TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Obito The Great]

I like the somber, pensive mood at the beginning and the dreamy guitars. The strings sound a bit inauthentic, but also help enhance the emotional quality of the piece. The rhythm is a little hard to follow with the beat at :20 - seems like it has a very different pattern of rhythmic emphasis than the rest of the texture. The mixing is pretty good, though - it's loud, clear, and well-balanced throughout. It's also a bit hard to follow the structure after a while - there are a couple of sudden transitions, like at 1:23, that make the arrangement feel a bit choppy. It might help to think a little more about "storytelling" here - the progression feels a little formulaic after a while. It was smoother in the beginning with the strings, but after a while they fade away and don't come back. Overall, there are a lot of cool guitar riffs and some creative percussion in here to keep me engaged. The arrangement could flow a bit better, but the production quality is solid. Keep at it, Desiel391! :)

[bad party]

I like the vehicle revving sound effects at the beginning and the airy pads. The sample of someone opening a soda can was a bit too loud, but the rest of the sound design is pretty fun and groovy. That said, the synth bass is a tad cheesy, and the drums could use some more reverb or other mixing effects. The more melodic content at 1:13 was a nice touch, although I think the synth bass/harmonies were a bit too loud by comparison. The texture really starts coming together at 1:54, although by that point it also feels a tad repetitive. An atmospheric bridge or melodic solo somewhere in here would’ve been a welcome change to the texture. That said, the production is pretty strong, and the sound design grows on me the more I listen. The composition might need a tad more attention to detail in the future, but I’m definitely scouting you. Keep at it, Zzox! ^^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Wings II]

I like the rich atmosphere and crisp beats at the beginning. The pulsing on those pads at :07 is really nice, and the relaxing mood and neat sound design help keep me engaged despite the slow progression. The re-intro at 1:22 seemed a bit dragged-out, but I liked the sense of build into 2:35 and the more melodic flair there. The mixing and mastering is also pretty solid here. Later on, I would’ve liked to see a tad more variety. The dreamy mood and cool synths only go so far to keep me entertained. A secondary melody, modulation, or sound design switch-up would be quite welcome by around the 4-minute mark. That said, you’re clearly a talented producer with a strong sense of progression, harmony, and production. I also really like a lot of the risers in this piece. The somewhat eerie outro was a fun surprise, too. Keep at it, Ziondiac! :)

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

Ziondiac responds:

Thanks for the feedback and vote

[MADNESS (VIP/REMAKE)]

I like the furtive intro and the crisp beats at :17. The percussion is a bit generic, but the synth bass riffs are really catchy. After a while, it would be nice to hear some more frequencies at the top end of the texture, and also some more dynamic riffs or melodies. Despite the energy and powerful instruments, it’s a little hard to stay engaged with a texture that just cycles through variations of a very similar bass riff. The breakdown at 2:45 was a welcome change, although there still isn’t really much variety to the harmonies here. My favorite element of the piece is probably the production quality. Everything is loud and clear in the mix, although the bottom-heavy texture doesn’t quite work for me. The rhythmic elements at around 3:40 are really neat, though, and overall the structure of the piece comes together well by the end. It just needs a tad more fill in the top end and a stronger sense of development over the course of the piece. Also, the frantic, distorted bass bomb at 3:10 is a bit much. Otherwise, I enjoyed the sound design, mixing and mastering, mood, rhythmic elements, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Xlizikk! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[WhoAmI - Fresh Opportunity]

The fade-in at the beginning was pretty cool, and I like the groovy synths and ominous mood. The percussion is pretty cliche, especially the snare sample, but the melodies at :46 help keep me engaged. The production quality is pretty good, too. I can hear everything in the mix pretty clearly. In my opinion, what this piece really needs is some more structuring. The first melodic section goes on for a full minute and a half, with the same instruments, a similar energy level, and the same key. That’s a long time to go without a meaningful change to the texture, even if the melody itself is really fun and dynamic. For that reason, I wish the breakdown/bridge section at 2:21 with the pensive synth arpeggios at 2:30 happened earlier in the piece. It also might’ve made the melodies more memorable if there was a more prominent “main melody,” with the others occurring either in separate instruments or with a distinct transition before them. Otherwise, it’s a little hard to follow the “storyline” of the piece, as it were. After listening a couple of time, I now see that the melody at 2:48 is closely related to the one at :46, but ideally the listener would do as little work as possible to “dissect” your piece like that. Anyway, overall I enjoyed the production, mood, melodies, and atmosphere. Some of the compositional details just might need a little more teasing out here. Keep at it, WhoAmI8332!

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[super]

I like the smooth, jazzy beats and saxophone. The mix is a little quiet, but otherwise well-balanced and clear. The guitar at :22 doesn’t quite come through well, though - it almost sounds like there’s a bit of delay on the sample that’s making it sound like it’s tripping over the beat a bit. That said, my biggest concern is probably the lack of structuring. You have a couple of rough transitions, notably 1:05, and otherwise the arrangement feels a bit stale. Some more solos, a bridge, or a change in the harmonic pattern would all be welcome here. That said, the mood, sound design, production, and rhythmic content are all quite enjoyable here. Keep at it, Vioyoyo! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Ice Cap Zone (Keyfob Remix)]

I like the dark mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The strings at :34 come in a bit suddenly, but also add a solemn air to the texture. The synths at :49 are a bit cheesy, and by around 1:10 the texture feels a tad too busy. The production quality is solid overall, but it might help add some additional clarity to dial back the reverb a tad. The beat at 1:52 is catchy, but the drum samples and chord progression is pretty generic. The piece really comes together at 3:38, with the bass-heavy mix and blissful melodies. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more variety to the main riffs and some more dynamic melodic content, though. Overall, the mood, atmosphere, rhythmic elements, and production are all enjoyable here. The composition was a bit bland at times, and the instrumentation was pretty generic. That said, the rich texture and upbeat mood helped keep me engaged. Keep at it, Ultimatepalmtree3! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[ALWS feat. ANANASIK - BLEAH]

I like the sitar and other ethnic instruments at the beginning. The vocal samples and airy beats work well together, and the rhythmic content is really cool too. You overuse the vocal samples after a while, and I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic development to the piece. The most dynamic element of the texture here is probably the bass line, and most of that dynamism comes from the rhythmic aspects. You’re clearly a talented producer, but I’d like to see a more structurally complete and well-rounded composition here. The sound design, atmosphere, and mixing are all highlights, though. Keep at it, TomWillson! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
6.5/10