TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Route]

The synths are a little cheesy and generic, but I like the addition of the harp. It actually meshes really well with the smooth 8-bit vibe of the piece. I’m also really enjoying the percussion at around :50. The minimalism gets old after awhile, though. I think you needed some more fill between :50 and 2:00 - pads, mid-range harmonies, or maybe some hi-hats or toms to add some punch to the percussion. Compositionally, this piece is actually pretty strong. You have a good sense of melody and harmony, but the texture lacks fill. I want to see you use the entire frequency range to your advantage at most (if not all) times in the future. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. I didn’t hear any particular problems with the mixing or mastering, so that’s a huge plus.

7/10

Zechnition responds:

Thanks for the review! I didn't know I was progressing so much with my mixing.

[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.