TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sicra - Orbital [NGUAC]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the cool synth guitar lead at :17. The distorted vocal samples at :38 are a nice touch, and there’s a good sense of build-up into 1:07. The pacing of the middle section of the piece is a bit bizarre - there are a lot of different ideas, but none of them feel very “stable,” so it’s hard to follow the direction of the piece, if that makes sense. Also, the mix is very bottom-heavy. By the time the guitar comes in at 1:58, I was itching for some more harmonic content. That said, the ghostly melodies at 2:14 hit the piece home nicely, and the rich atmosphere and plethora of reverb there truly give that section an otherworldly feel. Maybe the astronauts have crashed on a strange planet and encountered an alien race?

Either way, the production quality is top-notch here, and I can tell you spent a lot of effort crafting some of these transitions. The arrangement is indeed very experimental, but overall you pull it off quite well. The composition could use a tad bit of fleshing out in a way - you move on from one idea to the next very quickly for a lot of this piece, and the final refrain in particular felt a bit short-lived. Still, there’s a very strong sense of storytelling with this one. Really evocative work. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Sicra! ^_^

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

SicraMusic responds:

Appreciate the long review! The drop in the middle is by far the most experimental part of the song, but I somehow got used to it though while producing. It's this trap I frequently fall into where rhythmic and melodic patterns start sounding familiar when you listen to them a lot, but they still sounds weird on the first listen, you just no longer realize it.

[FRACTURED]

I like the glitchy reverse piano and glass breaking effects at the beginning. The texture comes together nicely by :32, although the piece is still pretty slow to progress. The bass-y breaks at 1:22 are catchy, if a bit minimal, and add some variety to the texture after 80 seconds of the rhythmic emphasis being based around the piano/glass breaking. I like the acoustic drum kit at 1:54 and the cool panning effects on the synth that comes in at 2:36. The climactic section at 2:36 hits the piece home nicely. I think this piece could be stronger with a bit more variety in the harmonic content, and especially some more dynamic melodies. Right now, the sound design is engaging, and the production quality is solid, but the piece also doesn’t feel like it’s leading anywhere. That said, I commend you for taking such an experimental approach with the texture and instrumentation here. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Octaneuro! Hope to see you back next year. ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

octaneuro responds:

I've never thought about progression while making my songs, it usually hinders me.
But honestly, hearing about this tells me that I should focus on that more from now on.

Thank you for the kind words, TaintedLogic! :D

[Satisfaction]

I like the glitchy pads at the beginning. The beat is nice too, although the clap could use a bit more “decoration” in the mix IMO - maybe some reverb at the very least. The piece is pretty minimal and slow to progress, especially for the minute or so following 1:07. The entry of the pads at 2:17 helps add some interest, but the piece still could use some more harmonic variety - a countermelody, or different chord progression, etc. The mixing is solid, and I like the sound design and progression. It just needs a fuller texture and more variety, is all. That said, thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Nxes! Hope to see you back next year. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Nxes responds:

ima cook next year trust

[Breathing Glitch]

I like the quirky percussion minimal bass line at the beginning. The piece is a tad slow to progress at first, and the texture could use a bit more fill for the first minute or so. The slidey synth melody at :58 is really refreshing, though. The atmosphere could use a bit of fleshing out, as the body of the sound remains pretty thin, especially in the middle and treble frequency ranges. Later on, some variety in the harmonic content or, especially, the main melody would’ve also been welcome. The composition just doesn’t feel very bold here, despite the fun sound design and arrangement details (like the recordings of coughing). Overall, the mixing, rhythmic content, and instrumentation are really good, but I’d like to push you to really have a big moment of arrival later on in the piece that gives it a sense of overarching development. Keep at it, mjattie! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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

mjattie responds:

Thanks! The song isn't totally finished and you have some good ideas to add. Melodically it would be cool if there was some variation. Thanks for the feedback!

[A Marriage Of Convenience]

I like the catchy guitar riff at the beginning and the ghostly pads at :08. Really strong vocals as always - love the harsh, almost judgemental tone they have. The lyrics themselves are also really strong, centered around a very versatile metaphor. Is it literally about a human relationship? Or someone’s unhealthy habit (drugs, gambling, etc.)? The lyrics leave all of that ambiguous, which is what I like about them. If there’s one thing I had to critique about the lyrics (or really about their delivery), it’s that the line “you can walk away” didn’t feel like it deserved the weight of 4 full measures every time it’s delivered.

Structurally, the piece is smooth-flowing and arranged well, although the copy-paste of the refrain at 2:32 felt a bit underwhelming. Even harmonizing it a bit more the second time around would be preferable imo. The solo at 2:50 was refreshing, a nice climactic way of hitting the piece home. The mixing is solid, but not perfect. The drums are crisp and loud, but at times the pads sound a bit too front-and-center to cut through when the vocals and guitar are playing simultaneously. Overall, despite my nitpicks, this is a really strong piece, Mischa-head! Love the sound design, progression, vocals, and melodies here. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Mischa-head responds:

Thank you for the feedback!

[Kuebiko, Pt.1 [NGUAC '24 FINALS]]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the thunderstorm sound effects. I like the filtering on the drums at :23 and the gradual build-up into :44. The drop at :44 is a bit minimal, and the mix is very bottom-heavy. It’s hard to make out the atmospheric elements there, although the chopped vocals at 1:05 are cool. The breakdown at 1:48 was a nice change-of-pace, but also didn’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. The pattern of rhythmic emphasis at 2:11 is really wonky, and it took me a couple of listens for it to not be jarring. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more memorable melodies or otherwise more variety in the composition. The atmosphere and sound design here are really good, but the arrangement could feel looser and more dynamic. Still, this is a seriously catchy track with some fun instrumentation. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC, Kz-N! ^_^

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
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
7.75/10

Kz-N responds:

thanks a lot for your thorough review, i honestly agree with everything you said, except for 2:11 being jarring? im not sure what to make of that honestly but i will definetely work on it in the future, it was a pleasure being in!

[Savage]

I like the ominous and vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding riff at the beginning. There was a nice subtle build-up into :14, and the drop at :14 is catchy, if rather minimal. The mixing effects are tasteful and add some flavor to the piece, but I still think the texture could use some more fill here, and the harmonic content could use more variety. Rap vocals would certainly do the trick. Some of the transitions are also abrupt, like at 1:50. Otherwise, the compositional details are pleasant here - I especially like the build-up at 2:38, and the vocals and glitchy elements at around 3:00. It just needs more variety and maybe a more original arrangement. Still, this is a seriously catchy track with some creative sound design. Keep at it, JoeStasi! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

JoeStasi responds:

Thank you Andrew for organising this comp and for your extremely detailed feedback it's much appreciated!

[Petrichor - NGUAC]

I like the majestic chords at the beginning. The rhythm is a bit square, but I like how the higher-pitched tones of the chords soften in the lead-up to :31. The string pads are beautiful, although admittedly the fade-out of the piano/bell chords wasn’t quite gradual enough for my ears to adjust in time. The part at 1:16 sounds really whimsical. The pacing is much slower during this section of the piece, but I like how you brought it full-circle with the initial chords at 2:14. Overall, this is a really cute piece. I think you overused the stop-start transitions a bit early on, but otherwise the composition is pleasant, if not particularly bold. No complaints with the mixing or sound design. Keep at it, Irish-Soul! Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

Irish-Soul responds:

Thanks for the review and thorough feedback! It's always such a pleasure to participate in NGUAC :)

[Crystallis Ultima]

I like the downtempo piano riffs at the beginning. The string pads help round out the atmosphere nicely, and the flute solo at :50 sounds lovely. The string melodies at 1:02 seem to contribute to a quickening of the pace going into the climax at 1:27 - that’s a smart compositional choice. The mix is a bit quiet for most of the piece, but the dynamics are generally well-shaped within the phrases here. The arrangement feels a tad disjointed at times, with a lot of stop-start transitions. The piano breakdown at 3:26 serves as a nice re-intro, and the pacing of that transition serves as a nice and subtle attention-grabber. The next climactic section at 4:08 might’ve benefitted from a more gradual build-up, especially since it’s the main “point of arrival” towards the end of the piece. That said, the melodic content is beautiful, and in general the orchestration is both well-varied and channels the mood of the piece quite well. The emotional appeal of the coda at 5:24 is a nice touch as well. Overall, strong work, Holland! This piece is majestic, melodious, and well-structured. It could be a tad more smooth-flowing in places, but in general all of my complaints here are minor. Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

HollandAlbright responds:

Thank you for the detailed breakdown, and especially thank you for hosting the contest! It gave me some motivation to write some new music and was fun to participate in something like that. ♫

[Untinted]

I love the evocative chords at the beginning and the jazzy flair. The strings at :28 are beautiful, and the piece flows really nicely into the clarinet and sax solos at :40. The texture is a bit minimal, and part of me thinks it could use some more prominent percussion to give it a sense of drive. The tuba and “oom-pah” rhythmic emphasis at 1:38 are great, and also provide some variety in the mood of the piece compared to the more upbeat tone earlier. The second string section at 2:22 hits the piece home nicely. I still think this piece would be a tad stronger with a richer texture and atmosphere at times, but the melodies, sound design, and progression are all rather enjoyable as they are. Keep at it, Everratic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I agree that the piece is a bit too minimal at times. I could have added more lines and doublings throughout different sections. I do like a minimal approach for a track like this for a cute, lighthearted vibe, so I wouldn't have added that much more though.

For most of the submission period I worked on a totally different track, and it wasn't working as well as I had hoped, so I made a difficult decision shortly before the deadline to start fresh. I got lucky because this track was extremely easy to compose, but I still didn't have enough time to fully develop it. The version I submitted had a few big mistakes that I didn't think I should mention :p I updated it after the results were released.