TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Raindrops]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the spacious atmosphere. I think the piano sounds a bit square and artificial, though. I’d recommend some more humanization and shape to that instrument early on, especially for the first 40 seconds or so while the texture is relatively bare. I also think the block chords in the piano at :21 sound a bit clunky. The waltzy meter and syncopations at :42 are really nice, though, and the melodic phrases in this piece have a great, elegant flair about them. The violin sample sounds pretty inauthentic in the upper range (e.x., 1:14), and I would’ve liked to see some section of this piece have more legato elements to contrast the crisp articulation present in just about every instrument in the piece. Nice job with the variation in the melodies at 2:06 - that was a pleasant surprise. Despite my criticisms on some of the compositional and sound design details here, I’ll also say that the production quality is just about perfect. Very clean, well-balanced and full-sounding mix throughout. The arrangement of the piece, while not entirely original, channels the energy effectively and flows quite smoothly. Overall, strong work here, Dag0! Keep it up. ^_^

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
.75/1
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

Dag0 responds:

OMG This is the best score i've got from you, and it is quite surprising considering other judges reviews on this piece. Thanks! ^^

[Hand In Hand- NGUAC 2020 Final Round Submission]

I like the soothing guitars at the beginning and melodic flair and syncopations. The vocals are a little soft in the mix, but I like the sense of climax into 1:09 and the strong beat. There’s a good sense of contrast in intensity between the chorus and verses, and I like the extended refrain at the very end. After a while, you overuse the guitar riff that pops in at 2:07 (and other places), and I also would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic framework later on. That said, the drawn-out lyrics at around 3:30 were really nice for some variety in the pacing, even if they didn’t introduce much in the way of novel harmonic content. Overall, this is really strong work, Connor. I’m loving the sound design, production quality, and emotional quality in the vocals. If there’s somewhere I could download this, please PM me a link. :)

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

ConnorHeather responds:

Excellent, thanks for the time to leave such great constructive feedback really appreciate it! I'm thinking of making this part of an album i am recording, but i can send you a link to download, to say thanks! PM you email address.

[Ahurac - ID 2 (NGUAC Final Round Entry)]

I like the stereo crackles at the beginning and the blissful chiptune melodies. There’s a good sense of climax into :15, and the mix is really clean and well-balanced. The progression is really smooth, and I love the melodic variety and upbeat tone here. The bridge at 1:26 with the ghostly counter-melody was a nice touch, although by the end the piece doesn’t feel entirely structurally complete. I was looking for another climactic section to hit the piece home towards the end, but instead it feels like the most engaging part of the piece is in the first half. Structural gripes aside, the production quality here is awesome, and you clearly have a great sense of flow and harmonizing too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, Ahurac. Strong work! ^_^

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

Ahurac responds:

Thank you so much Tainted for this nice review, it was a pleasure for me to enter NGUAC and I'll come next year to beat my score ^^. The song is not finished and I'll take notes of what all of you said to make it perfect.

Best regards, Ahurac ~

[The Cyber Club]

I like the cute, catchy synth riffs at the beginning. The melodies are really nice, and the glitchy elements of the beat (example, :43) are neat. The texture has a lot of staccato-y elements, which is fine for a while, but could use some more shaking up at some point. The piece flows pretty smoothly, but could also use some more shape at times - the energy level feels pretty constant throughout. I also think the transition at 2:17 was a bit sudden, although I appreciated the variations in the texture there. The production quality is generally solid, and I'm enjoying the loud and clean mix. The section at 3:14 serves as a nice bridge, and the rhythmic content there is especially nice. I think the sound design is one of the strongest elements of this piece, actually - feels perfect for robot day. :) The final iteration of the main riff at 4:16 could've used a bit more development. Going bigger on the final refrain is a generally a good way of making a piece feel more dynamic, especially when it's relatively long like this one. Still, I really like the alternately cute and creepy mood of this one. Certainly seems fitting for a videogame. Keep at it, Codefreq! :)

Codefreq responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I really tried to do something unique with the instruments, so I appreciate that you thought it worked well. I’ll certainly keep the music flow in mind in the future.

[RejSende & Eonboi - Espresso]

I like the smooth E-piano at the beginning and the ambient noise in the background. Really nice tranquil and cool melodic flair. The vocals are a nice touch, and I like the simple ABAB structure of it. It's a little hard to follow the rhythm with that snare at 1:02, but overall the mood and sound design totally have me sold on this piece. The composition might need a bit more fleshing out, but you've really set the scene well here with these jazzy vibes and a strong production quality. Keep at it, RejSende! :)

Vimori responds:

Oh, thank you very much, TaintedLogic :)
Glad you like it

[The Crows Perch]

Sorry for the slow response! Was busy with some contest stuff.

I like the airy vocals at the beginning. The percussion sounds a little dry, but I like the layering at :22 and the tranquil vibes thereafter. The softer vocals at 1:13 are really lovely, and the guitar at 1:30 was a nice touch for some variety in the texture. After that, the composition gets a little bland, and I would've liked to see you expand on the theme of "my baby starvin'" more - seems like a narrative waiting to happen. The guitar could also use a more prominent solo or melodic riff - the part at 2:28 kinda feels like the beginnings of that, but the pattern there doesn't feel very dynamic. Overall, the mood and atmosphere are probably my favorite elements of this one. Really soothing and smooth soundscape. Keep at it, Anoth3rMind! :)

Anoth3rMind responds:

Thanks for the insight and taking the time to share your thoughts. This is all really encouraging and we are looking forward to putting out our next creation.

[Wertw - Far Away]

I like the reverse piano at the beginning and the tranquil riff at :14. The echo-y fade-in of the vocals at :27 was a nice touch, and I’m enjoying the crisp beats and rich atmosphere in the meantime. The melodies at :41 are nice, and I also really like the lyrics. The vocals themselves have some really heavy autotune, which is fine if it’s necessary, but ideally it wouldn’t be. The drop at 1:22 has a great sense of energy and drive, and the harsh leads there really goes nicely with the thematic content - it’s like it represents the singer’s passion for his absent loved one. The guitar during the re-intro at 1:51 was a nice touch, and while the second verse/build-up cycle is pretty similar to the first, I enjoyed the variations that were there, like the more aggressive-sounding vocals at 2:51 and the synth riff at 2:47. I also really enjoyed the variations on the drop the second time around. The piano echo of the vocal melody at 4:20 was a nice choice. It seems like the piece ends in the middle of a vocal phrase, but overall you did a great job with the progression and flow here. The arrangement itself might be a tad generic, though. Still, I’m impressed with the production quality, sound design, and intricacy of the rhythmic content. Pretty much all of my complaints here are small compositional details. Keep up the good work, Wertw! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Wertw responds:

Thanks a lot for the review! I'm gonna do my best now ;)

[Improvisation #1: I Will Wait For You]

I really like the soothing guitar at the beginning. The little flourishes (like at :27) are really impressive, and the flow is rather smooth. The very ending felt a tad rushed (just the final chord, really), but the biggest problem with the structuring imo is that there wasn’t enough of it. I feel like with solo instrument tracks, it’s really important to create variety along parameters like dynamics, energy levels, pacing, etc., because it’s inherently hard to create variety with the sound design. So, I guess that’s all to say that the composition could’ve been a tad more dynamic here along some of those other parameters. The recording quality is great, but there are a couple of small moments where you seem to hit the strings unintentionally (notably :59). The melodic content here is really nice, though, and you nailed the relaxed and somewhat wistful mood here. I still think the composition could be fleshed out a little more, but it’s good to hear a raw and organic submission like this. Keep at it, Thomastique! :)

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
.75/1
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

Thomastique responds:

Thank you! I will definitely keep all of this in mind for the future, great feedback!

[A Major Delight - NGUAC 2020]

I like the easy flow and catchy melodies of this one. The strings at the beginning aren’t really playing on top of the beat, which bothered me a little - I can’t tell if it’s the sample or some sort of mixing effect. The percussive rolls during transitory moments are really nice in this piece. Sometimes the rhythm of the lead is a little hard to follow, like at :39 for example, and the string harmonies could’ve sounded a little more distinct in the mix there. The brass section at 1:25 felt a little bare, and I feel as though the texture could use some shake-up to the instrumental hierarchy, as right now it feels like a procession of short solos. The injection of intensity at 2:18 was quite welcome, though, and helps hit the piece home well. My main complaints are probably with the generally thin texture and lack of structurally variety here. Still, the melodic content and sound design are strong as usual with you, and there’s a good amount of development in the melodic themes to keep things interesting later on. Keep at it, Spcialist! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

NativeNiles responds:

Hey, thx for the review, Im glad you like it.