TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Where I am]

I like the catchy piano riffs at the beginning, although the piano itself sounds a little bare in the mix - some more reverb and other mixing effects might’ve helped jazz it up a bit. It also sounds like it was sampled from a DAW with relatively little “humanziation” - automating the volume levels and note lengths might help make it feel more authentic, and you could also use a MIDI keyboard to record it yourself if you have one. That said, I like the string chords at :40 a lot, as well as the creative drum patterns. Again, the drum pattern itself might need a bit more “pop” in the mix, including some more compression and reverb.

I like the breaks at 1:25, although the mix gets a bit distorted once those eerie synths come in at 1:45. I might try to soften up the sidechaining and try to make the EQs a little tighter. By around 2:30, the synth line feels like it’s falling behind the beat a bit - can’t if something either wasn’t quantized or misaligned in the piano roll, or otherwise the delay effects are a bit too heavy. I like the re-intro at 2:50, although that section could’ve been a tad more dynamic and led into the final refrain at 3:55 more organically. I found the extended pause at 3:45 to be a bit disorienting. I’m glad you added the sweeping pads and mallets at 4:30 for some extra pizzazz, although this is another spot where the mix could be a bit tighter. You tied up the piece well with the militaristic percussion and reverb automations.

Overall, I’ve lobbed a lot of nitpicky criticism at you here, but this piece is catchy, well-structured, and has a number of neat compositional details, from the rhythmic syncopations to the filtering effects during transitions. Keep at it, AlienSumo! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

VaeArt responds:

well first off thank you for leaving such a well constructed critique even if it is "nitpicky", second i agree on a lot of the critiques/ points made it does sound a bit robotic and messy, and the synth does kind of just lag behind and or disappear, the drums feel quite dry and do need to pop out a bit side chaining is a bit aggressive at times.

I'll try in the future to mitigate these kinks, and i once again thank you for leaving a critique and i appreciate the compliments and i hope to get around to joining NGADM when ever it arrives again. <3

[Eyes]

I like the smooth guitar at the beginning and the harmonies that come in shortly thereafter. The drums are a bit soft in the mix, though. I think they could benefit from some more compression. The vocal layering is really nice here, and your voice has a really classic ‘90s coffee shop sort of feel. The mixing on the vocals could be a bit stronger, though - they get a tad buried during the refrain. I really like the solos at 2:20 and the transition back into the final refrain at 3:06. The ending comes on a little suddenly here, and aspects of the arrangement are a little generic, but my main complaint here is still the mixing. The drums need to be punchier, and the vocals more up-front. Compression should get you 70% of the way there, but level automations and equalizers are probably also necessary to really emphasize the frequencies of the vocals that they share with other instruments. That said, the composition and sound design here are fantastic. Keep it up, Ajtastic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Ajtastic responds:

Thanks so much for the in depth feedback, I really appreciate it!

[Can't Stop Me Now]

Hahaha, I remember this piece from last year’s NGUAC! :D I like the dark tone and apprehension at the beginning. The mix is a lot cleaner than I recall, and there’s a good sense of build into the drop at :45. The rhythmic content is nice, and the vocal samples add a nice punch to the texture without being overused. The re-intro at 1:45 was a good decision, and I like the furtive piano solo at 2:00 too. The melodies at 2:15 feel almost blissful compared to the dark undertones of the piece earlier, and the drop at 2:45 with the prominent pads is especially crisp. The harmonies at 3:30 or so are killer, and the extended breakdown starting at 3:45 also contributed to the variety and narrative form of the piece. The very ending of the piece (4:30 onwards) felt a bit superfluous, like it was trying to take this fairly minimal, clubbish track in a more atmospheric direction, but by itself it was pretty evocative and enjoyable as well. Overall, I’m really impressed with your work here, Ackee. You’ve built on your past successes and improved immensely on the shortcomings of your previous work. You should feel really proud of yourself, whether you make it into the group stage of the NGADM or not. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Ackee39 responds:

Thanks for taking the time to write this incredibly detailed review!
Yeah, I do remember making the first drop of this for NGUAC about a year ago… gives me nostalgia thinking about it almost haha. I’m really glad I was able to improve on the mixing in a way that was noticeable, sometimes when you make too many fine adjustments you feel like its either worthless or sometimes just making it worse… also i was pretty worried that all the different parts would make it feel too messy so the fact that i more or less avoided both is quite reassuring

[3manon - Brainstorm (Mindscapes EP)]

I like the moody pads at the beginning. The woodwinds and brass sound pretty inauthentic - iit might be advisable to replace them with instruments that are meant to sound synthetic. The mix could be a tad crisper - the strings at :40 or so don’t come through particularly well, although you’ve balanced things out much better at :56. I like the busy beat at 1:38 and the burst of intensity at 1:49, although that’s another spot where the harmonies are ducking under the mix a bit. You might need to get a little stricter with the equalizers here, and also scale back the reverb on the pads and strings at some points. The extended pause at 3:20 threw me off a bit, and I thought the transition back into the refrain with the gradual fade-in could’ve been more creative. The key change at 3:44 was a good idea, although the new harmonies at 4:05 clash with the main melody a bit. I like the transition at 4:25, especially compared to some of the risers earlier, and the vocal sample you incorporated during the last minute of the piece was a welcome change. That little sitar riff towards the end is another element that probably needed a boost in the mix, but I like how you wound down the piece with the smooth-sounding guitar. Overall, there’s a lot to like here between the catchy rhythmic content, memorable melodies, and variety in the sound design. I still think the mixing needs more attention, as well as some of the arrangement details, but overall you’ve put a solid effort into this track, with a solid result. Keep at it, 3manon! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

3manonMusic responds:

Thank you for your constructive criticism ^-^ will definitely work on these points in the future

[Show Me Your Heart]

What the hell, I need a break from judging.

I love the inspirational tone at the beginning and the swell into :06. The twittery synth line and warm, hearty strings mesh well together, and the production quality is fantastic as always with you. The cutoff of the beat and synths at :36 was a bit sudden, but I like how the modulation at :48 injects a new sense of energy into the piece. During the final section at 1:06, I wanted the strings to be a bit more prominent in the mix, as I feel like they're playing the more climactic/melodic line there. Still, the sound design and compositional details are superb here. Keep it up, Bosa! ^_^

Bosa responds:

yeah I may have popped the clutch at :36 but we were still movin lol. At 1:06 I can understand your feelings on that, I guess I was trying not to push past the ceiling too much while still not detracting from the strings.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and leave me a review! I love to hear what your thoughts are

[Artistic Process]

I really like the rhythmic content and sound design here. The instruments are groovy, and the beat is creative. The texture is a bit minimal at times, often because the melodic instruments are very staccato-y and thin-sounding, but you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The call-and-response thing among the several different leads from :13 to :40 or so (and other places) is probably my favorite aspect of the piece. It's a really effective way of creating variety in a piece that otherwise has pretty much one simple chord progression. That said, the relaxing mood and spacey atmosphere are big pluses, and I also think the breakdown section at 2:03 was an effective way of adding some variety. Solid work, dude! Keep it up. :)

EmsDeLaRoZ responds:

Thank you very much for the feedback, i'll keep working for the better

[AIM - Bellowers of Grief]

Haunting! I love the atmosphere at the beginning and the furtive piano shortly thereafter. The strings are warm and rich-sounding, and the mood is alternately filled with wonder and tranquility. The piece is a tad slow to develop at times, but I love the subtle key change and the dark string riffs at 2:02. You're really playing up the dynamic contrast and cinematic flair of the piece by the woodwind solo at 2:30ish. Really captivating work, Everratic. The way you use the music to tell a story has grown into one of your strongest qualities as a musician. Best of luck in AIM! ^_^

Everratic responds:

Thanks for the review!

[Satisphylled]

Dreamy and evocative stuff here, LAPSE! I like the percussion and blissful melodies. Sounds like the mix was missing some mid-range tones at some points, but maybe that's just me. Sound design and flow are killer as always. Keep it up! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Always love to see the TL reviews.
<3
Appreciate the mix review. I see what you're saying though, I mostly mixed this in headphone..the joys of being a night owl in city life. I think the piece overall is just a touch bright. I blame the Luminaria's expressive twinkling inspiration. ;)