TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Enchanted (2020 Version)]

I like the blissful mood and the sound design at the beginning. The sudden drop in volume levels in the strings at :27 was a nice touch. I was a little thrown off, however, when the piano and strings tag-teamed it at :41. I guess I found it jarring that the piano didn’t also continue on as part of the texture. Still, that’s a pretty small detail. I like the cutesy instrument at :46 and the burst of energy at :55. The piece comes together well by the end. I wasn’t a huge fan of the thin, inauthentic-sounding snare at 1:09 - it just didn’t vibe well with the character of the piece. Overall, I really like the composition here, from the melodies to the progression to the rhythmic elements, and the production quality is good too. Most of my complaints here are nit-picks. Keep it up, TahtuhChips! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

ArramEggleston responds:

I completely agree with the piano and the snare. Thanks for the review! :)

[Tony Igy & Vicetone - Astronomia (kallashi! Remix)]

I like the calming mood at the beginning and the sound design. The drums at :23 are really creative, even while the chord progression is pretty cliche. The texture sounds a tad distorted at :40 in the bass range - it might be that the spacing of the chords on those low pads could be wider to give the texture a richer, more open feel. The harmonic content is a little repetitive later in the piece, and the section at 1:33 has the same problem as :40. That said, the production quality is strong here, and the saxophone at 1:56 was a nice touch. Overall, this piece might need a bit more harmonic variety and structuring, but the sound design, atmosphere, and mixing are all strong. Keep at it, Sunglasses909! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Sunglasses909 responds:

Thank you so much! =D

[Chilling Spot]

I like the energy at the beginning and the bouncy synth melodies at :07. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the rich, bass-heavy texture helps keep things interesting, and the strong melodic content continues in the post-chorus at :42. After a time, the piece might’ve needed a tad more variety in the harmonic framework and instrumental hierarchy, though. Otherwise, it risks bouncing around between a bunch of cool melodies without ever really leading anywhere as an overarching narrative. There were also times when I wanted the drums to be a little more prominent in the mix, and the ending could’ve been a little more creative than a fade-out. Still, I’m really enjoying the rich texture, sound design, and melodies here. Keep at it, Stouf7908! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

stouf7908 responds:

Thanks !!

[Till the last (Remastered)]

I like the fade-in at the beginning with the piano chords, but the synth at :07 sounds a little dry and unpolished. The arpeggios at :21 are cute, but the drums at :35 are a bit generic, and the progression is pretty slow-paced overall here. There’s a good sense of climax into 1:18, and you did a good job of adding some depth to the harmonies in that section. The synths are still pretty cheesy, and the rhythmic framework could use a little more variety. I also think the transitions could’ve been smoother in this piece - 2:15 sticks out as a particularly sudden one. The production quality is pretty good here, and I like the atmosphere of the piece. The synth that comes in at 2:44 is one of the more interesting sound design choices of the piece - almost sounds like a harpsichord. There’s a good sense of climax into 3:14, but I don’t think you really delivered well in that section. I was looking for some prominent melody or rich harmonies that gave the piece a strong sense of conclusion and emotional release. A section like that never really came, and instead the piece feels pretty repetitive by the end. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and atmosphere, but the composition was a little underwhelming and the sound design didn’t quite work for me. Keep at it, StoneForged! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[SoFtBOILeD-Space Dust]

I like the groovy piano riff at the beginning. It has a nice, pensive mood and cool rhythmic emphasis. The synth at :13 is also a nice choice - cutesy, yet also complements the energetic vibe of the piano and drum beat that follows it. Good sense of climax into :40. The piano gets a little lost in the mix at :40, and I think you should use some more advanced mixing tools to make each instrument sound more distinct in the texture - filtering, stereo widening, panning, etc. The distorted mix is also evident at 1:34, and the gritty synths there are a pretty jarring contrast from the light-hearted content of earlier. That said, I really like the layered synth melodies at 2:40 and the following harmonies. I think the transition at 3:20 could’ve been a bit smoother - the sweep and crash combo there sounds like a “Band-Aid” way of bridging the gap between the different textures on either side of the transition. Still, I really like the spacey synth riff at 3:20 and the gradual fade-in of the pads behind it. The progression during this middle section is also pretty strong, although it loses its momentum a bit by around 4:40. The subtle tempo automations at 4:50 are really nice, though. I appreciate the variations on the drop the second time around, and the smooth harmonies at 5:33 are a strong addition to the texture. I would’ve liked to hear a proper outro here, but overall the piece comes together well by the end.

I’ve nitpicked a lot of structural details in this review, but I want to re-emphasize that my main concern here is the mixing. The busier parts of the piece sound pretty muddy and often don’t make enough space for the pads/harmonies in the background. I think you need to be stricter with how you use equalizers - please make sure you’re eliminating all of the frequencies below 200 Hertz or so in every instrument except the bass and kick. Pieces like this with full, rich textures can sound especially distorted in the bass range. If you find you still have multiple instruments playing at the same time at similar pitches, try using stereo widening on the less important instrument. Basically what stereo widening does is it pans the instrument with the mixing insert (ideally pads, arpeggios, or a similar ancillary sound) to the extremes of both ears while leaving the core instrument that’s distorting it (bass, drums, etc.) in the middle, making them both sound clearer in the final export. I guarantee you that whatever DAW you use has some mixing tool that does this. If you happen to use FL Studio, send me a PM and I’ll give you some even more specific tips on this.

Anyway, that’s a lot of words. Overall, strong work on the composition here! There are a lot of cool rhythmic and harmonic details in this piece. Keep at it, SoFtBOILeD! ^_^

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

[Kavez - Moonlit]

I like the bright pads at the beginning. The rhythm is a little wonky, but it becomes easier to follow once the beat comes in at :12. The flashy synths and groovy rhythmic content at :21 are really nice, and the filtering at :38 was a nice touch. The quirky mood and sound design are definitely perks here, but I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the composition a bit more. There isn’t a ton of variety in the texture after the initial climax. The riff at :57 functions well as an outro, but ideally there would be some more melodic development and shape to the composition before the piece ends. Still, this piece is going to be stuck in my head for a while. You nailed the mixing, instrumentation, and atmosphere. Keep at it, SlyFrost! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Butterfly (WIP)]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but the overall flow of the piece is nice, and there’s a good sense of climax into :45. The percussion sounds a bit indistinct at :45, and the sidechaining is a bit heavy for my tastes. The quirky synth at 1:15 is cool, and the brass instrument in the background of the breakdown at 2:00 was a nice touch. I like how you varied the drop the second time around, even though the harmonic content itself could use some switching up at some point in the piece. I also would’ve liked to hear a proper outro to the piece. Still, great job overall with the sound design, atmosphere, energy, and mixing. My biggest concern here is probably how generic the arrangement, harmonic framework, and transitions are.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Semicedevine responds:

Thanks for the detailed review! Yeah, it definitely is generic, but this whole thing started out as a semi-joke with what would happen if I tried making the most generically-composed song possible. The result was that since I was already familiar with the process, I could focus on other things I normally wasn't as familiar with like mixing and flow control! xD

[The Ride on the Pianofalls]

I like the bright tone at the beginning and the sound design. The piano sounds really rich and full, which is good, but also a bit inauthentic. Maybe it’s the way it’s filtered? I like the injection of energy at :34 and the melodic flourishes in the strings. There’s a great devious sort of mood at 1:03. You really sold the narrative quality of this one, and despite all the variety in the composition the progression is really smooth. The drum rolls at 2:23 are especially nice, and the slightly dissonant piano line at 2:58 was also a fun detail. I’m just going to list a bunch of other small things that I thought were really cool: the percussion and vocals at around 4:05, the emotional quality of the string mini-solo at 5:40, and the beautiful pacing and spaciousness of the piano solo at 5:55. If I had to complain about something, it might be that there could’ve been a bit more cohesion in the structure. Still, I know you poured your heart into this, and it shows. Absolutely inspiring work here, especially with the composition. Keep it up, ScottSoul! ^^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

ScottSoul responds:

Quite the review there, TaintedLogic! Perhaps you can help me understand what you mean by 'authenticity' in the piano, and 'cohesion' in the structure; it's too vague for me to comprehend your point of view (which I appreciate greatly)! :)

I wish I could thank you properly for the flowers you're throwing at me for all the details you're picking up on, but all I can really say is everything I compose is somewhat unconscious; namely, I'm not entirely responsible for what comes out onto my DAW. Most of the time, I'm taken aback myself by how extensive "my" work can be. The soul is a wild animal.

Thank you so much, TaintedLogic, for favoriting my track and reviewing it. It means the world to me.

[Last One To Die [ ft. Equinox ]]

I like the ominous effects at the beginning. The deep vocals and rhythmic content at :06 are nice. The mix sounds a little distorted once the kick comes in at :18, and the siren at :30 is a little cliche. I like the build-up into :41, and the drop was catchy if a little minimal. Later in the piece, I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic variety or melodic development. You also could’ve made better use of the treble range of the frequency spectrum throughout the piece. Also, 2:28 is another place in the piece where it’s clear how much that kick drum is distorting the mix. I think you need to tone down the compression here and use some filtering techniques more carefully. Overall, though, this is a catchy piece with some fun sound design and an engrossing mood. Keep at it, SaviJD! :)

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