TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Elise of the East]

I like the nature sound effects at the beginning. The guitar riff at :07 sounds a little overly contained, which dampens the easy-going vibe of the beat and vocals. Maybe it’s the recording quality? Or the acoustics in the space where you recorded it? I really like the soothing vocals and smooth pads at :23, though. The chorus at :57 is well-written, but the production sounds a little indistinct and the main guitar still sounds like it needs more breathing room in the mix. If you used a DAW to put this together, I’d suggest slapping an equalizer on the guitar and making sure that all the frequencies are coming through on the recording. Something sounds off there. Anyway, it was nice to hear you break the verse-chorus structure by 2:43, although the different vocal passages don’t really blend super well together there - again, it’s more of a mixing problem than a compositional one. Either way, I like the drum fill at the end and the overall mood of this one. I can tell you’re a talented singer and songwriter, and you’ve definitely earned a scout. Keep at it, Gald! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
7.5/10

Gald responds:

Thank you for the very detailed and honest response!
This is the kind of response that makes me feel good about what I'm doing.

[On the way to the sun]

I like the spacey arpeggios at the beginning and the atmosphere. The beats are catchy and the mix is clean. The melodies at :46 are nice, and the filtering effects at 1:08 were pretty cool. The second half of the piece doesn’t have a ton of variety compared to the first, though. The harmonic content here gets very repetitive, and the chord progression and arrangement of the piece are both pretty generic. Overall, I admire the high production quality, atmosphere, and progression of this piece. The composition just needs a stronger sense of ebb-and-flow and storytelling over time to really make it sound out. Keep at it, Frankpresents! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

[Epic Celebration]

I like the bright-sounding strings and atmosphere at the beginning. Sound design here is really interesting, actually. The vocals at :16 are super cool, and the rhythmic content gives the piece a fun danceable flair. The harmonic content is really repetitive, but the mixing is strong. The ride cymbals you use at times, like at 1:46, were another good choice orchestration-wise. Overall, my main problem with the piece is the repetitive riffs. You did a good job of varying the instrumentation and energy levels, especially with that furtive-sounding breakdown at 2:40, but the entire structure is basically the same 15-second riff on repeat for 5.5 minutes. Especially in such a long piece, I really wanted to hear some new chord progressions, melodic ideas, and rhythmic patterns at some point. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer with a good sense of sound design, rhythm, and progression. Keep at it, FLAVOUR-STAR! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

FLAVOUR-STAR responds:

Thanks for the detailed rating. You're right, a little more melodic variety would have done the piece good and was responsible for the narrow failure. Cheers. :)

[Remorse]

I like the catchy riffs at the beginning - almost sounds jazzy in a way. It could use a little more percussion to move it along towards the beginning, but I’m really enjoying the crisp hats at :38 and the sense of climax up to that point. The progression is a bit slow-paced at times, and I would’ve liked to hear a tad more harmonic depth early on. The drop at 1:35 was cool, and had some fun melodic variations to boot. Some of the synths you used in there sounded a bit cheesy, notably the harmonies at 1:18, but the smooth pads during the breakdown at 2:15 are really nice. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture at some points, notably 3:15, which makes the mix sound a bit distorted and indistinct. There was a good sense of build-up into 3:50, and I like how you mimicked the first drop in the section at 4:10. Overall, this is strong work! Most of my concerns are with the sound design and mixing, but the composition is really good. Keep at it, Farah2017! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[EverythingYouWish - Divided]

I like the ominous synth riffs at the beginning. The mix sounds a bit muddy by :17 - maybe there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture? You might also need to get a little stricter with the equalizers - seems like a lot of the distortion comes from the bass range. The sound design at :45 is pretty cool, but the compression is a bit too heavy for my tastes and the harmonic content is a little repetitive and bland, which only continues in the second half. Overall, I enjoyed the rhythmic content, mood, and the catchy riffs, but I think the mixing needs a little more attention and the composition is pretty underwhelming. I think it would help the listener to stay engaged if you tried to contrast these apprehensive beats with a section that was more melodic, or maybe just atmospheric, at some point. That way, there would be more variety in the arrangement. Still, I think this piece is worth a second version. PM me if you ever get around to it, and I’ll drop you another review. Keep at it, EverythingYouWish! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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
4.5/10

EverythingYouWish responds:

Thank you TaintedLogic! You opened my eyes to what was not obvious before, and now that I am aware I can make better music. Glad you had the chance and time to review me. ;)

[Electro H House]

Really creative percussion at the beginning. There’s a bit of dissonance in the texture, but that in turn helps enhance the mood. It’s a pretty minimal piece, especially towards the high end of the frequency range. The flow of the piece is pretty smooth, although sometimes there are sudden changes in the instrumentation that have a crash as a kind of “Band-Aid” way of smoothing it over - good example is 1:50. I’d also like to see a little more variety in the energy level and instrumental hierarchy at some point. A breakdown or bridge that was more atmospheric or melodic would help provide some contrast to the gritty texture and rhythmic nature of the rest of the piece. I also want you to think more about the arrangement - it doesn’t really feel like the order of the phrases or the way they’re connected is building towards something. It leaves the piece feeling more like a tapestry of sound than a coherent narrative. That said, I really enjoyed the rhythmic content, mood, and mixing here. Keep at it, EODTC! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6.25/10

EODTC responds:

Thx bro I'll work hard next time, I appreciate you writing this for me cause it's going to help in the long run cause I know my music needs some help and this is the perfect explanation thx bro 👌👌♥️

[Maybe]

I like the waltzy vibe at the beginning and the crackly white noise in the background. The rhythm is a bit square in the beginning, but I like the melodies at :24 and the crisp, R&B beats. You nailed the sound design, mixing, and rhythmic aspects. I find it a little hard to give you full credit on some of the compositional indicators I look for - storytelling, dynamic contrast, melodic development - because the piece doesn’t really feel structurally complete. You need to show me you can give a piece of music a strong sense of ebb and flow over time, which is hard to do in less than a minute. It’s a strong start, though, and I totally encourage you to keep working on this. It’s got a great sense of romance, almost, like it’s about a dude fantasizing about a potential lover. Either way, please send me a PM if you ever flesh this out more. I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, EmoshiLorenzo! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

[Embyeee-The Adventures of Scott and Embyeee]

I like the airy pads at the beginning and the sub-bass. The synth at :15 is really cute and quirky, and the chromatic tones in the melody add a pleasant air of mystery to the piece. The build-up at :45 almost felt superfluous, as there was already a pretty emphatic transition at :44. That said, I like the bright tone of the drop. The transition at 1:46 was a tad sudden, but that section is effective at creating some dynamic contrast. Later on, I would’ve liked to see you vary the melody a bit more. Otherwise, the piece sounds pretty repetitive and stagnant. The chord progression and arrangement are also pretty generic. That said, the sound design and mixing are definitely highlights for me. Production quality is really high, and the synths all blend together really well. Overall, the main area of focus for you going forward should probably be creating more variety, but you’re clearly a talented producer with a strong sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. Keep at it, Embyeee! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

Embyeee responds:

Wow, I never thought I would make it in, thank you for this opportunity and thanks for the feedback. (:

[How to train your cat]

I like the majestic strings at the beginning and the creative use of percussion. The melodies are fun and the phrasing is great. There’s also a great emotional quality to the track at :39. At times, the pace of change is a bit fast, especially towards the beginning, but it’s all very flowing and well-shaped. If I had to complain about something, it would probably be the mixing - there might be a tad too much reverb, or maybe just some more filtering work to do, but the harmonies get a little lost at times, and the percussion could’ve had a bit more punch throughout. Overall, though, the composition and sound design are fantastic here. Really fun piece, Elias! ^^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
9.25/10

Santi-Montali responds:

Thanks! Yes, you are absolutely right about the reverb. It's amazing you noticed since there was clear guilty, a reverb in the premaster bus. By the time I made this I didn't care much about it hehe.

[Forced Desire]

The tempo automations at the beginning are cool, although the synth there sounds a tad harsh in my headphones. I’m not sure the frantic pace of the synth by :28 lined up well with the more reserved-sounding beat at :29, but I like the riffs there too. The beat is a little dry, and the synths sound a bit square and generic. I’m also not sure the simple drum fill at 1:45 was a super effective transition into the full-textured synth patterns at 1:50. There are also a lot of moments in the piece like 2:22, where you completely switch the palette of foregrounded riffs in the texture without much warning.

I think transitions are something you should really focus on going forward. Investing in some more advanced techniques like filtering and automation would probably help, but cross fading and drum fills can work well in certain contexts. A good rule of thumb is that relatively sudden transitions usually need to share at least one core common element on either side of the change in order to be smooth enough (a common bass riff, pad drone, arpeggiated harmony, etc.).

The other main problem I have with the piece is the lack of variety in the harmonies. You switch up the instrumentation pretty often, but you don’t really introduce any new riffs or variations later in the piece. Try to include a bridge or breakdown in your piece that has a different harmonic framework or chord progression than the rest of the track. In this track, 2:55 was probably a good opportunity for that, but instead of a contrasting melody or mood, the main riff plays there again.

Overall, though, I admire your sense of harmony, rhythm, and atmosphere. The mixing is also pretty clear and well-balanced. Smooth transitions and variety are the main things to add to your toolbox next, but this is a great start. Keep at it, Dysutopia12! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10