TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[(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!

[Out of My Head]

I like the creative percussion and triumphant mood. The synths are a bit cheesy, and I’m a bit thrown off when the texture gradually becomes thinner over the course of the piece. I’d like to see you flesh out the composition a bit more with some transitory moments, bolder and more dynamic melodies, and more harmonic depth. Until then, there isn’t really enough variety to keep me engaged here, even with the neat rhythmic elements and fun sound design. Keep at it, Kinupsi! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.25/10

[A Hero Needs A Hero]

I like the emotional appeal of the strings at the beginning. The way the volume pulses up and down sounds a tad unnatural, but the vocals at :30 are a huge plus for the sound design. There’s a bit of dissonance in the vocal harmonies at times, like :45, and also in the strings, like at :58. Overall, the mood of the piece is really bright and triumphant. You may have overdone the reverb on the percussion at 1:14 - it sounds pretty indistinct - but in a way it fits the dreamy atmosphere. After the long vocal section, the piano solo at 2:28 was a welcome change in the texture. I like how you aimed for some dynamic contrast there too, as the vocals come in significantly softer than before at 2:42. At times, I felt there could’ve been a sharper element to the texture to give the piece a stronger sense of drive, and at 3:30 my wish came true: some crisp percussion and staccato-y vocals. I wish they appeared a tad earlier in the piece, but that’s a small detail. Your voice is amazing, and you have a great knack for melody and progression too. There are a couple of small nitpicks I have with the production and harmonic texture (see above), but overall this is a really strong piece. Keep up the good work, KikiNeko! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Bittersweet Coffee Lo-Fi]

I like the jazzy sound design and relaxed tempo at the beginning. The layered kicks and snares starting at around :20 are a bit bizarre - are there multiple instruments there, or is it just a heavy delay effect? Either way, it may be a bit much, especially with the relaxed vibe of the rest of the piece. I really like the atmosphere and instruments, though. The piece is a tad slow to progress, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear a solo or bridge or something for variety. One of my favorite parts of the piece was when the bass played in the upper part of its frequency range towards the end. The mood and melodies really sell this track overall. The composition could’ve been a tad bolder, but the active bass line and drums help keep things engaging. Keep at it, Kantieno! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

kantieno responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I did have multiple instruments going around 0:20, for no real good reason haha. With my current projects I am focusing on making a simpler more cohesive drum backing. Glad you enjoyed the upper frequency span of the bass, it is also my favored part. Thanks again for the feedback!

[desolation]

I like the dreamy guitars at the beginning. The rhythm becomes a little hard to follow at :19, though. I think the guitar and bass are tripping over each other a bit. My main complaint here is probably with the composition, though. It just doesn’t have much of a strong sense of development over time. The sound design is cool, but it alone doesn’t create enough variety in the piece. I would’ve liked to hear more melodic content, changes to the chord progression, and more drastic changes in the energy level at some point. Other than that, the mixing and mastering is solid, and I like the crisp beats a lot. That said, the bland composition is a major drag here. I’d suggest spending some more time fleshing out the structure and harmonies - PM me when you do, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Kamiakiro! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[beautiful spring]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The chord progression is a little funky, but the arpeggios at :28 help me follow along with the harmonic shifts. The mix is pretty good, if a tad over-compressed. I really like the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content overall. My biggest complaint is probably with the arrangement - it feels a bit aimless and slow to progress throughout, although the melody at 1:50 helps alleviate that problem. Still, the wonky chord progression leaves me with a sense of tension that’s never really resolved, and the sudden ending doesn’t help in that regard. It also seems like the most dynamic element of the texture that’s playing at a given time is usually just a riff designed to outline the chord progression, as opposed to giving the piece a sense of evolution. It might’ve been advisable to switch up the harmonic pattern somewhere - the piece is lacking an “arrival point” that helps sell the narrative arc of the track, if that makes sense. Despite my complaints about the composition, the production quality is very strong, and you also got full credit for instrumentation and almost-full credit for originality. The piece is catchy and has a nice atmosphere. Fleshing out the composition a little more could easily turn this into an 8-range track. Keep at it, Kamalamalamalam! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[JuLn - Anion]

I like the mellow synth arpeggios at the beginning. The drums sound both weak in the mix and a bit generic, especially the snare. There’s a good sense of build-up into 1:09, and you made good use of filtering during that first minute or so. I think some of the synths still sound too restricted in the EQ up until that point, though. The texture sounds a tad thin, and some of the harmonic content lacks depth. The jazzy bridge at 1:55 was a cool idea, but it also doesn’t help curb the minimalism of much of the rest of the piece. The piece comes together pretty well at 3:03, and the additional harmonies there give the piece a nice sense of triumph and conclusiveness. Overall, you have a strong sense of progression, and the production quality is solid at the end of the day. The composition felt a tad underwhelming, though, and I think some of your sound design choices, like the generic pads and drums, didn’t help you in that regard. Still, the atmosphere, phrasing, and transitions are all really strong attributes of this piece that I look forward to seeing you build on in the future. Keep at it, JuLn! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Blossom]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the chimes. The echo-y synths at :14 and the build-up :27 are both enjoyable. The drums are a bit over-compressed, and the samples themselves sound pretty generic and overpowering. The drop at 1:09 was enjoyable - I like the funky mid-range bass and rhythmic content. The texture remains pretty thin throughout the piece, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. The vocal samples are a nice touch, and help keep the texture feeling fresh and varied. The filtering before the second drop at 2:45 was a fun detail, and I appreciate the variety in the second drop compared to the first. I still would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content and a fuller texture for a lot of the piece, as well as more of a proper outro, but as it is the piece keeps me engaged pretty well. The mixing, sound design, mood, and rhythmic content are probably my favorite elements of the piece. Keep at it, Joe Stasi! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10