TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[cafe]

I really like the airy and tranquil vibe at the beginning and the creative use of filtering on the brass instruments. You could even play up the richness of the atmosphere by adding some compression and/or giving the mid-tones a boost in the mix. Otherwise, the composition here could’ve been a lot more dynamic. You set the tone for the piece really well, but you also don’t fully explore or resolve any of the underlying tension here. It’s a really lovely and evocative piece, but I wanted to see more harmonic depth, variety, and structuring here. In terms of structuring, the mini-fade-out at 1:16 was a nice touch, though. Keep at it, Shosha! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
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
6.5/10

[The Key to the Insanity]

I like the synth riff at the beginning and the busy bass riff at :05. The percussion at :11 feels a tad dry, though - I might try to soften it a bit with some wet reverb and other mixing effects. The harmonic content is pretty repetitive here, but you manage to keep things interesting with the rhythmic content, sound effects, and drum fills. The tempo automation at 1:40 was a good idea, but I might suggest adding some reverb or something just to keep up the flow during the transition at 1:48. I really like the beats and 1:50, though - bubbly synth sound effects, groovy bass, and all. This piece really finds a second wind during the last minute or so in my opinion. The modulation at 2:27 was a welcome escalation in intensity, although the harmonic content could still use some more variety in my opinion. The texture still feels pretty minimal for a lot of the piece - you might add a mid-range pad or something to balance out the mix more. That said, I’m impressed with the rhythmic content, progression, harmonies, and production quality here overall. Solid work, Shikoshib! :)

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
.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
8.25/10

[Dance of the dead]

I like the eerie mood, quirky synths, and ghostly pads at the beginning. The cute melody at :18 is a nice touch, although the bass that comes in at :35 makes the texture sound pretty muddy. I’d suggest taking some of the reverb off of it and tightening up the equalizers in the other instruments. I think the composition could’ve been more fleshed-out. There’s a lot of tension in this piece that never quite gets fully explored or resolved. The result is that this track seems fitting for a video game loop, but leaves me wanting more as a stand-alone piece. You nailed the sound design and atmosphere here, though. Keep at it, Shabbyjazz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

CielOuvert responds:

Although irrelevant to this competition, this track started out as background music for a Minecraft mod that I was a part of, the theme itself was that of the undead and their lair underground, so this somber little theme would be played whenever the players wandered the dead cities. Hence why it does sound like a video game loop. Alas, they scrapped the undead entirely so I just made some finishing touches to it and made it a more complete track.

Anyway, thank you for your review, as always it's very in-depth and thorough.

[¡Hurry Walker!]

Really creative use of vocals and phone ringing at the beginning. The synth at :07 is a bit cheesy, and I think the drums could also be stronger in the mix here. Some more compression or more careful equalizing could help with that. The texture sounds a bit thin, especially in the mid-low range. Layering on a bass or low-range pads or something would give the mix a better sense of balance. The lead synth has a nice, frantic vibe to it, but the rhythm is pretty square, which makes it hard to maintain interest over time. I like the transition at 1:09, although the part thereafter seems to be a 30-second-long build-up that doesn’t really lead much of anywhere. That said, I enjoyed the comedic screaming sample at 1:40. Overall, the composition feels a bit disjointed and choppy here, with some half-baked ideas (like the higher-pitched melodies at the end) that I thought you could’ve explored a lot more. The sound design is pretty generic, and the mix, while loud, is not particularly sharp or well-balanced. That said, I really enjoyed the rhythmic content, vocals/sound effects, energy, mood, and variety. Keep at it, SerebetGM! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[echo]

I like the distortion effects at the beginning. The vocals sound a tad dry when the distortion isn’t on, though, and the drums and bass are pretty muddy and indistinct in the mix. The mix is also pretty quiet in general, so it might be advisable to add some compression to the drums and tighten up the equalizers as a way of making the texture sound more crisp and full. The piece starts coming together a bit more at :38, and I like the arpeggios at :51 too. The chord progression is pretty cliche, but the quirky instruments and fun rhythmic content help keep me engaged. Despite some variety in the rhythmic elements and pacing, the piece feels pretty stagnant after a while, as the harmonic framework could’ve used some shaking up after a while, and I also would’ve liked to hear some more memorable melodies in this track. Overall, you earn a lot of credit here for a creative sound design and good sense of rhythm and progression. That said, the mixing and mastering work could be a lot tighter, and the composition needed a stronger sense of ebb and flow after a while. Keep at it, SaturneKx! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6/10

[He'll knock all day]

The chords at the beginning sound really cryptic and foreboding, which isn’t bad in and of itself, but it didn’t flow well into the more light-hearted mood at :18 in my opinion. I also think the chords at the beginning could’ve been spaced more carefully - if you put the notes of the chords too close together in pitch, they tend to sound pretty clunky and heavy, even if the chord itself is in a major key and supposed to sound happy. The beat at :18 was cute, although you spam the open hats a bit every 4 measures or so. The texture is pretty minimal and ominous-sounding, but I like the groovy saxophone riffs and rhythmic content in general. The filtering at 1:27 on the drums feels a tad out-of-place, a bit artificial compared to the sound design. Later in the piece, the harmonic content gets very repetitive, and it feels like you could’ve created more of a story here with some more dynamic melodies or a more prominent climax somewhere in here. The piece begins to go in that direction towards the end, but it’s short-lived, and the texture is still pretty minimal. I’d suggest using some mid-range pads or other harmonies to fill out the mix a bit more. Overall, the production quality is probably my favorite aspect of the piece. I really like the mood, instrumentation, and progression too, but harmonically-speaking, the composition feels a tad bland here. You’ve created a catchy atmosphere for the piece, but I wanted to see it lead up to something more compelling than the 4-note melody at 2:38. Keep at it, sandmangaming! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Sample - Robbin Dat Bank]

Creative use of white noise/sweeps at the beginning. The riff at :13 is catchy, but doesn’t really blend in with the atmosphere. Some of the later synths come across as a bit cheesy (like :25, for example), and the texture remains pretty minimal for most of the piece. You switch out the lead instrument quite frequently, but the harmonic content remains very similar. I think it would help keep the listener grounded more if you kept the instrumental palette more constant and worked on creating some more dynamic harmonies. I also think the texture is missing a lot of mid-range tones - some continuous pads or something to better balance out the mix would’ve been welcome here. I think my favorite element of the piece is the mastering quality - all the instruments sound clean and clear throughout, and the drums are especially crisp and full. Overall, I think the compositional elements need some more fleshing out here, and the sound design could’ve been more evocative, but the production quality is solid and you have a good sense of rhythm and atmosphere. Keep at it, SampleTeam!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.75/10

[Madness, Act 3]

I like the orchestral sound palette and foreboding mood at the beginning. The mix is a tad quiet and strained at times - the strings get a bit buried under the percussion at :58, for example. The harmonic content is really nice, but the arrangement of the piece seems to vacillate between a few different mini-phrases, which feel stagnant after a while. The bridge at 2:20 was a nice dose of structural variety in that regard, although I can’t help but feel that the tension in the piece remains unresolved by the end. I’d like to hear a stronger sense of ebb-and-flow in the composition, especially during the middle of the piece. But besides my compositional nitpicks, this piece is really strong. The booming percussion and other instrumentation choices, cinematic flair, and ominous undertones give this piece a whimsical vibe. Tighten up the mastering quality, and break up the formulaicity in the middle section, and you’ve got a top-tier piece here, my friend! Keep it up. :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Rhombys responds:

Thank you so much!

[Species]

I like the airy synth arpeggios at the beginning. The intro might drag on for a tad too long, though. I also think the synths themselves are a bit generic-sounding, and the build-up into 1:00 was pretty anti-climactic. By 1:25 or so, the beats are really catchy, and I like the filtering work and addition of the bass line at 1:35. That said, the harmonic content could use some more depth, such as with a more dynamic melody or new chord progression. You begin to do that with the pads at 2:07, although in the context of a fairly downtempo section of the piece it didn’t quite deliver the big “point of arrival” I was looking for. I enjoyed the transition into the chorus at 2:38, but again the piece feels a bit repetitive at this point. Although I will say that layering the dark pads from the breakdown onto the chorus was a good idea. Overall, I like the production quality, rhythmic content, and automations in this piece a lot. The composition could’ve been a tad bolder, though, and some aspects of the instrumentation and arrangement feel pretty cliche. Add a killer synth solo at the end or something, and I think you could boost your score by up to a point here. Keep at it, Raj! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

rajbeatsofficial responds:

Solid and in depth feedback man!!! Greatly appreciated. I definitely focused more on getting the sonics right than anything else with this one, and agree the sound design and layering could have been bolder. Will keep this in mind. Thanks!!!

[Partialism - Windows XP [NGUAC 2022]]

I like the old-school chiptune vibe at the beginning. The texture sounds a bit indistinct at :07, and overall the mix is pretty quiet, but it starts sounding a bit crisper by :20. I like the rhythmic content and sound design here a lot, especially the bubbly synth at :36. I still think some stricter use of equalizers and more generous use of compression could help the mix feel punchier here, but the composition is really compelling here. The melodies at 1:12 are great, and the build-up at 1:20 with the subsequent “aftershocks” was a really creative idea. You really show off your great sense of melody for the rest of the second minute, and you also contrast that nicely with the more mellow section at 2:00. The progression is a little hard-to-follow at 2:12, and with the constant energy and similar instrumental palette, I think this piece could use some more structuring at times. More contrast between adjacent sections in terms of energy, sound design, mood, etc. could help keep the listener grounded a bit more. That said, you wrap up the piece nicely with the return of those quirky melodies at 2:42. Strong work overall, Partialism! The rhythmic content, sound design, melodies, and progression of this are all really compelling. Some attention to detail on the arrangement and mixing could help you snag an extra point or two. :) Keep at it, man!

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

Tetriform responds:

I really appreciate the nice feedback, I wasn't expecting anything positive lol
Thank you for taking the time to listen - I will definitely be trying again next year!

Jack