TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[-Chilljoy-]

Fun title. I like the relaxed mood and cute synths. I wasn’t a huge fan of the was the kick was mixed, though - the sample just has a bit too much treble for my tastes. It’s a very smooth and upbeat piece, though. I enjoyed the sense of catharsis at 1:06. With slightly different instrumentation, this piece would work really well as a pop song (which is a good thing, at least during auditions). It does get a little repetitive after awhile, especially at around 2:30. I don’t think it needed to be quite this long. You may have also overused the sweeps by the end. This piece’s simplicity is a blessing and a curse in a way. The texture fits the style really well - easygoing, carefree, etc. - in that it doesn’t sound too busy at any given time, but I think you still need a little more variety in here. Overall, pretty solid work. I hope you’ll get the chance to make something else for the competition. Keep at it, man! ;)

7.5/10

GlitchmasterMusic responds:

Thanks a lot man, you basically nailed exactly how I feel about this song :)

[~The Permanent Destination~]

I like the dark mood at the beginning and the instrumentation, which certainly helped facilitate the ominous nature of the track. It’s a little slow to progress, but I enjoyed the dissonance at :58 and the subsequent vocal samples. You have a good amount of reverb in here that helps to create a nice, full texture. The drop at 1:28 was thoroughly enjoyable, although after that I was looking for some stronger melodic content, which isn’t really present for much of the piece. I liked the descending synth line at 2:40 or so. The reverb might detract from the mixing a tad, but personally it doesn’t bother me that much. The atmospheric breakdown at 3:20 was also a tasteful point of structural relief. I’m really impressed this is the first track you made using FL Studio. I would’ve liked some more variation on the drop the second time around, but that’s a small complaint. The outro was effective, and just as mysterious as the opening in a way. Solid work. I like this piece a lot!

8.5/10

Gravidi responds:

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a thought out review! It really does mean a lot that you enjoyed this track. I'll make sure to think about how I can improve on future songs based on your comments here. THANKS!

[Abril]

I like the somber mood at the beginning. Those string samples sound very romantic, almost in an over-the-top Hollywood sort of way...I’m a little ambivalent about them. The harmonies really emphasize the 1-and-2-and- pulse of the piece, but I would’ve liked to see you add some more space to the texture at some point in the piece. That said, the mood and atmosphere of the piece really won me over here. You have a great sense of melody, and the piece’s oscillation between more and less energetic was very effective. Good job!

8.75/10

AzulJazz responds:

Thanks a lot!