TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Badge and Trenchcoat]

I like the dark mood and pulsing bass line at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, but the rhythmic content and atmosphere help keep things engaging. I like the furtive-sounding riff at :50 and the subsequent injection of energy at 1:07. The mixing effects are used really well in this piece, from the phasing and filtering to the rich reverb. The composition gets a little bland after a while, though, with not a lot of harmonic depth. The breakdown at 2:00 or so was a nice change-of-pace, but I think you went a tad overboard with the reverb during the final climactic section at 2:48. The mix is still pretty clean, though, and overall the sound design and atmosphere are some of the strongest elements of this piece. I think you could stand to have a little more ebb-and-flow over the course of some of these longer sections (like 2:48 to 3:55), although that last section did help hit the piece home after a rather mellow middle section. Solid work overall! Keep at it, Ditchy. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.75/10

Ditchy responds:

Im glad the atmosphere stuck throughout as I try my best to push that area in these sort of tracks! Mixing compliments mean a lot and is a big achievement for me (as you know its the hardest part).

As ever @TaintedLogic, thanks mate - as busy as you are, your feed back is really appreciated.

[Morning Breeze (NGUAC 2020 K-O)]

I like the bright piano chords at the beginning and the atmosphere. The pace of progression is a little slow at first, but the sound design and air of mystery work really well together. I’m enjoying the arpeggios at :48 and the build-up into 1:04. The section at 1:05 is a bit minimal and drawn-out, and I think the lack of fill in the texture made it feel a bit anticlimactic, especially with the call-and-response between the blissful melodies and the rhythmic percussion at 2:07. I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamism and continuity in the melodic content. The breakdown at 3:06 is nice, though, and I also thought the mixing was good here, despite the compression being a bit heavy at 1:05. There’s some nice variety in the instrumentation at 4:23, but I think the piece could also use some more harmonic depth at times. My favorite element of the piece was probably the mood/atmosphere, which often go hand-in-hand imo. Very dreamy and blissful quality that the piece has, and the sound design just reinforces that. Despite my complaints regarding the compositional details, you won me over here with the production quality and instrumentation. Keep at it, Crazy-Unicorn! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Crazy-Unicorn responds:

Thank you for the feedback dude! It'll help me a lot for sure :)

[NGUAC Submission- "That's Why I Stay With You"]

I like the relaxed guitars at the beginning and the vocals at :20. The chord progression is a little generic, but the production quality is really strong and I like how the texture gets richer as the piece goes on. The solos at 1:43 are nice, although during the following refrains there might’ve been a little more harmonic variety. On the other hand, the doubling of the vocals with the guitar at 2:05 did add a soulful bent to the tone of the piece, and I enjoyed the novel riffs at 2:50. I think the volume changes at 3:02 could’ve been a little more gradual - otherwise they come off as a bit unnatural. The slight ritardando and stand-alone vocals at the end work well, but also come off as a bit cliche. Still, the mixing and mastering sound professional, and you’re clearly a talented vocalist and guitarist too. Strong work overall - my main complaint is probably the lack of originality in the arrangement and harmonic structure. Keep at it, ConnorHeather! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

ConnorHeather responds:

Wow what an absolutely great and in depth review! Awesome thank you!

[Racer]

I like the catchy guitar riffs and crisp drums at the beginning. The synth melodies at :28 were a nice touch, too. I especially like the frantic guitar solo at 1:40. Overall, the arrangement gives the piece a constant sense of energy and drive. At some point, it would’ve been nice to have a little more shape and structural contrast with an atmospheric breakdown or mellow bridge or something. I also think there are a lot of long sections where the melodic riffs follow a really predictable on-and-off pattern (example, 2:55 to 3:24). I think it would be more engaging if there was a little more variation in this format within the phrase, and would also help you build up to the more intense sections. Still, the modulations help keep things interesting, and I enjoyed the drawn-out outro. Overall, this is a solid piece. Production quality is especially strong, and the solos really kept me into it despite the harmonic repetitions. Keep at it, Catpocalypse! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Catpocalypse responds:

I appreciate you taking the time to write this review, and thanks for all this good and helpful feedback! Though, I'm not really understanding how this song is repetitive, as the guitar and synth leads are are scattered across all parts of the song for the sole purpose of keeping it interesting.
Also, the constant energy you described is designed to run through the entire song. If I were to relax in any part, the track overall would lose its momentum, and as this is a song about racing, it would ultimately make sense for there to be a constant drive and speed to it.

[【NGUAC】BegissoR - Fortune Teller]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the catchy synth riffs. It feels like the piece throws the listener into the middle of the action without much of an intro, but by the time the bass riff at :20 and subsequent build-up into :38 roll around, I’m on board with the fast pace. The drop is also catchy, and the ominous riff at :57 is a nice touch. The transition at 1:17 could’ve been a tad smoother, especially since the part at 1:18 was so much more minimal than the drop before it. The detuned piano at 1:18 has a great, eerie quality, but that section could’ve used a richer atmosphere to really sell the ominous mood. The bridge at 1:36 was nice, especially with the syncopations at 1:55. The transition at 2:34 is another example of a “Band-Aid” approach to progression here - ideally you’d have at least one core element of the texture carry over on either side of the transition. Otherwise, the crash you have in there can only do so much to smooth it over. The more authentic-sounding drum kit at 2:53 was a cool sound design decision, but by 3:12 you lost me a little bit with all of the distinct sections in the middle of this piece. I think you needed a more climactic section at the end to hit the piece home and tie up some of the thematic elements of the track. Instead, the section at 3:12 sounds like it’s building towards something else (thus the transposition of that lead riff up an octave at 3:31) that never comes. Thus, functionally you have two bridge sections in the piece, at 1:43 and 3:12. Not to over-analyze, though. Overall, you nailed the sound design, mixing and mastering, and rhythmic and harmonic content. The arrangement could be a little less choppy, but all things considered my complaints are minor here. Keep at it, Begissor! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
7.75/10

begissor responds:

Thank you! Doing my best.

[its been done]

I like the pensive vibe at the beginning and the steady rhythm of the ascending and descending lines in the guitar. The piano chords are a little strong, but the rest of the sound design fits in well. I would’ve liked to see you fill out the atmosphere a bit more with some reverb and other mixing effects, but the experimental vibe I’m getting from the rhythm and slight dissonance at around the 1-minute mark helps keep things engaging. I might’ve liked to hear some more melodic content at some point, but the experimental texture won me over at the end of the day. I still wanted the atmosphere to be a little richer, and the piece could use some more automation and phrasing just to capture the emotional quality of the arrangement a little more. Couldn’t hurt to humanize the piano more and create some subtle dynamics or tempo changes. Overall, though, the experimental composition paid off pretty well here. Solid sound design and mixing, and some creative harmonies too. Keep at it, Aweror! :)

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

Aweror responds:

awesome, thanks for the detailed feedback, very much appreciated!

[Gaining Ground]

While no longer an official "contest" review, I did have one already written before our PM exchange the other day. Have at thee:

I like the staccato-y guitar riffs at the beginning and the melodic vocals at :11. The mix is loud, crisp, and well-balanced, and the injection of intensity at :32 is great. I really like your style, Ajskull. Reminds me of a cross between Green Day and the soundtrack from Rent. The solo at 2:18 was super nice, but also a little short-lived. The extra layering on the guitars during the final refrain is nice, but part of me wanted even more melodic development and intensity for the last minute or so of the piece. The arrangement of the piece is pretty generic, but it also has a great flow and sense of pacing overall. The mixing is probably the strongest part of the piece imo, although sometimes I wanted the drums to pop in the upper register a little more. The vocals came off sounding really powerful and rich, though, which can be hard to do with such a heavy underpinning of guitars. Overall, this is a highly impressive piece, and all of my complaints are minor. Well done, Ajskull! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

AjSkull responds:

Wow this is awesome! Thanks so much for still giving this a solid review! Newgrounds rocks!

[Abstrack - Reflection]

I like the somewhat ominous fade-in at the beginning and the cutesy synths at :05. The melodies are catchy, but the chord progression is pretty generic, and the texture stays pretty minimal for much of the piece. Sometimes, the drums also sound a bit distorted in the mix - like at :37, for example. I think there’s a tad too much reverb on the claps sometimes, but there also could be a little too much compression on some of the other instruments. The lead synth at :48 was cool, although it didn’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. I like the rhythmic variations between mini-phrases (2:28), but otherwise there isn’t much in the way of variety or melodic development later on in the piece to keep me engaged. The extended pause at 3:01 threw me off a bit, although the airy outro thereafter was a nice touch. I think some more variation on the main melody at 2:19 would really help give more of a narrative arc to this piece, but it might be even more important to have a stronger point of contrast towards the middle - an atmospheric bridge or harmonic shift after the first refrain, for example. Still, your work here shows a strong sense of atmosphere, rhythm, and harmony. The minimal texture and cliche chord progressions and arrangement are probably my main complaints here. Keep at it, Abstrack! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Abstrack responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic for your big review! You always do this by providing so many details, it helps me so much!

If getting better at music production is like exploring a dark cave with a light torch, then getting a constructive review is like having someone else lend you their torch for a bit.

[YPJ Technical Mecha]

I'm not judging your group, but this piece is awesome. The sound design and rhythmic content are killer, and despite being almost entirely rhythm section, there's actually a solid balance in the frequency range. Sometimes, there's a bit too much reverb in the texture for my tastes, but the production quality is really solid as well. Really creative stuff here, Mooke! ^_^

zybor responds:

Thank you for your review, TL! :)

[Freeform HC WIP]

Dark and dreamy. I like it! Atmosphere is solid, too. I think the percussion at the end is a tad cheesy, and the transition at :37 could've been smoother, but the ascending line in the strings from :27 to :33 was really well done. Gives the piece a subtle sense of climax, even though it's really short. Hope you're still producing, man!

DDman465 responds:

Makes a lot of sense looking back. Never had any real consideration for the listener or awareness. Will definitely try my hand in the next contest NG has to see how skills have improved. Thank you for the review.