TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Rex: Origins Rap]

This is a fun and catchy piece, but I don’t consider it structurally complete. Cool use of sound design, and the rapping was also quite enjoyable. The lyrics came through very clearly despite the fast pace of the song. You pull off the texture quite well here, and you clearly displayed a great sense of rhythm. I was really torn between giving you a 3 and a 7; in the future, I really want to see you flesh out your work and also take it a little more seriously. The arrangement is seriously lacking, and the piece is pretty unpolished. You clearly have a lot of talent, though. Comedic pieces are usually frowned upon in the NGADM, and the addition of the kazoo doesn’t really help your case there. I’m going to help you out here score-wise, but I wouldn’t expect any compassion from the other judges if I were you. Keep at it, man!

7/10

Kwing responds:

Thanks for the feedback! Keep in mind I did everything here - the kazoo, the throat singing, the beatboxing, the layering, the writing, the rapping, and the mastering - all during a 42 hour Game Jam while I was programming and animating the game that this came from. Game Jams are notoriously unpolished and what you're listening to is one of the aspects that I really couldn't afford to put more work into.

I decided to submit this to the Audio Deathmatch because it has absolutely zero samples that I don't own, since I made the beat completely from scratch. Not sure if I would have had a better chance submitting something using someone else's beat.

[(Chillstep) Purple Leaves]

I like the emotional piano and the mechanical-sounding static in the background. It’s a little slow to progress, but the atmosphere is great. I like the drop a lot, too. The synth bass is very gritty, but the bright piano and distorted saxophone layered on top add this awesome quirkiness that really keeps the piece engaging. The piano bridge that follows the drop is great, too, adding a lot of space to contrast the busy drop. The saxophone melody at the 3-minute mark works well add finality to the piece. Really admirable work here, man. It’s well-structured and smooth-flowing. Awesome mood and full texture throughout. I don’t hear any problems with the mixing either. If I had to complain about one thing, it’s that the ending seemed a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the piece. Still, this track tells me you’re serious about this competition and geared up for the long haul. Keep it up, dude!

9.5/10

5TanLey responds:

wow, I expected all kinds of thing but not 9.5/10, many thanks :)

[Nostalgia (Instrumental)]

The instrument at the beginning sounds very generic, and I don’t like how you spam the crashes at :09. At :11, the beginning riff seems to be distorted a lot by the arpeggios that come in there. At :23, the kick sounds very harsh and unpolished - I’d suggest finding a new sample, and then being sure to equalize it more carefully (try searching for an equalizer in the mixing tab on whatever DAW you use). You have a good sense of melody, rhythm and harmony, though. This piece is quite repetitive by the end, and occasionally elements of the texture (the clap, most notably) seem to come in and drop out without any forewarning. I’d like to see you smooth over some of your transitions later in the piece in more creative ways - the spammy kick-hat-kick-hat thing you do at :42 and several other places is only really appropriate when the following section is significantly more energetic than the previous one. Overall, you have some good ideas here - there are a lot of compositional elements of this piece (melody, harmony, mood, etc.) that are really strong. I’d focus on improving your mixing and mastering skills as a priority. Doing some research on equalization and compression could be a great start. Keep at it, man!

6/10

TheNGVirus responds:

I do agree that I need much work with mixing and mastering. About the drums, this was my first time working with and programming sounds with a TR-909, but I'll definitely keep working on it! Overall, I do agree with the critique you've given me, and I will try to improve myself, whether I do make it into any of the matches or not!

[The Damn Motherfucking One]

I like the atmospheric fade-in, although some of those instruments sound a little generic. I would’ve liked to see you maximize the impact of that initial climax before diving into the lengthy piano section that follows. You seem to set the pacing of the piece up to be pretty rapid with the 15-second intro, but then it’s actually rather slow. I like the drums - they have a great organic roots rock kinda vibe. The piece has a great sense of climax over the course of the next 3 minutes. The drums could’ve even been stronger towards the end. The rhythm is pretty square for most of the piece, though - a lot of straight eighths going on. I also feel like you could’ve maximized the climax by adding a really dominant and empowering melody somewhere. That distorted guitar thing at 2:53 doesn’t quite cut it since it blends into the rest of the texture. That said, the texture of this piece is one of my favorite elements. It’s so full and rich, and really shows off your great sense of harmony. I like this piece a lot, but I think you could’ve taken even more risks in certain elements of the composition and structure. Still, keep up the good work man. :D

8.5/10

MysteriousPresence responds:

Thank you very much for the review and for that cool note (even if I didn't make it :'3) !
I will take in consideration every advice you gave me in order to improve myself. Maybe I'll make it in the NGUAC who knows ? If so, count on me to produce the best I've ever done ! B)
Thanks again ! =D

[Luminous]

I like the ominous vibe at the beginning. It sounded cool how you used the piano for both the dark atmospheric bit and a brighter, more melodic sound at the beginning. The drums at around :45 mesh with the counterpoint pretty well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the string samples shortly thereafter, however. They sound pretty fake, and also cut off suddenly at 1:16, without adding much to the piece IMO. At the drop at 1:30, the kick becomes lost in the mix, and in the general I think you could’ve made the drums a bit stronger and crisper. The chords at the drop are probably doing most of the distorting. I’d be really careful about how you equalize them. You have a good sense of melody and harmony, and the composition is overall really good. Strong transitions and structure, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the buildup-to-outro model at 3:05. That said, the real downfall of this piece is in the instrumentation and mixing. I think those should be your main areas of focus going forward. Keep at it, man. ;)

7.25/10

DJ-DG responds:

Thank you man for the constructive feedback! Will definitely keep this in mind for the future!
Honestly, the strings were a sort of an add-on to the main piece... didn't work too much on their expression and whatnot...
Yeh, the chords do distort quite a bit... I kinda wanted that effect tbh but it went too far I guess...
My mixing needs work, I know, but in my newer stuff the drums are hopefully a lot better...
Anyway man, thanks for the honest views!
-DJ-DG

[Geoplex - Drift]

I love the warm texture and upbeat mood. It's a little slow to develop, but the sound design is great. The melodic content at around :53 is really enjoyable, too. The mixing and mastering are solid. I like how the piece gets more melodic as it goes on. Atmosphere is especially nice in this one. Keep up the great work, Geoplex! ^^

Geoplex responds:

Thanks man! Slow development was what I was aiming for, I was actually thinking it was too fast while I was making it, haha. Might be because the song I got the idea from was literally 7 and a half minutes long though

Thanks for the feedback dude, I appreciate it :)

[Deep Fried]

Hey man! Haven't seen a post from you for a while. I like the relaxed mood and busy beat. Cool ambient effect at :40. Makes for great background music. Texture feels nice and full - the snare and ping-pong synths fill in the higher frequencies pretty well. You have a great sense of rhythm. You might've overused the sweeps a bit, but it didn't bother me too much. The mix is totally clean, btw. Everything sounds so clear and crisp in my headphones. ^_^ Yum...

SynchroSpectre responds:

Oh thanks haha, I just saw this incomplete song and it had potential so I worked on it for a bit. I didn't care too much for this song, I didn't know where the creative direction was gonna go so I just posted it here lel.

[NGADM 2017 Auditions Podcast]

Thanks for the shout-out! Good to see you're getting the word out. The background music was beautiful, btw. I should really check out more of your music. Well-produced podcast, though. Your accent reminds me of Jenna Marbles. :)

ChronoNomad responds:

Had to Google Jenna Marbles, and what do you know--we were both born in Rochester, NY! Not sure if that means anything, but I did think it was an interesting little factoid. I usually pick up the regional accent fairly quickly, and I've been all over. Of course I can also sound "more professional" with less of an accent, but this was meant to be more on the easygoing side.

I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the music and found the podcast to be well-produced. And I figured it was high time to give credit where credit is due! This just seemed like a really good way to do it.

To be completely honest, the recording session was a pretty quick and dirty single-take affair. Mixing in the background music took longer. Thanks for leaving a review! :D

[AIM - Chris, the Boat and the Tormented Sea]

I like the flowy vibe and bright tone. The mood changes a lot from chord to chord, which adds a lot of tension to the piece. It seems to have a very uplifting direction at around the 2-minute mark. The marked pause at 3:00 was a bit jarring, and I'm not quite sure of the purpose it served in context. The structure of the mini-phrases in the piece gets a little repetitive, and I would've loved to see you open it up a little more after a while, but the mood of the piece is what really ties it together IMO. It could even make a decent loop. The music really breathes despite the structural repetition. Keep up the good work, LSD! ;)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Leave it to you to call my piano music flowy ;)
I kid, though, since obv this if anything is one of those flowy tracks. Quite intentionally so, considering how much the sea tends to flow ^___^
I did indeed intend for the mood to be ambiguous and quickly changing, once again, kind of liek the ocean :D
I'm not sure I would call the point at 2 minutes uplifting, but more like someone bravely facing a challenge; not sure exactly what I'd call that, since it isn't pure bravery :V
I know what I feel better than I can describe it in words xD

The 3 minute mark is the silent cruelty of the sea, while you desperately struggle, with nobody around to help; a sudden realization that maybe things won't work out.

I didn't want to diverge too much from the style of the piece, since that is pretty much all it is, along with some good chord choices. This is also, naturally, because it fits my interpretation of the art better. Thanks a lot for the review, TL (#Fearless Squirrel)!