TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Dude Named Grant]

Hey, I know that dude! I love the sound design, spacey mix, and crisp drums. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow, though, and the harmonic patterns come in these frantic bursts for the first 45 seconds or so that make it a little hard to channel the energy. I was also a little thrown off by the sudden change in energy level at the 1-minute mark. You do a great job of using the entire frequency range throughout, and I think the melodies at around 1:45 are really strong. The transition at 1:59 is still not quite so smooth as I would’ve liked. I think the production is especially clean and clear here, but the somewhat thrown-together arrangement seriously detracts from the piece IMO. I think you knew that was coming too. Overall, it’s a cool piece with some nice melodies, sound design, and mixing. Keep at it, 1f1n1ty. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

Onefin responds:

Ah TL how I may never satisfy you :P

[Circutronics - NGADM]

The synth at the beginning was cool, but had a tad too much reverb. Between :30 and 1:30 or so, the pacing is really fast. It seems like you change up the texture a lot every 10 seconds, and quite predictably every 4 bars at that. I think you’d be better off gradually leading up to the chorus at 1:31. I also thought the clap at 1:31 sounded a bit too thin, with not quite enough low-mids. Some layering or perhaps just different EQ’ing could really help give the beat a little more punch there. Overall, the arrangement just needs a little more connectivity. Crossfading could potentially help you a lot here. There are just a few too many moments where the instrumentation is very different on either side of a transition, and that bothered me. That said, I’ve been tough on you in this review. The sound design is really cool, and I love the tension and apprehension that pervade this piece. Well-crafted mood, atmosphere, and melodies, too. Keep at it, Spadezer! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Spadezer responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic. It sounds like you enjoyed which is good enough for me. It's not to say I'm ignoring your observations, they're things I haven't thought about.

Thanks alot and godspeed with the rest of the judging.

[Just a Little Improv]

Whew! It's about time I check out some of your personal work again. This is beautiful, of course. I especially like the suddenly tranquil mood at 1:07 and the contrast between the ascending and descending lines, both of which you feature a lot in the piece (beginning, 1:02, 1:32, 4:12, etc.). I also thought the call-and-response technique you use at around 2:10 was excellent. The spacious melodies at 3:15 are another highlight. The more energetic section at around 4:00 helped give the piece a "last hurrah," so-to-speak. I was a little thrown off when you cut off the chord at 5:42. I always think it sounds more conclusive if you let it ring, especially in a relatively spacious piece like this one. I also don't think you thought through the piece thematically quite as much as with some of your other improvs, but it's hard to say that detracted from my enjoyment of it. I'm always impressed with your improvs, Ale, and this is no exception. Great work! :)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I like 1:07 too, just happened by accident, as most things in this improv :D
This one is more major based than most of my other music, so that might be a refreshing fact :)
The call-response thing isone of the most common techniques that almost never goes wrong. Kind of like descending basslines!

As for the ending cutting of, I get what you mean. At the same time, it's just a realistic element there to show it's a performance. I didn't hold down the pedal anymore, and raised my fingers :p
I'm more unhappy about the chord I decided to end with, as that's the natural choice, and I should've done something more unexpected xD

Nice catch with the lack of a theme. For some improvs, I start with a simple theme or idea. For this one, I really just played whatever, from start to finish; no planning.
Thanks a lot for the review, as always! :D

Good luck with judging this round (oooo.OOOO) (It's a spider)!

[HEY! [Glitch Hop]]

I like the blissful mood and melodies. The lead might have a tad too much treble, but overall the frequencies are really well-balanced in the piece. The chopped vocals at :37 were well-done, and I like the sense of climax into 1:10. The chord progression is a little cliche, and the first minute or so does seem a tad dragged out, but the upbeat vibe of the piece is really engrossing. The melodies during the breakdown at 2:10 were enjoyable, and the production quality is really strong. The variations on the melody at 3:12 are really refreshing, although the piece is a tad repetitive overall. I liked the tempo automations at the very end, and the piece comes together really well. This is a really strong track, guys! Keep up the good work. ;)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Zelgeon responds:

Thanks for the review! In the updated version of this track we've fixed many things, we made sure to lower the high end of the leads. What do you mean with "the first minute or so does seem a tad dragged out"?
We made the song repetitive on purpose because we wanted to make a really catchy song this time :D
That thing at the final wasn't automations, it was made manually in the piano roll! ;)

Thanks for not disqualifying us again c:

_Adrián, Zelgeon member #2/2

[Lyra]

I like the soothing mood at the beginning. You may have overdone the reverb a bit, but the instrumentation was great, especially the strings and percussion. The melodic content at :58 is great, too. I was a little thrown off by the entry of the drums at around 1:10, though - they just didn’t fit the character of the piece so far very well IMO. The snare sounds especially generic, processed, and maybe too loud as well. The percussion at around 2:45 fits the rest of the sound design much better. Still, you’ve absolutely nailed the atmosphere, and the victorious/blissful mood was rather enjoyable as well. I love the little phrasing detail at 3:37, too, and the trumpet solo at the very end was a great touch. Overall, this is a very strong piece, both compositionally and mixing-wise. Keep up the great work, PianoreGD! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
2/2
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
9.5/10

Tennon responds:

Wow that was beyond my expectations! I thought I failed this song lol. I strong agree with the fact that the snare is really bad, next time I will probably make a new snare that sounds not too distorted!

[astrEnfant]

I like the ominous vibe at :05 and the atmospheric flair. The piece has a really engaging cinematic vibe. The sound design is great, and the part at :42 feels really climactic. The guitar entrance at 1:02 caught me off guard a bit (not because it was a rough transition, but because the guitar wasn’t really an obvious choice given the instrumentation up to that point). I also thought the drums were a bit generic, and the pacing of the piece is very fast. You don’t have to change up the texture every 10-15 seconds in order to generate enough variety. Also, the mini-bridges with the high-pitched bells (like at 2:11) got a bit overused after a while. There are a lot of good ideas here. The melodies are fantastic. The mixing is super clean and clear. You’ve varied the energy levels a lot, and I appreciate it. BUT the composition feels extremely patched-together and incoherent. I’d highly encourage you to put more effort in the future into keeping the listener grounded in a (slightly) more predictable and repetitive structure. All these rapid changes in the texture is jarring for the listener, and consolidating your ideas and slowing down the pacing would help a lot. Don’t be afraid of a little more repetition! That said, overall I enjoyed the piece a lot. Keep at it, Miyolophone. ;)   

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

Miyolophone responds:

Thanks for the review TL! I admit your criticism about coherence comes as a surprise to me, since I actually worked super hard this time on making my melodies repeat as frequently as some might in more typical electronic genres, but this time it seems texture was my downfall, so definitely a fair point. Perhaps I went a little crazy on generating new material— funny how writing more music can actually make it less enjoyable— as is typical for me in my quest to never be boring, so in the future I'll try not to go overboard on that sort of thing.
(also I will regret the electric guitar until the day I die)
Thanks again!

[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