TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Taming A Thunderbird]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. The chord progression and synths are a bit generic, but the phasing effects on the pads are a nice touch. The melodies at :28 are nice, but the drums sound really constrained and flat. It might be good to give the drums more space in the EQ, and potentially add some more compression. The mixing could be a tad tighter at times - be careful to avoid reverb on the bass notes and be careful to tighten up the EQ on some of the ancillary instruments. I like the progression and melodies a lot, though. As for the sound design, some of the samples are worth polishing or replacing. The drums in particular strike me as pretty generic. Overall, your composition skills are well-developed, earning you a scout from yours truly. But making your own synths or modifying existing presets more carefully could give you a much more refined sound, and the texture could sound a lot more clean and distinct if you spend more time on mixing and mastering. Keep at it, ElektrikBard! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

ElektrikBard responds:

Thanks for your input! I will be performing this song live with 5 other songs by the end of the month :)

[Underworld Interference]

I like the pensive arpeggios at the beginning. The harmonies at :20 don’t come through the mix super well, but the heavy bass at :37 provides a nice injection of energy. I think the drums sound a bit flat - some more compression on them or more space in the EQ seems desirable. Otherwise, the mix stays pretty bottom-heavy for most of the track, even while the texture is pretty minimal for a while. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some melodic content or harmonic variety in this piece. That said, you keep things interesting with the filtering and distortion automations at 2:03. I really like the build-up into 2:40, but by 2:42 it felt a little anticlimactic with the repetition of the main bass riff. I think 2:42 would’ve been a great place to create a real “arrival point” for the track, with a more prominent melody or dramatic drop. That said, I’m enjoying the sound design, apprehensive mood, and progression of the piece overall. I also like how it comes full circle with the re-introduction of those pensive arpeggios towards the end. Overall solid work, Dysutopia12! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[FENGARI]

The saxophone riff at the beginning is really catchy, but the reverb on it is overwhelming, and seriously distorts the mix after a while. I suspect you have a lot of limiters and/or compressors holding this piece together, but the result still sounds pretty harsh at times. The saxophone melodies and heavy synth bass work really well together compositionally, though. It’s just the volume levels and some of the mixing effects that need to be reined in. It’s really hard to hear the harmonies at 1:15 and 3:10, for example. And the reverb “wash back” effect you can hear starting at the 3rd note of the piece is a little much. The rhythmic content of the piece is great, but the main saxophone riffs also get a tad repetitive after a while. There’s little overarching sense of direction to the piece - rather, it just oscillates between the energetic saxophone sections and the verses in between. This track is still really fun overall compositionally, but again, I’d suggest toning down the reverb at the sections where the saxophone is more exposed and giving the harmonies some more breathing room in the mix. All of that said, the sound design, energy, rhythmic content, and melodies in the piece are really enjoyable. Keep at it, DWAAAN! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Loki]

I like the cool fade-in and the powerful piano chords at the beginning. The nature sound effects were a nice touch, and the pacing is good as well. The drop at :45 is enjoyable, but you’re right about it being a tad over-compressed. What I really wanted to see out of this piece was a more fleshed-out structure, though. It doesn’t quite have the same narrative appeal of a full-length track. The rhythmic content is nice, but most of the harmonic content here is devoted to laying out the chord progression rather than having a truly dynamic melody, including the drop. Overall, you get high marks for production, sound design, atmosphere, and catchiness. Fleshing out the structure a bit and creating some more variety in the harmonic texture would help bring this piece to the next level, though. Keep at it, Dursope! :)

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

[Dakota Rineer-Hyperdrive]

I like the furtive piano riff at the beginning and the dreamy pads that slowly fade in from there. The vocals at :20 or so are nice, but also sound a tad staccato-y and sharp compared to the rest of the texture. I might suggest taking some oomph off of the treble in the EQ and adding some more wet reverb/delay to smooth it out a tad, at least towards the beginning. I like the sense of climax into :44 and the energy. The piece is a little slow to progress from there, but I’m enjoying the bright, upbeat tone and the clean mix. The minimal drop at 1:50 is great, and I really like the filtered white noise at 1:53. The drums sound really crisp, and all of the instruments really well-balanced. Nice job with the automations on that lead synth at the bridge at 2:30 - it really makes some otherwise dry arpeggios sound really interesting and dynamic. There are elements of the texture that are a little generic - the chord progression and some of the synths, for example. I also would’ve appreciated some more variation on the main melody later in the piece. I really like the mellow piano outro, which makes the piece come full-circle nicely. Overall, this is a great piece. You’ve clearly put a ton of effort into the mixing and mastering, composition, and sound design alike, and it really pays off. Keep up the good work, Drak02! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
9.25/10

[masked]

The riser at the beginning sounds cool, but also might be a tad out-of-place with nothing else going on there. The piano riff at :08 is also cool, but the sudden changes in the texture at :17 and :19 throw me off a bit. The whooshing effect at :30 also sounds pretty neat, but it distorts the mix a bit. I think you really need to consolidate some of your ideas here. There are a lot of good stand-alone riffs and motifs, but they feel really disjointed from each other, as most of the transitions are very sudden, and the harmonic patterns don’t always interlock super well. Part of the problem may be that the instrumentation is a little all over the place, including some synths that sound both cheesy and harsh (most notably the one at :46). But the bigger problem is that the arrangement needs to be more flowing and cohesive. I’d suggest having more “common elements” that play throughout your piece, like drum riffs, bass lines, or pads. It could also help to foreshadow some of your transitions with things like crashes, sweeps, risers, automation, or volume level changes. Otherwise, the track just ends up sounding like bits and pieces of 5 different tracks that play in succession. Still, again, the individual riffs are cool here. I really like the cutesy melody at :33 and the rhythmic components of the piece throughout. Focusing on the arrangement and flow of the track will be an important next step for you. Feel free to PM me once you feel like you’ve accomplished that with this or another piece of yours. Keep at it, Draggems! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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

draggems responds:

Thanks for giving such a detailed review on my crappy first song :D


My music nowadays much better than back then btw

I also use a free software called lmms lol

[Fidelity]

I like the bright strings at the beginning. The fade-in could’ve been a tad more creative, but the orchestral flair of the piece with the mallets and piano works really well, and there’s a good sense of build into the energetic electronic section at 1:00. The production quality is really strong, although the drum part is a bit bland and the piece could use some stronger melodic content to keep me engaged after a while. The most prominent element in the texture is the staccato-y synth lead that’s mostly just outlining the chord progression for 2 minutes. Something more dynamic-sounding would be a welcome change at some point. That said, I enjoyed the cutesy arpeggios at 3:00 and the mellow outro. You clearly have a great sense of harmony and progression, and strong mixing and mastering skills too. The sound design here is also really well done. I think boosting your score from the 8-range to the 9-range would just require a bit more ebb-and-flow in the composition, and maybe a more original harmonic pattern at some point. Until then, keep up the good work, DJ-Cassell! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

DJ-Cassell responds:

Love this! Thank you so much for your inspiring compliments and detailed review. I shall keep in mind your criticism as I produce more music in the future :D

[Fading Hope]

I like the pulsing bass arpeggios and the drums at the beginning. The string samples sound pretty fake, and it throws me off a bit when the beat suddenly cuts off at :41. The more melodic riff at :48 was a nice touch, and I really commend you for having such a creative and dynamic drum part throughout. Compositionally, there’s a lot to like with the piece too. You have a good sense of harmony and progression, and despite a lot of stop-start transitions, the piece flows pretty smoothly throughout. The one major problem I have with the piece is with the sound design. Frankly, the orchestral elements of the piece are very inauthentic, to the extent that you’re probably better off replacing them with instruments that are meant to sound synthetic. My favorite element of the sound design is by far the drums. I also noticed that the mix is a bit dry. I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout, but I think it would be great if the soaring string riffs or graceful melodies had more reverb or other effects that made the atmosphere sound richer. The ending of the piece is also very sudden. All of that said, the composition really keeps this piece afloat. It’s simultaneously very catchy and melodically beautiful. You’re selling the emotion really well throughout, and the piece feels both well-varied and cohesive, which is something that’s hard to pull off in a piece where the underlying harmonies don’t shift too much. Overall, solid work here, Derp604. But please, find some better string samples! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

derp604 responds:

Thank you so much for this review, this helps a lot.

[Walts]

I like the sample at the beginning and the percussion. The mix is loud and clear, and the rhythmic content works well. Unfortunately, the composition of the piece is a bit underwhelming. There’s very little in the way of harmonic content, and the piece doesn’t really have any sense of overarching structure or progression. Sorry. It’s just hard to evaluate the piece using some of my more detail-oriented compositional criteria. I’d suggest adding some more prominent melodic content or other foregrounded moving notes (vocals, a dynamic pad riff, etc.) to spice things up. Fleshing out the structure with some more ebb-and-flow over time would also be quite welcome here. Feel free to PM me if you decide to add more to the piece. I’ll leave you another review. Until then, keep at it, Dennydo1! :)

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

[Vyrus]

The synths at the beginning sound a bit gritty and unpolished, but I like the crisp drums and heavy bass that plays on a lot of the downbeats. A lot of your synths sound pretty cheesy, including the lead at :32 - reminds me of a lot of Autogun presets I’ve used myself. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, but the texture itself is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy. The reverb also may have been a tad excessive, especially on some of the bass instruments. Reverb on basses can make the texture of a piece sound really muddy and indistinct, although that isn’t a huge problem here because the texture is so minimal for most of the piece. I like the sense of climax into 2:08, although the mix becomes a bit overwhelmed at that point. I think you need to either adjust the volume levels, tone down the compression, or both. Overall, I enjoyed the rhythmic content, progression, and atmosphere of the piece. I think the composition is a tad underwhelming, and the mix could be both more well-balanced and, during the last minute or so, less distorted. That said, switching out a couple of the samples and dialing back the reverb and compression at times are both pretty simple fixes, and they would both help out this piece a lot IMO. In the meantime, you’ve got a cool and ominous mood and some catchy beats to build on. Keep at it, Deathincan! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.5/10