TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dototo (WIP): Life]

Wow, I like the energy at the beginning and hard-hitting synths, but I think the piece might need more of a proper intro instead of just tossing the listener right into the middle of the action like this. The mix is loud and pretty clean, although I wish the composition was fleshed out a bit more. It doesn’t feel structurally complete, although the relatively fast pace of structural change fits the character of the piece really well. I’m also enjoying the frantic synth melodies at the beginning and the rhythmic content throughout. In a full-length track, I think :58 would function really well as a bridge/breakdown section. Overall, it’s a solid piece with some engaging sound design and high-quality production. Keep at it, NicolasPL64! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Djvi - Soundnoia (NeoN remix)]

I like the bright piano at the beginning. The emphasis pattern of the beat is a bit unconventional, but I think I’m more bothered by the excessive reverb on the snares. I like the progression, and the variations in the piano riff at around 1:20 are really nice. The entrance of the synth at 1:41 is really sudden, and the synth itself is a bit too loud. I also would’ve liked to hear more variety on some of the main riffs later in the piece. The texture at 2:52 sounds really distorted in the mix - I can tell because the drums sound fainter all of a sudden. I’d suggest using more filtering to make sure the instruments you’re adding at 2:52 don’t share as many frequencies with the other instruments. You could also try other mixing techniques like panning, stereo widening, etc. Overall, I like the melodies and the flow of this piece, but I think the composition could use some more variety and shape, and the sound design is a bit cheesy. Still, nice work with the percussion and the bright mood of this one. Keep at it, NeoNVoltz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[LMMS Synthwave]

I like the grouchy bass at the beginning. The synth at :20 sounds a tad cheesy, and the kick at :38 is pretty heavy. Usually, I would advise against putting so much reverb on the kick - it can make the mix sound distorted without adding too much emphasis on the instrument. There was a good sense of build into 1:18, but the harmonic content there sounds a bit dissonant. The ominous breakdown at 2:35 was pretty nice, and the smooth pads at 2:55 help contribute to the atmosphere. The harmonic content quickly gets very repetitive during the second half of the piece, though, and it was nice to hear some more prominent melodic content at 4:29. I would even suggest moving that melody up an octave or so to make better use of the top end of the frequency spectrum and add some intensity towards the end. Overall, the composition of this piece is a little drawn-out and bland, but I enjoyed the production quality, drum beat, and progression. Keep at it, MykeMyr! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

MykeMyr responds:

Thank you for your comment! I've never received something similar from someone, I really appreciate your judgement! :')

[Verity]

I like the playful mood at the beginning. The synths are a little cheesy, though, and the pace of progression here is really slow. The texture starts coming together well at around the 1-minute mark, but the sudden fade-out of the lead synth at 1:12 didn’t really work for me, and the section thereafter didn’t offer much in the way of novel harmonic content. The added percussive elements are nice, and the drone at 2:13 was also a good idea. Still, there isn’t a strong sense of direction to this piece after a certain point, and the fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. Overall, the mixing and atmosphere of this one are both pretty good, but the composition was a little bland. I’d suggest trying to give your track a sense of ebb and flow over time, with gradual changes in dynamic levels, and more creative ways of creating variety than just adding and subtracting instruments, like filtering and automation for example. Still, solid start with the catchy synth riffs and drums. Keep at it, MOTOTTREX! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Farewell to Winter]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the echoey drums at :09. Some of the synths are a little cheesy, but they blend well together. Early on, I think the texture could’ve used more low-pitched tones to balance out the frequency range, but that problem solves itself by :53. The piece has a really pleasant drone-like quality, but after a time I think it needs some more prominent melodic content to give it a stronger sense of direction, especially during the first ⅔ or so. The moody breakdown at 1:46 was nice, and you really made good use of the echo effects with that synth at 2:05 or so. The re-entry of the drums was a welcome change, and overall the piece comes together well by the end. The composition is strong overall, but I think you could do more to give it some shape and really maximize the emotional impact of the atmosphere - dynamic contrast, phrasing, and filtering are all good solutions. Besides that, I really enjoyed this one. It’s alternately dreamy and energetic, and the sound design grows on me as the piece goes on. Keep at it, Mik3l24! :)

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
.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
8.25/10

[El Camino de la Gloria]

I really like the emphatic string patterns and percussion at the beginning. The brass melodies at :19 are great, too. The mixing is really strong, despite a lot of reverb in the texture. The mood really starts shifting by :45, and the more somber and yet graceful tone is really enjoyable throughout the second half of the piece. The piano entrance at 1:22 is a pleasant surprise. It can be risky to introduce new instruments that late in a piece, but you’ve tied it really well to the harmonic content beforehand and created a strong sense of narrative progression using this variety of instruments. Really captivating work! Keep it up, Matias. You’ve earned a scout with your wonderful sense of melody and strong production skills. ^_^

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

MatiasCarbone responds:

Thank you! Your feedback really means a lot to me!

[CannonDance]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The bass at :05 is a little loud, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. That said, I like the catchy synth riffs at :20 and the sense of build into :36. The melodies there are really nice, and I also like the more mysterious breakdown at 1:25. The reverb is a little heavy here, but the mixing is solid regardless. I think the synth at 1:52 sounds really cheesy and generic, which is too bad because a lot of the other sound design details here are really cool, particularly during the atmospheric parts. The bassy section thereafter is nice, and I’m really enjoying the dynamic contrast and mood changes offered by the downtempo, moody parts like at 2:42. The piece comes together well towards the end, but the melodies could’ve used a tad more variety during the last refrain. Still, solid work with this one, particularly the composition. The instrumentation is honestly my main problem with the piece. Keep at it, LtFS! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

LtFS responds:

Well, as I understand it, I have something to work on. I will try)

[West]

I like the acoustic guitar and wind sound effects at the beginning. The progression sounds a tad disjointed at first, but the beat at :36 is cool. Other than that, this piece is really minimal, and the composition could use some fleshing out. The fade-out ending was also a bit lazy. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a good start. But the piece also isn’t really structurally complete enough to evaluate some of my more specific criteria: transitions, dynamic contrast, melodic development, etc. The production quality is decent, but the sound design might need some additional depth. You should totally keep working on this, though! Please PM me if you ever get around to it. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Lone Space Invader - FORCE]

I like the ominous drone at the beginning and the smooth bass that comes in at :14. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the fun rhythmic elements of the synths at around :30 and build-up into :51 were very well-done. The growly bass section thereafter was a little drawn-out, but the build-up into 1:31 was catchy and enjoyable. The drop itself was pretty minimal, but I’m enjoying the rhythmic content and sound design. I’m enjoying the moody pads that fade in at 2:43 - it provides a nice element of contrast in the tone of the piece. Stripping away the drums at 3:25 was also a good idea, and the arpeggios at 3:37 served as a strong segue into the more energetic section at 3:50. I also appreciate how the second drop was different compared to the first. The more well-balanced and full-textured part at 5:07 was a good way of finishing the piece. Overall, I really admire the strong production quality and instrumentation of this one. My main complaint is that the texture is often very minimal and drawn-out, without a full use of the frequency spectrum a lot of the time. I would’ve liked to see some more melodic content at some point, or at least some more variation in the harmonies later on. The arrangement and some of the build-ups also sound pretty generic. Still, I’m really impressed with the rhythmic content and mastering. You’re a talented producer, LSI! Keep it up. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Bread n Butter]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The attack on that synth at :13 is a little strong, but I’m getting used to the punchy vibe more after the drums come in too. The progression is a little slow-paced here, but I like the drum samples and rhythmic content. The minimal drop at 1:24 didn’t really work for me - it just has a very different mood than the blissful harmonies beforehand, and was also pretty bland. When the harmonies come back in at 1:50, the mix gets really distorted. I think you need to use some more filtering to isolate the frequency ranges of the different instruments there. The re-intro at 2:30 was nice, although it didn’t really introduce any novel material. The frantic synth riff at 3:13 was cool, but also reveals how distorted the mix is in this piece. Equalizers should usually be the most common mixing tool you use in a track, not reverb or compressors. I also would’ve liked to see you switch up the drop more the second time around, although the echo-y outro was a good idea. Harmonically, this piece needs a bit more depth and variety, and the mixing and mastering could be a lot cleaner. Still, I’m enjoying the rhythmic content, mood and atmosphere, and sound design. Keep at it, Katnip18! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10