TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[quote hello hooray]

I like the eerie atmosphere in the beginning and how it quickly transitions into a cutesy, frantic synth guitar jam. The blissful and quirky synths are neat, and the mix is nice and full and well-balanced. The arrangement is a bit choppy at times, with some sudden transitions and a frequent switch-up in the instrumental palette. The 5-second sequence at 1:38 is especially jarring for me. That said, the rhythmic content, instrumentation, and harmonic riffs are all super creative and fun, and the somewhat bizarre structural patterns get easier to follow once they’re repeated a few times. The call-and-response pattern between the minimal bass and distorted harmonies at 2:50 was one of my favorite aspects of the piece, and the return to the creepy atmospheric section at 3:45 was a pleasant surprise before you hit the piece home with more frantic bliss at 3:51. The fade-out at the end struck me as a bit lacking in creativity - this piece could’ve easily finished with a final flourish of chaotic synth riffs, or even looped. That said, this track is the kind of piece that challenges my standards for structuring and phrasing. It breaks a lot of rules in that regard, but it also captures the engrossing madness of a racing game rather well. Solid effort here, Super-shape! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Future Automations]

I like the cutesy synth pads at the beginning and the filtering on the more powerful pads at :15. There’s a good sense of build into :30, and the drop is really catchy. The mixing and mastering are really strong here, too, and the sound design is refreshing and unique. The re-intro/bridge between 1:00 and 1:47 didn’t add much novel content, but it flows smoothly and helps channel the energy back into the second drop. Some more variation later on in the piece would’ve been welcome, and the piece is also lacking in some dynamic and memorable melodic content. Otherwise, you nailed the production quality, sound design, rhythmic content, and atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, Skrillidm! :)

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
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
8.5/10

[Shine]

I like the bright synths at the beginning and the spacey atmosphere. The synth riff that comes in at :30 is a tad overpowering in the mix, and clashes with the other syncopations and harmonies a bit. The build-up into 1:04 is good, but the drop doesn’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. The main riff feels a tad jumpy and uncertain, although the rhythmic content makes it catchy nonetheless. The progression is smooth, and the mix holds up pretty well overall. The texture is rich and full throughout, and the sound design is fitting, if a tad cliche. The ending is a bit abrupt, but I could see this piece making a decent loop. Overall, I think the compositional details could use a bit more fleshing out here. There’s a noticeable lack of prominent melodic content, and the arrangement feels a tad formulaic and stale. It would help if you found more ways of creating variety within phrases - automation, filtering, etc. - and across them by switching up the harmonic content and lead riffs. That said, I admire the production quality, rhythmic content, atmosphere, and mood of this one. Keep at it, RedMike7! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[PRGX - Potato]

I like the injection of energy at the beginning and the rushed build-up at :10. The flashy synths, loud and crisp mix, and catchy beats make this piece really fun and danceable. The vocal samples may have been overused after a while, but you do a good job of adding some structural contrast between frantic drops and more mellow sections into the texture. The production quality is also really good - heavy on the compression, but still has the volume levels under control in the output. Some more variety on the main melodies later on would’ve been welcome, and you also use a lot of stop-start transitions for my tastes in this piece, but overall this piece is super catchy, upbeat, and snazzy. The melodies during the outro at 3:05 were a nice touch too. Keep at it, PRGX! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

PRGX responds:

Thank you very much for the review, didn't expected to be classified :D, I would continue trying to improve (sorry if my english was bad)

[|32| Rave Rave Rave!]

I like the quirky synth at the beginning. The beat and harmonic patterns are a bit cliche, and the progression is pretty slow-paced. I like the vocal samples at around 1:20, and the arpeggios at 1:23 are pretty soothing. I would’ve liked to see you come up with more advanced ways of creating variety in this piece besides adding and subtracting instruments over time, such as automation, filtering, dynamic contrast, and the like. The vocal samples start becoming a bit overused at the 2-minute mark or so, and the second half of the piece adds little novel harmonic content to keep me engaged. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and atmosphere, and the production quality is pretty good as well, but the composition here is rather bland and underwhelming. Still, there are some neat sound design choices and some catchy beats scattered throughout. Keep at it, PartyBalloof! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
0/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5/10

[The Great Dictator]

The stereo crackles and moody piano riff at the beginning are really effective with the Charlie Chaplin vocals. I would’ve liked to hear a more gradual/smooth transition into :25, though - I wasn’t really expecting the electric guitar after the old-timey vibe of the first 24 seconds. The guitar solos at :50 are really neat, although I think you overuse the piano flourishes a bit. The mixing is pretty good, although at times I wanted the drums to be crisper, and the bass to be more distinct. After the great emotional appeal of the vocals at the beginning, the rest of the structure of the piece feels a tad formulaic, and the near-constant energy level and instrumental palette had me craving some structural contrast after a while. You also use the vocals well at 3:30, and I can tell you sped them up to add to the drama. That last vocal stretch felt a tad dragged-out, though - I think it lost momentum after a while. I like that the instrumental tracks fall away before the final vocal line “...to all men’s happiness.” But I also think you could’ve done a more effective job of shaping the narrative arc of the piece beyond the vocals. Cutting down on the vocals at the end might be a necessary part of that, but perhaps you could recycle them into a more atmospheric role in the body of the piece. Overall, really strong harmonic content, sound design, atmosphere, and emotional appeal here. The mixing could be a bit sharper, though, and the arrangement could’ve been more compelling. Still, it’s good to see Charlie Chaplin’s work is still admired after nearly a century. Keep at it, PaddyDavis! :)

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

PaddyDavis responds:

🙏 thank you. The feedback is very helpful!

[ODYSSEA - Part 1]

I like the foreboding mood at the beginning and the sassy string riffs at around :10. The reverb is very heavy in the texture, but the mastering quality is still rather good. The frantic orchestral lines at :30 or so really help sell the drama, and I’m enjoying the sense of climax into :58. The moody breakdown at 1:12 was great for some structural contrast, and the ominous vocals at 1:12 help get me back into the apprehensive mood of earlier. I think the percussion doesn’t quite come through the mix as sharply as I’d like at 2:10 or so, but otherwise the composition here is compelling, the production quality is crisp, and the sound design and atmosphere are top-notch. Impressive work, Omson! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[untitled song for nguac]

I like the quirky atmosphere at the beginning. Can’t tell if it’s a bunch of reverse pianos or just some very heavy echo/delay effects. I would’ve liked the drums and bass to be a bit more prominent in the mix towards the beginning, but the crisp beats at :42 help scratch that itch. Other than that, the composition could’ve been a bit more dynamic here, especially harmonically, and some of the transitions are pretty abrupt. I like the more melodic content at 1:26, but by then the mix sounds rather strained. I’d suggest toning down the reverb and getting stricter with the equalizers. The mid-range pads get especially lost at 1:26. I think my favorite aspects of the piece were the sound design and atmosphere. The mastering, progression, and compositional details could all be a bit more polished here. That said, I appreciate your knack for stitching together some experimental textures with neat rhythmic content. Keep at it, NNmusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10