TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Quixotic (Original Mix)]

I like the mysterious intro, and the hard-hitting texture at :17 predicates the rest of the piece quite well. The mastering is so loud and punchy - truly a treat. The piece takes a little while to develop, but at the drop at 1:31 it feels really climactic and cathartic. The vocal samples are a bit overused after a while, but this piece maintains a great punchiness and drive. I would've liked to hear some more harmonic depth at times, although I commend you for keeping things interesting with the tempo automation at 2:30. The structural variety at 2:53 was quite welcome. I like that jittery bass synth at 3:28 a lot. After a time, the sound design has so much variety (and the piece is so long) that it lost an element of cohesion imo. The last 20 seconds or so have a lot of jarring changes in the texture too, and I don't think they did a great job of wrapping up the piece. I'd rather see you try to consolidate some of your ideas and expand on them, rather than spread the thematic content of this piece too thin with a lot of fleeting riffs and ideas. Still, the production, sound design, and atmosphere are all impressive. Keep at it, Kaixo!

KaixoMusic responds:

Thanks for the review :D

[Condensation]

Cool FX at the beginning. I love the rich atmosphere and sense of climax into :15. I wasn't a huge fan of the percussion sample that was playing at the off-beats at :15. Something about the timbre just didn't seem to fit the rest of the piece. That said, the production quality is strong, and the refrain at :48 feels nice and cathartic. Nice work with the slap bass, too - it's a really fun addition to the texture, especially when it has that mini-solo at 1:03. The synth entrance at 1:30 (and a couple other places) sounds a tad harsh. Might need some more filtering or volume adjustments. The piece really starts coming together by around 2:20, though. The melodic content there just expands on the other motifs of the piece so well. The stop-start transition at 2:47 wasn't my favorite. It just didn't seem to match the smooth-flowing vibe of the rest of the piece very well. That said, the dreamy outro was a plus. Overall, nice work! I love the atmosphere and sound design here. Good luck in the ADM. ;)

ColinMuir responds:

Thank you TL, for always giving such real reviews :)

[Melt]

I like the ominous swell at the beginning and the relaxed atmosphere. The drums sound nice and crisp, and the E-piano is gorgeous and spacey. I think the drums sound a tad dry, though. They could use some reverb. The sound design really starts coming together by around 1:10, but there’s a lot of distortion in the texture at that point. The melodic content at 1:20 is really cool with the pitch-bending. The instrumentation here is also really cool. My main complaint is that the piece isn’t really structurally complete. I think you needed to flesh out the composition more before the piece really came together as a stand-alone track. That said, the atmosphere, melodic content, and automations are all huge pluses. Keep at it, YHTFLKC!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.75/10

YHTFLKC responds:

Thank you very much.

[Author wind - Truth]

I like the cute synths and atmosphere, but the white noise at the beginning sounds a tad harsh. I’d suggest some more filtering and automation to diminish its role its role in the mix. I like the sense of climax starting at :52, and the cathartic part at 1:15 fit in well. I think the hi-hats are a bit too loud at 1:28, and the melodic content isn’t as up-front in the mix as I’d like. The blissful mood and instrumentation here are great overall, though. As for the mastering, I think you could stand to cut a bit of reverb and equalize things a bit more strictly. Right now, the mix is loud and full, but could benefit from a bit more clarity. I also would’ve liked to see vary the melodic content a bit more at the second refrain. That said, the post-chorus at 3:11 helped create some variety. Overall strong work here. Especially nice job with the atmosphere, melodies, and texture. Keep up the good work, Wind1823!

8.25/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Authorwind responds:

Woh! THANKS ;)☆
I should try to fix it;;

[Speakers]

I like the jazzy chords at the beginning and the ghostly atmosphere at :17. The beat sounds nice and crisp at :17, and the sound design is really enjoyable. The melodic content at :50 is beautiful. I think there may be a tad too much reverb in texture, and there’s also a bit of atonality here and there. That said, the mastering quality is really good. The mix is loud and clean (despite the excess reverb), and the texture sounds quite well-balanced. I also liked the structural variety you incorporated, starting with the short breakdown at 2:24. I really like how the energy picks back up towards the end with the string solo at 3:12. Texture is really full, but still sharp and punchy with the drums. Overall, this is a really admirable piece with some really cool sound design and melodic content. The violin sounds a little inauthentic in its higher range, but that’s certainly my only complaint about the sound design. Composition and production are strong as well. Keep up the good work, Spectronoid97!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
9.25/10

spectronoid97 responds:

HEY MAN! Thanks for your review, I greatly appreciate it!!
Yeah, mixing is one of my main enemies when it comes to music making, because my computer can't handle a lot of things happening at the same time or my CPU starts bitching, but I try my best hahaha. And also the violin part sounds a little too computerish because I don't own any VSTs or libraries for orchestral instruments (or anything at all really hahaha). But thank you so much for letting me on the next round of the competition! I'll outdo myself, at least I hope I do. xD

[Drowning in thought]

The clicks and ambient noise at the very beginning sound a tad harsh, and the moving notes at :20 come in rather suddenly. I like the sound design during the harmonic part a lot, though. I think the drums sounded a tad dry until 1:01, when they sounded almost too wet. There’s very little harmonic progression until the (also sudden) transition at 1:22. I like the more tranquil re-entry of the guitar-like instrument at 1:42. The mood and atmosphere of the piece are probably my favorite elements of the piece. That said, I think the texture needed a bit more fill for much of the piece and the transitions need some serious work to smooth them over. The production is pretty strong, though. The excessive reverb doesn’t compromise the quality of the mix noticeably, and overall everything was pretty well-balanced. The rhythmic content in the percussion is really creative towards the end, but the piece cuts off very suddenly. I’m really torn about this piece, because the emotion and atmosphere are totally there and the production is solid, but there are a lot of weak compositional elements that detract from my enjoyment of it. Overall, you’re clearly a talented producer. I just think the piece needs a bit more work on the transitions, textural fill, and phrasing. Keep at it, SentientZero!

7.25/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Mel responds:

Thanks lol I put the crackles and abrupt transitions purposely. I made this on my phone and I wanted it to have sort of a weird vibe. Almost like making a huge decision. Thanks for everything

[Bolero of the Hero]

I like the serene mood at the beginning. The instrumentation fits the thematic content very well, but sounds very inauthentic. The mixing is also pretty quiet. I’d suggest adding some compression and volume level adjustment to help create a thicker and fuller texture of sound. The melodic content here is really nice, and the harmonic progression of the piece is quite pleasing. The energy of the piece sounds pretty uniform throughout, though. I’d suggest adding some dynamic contrast, phrasing, and automation to give the composition a little more ebb and flow over time. That’ll help keep the piece more engaging for your listener. I also think you could’ve done a bit more with the percussion. Right now, it’s used very sparsely, but it has the potential to give the piece a lot more energy and drive where appropriate. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. That said, some of the compositional elements here could use a little more fleshing out to maximize the emotional qualities of the piece, and the mixing also needs work. Keep at it, PomicStone!

7/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

PomicStone responds:

Thank you for your review!