TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sea of Love Tears 「恋水の海」]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The gradual fade-in could’ve been more creative, but the sound design is absolutely gorgeous. The emotional appeal of the piano riff at :35 is great. The climax into 1:02 is nice. I think the low percussion there could’ve sounded a lot more distinct in the mix, and the piano at 1:19 sounds strangely dry. The string cut-off at 1:28 is a bit sudden, although I did thoroughly enjoy the lush breakdown section. You’re great at creating textures and giving shape to a piece within phrases. I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in the refrain the second time around, but overall the piece comes together well. Strong effort all around, Tennon. My complaints are minimal, and I think the sound design and atmosphere are particularly enjoyable here. Congratulations on all your hard work over the course of the competition! ^_^

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

Tennon responds:

TL’s review never lacks any detail

[illbefine]

I like the jazzy chords and the mellow beats at the beginning. I really like the vocals, including the lyrics themselves. Sometimes, I think the vocals could be compressed a little more, just to put them a little more up-front in the mix. Occasionally, your voice tails off a bit toward the end of the phrase. The cute melodies at the post-choruses are simple, but still enjoyable. I think my biggest problem with the piece is that the composition feels pretty safe. The texture was pretty minimal in places, and I think you could’ve gone a lot further to create a sense of release and resolve with some of these post-chorus sections. At the very least, varying the melody slightly between 1:20 and 3:06 would probably be advisable. You also overuse the crashes/hats, like at 1:20. Overall, though, this is a catchy and fun track with a strong production quality and cool sound design. Keep at it, Icantpronouncethis!

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

icantpronouncethis responds:

Because this was my first attempt at using "normal" vocals, I kinda wanted to make it a bit simple, but I did learned a lot in the process. The part that still gets me is the compression. I know the gist of it, but I'm not sure how to use it effectively. So many knobs. Plus, there so many use of it, Limiter, Sidechain Compression, etc. Any tricks and tips to practice or learn more about compression?
and thank you so much for your input. It was a lot of fun being in this competition.

[To The Clouds]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The busier string riff at :16 is great, and the progression of this is really nice despite a sudden transition or two (:31, for example). I also found :46 to be a rather unexpected harmonic shift. At times, the spacious strings and bell-like instruments can be simply mesmerizing, and the vocals at 1:25 only amplify this effect. I think my biggest complaint with the piece is that it feels really disjointed. There are a lot of transitory moments in a short time, especially during the first couple of minutes, and sometimes you seem to take a Band-aid-like approach to bridging these gaps. For example, the not-too-subtle modulation at 1:40 is smoothed over only by a crash. That said, I’m really enjoying the mounting sense of apprehension by 2:20. The percussion at around 3:30 sounds really cool, and the piece comes together well by the end. I was a little confused by the entrance of the horn at 4:07. I guess I don’t usually regard introducing new melodic instruments that late in a piece as advisable. I understand that you used the same instrument earlier, albeit in a much different context. I know that it’s a tiny detail, but I still found the 4:07 entrance to be a tad jarring. Miniscule compositional complaints aside, I thought the production here was absolutely fantastic. The only thing that I would dare criticize about that is that I thought the strings on the downbeats were a bit too strong at 3:20. Still, you’ve made a really strong effort yet again, Jordi. The atmosphere is gorgeous. The sound design is beautiful. The melodic content is inspiring. Great work! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

etherealwinds responds:

Hey hey TL!
Thank you for taking the time to review my track. I always appreciate that! Because I was taking the piece in so many different directions, I wanted to scatter the transitions appropriately enough to highlight the changes, switching it up from orchestral transitions and electronic swooshes. This piece definitely goes a lot more places than my tracks generally would, but that was sort of my intention with this - I was having a lot of fun exploring what I could do using orchestral elements. That said, I'm excited to keep working with orchestra in the future to make less explorative pieces and solid structural pieces.

I'm not super sure I personally agree with the brass being a confusing new element in the piece, at least for me. It was quite present at 1:12 near the beginning of the piece and again at 2:49 quite heavily to change the tone of the piece. I'm feeling really inspired to go back to the piece though (which I will do) thanks to so many wonderful suggestions and perhaps the brass will make more sense in the piece when everything else comes together! Fun fact: this is actually the first time (I think) that I've ever used brass in any track of mine.

Really happy you liked my piece for the final and I'm defintely glad I entered this year!

[Sugar High]

The atmospheric flair at the beginning is nice. The gradual fade-in approach to the beginning could’ve been more creative, but by the time the beat comes in at :28 the piece has a great, warm sound design and soothing melodic elements. There’s a lot of blending and mastering effects, though. I wish the individual lines were a tad more distinct during the refrain. I like the downtempo section at 1:22. The entire piece is really smooth-flowing and well-structured. I’m tempted to say that you could stand to cut out some of the reverb here, but the atmospheric quality of the piece is pretty nice. Mixing is solid overall, but I wanted the kick and snare to be sharper at times, like at 2:12, especially the kick. The texture has a good balance of staccato-y and more legato sounds, although is leaning towards staccato-y at times. Sometimes, the pace of the piece seems pretty fast. There’s certainly enough repetition in the harmonic framework and melodic content of the piece, but I wish you had fleshed out certain sections a bit more. The fade-out ending also didn’t come off well. I feel as though you were struggling with how to conclude the piece. Overall, the sound design is good, but be careful not to overuse Nexus. Part of the problem with the reverb might be with how generously Nexus ladles it on. I’d highly recommend getting rid of Nexus’s built-in reverb and adding your own later (if you haven’t done so already). The blissful melodies, mood, and atmosphere of the piece really help sell it in the end, and everything comes together really nicely during that final refrain. Keep up the good work, Colin! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

ColinMuir responds:

Thank you as always TL. I liked the things you said. I felt the end should just live on, but that was probably a lazy thing to do as you stated haha. :)

[Forever Jazz]

I like the fun piano riffs at the beginning and the fast pace of the harmonic progression. The ornaments on the melodies are a bit excessive at times, and make the melodies a tad hard-to-follow, especially at :22. The saxophone solo at :19 is great otherwise, though, and I love how you scaled back the texture for the guitar solo at :40. The rhythmic elements at 1:10 are great. At times, I found myself wishing the drums were a tad louder, though, especially during the first third of the piece. This piece showcases your talents for harmony and progression really well. Any given transition never feels abrupt, but the plethora of transitory moments throughout the piece (and corresponding huge variety of different textures) can feel a bit jarring. I think my biggest complaint with this piece is that I wish there was some sort of refrain to tie this piece together more, even if it only came in at the beginning and end. That said, the production quality here is really strong, and the variety of textures also function to give this piece a lot of structural variety (with both moments of relative minimalism and flourishing emotional heights). Personally, I think this is your strongest piece of the competition. The track really starts coming together with the slower tempo around the 2-minute mark. You can just hear the victorious mood in the brass stabs (and see the dramatic leg kicks of the cabaret’s cast) at that point. Congratulations on all your fantastic work this year, AzulJazz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

AzulJazz responds:

thank you so much friend

[Dragon Slayer]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning. The progression is a tad slow, but I like the bright mood and reverb. The transition at :38 could’ve been a bit more gradual, but I appreciate the thick texture and victorious-sounding melodies there. The part at :58 was great for some structure variety, although (again) I would’ve liked to hear a less abrupt transition. At 1:38, I think the harmonic progression makes that transition a bit jarring. My ear was expecting you to resolve a half-step up like at 1:18, but instead you stayed on that F# for the downbeat. I could go on to critique other transitions, but I won’t. One thing I really like about the piece is that the production is super clean. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but it serves to fill out the texture during moments of minimalism. When the texture is thicker at the refrains, the drums are crisp and the instruments are well-balanced. The solo at 2:36 is when the piece really starts coming together in my mind, having finally broken away from the A-B-A-B cycle set up in the first half of the piece. The tempo change at 3:18 actually comes off rather well. The change in the rhythmic emphasis between the drums and melodies actually made it sound like a meter change too. I like how you brought the piece back full-circle towards the end with the main melody and rich vocal pads, but I think the tempo change at 3:58 could’ve been executed a tad more smoothly. The re-imagining of the theme at 4:40 was fun, and doesn’t really detract from the piece as a whole. Overall, excellent work with the melodic content, mixing and mastering, and overarching structural qualities. You might want to think more carefully about the transitions, harmonic progression at times, and textural fill. Overall, though, my complaints are minimal here. Keep up the good work, 350teric! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

350teric responds:

Thank you man! You're on point with the review on all parts. In contrast to my composition from the knock-out round (where all of the comments were like - "great stuff but I was expecting that"), I tried to be a bit more surprising with structure of the song and the sudden rhythm changes and ruff transitions, but one can never make people happy. The main thing is I had tons of fun with this song in particular (with that "epic" metal stuff) and the contest as well! :)

[The People's Daring Ones]

Sound design is creative. The progression is a tad slow at times, and by the 1-minute mark or so I was itching for some more moving notes. I like the rhythmic eccentricities, although personally the mix is a little wide for my tastes. There's a great sense of climax, and a pretty well-balanced texture given the lack of melodic content. Production is strong otherwise, and the loop is clean. I guess it doesn't really satisfy my compositional needs, but it sounds great for an edgy movie soundtrack or experimental concept album. Solid work, I0ta!

zybor responds:

Thank you for dropping by, TL :)

Have a good weekend!

[Five Finger Discount]

Nice job with the quirky instruments at the beginning. The texture sounds a tad muddy, and I think the kick could be a bit stronger. That said, the ominous mood here is really nice. Progression is a bit slow, but it's definitely the kind of piece that just washes over you anyway. I'd love to see the harmonies fleshed out a little more, maybe with some more mid-range frequencies to give it a little more fill. Rhythmic content here is pretty pleasing - I like the riff that comes in at 1:36. There could definitely be some more melodic content, though. Overall fun track! Keep at it, YHTFLKC. ^^

P.S.: Where did you get those synths? They sound like half Moog, half acid or something.

YHTFLKC responds:

I think i did this track at the end of last year lol idk if im gonna work on it anymore i usually don't come back to them but as far as the synths go i just opened the old file back up and two of them (the bass i think) are modular synths i set up with caustic's simple modular thing. it works ok but yea they usually sound kinda muddy but i think thats cause im still learning how to set up modular to sound halfway decent. also cause im not sure which synths youre asking about the rest of them in there are subsynth and theres something i did with a bongo drumkit and a wah wah pedal i think. And as always thanks for the review yooooo! also stay tuned for more tracks cause i have another 2 or 3 i havent been able to post because my computer has been gone but its back now so i can post whenever

[Beluga Whale Tale]

I like the energy at the beginning. Sweeps were a bit bland, though. Could use more effects to spice them up. I like the cutesy synths and progression. There's a tad bit of atonality in the texture around :40, and the reverb at :57 is a bit excessive. The mix, while loud and clear, is also severely punctured by the drums imo. My favorite element of the piece is probably the mood. It's dark, foreboding, and also implies a narrative form. Sounds like the boss battle at the final level of a nautical-themed video game. At around the 3-minute mark, some of the elements of the drum pattern are panned strongly to one side or another, which makes them sound a bit harsh in my ears. Another thing I really like about this piece is the arrangement - structure, transitions, dynamic contrast, and phrasing are all done really well here. The ending was a bit bizarre given the pause at 4:40 and the subsequent riser that's filtered to nothing, but I'd imagine this looping in an in-game scenario regardless. Cool piece, Spadezer! Keep up the good work. ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Thanks TL

Interesting observations. I could see how some of the panning might not be the best decisions. It was one of the later additions to the mix so I didn't get as much "ear time" with that and some of the louder percussion changes. Most of the mixing was done with headphones initially and then worked between that and my speakers right at the end. I could be more creative with sweeps but that requires work, lol. But still is a good point.

Not originally intended to be video game music since there was literally now guidance to what I wanted the song to be about, so I find it funny that you think that. I've been told my music generally sounds like video game music anyway so it's not the first time I've heard that either lol. Glad you enjoyed it

[Darkness and Light]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. Jordi's vocals at :21 are great, although I feel as though there could've been a stronger transition there than the stop-start effort at :20. The lyrics themselves are also pretty powerful. The rhyme scheme seemed a bit forced at first, though, so I like when you started to take liberties with it at the "one day" stanza. Nice melodic content through the 2-minute mark or so, and then the theme at 2:20 is really fun. The production quality is really strong here. I liked the arpeggiated transition into 3:27, drawn out though it was. I love how the vocals have a really low register towards the end. Makes them seem foreboding, even while the content of the lyrics seem encouraging/motivational. Cool piece, guys! Good luck in the ADM. ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thanks for reviewing!

I personally like the transition at 0:20. I think one shouldn't be afraid to have a short break in the music, or even silence, when going into a new section. Similar transitions are also used throughout the piece (such as at 1:00), as it's part of the composition's continuity.

I also tend to like when songs have something that binds the rhythm, such as through rhymes (or "near" rhymes). Especially in this piece, the melody is pretty straightforward in the verses, so another element that adds to the rhythm makes the verses a bit more interesting. I spent a long time contemplating where I should use the rhymes, and how I could convey the message of the piece through the lyrics.

Since the rhythm is simple in the first half of the piece, I felt like 2:20 was necessary in order to give the piece some variety and power. I'm glad you liked that part, along with the "one day" segment.

The production was surprisingly difficult for this piece. I'm happy with the result, but I'm not as good at cleaning up and mixing Jordi's voice as he himself is :D
It's nice to hear that you think I did a decent job with it!

I actually can't sing this piece myself, since my voice doesn't go low enough to be able to sing the part at the end. I'm really impressed with Jordi's performance, and I wanted to show off his singing in a lower register, since it still retains its emotional tone. He's such a versatile singer o.O

Thank you for the review, and for the good wishes! Good luck with judging and running the NGUAC! It's exciting to follow the progression!