TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sunshine]

I like the majestic atmosphere at the beginning and the furtive vocals. The mix is nice and loud and crisp, and I love the upbeat tone of the piece and the bouncy sound design. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, and I can’t help but feel like you could’ve done a bit more with the melodic content and vocal refrains in the piece, cathartic though they were. The mellow breakdown at 1:37 is good for some variety. The arrangement and sound design of this piece are a little generic, and later on in the piece the main riffs and harmonies could use some shaking up. The production quality, sound design, and atmosphere of this piece are top-notch. Some bolder compositional details and a less generic arrangement would help take it to the next level. Keep at it, Mauxus! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Mauxus responds:

Thank you so much for this review! I'm amazed by your ability to leave such detailed info.

[Suddenly Came Brightness]

I like the bassy atmosphere at the beginning. I think it’s a little awkward how the bass keeps fading in and out over the first 25 seconds or so - kinda disrupts the flow IMO. The texture remains a bit thin for the rest of the first minute, and the extended pause at 1:04 was a bit long. The choir at 1:08 sounds a bit indistinct in the mix, and I’m not sure I like how it suddenly cuts out at 1:24. I like a lot of the spacey sound design in the middle of the piece, as well as the crisp string riff at 1:57. The piece could use a bit more harmonic variety at times, and I also think the piece needed a strong sense of overarching direction to it. The energy level waxes and wanes, but the arrangement feels a bit formulaic (regular changes to the texture every 8 bars but not a lot of motion in between) and lacking in narrative appeal. Overall, the atmosphere, mood, and instruments are my favorite aspects of the piece. The mix could be punchier at times, and the composition doesn’t quite live up to its potential here. Still, the instrumentation and chord progression give the piece a nice, melancholic feel, and certainly help you play up the cinematic flair. Keep at it, GeminiGemini! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
7/10

GeminiGemini responds:

Thanks for the review.:)

[Divide]

I like the bouncy piano chords and the quirky atmosphere around them. The vocals at :15 sound a tad over-processed - the reverb and delay effects are a bit overwhelming. The build-up into :45 is good, but the drop at :46 is a bit minimal and introduces a lot of new instruments at a rapid clip. The catchy rhythmic content is certainly a plus, and the mix at the drop sounds loud, clean, and well-balanced. I still think you could do a better job of integrating the spacey vocal sections and the drops - they don’t quite sound like part of the same narrative to me yet. I also would’ve liked to hear more variation on the main riffs of the piece the second time around, including more of a proper outro. The arrangement of this track is a bit generic, although the sound design overall is pretty neat. The production quality holds up well too. It’s mostly the compositional details that I think could use some more effort here - gradual transitions, fuller textures, more variety, etc. Still, I enjoyed the atmospheric and rhythmic elements and the build-ups. Keep at it, D4W1LL! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
6.75/10

D4W1LL13 responds:

duly noted! excuse the late reply, thanks for the contest!

[jazzy sunday]

I like the smooth pads at the beginning and the lo-fi production. The minimal snaps at :13 make for a good, mellow way of keeping the beat, and I really like the strong rhythmic content and bass at :24. I would’ve liked to hear the leads be a bit more prominent in the mix at :47 - the melody synths there seem to take a back seat to the bass and E-piano until 1:33 or so. The texture is also fairly minimal and bottom-heavy for much of the piece, and could use some more upper-mid-range frequencies to balance it out. Felt like the piece was just getting started when it ended, though (which is both a compliment and a criticism, I guess). Overall, a bolder composition where the melodies don’t just blend in with the backing harmonies would really help take this piece to the next level. But I still really enjoyed the atmosphere, sound design, and beats. Keep at it, Crysstal! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Crysstal712 responds:

thank you! c:

[Cobblestone Cliffs & Errant Appetites]

I love the crisp string riffs and rhythmic content at the beginning. The tremolo effect at :07 sounds really neat, and the airy piano at :16 helps smooth out the texture nicely. The transition at :46 was a bit abrupt, but the rich chords there are great, and I also like the piano bridge at 1:25. The middle section of the piece sounds a bit minimal, but I like when the dark, murkier string lines come in at 2:05 and add more of an air of mystery to the piece. The track also comes full-circle well with the waltzy riff at 2:34. At times, the composition of this piece could’ve been a bit bolder, but the sound design, progression, and production quality are all strong regardless. Very relaxing and evocative piece, Cresince. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
8.5/10

Cresince responds:

I am glad you enjoyed it! I'll be trying my best for the final round

[New Prey]

I like the foreboding mood at the beginning. The synths are a bit cheesy, though - that main pad at the beginning sounds like a preset from Nexus or Autogun. The vocals at :32 sound pretty good, but they also could’ve been more compelling if you had put more intensity behind them, as opposed to the furtive, whispered tone you have now. The mix is also pretty good, but the reverb is clogging up the texture throughout, and the drums could use a bit of a boost at times. I’d also suggest finding ways of creating variety within the vocal verses, which otherwise seem rather long and repetitive. Singing the first section of each of them down the octave could help, or adding additional layering later on. Otherwise, I like the eerie atmosphere and progression of this one, as well as the spoken word vocals during the bridge at 2:50. Finding ways of playing up the industrial aspect of the piece would really help take it to the next level IMO - more powerful vocals, more distortion and less reverb, pushing that synth guitar at 3:21 to the front of the mix, etc. I really like the dark themes in the lyrics and the creepy synth harmonies - you just need to bring out that apprehensive quality more in the rest of the sound design. Keep at it, Cotnp! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

cotnp responds:

Thanks for the feedback! We'll see if I can do any better next year :)

[the dark reign]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The percussion at :15 could use a bit of a boost in the mix, but otherwise I’m enjoying the build-up into :30. The drop there is pretty cool, but I would’ve liked the choir to come through more clearly when the bass is playing. The mix is also a bit over-compressed, and the composition could use more variety in the harmonic content. I really like the sound design and progression of this, though. I hope you’ll keep working on it. With some more dynamic drops and a more well-balanced mix, this could be a top-notch track. Keep at it, blankfacedj! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

blankfacedj responds:

Thank you so much! Even if I didn't make it into the final round, I'm still really happy that I got to this point. I'll try to keep working on my mix, as that's my weakness in terms of music production (I don't own expensive headphones, I got audition problems, I don't own a personal studio etc). Anyways, thanks for everything! Until next year :>

[Something's Wrong]

Dark indeed. I love the foreboding atmosphere at the beginning and the gritty bass drone. Very evocative sound design here - :26 sounds like I’m listening to the wind chimes on grandma’s front porch while on LSD (the drug, not the musician). The dark brass and thunder clap at 1:03 felt like a good way of progressing the piece beyond the abstract, bell-like textures of the first minute. The mood and progression of this track remind me of “Vos Postergum,” an old piece of yours that I still listen to sometimes. The skin-crawling descending phaser at 1:30 is great, and the spidery, pulsating synth at 1:44 and the eerie E-piano blend really well together. Rather incredible sense of pacing here, Alex. Sometimes I wish you had threaded the brass throughout the structure of the piece a little more - as it is now, the triumphant riff at 2:44 feels a bit out-of-place. Still, I like how you brought the piece full-circle with the bass drone and ambiance. Overall, this is an ambient beauty with some stellar sound design and a ton of variety! Keep it up, Lucid. ^_^ Also, for what it’s worth, I just want to point out that I’ve heard you make the “the dream is a Lucid Shadow Dream” joke both in real life and on the internet now. I laughed both times. :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Haha, I'm very positively surprised that you still remember Vos Postergum!!! This is definitely a similar genre. One that doesn't always do so well in competitions, but it's what I was inspired to make, because of my dream. Honestly, I wish I had time/reason to write more ambient music.

I've always appreciated your vivid descriptions! Please keep going with those ^___^

In retrospect, I agree that the second time the brass comes in, I could've worked harder on translating that idea and contrast. It's a bit sudden, and not only in a good way!

My Logic, Tainted or not, tells me I should always let Lucid Shadow Dreams in through The Door! :6

[Waiting For You (WIP) NGADM 2023]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning, and the rest of the sound design is really good too, between the vocals, strings, and thunderstorm sound effects. The harmonic framework is a bit cliche, and the structure certainly could’ve been a tad more fleshed out. I also think the drums could’ve used a bit of a boost in the mix, especially the snare. The progression and atmosphere are nice, though - at some point, a soaring string melody or haunting, minimal bridge could absolutely tie this piece together well. I’d encourage you to keep working on it, although I definitely like what I’m hearing so far. Keep at it, Sashik! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

MusicSashik responds:

Hi! (Once again :)) Thank you for your thoughtful reviews. I greatly admire your ability to describe your perceptions of what you're hearing. While I agree with your insights, I still have a clear understanding of my current capabilities and how they influence the sound. Yet, your positive and informative feedback (as well as others') is exactly what will motivate me to keep going and do better. Although the final version of the song may not become significantly better(I'm always unsure if I could do any better), it is about what it is. This song is about losing someone who was once very important in my life – an early and influential friend who initially introduced me to the world of music, but not too long ago, he passed away.

[Quantize My Heartbeat (NGADM 2023)]

I like the edgy guitars and crisp drums at :13, although the transition into that section from the intro could’ve been a bit smoother. I also think the vocals at :24 could’ve used a bit of a boost in the mix - they get pretty buried when they’re competing with the guitar for attention, like at 1:30. The lyrics are really clever, and I also like your singing voice a lot. The solo at 2:12 absolutely slays, and the “robot girl” at 2:40 was produced/processed very well. Overall, you nailed this. I was totally jamming out to the guitar riffs, laughing my ass off the first time I heard 2:40, and generally reminiscing about the good ol’ days when @UlfusNG was uploading a nerdcore banger twice a week. Clean up the mix a tad, and this piece would be borderline unbeatable in my book. Keep it up, CrossCarrasco! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

CrossCarrasco responds:

Thanks for the feedback 😊