TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Paralysis]

I love the emotional appeal of the beginning and the melodic content at :16. I also really like how it's hard to tell if this piece is supposed to be uplifting or creepy for quite some time. At the end, I'm still not sure, in fact. Perhaps the piece is a tad minimalistic, and definitely foregrounds the melodic content quite heavily, but I think those elements actually serve the emotive qualities of the piece in this case. Compliments again on your very-good string samples, btw. The last note, high-pitched though it was, still sounded pretty authentic. Very enjoyable piece, BO! Raw, beautiful melodies win the day. ^_^

Everratic responds:

". I also really like how it's hard to tell if this piece is supposed to be uplifting or creepy for quite some time."
I'm glad you appreciated this feature! This represents the shattering of a reoccurring fantasy. The note at the very end is articulated in a way that's intended to shock the listener a bit, which represents waking up to reality.

Thank you for the review!

[blue, like the sky]

Curious little percussion riffs at the beginning. The fade-in at :10 and the cute, jazzy pads at :12 are really nice. I love how the tonic chord doesn't quite strike on the downbeat at :24. The progression is a bit slow here, but the melodies at :45 and beyond were really nice. Piece has a vaguely wistful vibe about it. The minimalistic break at 1:09 with the videogame sound effects was a bit cheesy, but definitely showed off your good sense of rhythm. Occasionally, the piece can sound a bit harsh in the upper register, like with that synth at 2:01. Part of it may also be the panning - wideness can make an instrument sound harsher than it otherwise would be. That said, the production is quite enjoyable in almost every other regard. Spacious mix with well-balanced frequencies and a good amount of loudness. My main problem with the piece, however, is that it's a bit repetitive harmonically. You clearly spent a long time on the details here, which I appreciate, but I'm not quite getting an overarching sense of direction like I want to, and I think the sudden ending attests to that. Overall, really fun piece, though. Sound design and mood are fantastic here. Keep it up!

icantpronouncethis responds:

Thank you for your critique. This has been something different than I'm used to, but the direction I would love to get in to. When you meant by harsh, I'm guessing you mean that it cuts to through the mix too strong. I was trying to put that part more far behind like a after thought feel. But I had difficulty executing that. Tried adding wet only reverb, and just turning down the mix, but couldnt get the sound I needed. What would you suggest to push it back more?

[Mastin - Hinterland (Original Mix)]

Lovely piano line at the beginning. The nature sFX is a nice touch too. The grouchy bass and busy (if somewhat contained) beat at :24 fit into the texture quite nicely. The progression is a bit slow, and I think the piece could use a bit more shape in general. The transition at 1:08 works pretty well, although I think the snare there sounds a bit thin and dry. I also wanted to see a little more harmonic variety in the piece. Seems like there are some pops and crackles from the nature FX or something at around 2:07 - it would be great if you could find a way of eliminating those. The mixing here is pretty good, although some more mastering effects could come in handy for you here. Luscious pads at 3:05 are gorgeous, but otherwise I feel as though this track could use a wetter atmosphere. You also might want to watch out for some of your volume levels; the major climactic parts of this track are approaching brick wall status. That said, I really like what you’ve done with some of the more downtempo parts of this track. Sound design and progression are good too, despite the slow pace. Keep at it, TimerClock14!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
8/10

TimerClock14 responds:

Big love for the feedback sir! I'll keep these things in mind in my future works! Huge props by the way for organizing the entire NGAUC and judging not only 1 but 2 sections of the KO round. You're an absolute madman, tons of love my dude.

[The Spectre of the Marionette]

I like the waltz-style instrumentation and time signature. Melodies at :05 are beautiful, and the build-up into :27 is great. The piano flourish at :38 is great, and the victorious, blissful mood here really sells this piece well. I also appreciate the structural contrast at 1:03. I thought you overused the crashes a bit at around 1:20, and also that the brass sample at 1:56 sounds pretty inauthentic. That said, the sound design here is fantastic otherwise. I also would’ve liked to see you vary the main melodies a bit the second time around, but I don’t have any other complaints with the arrangement or structure either. Very strong work, overall. The production is quite good, too - well-balanced, clear, full, and loud. Not much to complain about here at all, Tennon. Keep up the great work!

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

Tennon responds:

Wow, thanks for the review! I was waiting for you to mention the piano at :38 lol!

[Vengeance Fighter]

I like the sound design from the get-go. The piece might need more of a proper intro, though. As it is now, it kinda throws the listener right into the action. I also think you could’ve used more phrasing in this piece. The first 30 seconds or so doesn’t have a very good sense of build-up. The refrain at :34 is fun, but I think you tried to do a bit too much with it in a sense. The texture felt very busy, and the progression of the melody a bit haphazard. The post-chorus at 1:01 was a nice additional structurally, but I think the drums could’ve come forward in the mix a bit more to make that section feel more punchy. In general, the mix here is pretty loud and well-balanced, but also a little dry. Some more reverb would give this piece a more full-sounding texture too, but be careful not to overuse it. The clarity of the mix is more important than having lots of reverb. The outro bit at 2:21 was fun, although I wish you had changed up the second refrain a bit more so that it didn’t mirror the first one as closely. Overall, cute piece. Keep at it, NGBaronAwesomeness!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

NGBaronAwesomeness responds:

Thanks for the review dude! Although I didn't get into the KO round I still beat my friend @OfficialHenyx (who is, by the way, generally better than me at everything) by making a song in a genre that I've never even tried before.
I understand how in the beginning of the song it was a little one-dimensional, and that's mainly because I intended to make the transition between the intro and the next part more suspenseful.
Also, I agree that the mix was kinda bad. The software I used to create this song didn't have a very good mixer/master, and even if it did, it wouldn't have been very user friendly.
But with all that out of the way, thanks for making a full-on review of my song, I greatly appreciate it.

(P.S. I can't afford supporter rank so I have to go with "NGBaronAwesomeness" thanks to myself 3 years ago. It's Prospect if you were even wondering 😝)

[Miston Music - Warm Mood]

I like the thin, pizzicato-y synth sound at the beginning and the subtle build-up into :15. There are a lot of short, staccato elements to the texture; I think you may have needed a stronger pad or something in there to fill out the texture. When the harmonies dropped out at :47, it was a bit jarring, but I enjoyed the refrain at 1:03. Melodies are cute. The mix is also really loud and clear here, although sometimes I think the drums get a little distorted (1:22, for instance). The breakdown section at 1:37 was nice. The pacing of this piece is really fast, though. There are a lot of distinct sections squeezed into a short amount of time, and that can come across as disorienting as a listener. Also, I’d encourage you to double-check how harsh the upper-register frequencies in this piece sound, especially at 2:57 or so, for example. Otherwise, the arrangement of this piece is really nice, and it feels conclusive by the end. Aspects of the harmonic progression were a bit cliche, but overall the piece feels engaging and fun. Keep at it, Miston!

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Miston responds:

I’m glad you liked it. ;)

[The Reunion]

I like the nature sFX at the beginning and the quirky percussion that comes in at around :15. The progression is a bit slow, but the piano line at :41 was really nice too. Has all the makings on an ambient beauty, especially with that lush cello. All of the elements of the texture sound so well-reverberated and full. I also really like the big break in the flow that the flute provides at 1:45. The piece really started going in a different direction afterwards. The melodic content of the strings and flute are beautiful, and I love how the melodies are tossed around between the different instruments. I guess my main complaint here is that the melodic instrument absolutely consumes the texture when it’s playing. I wanted to see the texture fill out at some point with some harmonies that were a little more present in the mix. That said, the arrangement of the piece is really nice, and ambient beauty minimalism is the right kind of minimalism to have. The voice acting at the end was so well done that I was worried (until I read the description) that it was from a movie or something and I was going to have to disqualify you. XD Seriously, though. Captivating work. Keep it up, LucasMasoch!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Baumarius responds:

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'll probably go back and work on some of what you specified before I release it on the album. Thanks for the review!

[Corkscrew - Infinity]

Cute synth riff at the beginning. Pretty generic drums, although they do sit nicely in the mix. I’m loving the blissful mood and climax into :30. Mastering is really strong here - clean, clear, and loud mix, yet not overly-compressed. The melodies at 1:00 are really nice. Well-balanced frequencies and full texture here, too. The transitions are smooth, and the structure is pleasant. That said, my main complaint with the piece is actually the lack of originality. The chord progression, arrangement, and instruments all seem pretty generic to me, tbh. I also would’ve liked to see a bit more variety on that final refrain at 2:30. The modulation at 2:46 does help, but it’s also a bit of a generic step-up kind of modulation. Overall, the blissful mood, cute instruments, and strong production quality really helped sell this piece for me, though, and the sweep at the end was a nice touch. Keep up the great work, guys!

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

ItzCorkscrew responds:

Omg this is actually the BEST review I got on a song, you absolutely should review my next songs too! Thank you for listening :D

[Spinning]

Very loud mixing throughout. Usually that’s a good thing, although I think it distorted some of your other instruments at times because the compression’s so heavy. The drums also sound a tad generic, although a lot of the synth riffs here are super catchy. The change-of-pace at :51 wasn’t foreshadowed very well in my opinion, but you did a good job leading into the drop at 1:16. The drop itself is a little minimalistic, and overuses ascending lines that don’t really add to the sense of direction of the piece. The re-intro at 2:05 is nice, and the riff at 2:21 is probably my favorite of the piece. It’s also probably the closest you get to offering some strong melodic content up to that point, and I wanted to hear more melodic content early on in general. I also think the second build-up of the piece is very similar to the first one, and I would’ve liked to see some more variation in that regard. The part at 3:24 was a pleasant surprise. You really took the piece in a different direction towards the end, which was a risk that paid off in my opinion. The piece sounds conclusive by the end, and the thematic elements of the piece come together nicely. Overall, this is strong work. My main complaints are probably with the generic sound design and arrangement elements, the overuse of minimalism at different points, and maybe even the over-compression. Other than that, strong work with the structuring, mastering, mood, and harmonies. Keep at it, Hippokopter!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Hippokopter responds:

That's a schmancy system you got there. xD

Thanks for the insightful review, too! By the way, when you say, "too much compression," that doesn't really register in my dubstep infected mind as a bad thing... xD

As I write this review, I see that I've been eliminated... At least I can get back to my one-song-per-week-ish pace. On the bright side, if I got this close to getting past this round, and I haven't been producing for more than a year, get ready for me to wallup this comp next time around. xD