TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[the end of pluto (shot in 4k with a .50 cal) - a travesty we're sure]

I like the sharp percussion and gritty bass at the beginning, and the dynamic bass line at :16 combined with the airy, ominous pads is really nice. The synth that enters at :48 sounds a little indistinct imo, and probably could do with a dial-back on the reverb. I like the melodies from 1:23 on, and it was a nice touch that the piece came full-circle at 2:27. Seems like this would even make a nice loop. That said, I think the composition could’ve been a bit more dynamic at times - after :16, the energy level and core harmonic framework rarely changes. Most of the variety in this piece comes from adding or subtracting instruments over time, whereas I think it would’ve helped channel the emotion more if you had some more phrasing, automation, and/or volume changes. Still, the piece comes together well by the end. The mixing is solid, and the progression and melodies are enjoyable here. Keep at it, Rat9352! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Way to the Freedom]

I like the echo-y vocals and relaxed guitars at the beginning. The clap sample is a bit cheesy, and the vocal editing isn’t perfect, but I like the lyrics (thanks for the translation!). The vocals sit well in the mix, but could also blend better given all the layering. Reverb could do a bit of that work, but in some cases you might consider re-recording, especially in places where the backing vocals seem to have a slightly different inflection as the lead. There are also moments when the calibration is a little off, like at 2:53. I like the mellow, spacey breakdown at 2:15, and structurally the piece works pretty well. I was also a fan of the melodic “yah-yah” flourish at 3:35 and other places. The production quality is also solid overall. I think my main complaint here is that the vocal editing is a bit rough around the edges, but the instrumental tracks could also use some more variety at times. Still, solid work with the mixing, atmosphere, and progression. Keep at it, Ragkul! :)

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
.5/1
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

[Tango Elysium]

I like the emotional quality at the beginning and the deliberate pacing of the progression. There’s a great sense of build into :44, and the jazzy harmonies during the following climactic (e.x., 1:02) really help add some flavor to the piece. I’m also a fan of the bright tone of the piece by around 2:10, and the return of the prominent melodies at 2:53 really helps hit the piece home. The ending felt a tad rushed vis-a-vis the extended flourishes at the end of some earlier phrases, but overall the progression here is really lovely, with a lot of fun twists and turns that contribute a lot to the narrative feel of the piece. While often minimal, the texture stays engaging with all the lovely phrasing and harmonic details. Strong work here, Pandaguru! Keep it up. ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Serenade for the Stars]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the harmonies at :35 have a great emotional quality. The transition at 1:45 could’ve been foreshadowed a tad better imo, but I like the quirky percussion at 1:49. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but the mix holds up pretty well. The piece could use a stronger sense of direction after a while, though. The harmonic pattern gets pretty repetitive, and I think some more phrasing and dynamic contrast in the middle of the piece would help heighten the emotional stakes here. That said, I really like how you returned to the furtive, minimal texture at 4:06, even if the transition there was also a little sudden. Overall, the lack of variety in the compositional elements is probably my main concern here. You nailed the atmosphere and mood, and the progression would be perfect with just a little smoothing over at some choice spots (1:45, 4:06). Also, I’m really sorry to hear about your struggles recently. If you ever need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to send me a PM. I’m really glad you’ve found a good outlet for your feelings in music. Keep at it, PackMan3!

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
.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
7/10

[Final Goodbye]

I like the atmosphere and the pensive guitar arpeggios at the beginning. It would’ve been nice to humanize the guitar a little more, though - otherwise it feels very square. I think you could’ve maximized the emotional quality of the piece a little more with some more dynamic contrast, subtle tempo changes, etc., especially since the texture is pretty similar throughout. That said, the sound design, mixing, and mood are really good here. I also like the progression - it flows very smoothly. It’s just that the piece needs a bit more structuring and shape to really sell the wistfulness inherent in the instrumentation and title. I think it would help if there were some more advanced methods of creating variety besides just adding and subtracting instruments over time - again, volume changes, phrasing, etc. Still, you won me over here with the sound design and production. Keep at it, Naval76! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[NaNo - Virtual Time]

I like the blissful melodies at the beginning, and the portamentos (slidey things at :01, :07, etc.) are really fun. The piece kinda throws the listener right into the middle of the action, without much of a proper intro, but the entire piece is very fast-paced, so it seems fitting. The vocals are fun, and the drop at :38, while very minimal, has some engaging rhythmic content that keeps things moving along. The airy vocals at the 1-minute mark were a nice touch, and I really like how dynamic the middle section is. The mix here is loud and crisp, but the heavy compression is a bit much sometimes, with some moments sounding really distorted in my headphones (notably 1:02). Structurally speaking, it’s a bit generic, and the ending threw me off a bit, but overall the flow is smooth, and I like what you did with the build-ups and bridge in the middle. Really enjoyable piece overall, with some cool rhythmic content and refreshing sound design. Keep at it, NaNoOficcial! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Heavy Light]

I like the ominous pulsing sounds at the beginning and the gradual fade-in of the drums. The percussion and bass riffs at :30 are cool, but the texture is a bit minimal. I really would’ve liked to see some more harmonic depth here at some point. The sound design isn’t bad, and you clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but some of the compositional skills I usually look for in scoring tracks - melodic development, structural variety, ebb-and-flow, dynamic contrast - are a bit lacking here. The production quality is strong, but the composition is pretty bland at the end of the day. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though, because the rhythmic content is really compelling and the creepy atmosphere at the beginning sets the stage really well. Keep at it, Michamadman! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

Michamadman responds:

I admit that its not so good because of repetitiveness but I tried to make some different dnb however this isnt turned so good but also not so bad. I like your honesty and thanks for this constructive review!

[S1LENT GHO5T - Mechanically Alive]

I like the pulsing pitter-patter of a synth riff at the beginning. The dreamy melodies at :19 and the build-up into :34 also work really well. The lyrics are nice, but I would’ve liked the vocals to sound a bit more authentic, as I think it would’ve fit the smooth, blissful instrumental track better. The repetition of “-live” at 1:05 was also a little much, especially when you continued to play with the chopped vocals for the remainder of the phrase. The re-intro at 2:00 or so is strong, but the content gets pretty repetitive in the second half. The production quality is really solid here, though. All of the instruments are really well-balanced and clear. Overall, I think my biggest problem is the lack of variety later on in the piece. I wanted to hear a little more of a sense of direction, but instead it’s almost like the piece just loops twice before a brief outro. Still, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, progression, and mixing and mastering. Keep at it, LordJabeebus! :)

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
.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
8/10

LJTLegendaryL responds:

Thanks for the feedback Tainted! I was running short on time due to university starting again and a few other projects in progress. So, I had to settle with the scope I was able to reach with this track. I had a plan to get my vocalist friend to help but it wasn't a great time considering he already sang for my next project.

Long story short: Time isn't always your best friend, but it was still good to get something submitted ^^!

Also, I go by S1LENT GHO5T now, Lord Jabeebus is my old username. I would change it but I have to be a supporter to do that.

Another long story short: Thanks :)!

[hullaballoo court]

Really quirky and engaging intro. It’s really catchy, with some super fun sound design, even if it occasionally sounds a bit harsh in the mix (example, :45). The texture is a bit minimal, but the beat keeps things moving along, and somehow the dreamy riff at 1:06 fits in seamlessly. The fade-out of the drums at 1:30 threw me off a bit, and admittedly I also thought the complete switch of the instrumental palette by 1:40 was a bit jarring. That middle section was pretty, if also a bit minimal, and the transition at 2:10 was even more sudden than 1:40. The really in-your-face synth at 2:28 didn’t quite work for me alongside the more mellow instruments, and honestly I’m not sure the transition at 3:02 quite worked for me either. There are a lot of creative harmonic and rhythmic ideas here, not least of which is the piano riff at 3:08. The experimental composition was just a bit too much for me by the end, to be honest. The sound design and atmosphere are both really cool, and the mixing and mastering is solid as well. Even if it was intentional, I think the arrangement was too choppy, and also that it would’ve worked better if you had consolidated some of your ideas here. The glitchy sound design and harmonic dissonance is all fine, but it also doesn’t have a very strong narrative function here as far as I can discern. That “narrative” bit might sound like a pretty subjective thing to say, but it definitely shapes my tolerance for the experimental texture of the piece. The main problem is that it sounds like 3 different pieces: 0:00 to 1:40, 1:40 to 2:45, and 3:00 to 4:04. Overall, I’d strongly encourage you to keep working on this piece. It’s got a lot of fun melodies and rhythmic quirks that just need a tad bit of repackaging to have me sold on this composition. I also think that, despite your author’s comments, the mixing is rather good. Keep at it, Lofiskyline15! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

lofiskyline15 responds:

from the head honcho himself haha

thanks so much! the harshness of the spazzy samples 30ish seconds in was definitely something that I went back and forth a ton on and it definitely veers into overly so at a lot of points. and there just ended up being too much brittle high end in the mellow solo synth so the extra perspective on everything (especially compositionally) is super helpful and encouraging!

I was kinda shooting for a suite of loosely connected ideas that quickly regroup around the 3 minute mark before shooting out on a triumphant outro but the overall connective tissue being harshness could definitely get pretty grating by the end.

thanks a ton for the detailed rundown!

[Street]

I like the ghostly arpeggios at the beginning and the mellow beats at :15. Really neat sound design here, although the chord progression is pretty cliche. I also think the mix could use a tad bit of cleaning up. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, and the arpeggios get pretty drowned out once the mix gets more saturated (i.e., around :45). The section at 1:02 was catchy, although the transition at 1:35 was a little too drawn-out imo. I like the echo-y section at 1:36, which in turn flows nicely into the heavy breaks at 1:54. Harmonically, I would’ve liked to see you do a little more with the piece later on, but at the same time the lack of variety in the harmonies made the arrangement feel a little more grounded. By that I mean that there are a lot of distinct sections of the piece that never repeat in a cut-and-dry way. It’s a pretty risky approach to composition because it can easily come off as choppy and incoherent, but here it actually works pretty well. I still might’ve liked to see a more compelling conclusion than the minimal, rhythmic part from 2:40 on, and the very ending felt a bit sudden. Overall, some of the mixing details could use some tightening, but more importantly the piece is lacking in melodic content and, at times, is a bit too minimal imo. Still, the arrangement of this piece is really creative, and the instrumentation and atmosphere are also highlights for me. Keep at it, Lagiarathalos! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10