TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[EmeraldX - Feral]

I like the quirky synths and energy at the beginning. There’s a good sense of build-up into :24, too. Some of the drum samples are a bit generic, especially the snare, but you did a good job with the mixing effects and filtering. The texture feels a tad over-compressed at times, but otherwise the production quality is strong. I like the progression and harmonies too, but I also would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content after a while. The more furtive pads at 2:07 were good for some structural contrast, and I’m liking the sense of build throughout the bridge into 2:46. You finally scratched that melodic itch of mine at 2:57, and I like how you closed out the piece with that major chord and door slam-like sound effect. Overall, my biggest concern is probably with the generic elements of the sound design and arrangement. That said, the production quality is rather strong here, and the composition is full of variety, catchy riffs, a strong sense of direction, and, later on, a cool and memorable melody too. Solid effort all around, EmeraldX! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

EmeraldXMusic responds:

Hi! I'm really thankful for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the piece! I'll keep the feedback in mind for future projects for sure!

[Desperate Dreamer [Instrumental]]

I like the murky atmosphere at the beginning, although there’s a bit of harmonic dissonance in the texture. The crisp drums add a nice sense of drive to the piece, although the fade-out and pause at :55 threw me off a bit. I like the riffs at :59 too, but ideally you would’ve found a way to smooth over the transition in between instead of fading out the one line and then fading in another. The distorted texture at 1:30 is cool, but by this point it seems like most of the guitar riffs mostly serve to just outline the chord progression, as opposed to having a more dynamic pattern or melody. I’m enjoying the mix, though, which is crisp, clear, and well-balanced. There’s another awkward fade-out transition at 2:45. It seems like you know how to structure a piece pretty well. It’s just the transitions that need a little help. The mellow piano at 3:50 was a nice way of switching up the texture. It would’ve been nice if you had switched up the last gritty-sounding chorus at 4:40, just to give the piece more of a sense of overarching direction. Otherwise, I like the atmosphere, harmonies, and mood here. The choppy arrangement and lack of structural variety are my main concerns with the piece. Still, you’ve certainly made up some ground with the production quality and sound design here. Keep at it, TentotheC! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7/10

[Silver Lining]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The crisp percussion at breathy synths at :40 are great, although the compression is a bit heavy for my tastes at times. I like the injection of energy at 1:15, although that section felt a little rhythmically square and repetitive. The creepy breakdown at 1:52 with the pitch bending and airy harmonies. The more blissful tone at around 2:50 is also a nice touch, and the stop-start transition at 3:25 works quite well. I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent and dynamic melodic content at some point, especially during the “emotional height” at 3:26. The quirky synth riff at 4:21 helps keep me engaged, though, and there’s also a decent amount of variety in the middle section of the piece. Overall, this is solid work, Solize! Nice job with the progression, harmonies, instrumentation, and atmosphere. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
8.5/10

[Technocosm - Poison Gauntlet (Snare Remix)]

The pulsing orchestral chords and atmospheric details at the beginning are really cool, and the rhythmic content is really compelling here. The compression is a bit over-the-top starting at :31, but the vocal samples work well. The somber piano and atmosphere serves as a nice element of contrast to the gritty breaks. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear a bit more fill in the texture, especially towards the top end of the frequency range. The breakdown with the airy vocals at 1:36 was a good idea, but some more prominent melodic content would probably do more to flesh out the composition here. The pause at 2:24 really threw me off, especially with no reverb or other effects to “carry over” into the next section. The final energetic section at 3:40 helps add some closure to the piece, and the atmospheric and melancholy piano and vocal riffs at the very end help cement the emotional appeal of the piece. Overall, you certainly nailed the mood, atmosphere, and sound design here. The production is also pretty good, although you might need to rein in some of these volume levels at times, like at 3:33, for example. The overwhelmed mix and lack of fill and/or harmonic depth are my main concerns here. Keep at it, SnaresWorks! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

SnaresWorks responds:

thank you so much for the review! i agree with pretty much everything :') the track for the next section of the nguac will definitely build on what this one didnt do well enough

yet again, thank you for the review ^^

[Kavez - Left in the Dust]

I like the sharp piano chords at :05 and the funky bass at :14. The little mic pop at :03 could stand to be eliminated, though. Otherwise, the mix is really clean and distinct. The piece is a little slow to progress, but I like the injection of energy at 1:03. The rhythm feels a tad square, but the airy harmonies at 1:26 help keep me engaged. The sudden change of pace at 1:38 was a little jarring, but I appreciate the switch-up to the chord progression. Overall, the arrangement of the piece feels a tad disjointed, but the additional harmonies during the last refrain help tie it together nicely. The sound design and mixing are quite good overall, and the rhythmic content is a highlight for sure. Solid work, SlyFrost! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[And Life Goes On...]

I like the frantic bass riffs at the beginning. The texture sounds a bit muddy starting at :15, and the drums could come through the mix a bit cleaner. I like the melodies at :36, but the guitars sound a tad inauthentic. The kick drum also sounds like it has a lot of mid-tones in it, which makes it pretty conspicuous at the breakdown at 1:36. After that, the piece gets a tad repetitive, and I would’ve liked to see some more variation on the melodies in particular. The tempo change towards the end of the last melodic section was a nice touch, and the mellow solo at 2:40 helped give the piece a sense of closure. Overall, the composition of this piece is pretty strong, although the sound design is a bit cheesy, and the mix could be sharper in places. In particular, I’d recommend some stricter equalizing and more compression on the drums to make them pop a bit more. That said, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, progression, and melody. Keep at it, SkullyHop! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[SICK]

I like the cutesy harmonies at the beginning and the smooth guitar and rich atmosphere. The drums are pretty loud at first, but once some of the other harmonies fill in the texture around them, they sit nicely in the mix. I really like the sound design, btw, especially that woodwind instrument at :57 that almost sounds like a mellow train whistle. The heavily compressed guitar riff at 1:22 sounds really cool, and the filtering on the drums at 1:43 was also well-done. The arrangement feels a tad choppy during the middle section, and the harmonies are a tad dissonant briefly at around 2:13 and again at 2:28. The disjointed glitches at 2:35 or so also didn’t really work for me - it seems like the middle section of the piece was dragging on for a tad too long by that point, and overall the piece seems to lack a point of arrival and/or conclusion towards the end. It felt like the emotional height of the piece came at around the 1-minute mark, which didn’t leave much room for that sense of arrival later on. That said, I really admire the production quality, sound design, atmosphere, and harmonic structure of this piece overall. Strong work, Samlrc! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Gone (Trap)]

I like the powerful piano chords at the beginning and quirky snare at :14. There’s a bit of harmonic dissonance at around :30 when the synth melodies and bass line are playing at the same time, but I like the build-up into 1:07 and the gritty descending synth that plays every 4 bars during the drop. The mix is clean and loud, and the piano gives the piece a fun, jazzy flair. The melodies at 1:59 are a bit jumpy in pitch, and don’t feel as dynamic and expressive as they could. The rhythmic content and sound design are neat, and the dramatic pause at 2:59 is a nice touch. I think the second drop could’ve been more distinct from the first one, but the beat itself and the mood changes throughout the piece also give the piece a good deal of variety. Overall, solid work, Reddyfu! Keep at it, man. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

reddyxu responds:

Thanks a lot for giving feedback, Andrew! I'll keep in mind what you said in the future.

[Table Scraps]

I like the lyrics and energy right off that bat, although the piece probably could’ve used more of an intro just to get the listener oriented a bit.

The mix feels a bit thin and constrained at times, especially the guitars and vocals. Did you equalize out the bass tones in the guitars? You might consider putting more of the mid-lows back in there, because otherwise they sound pretty constrained and artificial. It also might be the mic that’s making the output sound that way - it’s hard for me to tell.

Also, the vocals are a bit dry - I’d suggest layering on some reverb, compression, and maybe other mixing effects that give them some power. Your voice also sounds a tad strained at times - it might be that you’re singing near the top of your range, but even so a vocal coach could probably show you some exercises that make it easier to open up the sound even at a high register.

Like I said, I’m enjoying the lyrics, but sometimes you squeeze in a few too many syllables in one line (example: at :38, the frantic delivery of “you expect us to be okay with this” doesn’t really fit with the other lines in that phrase). I find it helpful to practice using fewer words when you need to in other writing contexts, even writing haikus.

The harmonic content gets a tad repetitive after a while. The spoken word vocals at 2:20 are a nice way of switching things up, but the overall chord progression and layout of the texture is pretty constant throughout. A solo or bridge earlier on could really help break up the long sections of similar vocal phrases and backing guitar. Part of the problem might also be that there isn’t a huge amount of contrast (in energy level, instrumentation, etc.) between the verses and the chorus here. That said, the keyboard solo at 3:18 is a great moment of structural relief, and I like that you are faintly talking through it in the background. I just wish it came a little earlier in the piece, which I think would give you a good opportunity to hammer home the message in the final chorus and layer on the guitar and keyboard at the same time.

Either way, the piece comes together well at the end. You have a good sense of progression, harmony, and mastering, and I can’t help but identify with the generational angst you express here. :) Keep at it, Realmaskband!

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

realmaskband responds:

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks a ton for the feedback!

[The Stars]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning. The string samples sound pretty fake, but I like the crisp drums and clean mix. The spoken word vocals don’t quite work for me, though - I think part of the problem is that they aren’t calibrated to the beat very well. Have you tried quantizing the recording to the beat in your DAW? The lyrics themselves are really good, with a fun rhyme scheme and some evocative imagery. The instrumental track could use some more variety. In particular, it’s missing some bass tones, and some additional harmonies or instruments would be welcome. At times, the mix gets a bit distorted, probably because it’s too loud. The little staticky blips you can hear at 1:45 and other places are a good indicator of that. Most DAWs have some sort of gauge on the mixer that turns red if the audio output is getting overwhelmed by the signal - it’s called “clipping,” and it’s definitely something you want to avoid. That said, the guitar solo at around the 3-minute mark was a good idea, and the repetition of the chorus at the end helped give the piece a good sense of closure. Overall, I think the composition is what could use the most help here. The vocals could use some more careful editing, and the instrumental track isn’t really making use of the bottom part of the frequency range. Still, the upbeat mood, energy, lyrics, and rhythmic content are all pretty good. Keep at it, R0botSqu1d! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3.5/10