TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[The Doctor Is In (Short Edit Radio Mix)]

I like the creepy, echo-y riff at the beginning. The bass at :07 is a little overpowering, but the rest of the atmosphere comes together nicely. The vocal samples help tie things together nicely, although otherwise the piece is a little slow to progress. You also have a habit of adding and subtracting a lot of instruments without warning, which comes across as a bit jarring sometimes. Even a brief sweep or crash could help smooth things over, like at :45. It also threw me off a bit that the breaks at 1:04 had a different harmonic pattern than the build-up immediately preceding them. The section at 2:37 was also pretty minimal and underwhelming. You start to overuse the vocal samples a bit in there, too - where are they from, btw? When you chopped them up and added some atmosphere at 3:30, I was getting back into it, and I’ll also say I really like the production quality throughout. Some of the main riffs could vary more at some point, and I also would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content later on. The section at 5:20 was also too stripped-down and dragged-out for my tastes, and after a while the vocal samples seemed to add more comedic value than musical value. Overall, I appreciate the mastering quality, rhythmic content, and atmosphere of the piece. The composition feels a bit too dragged-out and minimal, and the lack of melodic content or novel harmonic patterns made it hard to stay engaged after a while. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer. Good luck with your future projects. :)

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

[Fade in]

I like the drum samples at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to develop, and the samples also sound a bit dry. A little reverb and maybe some other mixing effects might make the texture sound a bit fuller while the rest of the instruments are fading in. The mix is pretty quiet, although also pretty well-balanced. The vocal track in the back is a nice touch, although I was a bit confused whether it was supposed to be an atmospheric element or more of a foregrounded element of the mix. Given the minimal texture of the piece, my attention tends to gravitate towards it, especially after the vocals get more rhythmic in character after 1:40 or so. I’d suggest giving them a boost in the mix, including some compression and reverb at the very least. At 3:30 or so, the harmonies start tripping over each other a bit, if just briefly. That might be because the vocal recording doesn’t line up perfectly with the beat. At the same time, the more energetic nature of the last 45 seconds or so helps give the piece a nice sense of closure. Overall, I enjoyed the sound design, progression, and mellow mood of this one. The mixing might need a tad more work, but the piece has a ton of character and some solid composition. Keep at it, Thetakis! :)

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

[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!