TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Inevitability]

I like the piano arpeggios at the beginning and the warm string pads. The distortion at :30 was a nice touch during the build-up. The beat at :33 is pretty cool, but the instrumental tracks there are a tad bland, and the piano gets a bit lost in the mix there. I’m enjoying the additional layer of harmonies at 1:00 and the glitchy vocals at 1:27. The glitches were a good way of switching up what otherwise would’ve been a pretty generic vocoder sample - maybe some more reverb or other mixing effects could’ve further added some interest to the vocal line. The beats at 1:53 are once again refreshing, and I especially like the added dose of pitch-bending during that section. At some point in this piece, I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content, as a lot of the basis for staying engaged is in the quirky sound design and rhythms, which are delivered in a couple of relatively dragged-out drop sections with pretty uniform energy levels. By the end, the vocals also feel a bit overused, although I do appreciate the extent to which you’ve modified them. Overall, I really like the production quality, rhythmic content, sound design, and atmosphere of this piece. Some of the compositional elements could’ve used some more creativity, including the harmonic patterns and arrangement, but the experimental texture helps keep things interesting, and I appreciate the haunting lyrics - in that context, the robotic-sounding vocoder fits in rather well here. Keep at it, Eccentra! :)

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Eccentra responds:

I truly appreciate the very detailed analysis of the track! It's an eyeopener to see where I've gone wrong and now I'm enlightened to improve more on the creative aspects!

[coolssh3 - Eternal Night]

I like the mellow beginning of the piece with the minimal riser and piano melody. The piano instrument itself at :05 sounds a bit dry and generic, though - pretty sure that’s a not-too-modified FL Keys. :) Either way, by :33 the texture starts coming together well, and I like the frantic percussion at :57 and the sense of build into 1:05. The arrangement is a bit all-over-the-place, with a lot of frantic solos on cheesy synths strung together in a pretty dragged-out melodic section between 1:04 and 2:09. It might be a good idea to consolidate some of the sound design a bit, instead of having the most prominent instrument in the texture be a completely new one every 30 seconds. It was also a little hard to follow the melodies after a while, as so many of them are very jumpy and have pretty complex contours. In fact, I’m going to say that the sound design isn’t the only thing that should be consolidated here - melodies and structuring too. There’s some repetition in this track, but the arrangement is pretty choppy between all the stop-start transitions and sudden instrument changes. I think you tried to do way too much with the composition of the track, and it comes across as a bit overwhelming and lacking in direction, to be frank. On the plus side, the production quality is pretty good, and you clearly have a strong sense of harmony, rhythm, and atmosphere. The individual melodies are also rather good, but taken together they don’t seem part of the same cohesive narrative. Keep at it, Coolssh3! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.25/10

coolssh3 responds:

Thanks for your feedback! While I'm a tad disappointed that I didn't make the cut, I'm also proud that I at least made it to Round 2. In any case, in an attempt to give my song's instrumentation more variety, it would seem that I made it a bit all-over-the-place. I for one am quite proud of it, but I see your complaints and will keep them in mind for the future. Thanks for this opportunity!

[Cruncha]

I like the quirky texture at the beginning and the upbeat brass synth melodies at :11. That pad in the background with the phasing effects is nice, too. The texture might benefit from some more atmosphere, as the drums sound a tad thin at times and many of the lead synths sound a bit dry. The solo at the bridge at 1:15 is great, though, and leads really nicely back into the brass synth melody at 1:37. The sound design, mixing, rhythmic content, melodies, and progression are all really solid here. The composition maybe could’ve used a tad more fleshing out, though, and the instruments could also probably blend together better with some more reverb and compression in choice places, especially in the first minute or so. Still, the experimental vibe and melodies here are super memorable and unique. Keep it up, ChaytonMan! :)

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

ChaytonMan responds:

Sorry for only just now seeing this, but thank you! The criticism you gave is awesome, but the fact that you explained how to fix some of it is super helpful. I greatly appreciate how in-depth this was and hopefully I can iron out some of the wrinkles I had in this song and others in general.

[Clash of Cass]

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The sound design goes through several abrupt changes in the first 30 seconds or so, from big 80s synths to new wave atmosphere to videogame-ish to hard rock. It seems like the hard rock won the battle at the end of the day, though, and I like the frantic guitar riffs and crisp drums for the rest of the first minute. There's another pretty abrupt transition at 1:02, but the warmer tones of the strumming there help provide some contrast to the more edgy tone of earlier. At this point, the piece seems like a call-and-response between the frantic and heavy electric guitar riffs to the more laid-back vibe of the strummed one. The breakdown at 2:20 was a nice moment of structural contrast to break up that cycle, and the transition back into 2:46 was smooth, albeit a bit cheesy. The piece comes together well towards the end, but at some point I might've liked to hear a more dynamic melody or solo - something to really hold onto, you know? The heavy guitar refrain seems to play more of a rhythmic role here than something that really drives the "narrative" aspect of the piece. The other main problem I have with the piece is the choppy arrangement, with a lot of rough transitions, especially early on, that feel a tad jarring in the grand scheme of things. That said, I think you nailed the sound design, rhythmic content, production, and atmosphere. Really creative piece overall, Thetageist! Good luck in the Knockout Round. ^_^

Thetageist responds:

Thanks for all that feedback! I see one of my directions to go in in the future should be how to write for rock guitar, so I don’t have to use preset patterns as a crutch anymore. And transitions. Transitions have always been my weak point.

[Contemplate]

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the edgy guitar riffs at the beginning. The echo effects are a little overwhelming, though, and that in turn causes the rhythms to trip over each other a bit. I also would've liked to hear more of the drums in the mix. Right now, they're clearly overwhelmed by the guitars. There also could be more structuring and ebb-and-flow over the course of this piece. I feel like that would help the listener warm up to the experimental texture and give the piece a stronger sense of development over time. The mix is loud and clean, but the weak drums and overuse of mixing effects detracts from my enjoyment of the production here. There are a lot of neat compositional ideas here, though, from the guitar riffs to echo-y syncopations. They just need to be arranged a bit more effectively to keep the listener grounded. Keep at it, BALDORF! :)

BALDORF responds:

My comment was more of a jab at my song being so mediocre that it didn't get a review, rather than asking for one, but thanks.

[-#ROOLFTREVNIDLOELPRUP#-]

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the percussion at :15. The beat at :25 is a tad over-compressed, but it does help increase the energy level and give an otherwise ambient piece a sense of drive. I was a little thrown off by the repetition of the intro at :54 given that it felt that the piece hadn't hit a climax yet, and then the transition into 1:20 felt a tad abrupt. I'm enjoying the rhythmic content there, but the mid-range bass is a tad harsh in my earbuds. The harmonic content of the piece is pretty minimal and repetitive, and I think there could've been a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition too. The arrangement feels almost formulaic after a while. That said, the sound design, production quality, rhythmic content, and atmosphere are all really admirable here. Keep at it, Kierham! :)

Kierham responds:

Thanks!

[Asshole (NGUAC)]

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the gritty guitars at the beginning. The drums could be a tad more up-front in the mix, but otherwise the production quality is solid here. The vocals sound pretty raw and passionate, but also a little dry in the mix, and I'm not sure the somewhat atonal nature of them works well for me. The solos at 1:49 are much more of my cup of tea, and I also think the "I must be fuckin' crazy" vocals later on work better because they fit nicely into the harmonic framework of the rest of the piece. Overall, I really like the energy, sound design, production, progression, and rhythmic content of the piece. The lyrics are a little cringey at times - seems like you're playing a one-dimensional character with them - but your raspy baritone fits the tone of the piece very well. Keep at it, KRB, and good luck in the next round. ^_^

guyfromKillerRAT responds:

haha, I had been so caught up trying to make my submission for the KO round that I forgot to ask larry and the other guys to review it, I'll probably do that now that you remind me, I especially am interested to hear what the judges other than larry would say since I think I already have an idea of what he might have to say, although his thoughts could surprise me too!

yeah, I've always been bad at knowing the right balance between guitars and drums lol. it's either that the drums are always too loud, or the guitars are always too loud. that's kinda something I'm still trying to get good at. as for the vocals, I really suck at like producing and mixing vocal tracks, I can do pretty good with guitar and bass but when it comes to mixing and mastering the vocals, idk, everything I do ends up sucking so I just kinda leave them dry lmao. The 1:49 solo was completely improvised, I kinda recorded it after just cherry picking a few notes and going from there, then after that I liked the solo so much I decided to practice it and re-record it before submitting to make it better lol. I suck at coming up with good vocal melodies, but I am getting better, so that is why I can sound a bit tonedeaf, singing-wise, in a lot of the song, although it is good to hear that someone appreciated my performance at the end there! that was the part where I was really trying haha.

I've always been a rhythmic kinda guy, never was too big into doing impressive melodies. I always hear the beat first, which is why I like a lot of hip hop and nu metal music, I love how complicated the rhythms and drum patterns are in those styles, and I always feel like good rhythms in music are the kind that aren't just "bootsncatsnbootsncatsn", you know? I like rhythms that are recognizable, ones that really drive a song forward to being picked out of a crowd. This song may not even show my rhythmic capabilities as much as it could have, when I really want to, I can sure make something that gets you bouncing even better than this, which I hope to be able to show more of soon.

As for the lyrics, yeah, they make me sound a bit one-dimensional cause I only sing about one aspect of my life and personality, and it's the part that makes me seem like, well, an asshole. There's a lot more to me than this, but I didn't think it made sense to make a song about literally every piece of my personality lol. One song at a time.

I really appreciate your feedback, man, and I hope to get further in the next round as well. I am admittedly a bit nervous cause I feel like I submitted something that could've been way better if I worked on it more, and I know I can keep working on it if I want to by the rules, but you know, I think I want to just see what happens. What if I work on it and end up making it worse instead? lol

Thank you for listening and thank you for your feedback.
ilyyyyy <3
-J

[Mount 511]

I just remembered that you asked for a review on your NGUAC piece, and it seems like there aren't any judges biting yet, so here I am!

I like the eerie whistling and pulsing atmospheric pads at the beginning. The harmonies are a bit dissonant, but the texture comes together well by 1:20 or so. The reverb is a tad thick, but otherwise the mix is well-balanced and rich-sounding. The piano solos help keep me engaged too. The synth bass sounds a tad generic, but otherwise the sound design is really nice overall. The orchestral flair of the piece at 3:00 or so was a nice touch, and the edgier tone at 3:17 was a good change-of-direction to the track. The vocals at 3:17 sound a bit indistinct in the mix - were they recorded specifically for this track, or are they sampled from somewhere? After a slow climb down from the emotional height at 3:17, the eerie church bell at 4:50 helps me refocus, and I like the more mysterious tone of the rest of the piece. The whispered vocals at around 5:35 fit the mood very well, and you've really made a great effort at making the piece come full-circle. This is really strong cinematic work here, BlighterProductions. Best of luck in the Knockout Round! ^_^

BlighterProductions responds:

Hey man, thanks for the review. TeraVex had also sent me some feedback, but he gave me some through PM’s.

I enjoyed making this one because I was discovering some new possibilities in the software that I was using, and I wanted to experiment with sound more. In my opinion, I think the mix sounds a bit muffled, but that would also add to the isolation that the piece is based around.

The whistling was inspired by the music that director Quentin Tarantino uses in some of his movies, and they always kinda have an isolated or tense feeling for me, so that is why the whistling is in there.

The vocals were synthesized, so there was no audio recording or sample involved. They sound a bit hollow because it is supposed to illustrate the aforementioned isolated vibe. Only the whistle and the “lie down and close your eyes” part were vocalized by me personally.

With the piano, I took an effect which made it sound like it was surrounded by brick walls, and you’re listening from the other side. It illustrates that feeling of being stuck in an enclosure, with the outside world on the other side of the wall.

The piece for me overall revolves around the confusion of being abducted and being taken somewhere unknown, hence the strange pacing and instrumentation. The growth in energy represents the increasing clarity of the lead character as he becomes more and more aware of his surroundings as his consciousness kicks in. I leave it up to the listener to interpret whether the place where he/she was taken to is good or not. To me, the tone of the song is a bit moody, but also kind of hopeful.

The part where the orchestrals come in is where the character conceives a plan to escape the place, which is why there is a tense energy in that particular part of the song. Then again, I let the listener interpret or theorize whether or not the escape plan had worked. The ending can mean one of two things:

1-The character has escaped, and now takes a well deserved rest from his breakout, or…
2-He/she was caught in the attempt, and thrown back into his/her cell, to spend the rest of his/her life pondering his/her fate, until he/she is old and unable to escape.

Anyways, thanks for the review, and I hope to be able to put out a track in time.

Greetings