TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ebullience (Original Mix)]

I like the energy and rhythm at the beginning. The acid synths are a little generic, but the filtering automations are cool and give the piece a fresh vibe. The kick at :30 is a little overpowering, though, and the piece develops pretty slowly. The hi-hats also get a little lost in the mix. I’d suggest cutting off some of the higher-pitched frequencies in the synths and also compressing the hats to give them a little boost. I like the climax at 1:40, but I think it took you quite a while to get there. The part at 2:35 was also a great point of structural relief, although I’m not always a huge fan of when climactic build-ups lead to breakdown sections. For most of the piece, you have a nice full texture, which is great to hear. As I mentioned earlier, I think the pacing of the piece could stand to be faster. I’m always skeptical of tracks that are this long, and I think you risk losing some of the listener’s engagement by having long periods of high-energy trance (i.e., 3:20 - 5:50). You craft the shape of this piece really well, though - the dissipation of energy later in the piece is really well done. Reminds me of Deadmau5’s long, slow outros. Solid work, man!

8/10

Mich responds:

I was pretty proud of that acid synth given it's coming from a modular analog synthesizer I've put together myself. :P Guess I could've been a bit less reserved with putting the patch for it together though. In the buildup to the chorus at 4:00, I did play a bit with making it go into crazy resonance, if you listen for it you might pick it out then. All in all it might be a little bit buried in the mix there.

Coming up with an adequate kick is something I still struggle with a bit, so I guess I agree on that point.

As for the slow development; personally I listen to a lot of trance, and I like listening to the full length unmixed versions, which are about this length, some to over 9 minutes. I like the slow progression of it. This particular song was initially over 11 minutes long (see link in description), so I've already cut down on it a great deal I think. :P

All in all, the main purpose of long intros and outros is for mix-ability.

Anyway, thanks much for the review!

[Kalais]

The melody at the beginning is a little square rhythmically, and I’m not sure the mood of the strings and piano fit the glitchy beat very well. The panning on the drums just makes them even more jarring. I think you could’ve gotten away with making a piece that melded these two contrasting themes together, but not at the same time. The main problem here is definitely the way the texture and mood are abused. The piece itself was pretty short and could use some more fleshing out structure-wise. I didn’t notice any mixing or mastering problems. The sound design itself is pretty good - I actually like your string and piano samples, which is not something I say too often. Keep at it, man!

6/10

sapoman responds:

Thanks.

[Fake Sonata for a Virtual Clavichord]

The instrumentation and square rhythm of the beginning combines to give off a kind of regal vibe. I think you may have overdone the reverb a bit. The piece has a nice flow, but I don’t think you vary the dynamics or articulation often enough to keep me engaged. I did like the mood of the piece, though, especially the 3rd movement. The movements themselves are all quite short - perhaps you should flesh them out a little more. Otherwise, the structure and musicality of the piece is a little hard-to-follow. Still, my biggest worry is that you haven’t varied the energy, expression, etc. enough to carve some shape into the piece. Without that variation, the piece doesn’t have the same sense of direction and form that solo instrument pieces usually capitalize on for engagement. It was a neat idea to use a clavinet solo for the audition, but unfortunately I’m not sure your risks paid off. Keep at it, my friend!

5.5/10

LexRodent responds:

All of them fair points.
Thanks a lot for your detailed review.
Looking at it in retrospective I realize I made a terrible track choice for the NGADM auditons.
No better way to learn than screwing up :D

[Emotional Distress (NGADM 2017)]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. The distorted bass that comes in soon thereafter is a nice touch. The piece is very slow to develop, though. I think you should’ve at least introduced some drums by around the 1-minute mark to give the piece some drive. Otherwise, you probably could cut the length of this piece in half and still have appropriate pacing. I liked the melodies at around the 3-minute mark. The texture has a nice richness, and I like the gentle pulse of the chords and guitar fading away every 2 bars. Still, this piece drags on for way too long, and the progression changes way too slowly to keep me engaged. The subtle changes in the texture over time that are there (for example, the addition of the drums at around the 8-minute mark), aren’t enough to maintain interest. I mostly liked the instruments, although sometimes the grouchy bass gets in the way a bit too much IMO (example: 6:40). I’ve been a bit harsh on you in this review, but overall the piece is pretty good. If I had to change one thing, it’d be an easy fix: doubling the pacing of the piece. If you think about the pacing and variety a little more next time, you’d probably be in the round of 64. Keep at it, man!

6.5/10

TheB34R responds:

Thanks for this feedback, this is the type of feedback that is helpful due to the fact that you have said some of the key parts plus give the example of a part that could be changed to make it better.

[Body High]

The reverb seems a little excessive, but I like the sub-bass and some of the other samples (maybe not the low brass hits, though - sounds a little generic). The refrain at :32 was cool, though. The has a rich, full texture that’s uncommon in trap in my experience. I also like the ominous synths and the breakdown at 2:00 or so. The piece is pretty short, and I would’ve liked to see you have more melodic content after the breakdown. The track also sounds like it cuts off suddenly. Mixing-wise, it’s a little hard to distinguish the kick and sub-bass, but besides that everything sounds pretty crisp and clear. Submitting trap to the NGADM is a bold move, but overall I like this piece. Keep at it, man!

7.25/10

Zodiax responds:

Thank you for the kind words sir. Constructive criticism is always very helpful.

Trap is very overplayed, but I'm quite happy with this piece which is why I submitted it.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to join!

[Exploration]

I like the bass riff at the beginning. The instruments that come in at :07 are a bit cheesy, and the drums shortly thereafter are very weak. The snare should almost always be the loudest instrument in the mix, and this piece is no exception. I think you have a good sense of melody and harmony, and the piece is pretty well-varied. The pacing is a little fast at times, and I think you should’ve made better use of percussion throughout to give the piece a little more drive. The composition is definitely the best part of the piece, though. Keep at it, man!

7/10

Quebi responds:

Thanks for the review! I do find I have trouble properly using percussion, so I'll make sure to work on that

[Taking Shape]

I was hoping you’d return to the NGADM, my friend! The beginning of the piece has an excellent air of mystery, and the guitar groove at :19 adds a lot to the texture. The mix is super clean, and the instruments blend together very well. By :52, the rhythm is quite inventive and drives the piece along really well. The texture is never really busy at any given time, but the piece has so much variety in the sound design and mood throughout. I love how prominently you feature the bass in this one, too. The piece sounds somewhat experimental, yet really shows off your amazing compositional skills. If I had to complain about something, it’d probably be the lack of cohesion. The piece seemed a little directionless at times, and was energetic throughout, which made me itch for a change-of-pace after a time. The finality of the last chord seemed a bit forced. I also half-wish you had some less staccato-y instruments playing throughout, like a pad or organ, just to add a smoother element to the texture in what often seemed like an ever-changing tumult of sound. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, though. Overall, this is a stunning piece that displays an amazing amount of attention to detail. Well done!

9/10

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you so much for your awesome review and crit my love!! <3

[The Masochist]

I like the flowing vibe at the beginning. The cello sample was actually pretty good, despite the uniform vibrato (which is a giveaway that it’s not a real cello). I actually thought the cello doing the arpeggios was a little too upfront in the mix, and the percussion/harmonies should’ve gotten a little more attention. Cool idea with the tempo automations at around 1:35. The piece is a little minimalistic overall, but certainly has plenty of fresh content going on throughout to keep me engaged. It does sacrifice a bit of coherence in that regard, though. The smooth-flowing nature of it almost reminds me of some sort of cinematic montage. My main problem with the piece is actually the cohesion. The piece has a lot of different twists and turns, which limits the conclusivity and makes it hard to thread a storyline throughout the piece. The ending comes on very suddenly, and while the transitional elements of the piece are enjoyable, the piece as a whole feels somewhat directionless. That said, I quite enjoyed your sense for harmony, instrumentation, and emotion. Solid work overall.

7.75/10

Baumarius responds:

Hey TL, thanks for the review! I don't totally know why it feels directionless to you, but it may just be me. I'm the one who wrote the story it's for, after all, and it flows well with what I've imagined. However, several others have said that my music is a little strange because there are many songs I've made that focus on emotions people aren't too familiar with... which is really weird for them to find as an issue in the first place, but oh well. I'm glad you found the rest of the song to be engaging enough for you to enjoy, and I'll be working on these issues in future songs.

[Chael - Resilient]

Good for you for making something that’s not always in 4/4! I like the upbeat mood, although the instruments were a bit cheesy. The transition to 4/4 at :41 was pretty cool. Neat idea. The kick at the refrain (1:02) is a little overpowering, and I think you could’ve done a lot more creative things with the drums there. The melody itself is really enjoyable, though. I liked the post-chorus with the transition back into 3/4 too. It’s a catchy, energetic, and well-structured piece overall. The cute piano riff at 3:30 was a nice touch too. Solid work.

7.5/10

Falsesouth responds:

Thank you very much for your feedback! Perhaps there could have been some more dynamic percussion; however, this was my first swing piece ever. I was exploring, haha. You should expect far more dynamic beats in the future.