TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Krazi Thingz]

There are a lot of catchy beats and fun synth riffs here. I’m not a huge fan of some of your instruments, though - the clap at :11 is pretty generic-sounding and unpolished, for example. I like the frantic bass line and shimmering pads, but some of the other instruments in here sound very harsh and grating, like the one at 1:17.

A bigger problem is some of the abrupt transitions, like at :22 and 1:06. The main riff (1:28) gets a tad repetitive after a while, but it also doesn’t seem very interconnected with some of the other riffs, like the shimmering pads at 2:01. The result is that the arrangement of the piece feels very disjointed, and is mostly held together by the meandering bass line and popcorn snare. I’m going to challenge you to make a piece where, at moments of transition, you keep at least one or two of the harmonic instruments (i.e., not drums or bass) playing the same pattern on both sides of the transition. That should make your transitions smoother, or otherwise force you to make transitions more gradual and less jarring.

Otherwise, the production quality is pretty good, and the composition could stand to be a tad less repetitive. My main concern is the transitions/arrangement. Other than that, this piece is catchy and has a fun, quirky mood that helps keep me engaged. Keep at it, Athos! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6/10

[Calamity]

I like the strings at the beginning and the crisp drums and slow-paced guitar riffs that come in shortly thereafter. The smooth, dreamy riff at 1:05 is great, and I love the melodic content at 1:20 as well. The production quality here is very strong, with a loud, clear mix and well-balanced frequencies. Some of your transitions are a tad abrupt, notably the one leading into the breakdown at 1:44 and again at 3:44. That said, I like the strings during the breakdown, which adds a nice cinematic flair to the piece. The injection of energy at 2:40 was a welcome change, and the choir was a nice addition to the texture as well. I might’ve even held out the choir’s notes a bit longer, just to solidify the intensity. You once again took the piece in a different direction at 3:44 with the brass - I’m beginning to think the arrangement of this piece is a tad disjointed, and a big part of that is the sudden transitions I mentioned earlier. That said, you nailed the sound design, melodies, and mixing here. It’s a catchy and energetic piece that commands a lot of attention with its flair for the dramatic. Keep at it, Aterr! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[madness if it was an upbeat video game bossfight?]

I like the catchy synth riffs at the beginning. The attack on the lead synths sounds a tad too strong, especially on the downbeats. The mix is pretty clean, although a lot of the harmonies, including the bass line, are very quiet. The piece is also pretty repetitive after a while, but I liked when you stripped away the beat at :52 and let the harmonies shine a bit more. The solo at 1:17 was a good idea, but the rhythm of it is a little hard to follow at times. The final refrain at 1:44 helps tie the piece together nicely, although sometimes during that last minute or so you have the individual synth riffs tripping over each other a bit. One of the main riffs at 2:05 comes to mind - its re-entry there felt a bit forced. I’ll also say that some of the higher-pitched synths sounded a bit harsh in the mix. I’d suggest taking off a bit of treble in the EQ for some of them. The drums are a bit thin at times, especially during the busier sections, and could use some more reverb. The glitchy effect during the last few seconds of the piece is really cool, though. Overall, I like the blissful mood, energy, and melodies, although the sound design wasn’t my favorite and the mix is too top-heavy and could use some cleaning up around the edges. Still, this is a very catchy and memorable piece. Keep at it, Aszon! ^_^

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

[I Get It]

I like the heavy, echo-y percussion at the beginning and the way it fades out right as the vocals come in. The vocals are really smooth and expressive, but they also feel a tad bare - a little more reverb early on might’ve been welcome. That said, the emotional quality of that part is appealing, and when the heavier guitars that come in at :31 I really like the direction the piece is taking.

I was a little confused, however, when you switched up the texture again at :46. It seems like that part is supposed to be the refrain of the piece, but it’s also a big step back in terms of intensity. I also think that instead of using the echo effects at :46 and 1:01, you’d be better off holding out the note longer, as the echoes add an element of artificiality that seems to go against the raw and bare-bones approach to the vocal mixing up to that point.

The post-chorus at 1:16 seemed to be a tad uninspired, with a single chord taking up most of the mix. The echo-y, strummed chord at 1:31 and the more frantic, fingered guitar line at 1:46 also constitute a shake-up from the previous instrumental tracks. I’m starting to think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here and focus more on the cohesion of the track over creating variety.

I really like the extended solo at 2:32, although the drums get a little buried in the mix there. The third refrain at 3:08 has the pedal note and, later, the return of the fingered riff, which I think the first and second refrains might’ve also benefited from. You did a good job creating variety later in the piece here, especially with the more passionate vocal lines during the refrain, but I think that came at the expense of having a fairly disjointed structure earlier on.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the compositional elements and sound design here. I think you tried to do a bit too much with the arrangement of the piece, but otherwise you’re approaching a professional quality with the production, vocals, and guitar recordings. Keep it up, Art! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Shiver Your Timbers]

I like the nature sound effects at the beginning and the energetic string riff that comes in shortly thereafter. The 8-bit drums and the melody that I can only describe as “pirate-y” are both thoroughly enjoyable. I love the grouchy bass at :38 in the lead-up to :51. The mix is a tad over-compressed for my tastes, but it’s also crisp, clean, and well-balanced. The sound design here is especially nice, though, and the melodic content is a close second in terms of my favorite aspects of the piece. I also commend you for the bold step of taking the piece in a very different direction starting at 2:50. All of a sudden, it sounds like Pegleg Larry met the love of his life on his most recent conquest, and decided to quit his high seas thievery for good. The orchestral solo at the end was also really nice, although I think you overdid the ornamentations on the trumpet at 3:40. Overall, you clearly went all-in on the composition here, and boy did it pay off! This piece is oozing with character, and the clean mix and colorful sound design back it up really well too. Fantastic work, Arram! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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

[It is what it is]

I like the catchy 80s-style synths at the beginning. The vocal samples fit it well, and the growly bass riff at :17 is a great addition to the texture. The arrangement of the piece feels a tad formulaic, with a fairly abrupt transition followed by either adding or subtracting one or two instruments at a time. More gradual fade-ins or melodic transitions would be welcome, in addition to automations, filtering, etc. You also overused the “it is what it is” vocal line after a while. That said, I think you nailed the dynamic contrast between the refrain and the extended bridge at 1:18. The bass riff at 2:00 is especially catchy, and I think the transition at 2:39 was more creative than some of your earlier ones. The slap bass at 3:10 was a fun surprise, and the final refrain of the piece has a nice, victorious-sounding vibe. You hit the piece home nicely at the very end with a fresh perspective on the piece’s sound design and rhythmic content. Overall, I think the mixing, sound design, and melodies here are really strong. Some of the arrangement details could use some work, but most of my complaints here are relatively minor. Keep it up, Arponax! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[met never die]

I love the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The distorted beats at :23 are catchy, but the volume levels might need some reining in. I think you overdid the reverb a bit, and the compression is also a tad strong for my tastes. The sound design is another highlight - especially the haunting, distorted pads. The composition also could’ve used some more fleshing out here, with a more distinct verse, bridge, or breakdown that gives the piece more of a narrative appeal. Otherwise, you’ve clearly displayed your skills at concocting a Halloween-esque atmosphere. Keep at it, Arbelamram! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Waiting]

I like the tranquil guitar riffs at the beginning and the crisp drums that come in shortly thereafter. I love the soothing vocals, and the lyrics themselves are also really good. I’m personally not a fan of the throaty “scoop” up to the first note in the phrase, which is particularly noticeable at :24 and :31. I also think the main guitar riff is playing slightly off-beat during the verses - it might need some re-quantization. You also might try to edit out the mic distortion at 1:17, or otherwise re-record that part. By the end of the second refrain at around 2:00, the harmonic framework was getting a tad repetitive, so I’m glad you came in with the eerie atmospheric part at 2:23. The distortion on the guitar at 2:55 is really cool, although that part of the piece felt a tad dragged-out. That said, the return of the soothing vocals at the very end really helped tie up the piece nicely in my opinion. Overall, while aspects of the production and recording are rough around the edges, I really like the relaxed, almost spiritualistic, quality to this piece, as well as the sound design and lyrics. Keep at it, Anoth3rMind! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Anoth3rMind responds:

Thank you. We love the perspective you brought and appreciate the time you took to highlight the different parts of the song.

[Brent]

I like the catchy synth riffs and creative use of filtering on the drums. The vocal samples are well-used, too. The instruments are a bit cheesy-sounding and unpolished, especially some of the synths, and I think the drums could use some more reverb and other mixing effects just to fill out the texture a bit more in what is otherwise a pretty minimal piece. The harmonic content is pretty repetitive, and there’s also a fair bit of dissonance in the texture at 2:10 with the synth that comes in on the off beats there. I think the filtering on the drums ends up being pretty distracting once more of the harmonies start coming in (at :50, for example). I also think the harmonies there are very quiet and don’t blend particularly well with the other riffs. The samples are good for some variety here (I love the elephant at 2:27!), but I don’t think they should be the main source of variety throughout the piece, which they are now. Moving forward, I’d suggest focusing on building up more layers of harmony over the course of your piece. You have some catchy individual synth patterns and rhythmic ideas, but they don’t always feel very interconnected. Try to focus on telling a story with your piece using primarily changes in the harmonies over time, not just using different samples from FreeSound. When you feel like you’ve done that, send me a PM and I’ll give you some more feedback. Until then, I did enjoy the quirky beats and eerie atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, Anonymous-Frog! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[mickey]

I like the cutesy organ synths at the beginning and the build-up into :13. The mix is a bit too reverb-heavy for my tastes - I think the sound would be crisper without so many mixing effects. That said, the sound design is really neat, perhaps with the exception of the drums, which I found to be a bit generic. The distorted synth at :27 is great, as are the melodies at :40. At times (especially towards the end), the drums struggle to pop in the mix - you might try a multi-band compressor to really highlight the frequency ranges in the drums that they share with the other instruments. The piece started getting a tad repetitive in the last minute or so - even a slight variation of the main riffs or a key change would’ve helped give the piece some more variety. That said, I like the white noise at the end, and overall I’m impressed with the upbeat mood, sound design, and progression of this one. Thoroughly fun and catchy piece. Keep it up, AmishPimp! ^_^

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