TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Long Lost Stories]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning. Some of the chords sound a bit clunky, especially the 4th one in the progression - maybe it would help if the notes were spaced a little further apart. The mallets (?) at :47 are a bit too loud relative to the other instruments, and in general this piece is very slow to progress and has some very square rhythms. A lot of the instruments blend well together, but an exception is the high-pitched chordal harmony at 2:03 - it’s just a bit too harsh-sounding and loud to fit into the atmosphere. I’d suggest removing some of the treble-range tones in it with an equalizer, turning the volume down, and adding some wet reverb to it.

The main problem with this piece is the lack of variety. The pace of change is just too slow to keep the listener engaged, the harmonic framework is the same throughout, and the rhythmic content also lacks interest. At some point, I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodies, a bridge or breakdown where you really switch up the instruments, or a similar point of variety. There are some more syncopations by the end, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression, but frankly the composition could be a lot bolder here in half the time. Still, I like the harmonies, mood, and most of the sound design here. Keep at it, SrAlpaco! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

SrAlpaco responds:

Thank you for the feedback! I'm still learning so it helps a lot!

[nightmarish funk]

I like the percussion and groovy synths a lot, wow. Really good sound design and rhythmic content here. The intro vocals with the indistinct texture feels a tad out-of-place at first, but at the end of the day it’s good for some variety. Very melodic and well-varied piece. The high notes in the melody starting at 1:11 were are great way of wrapping up the piece, and that whole section sounds like a horde of cartoon zombies is coming to get me. :O Really smooth loop, too. This is awesome, dude! Keep up the good work. ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

SpoiledJif responds:

OMG THANK YOU!!! I DIDNT ACTUALLY THINK ID MAKE IT TO THE KNOCKOUT ROUND <33

[2295 MOAI]

I like the exotic-sounding vocals at the beginning, but they’re a little too loud in the mix relative to the beat and harmonies at :05, and could also use more of a sense of atmosphere with some reverb/other mixing effects. The build-up starting at :31 was pretty cool, and I like the melodies at :38 a lot, although the mix sounds a bit strained there. The mid-range pads in particular sound distorted - I’d make sure to cut off its frequencies below around 200 Hz, and maybe add some stereo widening or something to make sure it’s not competing with the lead and bass in the center of the mix. The drums also probably need some more compression - make sure the ratio on that snare is turned up to at least 4:1, because it’s not quite staying upfront in the mix during the refrains. The flute at 1:07 was a nice touch, and there’s a good sense of build-up into 1:31 too. You start overusing the pitch automation effect by around 1:38, but the second refrain at 1:44 is also enjoyable. Overall, the arrangement is a little generic, and the production quality could definitely be sharper, but I like the mood, atmosphere, melodies, and sound design here. Keep at it, SpecialGuacs! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Like Clockwork]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning and the quirky rhythmic synths below them. You’ve got a catchy groove going by around :25, but I wanted to hear a bit more of the rhythmic elements of the texture in the mix - the pads just seem relatively a bit too loud. The airy percussion at :56 was also a nice touch. Overall, I wanted to see a bit more variety and harmonic depth here. The piece could use both a sub-bass and a higher-pitched melodic element (vocals, synth lead, or otherwise) just to fill out the full frequency range more. I’d also like to see a bit more phrasing at a granular level with this piece - there are several different sections, but none of them sound like they’re going anywhere at a given time since all the transitions are stop-start style. So overall, I’d encourage you to flesh out the composition and balance out the mix here a bit more, but I liked the sound design, catchy beats, mood, and atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, SparkNG! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Freakazoid]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning, although the texture is very distorted and the transition into :17 could’ve been a tad smoother. That said, I like the groovy synth bass at :17 and the quirky lead synth that comes in shortly thereafter. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture starting at around :45, although by 1:01 I’m enjoying the punchy melodies, even though it’s really hard to hear some of the instruments. I’d double-check to make sure that none of the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and drums) have frequencies below about 200 Hz in the equalizer. The main melody has a bit of a strange contour, with a lot of notes that feel a bit superfluous. It might be a good idea to simplify it a bit the first time around, just to get your listener accustomed to the superstructure, then when it plays again at 2:02 and beyond you can use all the notes you used before.

The breakdown at 2:37 helped add some structural contrast, and the prominent bass line at 2:54 and syncopations at 3:12 were good for some variety too. In general, the rhythmic content and sound design of this piece are really good. By 3:30, I’m really liking the “hierarchically flat” distribution of sound here, where there isn’t one particular riff or instrument that captures my attention much more than the others. That said, it could still be easier to hear all of the instruments in the mix. By the time the main melody returns at 4:04, there’s a bit too much dissonance in the texture again. I think you tried to do a bit too much with this final refrain harmonically. Also the transition at 4:57 is pretty sudden, and the outro with the descending bass line feels a bit out-of-place. These sudden transitions could often be smoothed over with just a little more foreshadowing, even a sweep, drum fill, or some filtering.

Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here. Love the ghostly mood and the catchy synth riffs. At times, the harmonies clash a bit, and the production quality could be a lot sharper, but the compositional details are really fun and the instrumentation is great. Keep at it, Snoot-Doot! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Deep Thoughts Take You Somewhere]

I like the furtive piano riff at the beginning. The beat at :15 is catchy, but a bit dry in the mix. The snare in particular could use some reverb or other mixing effects. The instrumentals are also really quiet relative to the beat - maybe some more compression is in order. That said, the compression/sidechaining is very heavy on the string pads at :59 - just sounds very unnatural, and kinda disrupts the flow of the atmosphere in what is otherwise a very flowy and legato-sounding instrumental track. In general, I’d like to see you do more with the structuring here. Sounded like the piece was just getting started when you go into the outro at 1:28. There also could be more melodic content at some point, and in general the harmonies are missing some bass tones during the climactic part at around 1:20. Otherwise, I like the atmosphere, melancholic mood, sound design, and progression of this one. I just wanted to see a bolder composition and a bit more polish and pizzazz in the mixing and mastering. Keep at it, SnipeshotGames! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

SnipeshotGames responds:

woah thanks for the in depth review!

oh also this was just a short little melody i made in 2 hours so

[Ember Fields - Sleepy Poundcake (Maidens Collection)]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the busy drum beat. The harmonies are pretty dissonant starting at around :09, but by :30 or so it clears up, and I love the somber string line at :45 or so. This piece could use some more variety in the energy level and instrumentation, and in general some more distinct structuring. The beat and pads are pretty much a constant for the whole piece. It just needs more narrative appeal. The string melodies are a good start in that regard, but at some point I would’ve liked to see you strip away the beat, or switch up the chord progression more, or at least do more with filtering, automation, velocity level changes, etc. Still, I like the mood, sound design, and production quality of this one. Keep at it, SleepyPoundcake! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

SleepyPoundcake responds:

Okay this is quite a review. Thanks a lot!

I did do this one thinking of a more simple, easy melody to follow without much fireworks, mostly carried by the somewhat somber feeling to it. It's also why the track I posted after this has a lot more variety to it, I was aware of this being simpler that way.

I'll definitely be taking your comments into account for future tracks of this kind.

I'm also glad to see my mastering has improved, because believe me I've had a lot of trouble with that as I learned.

Thanks again!

[Mystery Meat]

I like the frantic, eerie descending synth line at the beginning, and in general the atmosphere of this piece is pretty cool. “Mystery Meat” seems like a fitting title. The percussion at around :35 is nice and airy, although the synth line at :40 sounds pretty dissonant. The mix could also be a bit tighter and less bottom-heavy. I’d double check to make sure you’ve cut off the bass frequencies (<200 Hz) in all of the instruments besides the bass and kick. You can do this using a mixing tool called an equalizer (Garageband doesn’t have the best reputation for mixing capabilities compared to other DAWs, but I know for a fact it has an equalizer, called Visual EQ).

That said, the compositional details here are really enjoyable. Love the gradual cut-out of the beat and harmonies at 1:53 and the transition into 1:56 with the crashes. The ominous effects and rhythmic content here are top-notch, and the harmonic framework even wins me over by the end of this. I’ll definitely be doing some more reading on the Enigmatic Scale after this. Admittedly, it’s rare for experimental pieces like this to get high marks from me in the NGUAC, but the execution on this is just really good. Keep it up, SkullyHop! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Space Space hiphop]

I like the ominous bass line at the beginning. The low-mid synth riff at :21 is also nice, and the reverb helps fill out the atmosphere well. The pause at :53 was a cool idea compositionally, too. By 1:04, the snare is struggling to stay on top of the mix a bit. I’d double-check to make sure the synth harmonies don’t have any low-range frequencies (<200 Hz) in an equalizer. Bass tones in non-bass instruments can really make your mix sound muddy. The snare might also need a tad more compression - make sure the ratio on your compressor is set to 4:1 or even a little higher.

Overall, this piece is catchy, but the composition is pretty bland and generic and a lot of the rhythms are very square. The outro with the “dun-dun-dun-dun” bass every two bars was cool, but the pitch automations at 1:43 were a bit corny. I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodic content and also maybe a switch-up in the sound design at some point. Still, you got my foot tapping and my head nodding with this one. Keep at it, Semmy345! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[sovereignty]

I like the powerful piano chords at the beginning, and the chord progression has a great punchy rhythm to it. The string melodies are also a nice touch, although that’s not the most authentic string sample. Admittedly, it’s difficult to create enough ebb and flow to a track when you’re only using a couple of instruments (and especially no rhythm section instruments like drums or bass), but I think you could’ve done much more to create variety here. Other than the furtive breakdown at 2:16, the volume levels are almost at a constant. You’ll need little ebbs and flows in the texture to make this piece more engaging. Try playing more with automation, volume level changes, velocity changes, tempo changes, etc. It helps if you have a MIDI keyboard and you’re able to record the lines yourself, as opposed to using a mousepad and piano roll, which will almost always give you a more rigid and uniform texture. I think that’s what’s needed to really take this piece to the next level.

That said, I enjoyed the upbeat and triumphant mood and the flowing piano riffs of this one. Some of the transitions were a bit sudden, like at 1:04 and 3:20 - maybe you could smooth those over with some reverb. But overall the piece is well-structured. The variations in the harmonic content here are fun, but subtle. I also like how the final verse of the piece (2:41 on) is at a lower register than most of the middle section of the piece - really gives the piece a sense of gravity that it didn’t have before.

Overall, the composition is very good, but I’d like you to use more of the tools available to you in your DAW if you’re going to key this into your piano roll like this. Keep at it, SaturneKx! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

SaturneKx responds:

thanks for the feedback! right now, i dont use a daw so i cant really change much that you mentioned other than some reverb and a few different instrument options, but when i get one ill be sure to try some stuff out :)