TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Typhon (Unfinished Demo)]

I like the guitars and rhythmic elements at the beginning. I can recognize FL Keys right away. The quirky percussion and electronic elements at around :40 work nicely to channel the energy. The drop is catchy, if a tad minimal, and the snare doesn’t quite pop in the mix there relative to the bass. The re-intro at 2:15 is an effective compositional choice, and I’m enjoying the build-up into the final refrain at 3:19 as well. I think the sound design was more variational and engaging during the second drop, which I appreciated. The piece probably could’ve used a more distinct outro, rather than ending fairly suddenly, but overall the progression is strong here. The production quality holds up rather well, and I’m enjoying most of the sound design choices too (besides some of the percussion and the ever-generic FL Keys). The composition here is strong between the smooth flow and creative rhythmic content, although the arrangement is a bit cliche. Overall, this is a solid and catchy track with a nice and clean, punchy mix. Keep at it, Venomite! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
8.5/10

Venomite responds:

Haha thanks for the review!! Was trying to record a vocal to replace the keys and extend it slightly but ran out of time! Had a blast being in this competition!

[Champions]

I like the synth arpeggios and synth guitar at the beginning. The drums sound a bit weak in the mix, especially the snare, but I like the melodies a lot, and the stop-start transition at :50 works quite well. At times, I felt like the energy level and/or instrumental hierarchy could use some shaking up, but the brief bridge at 1:56 helps scratch that itch a bit. The rich texture and sound design in this piece are probably my favorite elements of it, but the rhythmic content is also rather creative, and besides the subordinate drums, the mix holds up rather well. Solid effort all around, TheUnnamedPlayer! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

TheUnnamedPlayer responds:

how come i didn't get a notification for this review

[Manentrix]

I like the ghostly melodies at the beginning and the pensive mid-range synth patterns beneath them. There’s a good sense of climax into :25, and the rhythmic content is really catchy at the drop. I like the frantic synth arpeggios at :52, although the reverb is a bit heavy in the texture there. Aspects of the arrangement and chord progression here are pretty generic, but I like how you keep things interesting by integrating the melodies and drops so well. I might’ve liked to hear more variety on the drops the second time around, though. That said, overall the sound design, rhythmic elements, mixing, and atmosphere of this piece are all really enjoyable. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Skrillidm! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Linearity responds:

Thanks Man!

[We Come In Peace]

I like the filtering work towards the beginning and the catchy synth patterns, although the sound design is a tad cliche. The sweeps and atmospheric details are nice, and I’m enjoying the gradual climax into 1:00. The harmonic content is rather repetitive, but the mixing and mastering are solid and the progression is smooth. I think the lack of variety in the texture is a big problem after a while, though. The breakdown at 2:18 has some more atmospheric elements and different chord progression, but the instrumental hierarchy, rhythmic patterns, and beats remain constant throughout. The production quality is probably my favorite aspect of the piece, followed closely by the atmosphere and sound design. I also like the distorted radio noise at the end - adds an eerie flair to the buoyant and blissful tone of the rest of the piece. That said, the composition is a bit bland overall, and there are a lot of pretty abrupt transitions too. Still, it’s a catchy piece with some neat instrumentation and strong thematic content. Congratulations on your success in this competition, Raj! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

rajbeatsofficial responds:

Solid analysis, thank you for the feedback!!

[Realm Between Heaven and Earth]

I like the cutesy synths at :11 and the staticky harmonies around it. The melodies at :34 are really nice, although a bit too loud relative to the beats and harmonies. I like the airy breaks at the 1-minute mark and the tempo automations going into the bridge at 1:30. The piano melodies and church bells at 1:55 complement each other quite well, and the loud, punchy mix really shines at 2:17. The drop at 2:54 has a really blissful feel, and the rhythmic syncopations there are super nice. It was quite the point of contrast between the drop and the majestic orchestral section at 3:45. The strings there sound a bit artificial, though - they consistently come in slightly after the downbeat, but I can’t tell if that’s because of the sample or the sidechaining. Either way, this is compositionally a really ambitious piece that, overall, you pulled off really well. At times, the arrangement sounds a tad disjointed, perhaps because the pacing is so fast. Feels like the piece should be more like 6 minutes given how many different ideas you squeezed into here. That said, the sound design, melodies, production quality, and atmosphere are all huge pluses here. Congratulations on your success in this competition, NebulaTrax! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

RiSUKU responds:

WOW! Thank you so very much! I didn't expect this at all haha!
Thank you, this piece does mean quite a bit to me as it's one of those tracks where I went above and beyond. Your feedback as well as all of the other judges are really helpful and did help open my eyes so some tips production-wise.
The strings definitely were cause of the sampling, I don't know if there's any way to really adjust the attack on it.

Thank you very much for hosting and inviting us to NGUAC 2022! Looking forward to next year's. Cheers Tainted!

[Lordant - Tilion]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the somber cello riff shortly thereafter. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the string swells help add some sense of anticipation and drama. I really like the violin melodies at :56 and the chord progressions at around 1:10. The injection of energy at 1:24 was a welcome change to the texture, and the piece then transitions well back into a mellow and minimal section after the 2-minute mark. The clarinet solo there is particularly lovely, and I also like how you incorporated some non-Western instruments at around 3:10. During this lengthy middle section, it might’ve been nice to find ways of filling out the texture a bit more - a richer atmosphere, or perhaps percussion, would’ve kept things engaging despite the series of slow-paced and tranquil motifs. That said, you transition quite effectively back into the energetic string section at 4:17, and I like the added percussion and dense orchestration at the end. Overall, I’m particularly impressed with the production quality and sound design here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Lordant! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Lordant responds:

Thanks for the feedback! :]

[NGUAC Final Round - Hopping Over Puddles]

I like the distinct and fast-paced chord progression at the beginning. The busy drums and somewhat dissonant harmonies are neat, and I’m also enjoying the string melodies at :31. There’s a nice waltzy meter at :45. The sound design and blissful mood combine to give this piece a showtunes vibe, and the mixing and mastering are really solid as well. Some of the transitions are a little abrupt, like at 2:03. I think the downtempo section at 2:18 is my favorite part of the piece, but harmonically the transition back into the refrain at 2:47 didn’t feel particularly smooth either. The piece is also missing some bass tones at times, leaving the texture sounding a bit thin in places. Overall, you certainly took some risks with the harmonic framework and arrangement, the former of which paid off better than the latter IMO. Otherwise, the production quality, sound design, atmosphere, and melodies are really enjoyable here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, LordAndiso! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

LordAndiso responds:

I did not expect to get this close to the top :o I woke up to the results and bam my day got a lot better! I did not expect my mixing to be this good as I haven't had anybody really tell me that before. relistening my previous year's Nguac submissions I can really see the growth :)
Thank you so much, TaintedLogic :3

[Final [NGUAC]]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the soulful guitar that comes in shortly thereafter. The sound design reminds me almost of Latin pop at first. There’s a nice subtle build-up into 1:04, but I don’t think you fully capitalized on its momentum. The harmonic framework here is pretty generic, although the progression and mood are enjoyable. I also would’ve liked to hear some more ambitious melodic development later in the piece. Although I appreciated the variations at 2:46, I thought you could’ve been a tad bolder there to really resolve some of the pent-up tension in the piece. That said, the mixing is really strong here. Perhaps there’s a tad too much reverb in the texture at some points, but it complements the languid flow of the piece quite well. Overall, strong work here, Jotrocken! The sound design and progression in particular were highlights for me. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
8/10

Jotrocken responds:

Well... you can tell i struggled with this track. This is so much different of my last track, two weeks wasn't enough for me xD.
For full perfection i had to restart most of the track by week two. But it's good anyways so i stay tuned for next year.
Thanks again for detailed feedback and keep me updated for next time :)

[Koi Brook]

I like the jazzy chords and white noise at the beginning. The sound design is really smooth and neat, especially the fat bass and E-piano. The harmonies are a tad dissonant at times, but I love the guitar solos at the 1-minute mark and how they interlock with the rhythmic syncopations in the pads and harmonies. The breakdown of the rhythmic framework at 1:45 was also well done, with some really evocative shimmering textures leading nicely into the sighing brass solos at 2:18. The drums are a bit soft in the mix during the latter half of the piece, but the plucked string solos at the 3-minute mark and shimmering guitar textures really shine in their place. This is probably some of the best sound design I’ve heard so far in this competition, and the reverb is at the perfect amount where it helps fill out the atmosphere without being overwhelming. Structurally, the piece has this great slow-burn type of climax into 4:15, although the transition into the outro feels a tad abrupt. That said, the level of variety here is really impressive. You took some risks with this one - the experimental texture and dissonant harmonies, for example - but at the end of the day, they really pay off IMO. You’ve painted a clear picture in my head of some very sexy fish. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC, Cresince! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Cresince responds:

I am very glad you enjoyed it, and your song analysis really helps me and others to get some perspective on our work! Thank you for putting on a really fun competition, I think my followers have almost doubled and I am finding a lot of great composers because of it. <3

[The Mystical Forest]

I like the nature sound effects at the beginning and the dreamy piano shortly thereafter. The texture feels rich and well-balanced, and the mallet melodies and soaring string chords have all the lusciousness of a forest itself. The piano melodies at 1:33 are also beautiful, and I’m enjoying the heightened energy at 1:51. The production quality here is rather fantastic, and the sound design and atmosphere are quite evocative. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the piece could’ve felt more dynamic at times, especially towards the beginning. The one climax that’s here is short-lived and doesn’t quite feed my appetite for cinematic drama that you’ve so wonderfully set up in the first 2 minutes of the piece. Still, that is a very nitpicky complaint. This piece shows some top-notch composition and production value, Celestial-Sticker. Congratulations on your success in this competition! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

anthonyragus responds:

Thanks so much Andrew. I agree with your dynamics and form assessments. There's a sense of natural progression, and tention-release balance, that's missing here. I wrote myself into a bit of a corner and didn't get out till the final day, so I felt the pressure this round, hehe. All things considered, I'm happy the "visuals" of the music came through, and I will aim to integrate all these helpful suggestions into future works.