TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Jade Palace]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning as well as the sound design. The mix is really spacious and well-reverberated. I also thoroughly enjoyed the melodic content at 1:17. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when the build-up at 1:48 was exactly the same as the first one. I also think the second drop needed some more distinct elements from the first one. Overall, the composition here is a little formulaic, although that’s my main problem with the piece. Strong work with the instrumentation, flow, and atmosphere. Keep it up, PianoreGD! :)

8.5/10

Tennon responds:

Thanks 4 the review m8

[Pragulka]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. Some of the instruments are a little cheesy, and the chord progression is cliche. I also think you could’ve done some more interesting things with the drums throughout the piece. The melody at :52 is enjoyable - I like the crips, marcato articulation on that synth. Overall, the mix is pretty clean here. I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout. Nice use of modulation at 2:37. Overall, this is a well-structured and smooth-flowing piece too. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt (when the synth cuts out suddenly at 3:29). Good job with the melodies and atmosphere, though. Keep at it, Octapus58! ;)

8.5/10

octopus58 responds:

Thanks!

Yeah, I might have gotten somewhat repetitive with my past few songs and the chord progression (the triads and stuff). For my next song in this album, I will try to vary it up a bit. Thanks for noticing all the stuff I put into it however, I appreciate it :)

[Our Nostalgic Days [The Archer Girl Ep.6]]

I like the emotion at the beginning. The pacing is pretty slow, but it also compliments the theme. That said, :28 had a rather sudden injection of energy and a much brighter mood. The sweep at :54 was a little cheesy, although I did enjoy the melodies at :58. The drums at 1:11 could sound a bit clearer and crisper. I think they need some more compression. It might also help to experiment more with panning. The orchestration here is really good, though. I love the brass solos at 1:39. This piece comes together really nicely - great job with the progression and melodic content. The mixing needs a little tweaking, but overall this piece is really strong. Keep up the great work, Jessieyun0404! ;)

9/10

JessieYun responds:

Hello TaintedLogic,

Thank you so much for such detailed and great review. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much for the advice, and also encouragement. I'll keep your comments in mind and will improve myself to create a better song that can interact with the world.

Thank you,
Jessie

[G035]

I like the energy and thick texture at the beginning. Cool use of frantic rhythmic elements at around :25, and the piano melodies at :33 are nice too. I’d encourage you to bring the piano line a bit further front in the mix, though, as the low chord is clearly a secondary harmony there. The loop is smooth, but this piece still isn’t structurally complete, which is my main problem here. You simply need to do more with the composition before I can properly judge things like structure, variety, and phrasing. I do like what I’ve heard here, though. Keep at it, EverReverb. ;)

7.5/10

AED4 responds:

I don't know how this review slipped from me. Thank you for in-depth review TL, as always ^^

[endK - Sunflowers & Ants]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The instrumentation is interesting - the instrument you used for the chords was pretty bizarre, yet fit with the texture rather well. I like the melodic content a lot too. The drums are seriously weak, though. I can barely hear the kick, and the snare could be a lot crisper and clearer. I’d definitely invest in some compression at the very least. You could also layer on another kick drum to make it sound more distinct - often a good idea in energetic piece like this IMO. Still, the quirky instruments and cute mood really won me over here. You have a good sense of harmony and structuring, too. Keep at it, EndKashika! ;)

8.5/10

endKmusic responds:

Thanks for one more review TaintedLogic! Really appreciate it.
I didn't want the drums to stand out in this one, eventhough I hear the kick nicely oO (been reuploading the song for a couple of times).
Snare could be crisper, I agree with that one.
Thanks for advices and compliments once more. :)
Cheers!

[These Dreams Are Yours]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the pads in the background. I think there’s a little bit of distortion in the lows after a while - by around :30 the low percussion sounds a bit indistinct. I like the intelligent string riff there, though. The progression and harmonies are solid here. The section at 1:14 was really interesting - nice job creating some structural contrast. And then the melody at 1:27 was gorgeous. I really like the climactic feel at 2:12, too. Very bright and dreamy. That’s another section where the mix sounds quite strained, though. I think you may need to be a bit stricter with the equalization. I also wish you varied the melodies a bit more, as they are pretty simplistic. The ending was a bit lazily done. Still, this is a rather strong piece. You won me over with the mood, atmosphere, and instruments. Keep at it, Densle! ;)

8.75/10  

Densle responds:

Thank you very much for the critique!

[Tropicool (NGUAC KO 2017)]

I like the bright piano and atmosphere at the beginning. It may be a little slow to progress during the first minute or so, by around :45 I’m loving the dense harmonies and sub-bass. Excellent job with the structuring here - you channel the energy really well, so that the melodies at the 1-minute mark hit like a wave of euphoria. I think that lead synth is a little generic, but I liked the re-intro at 1:45. Melodies at 2:15 are strong too. The piece gets a little repetitive by the end, but I enjoyed the harmonies you threw in at the 3-minute mark. The melody at 3:28 seemed a little out-of-the-blue, yet it still has the warm dreamy vibe of the rest of the piece. Overall, this is solid work. Probably the strongest mix I’ve seen so far this round. Keep it up, Death2go! ;)

8.75/10

death2go responds:

Thanks! I understand its a bit repetitive, it was originally going to try and add more unique melodies and such, but time started to grow short, i began to rush, leaving some ideas out of the track, supposed this wouldve done better if i didnt have to deal with personal things, but i guess i cannot change that! Thank you for the info, ill be sure to apply some of the things you gave me in future tracks!

[Unhoned [NGUAC]]

I like the atmospheric sound effects at the beginning, but the pause at :02 was a bit awkward. I think you could make the piece sound a little less experimental and jarring with some reverb and more careful pacing. You also needed some more concrete melodies. The synth at :40 began to accomplish that goal, but the stumbly rhythm didn’t make it particularly memorable. The piece is also rather minimalistic throughout. I also didn’t hear much in the way of coherence or structuring that tied the piece together. Overall, you have some good ideas here but I think you went a little too experimental with the composition. Full credit for sound design and originality, though. Keep at it, DarkBlueFX! ;)

5.5/10

DarkBlueFX responds:

I certainly went a bit far with 'doing something weird for the sake of being weird'. I'm sure you get it a lot but you give the best reviews, thank you for being an awesome judge!

[Hellfire]

The little sweep at the beginning was cool. I think the bass sounds a bit too loud and unpolished, though. The ghosty melodies in the background add a lot to the mood, and I like the climax into :33. The piece is pretty minimalistic, though, and :47 betrays some noticeable mixing problems. The drums are rather weak and indistinct, and it sounds like the bass is getting distorted on the downbeats. Equalization and side-chaining are both tools that could seriously help you there. The piece is quite catchy, though, and you have a good sense of harmony and progression. The transition at 1:47 was a little melodramatic, but I enjoyed the structural contrast that the following breakdown offered. The piece comes together texturally at 2:36, but it felt like the melodies were interfering with each other a bit there - one of them isn’t really more prominent that the other, and that makes the section a bit confusing to listen to. I also thought the ending was a bit lazy. The sound design wasn’t that creative or original, either. Overall, it’s a pretty solid track. I like the mood, melodies, and structuring. Keep at it, BoonanaOfficial! ;)

7/10

schwankk responds:

Thanks for the extremely detailed review and I hope to compete in nguac next year :)