TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[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