TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Inner Circles]

I like the glitchy beats at the beginning and the echo-y sound design. I would've liked the drums to be a bit more prominent in the mix once the atmosphere fills out at :45 or so. The spacey breakdown at 1:20 was a nice touch as well. The piece seemed a bit lacking on melodic content, but I really like the more dynamic appeal of the synth riffs at 2:18 and beyond. Another piece where you really show off your atmospheric flair. Keep at it, KCJSDP! :)

SensoryDecay responds:

Yeah this was like the second track I played in Logic Pro X and I'm still feeling things out. My whole thing is atmosphere and soundscapes, but I haven't gotten the balance nor the musical integrity to make what I really want. Still learning always. Thanks man!

[Close Enough]

I like the smooth guitars at the beginning and the crisp drums. Your voice is really soothing, and the lyrics feel really pensive and vivid. I really like the richer atmosphere at 1:05, and the sound design aids the reflective mood of the piece nicely. I think a second verse would be a good way of adding a sense of progression to this piece. The harmonic framework gets a tad repetitive by the end of this piece, although I really like the string lines and thicker texture during the second half. Overall, really beautiful and evocative work, KCJSDP! Keep it up. ^_^

SensoryDecay responds:

Thank you! Yeah I was pretty much running on 3 minutes. Meaning I was doing anything to get to that which hindered the piece. It really means a lot that you sent such a great constructive review. Thank you.

[pipeline punch is the best monster flavour you cannot tell me otherwise.]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning and the vocal samples at :15. The progression is a bit slow-paced at first, but I like the beats at :40 and the loud, crisp mix. The piece could use a bit more harmonic variety and melodic development after a while, and I also thought the transition at 1:20 was rather abrupt. The rhythmic content is especially good at 1:51, but the pads there get a bit lost in the mix. Overall, the atmosphere, drum and vocal samples, danceability, and bouncy mood are my favorite aspects of the piece. The compositional details could use a bit more fleshing out, though, and at times the mix seems rather strained. That said, kudos on a catchy and fun piece, xpastelxbloodx! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

xpastelxbloodx responds:

thanks for letting me come along!

[Supernova]

I like the catchy bass line at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The piece is a little slow to progress at first, but there’s a good sense of build into :46. The climax there was short-lived, and then the piece seems to launch into another prolonged build-up. It seems like 1:54 is the grand conclusion of the build-up, but that section also doesn’t add much novel content to the piece. I think my favorite aspect of the piece is the production quality - very tight mix with a full and well-balanced texture throughout. A close second is the rhythmic content. That said, I think the sound design is a bit generic here, and I wanted to see you flesh out the composition a bit more. Overall, it’s a catchy and fun piece, though. Keep at it, Raj! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

rajbeatsofficial responds:

Greatly appreciated. I agree on the generic sound design; i made a concession with a lead melody that I ended up leaving out to preserve the sonics but it would have gave some unique character to the track if i left it in. Thanks again 👍

[Bloom Kyoto]

I like the melodramatic gong hit at the beginning and the percussion groove shortly thereafter. The texture starts coming together well by :35 or so, although there’s a tad bit of dissonance in the texture at around :45, probably because the woodwind sample seems to have a bit of a pitch arc built into it. The string lines have a great frantic energy to them, though, and overall the sound design is really enjoyable here. There were times when I wanted the percussion to come through the mix a bit clearer, like around 1:20, but overall the mix is loud and clean. There could’ve been some more dynamic melodic content at some point, or at the very least some variations on the main melody, but the middle section of the piece has a decent amount of variety in and of itself. I like how you ended with the gong hit, too. Overall, this is a solid effort, OliRO! Keep at it. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

OliRO responds:

Thank you so much for this great review Andrew! I think I managed to get a bit out of my habits and create something a bit more fluid, as opposed to squared and too systematic. However I still built a structure template for composing the different parts and I'm pretty sure that's a big reason why I'm limited in fluidity. I feel comfortable enough in the sound design and mixing/mastering aspect, but I really want to bust that thick wall and get better at composing and in the fluidity between the different parts. I feel that's my bottleneck right now.

I love you reviews, they really make me grow.

Cheers mate!

[The Fairytale Continues]

I like the warm pads at the beginning. The rhythms are a bit square in the piano melodies - a lot of sixteenth notes in a row, and the contour is a bit hard-to-follow at times too, especially when you start introducing the chromatic notes at around :57. I like the mellow beats at around 1:10, but I think the strings and other harmonies could’ve been a bit more distinct in the mix there. The entire middle section of the piece feels a bit stale after a while, with very little changing in the texture for a full minute or so. You’re really aiming for a contrapuntal sort of melodic style where there are multiple attention-grabbing lines at the same time, especially at around 2:20. It’s a bit too ambitious at times, tbh. I think you need to consolidate some of your melodic ideas here and focus and keeping the listener grounded. Right now, all of the rapid chord changes and meandering melodic contour are very disorienting. It’s really hard to describe how to write strong, memorable, and dynamic melodies, but I think the ones you have in here are a bit too heavy on the “dynamic” part and not heavy enough on the “memorable” part. Otherwise, I like the cute sound design, upbeat mood, and crisp beats here. Keep at it, GeminiGemini! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.75/10

GeminiGemini responds:

Thank you. In fact, this composition was not quite round. :D

[Heuristic]

I like the quirky effects and percussion at the beginning. The atmosphere at :17 is nice and rich, and the heavy bass and brass help balance it out really well. I’m usually not a big fan of sudden shifts in the sound palette or energy level, but the abrupt transitions here fit the character of the piece rather well IMO. Ditto for the slow pacing. That said, I think the much more downtempo section at 2:08 could’ve been more well-integrated with the busier beat from earlier. The jazzy harmonies there help keep me engaged, and I like how you bring back a more mellow version of the quirky percussion and effects from the first half. The melancholy brass line was a great way of giving closure to a piece that, in retrospect, does seem rather reminiscent of a dying computer, both with the sound design and the mood. Evocative work here, Crescince! Keep it up. ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

Cresince responds:

Thank you as always for the detailed review, I am very glad you liked it!

[Dream, Run, Fly]

I like the quirky synth pads at the beginning and the cutesy arpeggios that fade in at around :12. The blissful melodies at :20 are really great, and the mixing is solid as well. Later on, the piece gets a tad repetitive, and also didn’t really feel structurally complete. That said, the guitar outro was a great idea, and the upbeat mood and rich atmosphere really won me over on this one. I’d encourage you to keep working on this one. It doesn’t quite scratch all of the itches (i.e., for melodic development, structural contrast, variety in the instrumental palette, etc.) that a full-length track probably would, but you already have me tapping my foot and bopping my head. Keep at it, BAOWZ-Tobass! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

BAOWZ-Tobass responds:

Thanks. I'm agreeing with you. This is repetitive but quite addictive imo. I'll finish it if ever i find some new ideas for it

[Walkabout]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. I definitely can hear the jazz influence here. The bass line is great, the mid-range syncopations mesh so well together, and the drums are crisp and refreshing. That string line at :58 has a nice sighing tone to it, and the dissonance at 1:13 is good for some contrast. At times, the track seems surprisingly minimal, and I wished the bass was a bit more prominent in the mix during some of the downtempo sections. This piece might also benefit from some more distinct structuring, as right now the energy level is pretty constant, despite the variety in the sound design and rhythmic elements. I especially like the scratchy zipper-sounding effect at 2:45 or so. The glitchy breaks at 3:13 fill a nice contrasting role with the more melodious texture earlier, and once you started overlaying the melodies at 3:31 I was seriously jamming out. The strings helped drag me back down to earth at 3:51, and overall you hit the piece home really well. I haven’t heard many tracks in this competition that take a more contrapuntal approach to layering melodies over each other and try to maintain your interest with so many different instruments at once, so that’s good enough for full-credit in the “originality” category in my book. Also, I’m really digging the production quality, rhythmic content, sound design, and atmosphere of this one. Keep up the good work, xkatttt! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

xkatttt responds:

Wow thanks so much for the positive review! I’ll try to incorporate your advice heading forward. It was fun being part of the competition! <3

[PRGX - Potato]

I like the injection of energy at the beginning and the rushed build-up at :10. The flashy synths, loud and crisp mix, and catchy beats make this piece really fun and danceable. The vocal samples may have been overused after a while, but you do a good job of adding some structural contrast between frantic drops and more mellow sections into the texture. The production quality is also really good - heavy on the compression, but still has the volume levels under control in the output. Some more variety on the main melodies later on would’ve been welcome, and you also use a lot of stop-start transitions for my tastes in this piece, but overall this piece is super catchy, upbeat, and snazzy. The melodies during the outro at 3:05 were a nice touch too. Keep at it, PRGX! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

PRGX responds:

Thank you very much for the review, didn't expected to be classified :D, I would continue trying to improve (sorry if my english was bad)