TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[We Are Heroes]

I really like the relaxed guitars at the beginning and how the intensity builds over the course of the intro. The drums are really loud and crisp, and the vocals are strong as always, although it seemed like you were a bit too forceful/breathless at the “I’ve got a special kind of way” line. I love the thematic elements of the piece - the tie-ins to superhero lore, the narrative implied by the lyrics, etc. It also connects with relatable, real-life scenarios very well. Finding out that the “arch nemesis” was really just your girlfriend’s boss was very amusing. I also couldn’t help but think that some of the lyrics really spoke to the NGADM: “this is the final fight,” etc. The production quality is great. The instrumentation is also strong here, but not quite as well-varied as in some of your other tracks. There also wasn’t a ton of variety in the structure of the song. The bridge was a little short-lived, and I would’ve loved to see you go for something a bit riskier, like a passionate guitar solo or the addition of a new element to the texture. Still, this piece is really strong overall. I like the relatively abrupt ending, too, as if the fantasy of being a hero was suddenly interrupted. Finn, you’ve put an amazing amount of effort into this competition. Congratulations on your hard work and achievement! :’D

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

FinnMK responds:

Thanks a bunch! All good comments and feedback.

[EDM Samurai - Broken Mirror [Nirimi Remix]]

Sounds like house all right. ;) It's a catchy and fun piece, and the risers are cool. I think some of the synths are a little generic, especially the lead, but you're right about one thing: your mixing has improved a lot. The only thing that stuck out to me is you might want to take a tad bit of treble off of the lead - it was just a little grating in the higher register. Besides that, I think you could've used some more creative transitions and variety in the composition. The entire piece is essentially a series of variations on the same riff, and the second half of the piece doesn't really add much more new content. I'd encourage you to try to mimic the structure of your favorite tracks to see if you can give the piece a little more shape (calm moments with less texture, dramatic emotional heights, and everything in between). Overall, though, you're definitely on the right track. Keep at it, man! ^^

RobinvanDommelen responds:

Thank you so much man! I will definitely try my best to keep getting better :D

[Oh Mama Hey!]

I like the fun, organic feel. The piano that comes in at around :10 is very bright and upbeat, yet seemed to be slightly out-of-tune, unfortunately, unless my ears betray me. That said, it almost fit with the down-to-earth, campfire sing-a-long vibe of the piece. The lyrics are amusing and light-hearted, and the production quality is really strong. It was absolutely fantastic to see you express so much of your upbringing and heritage in the song, too. If I had to complain about one thing, it was that you didn’t do anything particularly interesting with the piece after the bridge. It still comes together pretty nicely, but at this stage of the competition the last refrain sounding exactly the same as the others seems a tad underwhelming. But allow me to put that last comment into perspective: this piece is still a wonderful achievement that makes me want to call my mother right away. Keep up the good work, Finn!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
9.5/10

FinnMK responds:

I detuned the piano on purpose! I liked the feel of it.
That's a good point about the last refrain. I'll make sure to keep things fresh for the grand finale...

[Happy Birthday BlueOceans!]

I love that you guys did this for BO. Rather traditional rendition of the birthday song, but the ritardando at the end and the emotional qualities of the track were executed perfectly. Excellent vocals as always, Jordi, and excellent pianicizing as always, Ale. Also, @Johnfn's birthday is coming up in February if you're so inclined. ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I've done my fair share of untraditional renditions, so I wanted to do a normal one for once. Naturally, with the twist of asking Jordi to help me turn it into something actually worth dedicating for BO's birthday ;)
I like how you say coming up, and it's like 4 months there :'D
We shall see what happens when the date closes in :3

Thanks for listening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radioactive Apocalypse]

I love the dark mood and the distorted vocals. The kick could be a bit stronger, but the sub-bass has a lot of punch, which is nice. Sound design is amusing. I especially like the wet, glitchy percussion that comes in at around 15 seconds from the end. I would've liked to hear it loop more smoothly, but excellent work with the atmosphere and mood nonetheless. Keep at it, LN! ;)

larrynachos responds:

Thanks TL!

[-Can't Sleep-]

I like the hollow-sounding pads and atmosphere. It sounds like restless sleep, all right. The rhythmic elements are cool, and the sound design is a huge plus. The lapse in energy at :50 helps give the piece a sense of ebb and flow, but the drum samples at that came in at around 1:10 weren't my favorite. It has a nice sense of atmosphere, but not much melodic content or distinct structuring to tie it together IMO. Has a strangely bright mood to it. I liked the bassy-er elements that came in at 2:35. You may have gone a little overboard with the reverb at times, but overall the mix isn't bad. Cool track for a background/ambient piece. Keep it up, Waterflame!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks for the feedback! :)

[How to Have a Perfect Day]

I like the comic appeal of the alarm at the beginning. The cheesy brass and bright, pop piano made me smile. This piece has a ton of character, and seems reminiscent of a 1980s sitcom. It gets a tad repetitive after a while, but I guess that's the point. The melodic content is great, and the mixing is fairly strong as well. Sometimes the mood changes are a little sudden, but I really liked the darker tone and the distorted drums at around 2:30. I also really like the harpsichord-sounding instrument you introduced later in the piece (3:50 and other places). Definitely feels conclusive and climactic by the end. I should check out that short story! Keep up the good work, man. ;)

Miyolophone responds:

Thank you for the review, TL! Glad you enjoyed!

[The Fall]

I like the atmospheric content at the beginning. Great use of the full frequency range and general glitchiness. Hearing Jordi’s voice was a fun surprise. The progression here is really interesting as well, while simultaneously maintaining its coherence. Tiny detail: it bothered me when the vocals cut off suddenly at 1:43. I would’ve at least let the reverb do the work there. Overall, the mixing and mastering are really strong, too. The section at 2:08 is my favorite part, though. You guys seamlessly integrated Jordi’s smooth vocals and the glitchy content that appeared earlier in the piece. The modulation toward the end helped up the ante. Very well-structured and engaging piece. Admittedly, I took pity on you guys when you only had 4 days to make a track, but I’m completely blown away. Really strong content here. Keep up the great work! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
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
9.75/10

johnfn responds:

it's funny you liked 2:08. i liked it personally but I rememeber almost deleting it entirely at the last minute because i thought everyone else would think it was garbage =P =P

ty for the review(s) :D

EDIT: great, now 1:43 is going to annoy me forever

[It Will Blow Over]

I applaud your change in style for this round. I think the clap sample is really generic, and could also be a bit stronger in the mix. Luckily, you layer in a snare later on that makes the off beats stronger. More so than your other pieces for the competition, the autotune was rather noticeable here, but it actually seems pretty fitting for the piece IMO. I also like the lyrics themselves. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is one of your better mixes. The synths especially could’ve had a bit more room to breathe, most noticeably the low chords during the refrain. I appreciated your efforts at trying some glitch effects at 2:40 or so, but they came across as a tad cheesy. The piece comes together pretty well, though. The outro is conclusive, and overall the sound design (while occasionally marked by cliches) has a cool, retro vibe. Keep at it, McGorilla42! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
8.75/10

McGorilla42 responds:

Thanks, TaintedLogic!

Absolutely agree with everything you had to say and I appreciate the criticism. You actually nailed pretty much every issue I felt this track had, so it almost feels good to know that what I thought was wrong, was actually wrong (if that makes sense?).

I wanted this to be more spacious but I ended up cluttering it a fair amount and the mix became a bit confused. I actually really struggled with many of the synths and the section at 2:40 was WAY out of my comfort zone, but I learned a lot doing it :) Surprised you enjoyed the lyrics -- funnily enough, I didn't get around to writing any proper lyrics, so these were a scratch take that I intended on replacing, but I had an idea in mind when improvising the words.

[Make It Easy]

I like the pads at the beginning, along with the little clicks that seem to be build into the sample. The mastering is strong, and the piece has a good sense of atmosphere and progression throughout. The vocals sound rather breathy, to the extent that it started to bother me at around :38 and a couple of other places. I know you’re trying to express some degree of exasperation with the vocals, but I think it’s a little over-the-top when it sounds like you’re sighing after each note. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, though. You’re certainly not doing that for most of the piece. Anyway, I liked the lyrics themselves, even if the emphasis on “I’m only human” seemed a little cliche. The drop at 1:32 was enjoyable - very spacey and more full-textured than some of your earlier pieces for the competition. I thought you could’ve done a bit more with the drums, though, and that the snare sample had a tad too much treble for my tastes. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed with the lack of new content during the second half of the piece, as well as the underwhelming ending. Still, the melodies are really enjoyable here, and the piece is quite catchy and well-mastered too. Keep at it, Steelside! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

steelside responds:

I didn't have time to finish the track the way I wanted to and will be going back to do so. The pads aren't samples, and the clicks are what happens when you have a tight attack with a gated delay and a high pass, as far as my singing, I've always been producer first, lyricist second, and vocalist third, it's just so impossible to get other people to record for you without paying them, feelsbadman.