TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Castle Dregs]

I like the ominous-sounding organ riff at the beginning. The long pause at :11 threw me off a bit, and then the bass riff at :16 took the piece in a bit of an unexpected direction. The beat there is really catchy, and has a cool instrumental palette, but the mix sounds a bit strained and distorted throughout the rest of the piece, with the organ not quite popping through on top of the beat as much as I would’ve liked and the drums sounding a bit soft too. I’d suggest toning down the reverb on that bass riff and giving more space in the mix to the harmonic instruments.

Compositionally, there are a lot of cool ideas in here, from the creative rhythmic content in the drums to the string riffs at 1:50 or so. That said, there isn’t quite enough structuring in the piece to keep me engaged for the whole 5.5 minutes. The energy level is almost constant, and despite slight changes in the instrumental palette, I’m not getting a strong sense of narrative direction in this piece over time. The result is that the composition comes off as a bit bland, and needs more ebb and flow over time. It also seemed like you didn’t quite know how to end the piece, given the fade-out ending.

Overall, you have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and sound design, but the production quality and compositional details here fall flat at the end of the day. Limit the distortion on the harmonic instruments in the mix and add some more compelling progression over time, and this piece is easily an 8 out of 10, at least. Keep at it, djadj50! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

SednovaNova responds:

I appreciate the tips and the constructive feedback. I can learn a lot from this. I have been looking for some feedback it has been something I needed to hear. Thank you so much for this criticism. It is really appreciated and welcomed! It is true, I was confused at the end about where I was going. I usually come back to the piece later. I did, but I decided on an end that probably needed more work. I appreciate it.

[elytra]

I like the oom-pah rhythm at the very beginning and the organ-like synth that comes in shortly thereafter. The texture is full and well-balanced, and the melodies are super catchy and fun. You might want to consider reining in some of the volume levels here, as much of the piece seems to be brick-wall limited, which could lead to stereo distortion on some sound systems. Compositionally, however, this piece is really strong. It’s catchy, energetic, and well-structured, with a lot of neat retro video game instruments and punchy drums. The piece gets a tad repetitive towards the end, but I appreciate the variations on the main melody at 2:52. Keep up the great work, Dimas25! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
9/10

[Follow Me]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the rhythmic content. The more minimal section at :24 was also cute, but felt a little dragged-out by the end. There’s a good sense of climax into 1:00, and I’m enjoying the sense of arrival and release of tension there. The mix is well-balanced and clean, but a little quiet here. You transition well into the breakdown at 1:46, and the vocaloid section there was a nice touch. I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variation on the main melody during the second refrain, but the outro at 2:58 with the different rhythmic elements worked well to hit the piece home. The arrangement of the piece is a bit generic, but the structure flows nicely and has a strong narrative appeal. Overall, solid work here, Dewey! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

DeweyDewster09 responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I was inspired by Panda Eyes and Nitro Fun.

[Dekiru - I'm Falling]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the airy synths. The scaled-back atmosphere at :25 is also nice, and the cutesy melodies blend in nicely with the pads and strings. There’s a good sense of climax into 1:13, but the mix starts getting a bit overwhelmed there. I’d suggest scaling back some of the reverb and getting stricter with the equalizers. There are quite a few abrupt transitions in this piece, like at 1:58. I’d like you to think more about foreshadowing the next section of the piece before it happens. That said, the dreamy atmosphere of the piece is a big plus, and the melodic content is really upbeat and refreshing. Once again, at 3:13, the mastering quality isn’t great, with the pads sounding really distorted and the bass that comes in at 3:26 making the entire mix sound pretty muddy. Later on, I also wanted to see you create more variation in the main melodies. That said, the piano outro and rich atmosphere at the very end hits the piece home nicely. Overall, the composition and atmospheric elements are really strong here, and my main concern is the production quality during some of the busier sections. Keep at it, Dekiru! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Madness]

I like the distorted texture at the beginning. The rhythmic content and sound design here are both really creative, although the texture sounds pretty thin and minimal for most of the piece. At some point, some stronger melodic content or structural contrast would’ve been welcome for some variety, but the atmospheric synth at 1:15 was a nice touch. There are a lot of creative ideas here, like the filtering at 1:50 and the drum fills towards the end of phrases. I think the composition might’ve been fleshed out a bit more, though. It seems like it could make a good loop, but as a stand-alone piece it doesn’t quite have a strong enough sense of ebb and flow over time for my tastes. The experimental texture and rhythmic content certainly get you full credit for originality and sound design, though. Also, the production quality is strong throughout, with a rather good balance of frequencies and a clean mix. Keep at it, deepfriedfiend! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
7/10