TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Wave]

I like the eerie texture at the beginning and the smooth descending guitar line at :09. The distorted vocals at :20 sound a bit bizarre in context, although the drop at :33 is catchy. The texture is still pretty minimal, although the shimmering pads at 1:16 and the mixing effects help keep things interesting. The “underwater” effect at 1:27 sounds really cool, if a tad goofy given that there’s not much going on in the texture there. The reverse percussion at 1:23 is pretty cool, too. Overall, I would’ve liked to see some more depth and variety in the harmonies here, but the experimental texture of this is definitely really engaging and unique. You have a real knack for creating a rich and dynamic atmosphere with relatively few sounds. Keep at it, Walpang! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

Walpang responds:

Thanks as always for the specific and incredibly constructive feedback!! Comments like these really help with dialing in the exact feeling that I'm after.

[Red Thirst [NGUAC24]]

I like the waltzy meter and eerie harpsichord harmonies at the beginning. Whether intentionally or not, the slight stumbling of the notes at :14 only contributes to the ominous mood, and there’s a nice gradual build-up into 1:10. The evil laugh at :45 and screaming at 1:09 add to the thematic content nicely. The drop at 1:10 is nice, if a tad bottom-heavy. I would’ve liked to hear more of the backing pads in the mix there. The melody at 1:38 is catchy, but also could’ve been a bit more dynamic. There are a lot of repeated contours in it. The chord progression at 2:07 is nice, and I really like the echo-y upper-mid pad at 2:47. Overall, the sound design, flow, and rhythmic content here are all great, and the production quality is also solid. The composition could use a bit more depth later on, with a thicker texture and more of an ebb-and-flow in the phrasing. Still, I love the foreboding mood and progression of this one. Keep at it, TotallyPorff! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
7.75/10

TotallyPorff responds:

Thank you so much for the advice! I look forward to next time!

[He's Into Lolicon]

I like the classic early 2000s rock feel at the beginning. The vocals are delivered well - nice conversational tone and articulation - and the lyrics have a good comedic value. The vocals could’ve been mixed a little further up-front, though. It’s hard to make out the lyrics at times, largely because the vocals aren’t staying on top of the texture too well. A little compression and some stricter equalization on the instrumental track might help make them stand out more, but admittedly my own experience with mixing live-recorded guitars is limited, so just be careful not to cut into their frequency range too much. That said, the composition here is really strong. The melodies are dynamic, your guitar skills are excellent, and the entire arrangement flows really nicely. The bridge at 2:01 is really hilarious and self-aware. The vocal layering during the last 20 seconds or so isn’t perfect - it just doesn’t blend very well, and might need to be re-recorded. Otherwise, this is a very well-executed composition. You remind me of @UlfusNG, who made a bunch of similar comedy songs back in the day. Keep at it, TofuTehSurvivor! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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

TofuTehSurvivor responds:

Noted! Still learning mixing 🤣 thank you for the feedback!

[From Afar]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the strong sense of ebb-and-flow in the texture during the first 20 seconds or so. The vocaloid at :33 sounds rather realistic, but I can’t decide if the introspective lyrics are deep or just a bit cheesy. The whispered tone to the vocals at 1:20 was haunting, and the growing intensity at 2:12 is especially nice. It’s really impressive how much variety you have in the sound design here. The piece could’ve used a big moment of arrival at the end of the piece, but it never quite gets there. I’m impressed with how flowing and well-varied this track is, but at some point I also wanted to see a climactic section that relieves some of the pent-up tension here. The melodic content and mixing are also good, although at times the snare and kick are a bit soft, like at 1:05. Overall, really solid work here, Pixxlman! Love the atmosphere, sound design, progression, and melodies here. Keep it up! ^_^

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

PixxlMan responds:

Thanks for the thorough review!

[PARTY HATZ! - Captain Obvious]

I like the cute, 8-bit sound design and catchy melodies at the beginning. The mixing and mastering is good overall - love the heavy compression on the bass at :14, although the drums don’t quite come through the mix as much as I would’ve liked. The vocals are really strong, both delivered and produced well. The lyrics have a nostalgic flair, which is played up really well by the melodies, sound design, and samples of children’s voices. The arrangement is a little generic, and the main melody (both in the vocals and in the synths) could use a tad more variety later on in the piece - maybe even a separate “B” melody as a solo before the breakdown at 1:43 would do the trick. Despite my nitpicks, I really like this piece a lot. It’s danceable, well-produced, and thematically really on-brand with itself, if that makes sense. I’m really curious why you titled it “Captain Obvious,” though - spent a bit too long overthinking that one. :’D Keep it up, PARTYHATZ! ^_^

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

PARTYHATZ responds:

"Captain Obvious" is a phrase I'm quite attached to as me and my friends used it a lot in the late 2000s when I was a kid. In my older years "Captain Obvious" sorta morphed into an alias/shorthand for my younger self and a romanticized idea of my youth. To me this song is about trying to surround yourself with things/people from the past in an effort to become a kid again. PARTY HATZ! as a project exists as an outlet for my nostalgic feelings towards that period of time, as well as a bitterness about leaving it behind, which I'm sure comes through in the lyrics xP

Hope this makes sense, I'm still trying to figure most of it out myself haha :3

[Latin Spirit (NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round)]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the cute sound design. The mix is a bit quiet and off-balance, though. You could probably use some more compression in the lead instruments and, especially, the drums. The percussion here is very well-written, but it’s often hard to hear all the detail of it during the busier sections of this piece. I would also give a slight boost to the upper-mid tones of the brass in the equalizer. The melodic content here is fantastic, though. Occasionally, the transitions between the different solos are a bit abrupt (like at 1:56), but I really like the “ensemble cast” of melody instruments overall. One thing that could use a bit more variety in this piece is the energy level. It feels like there isn’t a strong sense of overarching direction to the piece, just a succession of highly individualized melodies. You could change that by making a more dramatic build-up into the brass refrain at 2:14, and also by automating the volume levels a bit more. Overall, solid work, PaintedPenguin! This is a catchy piece with some great sound design and a fun, upbeat flair. Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

PaintedPenguin responds:

thanks for the advice, i really appreciate it! :^D

[Nasty GUACamole - NGUAC 2024 Knockout Round]

Very bold choice to have all those jazzy chords at the beginning. The rolled chords are especially nice, but the 2nd and 5th ones sound a bit clunky. Some wider spacing of the notes might help solve that. I like the busier texture at :14, but the mix sounds really distorted there. Sounds like the piano is causing some of the other instruments to duck under. I would try to separate out the frequency ranges of the different instruments a bit more with an equalizer. Also, make sure the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and the kick) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so. A lot of low frequencies in the texture can muddy it up really fast.

Anyway, I like the build-up into :32 and the frantic piano riffs at :33. The rhythmic content there is really catchy, and the slap bass at 1:01 was a fun surprise. The return of the piano at 1:30 in a higher register was also a nice touch. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture at 1:43, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it was also hard to make it out because it sounds very faint and distorted in the mix. The high-octane synth and piano content in this piece is really awesome, though, and you’ve covered a lot of ground harmonically as well.

Overall, the composition of this piece is creative, catchy, and has a great narrative appeal too. The production could be a lot cleaner, although the sound design, transitions, and rhythmic content are also really good.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

NotLeLee responds:

I just knew I would get deducted points for soundtrap automix
welp

edit: I just realised how high score I got for everything but mixing. Wow. Soundtrap really funked me up >:(

[Recheck [NGUAC '24 KO]]

I like the ominous atmosphere and grouchy bass at the beginning. The bass is a little loud relative to the drums, but the rhythmic content and huge jumps in the bass line’s contour are really creative and fun. The mix is a bit distorted at times - especially at :55, you can tell some of the pads and atmospheric details are ducking under when other instruments play a note. The piece also peters out in energy a bit as it goes on, and with the constant frantic beats, an atmospheric or melodic breakdown at some point might’ve made for some good variety. That said, I really like the sound design, mood, and catchy beats here. Keep at it, Kz-N! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Kz-N responds:

thanks a lot!!!!

[3_0_3 - BREACHING]

I like the distorted synths at the beginning and the gradual build-up into :22. The chord progression is a bit cliche, and the mix is a bit distorted. By :33, the melodies and pads are seriously distorting the mid-range bass and drums. I would double-check to make sure that the harmonic instruments (other than the bass) don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz or so in the EQ. That said, the breakdown at 1:05 was a nice change-of-pace, and I love the filtering work on the bass (like the build-up into 1:16 and other places). The soaring melodic solo at 1:34 is great, too, although much of the rest of the piece is a bit too minimal and could use some more harmonic variety. The filtering and other compositional details help keep things interesting, but some more variation on some of the core riffs and melodies later on could really help take this piece to the next level. Still, overall this is a really catchy and fun track. The distorted, unwieldy mix is my main concern. Otherwise, the sound design, melodies, and foreboding mood are great. Keep at it, Joecoustic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Joecoustic responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I had a lot of fun partecipating in this contest and I wish good luck to everyone in the finals ^^

[Autumn Girl]

I like the mellow guitar at the beginning. The kick is very heavy for a piece with such a tranquil mood at first. I like the high-energy section at :37, and how you intersperse the rhythmic and melodic elements there. The change in the meter at 1:00 is a bit clumsy - some of the drum patterns there might need to be re-recorded - and the transition at 1:10 is pretty abrupt. I like how you slow down slightly at 1:41, though - it was a nice, subtle way of foreshadowing the breakdown at 1:44. Overall, the frantic guitar riffs and sound design here are really enjoyable, and the mixing is solid, but the arrangement feels a bit disjointed, and lacks a strong sense of overarching direction. Some smoother, more gradual transitions might help in that regard, and also more distinction between the high-energy sections. Still, this piece has some killer rhythmic content and a great, engrossing mood. Keep at it, itskosama! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
8.25/10

itskosama responds:

Thank you! It was a blast participating in this!

I'll definitely practice on those transitions! I also really enjoyed time constraint of the event! It was really good on getting me going to make something! Super grateful to everyone!