TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[Juliobee-Scorched Lemons!!!!!!!!]

I like the progression at the beginning, even if the synths are a bit cheesy. Sounds a bit like a flashy 80s disco demo. I like the harmonies at :12 too, but then the transition at :25 was a little sudden. There's also a bit of mic popping or stereo clicks going on in the background at :30-:40 or so, which might just be the sample. Either way, I think it's worth seeing if you can get rid of that with filtering or something. The harmonic content of the piece is good, but gets repetitive towards the end. I like the blissful mood and well-balanced texture, though. No complaints with the mixing either. I think the main things you need to fix now are your transitions and the lack of variety. Changing up the melodies later in the piece (or even the chord progressions if you're feeling fancy) would go a long way towards keeping things engaging towards the end, even if this isn't a particularly long piece. More creative transitions might involve more automation and filtering, but simple solutions like drum fills, sweeps, and crashes will work fine in a pretty cohesive VGM song like this. Still, it's a cute and catchy piece. I enjoyed it. Keep at it, Juliobee! ^^

juliobee responds:

Thanks for the review! I’ll see what I can do with your advice.

[Winterlude]

I really appreciate the clear effort you put into this submission, despite being a newly-solo fill-in. The atmosphere of this piece is just haunting. I love the bells/chimes, ghostly pads, and eastern-sounding melody instruments towards the beginning. The relaxed mood and gradual progression of the piece complement each other quite well, and the sound design is simply fantastic. I loved the moment of stillness in the middle (1:57), that offered a hint of a breakdown/bridge without fully devoting itself to a distinct section of the piece. I just thought that was a smart move in terms of pacing the rest of the piece, especially as things got more lively and melodic during the second half. The piece lives up to its title by around 2:30, which seems like it’s out of a whimsical animated feature trip to the South Pole. The gradual descension back into the warm flowiness of the intro is well-orchestrated as well. Overall, this is an amazing piece worthy of a top 4 spot and more. Congratulations on all your hard work throughout the competition this year, and I hope to see (and hear!) more from you next year. ^_^ Also, is there somewhere I can download this? This was made for my personal chill-out playlist. Thanks.

tailspun responds:

thanks for the review! 1f1n1ty and i were planning on releasing this on an EP & posting it on bandcamp for download, but that will inevitably take a long time. i can send you a wav or mp3 file because you've left so many helpful reviews, though! feel free to DM me on here or discord (if you use it, you can find me in the NGADM 2019 discord c:)

[The Temple of Kukulcan]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the majestic flute melody. The piece has a great sense of atmosphere, and the tone is both warm and mysterious at the same time. I like how the texture opens up at :45 with the foreboding drums. There’s a sense of wonder that comes with the grand moment of suspense at :54, which then devolves into the frantic, ominous textures at :59. It’s as if that’s the moment the protagonist decided to steal the chalice from the temple and make a break for it as the walls cave in around him. By 1:28, you’ve done an effective job at heightening the tension behind the piece. The transition at 1:48 is pretty sudden, but it still fits the sense of drama here. I envision the protagonist nearing death, only to escape by 1:48. Only then does the larger evil become apparent. The part at 2:19 is extremely evocative, and provides a neat point of inflection for the piece imo. At 2:25, I begin to feel that you’ve built a strong element of cohesion into the instrumental hierarchy here, despite the fact that this piece seems designed for storytelling more so than structural coherence. I also appreciated how you brought that instrumental framework full-circle with the haunting flute solo at the end. Overall, this is really strong work again, CloakedSoup. Is there somewhere I can download this? :D

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Hey! Thanks for the awesome and detailed review! I had a bit more time to work on the mixing in this piece, so I'm glad it seemed to have paid off. Many of the comments you made in terms of the storytelling during each section reflected what I was actually thinking when I wrote it, so that's really cool to hear!

In terms of downloading it, I plan on releasing this as well as several other pieces from NGADM on an EP/album once I get knocked out and/or the competition ends. I want to re-work/mix some stuff on previous pieces before releasing everything together as a whole. This piece as well as the others will be available for individual download though.

Unfortunately, that may not be until sometime in November or December, because I'm actually working on another album for Atom Music Audio at the moment, so any big re-working will have to wait until I finish that!

Thanks for the fantastic review again! :D

[endK - Funkadunk]

I like the vinyl scratches at the beginning and the quirky pads at :02. The thin-sounding bass, brass, and organ synths combine to form a fun, jazzy texture that still doesn’t take itself too seriously. The rhythmic elements of the piece are really enjoyable, and I like the more laid-back bridge at 1:31. The strings there sound pretty fake, but they blend in with the cheesy, VGM tinge of the rest of the sound design. As fun as all the little melodic riffs and call-and-response format of the texture are, I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content here. I don’t think you had much novel content in the last minute of the piece, which gives the composition a bit of a stagnant vibe towards the end. The ending itself also comes on pretty suddenly. Still, you nailed the sound design, rhythmic content, and mixing here. Keep at it, EndK! ^^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
8.75/10

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, I think that both me and you see the pattern here. :D
And that iiiis - I'm not really god with the deadlines so I barelly changed any melodic content in the last minute.
This was also a thing in one or two other tracks during the contest.
Thanks TL - for this and all other review during the contest, I really appreciate your input.

[Into the Old Way]

I like the somewhat contained, furtive sound at the beginning and the generous use of sustain. The piece has a great sense of wonder about it, and 1:01 feels like a grand arrival point - a moment of discovery. I think you overuse the rolls a bit at around the 1-minute mark, but the cutesy melody that follows at 1:14 helps bring back a more humble and innocent tone to the piece. The chords at the transition at 1:54 are a bit bizarre, but I also understand that the section that follows is something of an inflection point for the piece. From 2:00 to 2:20 or so, the piece sounds very still, and 2:15 feels like an apex of nostalgia but also longing, as if the protagonist is reading a letter from a deceased loved one. The descending scale at 2:22 is a very good transition. Once the low, richer tones seep back into the piece, it’s all the more effective at captivating my attention because of the high-pitched melodic swells of the section before. I also like how the section at 2:26 has some of the same melodic motifs, with some added decoration. It’s as if the protagonist is able to carry on after the death of his mother, but keeps her memory alive by employing the lessons she taught him every day. I also like the mysterious, pensive theme that starts at around 3:23. The key change at 3:41 sounds pretty jarring, and the ending of this piece comes on pretty suddenly. Still, this piece has a deeply satisfying arrangement, a remarkable amount of cohesion, and some super fun transitions/compositional details. Strong work again, Ale! Keep it up. ^_^

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

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Nice catch with 1:01! It definitely sounds like you describe; something really sinking in. I can also see your point about 1:54. The transition comes right after a unique part of the piece, which makes it feel a bit different from the rest of the piece. That is where I feel that there is some kind of change that makes the feeling of determination stronger. But before that determination blooms fully, I bring back the intro a bit at 1:54, which might be why the change back feels sudden. I also agree with your analysis and pointers with the time marks in general; that's more of less how I intended the structure to feel. As for 3:41, I agree the key change is a bit unexpected, but that's partially why I like it. I feel that the reason it works, is because it specifically brings the piece back to the original key.

"It’s as if the protagonist is able to carry on after the death of his mother, but keeps her memory alive by employing the lessons she taught him every day."

=> As per usual, I really like hearing your story-like interpretations of music, since they're always so specific, and allow me to hear the piece again, perhaps a little bit through someone else's eyes (ears?).

I definitely took a more melodic and clearly structured approach to this track than some of my more experimental tracks. I still feel like I challenged myself quite a bit with this one. I'm very glad to see that you enjoyed it!
As always, thanks for your hard work with the reviews, good luck with the rest of the competition, and thank you for listening!

[Tempest Engine (demo)]

I like the grainy, hollow ambient sounds at the beginning and the bright piano at :26. There's a great cinematic flair to the piece, and the guitar solo at 1:05 is really refreshing. The mix is relatively quiet, but also clean and clear. I like the bridge at 2:31 - it's spacious enough to offer some structural relief while also retaining the cool sound design and rhythmic elements of the rest of the piece. The rhythm at around 3:21 is a little hard-to-follow, but the piece has a great sense of climax and resolve by 3:40 or so. Nice job with the filtering at around 3:58, and overall the piece comes together well towards the end. Solid work! I especially like the instrumentation and atmosphere on this one. ^^

MetalRenard responds:

Thanks for the comments on this track. I ended up going back through and making changes such as shortening it, I think it works better this way since originally it repeated to allow for vocals/lyrics.

[Affliction]

The fade-in at the beginning was a tad bizarre, but I like the guitar riffs at :10 and the syncopations at :32, even if the rhythm is a bit hard-to-follow there. The snare sample sounds a bit thin in the mix, but also crisp and clear. The texture comes together well by around the 1-minute mark, although there are a couple of sudden transitions (at 1:14, for example) that detract from the sense of flow and shape of the piece. I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodic content earlier in the piece, too, although the mellow breakdown at 2:18 was a nice touch that added some structural relief. The solo at 3:01 really helped this piece imo, offering a point of arrival that hit the piece home towards the end. While the end came on a tad suddenly, overall the track feels conclusive and cathartic there. I think aspects of the mix sound a bit undecorated and thin, and I still do want to hear some more gradual transitions and phrasing from you. Still, you nailed the solo at the end, the rhythmic content, and the clarity of the mix here. Keep at it, JDawg00100! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

JDawg00100 responds:

Thanks for the review :)