TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Hell]

I like the gritty bass and ominous mood at the beginning. The synths sound a bit dry. Some more mixing effects might make the texture sound a bit more full and atmospheric - reverb, echo/delay, etc. The vocal samples work well, and I like the foreboding breaks at :58. The texture is still pretty minimal throughout, and the volume levels might need to be reined in a bit. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear a bit more balance in the frequency range of the piece. Right now, it’s very bottom-heavy and thin, and later on there isn’t much variety to keep me engaged. The second half of the piece seems like almost a carbon copy of the first half. A more melodic or atmospheric bridge or breakdown might’ve helped create that variety. Still, the sound design and mood of this were creative and fun. Keep at it, DeathPains! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Offline]

I like the crisp beats and rich texture at the beginning. The transition at :28 was a little abrupt, but I like the echo-y synth riff there and the injection of energy at :55. The melodies later in the piece have a nice, soulful quality that helps hit the piece home. The distorted synths and smooth pads blend really well together at the very end. This track is really short, yet has a strong narrative appeal, cool sound design, and solid production quality. Some of the compositional details could use some fine-tuning, like the odd sudden transition and somewhat dry mix, but overall this is really strong work, Deathincan! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
9/10

[Conspiracy]

I like the frantic percussion and quirky synths at the beginning. The piece is a tad slow to progress at first, but the bass at :30 and subsequent call-and-response action with the quirky percussion at :45 helps keep me engaged in the meantime. The rhythmic content at :56 is just awesome, and the squeaky effect that comes in every 2 bars made me laugh out loud. The sound design here is so unique and fun, and there’s a constant sense of evolution and variety. Towards the end, the arrangement seems to get a tad formulaic/repetitive, but within the part that repeats (up until 1:42), there’s so much variety that it’s hard to be mad at the later repetition. My only complaint with the mixing is that the percussion is distorting some of the background elements of the piece at 2:07 or so. Usually, my judging standards include things like “melodic content” and “structural contrast,” but honestly fuck my judging standards. This piece is delightful. Keep up the good work, DDI! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

DEATH-DANGER-INCOME responds:

Thank you very much! Appreciate it. <3
Had to use the heart one time, sorry.

[DatCat11 - Frozen Over]

I like the catchy riff at the beginning. The little fade-out at :10 threw me off a bit, but the synth guitar at :11 is cute, and plays a neat melody. I’m enjoying the sense of climax into :56 and the more prominent melodies that play there. I think the chord progression is a bit generic, though, and the drums fall a bit flat in the mix here. I’d suggest adding some compression to them to make them sound more punchy and sharp, especially the snare. At 2:51, the more stripped-down melodies were good for some structural contrast, and I enjoyed the transition back into the refrain at 4:05 too. I might’ve liked to see a little more variation on some of the main melodies later in the piece, but the piano outro was a good idea, and hits the piece home nicely. Overall, you clearly have a great sense of harmony, progression, and rhythm. Important next steps for you are tightening up the mix, especially with the rhythm section, and adding some more variety to the composition. Keep at it, DatCat11! :)

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

[Talking Tracy]

I like the quirky synth at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The synth guitar at :18 sounds a tad cheesy, but I’m enjoying the sense of climax into :35 and the minimal beat that comes in thereafter. The harmonies blend well together, and I like the more staccato-y texture that starts at :52. That said, I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in the composition later on, with some more dynamic melodic content and a stronger overarching sense of ebb and flow. That said, the production quality was enjoyable, and despite a few questionable sound design choices (including the synth at 1:53), I enjoyed the progression and apprehensive mood. Keep at it, damnhurt! :)

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
.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
7/10