TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[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