TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Guru (feat. JT the Human)]

I love the quirky, glitchy vibe at the beginning and the smooth vocals. The content of the lyrics is also really good. The production quality is fantastic, and the angelic vocals at around :45 are great. I really like the crisp, mellow drums and the variety in the vocal textures here. This piece is both relaxing and thought-provoking. The rap part at around 2:45 was also really good, although I might've liked to hear the vocals be a bit stronger in the mix there. The texture here is really smooth and flowing, and I love the variations on the chorus at the 4-minute mark. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the instrumental track could use a stand-out moment, as the instrumental hierarchy is pretty similar throughout the piece. That said, the variety in the vocals and the overall tone of the piece sell it really well. Fantastic work overall, everyone! ^^

Phonometrologist responds:

Oi is there a point in replying after over a month and a half? Well, It's been a super busy December, and I'm getting back into the hang of things now. If you took the time to write out your thoughts about the piece, it is the least I can do to say thank you. I, too, really think the rap part brings the whole piece to a nice finish, and I also agree with you that I prefer having more instruments being more in the forefront of a mix/arrangement. However, it's the mixing style for the genre they were going for where the vocals ride over the top, and the instrumentals are more reserved. I understand it, but I always preferred a dirty mix such as the classic albums in the Rolling Stones, or the musical lyrics that blend well with the music as in Radiohead and M83. This is their baby, though.

[Where The Beast's At]

I like the ominous sound design and rich atmosphere towards the beginning. There's a good sense of climax into the drop at 1:04. You've really shown off your filtering skills and strong sense of rhythm. I like the cutesy VGM vibe at around 2:25 too, and the sing-songy "la la la"s at 2:35 help enhance that feeling. They also flow really nicely back into the pre-chorus thing at 3:02. The sound design during the outro is genius, and I loved the creepy atmospheric details at around 4:15. Nice job with the ritardando at the very end too. Overall solid work yet again, MrKoolTrix! ^^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for reviewing, TL! :D

[Western Punk]

I like the ominous sound design and atmosphere at the beginning. The texture is a bit minimal, but the percussion and sense of apprehension keep me engaged until it starts picking up at around :51. There's a bit of dissonance in the texture there, and I think the climactic part in the middle needs a bit more fill in the lower-mid frequency range to sell the intensity. I think you nailed the mood and atmosphere of the piece overall, and it has a good sense of flow and sound design as well. The composition might need a bit more fleshing out, and the tonality of the piece threw me off at some points, even though I know it's meant to sound creepy. You might also need more of a proper outro to the piece. Feels like it ends right after a climactic section, which is a bit jarring. The mixing is good, although during the climactic parts I wanted the drums to be punchier. Overall, though, solid work here, GALICROSS! :) Feel free to ping me again when you release your next track.

GALICROSS responds:

Thanks, I
I rework this music on the drums and more atmosphere

[Fulcrum]

I like the jazzy flair and crisp percussion. The texture is a bit minimal and staccato-y, but I like the addition of the groovy plucked bass at :20-ish. The solo at :35 is really wonky, with a lot of dissonant notes and large interval jumps that make it a bit hard to follow the harmonic framework. The mix is a little quiet, and could even use a higher saturation of effects to keep things interesting towards the beginning. The organ solo at 1:40 was super nice, and the texture fills out better in the second half of the piece. I really like the bright brass chords at around 2:25, too. The structure is a bit meandering and disjointed at times, but the piece comes together well by the end. Despite my general sour attitude towards sudden endings, this one seemed fitting given the rather quirky tone of the piece overall. You’ve also managed to give the piece a similarly quirky title. I applaud you for continuing to take so many compositional risks with your work, even at this late stage of the competition. Despite some minor gripes with the arrangement and harmonic details, you won me over with this one. Keep at it, Vocaloutburst! ^^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

vocaloutburst responds:

As always, thanks a ton for your reviews man!!! Tbh, I was REALLY worried about this one cause this is pure jazz XD. In this round, I felt like I was hitting a really bad block, so I went with creating a track that I was most comfortable with and that's honestly jazz stuff. I was afraid that it wouldn't sound very fitting in the contest, considering that most of the submissions so far were orchestral or cinematic. So it really means a lot to hear that you still enjoyed the piece regardless of the style!

[Flow]

I like the reverse pianos at the beginning and the gradual swell of the atmosphere into :14. The texture is quite rich, and the overall tone of the piece rather soothing and warm. There isn’t a strong sense of development for the first half or so, but the sound design and trance-like style help make up for that. I think there are some sudden entrances and shifts in the instrumental palette that detract from the flow of the piece, like at 1:34. Overall, the arrangement is pretty choppy here at times, and I would’ve liked to hear a more gradual climax into the more dramatic part at 2:03. The tempo change at 2:20 was a nice touch, though. I think the mix is a bit dry at times, especially towards the beginning, and could also use more bass to maximize the impact of the final climax. I like the dreamy outro, but I’m also not sure how to weave the narrative of the piece together between the sudden changes in mood here. In my estimation, the main problem with the piece is the somewhat disjointed structure. Everything else is truly a minor complaint, and you know I love your cinematic flair, sound design, phrasing and dynamics work, and melody-writing. Keep it up, CloakedSoup! ^^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks! I actually wrote like half of it in a couple hours. lol I'm definitely going to come back to this and completely re-work it.

[Escaping Limbo]

I like the thunder and rain sound effects (or, perhaps a recording?) at the beginning. It really sets the scene, and the bright chords add a profoundness to the tone of the piece. The texture smooths out considerably by the 1-minute mark, with your characteristic flowy wave-like style. The piece feels conspicuously empty at around 1:25, which I thought was a somewhat odd choice for what isn’t a particularly climactic part of the piece otherwise. I love the feeling of floating at 2:04, which is contrasted with the heavy chords at 2:42. The piece really gives off the sense of capturing a journey. At 3:04, there’s another one of your somewhat unexpected modulations, but at least the equally odd harmonic shift at 3:16 maintains the jarring chord progression across that section. I like the sound of footsteps at 3:30 (I’m not sure they’re footsteps, really, but it seemed to fit the journey metaphor). There’s such beautiful phrasing at the section starting at 3:55. The pitter-patter rhythm and delicately articulated swells complement each other so well - haunting work there. I also like how the piece periodically resets itself throughout this middle section. You’ve set up a really intricate arrangement here, and it doesn’t always work for me (5:04 seemed like a pretty sudden stylistic change, for example), but you’ve mostly found some particularly effective ways of transitioning between the various sub-themes of the piece. The reverse piano action at 5:30 was another strong compositional detail that adds to the pensive mood of the piece. I think 6:15 really serves as the arrival point of the piece - it feels so cathartic and freeing. Admittedly, the crackles in the background there didn’t quite work for me, though. I don’t think they built on your previous use of sound effects very effectively, and I almost thought the first one was some sort of recording mistake. There’s another rather awesome transition at 6:52, and the little sound wave manipulation going on at 6:56 works well to draw the listener’s attention to the background just before the rain starts up again. You’ve really taken some risks in this piece between the reversing of the piano and the generous use of sound effects. The ending is a bit jarring for me - seems like the grand crescendo of background noise was more for dramatic effect than to serve a more contextually appropriate compositional purpose. Perhaps that’s a bit stringent, though. Overall, this piece is fantastic. I’m particularly impressed with your continued ability to make such a simplistic sound design so engaging and varied, even across different pieces. If I was getting even slightly bored with your piano compositions this summer (which I was not), these last couple of rounds would renew my interest in a heartbeat. Well done, Ale! ^_^

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

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Wow, thank you for the in-depth review! I am glad you liked the sound effects. I did not record these myself, but they're all CC0, free to use sounds. I intentionally stayed away from any popular or often used ones. I tried to get effects with as few downloads as possible, but only if they had just as high quality/fit the piece as well as the popular ones. Thus, there are a few exceptions.

I wanted to make something really different for this round, for many reasons. I realise the risk in composing only solo piano pieces for a competition like this. Regardless of how good they are, they would feel a bit boring in the long run if they were all too similar. My laptop can't really handle too many instruments in Cubase at the moment, but it quite easily processes sound effects. I also wanted to tell a story and set an atmosphere with this composition. I felt it especially important to set the feel, as this track is partially dedicated to something Jordi was/to some extent still is going though.

I knew it was also a bold choice to say the least to compose something this long. It's a habit I have by now, as it has happened before. But certain pieces just require that kind of depth to portray what is intended, I think. I've been very happy to hear that people haven't found this piece too dragging despite its length and heaviness, though! I actually had 11 or 12 minutes of material at least, but I fought hard to cut it down to the most important elements of the story and progression.

I'm glad you like the footsteps, btw! As for the crackles, I have to agree with you there, to some extent. I had to keep it in for conceptual reasons, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find the kind of sound that I feel would've really fit there. I suppose I should've started a fire myself, and kept my microphone at an apt distance. Maybe next time :)

I'm glad you appreciated my risk-taking. For this NGADM, I've really tried to capture a balance between being creative and taking my pieces in all kinds of crazy directions, with reigning them in so that others can fully enjoy them too. Hopefully, it's working somewhat okay, at least...

"The ending is a bit jarring for me - seems like the grand crescendo of background noise was more for dramatic effect than to serve a more contextually appropriate compositional purpose."

=> This is one critique I have to disagree with, though. The very start of the piece is a loud thunder strike, followed by some rain. The very end is reversed rain, followed by a loud reversed thunder strike to null out all other sound. To me, this signifies a full, seemingly never-ending loop; limbo. So I would argue it is kept in mostly for compositional purpose, and perhaps you found the effect lacking?

Thank you again for always writing such extensive reviews. I can always tell that you've really listened to the songs, when you describe the parts that stood out to you in some way.

[We Are All Doomed]

I like the heavy bass and atmosphere at the beginning. The crisp hi-hats and quirky percussion at :15 were a nice touch, too. The heavy mid-range bass really helped inject some energy and drive into the piece, but I thought the kick at :40 sounded a bit too thin and contained. The creepy pitch-shifting on the organ riff at :57 was a great touch, and despite the relative minimalism and lack of harmonic variety, you nailed the mastering work, sound design, and rhythmic elements here. I really like melodies at 1:50 or so too. You begin to overuse the creepy pads a bit during the middle section, but the ongoing use of the mid-range basses helps keep things interesting until the re-intro at around 2:50. The drum fills at 3:20 were really creative too. There could've been a little more variety between the first and second drops, but honestly the drops are so good that I don't mind as much as I usually would. There are a couple of rough transitions between the more atmospheric and bass-heavy parts, but I'm glad you brought the atmospheric section back for the end. Strong work overall, Larrynachos! Fave'd and DL'd. ^_^

EDIT: just realized this is the 1,000th song I favorited on the site, LN, so you should feel special. :^)

larrynachos responds:

The 0:40 part should have had a crash with every kick, it feels empty to me too x.x

Your review is pretty much 100% how I feel about this track lol. Although I thought I might have been able to snag that last half star from you. Maybe on the next one!

Thanks for the review TL! Your feedback has played a big part in my growth :D

[A Halloween Tale [Short]]

Lovely as always, Vocif! I like the stringed instruments at the beginning and the flowing quality of the piece overall. The vocals at :26 sound like a children's choir, which enhances the haunting aspect of the track. I like the injection of energy at :56 too. The mood of the piece is just wonderful - whimsical, adventuresome, and at times cutesy (e.x., 1:45). The title is fitting in that you really told a story with the piece. I especially like when the more mature-sounding vocals come in at 2:40 - sounds like a major point of arrival. Nice use of theremin at 3:32 as well. As always, the sound design is one of the strongest elements of your work, and the mixing and composition are equally as compelling. There may be a couple of sudden transitions in here, but the sound design and mood keep everything rather tightly knit in here. I think my favorite part of the piece is 5:55, which feels like the most action-packed part of the story line. The circus-like mallet instrument at 6:15 was a great touch, too. One of my favorite elements of the composition here is how energetic and driven the texture is towards the end. Details like that really emphasize the story-like nature of the piece, while at the same time leaving the listener wanting more. The theremin during the outro was another stellar sound design choice, btw. You should team up with someone from the movie portal next time to make a corresponding animation! Until then, fantastic work here, VociferousMusic. Beautiful and well-varied piece all around.

VociferousMusic responds:

Thanks a lot for such a detailed feedback even though you are not judging this time! In case you didn't know, the stringed instrument at the intro and outro is the celtic harp. It's a bit more complicated at the circus-like melody later. There it is an ensemble of the piccolo, glockenspiel, xylophone and harpsichord, so definitely very hard to identify. Now we are back at the transitions, probably my currently biggest weakness, which always costed me .25 points during the contest. This time however I have to comment that the rather sudden transitions (for example at 6:40) were done like that by intention. I thought this is cinematic music and a Halloween track just as well. Imagine within the story-line something (bad, shocking) would be happening out of nowhere.
I think that making a real transition there kind of would ruin the moment of the surprise.

[Discovery {Dj-Abbic}]

I like the cute plucking riffs at the beginning. It has a cartoonish charm to it, and the bass-y elements at :28 facilitate the build-up into the drop really well. The section at 1:04 feels really cathartic, and I like how you contrasted the energy there with the mellow breakdown at 1:37. The orchestration there is nice, but I might've liked to hear you get a little more creative with some of the rhythmic and compositional details through the middle section of the piece. The arrangement of the piece is pretty generic, yet effective. The detuned synths at 3:10-ish and the more organic-sounding drums during the outro helped keep things engaging until the end. Solid work overall, DjAbbic! ^^

DjAbbic responds:

Thanks for dropping by, I actually agree with you about that middle section, it feels rather neglected in comparison with the rest. I didn't really pay a huge amount of attention to it and it really shows, so you're spot on there.

[Give You Something]

Catchy beats at the beginning. I like the filtering work and the synths. The vocals are a bit dry, and the lyrics seem a bit cheesy at times. The style of the vocals also seems a bit overly nonchalant somehow, and sometimes you don't quite articulate all the syllables so well, like at 1:12 ("gonna blow your mind"). I also think you could've done a lot more with the drums in this piece; they're pretty bland and simplistic for most of the track. The sound design and mixing are definitely the strongest elements of this piece. Otherwise, it gets pretty repetitive after a while, although I like the bridge at 2:35 with the ghostly melody in the background. The funky chords at 3:10 were a nice touch, too. Keep at it, Time0ff! ^^

Time0ff responds:

Thank you Tainted! As always really appreciate your carefully thought reviews, we had plenty of problems with the vocals in this track and the editing of the track itself, I think we can work out a shorter edit to make this have a better flow ;)