TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[High on razor blades]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and the lead screeches at :12. The texture really comes together well at :17, although the drums could be a bit punchier so that they don’t get lost in the mix so much. Sometimes, the recording hasn’t been quantized perfectly. For example, there’s a slight pause before the added harmonies come in at :52. Do you use a digital audio workstation? Even Garageband? If so, you can line up all of your notes to the nearest ⅛ or 1/16 of a bar after you record. It’s a handy tool to use to clean up raw recordings like these. I really like the gritty textures and the melodic riffs (like at 1:40). Sometimes, the texture is a bit harsh between the distorted harmonies and screechy leads, but oftentimes it also serves as a nice element of variety from the relatively tame refrain at 2:08. Later on, the piece does get a tad repetitive, and also there are occasionally some awkward transitions like at 3:16. The section at around 3:50-5:10 is marked by a lot of sudden changes in the texture. I think you could’ve smoothed those over a bit with some more regularity to the changes, or by foreshadowing them each with a drum fill or something. I think it would be good to consolidate some of your ideas at times, just to keep the listener more grounded in some core riffs and harmonic patterns during the long verses. The more distorted version of the refrain that plays at 6:21 was a great idea for hitting the piece home. Overall, the mastering and editing is a bit rough around the edges, and the arrangement of the song is a bit choppy at times, but you’re clearly a talented guitarist with a good sense of harmony and a knack for knitting together some engrossing textures. You’ve definitely earned a scout, my friend. Rock on, Cat911! ^^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Space Vacuum]

I like the mysterious atmosphere at the beginning and the crisp drums at :20. The rhythmic content is really great, but the harmonies are a bit lacking for a lot of the piece. The texture is super minimal, and after a while it needed some more melodic content or another strong foregrounded element (dynamic pad line, etc.) to keep it engaging. I also thought the panning on the percussion was a little jarring at times, especially with the open hats at 2:10. My main concern with the piece is still that the composition is a little bland. That said, you nailed the sound design and atmosphere with this one, and despite the odd panning choices and very loud percussion, the production quality is also quite good overall. Keep at it, C-Lehman! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Ji4H3 - Nothing will beat us down (Original Mix)[Free Download]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, notably the one at :22, and I also think the chord progression is a bit generic. That said, I enjoyed the build-up into :45 and the subsequent melodies. The production quality is also really strong here. In fact, my main complaint is probably a lack of originality. Everything from the sound design to the arrangement to the harmonic structure seems cliche in this piece. It might’ve helped if you had offered more variety later on, especially by making the last refrain distinct from the first one. The ending also cuts off a bit suddenly, although that should be an easy fix. Overall, though, you won me over with the rich atmosphere, blissful mood, and solid mixing and mastering. You clearly have good melody writing skills too. Keep at it, Bow1255! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Hold]

I like the walking bass and generous use of the ride cymbal. The electric guitar and saxophone solos really help hit the piece home too. The fade-out ending was a tad lazy, though, and I think there’s a lot of room for more creativity in the arrangement of the piece. The structure could be fleshed out a lot more, and I also might’ve liked to see the rhythmic content of some of the harmines (piano, bass, etc.) be a little less square at times. The distortions on the guitar at around :42 are a nice touch, though. You won me over with your excellent melody writing and the solid production quality, but going forward you’ll probably need a more structurally complete piece to advance in this competition. Keep it up, BlueCheeseCult! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[House Down]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the ominous synth pattern at :11. The snare at :44 is a little loud compared to the synths, and the texture of the piece remains quite minimal throughout. You have a good sense of harmony and progression, but the composition felt a little underdeveloped here. Some stronger melodic content or some more dynamic harmonic elements would help this piece out a lot. That said, I admire your sense of atmosphere, and the production quality here is really strong. Keep at it, BigTWONeli! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

BigTWONeli responds:

This is the most in depth form of criticism I’ve ever gotten, and I love it! Thanks man I really appreciate the thoroughness

[ur way]

I like the ominous tone and vocal samples at the beginning. The beat itself is really catchy, although I think you overuse that riser effect (:50, other places) a bit. To keep me engaged, I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content or other strong foregrounded elements (a rap, dynamic pad line, etc.). Right now, the harmonic aspects of the piece are seriously lacking, and otherwise the piece ends up sounding a tad repetitive and stale. The production quality, sound design, and rhythmic content are all great, but you didn’t quite do enough here to show me that you have the well-rounded compositional skills needed to thrive in this competition. Still, you’re a talented beatmaker. I’d encourage you to find a vocalist to work with. Keep at it, Bat-man187! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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

[Waves]

I like the pensive and atmospheric tone at the beginning. The sub-bass at :14 is a nice touch, and the mix is really loud. The 8-bit percussion fits the texture of the piece well, but also sounds like it’s ducking under the arpeggios at times. The piece is slow to progress, but the atmosphere is pretty engrossing, and there’s a nice sense of build-up into 1:50. The melodies at 1:50 are nice, and the little swells during the more mellow parts of this piece (2:26-2:30, for example), are a really advanced compositional tool that I love to see you use so liberally here. The transition at 3:45 threw me off a bit - it’s a very sudden change in the tone and pacing of the piece. The grand descending effect that starts around 4:40 sounds a tad harsh at times, but even the more jarring aspects of this last third of the piece have a lot of musicality and flair to them. Really unique and fun piece overall, Azuretone. My one major complaint here is that the mastering could be tighter earlier on when the texture is relatively busy. It might help to give the volume levels a bit more breathing room and use some more EQ’ing and/or stereo widening to keep the drums and synths in distinct slots in the mix. Still, you nailed the melodies, atmosphere, and sound design of this one. Keep up the good work, Azuretone! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
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

[Misham Studio - Apollo Justice Remake]

I like the prominent bass, 6/8 meter, and ghostly pads in the background. The texture is quite minimal, and there were times I thought you could use more reverb or other mixing effects to fill it out a bit. The trumpet at :28 sounds a bit inauthentic, and its square rhythms seem a bit bland compared to the funky texture of most of the rest of the piece. There’s an underlying sense of apprehension in this piece that doesn’t really ever get resolved in my opinion. I also would’ve appreciated if you did more to make this piece your own - maybe some harmonic variety the last time the trumpet came in, or an unexpected melodic flair at some point? Overall, you nailed the atmosphere and production, and the sound design also hits the spot, but the composition is a tad bland. Bolder melodies and a more dynamic arrangement would easily add a point or two to your score. That said, it’s nice to see some stylistically authentic jazz in the NGUAC this year. Keep at it, Azurenite! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

[Stratosphere]

I like the glitchy synths at the beginning. The kick drum and hat in particular are way too heavy, though, and the excessive reverb doesn’t help too much. I think you overdid the distortion after a while. The texture sounds really harsh. Meanwhile, the piece doesn’t have a strong sense of development in the harmonic department. The rhythmic content and a lot of the sound design is creative, but stylistically it’s a bit too experimental to come together well for me. I think a lot of my complaints here are a pretty easy fix. Dialing back the mixing effects alone would probably get you another 1-2 points from me. Filling out the harmonies and creating some more structural variety would be next steps after that. That said, the instrumentation and rhythmic elements are strong here. Keep at it, Axova! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[Then I'll Just Save Everybody Again]

The frantic arpeggios at the beginning are a little hard to follow, but the atmosphere and sound design are nice. There’s a good sense of climax into :31, but the bass there is a bit too loud. The panning on that lead synth at :57 is cool, but it also sounds like the mix is getting a bit overwhelmed there because the kick doesn’t come through super well. The modulation at 1:30 was a little unexpected, as are the ones at 2:00 and 2:11. Sometimes the arrangement of this piece is a little too choppy for its own good. I think you tried to pack too many narrative shifts into 8 minutes - the result is that the structure is a bit jarring, and it’s hard to follow the overarching flow of it. As a general rule, there should be very few times in your piece where you have a sudden transition that completely switches out the instrumental palette for a different one. It’s disorienting to the listener, especially when you hadn’t previously introduced the content on the “after” side of the transition. I think 4:52 is actually one of the most disorienting parts - the tone, key, and pacing of the piece change all at once, whereas at least the previous 5 minutes all had a consistently high energy. Don’t get me wrong - finding a balance between creating enough variety and having a cohesive final product is one of the hardest aspects of making music in my opinion. But this piece tilts the scale way too far towards the variety side in my opinion. That said, the production quality is pretty solid, and you clearly have a good sense of melody and harmony. I also enjoyed the atmospheric elements of the piece. The sound design could be a tad more interesting at times - that piano sample is a bit overused considering how generic it sounds. Still, I can tell you put a ton of work into this piece. All you need to do earn another 1 or 2 points out of 10 from me is consolidate your ideas a bit and smooth over the choppy progression. That’s easier said than done, I know, but you’re already off to a strong start on a lot of the other elements of a top-tier track - mixing, atmosphere, melody writing, sound design. Keep at it, aRho! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10