TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Reveries]

Right off the bat, I love the instrumentation and the soulful vocals. Perhaps I would’ve liked to hear more of a clear intro instead of being thrown right into the action - even a quick drum fill - but maybe that’s a little picky. The lyrics are really strong, and the production quality is amazingly high. I think the vocals are not quite as pronounced in the mix as they should be at 1:36, but I loved the injection of passion there. The same is also true of 2:25, in fact. Still, that’s my main complaint. I also thought the ending could’ve been a little stronger - less abrupt, perhaps. All the same, you’ve put an amazing amount of effort into the composition here, and my mouse was spamming the invisible download button for quite some time. Keep it up, guys!

9.5/10

bassfiddlejones responds:

Alas, still no downloads for now. I appreciate you taking the time for the review! Excellent points, will consider them all.

[Kids]

I like the cute, 80s funk vibe at the beginning. The vocals sound super clean and clear in the mix. The space you left in the mix at 1:01 right before the chorus was really well-done. Unpopular opinion: the synth at 1:23 didn’t quite fit the mood of the piece very well. Despite the melody itself, it had an ominous tone that didn’t vibe well with the bouncy and upbeat vibe of the rest of the piece. The lyrics, despite your self-deprecation in the description, are actually pretty good. Down-to-earth and relatable, if a little cliche. My favorite element of this piece is how you had a nice full texture during the breakdown/bridge of the piece (2:02), and then you treated the refrain at 2:17 as a breakdown instrumentation-wise. That seem weird, I know, but it was actually a very refreshing structural detail. I did think you went a little overboard with the reverb on the chords towards the end. When one chord bled into the other, it even sounded slightly eerie, which - again - I don’t think you were going for. Still, overall this is a fantastic piece. You just put most of the pop music on the radio to shame. Keep up the good work, McGorilla42! ;)

9.5/10

McGorilla42 responds:

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my submission, TaintedLogic. I'm so grateful to you and all of the rest of the judges for all the work you're putting in to facilitate this competition. All the positive response and honest, helpful criticism has been wonderful. I'll try to make my next piece better!

[Ravenholt]

I like the storm FX at the beginning and the thin sound of the synths that then widens into the texture at :12. I think the hi-hats get a little distorted in the mix at :28. You may need to take a little treble off the chords or lead in order to make them more distinct. I really like the climax into 1:02, and the kick and snare are nice and crisp, which is a big plus mixing-wise. The hats get even more lost during the refrain at 1:02, though. The melodic content here is enjoyable, and I like how you offer some melodic development during the second refrain at 2:18. Tiny complaint: I think it would help the part at 2:18 sound more cathartic if you had lengthened the notes a bit. It may sound ridiculous, but details like that go a long way towards triggering the part of the human psyche that understands “oh, this is a point of arrival and conclusion.” Overall, though, really strong work here. Keep at it, Lethalix. ;)

8.5/10

KyaniteHeart responds:

Thanks for the review man. Really appreciate it!

[Quirky Quest]

I like the melodic content at :05 and the cute synths. The section at :39 with the hip-hop influences also sounded really cool, and that post-chorus at 1:35 is also enjoyable. Sometimes, your transitions and chord progressions are a little cliche, although I really like the sound design of the piece. It’s really catchy and refreshing. I think you could use a tad more variation within the phrases of the piece - for example, the sweep/riser combo at :25 is the only thing giving the piece a sense of direction, and you use that combo as a transition a lot in this piece. Still, solid work. Enjoyable melodic content and production quality. Keep it up, MrKoolTrix! ;D

9/10

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the constructive review! :)

[Peachymaiden & Javier Anibarro Z - Hidden Lines (Original)]

I like the emotional piano at the beginning, and how you experiment with pacing all throughout the intro. I love the light, airy vocals and progression. I think the vocals could be a little more up-front in the mix, though - the piano seemed to be edging out in front of them sometimes. This is a really well-structured and flowing piece, and the mix is clear overall. I think the instrumentation is a little simplistic, and some drums could really help give this piece more of a sense of drive, especially since the pacing of the lyrics is often rather quick. Overall, this is a beautiful piece, though. Keep up the good work, you two! :)

9/10

Jabicho responds:

Hi TL!
Thanks for checking it out, your words are really helpful! :D

[Desistance (Original Mix)]

The fade-in at the beginning was cool, although the drums are a little generic. You just could’ve done many more creative things with them, and the clap sample itself is pretty cliche. I like the sense of climax into 1:04, although the drop was pretty minimalistic. The melodic content at 1:35 is pretty good, and the mixing and mastering is super strong here. I think you really started overusing the vocal samples by around the 2-minute mark, though. I also would’ve liked to see you add a bit more variety and direction to the piece during the second half. I think the composition needs a bit more work, and this piece largely lacks originality I’m afraid. Clearly, the production quality is high, and it’s very catchy and spacious in the mix with the reverb. Still, it sounds like a very formulaic, “stereotypical” EDM track, and that’s a problem. Keep at it, KaixoMusic! :)

7.75/10  

KaixoMusic responds:

I'm planning on doing some original Future Bass stuff next, so hopefully I'll be able to make it more varied and creative.

[Neurobop]

The piano and atmospheric synth mesh well together, but I really would’ve liked to see you craft a sense of direction into the first 30 seconds of this piece before the minimalistic drop strikes at :28. You have a good sense of harmony and structure, although I think you needed some more phrasing here. The breakdown at 1:09 with the echo-y piano was enjoyable. The mix is clean as well. My main problem here is that I think you should flesh out the structure more and give this piece some shape. Right now, there are a lot of transitions that rely on drum fills or stop-start changes in energy. Especially for the intro, I think you could do a better job of warming the listener up to the drop and, subsequently, foreshadowing the piano part at 1:09 a bit more. The structure feels a bit overly calculated in that way. That said, the mixing is strong, and I loved the atmosphere and mood of the piece. Keep it up, 5TanLey! :)

8.75/10

5TanLey responds:

song structure and transitions are my long time problems really, gotta work on that

thanks for the review :)

[Gravity Slam]

I love the energy and frantic guitar riffs at the beginning. The snare sounds a bit thin and quiet in the mix. I also thought you could’ve used a smoother transition at 2:19. My main problem with the piece is that it sounds uniformly energetic, which made it hard to keep my attention after a while. I think you should add more distinction to different parts of the structure by doing more creative things with the instrumentation and by trying to play with dynamics and phrasing a bit more. I also don’t think the piece felt very conclusive by the end. You’re clearly a talented guitarist, but at this point the composition really needs to be more than just a compilation of intense riffs. That’s a bit harsh, of course - obviously, there’s a well-thought out arrangement to the piece, but you could really keep the listener grounded in that arrangement more with some variation in the energy and dynamics. Keep at it, TSRBand! :)

8/10

TSRBand responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! Will be sure to keep experimenting :)

[Seres]

I like the relaxed mood and progression towards the beginning. The instrumentation wasn’t my favorite, though. The instrument at the beginning sounds a little generic, and the synth at :14 is very high-pitched and harsh-sounding. It might need a bit more treble taken off in the equalizer, because I think it could sound a lot more smooth and mellow to fit the easygoing vibe of the piece. That said, I did like the rhythmic variety and dense harmonies by around :35. You craft a gradual decrease in energy really well here, but the glitchy content at around 1:20 threw me off a bit - it didn’t seem to vibe well with the smooth-flowing nature of the piece up to that point. The piece sound pretty dark all of a sudden by 1:30 or so, yet 2:07 once again has a cathartic feel. Don’t get me wrong: all of the details in the phrasing and sound design here are fantastic, but the piece just simply has very little coherence. I also thought there were several moments of minimalism here that could be fleshed out a lot more. At the very least, I do recognize 4:28 as a repeated section, and the piece has a good sense of resolve by the end. The thing that bothers me most about this piece is the somewhat patched-together nature of the structure. The melodic content is amazing, and the mix is very clean. We’re both acutely aware that you’re facing Bassfiddlejones, but you should be immensely proud of this piece. Keep up the good work, 1f1n1ty!

8.75/10  

Onefin responds:

Hey TL. Your review covered pretty much all the things I thought it was going to :P

Like there were three big things on my checklist and you just ticked them all, no more no less