TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Element Z]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The synths are a bit cheesy and unpolished, but I’m enjoying the rhythmic content and atmosphere. I think where this piece really falls flat is the composition, though. It just needs more variety over time, whether via changes in instrumentation, harmonic content, or otherwise. You begin to do that at 1:24, but even then the riffs before and after that point don’t really flow together well. I would’ve liked to see some more gradual transitions, with a stronger sense of storytelling and progression here. I’d also encourage you to balance out the texture a bit more. Most of the time, the only thing playing in this piece is a mid-range bass and lower sub-bass, leaving the texture pretty bottom-heavy. Some pads, higher-pitched harmonies, or, ideally, melodic content could help keep this piece interesting over time by making the texture richer. It also makes the mix sound pretty muddy and indistinct when there are multiple bass-range instruments playing at once. Feel free to PM me again when you feel like you’ve created a fuller, more well-balanced texture, and I’ll leave you another review. Overall, you have a good sense of how to construct an atmosphere and mood, but the harmonic content is minimal and underwhelming here. Keep at it, Kabekow! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
3/10

[JuLn - Anion]

I like the mellow synth arpeggios at the beginning. The drums sound both weak in the mix and a bit generic, especially the snare. There’s a good sense of build-up into 1:09, and you made good use of filtering during that first minute or so. I think some of the synths still sound too restricted in the EQ up until that point, though. The texture sounds a tad thin, and some of the harmonic content lacks depth. The jazzy bridge at 1:55 was a cool idea, but it also doesn’t help curb the minimalism of much of the rest of the piece. The piece comes together pretty well at 3:03, and the additional harmonies there give the piece a nice sense of triumph and conclusiveness. Overall, you have a strong sense of progression, and the production quality is solid at the end of the day. The composition felt a tad underwhelming, though, and I think some of your sound design choices, like the generic pads and drums, didn’t help you in that regard. Still, the atmosphere, phrasing, and transitions are all really strong attributes of this piece that I look forward to seeing you build on in the future. Keep at it, JuLn! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Blossom]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the chimes. The echo-y synths at :14 and the build-up :27 are both enjoyable. The drums are a bit over-compressed, and the samples themselves sound pretty generic and overpowering. The drop at 1:09 was enjoyable - I like the funky mid-range bass and rhythmic content. The texture remains pretty thin throughout the piece, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. The vocal samples are a nice touch, and help keep the texture feeling fresh and varied. The filtering before the second drop at 2:45 was a fun detail, and I appreciate the variety in the second drop compared to the first. I still would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content and a fuller texture for a lot of the piece, as well as more of a proper outro, but as it is the piece keeps me engaged pretty well. The mixing, sound design, mood, and rhythmic content are probably my favorite elements of the piece. Keep at it, Joe Stasi! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Train of Thought]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. The fade-in could’ve been a bit more creative, but those airy pads and bubbly arpeggios really mesh well together. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, and the piece started sounding a bit anticlimactic by the chord change at :55 or so. The percussion at 1:17 is a little bizarre, and I think you especially overused the hat. The kick sounds pretty weak and hollow, and the piano sample at 1:27 is a bit inauthentic. By around the 2-minute mark, I’m enjoying the quirky harmonies and the cool synth that plays those ascending arpeggios. The structure of this piece feels a bit disjointed at times, with, for example, a sudden transition at 2:14 and mini-fadeout turning into a new riff at 2:19 that doesn’t seem harmonically related to the one preceding it. I don’t think you can just use fade-ins and fade-outs as glue to hold together an otherwise choppy arrangement. I’d suggest consolidating your ideas a bit more and focusing on the depth of harmonies and sense of progression and storytelling rather than on creating a lot of variety with the different riffs, instruments, and rhythmic motifs. Many of the sound design choices in here are also questionable, like the heavy kick at 3:52 during an otherwise mellow part of the piece. Overall, I enjoyed the quirky mood, mixing, and a lot of the isolated patterns and harmonies in this piece. The composition just feels a little thrown-together here, which you can remedy with some more gradual and smooth transitions, as well as a stronger sense of overarching structure and narrative. Keep at it, Jeffbeard! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Eah O o o o]

I like the furtive pads at the beginning and the way the atmosphere slowly opens up over the first minute or so. The sound design is great - super quirky and refreshing. The texture remains a bit thin throughout, and the piece is pretty slow to develop. That said, I’m enjoying the quirky harmonies at 1:06 and the strong production quality. The composition could’ve been a bit more varied and dynamic, though, and at some point I think some stronger melodic content would’ve really helped tie this piece together. As an alternative, you might’ve done more to sell the atmosphere here with some bolder reverb/delay effects, automations, or other mixing effects. Still, you get full credit from me for both instrumentation and originality, and the mixing and mastering is also exceptionally good, if a little quiet. Composition is where you could really make up some ground IMO - I wanted to hear a gorgeous melody really capitalizing on the “point of arrival” at some point, and also more luscious atmospheric details to keep my attention later on. Until then, this is already a strong piece. Keep at it, Jedo15! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Jakims - Wave]

I like the funky synths and energy at the beginning. The chords don’t quite fill the entire beat, giving the texture an odd, disjointed feel. I also think the chord progression itself is very fast-paced, which probably contributed to the disjointedness. The synth that comes in at :18 sounds a little cheesy, but I like the beat at :36 and the rich harmonies throughout. You have a bit of a habit of adding and subtracting instruments without warning - some sweeps, crashes, or filtering could really help smooth over some of these transitions, like at :50 and 2:10. Otherwise, the harmonic content is a bit repetitive. It would also be good for you to find ways of creating variety besides just adding and subtracting instruments over time - automation, switching up the chord progression, volume changes, etc. I think my favorite element of the piece is probably the mixing and mastering - it’s clean, well-balanced, and loud. The section at 2:10 caught me off guard a bit, but I like the riff itself. Overall, the arrangement feels a bit choppy, and some stronger melodic content and more dynamic harmonies would really help take this piece to the next level. But the production quality is great, and I enjoyed the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content too. Keep at it, JakimsGD! :)

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

[relaxing synth beats to get lost in a forest to]

I like the cutesy groove at :07. The drums sound a bit thin and dry, though. I’d suggest opening up the mid-range in the EQ of that snare a little more if possible, and maybe adding some reverb and other mixing effects. Other than that, the composition was a little bland. There’s not really a strong sense of progression or development beyond the initial chord progression at :07. The mix is clean and full, and the sound design is fun and quirky - those are my two favorite elements of the piece. Otherwise, I wanted to see some bolder melodies, a stronger sense of direction, and greater variety in the texture. Still, your good sense of harmony and solid mixing are enough for a scout in my book. Keep at it, IronDawn2! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5/10

[A world full of fairy tales]

I like the bright piano instrument at the beginning. The stop-start nature of the chords threw me off a bit, though. The strings at :21 sound pretty inauthentic, but I like the cute melodies at :41 and the upbeat mood. The progression could’ve been a bit more creative - the main source of variety in this piece seems to be the addition and subtraction of notes over time. Volume changes, automation, filtering, phrasing, and more elaborate transitions might have helped make the texture more varied and interesting, especially since the second half didn’t have much harmonic variety compared to the first half. You clearly have a good sense of melody and harmony, and also a good sense of how to structure a piece. I think getting some higher-quality samples and finding some more creative ways of adding variety and flair to your piece are important next steps for you. Keep at it, InsertNameHere0! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

insertNameHere0 responds:

Thanks, I'll definitely admit that I was a bit lazy with this song as I after creating the main part basically said that's enough. Same with the samples as I just worked with what I could find in the FLEX plugin.

[Tokyo Trouble]

I like the frantic bass guitar riff at the beginning and the jazzy piano layered on top of it. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture at around :25, but the blissful melodies at :31 and energetic drums help tie things together nicely. The arrangement is a bit choppy at times, especially given the sudden transitions like at 1:36. You also have a habit of introducing and subtracting instruments with little warning, which can be jarring. That said, I like the jazzy harmonies and blissful mood here. The texture, while full and rich, gets a little repetitive after a while, and at some point some more dynamic melodies beyond the main riff at :31 (and other places) would be nice. That said, the cute riff at the bridge at 2:31 was a great touch, even if the rhythms sounded a bit square. This piece is really well-mastered, even if the mix is a tad quiet. I also like the sound design overall - the acoustic and electronic elements blend together really well, and combined with the upbeat mood it reminds me of music they would play in a quirky clothing store. The heavier guitar riffs at 4:45 help give the piece a strong sense of conclusion towards the end. Overall, I really like the creative drum riffs, instrumentation, mood, atmosphere, and mixing of the piece. The transitions could be a bit smoother, though, and at times I feel like the piece would benefit from a consolidation of ideas. The pacing is very fast, and it’s hard to get an overarching sense of direction when the texture changes so many times in a short time frame. That said, I really enjoyed this piece overall. It has a fun, jazzy, and blissful tone with full, rich textures and solid mixing. Keep at it, IkermlgYT! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.25/10

[Resurrection 2]

I like the creepy mood at the beginning. The synths sound a bit unpolished and muddy, though. I like the beat, although the reverb is a bit excessive and compromises the quality of the mix. The mix sounds especially distorted at around 1:13. I’d suggest toning down the compression a bit, and also making sure that bass instruments (kick drum, synth bass, etc.) have as little reverb on them as possible - reverb can make the entire mix sound really muddy when it’s applied to the bass frequency range.

Compositionally, the piece is a bit bland, with little in the way of harmonic variety or a sense of development over time. Some stronger melodic content, or at the very least some contrast in the texture (a section that’s more atmospheric, for example), would likely help you out here. The sound design is fittingly ominous and apprehensive-sounding, but nothing too unique or especially engaging. Overall, my favorite element of the piece is probably the mood and atmosphere.

Priority number one for you going forward should be reining in those volume levels at 1:13 - I’m hearing some clipping there, which means there are distortions in the audio signal because the piece is just too loud. Listen to how staticky the texture sounds there, especially when the kick plays on the downbeats. Dialing back the compression, or just the volume levels as a whole, can help limit that distortion. Most DAWs have some sort of bar or gauge in the built-in mixer that will light up in red during playback when your piece is clipping. Ideally, your piece would never go into the red. If you use FL Studio or Logic Pro, PM me and I can give you some more particular advice about dealing with clipping.

Sorry if this review sounds really negative - you have a solid start on the emotional appeal, catchiness, and progression of this piece. But more attention to detail on the mixing and mastering will make your piece sound a lot cleaner, clearer, and well-balanced while making those ominous synth riffs really pop. Keep at it, Harry107! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5/10