TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Toby Fox - Megalovania (Meta Remix)]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning and the gritty bass in the background at :20. The harsh drop at :28 was unexpected, but I think works well with the frantic synths and descending piano line. The high-pitched synth riff that plays every 2 bars until :48 sounds a tad jarring in my headphones - it might be worth it to take off some of the treble in the EQ and smooth it over with some wet reverb. That said, I’m enjoying the melodies at :47 and the busy texture later on. The lead synth and some of the drum samples are a tad cliche, but overall I’m impressed with the sound design here. Also docking you on originality a bit was the chord progression. That said, the mix stays intact surprisingly well given how hectic the texture is for most of this piece, and overall I’m just impressed you made this in 6 hours. There are a lot of moving parts to this piece that help keep me engaged. I could’ve asked for a bit more variation between the first and second drop, and also more of a proper outro, but overall this piece has a decent amount of variety and a lot of fun compositional details. My favorite element of the piece was probably the instrumentation, actually, with the production a close second. Keep up the good work, MetaHumanBoi! All of my complaints are minor. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Okaasan]

I like the vocal samples at the beginning. Where are they from? The relaxed mood and wonky rhythmic elements and sound design are nice, although the texture stays pretty minimal throughout and could use some harmonic variety and melodic development. The section at 1:38 served as a nice mellow bridge, but I’m not sure I like how the vocals sample and beat overlap at 2:00 - seemed like a missed opportunity to express the re-entrance of the chill pads as the release of the tension from the dialogue. Overall, the mood, sound design, and production quality of this piece are all solid. The composition is a tad underwhelming, though, and the arrangement lacks originality. The lo-fi production and trippy rhythmic elements are highlights for me. Keep at it, LPSounds! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

LPSounds responds:

The vocal Samples?? Samurai Champloo. thanks for the review

[lurkin]

I like the ominous bells at the beginning. I’m not sure they mesh super well with the other instruments, though, including the strings and the beat. Speaking of which, the snare sounds a bit cliche, and the strings are pretty inauthentic. The crisp hats are cool, though, and the mix sounds pretty crisp and clean. I think my biggest complaint here is probably with the composition. There isn’t a very strong sense of development over time with this piece - all of the riffs feel pretty stagnant and repetitive, and the only way the texture ever really changes is when you add or subtract instruments over time (as opposed to automation, filtering, volume changes, variations in the riffs, etc.). The atmosphere, mood, rhythmic elements, and flow are still all enjoyable. It’s just that I’d like to see you flesh out the structure a little more here, and maybe find some better string and drum samples. Until then, keep at it, Loquinator3000! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
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

[(Hard Techno)Radioactivity]

I like the frantic drum patterns and gritty synth bass at the beginning. The pulsing effect on the bass was a nice touch, too. Some of the samples are a bit cheesy and generic, especially the claps. The entrance of that other mid-range synth at 1:06 really threw me off, and the rhythm of the phaser/pulsing effect on it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the piece. The track is really slow to progress overall, and doesn’t have much in the way of interesting harmonies or rhythmic content to keep me engaged in the meantime. The mix seems a bit overwhelmed at times - do you have a limiter on the master channel of the mixer? The distorted sound design is for a while, but without any counterbalancing with smoother elements of the texture, it’s a bit much to listen to for 8.5 minutes. Many of the synths in here also sound pretty unpolished and cliche. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but a more well-rounded and dynamic composition also necessarily includes melodic elements and more variety than this. I’d challenge you to create a piece that has some more memorable melodies and a stronger sense of “storyline.” A good way to start is by listening to a melody from a piece of music you really like, recreating it in your DAW, and, using all the same pitches, slowly alter the contour and note length until you have something new. Until then, I enjoyed the catchy beats and some of the synth riffs here. Keep at it, lllElectroMusiclll! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
3.5/10

lllElectroMusiclll responds:

Thanks you!

[TOO MANY LOUD NOISES!]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. It’s a bit bizarre when it fades out and restarts again a couple of times - kinda disrupts the flow. The texture also sounds a bit murky at times, which may be a sign that the mix isn’t as clean as it could be. I’d suggest toning down the reverb/delay effects on some of the pads and aiming for a more well-balanced frequency range. That said, I think the biggest problem here is how choppy the arrangement is. There are a lot of good isolated ideas here, including the saxophone solo, hiphop beat at 2:00, and a lot of the rhythmic content and sound design. That said, the piece has no sense of structural integrity, and overall just comes across as way too jarring and disorienting to the listener. Sorry to be so negative, but this piece is a little “out there” for me. You can totally reuse a lot of your ideas here in a more coherent piece, but ideally you would have more of a smooth-flowing, melodic track with fewer air horns and other meme-caliber effects. I admire the creativity, though. If the drum tracks were less harsh-sounding in the mix, they would make for a great filler on a longer EDM piece. Anyway, because I feel bad about being so negative here, please PM me when you make a piece that doesn’t go “against the formula,” as you put it, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Koogai! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
0/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3/10

Koogai responds:

Nothing wrong with negative, thanks for the review/advice/offer! I might send you something eventually, it won't sound anything like this, but it might still be "interesting" since I enjoy being annoying ;). Hopefully upward progress from a toss around song like this though lol

[Out of My Head]

I like the creative percussion and triumphant mood. The synths are a bit cheesy, and I’m a bit thrown off when the texture gradually becomes thinner over the course of the piece. I’d like to see you flesh out the composition a bit more with some transitory moments, bolder and more dynamic melodies, and more harmonic depth. Until then, there isn’t really enough variety to keep me engaged here, even with the neat rhythmic elements and fun sound design. Keep at it, Kinupsi! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.25/10

[A Hero Needs A Hero]

I like the emotional appeal of the strings at the beginning. The way the volume pulses up and down sounds a tad unnatural, but the vocals at :30 are a huge plus for the sound design. There’s a bit of dissonance in the vocal harmonies at times, like :45, and also in the strings, like at :58. Overall, the mood of the piece is really bright and triumphant. You may have overdone the reverb on the percussion at 1:14 - it sounds pretty indistinct - but in a way it fits the dreamy atmosphere. After the long vocal section, the piano solo at 2:28 was a welcome change in the texture. I like how you aimed for some dynamic contrast there too, as the vocals come in significantly softer than before at 2:42. At times, I felt there could’ve been a sharper element to the texture to give the piece a stronger sense of drive, and at 3:30 my wish came true: some crisp percussion and staccato-y vocals. I wish they appeared a tad earlier in the piece, but that’s a small detail. Your voice is amazing, and you have a great knack for melody and progression too. There are a couple of small nitpicks I have with the production and harmonic texture (see above), but overall this is a really strong piece. Keep up the good work, KikiNeko! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
8.75/10

[Bittersweet Coffee Lo-Fi]

I like the jazzy sound design and relaxed tempo at the beginning. The layered kicks and snares starting at around :20 are a bit bizarre - are there multiple instruments there, or is it just a heavy delay effect? Either way, it may be a bit much, especially with the relaxed vibe of the rest of the piece. I really like the atmosphere and instruments, though. The piece is a tad slow to progress, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear a solo or bridge or something for variety. One of my favorite parts of the piece was when the bass played in the upper part of its frequency range towards the end. The mood and melodies really sell this track overall. The composition could’ve been a tad bolder, but the active bass line and drums help keep things engaging. Keep at it, Kantieno! :)

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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

kantieno responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I did have multiple instruments going around 0:20, for no real good reason haha. With my current projects I am focusing on making a simpler more cohesive drum backing. Glad you enjoyed the upper frequency span of the bass, it is also my favored part. Thanks again for the feedback!

[desolation]

I like the dreamy guitars at the beginning. The rhythm becomes a little hard to follow at :19, though. I think the guitar and bass are tripping over each other a bit. My main complaint here is probably with the composition, though. It just doesn’t have much of a strong sense of development over time. The sound design is cool, but it alone doesn’t create enough variety in the piece. I would’ve liked to hear more melodic content, changes to the chord progression, and more drastic changes in the energy level at some point. Other than that, the mixing and mastering is solid, and I like the crisp beats a lot. That said, the bland composition is a major drag here. I’d suggest spending some more time fleshing out the structure and harmonies - PM me when you do, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Kamiakiro! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[beautiful spring]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The chord progression is a little funky, but the arpeggios at :28 help me follow along with the harmonic shifts. The mix is pretty good, if a tad over-compressed. I really like the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content overall. My biggest complaint is probably with the arrangement - it feels a bit aimless and slow to progress throughout, although the melody at 1:50 helps alleviate that problem. Still, the wonky chord progression leaves me with a sense of tension that’s never really resolved, and the sudden ending doesn’t help in that regard. It also seems like the most dynamic element of the texture that’s playing at a given time is usually just a riff designed to outline the chord progression, as opposed to giving the piece a sense of evolution. It might’ve been advisable to switch up the harmonic pattern somewhere - the piece is lacking an “arrival point” that helps sell the narrative arc of the track, if that makes sense. Despite my complaints about the composition, the production quality is very strong, and you also got full credit for instrumentation and almost-full credit for originality. The piece is catchy and has a nice atmosphere. Fleshing out the composition a little more could easily turn this into an 8-range track. Keep at it, Kamalamalamalam! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10