TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Motivation]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning. The texture comes together well by :32, and the slap bass really helps fill out the low end. The mix is a tad quiet, but also really clean and clear. It has a much more organic/acoustic vibe than most of your other tracks as I recall, but I like when the more synthetic elements start to bleed in at around 1:04. This track has a really smooth vibe overall, and I love the harmonic variations at the bridge at 3:00. The funky guitars at 3:14 are another big plus. There could've been some more prominent melodic content at some point, but for now this track really has a refreshing, down-to-earth coffee house vibe. Looking forward to hearing more of your work soon. Welcome back, NoisySundae! ^^

Noisysundae responds:

I've come to learn that letting the peak sit too close to zero is not a good idea since those samples can be clipped when encoded. My mastering rules right now is first keeping the loudness difference between the middle channel only and middle + side in between 0.5 to 1 dB, then adjust the loudness on the loudest part of the track to -16.xx LUFS with -2.xx dB peak. I got these numbers from when I was doing 15 remasters a few months ago and it works quite well on them. Also, that's one way to make sure the sound won't be altered too much on Spotify (they use a limiter).

At 3 minute mark, it's actually just a sped up elevator and funk music (I mean, try listening to that part with 0.75x speed on YouTube.). Btw, I admit that I got a bit burnt out towards the end and didn't come up with better melodies. I got overwhelmed by all those earlier parts, but I can't really imagine the shorter version of this track so I went with 4.5 minutes.

Thank you again for the detailed review! And yup, already having a bunch of new menu projects going on, and the remasters I mentioned.

[Clocktown]

I like the dreamy vibe at the beginning and the cute synths. The melodic content at :20 is wonderful, and the crisp percussion and atmosphere-heavy mix really help fill in the texture. Really creative work with the percussion at around :56. The production quality here is great, and I love the tempo automations at 1:05. The section at 1:26 has a more energetic vibe, and the background percussion really does sound like a ticking clock there. The rhythmic shimmering effect at 1:42 didn’t quite work for me - I feel like that section functions as the most legato part of an already atmospheric piece, and the wavering effect lessened the impact of the climax for me. Still, the sound design and melodic content in this piece are awesome, and the emotional appeal of the outro at 2:43 was very well done. Strong work overall again, guys! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Onefin responds:

thanks for the review! these help a lot

i need to ask jessieyun for a review lol

[Salsa Verde [Arby's Revenge]]

Very different than what I’m used to hearing from you! I like the sound design in this piece a lot, although the rhythm at the beginning is a little hard-to-follow at first. The piano at :05 really helps anchor the syncopations in place, though. The vocals at :13 add to the thematic flavor, and the guitar at :28 is a really refreshing addition to the texture. The saxophone melody at 1:12 serves as a wonderful point of arrival, and I also love the bass line there. There’s room for a little more structural ebb and flow in the piece, although the solos at 2:01 help hit the piece home well. The ending also comes on a tad suddenly, but the percussion fill during the last few seconds helps. Overall, I love the compositional work here, and the production quality is strong as always with you. Another strong effort, Phono! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Phonometrologist responds:

Thank you for your review here for which I do not take for granted. Regarding the rhythm in the beginning, this was my inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0aQ4PVAdI
There's not much critique here for me to gnaw on, but I appreciate the comments nonetheless. Regarding the ending...well.. you know

[Sanctum]

I like the smooth guitars at the beginning and the crisp drums. The rhythmic content is enjoyable too, although the piece is a bit slow to progress at times. The arrival point of :59 really anchors the piece imo, although I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content there. I would’ve liked to hear a stronger sense of ebb and flow in this piece over time. Especially the verses here feel a little flat and stagnant. Nice job with the high-energy section at 2:29, and I appreciate the addition of the melodic content at 2:58. I still think you could’ve done a tad more with harmonic development and adding more dynamism in the composition here, but overall the piece comes together well towards the end in terms of a narrative arc. I also have no complaints with the production quality, mixing, or sound design. Keep at it, JDawg00100! :)

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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

JDawg00100 responds:

thanks for the detailed review :)

[Neon Gaze]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the luscious atmosphere. I wasn’t a huge fan of the clap sample - it sounded a bit dry, and also didn’t sit very well in the mix at times. Otherwise, the sound design is enjoyable. The harmonic content has a serious lack of variety here, though. I like the transition at 1:08, but otherwise there’s not a lot of variety to keep my attention. Nice use of phrasing and filtering later on, but I’m afraid the composition here is just seriously underwhelming. The mix is also a tad quiet, although it’s still clear and clean. The piece needs some more structuring, melodic content, and variety. I think you’ve set up the mood and thematic content well, though, and I hope you keep working on this. For a short and (admittedly) incomplete piece, it sounds good. Keep at it, AceMantra! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

AceMantra responds:

Thanks for the review and your hard work. I'll definitely work on this some more.

[Above the Clouds, Below the Sea]

I like the waltzy meter and sound design. The strings have a great, warm sound, and there’s a rather satisfying climax into :23. The harmonic shift at :31 is really well done, despite the fast pacing through that section. The mix is a bit quiet here, but otherwise well-balanced and full-textured. I think you could’ve stood to flesh out the composition here a little more. Right now, it bounces back and forth among several distinct sections very quickly, and the sense of cohesion suffers as a result. Still, these are minor complaints that only slightly detract from my enjoyment of the wonderful orchestration, whimsical storytelling, and impressive compositional details of this piece. Keep up the good work, CloakedSoup! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Thanks man! I'm actually going to be updating this pretty soon to extend it/finish mixing it, I've just got to get some other music I'm currently working on out of the way first. The thing that bugged me the most about this mix was the annoying white noise that was coming from the high end of the harp here, but I made sure to fix that for the finalized version. I should be able to get the extended/finished one up sometime this week, so look out for that! :D

[JUGGERNAUT]

I really like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning and the gritty edge to the texture. The piece is a little slow to develop at first, and I found it a bit disorienting when the atmosphere completely fades away at around :32. The distorted guitars are nice, but the texture at :48 sounds rather indistinct and bass-heavy. The sound design is enjoyable, but the texture could be more well-balanced to include more treble-range instruments. That said, the mix holds up pretty well in spite of the bottom-heavy frequency balance. The transition back to the murky atmosphere at 2:39 is rather sudden, though, and in general I think you could’ve done a lot more with this piece harmonically. The distorted synth at 3:12 sounds really nice. It sounds forlorn and yet also relaxed in a state of complete acceptance. You also do a good job of integrating the atmospheric flair with the guitars at 3:42. I think that section is still pretty repetitive, and lacks a lot of dynamic melodic content. I also think the piece has a lot of reverb and some relatively weak drums that could use sharpening in the mix. Overall, my favorite elements of the piece are the sound design and atmosphere. I think the composition and, to a lesser extent, mixing, could use some more polish, though. Either way, this is a fun, catchy, and unique piece. Keep at it, SourJovis! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
7.75/10

SourJovis responds:

Thank you for the review. I made some changes since the first upload based on your suggestions. I didn't change as much as I thought I would, because I wanted to stick to the minimalist style I had in mind, so I don't know if you like it better this way. See "Edit September-21st-2019" for more details about what I've changed.

[endK - Midnight Chariots]

The thematic content with the glitchiness at the beginning was a fun idea, but I think you overdid the stereo crackling a bit. The rhythmic content here is certainly catchy, and the sound design is top-notch as usual. There’s a lot of space in the mix until around :50, when the piece gains a more flowing style. I think you could’ve done a tad more with the drums at some point here, and after a while the piece does get a bit repetitive. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that there are several extended sections of relative minimalism in the piece, especially harmonically. That said, I appreciated the harmonic variety you offered at 1:56, and the piece comes together well with the solos at 2:22. The catchy synth brass stabs are nice, and the horse samples help cement the thematic content. Overall, solid work! All of my complaints are minor. Keep at it, EndK. ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

endKmusic responds:

Totally agree with you on the drum argument during the chorus - but I was low on time.
The same thought was in my head also!
It sounded good enough so I decided to focus on other things.

The same goes for the 'minimalistic parts' as you said.
I had the call - response pattern and thought it's gonna be good enough, and it did sound ok.
I guess the next song will have the right amount of harmony to compensate.

Thanks for constructive review TL, will focus more on those things for sure. :)

[Rite of First Flight]

I like the eastern-sounding instruments at the beginning and the cool syncopations. The filtering and panning on the stringed instrument at :16 is really neat, and I really like the glitchy flair at :56. The sound design here is so eclectic and refreshing, although there are a lot of relatively percussive sounds in the texture that could use some smoother over at some point. Perhaps some sort of drone-like ambiance would fit the character of this piece and help fill out the texture at times? Still, I really like how the other instruments fade away when the adorable melody comes in at 1:34 with the shaker. The repetition of the string line at 2:30 also gave the piece a bit of structural cohesion that is sometimes lacking in your tracks. The transition at 3:26 was a bit sudden, and I think some of the dense rhythmic patterns there get in each other’s way. Still, by around 4:03 I’m loving the mellow tone of the outro, and the nature FX in the background really helps set the scene. Wonderful work as usual, Syamori. Please let me know when the album comes out. ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Baumarius responds:

Thanks TL! I'll keep this stuff in mind, and I'll definitely let you know when it's out! I've come to a few new musical epiphanies and breakthroughs with the next song for the contest, regarding the personification of my instruments... I can't wait to post it lol

[Derpcat - Crystal Caves]

I like the cute, atmospheric synths at the beginning and the blissful mood. I have mixed feelings about the glitchy guitar synth at :35 - I get what you were going for with the added intensity and drive there, but some of the glitchy elements kinda interfere with the flow of the piece after a while. There’s also a rather heavy contrast in mood with the abbreviated breakdown at 1:10 that never gets fully explored imo. The bridge at 1:18 was a bit bland, as were the drum patterns throughout the piece. I really like the atmosphere at 1:53, and I think you could’ve capitalized on the emotional quality of the piece there by incorporating more gradual transitions into this piece. Overall, there’s a lot of promise here in the mood, sound design, mixing, and rhythmic content of the piece, but the structure feels a bit thrown-together and choppy right now. The piano outro is great, but I’m not sure you have me sold on this piece as a cohesive composition yet by the end. I still think 1:18 functions like a bridge (as :35 feels a lot more climactic), which leaves the last half of the piece without a major point of arrival to hit it home. Still, nice work with the production, atmosphere, and instruments. Keep at it, DerpCatOfficial. ^_^

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

DerpcatOfficial responds:

UwU thank