TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Omens of the Deep]

I like the gritty, industrial sound design at the beginning and the ominous mood. The texture is really punchy and engaging, yet also not over-compressed or too harsh. I think the piece is a little slow to progress, and I think the glitchy content at 1:01 could’ve used a bit off the top end of the frequency range in the equalizer. I also think this piece is missing higher-end frequencies for long stretches at a time, which is a bit of a missed opportunity after a while. I like the rhythmic content and atmosphere a lot, and the progression does keep things engaging for the most part, but at some point I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content. Even the solo at the bridge at 2:05 isn’t really that prominent in the mix. The piece does get more melodic as it goes on, and the drop at 2:56 just sounds like insects are falling from the sky and clawing at my head (which is a good thing, as it complements the foreboding mood of the rest of the piece). The ending could’ve been a bit more creative, but overall I like the structure of this piece. There’s a lot of variety in here, yet after a couple of listens I can tell that the arrangement is actually pretty traditional, which is a fun dichotomy to have. Overall, solid work, Spadezer! You’re always welcome back on the NGUAC judging squad, but I do enjoy listening to your tracks. ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Spadezer responds:

Very appreciated!

It's interesting, I've never noticed the lack of highs. I'll have to look through it again and see what's up. I'm glad you clarified your insects from the sky analogy lol.

Thanks again!

[Broken Souls Re-Master]

Alright! You’re getting a fresh review on this after the re-master. :) I like the cute piano riff at the beginning. The rimshot at :07 hits a bit too hard imo, especially with the reverb. I think you may have overcorrected a bit for the quiet vocals last time, because now they’re a bit too loud for me. Percussive elements of the mix should almost always come out over the melodic notes, and the bass also sounds a bit too loud here. The louder vocals do help the listener make out the lyrics a bit better, but the blending issues at :50 are still present, and part of the problem may be that the intonation isn’t always perfect. The instrumental track also sounds a bit distorted and over-compressed at times. I do like the structuring in the piece, including the spacey breakdown at 2:18, but I also feel like the mixing effects at 2:32 were a bit overdone. I’m sorry, man. I know you’ve done a lot more work on this since I last reviewed it, but I’m starting to think that the vocal recording might need some more work to get this piece where it needs to be. Still, I like the dark tone of the lyrics and the complementary atmosphere in the instrumental tracks. It’s been a pleasure to listen to your tracks over the course of this competition, and best of luck with your future tracks (and also college!). ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

Quebi responds:

Oh wow, thank you for giving this one a review too! Yeah, I definitely have a lot to learn about vocal processing, it's something I haven't had to do a ton of for sure. The best thing would be to re-record and fix a lot of the problems with the breaths, but that will likely never be possible unfortunately.

[Runa - Higher]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the crisp and creative percussion at :13. The mix is a tad over-compressed at times (most notably the drums), and some of the synths (especially at :27) were a tad cheesy. The flow is nice, but the piece takes a long time to develop, and doesn’t have a ton of dynamic melodic content. The refrain/drop at 1:10 sounds very chordal and even a bit formulaic. I like the re-intro at 1:38, and the cute riff at 1:52 was nice. I like the variations at the second drop at 2:33, and the piece certainly comes together well by the end. My favorite elements of the piece are the mixing, atmosphere, and flow. I think there are aspects of the piece that could use more originality, especially the drum samples and the chord progression, and also that the rhythm can be quite square sometimes. Overall, though, this is a strong piece with some cool sound design and melodies, and I’ve definitely enjoyed listening to your work over the course of the competition. Keep at it, Runanova! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Runanova responds:

This was the first time I participated to a music contest and I never thought I could go so far!
Thanks a lot to you and all the staff of the contest! <3

[Amplify!]

I like the rhythmic content at the beginning and the sense of climax into :18. The piece has a lot of quirky sound design and a fun, blissful vibe. The mixing is really good, if a tad over-compressed at times. The drop at 1:12 is really groovy, and I like the fun, melodic components at the ends of phrases. I love the cute, mini-melodic phrases at 1:57 too. The breakdown melody is excellent - it sounds so dynamic and refreshing. I love the energy and musical diversity you have packed into this song. Even the drops are varied slightly the second time around. Really smooth track overall, MrKoolTrix. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the arrangement is a bit generic or that you overuse the stop-start transitions after a while. Still, fantastic track overall! Congratulations on your hard work in this competition. ^_^

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

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the review, TaintedLogic! :)

[Guilt]

I like the smooth guitar strumming at the beginning and the dark vocals. The mix is really clean and sharp, and the vocals are quite well-balanced with the instrumental tracks. The lyrics have a great conversational tone that make their content feel really personal for me, and the overall tone of the piece is really haunting and ballad-like. You do a great job of gradually leading into the refrain at 1:18. I like the flowy and more mellow vibe of the section at 1:40 too, as well as the more melodic flair of the texture at around 2:06. The transition at 2:22 was a bit sudden, but the burst of intensity there was a great way of providing contrast with the dark, soft-spoken vocals thereafter. You hit the piece home with the second refrain quite well. I liked the dissonant guitar screech at the very end, too. I think your production really has improved a lot in the last year or two, man. This piece is awesome. My only real complaints here - a couple of sudden transitions, some missed opportunities for more variety, some cliche elements of the arrangement - are pretty small details at the end of the day. It’s been a pleasure following your work throughout this competition, and I look forward to keeping up with your upcoming projects as well. Congratulations on your hard work over the past couple months! ^_^ Also, is there anywhere I can download/buy this?

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

dude2312 responds:

I'll send you a copy of the wav file. Let me know what your email is! It is an honor to receive such comments from you, TaintedLogic. Let me know what your email is and I'll send it right away!

Thank you for checking my stuff out.

[Futuristic Dream]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the atmosphere. The chord progression is a tad cliche, and the pacing of the piece is pretty slow too. The mixing is good, and the texture seems pretty well-balanced and full overall. The melodies at 1:12 are cute, and there’s a good sense of climax into 1:44. A lot of the drum samples and other elements of the sound design (like the riser at 1:28) sound a bit generic, and the arrangement of the piece also seems overused. I would’ve liked to see you vary the melodies more towards the end, and also shake up the chord progression at some point. Overall, my main concern with the piece is that it lacks originality, especially in the instrumentation. Still, nice job with the production, melodies, and flow of the piece. Keep at it, DJFrankMusic! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

DJFrankMusic responds:

You are right, I will be more original since all this I take as a hobby, now I have a new PC, I will be more original, that of mixing and mastering is not a problem for me :)

[Voyage]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the cute vocals. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the blissful melodies and fun sound design are both pluses. The mix is loud and clear. The drum fill at :55 threw me off the flow of the harmonic progression a bit, and there were some other transitions that could’ve been a tad less sudden (like at 1:10). Still, I like the mellow, jazzy feel of 1:11 and the subsequent re-iteration of the cheerful, VGM-ish content later on. I think the piece might’ve benefitted from a more distinct climactic section towards the end, and the repetition of the sections started to feel like they weren’t fulfilling an overarching structural role after a while. It also might’ve been nice if you had changed up the harmonic progression towards the end. The piano arpeggio at the end is tasteful, and also makes the synth-heavy sections feel a bit more integrated with the fun, jazzy bridge. Overall, I like the melodies, mixing, and rhythmic content of the piece a lot. Major areas for improvement are the dynamism in the composition and originality. Keep at it, 8-bitheroes! ^_^

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

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!

[Ode To Seek]

Good for you for exploring the non-traditional time signature. I love the atmospheric flair and the sound design of this one, especially the pizzicato-y sound at the breakdown at 1:51. Production quality is amazingly high here, although I thought the effect at 2:21 sounded a bit cheesy. This isn't as melodic as some of your other tracks, but it's nice to hear a more introspective tone in this piece which helps give it a vivid sense of storytelling. Nice work, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. :D

[Closer]

I like the furtive feel of the vocals at the beginning. The vocal layering/mixing effects at :17 don’t quite blend well imo. I like the glitchy, climactic part at :36, but the synths are pretty cheesy, and the lyrics are a bit generic. I like the melodies at 1:08, and the glitchy outro was a nice touch too. I think the structure of the piece could’ve been fleshed out a little more, but you still did a lot of good work towards giving the piece an emotional appeal by varying the energy levels between sections and such. Overall, I think the recordings/production could’ve been a bit cleaner, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition (add a full breakdown, other climactic melodic section, etc.), but the melodies, rhythmic content, glitches, and passion in the vocals are all good. Keep at it, TenodiBoris! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you very much for detailed review, constructive criticism helps me improve my work and gives me hints where to look, and how to level up with my work 😊

[IC 08 - Can you comb your hair with a dragon fruit?]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the video game flavor. The brass instruments sound pretty fake, though, and at times I wanted the drums to be stronger in the mix. The piece has a pretty constant sense of energy and drive, and could use some more structural variety in the form of an atmospheric section or extended breakdown. I like the melodic content here, although sometimes the overarching compositional content feels a bit directionless, with each melodic phrase just sort of bleeding into the next. I also would’ve liked to hear a more creative ending than a fade-out, even if the content is meant to loop in-game. Overall, I like the mood, harmonic content, and rich texture of the piece. I think the arrangement and the sound design could use a tad more work, though. Keep at it, Pheanir! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Pheanir responds:

Yeah, having the drums at just the right amount of "oomph" is always a problem for me; I experienced it either to be too much or too less. Since I cannot use a lot of the functions FL Studio has to offer, I have to improvise a lot in my compositions with how I do stuff.
And I totally get you, the missing direction is a good reflection of my current mood concerning composing. It's kinda hard to "justify". :/
I'm just really glad that you give me such constructive feedback. Thank you really much! ♥