TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[XCRIZ - On the waves]

I like the rapid fade-in at the beginning and the pensive-sounding synth line at :02. There’s a good sense of build-up starting at :32, too. The drop at :46 is both airy and punchy, if a tad over-compressed and generic. I like the nature sound effects and dynamic contrast at 1:20, and the build-up into 1:47 was also pretty neat. Some more variety in the harmonic content here would be nice at some point, but you keep things interesting by playing a lot with the energy level and using different instruments to play the main riffs. One thing that I think definitely could use some more variation is the second drop at 2:32 - you go up the octave at 2:54, and use some filtering at 3:02, but frankly I wanted to hear some bolder compositional details here. Still, overall you’ve put together a catchy, evocative, and well-produced track here, XCRIZ! Keep it up. ^_^

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Remnants]

I like the bass-y groove at the beginning. The percussion is really nice, but it could also come through sharper in the mix with a bit more compression. The organ riff at :14 is really catchy, but the mix sounds a bit muddy there. I suspect some of the lower-end frequencies in the organ, synths, and other harmonies are interfering with those of the bass and drums. You can fix that by adding an equalizer to each instrument besides the bass and kick in the mixer, and then removing the frequencies below 200 Hz or so.

Otherwise, I really like the sound design and melodies here. You clearly have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. That said, the piece could use a bit more variety in terms of the energy level and dynamics. Right now, the beat and bass line are playing for almost the whole piece, which makes the piece sound more like a demo track instead of a compelling narrative. That said, I liked how you stripped away most of the harmonies at 2:02 and then “reset” the piece with the mellow melody at 2:31. By 3:25, the rhythmic syncopations and atmosphere are really coming together again, but the mix also sounds really strained. I’ll also say that this piece could use some more memorable melodies that make themselves more distinct from the rest of the atmospheric harmonies.

Overall, the instrumentation, mood, danceability, and flow of this piece are all highlights, but aspects of the composition could’ve been a lot bolder and, perhaps more importantly, the mixing could use some cleaning up throughout. Keep at it, X2scepten! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Down drop]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning, but the bass is a little too loud relative to the synths. There’s a good sense of build-up into :32, although the drum kit there is a bit generic, and the mix is pretty muddy. The texture is very bottom-heavy here, with a lot of bass-range instruments competing for attention. I would suggest both transposing one or two of the harmonies up an octave, maybe the staccato-y bass line, and then using equalizers to remove frequencies below 200 Hz in all but one of the bass instruments. The drop at 1:28 is pretty cool, but also drags on for a bit too long while being fairly repetitive.

One thing I really like about this piece is how full and rich the texture is throughout. I also think the mellow breakdown at 2:18 is a nice change-of-pace from the rest of the track. You transition nicely into the second drop at 3:35, and I like the added harmonies there as a way of creating variety later in the piece. Overall, the mixing could use a tad more polish, and the composition here could use a bit more ebb and flow within phrases, but I like the sound design, foreboding mood, and rhythmic content of this one. Keep at it, X-Irus! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

X-Irus responds:

Thank you for the criticism and lenghty comment! I'll use this feedback for future tracks. :)

[Sax at N1ght]

I like the airy synth at the beginning and the crisp beats that come in shortly thereafter. This piece is seriously catchy, but also fairly slow to progress and minimal at first. The chord progression at :56 is a bit bizarre, but I love the solo at sax 1:04. It’s refreshing and organic, but also blends well into the beat with the reverb and other mixing effects. Just when I think it’s petering out, the sax also gets a second wind at around 2:00, which is a cool way of structuring a solo (and also pulling off a really smooth modulation). The return to the synth riffs at 2:40 felt a tad superfluous, actually. In sum, I like the composition a lot, even if the arrangement feels a tad choppy between the first minute, sax solo, and outro. The production quality here is also really good - lots of luscious, well-balanced harmonies and a clean mix. My favorite element is definitely the sound design, though. Strong work overall! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[never let Ü go (feat. GUMI)]

I like the synth bass and crisp beats at the beginning, but the chord progression is a bit cliche. I’m not a big fan of the super processed-sounding vocaloid at :27, and the lyrics themselves are also a tad cheesy. The instrumental tracks could use some more harmonic depth and variety. That said, the production quality holds up well - I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. That said, there’s also more room for filling out the atmosphere of the piece more with mixing effects like reverb, and adding interest with filtering and automation and the like. Overall, I like the instruments (other than the vocals), rhythmic content, and production of this one, but the composition is very bland and repetitive. Keep at it, wheremakingthishapen! ^_^

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

[Blackhole Symphony - The Singularity]

I like the foreboding mood at the beginning and the frantic synth line at :11. The mix is a bit muddy, especially at the low end of the frequency spectrum, and the drums are very quiet during the busier sections. You can fix that by adding an equalizer to each instrument in your DAW’s mixer, and then removing the frequencies below 200 Hz for every instrument except the bass and the kick. It might also help add clarity and sharpness to the mix if you put some compression on the drums. There also might be a tad too much reverb in the texture at times. You’ve definitely nailed Dimrain47’s style, though.

The breakdown at :54 was a good idea - certainly helps draw contrast from the more energetic sections of the piece. I also like your transitions throughout this piece, simplistic though they are. The ascending line at 2:00 was a good way of creating variety as well while maintaining the sense of pent-up tension pervading the first half of the piece. There are times when the harmonic framework here could use some more variety, as well as a stronger sense of motion. I’d suggest doing more with filtering and automation to add a sense of ebb and flow over the course of some of the longer, repetitive sections of this piece (like 1:15 to 1:59). The main refrain at 2:53 could also sound a tad more distinct compared to the first one, just to create a sense of overarching development.

Overall, I like the ominous mood, sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content here. As for items for improvement, the piece could use some more variety in the texture and a cleaner mix. Keep at it, VoltranixMusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Road to the Stars]

I like the relaxing mood at the beginning. It’s a tad difficult to follow the pattern of emphasis in the rhythm until the beat comes in at :40, and I wanted to hear more of the drums and bass during that section. The pads could also use a bit more atmosphere and automation to maintain interest over time. The piece is smooth-flowing, and overall I like the sound design and rhythmic content, but what’s really missing here is some more variety in the harmonies. Dynamic melodies, or at least variations in some of the lead riffs here, would really help jazz up the composition. After a while, it just doesn’t feel like it’s leading much of anywhere. The production quality holds up quite well, though - very clear mix, but also not over-compressed or otherwise distorted. Overall, the compositional details of this could be a bit bolder, but the mixing, sound design, rhythmic content, and progression are solid. Keep at it, V1XTEZz! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

V1XTEZz responds:

Thanks <3

[BLUEDAGGER]

I like the smooth synths and crisp beats at :10. The intro sounds a bit unpolished and out-of-place, though. The mix starts sounding a bit overwhelmed at :32, with the vocals at :56 taking up a bit too much space in particular, but I love the energy and rhythmic content here. There’s a good sense of build-up into 1:26, and the drop is catchy, although you overuse the samples and rhythmic effects a bit. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonies and instruments. In the future, it would also be helpful if you indicated where some of these samples are from in the author’s description.

The breakdown at 2:32 was a nice touch - really helps draw contrast from the frantic energy of the rest of the piece. The part at 2:55 is another moment where the mix sounds a bit strained. I think you should take a look at the equalizers on the harmonic instruments there and make sure to cut out some of the lower frequencies if you can. Otherwise, the second half of this piece is pretty redundant with the first one. I would’ve liked to see you add variation to the main melodies, and maybe layer on some additional harmonies or a solo or something.

Overall, this track is catchy, smooth-flowing, and has a great, triumphant-sounding mood. The composition could use a bit more variety and depth, the mix needs some more polish in places, and the over-use of vocal samples gets pretty cheesy after a while. Still, you got my foot tapping with this one, and I like how full and rich the texture is throughout. Keep at it, TurboDrivee! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10

TurboDrivee responds:

Thank you for this rating dude, I’ve needed an actual rating from an actual producer for a while. I’ll be sure to take these into consideration for my future songs!!!

[Rise]

I like the airy pads at the beginning. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but the rhythmic content is cool, and I like the crisp beats at :27 too. The piece is a bit slow to progress, though, and I would’ve liked to hear more variety in the harmonies overall. The part at 1:10 with the rich bass and low-mid arpeggios was nice, and the punchier lead synth riff at 1:22 was a creative way of making the piece feel more conclusive towards the end. Overall, the mixing and compositional details here are solid, but at its core this piece could use some more fleshing out. Most of the song sounds pretty minimal and trite, and some bolder melodies and more variety could really take it up a point or two on my scoresheet. Still, I like the instruments and mood of the piece - sounds triumphant, but almost in a taunting kind of way. Keep at it, ttempaa! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10

['16 Dopa-Rush]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning, although the delay effects are throwing me off the pattern of emphasis in the rhythm a bit. It would be nice to keep things grounded by introducing the drums earlier IMO. There’s also a lot of reverb and other effects in the texture, and the mix starts to sound a bit strained at around 1:00. I’d suggest using more equalizers, stereo widening, and other tools to help pull apart the different instruments in the track in terms of where they sit in the stereo space. The reverb will make sure they still blend well together, but the mix should sound a lot less distorted then.

That said, the beat at 1:25 does indeed help hold things together, and I like the sense of pent-up energy starting at 2:22 or so. That said, I’m not sure you do too much with that energy. Instead of a big build-up and climax (as I would expect from a song called “dopa rush”), the next major section is a stripped-down atmospheric breakdown at 2:50. The high-pitched synth pad at 3:20 sounds good, and I like how you switched up the drum pattern at 3:47. I like the synth lead at 4:01, but I’d like it to be more upfront in the mix - maybe some more compression and a little less wet reverb would help. That said, there really isn’t much in the way of dynamic melodic content in this piece, although the consistently full texture helps make up for that. The piece ends quite suddenly, though.

Overall, I like the rich atmosphere and sound design of this one a lot. The production quality could be a bit sharper, and the composition could use a bit more spicing up at times. Still, I applaud you for making a track that’s simultaneously evocative, catchy, and spacey. Keep at it, tnvc! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10