TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Police State, Signed CDC]

I like the tranquil atmosphere at the beginning. The texture sounds a tad indistinct, though, and I wonder if it would help if the bass and the lead had more space between them (in terms of pitch, that is). Still, I like the moody vocals at :35 and the burst of intensity at 1:05. It sounds like the crashes there are getting either cut off or distorted somehow, however. The vocals at 1:38 are really well-done, and the return of the moody vocal riff at 2:15 alongside the distorted guitar is a really nice touch. I really like the melodies at 2:45 and the “aftershocks” at 3:15 after the rest of the instrumentals divert to a solemn plucking. The outro was especially captivating, and it also fits the thematic content well - literally sounds like defeat. Overall, I think the production is a tad rough around the edges, but you won me over with the soulful vocals and powerful guitar melodies. Full credit for sound design, structure/transitions, and emotional/atmosphere. Keep it up, TRF! ^_^

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

TheRealFool responds:

Thank you for the detailed review! I certainly would've done some things about the mix differently, but the file's corrupted so this'll do for now. Glad to hear you appreciated the composition and performances!

[Enchanted (2020 Version)]

I like the blissful mood and the sound design at the beginning. The sudden drop in volume levels in the strings at :27 was a nice touch. I was a little thrown off, however, when the piano and strings tag-teamed it at :41. I guess I found it jarring that the piano didn’t also continue on as part of the texture. Still, that’s a pretty small detail. I like the cutesy instrument at :46 and the burst of energy at :55. The piece comes together well by the end. I wasn’t a huge fan of the thin, inauthentic-sounding snare at 1:09 - it just didn’t vibe well with the character of the piece. Overall, I really like the composition here, from the melodies to the progression to the rhythmic elements, and the production quality is good too. Most of my complaints here are nit-picks. Keep it up, TahtuhChips! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

ArramEggleston responds:

I completely agree with the piano and the snare. Thanks for the review! :)

[Tony Igy & Vicetone - Astronomia (kallashi! Remix)]

I like the calming mood at the beginning and the sound design. The drums at :23 are really creative, even while the chord progression is pretty cliche. The texture sounds a tad distorted at :40 in the bass range - it might be that the spacing of the chords on those low pads could be wider to give the texture a richer, more open feel. The harmonic content is a little repetitive later in the piece, and the section at 1:33 has the same problem as :40. That said, the production quality is strong here, and the saxophone at 1:56 was a nice touch. Overall, this piece might need a bit more harmonic variety and structuring, but the sound design, atmosphere, and mixing are all strong. Keep at it, Sunglasses909! :)

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
.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
7.25/10

Sunglasses909 responds:

Thank you so much! =D

[Chilling Spot]

I like the energy at the beginning and the bouncy synth melodies at :07. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the rich, bass-heavy texture helps keep things interesting, and the strong melodic content continues in the post-chorus at :42. After a time, the piece might’ve needed a tad more variety in the harmonic framework and instrumental hierarchy, though. Otherwise, it risks bouncing around between a bunch of cool melodies without ever really leading anywhere as an overarching narrative. There were also times when I wanted the drums to be a little more prominent in the mix, and the ending could’ve been a little more creative than a fade-out. Still, I’m really enjoying the rich texture, sound design, and melodies here. Keep at it, Stouf7908! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

stouf7908 responds:

Thanks !!

[Butterfly (WIP)]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but the overall flow of the piece is nice, and there’s a good sense of climax into :45. The percussion sounds a bit indistinct at :45, and the sidechaining is a bit heavy for my tastes. The quirky synth at 1:15 is cool, and the brass instrument in the background of the breakdown at 2:00 was a nice touch. I like how you varied the drop the second time around, even though the harmonic content itself could use some switching up at some point in the piece. I also would’ve liked to hear a proper outro to the piece. Still, great job overall with the sound design, atmosphere, energy, and mixing. My biggest concern here is probably how generic the arrangement, harmonic framework, and transitions are.

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Semicedevine responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! Yeah, it definitely is generic, but this whole thing started out as a semi-joke with what would happen if I tried making the most generically-composed song possible. The result was that since I was already familiar with the process, I could focus on other things I normally wasn't as familiar with like mixing and flow control! xD

[The Ride on the Pianofalls]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the sound design. The piano sounds really rich and full, which is good, but also a bit inauthentic. Maybe it’s the way it’s filtered? I like the injection of energy at :34 and the melodic flourishes in the strings. There’s a great devious sort of mood at 1:03. You really sold the narrative quality of this one, and despite all the variety in the composition the progression is really smooth. The drum rolls at 2:23 are especially nice, and the slightly dissonant piano line at 2:58 was also a fun detail. I’m just going to list a bunch of other small things that I thought were really cool: the percussion and vocals at around 4:05, the emotional quality of the string mini-solo at 5:40, and the beautiful pacing and spaciousness of the piano solo at 5:55. If I had to complain about something, it might be that there could’ve been a bit more cohesion in the structure. Still, I know you poured your heart into this, and it shows. Absolutely inspiring work here, especially with the composition. Keep it up, ScottSoul! ^^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

ScottSoul responds:

Quite the review there, TaintedLogic! Perhaps you can help me understand what you mean by 'authenticity' in the piano, and 'cohesion' in the structure; it's too vague for me to comprehend your point of view (which I appreciate greatly)! :)

I wish I could thank you properly for the flowers you're throwing at me for all the details you're picking up on, but all I can really say is everything I compose is somewhat unconscious; namely, I'm not entirely responsible for what comes out onto my DAW. Most of the time, I'm taken aback myself by how extensive "my" work can be. The soul is a wild animal.

Thank you so much, TaintedLogic, for favoriting my track and reviewing it. It means the world to me.

[Shooting star]

I like the spacey mood and atmosphere, but the pulsing effect on the pads was a bit too heavy for my tastes. The airy synth at :15 is a nice touch, and there’s a good sense of climax into :46. The slow-paced drop was great harmonically, if a bit over-compressed. The beat at 1:48 is cool, and I like the more consistent flow of the second drop at 2:17. The melodic variations at 2:33 really help hit the piece home. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture throughout, though - I wonder if you could’ve gotten away with loosening up on the compressors a bit if you toned down the reverb. Still, this is a creative piece with some really neat sound design and atmospheric elements. My main concern is probably the generic arrangement, actually. Keep at it, Retrize! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

retrize responds:

I will try my best, thank you very much ;)

[Approaching Battle]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The dark chord at :21 is a nice touch, and there’s a great sense of build-up into :34. The string melodies there are beautiful, and you’ve really sold the drama well with the phrasing and instrumentation. The brass solos during the middle section were also really nice, and you tie the piece together really well with the melodies at the end. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the mix is a little quiet. But overall, really strong work here, my friend. You’ve earned a scout and, pending the approval of the other judges, a spot in the next round of this competition. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

potato-stick responds:

Thanks for the clearly thought out review! The mix has been something that I haven't gotten too deep into, so maybe I'll focus more on that for the next submission. I'm glad to join in on this competition and this community :)