TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-=Flashback=-]

I like the funky vibe at the beginning. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at some points, beginning at :04. I don’t really understand the progression very much, either. It’s minimalistic throughout, is rife with bass bombs and very little higher-pitched frequencies, and the harmonic content is very minimal and hard to pick up on because of the distortion in the texture. I’d recommend trying to build your piece around melodic content going forward. If you don’t know much about music theory, that’s okay, but try to start with a progression of chords that emphasizes gradual change, and build a more dynamic melody line on top of that. Right now, your piece feels both minimal harmonically and disjointed structurally. Starting with chords and building up from there might help cement some more advanced composition practices. Don’t be discouraged, though. This piece is really catchy and has a lot of cool riffs. The arrangement, sound design, and lack of harmonic depth just aren’t doing much to enhance the appeal of those riffs right now. Please PM me if you have questions. Good luck!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
2.5/10

[Vision Space]

I like the really dynamic synth riff at the beginning. The piece kinda throws you into the middle of the action, without a proper intro. There’s an excess of reverb in the texture that was compromising the mixing quality a bit. Those mid-range pads are probably a big offender too. I’d recommend taking a second look at the equalizer on them. The instrumentation is pretty good overall, but is also a bit generic. The pads, for example, sound like a Nexus preset. I appreciated the structural variety you offered at 1:14, and the lead-in back into the thicker texture at 1:45 was pretty nice too. The first non-arpeggiated melodic content of the piece is at 1:45, but I thought that synth sounded a bit too thin and high-pitched to take up the prominent role in the mix that it deserves. I also thought the piece ended rather suddenly. This review has been really negative so far, though, so let’s change that: I like the busy texture and loud mix, despite my reverb complaints. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression, and overall the piece has a good amount of shape and variety. I guess my main complaints would be with the mixing and the lack of structuring at the beginning and end of the piece. The instrumentation could also use some work. That said, this is a compositionally pleasing piece with a cool atmosphere. Keep at it, BeeFef!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

BeeFef responds:

Yeah, especially back when I made this, a major struggle for me has been EQing. It's hard for me to know what frequencies to take out and how much because there are so many different options to how I can do it.

I entered this piece because I wanted to focus on composition and sound design rather than mixing. I see that I still have quite a bit to work on and that I may have not moved on to the next round, but I guess that's an even better reason to pressure myself to make music to the point where I can't function and I've stayed inside almost the whole summer

But yeah I hope I make it to the next round

[Inspiration]

I like the rich texture and energy of the piece. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at the beginning, perhaps in part because the string samples have a little delay on them to make them sound more realistic. I liked the transition into :18. The panning on the drums is a bit heavy, but the mix is tight as a result. This piece has a lot of shape and phrasing, but the pace can be a bit fast at times. The instrumentation is good except when it’s obvious that the instruments are inauthentic (the string delay is a dead giveaway, for example). The composition is very strong in general, though. There’s a lot of melodic content here and a refreshing amount of variety. Solid work overall, AzulJazz!

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

AzulJazz responds:

thx so much!

[Azure Rei - Mind Slayer (Final)]

I like the punchy drums and suspenseful mood. The progression is pretty slow, especially for a relatively short piece, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content. The transition at 1:12 could’ve been smoother - maybe it would’ve helped if it was more gradual. The mixing and mastering is strong here - loud, clear, distinct, well-balanced. This piece has a lot of fun details, like the drum fill at 1:52 and the ghostly high-pitched synth at 2:02. My main complaint is just that the composition needs more structural variety and shape. The piece has a cool mood and sound design, but it doesn’t have a strong sense of directionality for most of the piece. I’d suggest doing more with dynamics and phrasing, and also going in a different harmonic direction with the piece at some point. Breakdowns, bridges, and solos can really help create some much-needed variety in your piece. Stripping the drums away and making room for some melodic content would be a great place to start. Overall, nice job with the instrumentation, atmosphere, and rhythmic elements. The underwhelming composition just needs some work. Keep at it, Axel7!

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

Axel7 responds:

Wow, thank you for your feedback! that's really helpful :D

[Mermaid's Singing]

I like the soothing, dreamy pads. You have a pretty good sense of harmony. The synth that starts fading in at :43 didn’t really fit the mood of the piece as I see it. I also don’t really understand the progression of this piece very much. A lot of instruments are added and subtracted frequently, but it doesn’t seem like it has an overarching sense of direction. The higher-pitched riff at 1:59 sounds like you were trying to make a it sound climactic, which is good. I just think you’re not entirely capitalizing on your ability to do that here. I’d encourage you to diversify the ways you create variety in your piece beyond just adding and subtracting instruments over time. Think about changing volume levels across phrases, finding subtle ways of changing up overused riffs, and using drum fills, sweeps, or crashes to smooth over transitions. The mix sounds pretty clean, although also dry. I’d suggest looking into mixing tools like reverb and compression that can make your instruments blend together better. But my main problem with the piece is that the composition is pretty underwhelming. In a sense, it feels like there’s a lot of variety, but the piece also doesn’t have a lot of shape, climactic moments, emotional heights, etc. Overall, I’d say that you have a solid foundation in harmony and instrumentation. You just need to work on creating progressions that are meaningful for the listener. Playing around with velocity settings is probably a good place to start. Part of it may also be that the harmonic elements of the piece are both minimalistic and repetitive. Hope this helped! Keep at it, man. I enjoyed your cute, quirky sound design and catchy beats. :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Arachnid - Battle of Old and New]

I like the energetic synths at the beginning. A bit of harshness in the treble range there - some more careful equalization could help solve that. The mix is quite loud, though. I like the build-up into :37, although I think the pads at :38 took it over a bit too much. The other harmonic instruments don’t come through nearly as much. The secondary emotional height at :55 was a pleasant surprise. I think the transition at 1:14 could’ve been smoother, as well as the one at 1:32. For a short piece it’s got a nice amount of variety while also feeling pretty cohesive. The ending was a bit sudden, and the squeaky final note doesn’t help. I think the drums could’ve been a lot stronger in the mix in general, and they also sound a bit generic to me. Overall, though, it’s a really captivating piece given the flurry of melodic content, enjoyable structuring, and adventurous mood. Keep at it, ArachnidPlaysMusic!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Loud and lazy]

Simple, short intro. I think you could’ve done a better job at leading into the part at :03 a little more. That said, the sound design and bassy texture are huge pluses. Sound design is so smooth and calming, and the rhythmic elements of the piece are quite strong as well. I thought the bell-like high-pitched synth (:19 and other places) might’ve needed a bit more polish to reign in some of the high-pitched tones. The transition at :52 could’ve been stronger, especially since the piece changes quite a bit harmonically at that point. The minimalism drags on for a bit too long before developing much, and then you return right back to the soothing, atmospheric texture of before. I’m a little confused about the directionality of this piece, and I also would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content at some point. There also seems to be one peculiar note at 2:03 (high-pitched, staccato) that seems a bit out-of-place. It happens again at 2:22. I guess I’d say that I want to see a little more shape in your piece. The sound design, texture, and atmosphere are all great here, but the composition feels very stale and directionless. I’d encourage you to use more automations across phrases, create some dynamic contrast, and craft your transitions a little more carefully. Spots like 2:24 can feel quite jarring when you suddenly change from one mood to the other. I also noticed that the open hats at 2:40 (and other places) seemed to have an oscillating cycle of velocities, which I thought was a creative and rather unconventional choice that comes across quite well overall. In general, the mix is pretty well-balanced and clear. Most of my complaints here are grounded in the underwhelming composition, but most other parameters of the piece are quite strong. I love the smooth bass in particular. Keep at it, Alyctro!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Comfort Zone]

I like the bright synths and upbeat vibe of the piece. The chord progression is a little cliche, and I think you overdid the panning on the synth at :31. That said, I enjoyed the build-up into :41 and the melodic content at :42. A big complaint I have is that the mix is too loud. Clear, yes, but the panning sounded harsh in my ears after a while, and there’s blatant clipping for much of the first minute. Overall, it’s a really well-structured and smooth-flowing piece. I also really appreciate the variations on the melody during the final refrain. The transition at 1:57 was the only abrupt one. My other main complaint is that the piece is pretty generic, mostly because of the chord progression and arrangement. Still, I’d say the main fix should be the volume levels. I’d highly recommend that you do some research on clipping (basically, stereo distortion that results from shoving a loud signal through a small threshold) and monitor the peak flow meter in your DAW more carefully. PM me if you have more questions. Overall solid work, though! You clearly have a good sense of harmony, and the blissful mood of the piece is quite contagious. :) Keep at it, Alphysans!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[The Squad]

I like the somewhat ominous beginning and the riser thing at :07. The beat is pretty cool. I especially like the hi-hats at :25. Loud, crisp mix too. The transition at :38 was a little sudden, and I thought the clap there was a bit generic. Nice work with the sub-bass. Overall, my main complaint is that the harmonic depth of the piece is seriously lacking. The piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing overall, but the track doesn’t feel very dynamic or interesting after a while. The second half is almost a mirror version of the first, and there’s a serious lack of melodic content. Perhaps it would help if you had added some vocals or a more prominent, legato lead synth. Right now, the composition is just underwhelming and lacks a strong sense of direction and conclusivity. That said, the mix is loud and tight, and the sound design is really cool. Keep at it, Akaruhime!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Abstrack - Meteor Impact]

I like the thematic content and the dark mood. The bass bomb at the beginning is a bit excessive, but I like the gradual fade-in with the filtering on that bouncy synth (:18). I think you overdid the harshness at :17, and I think the drums could be a bit more creative in general. Once the progression starts taking shape at :28, things are looking up. I like the build-up into :46, and the melodic content at :46 is pretty sweet. The harsh, high-pitched synth at :46 was pretty unnecessary, though. I also like the glitch-y, distorted content at around 1:10. The transition at 1:24 was pretty sudden. The pace of the track just changes quite abruptly there. The part at 1:52 serves as a nice counter-theme, and you certainly keep me engaged with all of these build-ups and intense riffs. I thought the middle section (1:52-2:57) drags on for a bit long, though. You also seem to be a big fan of these booming walls of sound that serve as transitions (2:57, for example). I think that’s okay to do 1 or 2 times in a piece, but you overused it here. I think the mix could be quite a bit tighter. It’s mostly the high-pitched punctures (like :17), but some of the distortion (like 1:24) could stand to be reigned in a bit. The other big thing is transitions. You use a lot of filtering and risers to smooth things over, but at the end of the day there’s little on the other side of these transitions to complete the process (take a listen to 2:01, for example). Even the occasional crash would go a long way. Generally the instrumentation is good, but I thought the drums could’ve been a bit more polished at times (like 1:53). Overall, this is still strong work. You’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the automation, arrangement, and sound design. Keep at it, Abstrack!

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