TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Curse of the Cat-acombs]

I like the ominous fade-in at the beginning and the echo-y harp pattern that comes in shortly thereafter. The snare sample is a tad generic, and the intro as a whole drags on for a bit too long without creating much of a sense of progression. The build-up into 1:29 was nice, and the drop was full of variety and some fun sound effects and melodic filler.

The volume levels in this piece are a bit unwieldy at times - right after the first drop (1:57), the main melodic riff comes in at the loudest volume the listener has heard so far in the piece, which seems a bit jarring after the very energetic drop section. Also a little on the loud side was the plucked synth at 2:41. You then double down on the “gradually louder verse/bridge content” theme with the part at 4:06. In theory, these volume level changes were a creative idea, but it actually comes across as a bit cheesy and forced.

By contrast, the echo-y and mysterious repeat of the melodic pattern at 5:01 was really nice. Again, the outro seemed a bit dragged-out, much like the intro, and for a track this long you don’t vary the harmonies of the piece too much. That said, the sound design, rhythmic content at the drops, progression, atmosphere, and mixing are all on the plus side for me. Keep at it, Darkkit10! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

Darkkit10 responds:

Thx

I’ll eventually make a remastered version and fix these things

[Nightshade]

I like the 80s-sounding synth bass at the beginning. The chord progression is a tad cliche, but the sense of atmosphere is strong. The riff that comes in at :12 sounds a little harsh in my headphones - it might be worth it to take some of the treble off of it in the equalizer. I like the injection of energy and the harmonic content at :20. The production quality is pretty strong too. After the second refrain at 1:30 or so, the piece gets a tad repetitive, and I feel like there could’ve been more variation on some of the main riffs later on to keep things interesting. Otherwise, the arrangement strikes me as a bit formulaic. Despite my complaints about some of the compositional details, the mixing and mastering is strong here, and the sound design is cool. Keep at it, Cotnp! :)

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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

cotnp responds:

Thank you for allowing me, and many others, the chance to participate :) I'll give it another shot next year!

[Highlight the Clouds]

I like the cute synth arpeggios at the beginning and the popcorn drums. The plucked synth at :11 sounds really loud compared to the rest of the instruments, and also occasionally clashes with the underlying harmonies. The cutesy tone and upbeat mood of the piece are great, but the synths themselves sound a bit cheesy and unpolished. The solo at 1:21 is really fun - I like the consistently descending frequency and wonky meter. The injection of energy at 2:10 was a pleasant surprise, and that section really helps hit the piece home. Overall, I think the composition of this piece is really strong. The melodies, fun shifts in tone and energy, mood, and atmosphere are all pluses. The staccato-y texture could use a shake-up at some point, even if it’s just a pad/drone part to smooth things out momentarily. I also think the mix sounds pretty dry overall, and that the atmosphere of the piece would sound that much richer if you had added a little more reverb and also maybe more bass tones. Still, nice work with the melodies and video game flair. You really told a story with this one, CommanderJersey. Keep it up! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[What's Next?]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the rhythmic content. The guitar at :07 sounds a tad dry, and could probably use some reverb or other mixing effects. The pads at :22 are neat, too. The tone shifts pretty abruptly at :36 to a more upbeat and full-textured sound. Your melodies have a lot of embellishments on them, which can make it hard to follow their contour sometimes. I really liked some of the rhythmic elements of this piece, though, like when the drums went crazy at 1:08. I would’ve liked for them to come through more clearly in the mix there, just because that seemed to be the most dynamic part of the texture at that point. You might consider adding some compression to the drums, or otherwise giving a boost to the midtones in the equalizer. I think it’s actually the bass that’s causing the drums to duck under the mix there - probably a sign that you should do a more careful EQ’ing job anyway. That said, the composition of this piece comes together really well for me. I like the lively melodies and sound design a lot. The end was a little abrupt, but I think it would’ve worked really well as a sort of comical effect if you had sold it a tad better (more dynamics/phrasing leading into it would probably accomplish that imo). Still, solid work overall here, CommanderFrost! The mixing is honestly my main complaint. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[can i lose myself]

I like the somber arpeggios at the beginning. The piano sounds like its pitch range has been constricted a lot, to the point where it sounds a bit unnatural. I like the slightly grating pads you made out of the piano and the legato melodies that play over them starting at :34 or so. The production quality is pretty good, but the drums are very flat. I think they need some more compression, and probably a boost to the mid-tones too. The variations in the drums at 1:20 were welcome, but otherwise the piece is a little slow to progress, and could use more harmonic variety later on. The volume/filtering automations on the piano bass line at 1:52 were very creative, but the string arpeggios at 2:15 sound very inauthentic, to the point where you’re probably better off replacing them with something that’s meant to sound synthetic. Overall, though, I enjoyed the sound design here and the rich textures throughout. The harmonies could still use some switching up at some point, but the mixing and mastering, atmosphere, structuring, and compositional details are all strong here. Keep at it, Clefergers! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[High on razor blades]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and the lead screeches at :12. The texture really comes together well at :17, although the drums could be a bit punchier so that they don’t get lost in the mix so much. Sometimes, the recording hasn’t been quantized perfectly. For example, there’s a slight pause before the added harmonies come in at :52. Do you use a digital audio workstation? Even Garageband? If so, you can line up all of your notes to the nearest ⅛ or 1/16 of a bar after you record. It’s a handy tool to use to clean up raw recordings like these. I really like the gritty textures and the melodic riffs (like at 1:40). Sometimes, the texture is a bit harsh between the distorted harmonies and screechy leads, but oftentimes it also serves as a nice element of variety from the relatively tame refrain at 2:08. Later on, the piece does get a tad repetitive, and also there are occasionally some awkward transitions like at 3:16. The section at around 3:50-5:10 is marked by a lot of sudden changes in the texture. I think you could’ve smoothed those over a bit with some more regularity to the changes, or by foreshadowing them each with a drum fill or something. I think it would be good to consolidate some of your ideas at times, just to keep the listener more grounded in some core riffs and harmonic patterns during the long verses. The more distorted version of the refrain that plays at 6:21 was a great idea for hitting the piece home. Overall, the mastering and editing is a bit rough around the edges, and the arrangement of the song is a bit choppy at times, but you’re clearly a talented guitarist with a good sense of harmony and a knack for knitting together some engrossing textures. You’ve definitely earned a scout, my friend. Rock on, Cat911! ^^

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

[Space Vacuum]

I like the mysterious atmosphere at the beginning and the crisp drums at :20. The rhythmic content is really great, but the harmonies are a bit lacking for a lot of the piece. The texture is super minimal, and after a while it needed some more melodic content or another strong foregrounded element (dynamic pad line, etc.) to keep it engaging. I also thought the panning on the percussion was a little jarring at times, especially with the open hats at 2:10. My main concern with the piece is still that the composition is a little bland. That said, you nailed the sound design and atmosphere with this one, and despite the odd panning choices and very loud percussion, the production quality is also quite good overall. Keep at it, C-Lehman! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Ji4H3 - Nothing will beat us down (Original Mix)[Free Download]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, notably the one at :22, and I also think the chord progression is a bit generic. That said, I enjoyed the build-up into :45 and the subsequent melodies. The production quality is also really strong here. In fact, my main complaint is probably a lack of originality. Everything from the sound design to the arrangement to the harmonic structure seems cliche in this piece. It might’ve helped if you had offered more variety later on, especially by making the last refrain distinct from the first one. The ending also cuts off a bit suddenly, although that should be an easy fix. Overall, though, you won me over with the rich atmosphere, blissful mood, and solid mixing and mastering. You clearly have good melody writing skills too. Keep at it, Bow1255! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Hold]

I like the walking bass and generous use of the ride cymbal. The electric guitar and saxophone solos really help hit the piece home too. The fade-out ending was a tad lazy, though, and I think there’s a lot of room for more creativity in the arrangement of the piece. The structure could be fleshed out a lot more, and I also might’ve liked to see the rhythmic content of some of the harmines (piano, bass, etc.) be a little less square at times. The distortions on the guitar at around :42 are a nice touch, though. You won me over with your excellent melody writing and the solid production quality, but going forward you’ll probably need a more structurally complete piece to advance in this competition. Keep it up, BlueCheeseCult! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[House Down]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the ominous synth pattern at :11. The snare at :44 is a little loud compared to the synths, and the texture of the piece remains quite minimal throughout. You have a good sense of harmony and progression, but the composition felt a little underdeveloped here. Some stronger melodic content or some more dynamic harmonic elements would help this piece out a lot. That said, I admire your sense of atmosphere, and the production quality here is really strong. Keep at it, BigTWONeli! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

BigTWONeli responds:

This is the most in depth form of criticism I’ve ever gotten, and I love it! Thanks man I really appreciate the thoroughness