TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Villains Plan]

I like the gritty texture at the beginning and the build-up into :30. The texture and sound design are both really creative, and the mix is clean and loud. The rhythmic content is enjoyable, but there could’ve been a little more depth to the harmonies here. Later on, I was looking for a little more variety and shape to the composition. The repetitive vocal samples at 2:12 were a little overdone, and the composition lacks a narrative arc or sense of development over time. You’re certainly a talented producer, and the instrumentation here is really cool, but the composition needs more fleshing out imo. Keep at it, PeaZen1! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.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
6.25/10

[old pal old buddy o mine]

I like the cute mallet riff at the beginning and the orchestral harmonies at :08. The mix gets a little muddy there, though. I’d suggest compressing the percussion more, toning down the reverb, and filtering out more of the bass tones in all of the melody instruments with an equalizer. The chord progressions used in this piece are pretty cliche, but I like the flow of it overall, perhaps with the exception of a couple transitions. The one at 1:28, for example, was a bit sudden. I like the breakdown at 1:52 and the filtering effects at 2:06. The piece comes together pretty well during the final climactic section at 2:24, but I would’ve liked to see some more variety in the harmonies later on. The piece also could’ve used some stronger melodic content, as the most prominent instrument playing at any given time in this piece is usually very chordal or rhythmic. I also think you need to work on crafting some smoother transitions - crashes or sweeps can help a bit, but more advanced methods include automation, cross-fading, and filtering. Overall, I like the sound design and atmosphere of this one, but the composition is a bit bland and the mix sounds a bit strained in places. Still, you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, and I like how you incorporated both synthetic and orchestral sounds into the texture here. Keep at it, Novent-Music! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Explode Cat]

I like the beat at the beginning and the ghostly synths at :05. The texture is a bit dry, though, and could use some more reverb or other mixing effects. The rhythmic content is pretty cool, but sometimes the instruments don’t blend super well together. The strings at :31 sounded a bit out-of-place, for example, and I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic content later on. The outro was a bit cheesy, too. The production quality is strong, and I can hear all of the instruments clearly throughout. I think you could’ve put more effort into the compositional details, and the piece doesn’t really feel structurally complete. I think it would help if you had some more creative progression techniques, like filtering and automation, as opposed to just adding and subtracting instruments over time. Overall, the rhythmic content and mixing are my favorite elements of it. I hope you’ll keep working on this, because it has potential as a more fluid, full-length track. Keep at it, Noobster! :)

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

maybenotriver responds:

I Agree with Everything you said, I feel like it was to empty and and I made it in one day. Thanks for the feedback ^-^

[nn - ?]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the melodies at :16. The piece is a little slow to progress, though, and the mix is very quiet. I like the pizzicato strings at 1:20, but they don’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. The legato strings at 1:35 do, but they also drown out the other elements a bit. You might need to use more equalizers to keep the frequencies of each instrument more distinct. I would’ve liked to hear some more structural contrast in the piece, with some more gradual transitions and more variety in the harmonies. I also thought the fade-out ending was a bit lazy. Still, I enjoyed the sound design and atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, NNmusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
6.75/10

[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