TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[NGUAC] Underground]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning. The synth lead is a bit cheesy, though, and also gets pretty buried in the mix by around :12. I’d suggest tightening up the equalizers and toning down the reverb here, especially on the pads. The harmonies also start clashing after a while, with that initial synth lead the main culprit in my opinion. At the same time, the composition gets very repetitive after a while, with a near-constant energy level and a lot of repeated riffs for more than a minute on end. The mini-breakdown at 1:25 was a welcome change, but it was also short-lived. I want you to double-check that all of the notes that are playing in the harmonies are actually in the chords playing at the same time, especially around 2:38. There are a lot of good ideas here, like the ghostly pad riffs and the “oh, yeah” vocal samples that add a strong rhythmic appeal to the piece, but overall the texture seemed a bit too busy to really keep the listener grounded here. You’re doing a lot of ambitious things harmonically that you don’t quite pull off, and the mix, while loud, is very strained and distorted during the busy sections. The piece has a lot of potential, though - you nailed the rhythmic content and transitions, and a lot of your sound design choices are really creative and fun. Keep at it, juanthecrack5! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.25/10

[Midnight Perceptions]

I like the pensive chord progression at the beginning, although the synth pads themselves sound a tad cheesy. The piece is a bit slow to progress at first, but I like the plucked arpeggios and the string pads that come in later. The tone is distinctly melancholy for most of the rest of the piece, and the composition also sounds pretty stagnant and repetitive. The mixing is pretty good, although with a relatively minimal texture I’m not sure that’s too meaningful. The white noise in the background later on was a nice touch, but I still would’ve liked to see a more dynamic composition here. Some drums might help give the piece a stronger sense of drive, and a melody or solo at some point could’ve given the piece more of a narrative appeal. You nailed the atmosphere, mood, and production quality, but the rhythm is a bit square here and the composition a bit bland at the end of the day. The piece certainly isn’t bad, but it felt a little safe and unambitious when all’s said and done. I’d encourage you to keep working on it, though. Some harmonic depth and more variety in the texture would go a long way towards making this track an 8 out of 10 or higher. Keep at it, jeffbeard! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10

[Electronic danger]

I like the ominous synth riffs at the beginning. That lead sounds a bit harsh in the high end of the frequency range, maybe because of the stereo clicks, but after more of the atmosphere fills in around it, it starts to sound more well-balanced. The crisp drums and melodies at 1:05 are really nice, and the piece takes on a more heroic and triumphant feel after a while. You clearly have a great sense of melody, progression, and sound design, and the production quality is strong overall as well. Sometimes, I wanted the drums to sound a bit punchier in the mix, but only really during the busier parts of the piece later on. Overall, really strong work here, idimension! Keep it up. ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Dream]

I like the quirky synths, slap bass, and warm pads at the beginning. Some of the synths that come in later sound a bit cheesy, though, like the one at :22. I think the mix can come across as a bit indistinct at times. The drums aren’t quite as front-and-center as I want them to be, and some of the lower-pitched synths sound pretty murky. The vocal samples at :47 are pretty cool, but after a while you start to overuse them a bit. The rhythmic content here is really nice, although I’m not quite sold on the composition, as the texture is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy during much of the middle section, and there isn’t much in the way of melodic content or structural variety to keep me engaged. I also think a lot of the drum samples here sound pretty generic. Later on, the piece sounds pretty repetitive, although I like the injection on energy at 2:54 and the rhythmic content during the last minute or so. Overall, you have a good sense of rhythm, progression, and harmony, but the mix could be tightened up a bit, and I would’ve liked to see a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition. Still, this is going to be stuck in my head for a while. Keep at it, HG-HL! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

HG-HL responds:

Thank you so much for the analysis! Over time I’ll hopefully get out of my looping phase lol. I’ll also try to get some plugins to get some different sounds into my songs :)

[A new Chapter]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the organic sound design. The upbeat melodies and well-balanced harmonies suit the mood well, and I like the “B” section at :38 too. The piece feels a bit slow to progress after a while, given the constant energy level and instrumental palette. The somewhat darker chords at 1:50 help add some variety, but overall I’d like to see a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition here. Later on, the modulations help hit the piece home, but you also might consider adding some drums or something to help drive the piece forward a little more. Lastly, the mix is a tad quiet, even though the frequencies are well-balanced and clear. Overall, you nailed the relaxed and determined mood, sound design, and melodic content here. A little more variety in the texture would’ve been welcome, but clearly you’re a talented composer. Keep at it, Gemini*2! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

GeminiGemini responds:

Thank you for the review

[ANGLE]

I like the foreboding tone at the beginning and the vocal samples. The crisp beats and the sound design details - like the strings in the background - are both really nice. During the second half of the piece, you really start to overuse the vocal samples, though, and the composition feels a bit stagnant. It’s a really catchy and creative beat, but the piece could’ve been a lot more dynamic. After a while, it just doesn’t feel like the piece is building towards anything. There’s very little melodic content or atmospheric appeal to keep me engaged, and it also sounded like you didn’t really know how to end the piece given the fade-out. The production quality is probably my favorite element of the piece, and despite my complaints regarding the composition, the sound design, mood, and rhythmic content were also highlights. Keep at it, frankpresents! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[SPURME - 5th Dimension FlowerBoyDeMii Remix]

I like the glitchy and distorted white noise at the beginning and how the atmosphere gradually fades in starting at around :15. The piece is a little slow to progress for a while, but the energetic drums and rich atmosphere by around the 1-minute mark blend well together. The production quality is strong overall, although the gritty mid-range bass gets a little buried by the atmosphere at 1:30 or so. You find creative ways of switching up the texture here, like with the frantic synth riffs at 2:15. You also make really effective use of mixing effects, like the panning at 3:20 or so and the filtering automations throughout. Part of me wanted to hear some more prominent melodic content at some point, as it’s hard to keep a piece engaging for 6.5 minutes when it’s all frantic rhythmic patterns and pads like this. That said, the vocal samples later on and transitory drum fills and whatnot help keep me engaged, and the rich atmosphere is pretty engrossing in and of itself. I thought it was a wise choice to end with a spacey outro. Overall, really compelling work! You nailed the atmosphere, mixing, rhythmic content, and progression. Keep at it, FlowerBoy! :)

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
1/1
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

[Haunted Harpsichord]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The synth at the very beginning sounds a bit murky and unpolished, and I also think you overused the kick drums a bit. The entire mix sounds pretty indistinct - I’d suggest toning down the reverb and trying to give each instrument a clear pitch range that overlaps with the others as little as possible. Right now, the texture sounds pretty bottom-heavy and off-balance. The composition could also use a bit more fleshing out, as the piece doesn’t have much of a sense of direction over time. There are a lot of good individual ideas in here, like the pitch slide at :53 and the frantic descending bass line at 1:04, but I wanted to see you clean up the mixing and do a bit more with the composition here. You nailed the harmonies, mood, atmosphere, and rhythmic elements, though. Keep at it, eatgruul! :)

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
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

[BASCUTI - PSYCHO]

I like the energy at the beginning and the catchy rhythmic content. The 8-bit drums and ominous-sounding synths are really nice, and I’m enjoying the build-up into 1:08 too. You might consider reining in the volume levels a bit here - the entire piece seems to be brick-wall limited, which can make the piece sound pretty distorted and artificial on some sound systems. I also thought the drop at 1:08 was really dragged-out, as the more melodic riffs don’t come back until 2:31. The vocal samples in the drops are nice, although I would’ve liked to hear a little more variation in the drop the second time around. Overall, this is a really catchy piece with solid mixing and neat sound design. The composition and arrangement could’ve been a tad more creative, especially during the drops, but I enjoyed the pitch-bending effects you used on that mid-range bass towards the very end. Keep at it, DWAAAN! Scouted you, btw. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Dolph Infinity]

I like the punchy guitar riff at the beginning. Really unique sound design, with a neat atmospheric appeal and rather apprehensive mood. The production quality is really solid here, with a well-balanced texture and clear, crisp instruments throughout. That said, the preponderance of staccato-y instruments leaves a lot of space in the mix for denser harmonies or pads or something to fill out the texture. The composition feels a bit stagnant after a while with the near-constant energy level and heavy use of rhythmic elements to maintain interest. At some point, contrasting the plucked industrial timbre with something more melodic or atmospheric would’ve been nice. That said, you get full credit for originality, sound design, and mixing and mastering with this one. Adding a stronger narrative appeal to the piece is an important next step for you. Keep at it, dogsinmrimachines! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
8.75/10