TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Garden of Eternity]

The rhythmic elements of the piece are appealing from the get-go, and I love that quirky synth lead at the beginning. The panning might’ve been a bit excessive, but it does keep the mix relatively clean. You have an excellent sense of progression and harmony, btw, and the smooth melodic content in the strings at around 1:10 is absolutely gorgeous. The texture is very rich, although I couldn’t help but feel it was missing some atmosphere at around 1:30. Some of your instruments are a bit too dry, while others have a lot of reverb that allows them to take over the mix a too much IMO. The structure is also very hard to follow, and there aren’t really any predominant melodies over the other ones - it’s just a continuous wave of successive melodies. I also thought the transition at 2:49 was a bit rough, perhaps a last-ditch effort to give the piece some coherence. The sound design here is absolutely amazing, but the composition feels very thrown-together and inconclusive. If you had given this piece a little more shape and direction, you might’ve won the competition IMO. Still, admirable work. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Baumarius responds:

Thanks! I started to notice those things after a while too, but my sample subscription ended, so I couldn't really change it. I'll go back before I release the Kadamitas album and fix it up a bit c:

[Quaid City Bar]

I like the groovy drums and quirky sound design. I think the kick could be a lot stronger, and the snare also needs some compression. The rhythmic and melodic elements of this piece are really amusing, though. The melody at 2:01 was particularly enjoyable - very soulful and even tranquil in a way. I appreciated the change of pace when you broke down the bass line at 2:40. At the same time, I thought the piece could’ve used a distinct emotional height or finale to really hit it home. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. I know you wrote this for a videogame, but tracks in this competition should really function as stand-alone pieces. I also thought the bass lines could’ve been a little more distinct - you might want to be stricter with the equalization in the low frequency range. Still, the mood and atmosphere are absolutely fantastic. Keep up the good work! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Joey4Track responds:

Thanks for the review! Yeah I actually don't have monitors atm so my mixes aren't up to par, I have no idea what's going on in the lower frequencies right now, lol. And yeah the song is meant to be looped but actually I totally do have a problem ending songs haha. It was really fun, thanks for judging and for the great feedback :)

[Zyzyx - Stroll Through Space]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The blend of orchestral and synthetic elements was enjoyable. Has a bit of a jazzy vibe, which I also appreciated. The groovy melodic line at :21 is great, and the mix is rather clean. That said, the drop at 1:04 seemed a bit underwhelming by comparison, and didn’t add much to the piece musically. I also would’ve liked to hear more of the arpeggios in the background there - toning down the reverb might help with that. The breakdown at 2:30 with the cool panning and drums is also enjoyable. The melodies at 3:14 really tie this piece together - that last bit of catharsis really gives it a great sense of resolve, and I like the outro with the orchestral flair. A couple of the transitions in the piece could use a bit of work - you have a habit of connecting everything with risers and sweeps, so I would’ve liked to see some more creative transitions at 3:35, 1:48, and 2:29. Overall, though, the composition is really strong here. It’s really only a few little things that bother me here. Keep up the good work, Dj-zyzyx! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

DJ-Zyzyx responds:

Thank you so much mate :D

[Summer Rebound]

Oh, so this is by YOU! I thought it was LunacyEcho for some reason. XD Your sound design has improved a lot in the past couple of years IMO. I love all of the ornamental melodic stuff like at :20 or so. Everything blends really well here, and the production is solid. The little grace notes on the ends of the melodic mini-phrases at :40 really give the piece a great punch, while keeping its graceful and light tone overall. Cool track, BO!

Everratic responds:

Haha, I don't think that's the first time someone thought a piece of mine was made by Lunacyecho xD I'm glad you like it, and thanks for the compliment. Some new friends have been tremendously helpful in my quest to become a better musician. Still, I am improving at a far slower pace than I would be if I was making a full fledged effort to improve, but I am improving nonetheless.

Thanks for the review(s)!

I see you uploaded your piece too. I gave it a 4/5; it was great! I had no idea it was yours, but that is probably because you haven't entered chips comp for a while.
Expect a review sometime this week :)

[NGADM 2017 Round of 32 Podcast]

Sorry I'm late to the party! I appreciate you doing this Chrono. The smooth, western-sounding piece in the background works well. By around 2:40, I thought the music got a tad distracting, but maybe that's just because @Etherealwinds is so damn good!

I agree that we need a better platform for people making recommendations about the future of the contest. Maybe we should set up a "suggestions and comments" thread after the contest so we can be as receptive as possible to the community's requests. Still, I appreciate the way you addressed those issues here. And personally, I don't think you have anything to apologize for at all. :)

Super impressed that you're making the sigs for the winners yourself, btw. Keep it up with the podcasts/judging/administrating, Chrono! ;)

ChronoNomad responds:

No such thing as being late to a party that quite literally goes on for five whole months! (;

Happy to see another review from you on these silly ol' podcast thingies. I'm glad that you enjoy the background music, and I don't even mind that Jordi's singing distracts a bit from the underlying message. I kept tweaking the volume incrementally, but I just didn't want the song to be too soft, and then the ending always gets so rich and full...ah, well! Six of one, half a dozen of the other, I suppose.

Yeah, I tried to be honest about how problematic that became, but it wasn't even really the nature of the conversation that was ultimately the problem. It was the massive walls of text that were, quite frankly, making the whole thread look downright unattractive. Obviously, if folks want to have water cooler discussions about the NGADM, they can have them in real-time on Discord, or simply make a thread dedicated to it. But hey, if going way off topic is against the rules, it's my responsibility to say something. I may not always do that in the right way, but when tensions are already high for various reasons, even someone with the patience of Mahatma Gandhi would end up taking return fire.

Aw, thanks! I was always planning on making the sigs, and it's feels nice to be able to do a few of the more artsy things for the NGADM. Even though I'm taking a hiatus from making new music during the competition, I still need a creative outlet or two. And hey, you keep up all that judging and administrating that you've been doing, TL! On top of a busy academic life and all that jazz. We must really love the people of Newgrounds, eh? ^__^

[Going in Style]

Woah - really interesting sound design on this one. The melodic content is amusing, although I think the low percussion could be a bit more distinct. The transition at 1:55 could’ve been a little smoother IMO. The piece also has a sense of continuity for quite a while without much direction until 1:55. I think it could use some more phrasing and dynamics work. The jumpy sax towards the end was a good idea, but it cut out a little suddenly at 2:52 and had a very square rhythm - it didn’t help the piece come together at the end too much. The piece also sounds a little robotic throughout - there are a lot square rhythms in the moving notes. Overall, I appreciate the experimental texture here. That was a bit of a risk that really paid off for you guys. I think my biggest concern is the lack of shape - changes in instrumentation dominate the variety the piece offers, which I find problematic. Still, it’s a cool piece. Keep up the good work!

8.5/10

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hi there! And thanks for the review. Once again, it's a shame that only a couple of the judges seem to have decided to review the pieces, even though I think that should be one of the main events of the competition (maybe that'll change now with fewer participants?). Thus, much appreciated!

The dynamics are generally always a problem with a good loop. Say you were to compose a looping background piece for a game; oftentimes you don't want something to stand out dynamically too much. But, I get your critique for the competition, since the piece should also work as a standalone.

I don't really hear a problem with 2:52. We weren't going for a realistic style, which is why the piano is obv quite flat and more hip hoppy (otherwise I would've played it). Same goes for the choir and sax. It's more of a blend of nu jazz, maybe some triphop elements, and a semi-cinematic style I guess. Maybe the style is what you feel is robotic, since none of the instruments are really made to sound like they're played by a human? Including the dry choir :)

We like the transition to 1:55, but it could've worked well as a breakdown, instead of bringing in the choir so quickly.

Thanks, dude!

[Frailty and Hope]

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning. It’s a little slow to progress, but I like the somber tone the strings add at around :30. I wasn’t a huge fan of the instrument at :58. It sounded very synthetic, which may have been intentional, but either way I don’t think it fits the texture of the piece very well. The percussion at 1:29 is interesting. I think there was just a bit too much of an attack on the offbeat, though - the piece is a little too smooth and pensive for such a crisp hat IMO (even if that criticism sounds a bit absurdly specific). I like the re-intro at 2:35, but the additional extended pause at 3:16 was a little much. The structural and transitional elements of the piece are strong, and I didn’t notice any problems with the mixing or mastering. Overall strong work! Keep it up, Spadezer. ;)

8.75/10

Spadezer responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Typical Liberal]

I love the thematic content...wow. The emotional piano is great, and I commend you for addressing a controversial/political subject in the lyrics. The sound design is nice, between the smooth pulse of the guitar and the bright pads. The drums could’ve been a little louder, but that’s the only complaint I have mixing-wise. You also do a great job of adding structural contrast - 2:56 had a great relaxed vibe to contrast the old-school classy party vibe of the rest of the piece. You had me engaged the entire way, though. Fantastic concept and theme - sounds like Frank Sinatra meets Jimmy Fallon. Is there somewhere I can access the complete lyrics? The mood, atmosphere, and sound design really make this piece what it is, although I have little to complain about composition-wise either. Keep up the great work, McGorilla42! ;)

9.75/10

McGorilla42 responds:

Thank you for this, TaintedLogic. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! I'll send you the lyrics in a PM :)

[Move Around]

I like the fun melodies at the beginning with the quirky instruments, although I think the piece throws the listener right into the action a bit. I would’ve liked to hear a proper intro here. That said, this piece is really catchy and upbeat. I appreciated the structural contrast you offered at 1:34, too. The rhythm at 2:33 sounds a bit stumbly, but I did enjoy the climax into 2:49. I would’ve liked to see you vary that section a little more from its original form at 1:01, though. Overall, my biggest problem here is that it’s a little generic in terms of the transitory content and structure. It’s really catchy, though, and I didn’t notice any problems with the mixing or mastering. Keep up the good work! ;)

9/10

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for reviewing! :)

[The Blind Forest]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The arpeggiated synths and clap sample seemed a little generic, and it was a little slow to develop. I don’t think aspects of the sound design like the heavily panned snare at 1:01 added much to texture - it was very dry and didn’t fit the dreamy mood of the piece well. You also may have gone a little overboard with the reverb on some of the synths. I commend you for using the entire frequency range for much of the piece. The track only really has one climax, and could probably use a little more fleshing out structurally. The ascending synth line at 2:53 makes it sound like you’re leading into another refrain, in fact. Overall, the melodic content is strong, and I enjoyed the atmospheric quality of it. I guess the main thing that bothered me is the sound design - a lot of cliche synths and drum samples, is all. Keep at it, Techmo-X! ;)

7.75/10  

Teckmo-X responds:

Thank you TainteedLogic! I agree with you on that snare there. It felt out of place but that one was a last minute add. Thank you for the review!