TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Last Stand]

I think you have a good sense of harmony. The anti-climax at :21 wasn’t great, though - a bit out of proportion for the energy of the following section. I liked the melodies at :32. The kick gets a little lost in the mix after a while, though. I’d make sure to be stricter with the equalizing and compression. The snare is also a little weak, overpowered by those synth leads. The snare should almost always be the loudest instrument in the mix, and this is no exception. I think my main problem with the piece is that it’s not really structurally complete. Fleshing out the structure a bit and aiming for a little more shape and contrast would really help strengthen the composition here. The build-up at the very end threw me off in a similar way as :21 - usually build-ups like that lead up to a really energetic or busy section of the piece, and it felt a little jarring and inconclusive to end the piece that way. Overall, there are some good ideas here, but I think you need to put some more effort into the composition. Keep at it, M-Mowz. :)

6/10

Hedrix responds:

Thanks for your feedback

[I'm (not) A Failure]

The mood at the beginning is interesting. I like the distorted chords, but the synth that comes in at :11 sounds really thin, dry, and generic. At the very least, I’d suggest moving it to the background in the mix and giving it some reverb. Then, you use the beat to bridge the conceptual gap between ideas. By :52, it sounds like a very different piece. I think this track also needs much more melodic content in general. You have the chords and atmosphere down, but melodies are still really important. By 2:35 or so, the texture is a bit too busy and dissonant for my tastes. Part of it could be that the instrumentation doesn’t complement the mood very well at that point. Overall, I think the piece needs a bit more cohesion as a priority. Incorporating some clear “refrain” or melodic section would probably help with that. I enjoyed the atmosphere and progression, though. Keep at it, Mexican-Dessert-Pie. ;)

6.5/10

[Metafbite - Cubes]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty cliche, and you have a couple of pretty sudden transitions in here, such as :48 and 2:00. I think the melodic content could use some more rhythmic variety. It’s also very strongly rooted in the chords, which gives it a bit of a stagnant and predictable feel. I’d encourage you to find ways of varying the piece besides adding and subtracting instruments - dynamic contrast, phrasing, crashes and risers, drum fills, etc. Speaking of drums, I think this piece could really use some more drum work, just to give it some drive and energy. The instrumentation is a bit generic, too. I’ve been tough on you in this review. The piece isn’t bad - you have a good sense of harmony and structure. It just needs a little more shape. You have a habit of modifying the texture every 4 or 8 bars like clockwork. That’s very predictable and dull. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is giving your music a constant sense of direction, whether it’s with dynamics, energy, or fleeting changes in the texture. Keep at it, MetafbiteAnimations. ;)

6/10

[Zero Gravity]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The sound design is strong, and the high-pitched synths are beautiful and not too harsh-sounding (which can easily happen if there are too many treble tones). After about a minute or so, I’m really itching for some more melodic content. The riff at 1:42 doesn’t quite cut it - it’s too repetitive and simplistic. I appreciated the moment of structural relief at 2:48, but overall I think you could’ve done a lot more to give this piece some shape and structural variety. The entrance of the cello was an interesting development. It’s not the most authentic sample, but it does fit well with the rest of the sound design here. Unfortunately, the rest of the piece doesn’t have a great sense of conclusivity or direction, and you never again acknowledge the themes introduced by the high-pitched instruments early on. Overall, killer atmosphere, mood, and instrumentation. The mixing is also rather solid. What’s missing is a strong, well-varied composition. Keep at it, MasterClaud. :)

7.5/10   

[Seasons By The Sea]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The chord progression is a little cliche, though, and I think you went a little overboard with the sustain/release on the pads at the beginning. The notes of the pads bleed into each other a bit, creating some dissonances that I don’t think you want in a calming piece like this. I wasn’t a huge fan of your bongo sample - it sounds a bit generic and inauthentic. That said, the melodic content here is great, and the texture is nice and rich by around the 1-minute mark. The atmosphere here is great, and you’ve done a good job with the structuring too. The mix could have a tad bit more clarity - it’s tough integrating all of those pad-like reverberated instruments - but the drums sound crisp and clear, which is a huge plus. Overall, this is quite impressive work. Keep at it, Madze! :)

8.5/10  

[interlude]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The character of the vocals is really amusing, and from what I can hear the lyrics are also fairly good. One thing I think you should work on is adding some structural variety to the piece. It’s just a series of verses, connected by one 10-second riff. There’s a lot more you could’ve done with the composition here. I’d highly encourage you to use the instrumentation to distinguish some sections of your piece as more “important” or passionate than others. With a uniform texture, energy and volume level, this piece could be hard to keep engaging. Overall, I think this has a really clean sound and a cool mood. The weak composition is definitely my main concern. I gave you a scout - use it wisely. ;)

7.5/10

[City of Rust and Vines]

I like the dark, mechanical mood at the beginning, although the progression is a bit bizarre. The strings were lacking on attack, and the sound design certainly has a couple of quirks. I like the chopped vocals at :33 a lot, though. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drums at 1:08 - the snare sounds a little thin, whereas the kick has a bit too much treble IMO. The panning at 1:55 is a nice touch. I do like the mechanical texture here, although I think it could’ve helped you to break it down at some point. The cultic back-up vocals and clock-like percussion gets a little old after a while. By the time the refrain comes back for the 3rd time, I’m also convinced that you need to vary that melody a little more. I understand that the premise of the piece is that it’s supposed to sound robotic, but I think you still need a little more shape to the piece along such parameters as dynamics, energy levels, etc. There also seemed to be some clipping or distortion at a couple of sections of the piece, notably at around 4:40 and other more minimal parts. Overall, you’ve taken a lot of risks here with the sound design and composition, and I commend you for that. I think you could’ve pulled this off better if it had a little more variety and shape. The mixing is generally solid, though, which is a huge plus. Keep at it, Lowpolyexception. ;)

7.75/10  

lowpolyexception responds:

I am programmed to love

[Victory (Original Mix)]

The chord progression at the beginning is interesting, and by :15 I’m enjoying the full texture. I think the drums might need a bit more compression - the kick is struggling to come through the mix a bit, and the hats seem to be getting a little distorted by the other instruments at times. The anti-climax at :58 didn’t help the slow pacing of the piece very much, but the piece does flow well. As for the instrumentation, I think there are a couple of generic samples in here - the clap at 2:01, several of the synths, etc. I think you also need some stronger melodic content here - the repetitive layered harmonies at 2:01 don’t quite cut it IMO. The piece also gets very repetitive after a while, and definitely didn’t need to be over 7 minutes long. The mood and atmosphere of the piece are good, but the composition is pretty weak. Keep at it, LordJabeebus. :)

5/10

LJTLegendaryL responds:

Thanks for the feedback ^^, this is probably one of the mostly helpful ones I have recieved

[ERA'S ISLAND- MARIO AND YOSHI TRIBUTE]

I like the sample at the beginning, but I think it faded out a little too quickly for its own good. This is really picky, but cutting it off instead of letting the reverb finish the work of dispersing the sound made it feel restricted instead of cathartic. I wasn’t a huge fan of your bass instrument, either. I think it has a bit too much treble and attack, whereas a smoother sound would better complement the mood of the piece. The progression isn’t bad, but the piece is pretty minimalistic throughout. Instead of letting reverb fill out the texture for you, I’d suggest layering more harmonies or chords onto it. The melodic content here is tasteful, though - I especially like the melody at 1:44. After a while, the piece gets pretty repetitive, and I would’ve liked to see you vary the main melody and other riffs towards the end at the very least. The ending also cuts off suddenly, as if you intended to loop it. Overall, it’s a cute and blissful piece that’s a little lack-luster on the composition side. I’d encourage you to work on giving your tracks a little more shape by including more dynamic contrast, phrasing, or filtering. Keep at it, LLCALIREP. :)

6.25/10

LLCALIREP responds:

Thank you :) will take your advice

[This is It (Full Version)]

I like the rhythmic elements and the bells, even if you overuse the bells after a while. I think the chord progression and instruments are a little generic. The synth that comes in at :48 has a lot of high-pitched, harsh-sounding tones that I think should be equalized out. In a piece that’s meant to sound in-your-face, they might sound okay, but I don’t think that’s what you were going for here. I appreciate how you offered some structural contrast at 1:30. As for the mixing and mastering, I think the percussion could be a lot louder and clearer. I’d suggest some compression at the very least, but being a little stricter with the equalization will also help. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, although I think the piece is very repetitive and predictable by around the 4-minute mark, and really shouldn’t be nearly 8 minutes long. It would help if you varied the melodies and chord progression more, but overall I think you simply don’t need to drag out the structure of the piece for this long. I think you’d be better off keeping this as a 4-minute loop. Still, the mood and melodies are still very enjoyable. Keep at it, LakePixel! :)

7.5/10