TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sly - Touch]

I love the tranquil and upbeat synths at the beginning and the build-up into :26. I think you start to overuse the stop-start transitions and portamentos pretty quickly, though, and overall this piece sounds incomplete. The lead synth also sounds a tad harsh in the upper register - you could potentially soften that a bit with an equalizer. Still, this is a catchy piece with some solid production quality. It just needs a bit more structuring. I’d encourage you to keep working on this - a fully fleshed-out version of this could be a real banger. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Fox in the forest]

I like the glitchy riff at the beginning and the crisp drums at :15. The sound design is really cool, but the harmonic content is a bit bland after a while, and the change of meter at 1:06 was a bit jarring. I enjoyed the build-up into 1:31, but the second half of the piece could use a bit more variety vis-a-vis the first half, especially in terms of the chord progression. The final refrain (starting at 1:41) also drags on for a bit too long without much change in the energy level or instrumentation. Overall, this piece is catchy, and the ominous and gritty sound design is cool, but the composition is rather bland, and the arrangement also sounds generic and uninspired. The production quality is solid, though, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this. Make the arrangement a bit looser, with some more depth to the harmonies, and this could be a real banger. Keep at it, ShowCover! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[RennZ - Sea Lights | ft.Synthferatu]

I like the groovy guitar at the beginning. It’s a bit disorienting how the volume levels seem to vary so much chord-to-chord, though. The vocals are really smooth, and also sit really well in the mix, although at times they could use a little more decoration - i.e., reverb and other mixing effects. The lyrics themselves are good too, and I like the added portamento bass at :44. The instrumental track could use some more variety - maybe a breakdown or solo or something at some point. Some more ebb and flow (automation, filtering, etc.) within the phrases would also help create some more variety. That said, I really like the sound design, rhythmic content, and flow of this one. Keep at it, RennZ! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[From Afar]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the strong sense of ebb-and-flow in the texture during the first 20 seconds or so. The vocaloid at :33 sounds rather realistic, but I can’t decide if the introspective lyrics are deep or just a bit cheesy. The whispered tone to the vocals at 1:20 was haunting, and the growing intensity at 2:12 is especially nice. It’s really impressive how much variety you have in the sound design here. The piece could’ve used a big moment of arrival at the end of the piece, but it never quite gets there. I’m impressed with how flowing and well-varied this track is, but at some point I also wanted to see a climactic section that relieves some of the pent-up tension here. The melodic content and mixing are also good, although at times the snare and kick are a bit soft, like at 1:05. Overall, really solid work here, Pixxlman! Love the atmosphere, sound design, progression, and melodies here. Keep it up! ^_^

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

PixxlMan responds:

Thanks for the thorough review!

[PARTY HATZ! - Captain Obvious]

I like the cute, 8-bit sound design and catchy melodies at the beginning. The mixing and mastering is good overall - love the heavy compression on the bass at :14, although the drums don’t quite come through the mix as much as I would’ve liked. The vocals are really strong, both delivered and produced well. The lyrics have a nostalgic flair, which is played up really well by the melodies, sound design, and samples of children’s voices. The arrangement is a little generic, and the main melody (both in the vocals and in the synths) could use a tad more variety later on in the piece - maybe even a separate “B” melody as a solo before the breakdown at 1:43 would do the trick. Despite my nitpicks, I really like this piece a lot. It’s danceable, well-produced, and thematically really on-brand with itself, if that makes sense. I’m really curious why you titled it “Captain Obvious,” though - spent a bit too long overthinking that one. :’D Keep it up, PARTYHATZ! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

PARTYHATZ responds:

"Captain Obvious" is a phrase I'm quite attached to as me and my friends used it a lot in the late 2000s when I was a kid. In my older years "Captain Obvious" sorta morphed into an alias/shorthand for my younger self and a romanticized idea of my youth. To me this song is about trying to surround yourself with things/people from the past in an effort to become a kid again. PARTY HATZ! as a project exists as an outlet for my nostalgic feelings towards that period of time, as well as a bitterness about leaving it behind, which I'm sure comes through in the lyrics xP

Hope this makes sense, I'm still trying to figure most of it out myself haha :3

[Latin Spirit (NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round)]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the cute sound design. The mix is a bit quiet and off-balance, though. You could probably use some more compression in the lead instruments and, especially, the drums. The percussion here is very well-written, but it’s often hard to hear all the detail of it during the busier sections of this piece. I would also give a slight boost to the upper-mid tones of the brass in the equalizer. The melodic content here is fantastic, though. Occasionally, the transitions between the different solos are a bit abrupt (like at 1:56), but I really like the “ensemble cast” of melody instruments overall. One thing that could use a bit more variety in this piece is the energy level. It feels like there isn’t a strong sense of overarching direction to the piece, just a succession of highly individualized melodies. You could change that by making a more dramatic build-up into the brass refrain at 2:14, and also by automating the volume levels a bit more. Overall, solid work, PaintedPenguin! This is a catchy piece with some great sound design and a fun, upbeat flair. Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
8/10

PaintedPenguin responds:

thanks for the advice, i really appreciate it! :^D

[Nasty GUACamole - NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round]

Very bold choice to have all those jazzy chords at the beginning. The rolled chords are especially nice, but the 2nd and 5th ones sound a bit clunky. Some wider spacing of the notes might help solve that. I like the busier texture at :14, but the mix sounds really distorted there. Sounds like the piano is causing some of the other instruments to duck under. I would try to separate out the frequency ranges of the different instruments a bit more with an equalizer. Also, make sure the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and the kick) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so. A lot of low frequencies in the texture can muddy it up really fast.

Anyway, I like the build-up into :32 and the frantic piano riffs at :33. The rhythmic content there is really catchy, and the slap bass at 1:01 was a fun surprise. The return of the piano at 1:30 in a higher register was also a nice touch. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture at 1:43, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it was also hard to make it out because it sounds very faint and distorted in the mix. The high-octane synth and piano content in this piece is really awesome, though, and you’ve covered a lot of ground harmonically as well.

Overall, the composition of this piece is creative, catchy, and has a great narrative appeal too. The production could be a lot cleaner, although the sound design, transitions, and rhythmic content are also really good.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
7.75/10

NotLeLee responds:

I just knew I would get deducted points for soundtrap automix
welp

edit: I just realised how high score I got for everything but mixing. Wow. Soundtrap really funked me up >:(

[Go Forth]

I like the groovy bass line and spacey atmosphere at the beginning. The sound design is really engrossing, actually, although the arrangement feels a bit formulaic, with very regular changes in the texture every 16 bars. The piece is pretty slow to progress, although the lead riff at :57 helps give the piece a stronger sense of drive. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies and some more variety in the harmonies. The production could also be a bit cleaner - the bass struggles to come through during the busier sections. Just make sure that the pads and lead don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so in the EQ. The stripping away of the beat at 2:15 and subsequent re-intro at 2:19 was really smoothly done, although the harmonies were a bit bland for the next minute or so - that was a missed opportunity for a “B” melody or other major shift in the texture. The second half of the piece in general doesn’t have much variety, and in general I think the composition could be a lot bolder here. That said, I really like the mood, instruments, and atmosphere of this one. It’s a moody and smooth-flowing piece, but it doesn’t quite feel complete yet. A more memorable melody and some variety later on would easily bring up your score by a point or two. Until then, keep at it, MusicBySpektral! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
7/10

[It's Getting Real (NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round)]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. The kick at :07 has a lot of wet reverb on it, so it doesn’t quite sound as sharp once the rest of the instruments come in. That said, the sound design and rhythmic content are really neat here. Love the stumbly two-pronged snap at :27. The piece really changes directions a lot, but it still flows smoothly. The texture is pretty minimal, though, and after a while I think the piece needed some more harmonic depth. That said, 2:05 was a clever place for a re-intro, and I especially like the watery pitter-patter effect that first plays at 2:13. There’s a lot of tension in the texture at 2:40 (and throughout these 197 seconds in general), and the tension doesn’t quite feel resolved by the end of the piece. At some point, a big climax or moment of arrival that hit the piece home would’ve gone further to make this piece sound more like a cohesive narrative. Still, I appreciate the experimental texture, fun sound design, and creative rhythmic content of this one. After a while it needed some core harmonic content for the listener to hold onto a bit more, but for what this is you executed it very well. Oh, and overall, the production quality is rather clean. Keep at it, Lumiflag! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

["Happy Pills" (Demo)]

I like the organic sound design and clever, relatable lyrics here. The production quality is pretty good - I can hear the instruments clearly throughout, although the vocals sound a tad dry at times. Some more reverb, compression, and chorus effects might help. Also, there are times when it doesn’t sound like the mic is picking up your voice very well, even if it’s just for a split second. The start of the refrain (“I didn’t ask…”) is a good example of that. The vocal delivery is really good, though - soothing and conversational, despite the lyrical content. It feels like there’s so much variety in where you place the vocal lines within the phrase (for example, it feels like a long time between “nothing’s ever planned” and “the sky”). Also, the solo at :56 is killer. It feels so dynamic, cathartic, and refreshing, like it’s washing away all the angst and introspection evident in the vocals from the previous phrase. Overall, I think this would be a top-tier piece with some slightly better recording quality and a more polished production. The composition, sound design, and vocals are all really great. Keep at it, LANPartyAnimal! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10