TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fallen Down Nostalgic]

I like the quirky mood at the beginning and the static-y atmosphere. Sounds blissful and yet also circus-like in a way, like it’s portraying a clown slowly going insane. The bass at :48 sounds a bit muddy, although I like the pitch bending and rhythmic content. The piece felt like it needed a bit more energy and drive, though - some drums would’ve been nice. It also ends rather suddenly and doesn’t really feel structurally complete to me. I really like the atmosphere here, and the sound design - while a bit cheesy - grows on me a lot over the course of the piece. You have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, but I’d like to see you do a bit more with this piece in the structuring and melodic departments - form a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time, stitch a story together, etc. Otherwise, you’ve set up the tension of the piece nicely without really resolving it anywhere. I’d suggest you keep working on this track, though - it has a lot of potential. Keep at it, Octusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
6.25/10

[What's The Use]

I like the harmonies at the beginning. The vocals and real recorded instruments were a pleasant surprise - I don’t see a lot of tracks with vocals in this competition, but they really add a lot to the piece here. Don’t be afraid to use some more mixing effects here - you could really thicken up the atmosphere of the piece with some more reverb on that cello and make the vocals pop a little more with some compression. Still, I like how your voice is just slightly raspy, but also very clear in the mix. I also like how they’re almost spoken rather than sung, making it seem like you’re performing in a musical or something. The melancholy lyrics fit the instrumental tracks really well, although sometimes it sounds like the instrumentals are tripping over each other a bit, like at :57. The acoustic guitar solos were also a pleasant surprise, although the lead is a tad behind the beat in the recording for the first few bars. The ending is lovely, too. You’ve really sold me on the emotional content here. At times, I felt like you could’ve given the piece a stronger sense of drive with some drums or other rhythmic content, but I can also appreciate the on-theme lack of resolution in the melancholy aspects of the piece. Overall, really admirable work here, Nodle! You’ve earned a scout for sure. Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Dototototo (WIP)]

I like the glitchy mid-range bass at the beginning and the ominous atmosphere. The harmonies are a bit dissonant at times, but I like how the texture thickens up by :46. The crisp, organic-sounding drums were a nice touch, too. The melodies seem a bit meandering and directionless, and the climactic section in the middle drags on for quite a long time without much change in the energy level or instrumentation. The mellow breakdown at 2:12 was a good idea, and the quirky pads there sound warm and rich to contrast the punchy drums and melodies. You hit the piece home nicely at 1:43, although the mix sounds a tad strained there, with the drums not quite as up-front as I would’ve liked to hear. The tempo automations at the very end were really clever, though. Overall, I like the sound design, atmosphere, production quality, and rhythmic content of this one. The compositional details might need some work, though. In particular, I’d like to see a stronger sense of melodic progression earlier on and more variety in the harmonic content and texture. Still, the cute, triumphant mood of the piece seems perfect for a video game soundtrack. Keep at it, NicolasPL64! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

NicolasPL64 responds:

Thank you so much!
Yeah, I should've mastered the track. At least I know I'm in the good way in terms of composition, sadly I didn't have the time for mastering the track or improving the mixing.

[blank.set]

I like the nature sound effects and tranquil piano riffs at the beginning. The automations at :16 were nice, but then the pauses between there and :24 threw me off of the flow a bit. I like the crisp percussion and dreamy guitars at :30, and the quirky beats at :41 really round out the sound design nicely. Sometimes, the treble range sounds a bit harsh in my earbuds, especially at 1:18, but otherwise the production quality is quite strong here as well. Once again, the filtering work at 1:46 is impressive, but I can’t help but feel like the pauses thereafter make the composition feel a bit disjointed here. The distorted texture at the end sounds really neat, though, and overall the piece feels cohesive and light-hearted. The filters cut off a tad too early at the very end of the piece, but that’s a tiny detail. Overall, solid work, Nascent! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Through Time]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The bass at :21 is a little loud, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. The drums also could’ve been a bit sharper in the mix - some more compression couldn’t hurt. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression, though. I’m enjoying the sense of build into 1:14. The bass is a bit overpowering at the drop, and again I would’ve liked to see the drums be more up-front in the mix. In general, the loudest instrument at any given time should be the drums. I also would’ve liked to hear some more variation on some of the main riffs later in the piece, just to give it a sense of melodic development. The filtering at the end was a nice touch, though, and you know how to structure a piece pretty well. Overall, you have a good sense of melody, progression, and rhythm, but I would’ve liked to hear some tighter mastering and more variety later on in the piece. Keep at it, MrSpud8! :)

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

MrSpud8 responds:

Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated

[[Future House] Modern Landscape]

I like the rhythmic content and quirky pads at the beginning. The drum pattern sounds a tad generic, especially the snare, and overall the piece is a bit slow to progress. The synth riff at 1:00 is a lot of fun, though, with the pitch sliding effects and how it sits so up-front in the mix. The frantic melody at 1:31 was also nice, and the texture takes a bit of a darker turn at 1:45. I like how the mix becomes gradually more chaotic until 2:30. The production quality here is solid overall, although in the lead-up to 2:30 the drums get a tad overpowered. I like how the piece “resets” at 2:30 before working its way back up to the chaos of before. Clearly, you have a great sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression. One thing that bothers me about the piece is that most of the variety comes from adding and subtracting instruments over time, as opposed to more advanced methods like filtering, automation, and dynamic contrast. This piece is also a bit of a slow-burner, but you won me over in the end between the flashy synths, creative melodies, and refreshing atmosphere. Keep at it, MRLinkins! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Event Exodus: Slime boss]

I like the quirky percussion at the beginning and the cutesy harmonies. The sound design is really neat, but the mix also sounds a bit dry and unpolished. A little more atmosphere - pads, or maybe just reverb - would help fill out the texture a little more, especially later on in the piece. I also think the composition could use some fleshing out here. The piece sounds thinner and less energetic as it goes on, and in a pretty linear fashion too. Instead of throwing the listener directly into the busiest part of the piece, maybe it would help “sell the narrative” of the piece a little more to build up to it in some way. Otherwise, this piece seems to be missing that big climax or “point of arrival” that makes the story behind the track come alive. That said, the instrumentation, rhythmic content, and harmonies are all really impressive here. I hope you keep working on this; it has a lot of potential! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Mooman380 responds:

Thanks man

[Static]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning, but the synth itself is a bit cheesy. The bass at :23 sounds neat, but the texture at the drop is pretty minimal. I would’ve liked to see you fill in some of the atmosphere around the rhythm section there. The mix here also sounds pretty strained, with the bass seemingly distorting the mid-range synths. The mix is simultaneously pretty dry, with not a lot of reverb or other mixing effects to keep things sounding airy and smooth. If you do add reverb to try to fix that, though, please just fix the distortion problems first, as reverb can make distortion sound worse. The synth at 1:08 sounds really harsh in my headphones, but I do like the harmonies there. The piano solo at the breakdown was a nice touch - sounds like FL Keys though, a bit of an overused plug-in in electronic music in my opinion. The more melancholy tone of that section was nice for some contrast with the earlier part of the piece, and I like the dissonant harmonies leading into the next climactic section at 3:45. The more melodic flair of the piece at the end helps hit it home nicely, but I thought the synth at 4:10 sounded a bit unpolished and grating. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, but I want to see you spend more time making the mix feel fuller and more well-balanced. Modifying some of the instruments would also be a good next step for you, as a lot of the synths and drum samples here sound pretty generic. Keep at it, MelodicRice! :)

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

Rici-Ellipsis responds:

Thanks so much! This is the first track that I actually started mixing, and very badly at that, at the time I'd only used FL studio for about 2 months. You're right about FL keys, now I would have switched it to maybe Grand Piano or at least some different preset. I wasn't good a serum at the time (still am not) and what was used was the demo version where I had to save what I had with Directwave which made everything I made with it distorted, once I get home from vacation I will fully buy serum. Thanks for the in-depth review, I really appreciate it.

[End Of The Sun]

I like the distorted atmosphere at the beginning and the rhythmic content. I think the intro drags on for a bit too long. By the 1-minute mark or so, I’m really itching for some moving notes. I also think the synth riff that fades in around that time needed a drum pattern or something to give it a stronger sense of drive. I feel like the long intro eroded the momentum of the piece early on. I enjoy the climax into 2:00, but the mix feels a bit distorted there. I’d suggest double-checking the equalizers to make sure you don’t have any bass frequencies in any of the instruments besides the bass and kick. The harmonic content is pretty bland, but I appreciate the changes in energy levels that come with the climactic bit at 2:00 and, later, the breakdown at 3:00. The distorted atmosphere at 3:00 is pretty neat, but it also needed to feel a bit more dynamic to keep me engaged. Once again, I feel like the middle section is very dragged-out here, and frankly you probably could’ve made the pacing of this piece work if it was 3.5 minutes instead of 6.5. I also would’ve liked to see you add more variety to the main riffs later on, although the filtering work at 5:00 or so was a good idea. The clap at 5:00 has way too much reverb on it, though - perhaps excessive reverb is one of the culprits in this track’s indistinct mix. Overall, the rhythmic content here is catchy, and you clearly have a good sense of progression and harmony, but the mastering needs some fine-tuning and, more importantly, the composition is pretty bland. You’re good at constructing an atmosphere for a track. Now you just need to fill out that atmosphere with more compelling harmonic content. Keep at it, Marcos! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.75/10

[Volcanic [Lifelight Records Release]]

I like the crisp beats at the beginning and the ominous atmosphere. The rhythmic elements and harmonic dissonance at :25 work well, but thereafter the piece is pretty slow to progress for a while. I’m enjoying the sense of build into 1:40, and the minimal drop there was catchy, if a bit bland. The production quality is good here - the compression is pretty heavy, but not so as to distort the other instruments to an unpleasant extent. You have a great sense of progression and rhythm, as the piece flows smoothly and remains catchy even during the fairly downtempo parts. The sound design is fitting, but unremarkable. The sweeps, drums, and several of the synths strike me as pretty generic. I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth in the piece to keep me engaged after a while. The compositional details are fun, such as the panning at around 4:25 ghostly alarm that sounds at several points, including :14. Overall, the mixing, arrangement, and rhythmic content are all strong here, but the composition and sound design were a tad underwhelming for me. Keep at it, mar234! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

mar234 responds:

Thanks a lot!