TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Mirror]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the spacey pads. The cinematic quality of the piece is great, but the progression is a tad slow-paced and the mix could be more distinct in places. The string lines start to get a bit buried at around 1:30, for example. I love the pent-up tension of the piece, and the melodies at 2:08 help create a sense of resolution to the tension. That said, I couldn’t help but feel like elements of the piece were a bit dragged-out and underwhelming. I think you craft the narrative arc of this piece so well that you could’ve made the final climax much more dramatic, hard-hitting, and ambitious. But that’s less a critique and more of a missed opportunity. The sound design, progression, melodies, and atmosphere are all great as they are. My main complaint is that the mastering could be a bit tighter, but I think that’s a pretty straightforward matter of toning down the reverb and getting stricter with the equalizers. Overall, you’ve done a great job of channeling the emotion, creating full and rich textures, and reconnecting the piece with its mysterious origins towards the end. Keep it up, Ana! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
8.5/10

[The Bell of Death - NGUAC]

I like the eerie church bells and spoken word vocals at the beginning. The rich synth bass at :14 and organ stabs fill out the texture nicely, although I thought the drum samples were a bit cliche. The texture is pretty reverb-heavy, and I think the drums get a little overwhelmed in the mix after a while. The groovy bridge at 1:42 has some great rhythmic content, though, and the quirky melodies at 2:15 further add variety to the harmonic framework. That said, I do think a lot of the chord progressions and arrangement elements of the piece were a bit generic here. The sound design and melodies are top-notch, though, and the thematic cohesion with the bells and vocals give the piece a strong narrative appeal. Keep at it, amishpimp! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[AlphezoPlay - Overcharged (Dubstep)]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the dramatic orchestral hits shortly thereafter. The reverb is very heavy in the mix, and I think the piano and other harmonic elements would come through more distinctly at :25 without such an over-saturated atmosphere. That said, the sound design choices here, from the groovy guitar riffs to the sweeping saxophone solos, are really nice, and the melodic content is both dynamic and refreshing. The drop at 1:30 takes the piece in a much more rhythmic direction, and the mix sounds rather strained there too. I wanted to hear more bass frequencies in particular during the drop. The moody bridge at around 2:15 was good for some structural contrast, and the woodwind solos at 2:40 or so had a really soulful texture. The guitar solos at 3:30 or so are especially nice, although the texture starts to sound pretty dissonant at around 3:50 with the atmosphere bleeding in. The tranquil section after that was also a nice way of breaking up the climactic sections here, especially before the final drop at 4:44, which sounded much more dynamic than the first one. Still, the string pads and drums get really buried in the mix there, and there are some more clashing harmonies at around 5:15. The haunting ambient outro was a pleasant surprise, though - this piece has a lot of twists and turns, making the arrangement both impressively ambitious and a little hard-to-follow at times. Overall, the composition and sound design here are really strong. I just wish the mastering was a bit tighter and the structure a tad more cohesive. Still, you’ve clearly put a ton of effort into the melodies and instrumentation here, and it shows. Keep at it, AlphezGD! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Grim Ego]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning and the hip-hop-inspired beats at :24. The reverb is pretty heavy here, which may have distorted the mix a tad. I would’ve liked the drums to come through a bit more than they did. The ghostly synths at 1:12 really help sell the mood, although there isn’t a ton of harmonic variety or depth in this piece. The rhythmic content and atmosphere are my favorite elements of it, and the sound design is rather good too. That said, the composition is pretty underwhelming at the end of the day, with a predictable chord progression and stale harmonic framework. I think the piece would make a good loop, though, and I applaud the foreboding mood of this one. It’s still rather catchy, but as a stand-alone track it feels a tad bland. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Aetherous! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[What Time Is It?]

I like the busy beats at the beginning. The percs are a bit cheesy, but the synth melodies are groovy and the production quality is strong. The airy, downtempo section at :57 was good for some structural contrast, although the transition at 1:17 was a bit abrupt. The piece also never really returns to the energy level it had early on, which seems like a missed opportunity for some more melodic development and narrative arc. I do like the spacey outro in and of itself, though. Overall, the sound design, melodies, rhythmic content, and mixing are all enjoyable here. The arrangement and structuring might need just a tad more fleshing out, though. Keep at it, Achair225! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Four Sprouts Under Empty Sky]

I like the rich atmosphere and somber mood at the beginning. The reverb is rather heavy, but the production quality holds up well nonetheless. The piano melodies at :30 are beautiful, and the crisp drums help give the piece a sense of energy and drive. The variety in the sound design here is really impressive, and you did a great job of adding some structural contrast to the piece with the moody breakdown section too. The airy piano riffs and whispered vocals were great, and that in turn leads back into the bridge at 2:55 well. There are some clashing harmonies at 2:55, though, with the guitar and piano tripping over each other a bit. The return to the somber melodies at 3:40 or so was a pleasant surprise, subverted/delaying my expectation of a second climactic section until 4:10. I wish you had varied the main melody at 4:12 more, as it seems like a copy-paste of the previous one, but the piano flourish at the very end was a good way of hitting the piece home. Overall, this is a really impressive piece, Aardvark04! The mastering could be a bit tighter, but the melodies and sound design are beautiful. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[From the Past to the Future(bass)]

I like the cutesy synths and jazzy harmonies at the beginning. The treble tones in the lead synths might be a bit too prominent for my tastes, but the production is clean and loud otherwise. The melodies are nice, and you keep the texture interesting with the rhythmic elements and sound design changes. I like the more mellow breakdown at 1:07 too with the more orchestral sound design. The progression is also really nice here - smooth transitions at 1:09 and 1:35 help channel the energy well. At times, the drums might’ve used a bit of a boost in the mix, and I wanted to see you vary the melodies a bit more later on, but the dreamy 8-bit section at the end was a nice change-of-pace that helped bring the piece full-circle. Overall, this is a really enjoyable piece, 314leafcutterant! 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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Walkabout]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. I definitely can hear the jazz influence here. The bass line is great, the mid-range syncopations mesh so well together, and the drums are crisp and refreshing. That string line at :58 has a nice sighing tone to it, and the dissonance at 1:13 is good for some contrast. At times, the track seems surprisingly minimal, and I wished the bass was a bit more prominent in the mix during some of the downtempo sections. This piece might also benefit from some more distinct structuring, as right now the energy level is pretty constant, despite the variety in the sound design and rhythmic elements. I especially like the scratchy zipper-sounding effect at 2:45 or so. The glitchy breaks at 3:13 fill a nice contrasting role with the more melodious texture earlier, and once you started overlaying the melodies at 3:31 I was seriously jamming out. The strings helped drag me back down to earth at 3:51, and overall you hit the piece home really well. I haven’t heard many tracks in this competition that take a more contrapuntal approach to layering melodies over each other and try to maintain your interest with so many different instruments at once, so that’s good enough for full-credit in the “originality” category in my book. Also, I’m really digging the production quality, rhythmic content, sound design, and atmosphere of this one. Keep up the good work, xkatttt! ^_^

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
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
9/10

xkatttt responds:

Wow thanks so much for the positive review! I’ll try to incorporate your advice heading forward. It was fun being part of the competition! <3

[PRETEND [NGUAC Knockout Round]]

I like the rich atmosphere and circus-like synth arpeggios at the beginning. The vocals are so haunting - just artificial-sounding enough to be hella creepy, even though I know you recorded them. I like the build-up into 1:08 too, and the drop has a really infernal quality to it. I love how the rhythmic density increases as the drop goes on, and the glitchy texture is just the cherry on top. I think you already know the volume levels are way out of control, but…they are way out of control. The drop sounds very harsh in my headphones, which is a shame because this is a very fixable problem and you submitted this well before the deadline. That said, the atmospheric bridge/re-intro at 2:04 is lush and beautiful. I love the added vocal layering and synth melodies. The more staccato-y rhythmic appeal of 3:26 was a pleasant surprise, but I also like how you return to the more atmospheric hard breaks later on. Goodness gracious, this piece has me torn. On the one hand, I love it and want to download it, but on the other hand, I’d like to be able to hear other songs after listening to this one eradicates my ears. Keep up the good work, Xeufe! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Open Up The Sky]

I like the smooth piano chords at the beginning and the generous use of ride cymbals. The bass riff at :20 is really catchy, and you integrated the vocal samples at :40 well too. The saxophone melodies were nice, if a bit dissonant with the underlying chords. I’m enjoying the build-up into 1:51, and you really do integrate the EDM sound design with the jazzy harmonies well. I think that aspects of the composition here seem a bit formulaic, like the way you routinely introduce new instruments or otherwise switch up the texture every 8 bars. I also would’ve liked to see you experiment a bit more with the harmonic framework, and I also think the final “climax” at 1:51 was a tad underwhelming, despite the saxophone stabs and added layer of vocal samples. That said, the production quality is admirable, and I really like the atmosphere and instrumentation of the piece overall. The compositional details might need a tad more fleshing out, but overall I’m impressed with how seamless this fusion of genres is here. Keep at it, Walpang! :)

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
.75/1
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