Tainted!

[Lordant - Tilion]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the somber cello riff shortly thereafter. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the string swells help add some sense of anticipation and drama. I really like the violin melodies at :56 and the chord progressions at around 1:10. The injection of energy at 1:24 was a welcome change to the texture, and the piece then transitions well back into a mellow and minimal section after the 2-minute mark. The clarinet solo there is particularly lovely, and I also like how you incorporated some non-Western instruments at around 3:10. During this lengthy middle section, it might’ve been nice to find ways of filling out the texture a bit more - a richer atmosphere, or perhaps percussion, would’ve kept things engaging despite the series of slow-paced and tranquil motifs. That said, you transition quite effectively back into the energetic string section at 4:17, and I like the added percussion and dense orchestration at the end. Overall, I’m particularly impressed with the production quality and sound design here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Lordant! ^_^

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

Lordant responds:

Thanks for the feedback! :]

[NGUAC Final Round - Hopping Over Puddles]

I like the distinct and fast-paced chord progression at the beginning. The busy drums and somewhat dissonant harmonies are neat, and I’m also enjoying the string melodies at :31. There’s a nice waltzy meter at :45. The sound design and blissful mood combine to give this piece a showtunes vibe, and the mixing and mastering are really solid as well. Some of the transitions are a little abrupt, like at 2:03. I think the downtempo section at 2:18 is my favorite part of the piece, but harmonically the transition back into the refrain at 2:47 didn’t feel particularly smooth either. The piece is also missing some bass tones at times, leaving the texture sounding a bit thin in places. Overall, you certainly took some risks with the harmonic framework and arrangement, the former of which paid off better than the latter IMO. Otherwise, the production quality, sound design, atmosphere, and melodies are really enjoyable here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, LordAndiso! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

LordAndiso responds:

I did not expect to get this close to the top :o I woke up to the results and bam my day got a lot better! I did not expect my mixing to be this good as I haven't had anybody really tell me that before. relistening my previous year's Nguac submissions I can really see the growth :)
Thank you so much, TaintedLogic :3

[How To Make Friends In The Post Apocalypse]

I like the punchy guitars at the beginning and the suddenly more blissful vibe at :06. The melodies are enjoyable overall, but it’s also a bit difficult to follow the contour at times with all of the ornamentations. The drums also could’ve been a tad more prominent in the mix. That said, overall the frequencies are well-balanced and the sound design is really good. The piece could use a bit more structuring, as right now the same instrumental hierarchy is prevalent throughout and the energy level is pretty constant. The melodies at around the 2-minute mark do a good job of hitting the piece home, and the mellow, airy outro is also a nice addition to the narrative arc of the piece. Overall solid work, ko0x! Congratulations on your success in the competition this year. ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Final [NGUAC]]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the soulful guitar that comes in shortly thereafter. The sound design reminds me almost of Latin pop at first. There’s a nice subtle build-up into 1:04, but I don’t think you fully capitalized on its momentum. The harmonic framework here is pretty generic, although the progression and mood are enjoyable. I also would’ve liked to hear some more ambitious melodic development later in the piece. Although I appreciated the variations at 2:46, I thought you could’ve been a tad bolder there to really resolve some of the pent-up tension in the piece. That said, the mixing is really strong here. Perhaps there’s a tad too much reverb in the texture at some points, but it complements the languid flow of the piece quite well. Overall, strong work here, Jotrocken! The sound design and progression in particular were highlights for me. :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Jotrocken responds:

Well... you can tell i struggled with this track. This is so much different of my last track, two weeks wasn't enough for me xD.
For full perfection i had to restart most of the track by week two. But it's good anyways so i stay tuned for next year.
Thanks again for detailed feedback and keep me updated for next time :)

[Tranquilize]

I like the sound design and eerie mood at the beginning. The mix is nice and punchy, and there’s a good sense of build into :49. The compression is very heavy during the drop, but perhaps a bigger problem is the minimal texture and generic beat. I like the variations at 1:46, but given the fast pacing of the middle section, it felt more like a bridge than an outro there. I’d like to see you flesh out the composition a bit more here - as it is now, the intro takes up 25% of the track length. That said, the flashy synths and vocal samples are really neat, and I enjoy the atmospheric elements of the middle section and the rhythmic pattern throughout. Keep at it, ImCold! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[lost tapes before death]

The atmosphere at the beginning has a really evocative mood, but the samples themselves sound a bit harsh and unpolished. The beat at :22 is a bit generic, and the snare at :30 is a tad overwhelming, although it blends in better once some of the other harmonies fill in around it. The reverb at 1:07 is pretty heavy on the bass, and at 1:35 it’s a bit tricky to follow the rhythms. The harmonic content is very repetitive here, although the sound design and atmosphere help keep me engaged. The compression is very heavy at times, but perhaps the mix wouldn’t sound so artificial if you toned down the reverb more. I think my favorite elements of the piece are the creepy mood and ambiance, but the production quality also holds up well at the end of the day. The composition could’ve been a bit more dynamic, especially regarding the harmonic framework, and your sound design choices struck me as a bit cliche at times. That said, the rhythmic content is solid, and I like how you gradually transition to a more rock influence by around 1:30. Keep at it, FlowerBoyDeMii! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Koi Brook]

I like the jazzy chords and white noise at the beginning. The sound design is really smooth and neat, especially the fat bass and E-piano. The harmonies are a tad dissonant at times, but I love the guitar solos at the 1-minute mark and how they interlock with the rhythmic syncopations in the pads and harmonies. The breakdown of the rhythmic framework at 1:45 was also well done, with some really evocative shimmering textures leading nicely into the sighing brass solos at 2:18. The drums are a bit soft in the mix during the latter half of the piece, but the plucked string solos at the 3-minute mark and shimmering guitar textures really shine in their place. This is probably some of the best sound design I’ve heard so far in this competition, and the reverb is at the perfect amount where it helps fill out the atmosphere without being overwhelming. Structurally, the piece has this great slow-burn type of climax into 4:15, although the transition into the outro feels a tad abrupt. That said, the level of variety here is really impressive. You took some risks with this one - the experimental texture and dissonant harmonies, for example - but at the end of the day, they really pay off IMO. You’ve painted a clear picture in my head of some very sexy fish. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC, Cresince! ^_^

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

Cresince responds:

I am very glad you enjoyed it, and your song analysis really helps me and others to get some perspective on our work! Thank you for putting on a really fun competition, I think my followers have almost doubled and I am finding a lot of great composers because of it. <3