TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[LocaGreñasRojas]

I like the soothing guitar groove at :19. Some of the talking/“false starts” at the beginning could probably be edited out. I like the energetic vocals at :40, but sometimes they get a bit buried underneath the guitars. The “QUIERO” chant at the end of each vocal phrase should probably be mixed a bit further back - it’s often very loud relative to the rest of the vocals. I really like the guitar solo and busy drums at around 2:00. Overall, this is a really catchy and fun piece. Some more careful mixing and maybe a better sense of pacing could really help take it to the next level (by pacing, I mean the “body” of the piece is only maybe a third of it, with the intro and solo/outro much longer. Better to intersperse the two). Still, you guys are some talented musicians. Thanks for coming out to the Battle of the Bands 2024! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7.5/10

Jerossan7 responds:

Thanks for all, we will take it into account for the next :)

[Screed - Queering Cat Rescue]

I like the acoustic guitar and crisp drums at the beginning. I also think that throwing the listener right into the action of the piece (as opposed to having an extended intro) was a good decision here. Love the lyrics too - great storytelling, compelling stream-of-consciousness style. I also really like how the lyrics never repeat, even though there’s still an underlying verse-chorus structure. I think my favorite line is “I have no other friends; I was lying when I told you that before.” The vocals are exaggerated and theatrical in a tasteful way. The vocals also get a bit buried underneath the guitars at times (like at :48). This piece has a ton of variety - I especially like the introduction of the intense strumming at the end of each vocal phrase starting at :55. The production quality is strong too. Honestly, this song is about as close to a 10 as it gets for me. Complete outpouring of emotion. Lyrics are poetry. Well-structured and well-mastered. Excellent job, y’all. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
10/10

UwUwizard responds:

Aw man, thank you so much for your kind words and thoughtful feedback. I really appreciate the observation about not reusing lyrics but retaining the same lexical symmetry during repetitions of the same melody, that’s something I particularly dig in music too and really liked how naturally it came out here. Will definitely take into account the vocal mixing in future too. Thank you for listening!

[Behind the Curtain]

I like the fade-in at the beginning and the emotion behind the lyrics at :09. The high-pass on the drums is a little strong for my tastes, and I think the vocals could be mixed a little more up-front in the mix at times. The instrumental tracks are great, though - love the seamless combo of synths and guitars. I enjoy the contrast between the ascending vocal line and demonic response at 1:20, too. The vocals at 1:30 could’ve blended a bit better together, but the rhythmic bridge at 1:43 was a nice “reset” moment, and that in turn transitioned nicely into the more high-octane section at 2:20 or so. Overall, the production quality here is really nice, and I’m impressed with the variety and structuring here. You channel the energy really well throughout, and also tell a compelling story in general. The parallel bass/synth solos at 3:15 really hit the spot, and I love how the tenor of the piece “stabilizes” again for the final refrain at 3:30. This is top-to-bottom a really well-done track, Spadezer. Keep up the good work! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
9.5/10

Spadezer responds:

This is encouraging! Glad you liked it. 8 definitely appreciate the critiques on the vocals since this feels like new territory for me.

[Flower Dance]

I like the bright tone and cute synths here. The piece is consistently catchy and smooth-flowing, with strong transitions and a pleasing progression that channels the energy well. The drums are a bit generic, and the kick in particular has a lot of higher-range frequencies for my tastes. I also think the mix could use a tad more bass at times, especially during the refrain at 1:04. The melodies are nice, but a bit repetitive. The drums get a little buried in the mix during the busier sections of the track, although I know Garageband has only a limited set of tools for dealing with that. I'd encourage you to experiment a bit more with panning and stereo widening, which could help the drums stand out in the "front and center" of the mix.

Overall, this is a solid track, V1ZION! The composition could be a tad bolder and more well-varied at times, but I like the melodies, sound design, and blissful mood. Keep it up. ^_^

Kiraichu responds:

Thanks so much, TL! ^^

[-Port Force-]

Catchy piece! A bit minimal, but it has a decent amount of variety regardless. I don't think you mixed it too hard, but I would've liked to hear a bit more of the lead at :58 or so - it was way far back in the mix. The melody writing isn't your strongest here. The phrases feel very stop-start, with the harmonies getting increasingly thin until the track "resets" (like at 1:22, 2:17, etc.). I'd challenge you to make longer, more dynamic melodies with a wider range of pitches. Still, I like the cute instruments, production quality, and rhythmic patterns. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

MINIMAL!? That is not what I was thinking! Thanks for the honesty tho!

[-Psycho Lady-]

I like the groovy bass line. The texture is a bit dissonant at :11, and I also think the snare could be a bit more up-front in the mix. The brass instruments sound a bit inauthentic too.

I like the more upbeat mood at around 1:15, although there are still a few too many notes that don't seem to match with the other harmonies there. I'd suggest laying out all the chords you want to use in advance and making sure that every note that's playing during a given bar/measure is in the corresponding chord. It also might help to look at some online tutorials specifically on jazz harmonic structure - I'm not sure it's always quite as loose as you're treating it here.

The frantic piano line at 2:40 is probably one of my favorite elements of the piece. It gets a little lost amidst a very busy texture at around 3:00, but it has a really light and airy feel that I like a lot.

Overall, I appreciate you going out of your comfort zone with this one. I hope you find more time to do some more jazz-inspired tracks - it's a really underappreciated genre in my opinion. Cheers! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Sorry that it’s not that great, thanks for your honesty

[-Dark Woodlands-]

I like the murky atmosphere at the beginning. Definitely feels Halloweeny. :)

The way the drums faded in sounded a bit bizarre. Fading them in with filtering as opposed to just volume might've been smoother. There's a bit of dissonance in the texture at around the 1-minute mark, and the transition at 1:19 is pretty sudden. The texture feels like it's missing a lot of mid-range frequencies. The complex rhythmic structure of the piece would also come through more clearly if the different harmonies weren't so close together in pitch.

I also feel like the song needs a more prominent lead riff. Right now, the echo-y mid-range bass riff that serves as the lead for most of the piece (it plays in isolation at 3:48) sounds a little too minimal and murky to really stand out.

Overall, not your best, but you definitely nailed the creepy mood and sound design. Happy belated Halloween! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the advice!

[-Diagonal-]

I like the cute sound design. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at first, but I like the prominent hi-hats and frantic descending lines that start each mini-phrase. It could use a tad more variety later on, but overall it's catchy and has some cool instrumentation. This would make a good soundtrack for a fast-paced platformer. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks mate! Glad you like it!

I also showed it to my friend @Thetageist, she had the same issue of it hard to follow. Yeah, I say it’s my standard basically lol, at least transitionings well, just too much (I think)

[-Stranded-]

Alright, thanks again for your patience! I like the atmosphere and the growling bass toward the beginning. The percussion is creative and sets the scene nicely. The different rhythmic elements are totally groovy, and there are definitely some unexpected sound design choices in here - like the guitar at :34 and the airy woodwinds at :55. The transition at 1:08 is a tad sudden, but I like the string line at around 1:20. The guitar line at 1:36 is catchy, but the melodic contour it has is a bit too narrow to be captivating IMO. The production quality is solid throughout, and I like the extended flute lines later on. Overall, I think this piece could use some stronger melodies and some more gradual transitions in places, but the atmosphere, sound design, and mixing are all really strong. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Yay! 4 stars this time :D thanks for the advice Taintedlogic!

[ONE WITH EVERYTHING]

I like the blissful melody at the beginning and the cute sound design. The mixing could be a bit sharper - it’s hard to hear some of the harmonies when they’re all playing at once. Make sure you assign all of the instruments a mixer track and, at the very least, add an equalizer to each one. None of the instruments besides the bass and kick should have any frequencies left below 250 Hertz once you equalize everything. Also, the drums sound pretty soft throughout - I’d suggest adding a compressor onto each of the drum kit instruments, and giving the snare in particular a boost in the middle-range frequencies in the equalizer.

Compositionally, the piece is stronger. The downtempo section at 1:59 was good for some variety, and the voice acting was solid. I think the vocals are a tad too loud relative to the instrumental tracks, though. The frantic synth line and faster tempo during the final minute was a good way of hitting the piece home. Overall solid work, WoogLord! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. Also, I can indeed confirm that all anime girls are Chargers fans. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

WoogLord responds:

Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm starting to work on mixing more, and EQ work was a tad above my paygrade when reading up on it for this haha. I'm going to watch/learn more on it and make some presets to not think too hard on it for the next couple tracks before I develop my tastes for frequency changes on instruments.

100% agree with all your comments, thanks again for the feedback!

I really enjoyed competing in NGUAC24, I learned a lot, and am thankful to the judges, TO, GOD, my family, my friends, and all Chargers fans (frick the Raiders)!!!