TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Eclipse [NGADM 2023]]

I like the foreboding mood and punchy breaks at the beginning. The production is super sharp and clean here, and the vocal samples at :49 really help accent an otherwise very bottom-heavy mix. The rich pads at 1:33 have a great victorious sort of feel, although the drums could’ve popped through the mix a tad clearer at 1:47. There’s a great sense of build into 2:31, although I would’ve liked to hear more variety on the refrain the second time around. Also, I know it’s a tiny detail, but the double “hey” at :47 and 2:31 kinda throws me off the pattern of emphasis. Still, you’ve absolutely achieved banger status with this one, Benji. Really cool track! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

Benji-G responds:

Thank you for the amazing review TL!

[Lets see that Exhaust! (NGADM)]

I like the scoop-up with the strings and the quirky atmosphere at the beginning. The mix is a tad quiet, and feels pretty off-balance, with the drums being too quiet and the brass stabs being a bit too loud. The melodies at :58 are awesome, and most of the rest of the sound design is really good too, but in the upper frequency range it’s pretty easy to tell the brass stabs are inauthentic. It might help if you had humanized the instruments a bit more - i.e., vary the note lengths, velocity, etc. to mimic the little variations that a real musician would produce by accident. Still, the synth melody at 1:55 is another highlight. The saxophone melody at 2:36 is really sweet too, but also sounds especially loud in the mix relative to the drums and harmonies. There continue to be pleasant surprises in the sound design until the very end, with the guitar solo at 3:31 hitting the piece home nicely. Overall, I really like the composition here. The mix could use a bit more tightening up. It might help if you intentionally lower the volume on the instruments when you first start composing, and then add it back in the form of compression after you’re done. This is likely going to be a particularly effective strategy with the drums here. Either way, you got my foot thoroughly tapping here, Riskster! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

TheRiskster responds:

thanks for the feedback!

[Sunsets on My Mind]

I like the E-pianos at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The jazzy chords and woodwinds at :28 are really sweet, although the pacing of the piece is a tad slow, and the drums could’ve used a more prominent space in the mix at times. The sax solo at 1:05 is especially nice - it’s just sitting in a range there where it blends super well with the E-piano. The transition at 1:37 was a bit unexpected - almost sounds like a different movement in a symphony. The synth at 2:08 blends into the texture quite well too, and then the quirky harmonies at 2:24 really help it stand out (in a good way!). After that, the energy level of the piece kinda peters out, but the sound design and atmosphere of this piece are top-notch all the way through. Other than the mixing of the drums and the slightly disjointed arrangement between the two “movements,” my complaints here are slim to none. Keep it up, Cresince! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Cresince responds:

Thank you so much for your detailed reviews, as always.

I definitely need to figure out my drums; I've gotten more feedback about those than anything else, and I really want to get them right. You bring up a good point about the movements too; they could have had a more legible transition. I wanted to capture the feeling of the sun just disappearing over the horizon, hence the two parts: sunset and dusk/night.

As a composer always looking to improve, I am always grateful for yours and the other judges insights!

[NOAH!]

I like the 90s coffee shop rock vibe at the beginning. The dark content of the lyrics contrasts heavily with the upbeat, pop style of the piece. The vocals sound good. At first, I thought this was a vocaloid because a couple of the words are mispronounced, but they also have a really even and organic tone. Is it sad that I’m surprised when people actually have a human record vocals for their NGADM tracks these days? Yes. Yes it is.

Anyway, the piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing, and after the repetitive verse-chorus structure, the solo at 1:57 really hits the spot. The additional vocal layering on the chorus at 1:44 is nice, but the final chorus at 2:12 still could’ve used a bit more “pizzazz” - 4 repeated phrases in less than 3 minutes is a lot, after all.

Overall, the production quality here is pretty good, but the drums could use a bit of a boost in the mix, especially during the chorus. This is a catchy piece with some creative lyrics and punchy guitars. Reminds me of Avril Lavigne’s first couple of albums. Keep it up, Zip-Zap! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Zip-Zap-Official responds:

Thank you for the review! I was going for a 90s vibe and I'm glad I was able to capture that here (I got Nirvana and Spiderbait to thank for that haha). Believe it or not, it IS a vocaloid :D Some of the words weren't supposed to be mispronounced; Hotel Arcadia is an Australian punk rock band so the singers are supposed to have a faint accent. I can now rest accomplished knowing I tricked somebody into thinking it was a human voice ;)

[The Threat in the Corner of Your Eye]

I like the pensive guitar riff at the beginning and the eerie atmosphere. While slow to progress at first, the texture really starts coming together with the powerful guitar chords at :45. The drums are rather soft in the mix, although it’s less noticeable during the verses. I absolutely love the lead riff at 1:36. The transition at 1:50 was pretty abrupt, as was the re-entry of the lead guitar at 2:06. The melodic content here is fantastic, but again, the mix could use some tightening up.

The drums should be way stronger at sections like 2:48 - idk what DAW you use to produce this, but if stereo widening is an option, it might be useful to keep the atmospheric elements panned to the sides so that the drums have more space front-and-center. I’m sure it’s also really tough balancing the heavy guitars and the drums in a piece like this, but giving the top end of the drums a nudge forward with an EQ might help.

The composition here is really strong, though. I’m really digging the variety, sound design, and progression of this piece. I think one of my favorite individual sections is the call-and-response between the bass and the kinda atonal lead riff at 4:03. You also hit the piece home strongly with the climax at 4:55.

Overall, this would be a top-notch piece if the different instruments, especially the drums, sounded more distinct and crisp in the mix. The composition is a storytelling journey, the sound design is evocative and blends well, and the rhythmic content and atmosphere really string me along nicely between the sections with the heavy guitars. Keep it up, Mischa-head! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Mischa-head responds:

Thank you! Really useful feedback too :)

[Summer Skies]

I like the filtering on the bass at the very beginning and the heavy kick at :07. The mix sounds a bit dry here, though, and could use some reverb and other effects to fill out the atmosphere a bit. The piece is also pretty slow to progress at first, and the sweep at :46 was a bit generic. The vocals at 1:03 fit into the texture well, but I think you missed an opportunity to channel their energy into a climactic melodic section or something. It felt a bit anticlimactic to follow up the vocal phrase with the minimal, repetitive beats at 1:18. That said, by 1:50, the piece feels more upbeat, melodic, and full-textured, which is good, and the second vocal phrase has a more distinct post-chorus at 3:02. I think my favorite aspect of this piece is the production quality, and you also have some cool compositional details here, like the glitchy vocals at 3:31. Still, the composition feels a tad bland overall - I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies and also a faster pacing to the song at some point. The rhythmic content, mixing and mastering, sound design, and vocal editing are all really nice here. Keep at it, Mauxus! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Mauxus responds:

Thank you, this is really helpful!

[Ryzmik - "Time Lapse" (NGADM)]

I like the pensive synths at the beginning and the dramatic sweep at :16. There’s a good sense of build into :31, and I like the energy and variety in the sound design there too. The mix could’ve been a tad sharper in places, and there’s a lot of reverb in the texture that’s probably not helping matters. I had to replay 1:33 several times because I thought my ears were deceiving me, but YES there is a bit of dissonance in there, probably layered onto one of the sweeps with a stray oscillator. It’s really subtle, though, and actually helps contribute to the underlying tension in the piece.

The drop at 1:46 was a pleasant surprise - the rhythmic content there is especially creative, but it’s also the section that lays bare the production issues. The drums could be a lot more punchy there, and are seriously struggling to stay on top of the mid-range bass and airy pads. I like the injection of energy at 2:31 and the return of the string synths at 2:47, although it also would’ve been nice if you had switched up the main melody the second time around. Pacing-wise, the end of the piece felt a tad rushed - even if you had copy-pasted the post-chorus at :47, that might’ve helped wind down this track in a more satisfactory way.

Overall, I really like the melodies, vocal samples, instrumental sound design, and rhythmic content here. The mixing remains my biggest concern, although a tad more variety later on in the piece couldn’t hurt. Also, I didn’t find a place to mention it earlier, but that little snare roll thing you do at 2:42 and a couple of other places is awesome! Keep at it, Ryzmik. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Ryzmik responds:

Thank you for the great review!
My intention for the final was to make an even more melodious chorus and some calm break but due to all the stuff I had to do to make that chorus full, I felt very lazy to be honest and left it as when I uploaded. Also I was so nervous and rushed cause I actually misread the deadline date thinking it was on August 16th as the last year. Regardless, no excuses lol.

["WHEN CALLING"]

I like the dreamy texture at the beginning with the airy vocals and mallets. The instrumental tracks sound a tad quiet relative to the beat. The vocals sound very clear in the mix, but also a little undecorated - a little more reverb might help fill out the atmosphere, especially during the verses. The added harmonies and increased vocal range at the chorus at 1:10 are really nice, and I also like the vocal layering during the pre-chorus at 2:09. The distorted breakdown at 2:42 was a good idea, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the pitch slides at 3:10 and 3:16 - they just sound a bit cheesy. Also, during the last minute or so, the vocals could use a bit of an extra boost in the mix amidst the extra distortion and harmonies. The synth solo at 3:51 was a great way of hitting the piece home, though - its jumpy contour captures a lot of the conflicting emotions that you’re expressing through the lyrics. Overall, I really like the sound design, atmosphere, vocal editing, and progression of this piece. Sometimes, the texture feels a tad bare, and the mix could use some more careful balancing out between the vocals, drums, and harmonies. Still, you’ve made an evocative and heartfelt piece here with a strong atmospheric appeal. Keep at it, xxxZigZagxxx! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

xxxZigZagxxx responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback! I always have quite a bit of trouble with mixing, but this is one of the best mixed works I've done, so I think I'll have to talk to a great mixer I know to see what they have to say about mixing it :) I'll just show them some of these words and he'll be able to sort it out, and maybe I'll learn a thing or two!

Thanks for taking the time aside for valuable and well-thought-out feedback <3

[Dreamwalker]

I like the airy, blissful synths at the beginning. You’re definitely playing up the 80s synthwave vibe, but you integrate the punchy percussion and guitars at :21 very well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the kick sample - sounds very sub-bassy for a piece like this. That said, the synth melodies at :49 are really nice, and overall the production quality here is really strong. The bridge at 1:50 is refreshing, but otherwise the harmonic content in this piece is pretty repetitive, and the arrangement feels a tad formulaic after a while with all the stop-start transitions. Overall, the sound design, mixing, atmosphere, melodies, and rich texture of the piece are all really nice. Keep it up, BOE! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Thanks for the awesome score and feedback! Wow to be in the NGADM Top 16 is crazy and an honor, thank you - Now I really gotta bring it for the next submission, haha!

[Slawblade.mp2]

I like the eerie siren-like synth at the beginning. The drums at :05 are catchy. I think I recognize some FL Studio presets, though. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but the transition with the vocal sample at :32 was neat. The synth at :40 sounds a bit thin and unpolished - some more mixing effects might help give them some more atmosphere. That said, the riff it’s playing is catchy, and has a nice call-and-response pattern between the higher-pitched and lower-pitched sub-sections. The effect at 1:15 is cool, but could’ve been better integrated into the “body” of the piece, if you will. Otherwise, I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the composition a bit more here. Kinda feels like the piece ends right as it’s getting started. Overall, it’s not bad, just a bit bland. I’d encourage you to keep working on this - there’s a lot of potential between the catchy synth riffs and drums and the cool effects and transitions. Keep at it, WoogLord! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6/10

WoogLord responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate the in-depth analysis you gave and do agree with you on all that you said.

I look forward to improving more in the future!