TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

['LOVELY' by SoundVorteX (André C. Kalipke) of NTtHBM]

I like the quirky mood at the beginning, but the dissonance is a little strong for my tastes. I’m enjoying the progression once the texture starts to smooth out at :17. The percussion sounds a tad cliche and dry, although the rest of the sound design is quite enjoyable. After that, the piece gets quite repetitive, and seems like it could use some lyrics and/or melodies to keep the listener engaged. I think the strongest element of the piece for me was probably the production quality, although without a very busy texture it’s not necessarily the most ambitious production job I’ve ever heard. Flesh out the structure and harmonies a tad, and this piece would easily earn another point or two from me. Until then, I’m enjoying the mellow atmosphere and blissful keyboard riffs here. Keep at it, NtTHBM! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Sword of Destiny]

I like the airy percussion at the beginning and the quirky orchestral samples. Some of the instruments could’ve sounded a tad more authentic here, especially the strings, but I think a bigger problem is the mixing. The texture sounds pretty muddy and indistinct throughout, and the percussion easily gets buried when there are several other instruments playing at once. I’d suggest toning down the reverb and using some more equalizers to remove the lower-pitched frequencies from some of the non-bass instruments. From there, you could also add some compressors to the percussion to make it pop through the mix more. Compositionally, the piece is solid, although the melodies feel like they could be a bit more dynamic at times. I also would’ve liked to hear more variety later on in the piece. That said, the sound design is cute, and the mood sounds triumphant and adventuresome, which is nice. The modulation at 1:48 also helps keep me engaged later on in the piece. Overall, solid work, NnolokK! Just needs some more attention to detail on the production, and you’re well on your way to an 8-range piece. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

NnolokK responds:

Thank you for the critique. =)

[HaunT (Progressive house)]

I like the frantic synths and cute melodies towards the beginning. The section at :38 is a little too loud, though - I think overcompression may be a part of it, but the bigger problem is clipping. Most DAWs I’ve used have a meter on the master mixing track that turns red if the audio signal is too overwhelming, and I think that’s exactly what’s happening here. Please watch for that going forward. That said, I think the composition and sound design of this piece are really solid. The lead is nice and quirky, and the dark, powerful pads fit the character of the piece quite well. The snare sample isn’t my favorite, though, and the “WOO!” at :38 is a bit cliche. The arrangement is a little generic, as is the chord progression, but there’s a sufficient amount of variety to keep me engaged. The melodies are super catchy and memorable, too. With some more careful mixing and mastering and maybe one or two instrumentation changes, this piece could easily be 8-range or better. But for now, I’d strongly recommend turning down the volume levels at the drops and then gradually adding limiters as needed to prevent the track from clipping. Keep at it, NeoNVoltz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Entrañas eternas]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the echo-y drums later on. The piece is a tad slow to progress, and I think you start overusing the snares a bit at around :43. The muted bass at 1:07 and the dry snare that comes in shortly thereafter both seem like odd sound design choices to me that don’t really fit the atmosphere of the piece very well. At the very least, adding some reverb to the snare might make it pop a bit more. Some of the synths later on sound a bit cheesy, like the arpeggios at 1:21. I think it would help keep the listener grounded if you foreshadowed the entrance of some of your instruments more carefully. By 2:00, not all of the individual synth lines mesh very well together harmonically, and the mix feels a bit strained. I’d suggest toning down the reverb on some of the mid-range pads and using some equalizers to remove the bass tones in all of the non-bass instruments. That will make each individual instrument sound clearer and more distinct in the final playback. The flute-like instrument at 3:12 is probably my favorite of the piece - it really cuts through the mix with its triumphant riff. Overall, I think you might need to be careful about making sure that your harmonies are all “in the chord” that you’re playing at a given time. I find it’s helpful to lay out the pitches you want to use first - usually no more than 7, and as few as 5, and play them as “chords with rhythms” before you split them into different instruments. Still, I enjoyed the atmosphere, mood, and progression of this one. Keep at it, MOTOTTREX! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Plastik Weihnachten - Mojo]

I like the ominous, echo-y bells at the beginning. The piece has a great cinematic appeal and a rich atmosphere, despite the minimal texture. That said, compositionally it’s a bit bland. Even if you’re sticking with a solo instrument track, some more ambitious mixing effects (ping-pong echo, panning, etc.) and some more complex rhythms would help make this piece more engaging over time. Otherwise, it’s very repetitive, and also doesn’t have a strong sense of build-up and resolve over time. The mix is a tad quiet, but otherwise not bad. I’d definitely encourage you to flesh out the structure and harmonies more. Until then, I’ve scouted you because I like the mood, atmosphere, and sound design. Keep at it, Mojo-music! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

[Toby Fox - Megalovania (Meta Remix)]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning and the gritty bass in the background at :20. The harsh drop at :28 was unexpected, but I think works well with the frantic synths and descending piano line. The high-pitched synth riff that plays every 2 bars until :48 sounds a tad jarring in my headphones - it might be worth it to take off some of the treble in the EQ and smooth it over with some wet reverb. That said, I’m enjoying the melodies at :47 and the busy texture later on. The lead synth and some of the drum samples are a tad cliche, but overall I’m impressed with the sound design here. Also docking you on originality a bit was the chord progression. That said, the mix stays intact surprisingly well given how hectic the texture is for most of this piece, and overall I’m just impressed you made this in 6 hours. There are a lot of moving parts to this piece that help keep me engaged. I could’ve asked for a bit more variation between the first and second drop, and also more of a proper outro, but overall this piece has a decent amount of variety and a lot of fun compositional details. My favorite element of the piece was probably the instrumentation, actually, with the production a close second. Keep up the good work, MetaHumanBoi! All of my complaints are minor. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Okaasan]

I like the vocal samples at the beginning. Where are they from? The relaxed mood and wonky rhythmic elements and sound design are nice, although the texture stays pretty minimal throughout and could use some harmonic variety and melodic development. The section at 1:38 served as a nice mellow bridge, but I’m not sure I like how the vocals sample and beat overlap at 2:00 - seemed like a missed opportunity to express the re-entrance of the chill pads as the release of the tension from the dialogue. Overall, the mood, sound design, and production quality of this piece are all solid. The composition is a tad underwhelming, though, and the arrangement lacks originality. The lo-fi production and trippy rhythmic elements are highlights for me. Keep at it, LPSounds! :)

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
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
6.25/10

LPSounds responds:

The vocal Samples?? Samurai Champloo. thanks for the review

[lurkin]

I like the ominous bells at the beginning. I’m not sure they mesh super well with the other instruments, though, including the strings and the beat. Speaking of which, the snare sounds a bit cliche, and the strings are pretty inauthentic. The crisp hats are cool, though, and the mix sounds pretty crisp and clean. I think my biggest complaint here is probably with the composition. There isn’t a very strong sense of development over time with this piece - all of the riffs feel pretty stagnant and repetitive, and the only way the texture ever really changes is when you add or subtract instruments over time (as opposed to automation, filtering, volume changes, variations in the riffs, etc.). The atmosphere, mood, rhythmic elements, and flow are still all enjoyable. It’s just that I’d like to see you flesh out the structure a little more here, and maybe find some better string and drum samples. Until then, keep at it, Loquinator3000! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

[(Hard Techno)Radioactivity]

I like the frantic drum patterns and gritty synth bass at the beginning. The pulsing effect on the bass was a nice touch, too. Some of the samples are a bit cheesy and generic, especially the claps. The entrance of that other mid-range synth at 1:06 really threw me off, and the rhythm of the phaser/pulsing effect on it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the piece. The track is really slow to progress overall, and doesn’t have much in the way of interesting harmonies or rhythmic content to keep me engaged in the meantime. The mix seems a bit overwhelmed at times - do you have a limiter on the master channel of the mixer? The distorted sound design is for a while, but without any counterbalancing with smoother elements of the texture, it’s a bit much to listen to for 8.5 minutes. Many of the synths in here also sound pretty unpolished and cliche. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but a more well-rounded and dynamic composition also necessarily includes melodic elements and more variety than this. I’d challenge you to create a piece that has some more memorable melodies and a stronger sense of “storyline.” A good way to start is by listening to a melody from a piece of music you really like, recreating it in your DAW, and, using all the same pitches, slowly alter the contour and note length until you have something new. Until then, I enjoyed the catchy beats and some of the synth riffs here. Keep at it, lllElectroMusiclll! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
3.5/10

lllElectroMusiclll responds:

Thanks you!