TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Crash Handler]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the catchy chordal riff. The vocal samples and ominous bass at :15 are a little cheesy, but the minimal drop at :32 was pretty cool. The mix is loud and clear, though, and you’ve used mixing effects like reverb well. The bit at 1:18 (which, I think was trying to imitate an ECG?) was pretty creative, but the synths involved sounded pretty square and generic. I like the melodies during the bridge at 2:05, which in turn lead nicely into the build-up and second drop. The second drop itself could’ve used a little more variety and flavor, especially in the absence of a proper outro here. Overall, my main concern here is the incredibly generic arrangement, instruments, and harmonic content, and the sound design could’ve been more interesting and varied as well. Still, I think you have a good sense of rhythm and some solid production skills. The composition is a bit bland, but the catchiness and quirky transitions help keep things engaging. Keep at it, Dim-J! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Frigid Dreamscape]

I like the majestic arpeggios at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The beats at :25 are also cool - nice and crisp drums really create a nice sense of drive despite the flowy, trance-like atmosphere. Personally, the bass at :53 didn’t work quite as well for me. It sounds a bit too heavy given the character of the rest of the piece, and also dominated the mix too much. I’d suggest scaling back the reverb a bit on it and maybe filtering out some of the bass’s higher-pitched frequencies with an equalizer or something.

In fact, once the texture gets busier at 1:50 or so, the reverb and lack of balance in the frequencies is really distorting the mix. I can tell because the drums sound way fainter here, and I’m guessing it’s not because you lowered the volume. An important step towards fixing that is cutting back on the reverb, but the main thing you need to do is use more filtering. You shouldn’t really have any frequencies beneath 100 Hertz or so in the melody synths, or anything besides the bass and kick drum, really. Ideally, you’d select your instruments before composing a piece, keeping “slots” in mind - assigning one or two instrument each to the bass range, mid-low, middle, high-mid, and treble range. That way, even if the 2 instruments belonging to the same frequency range are playing at once, you can keep them sounding distinct in the mix using tools like panning, sidechaining, and stereo widening. In reality, most producers don’t usually do this “slot” technique, but while you’re learning how to mix and master your tracks it can be really helpful.

Anyway, back to your piece: sometimes, the rhythm is a bit square (a lot of straight eighth and quarter notes in the harmonies of individual instruments, notably at 4:55). This wouldn’t be a huge problem if it was just the harmonies or arpeggios that did this, but it also occurs in the melodies, which makes them significantly less memorable or interesting.

That said, the progression is enjoyable here. Very dream-like and evocative. The flow of the piece is really smooth overall, but it’s also hard to make the one-climax model work well over the course of 6 minutes. I’d suggest aiming for a little more ebb and flow over the course of the piece - if, after listening to your piece once, I can pretty easily draw a line on my notepad that represents the “energy level” of the piece over time, especially a really long one like this, it could probably use a more interesting arrangement. Also, the piece lacks a strong sense of “arrival” at any one point, which is probably related to the somewhat linear structure.

I’ve been really tough on you in this review, but I want to emphasize that the main criticisms I have boil down to a couple of core issues: mixing and structuring/arrangement. In fact, mixing is probably the main one for me. I can tell you have a good sense of harmony and progression. The square rhythm is a relatively small problem, and you’ve done a lot of other things to keep the piece interesting besides the arrangement (sound design, atmosphere, etc.). Keep at it, DiamondEnderman! And let me know if I can help point you in the right direction on filtering/mixing techniques. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

DiamondEnderman responds:

thank you for the feedback! Greatly appreciated

[NG Competiton Song 0.01]

I like the atmosphere right off the bat. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow, though, and the texture is a little too busy at times. The drums sound a tad dry - some more reverb might fix that. If anything, the melodic instruments probably have too many reverb and/or delay effects. They sound pretty over-saturated and inauthentic. There are also a few sudden transitions in the piece, notably at :50 and 2:02. I also think the mix emphasizes the strings a bit too heavily - there seems to be an interesting melody playing at :58 on some sort of mallet instrument or synth, but it’s hard to make out. I think a lot of these problems could be solved relatively easily if you had better samples, though. You seem to have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the instruments you’re using don’t always blend well or complement each other. A good rule of thumb is that you’re usually better off using synths (i.e., instruments that are meant to sound electronic) rather than electronic samples that poorly mimic acoustic instruments. That said, depending on the DAW you use, you can usually get a lot of higher-quality samples for free. The ones you’re using here just aren’t those. That said, the composition here is pretty good, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and rhythmic elements throughout. Keep at it, Desiel391. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Kick In The Teeth]

I like the smooth ‘80s-sounding pad at the beginning. The beats at :15 sound a tad dry, especially compared to the heavily reverberated synths. The progression is pretty cool, but also doesn’t have a lot of harmonic depth. The heavy synth bass at 1:30 was neat. Overall, the structuring here feels a bit formulaic. There’s a lot of tension in the piece - it’s very ominous, after all - but there isn’t much of a point of resolve or even escalation of the drama at any point. I think you could’ve capitalized a lot more on the apprehensive tone of the piece to do more with phrasing and dynamic contrast. Otherwise, the piece sounds a tad robotic and drone-like. I also think you could’ve used the treble range of the frequency spectrum more throughout the piece, just to fill out the texture more. Still, I applaud the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content for keeping things engaging otherwise. The mixing is also decent, although I would’ve scaled back the reverb a tad. Keep at it, Deathincan! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
6.75/10

[The Power Company]

I like the ominous beats at the beginning and the cool phasing effects. The sudden mood change at :19 threw me off a bit, and there are a number of other abrupt transitions later in the piece - :23, :31, :47, etc. There’s also not a ton of harmonic depth to the piece, despite the cool mixing effects and engaging percussion. I think you needed a bit more of a narrative flow to the piece to keep the listener grounded throughout. Right now, it’s hard to get an overarching sense of progression from this. That said, the rhythmic aspects of the piece, sound design, and mixing are all really nice. The composition and arrangement just need a little more attention to detail imo. Keep at it, DarthWeather! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
6/10

[Warm Waves]

I like the filtering at the beginning and the relaxed mood. The crisp beats and funky sound design are cool, and the progression is strong as well. The texture sounds pretty full, but could use a little more action toward the top end of the frequency spectrum at times. The mixing is solid, and you did a nice job with the rhythmic content and structuring too. The second refrain at 2:17 was a little short-lived, and I would’ve liked to see a bit more melodic content during some of the energetic parts of the piece, especially towards the beginning - keeping that flirtatious piano riff at :16 more front-and-center in the mix may even have been enough. Overall, though, this is really strong work. The piece comes together well between the sound design, atmosphere, harmonies, and production quality. Keep at it, Dag0! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[Cubiks - Neovitalism]

I like the mysterious pads at the beginning and the somewhat bizarre chord progression. There’s a good sense of build into :45, although there’s a bit of dissonance in the texture there that’s throwing me off. Seems like the piece is caught midway between an eerie ambient track and a spacey club beat. Some of the vocal samples were a bit overused imo, like the rhythmic riff at 2:04. Still, my main concern here is the lack of harmonic depth and melodic development. The sound design and rhythmic elements are both cool here, but in a full-length track they only go so far to keep me engaged. The production is pretty good, and the quirky mood is one of my favorite things about the piece. I think composition should be your focus going forward. I wanted to see more variety in the harmonic framework and chord progression, with some more melodic instruments taking the reins at some point, at least during a brief bridge or breakdown, just for variety. Still, one of the more unique and rhythmically inspired pieces in the contest this year. Keep at it, CubiksPlus! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

CubiksPlus responds:

<3 i will do better next time c;

[Woe]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and crisp drum kits. The frantic synths at :26 are cool, especially paired with that ride cymbal. You could’ve filled out the texture a little more with some higher-pitched frequencies, but the catchiness and sense of build into 1:15 helps keep me engaged. There was a tad too much reverb in the texture at 1:16 for my tastes, but the rhythmic elements of the post-chorus at 1:41 were pretty cool. The ominous synth at 2:05 serves as a nice bridge in an otherwise hectic piece. The distortion on the pads at 2:30 was a nice touch, and it all leads nicely into the climax at 2:50. Overall, my main complaint here is probably the lack of harmonic depth. The texture feels very bare throughout, despite the intensity of the beats and bass. At the very least, I’d suggest using mixing tools like reverb and compression more generously to try to make a richer texture instead of leaving the core rhythmic elements of your track sounding so...dry. Still, the energy and ominous mood do keep me engaged here, and I enjoyed the sound design and production quality, even if the mix is a little quiet. Keep at it, CobraGRW! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Suns3t]

I like the cutesy synths at the beginning and the arpeggiated harmonies. The mix sounds a bit dry, and some more reverb might help solve that. The airy pads at :27 add an element of tranquility to the texture, although the piece starts sounding a bit repetitive by around the 1-minute mark. The descending rolled chords at 1:22 was a good idea, and I like the melody at 1:36. The texture sounds a bit too minimal during a lot of the middle section, so I like when you bring the beat back at 2:17. A slow-paced, flowing piece like this could really use some more atmosphere, which is another reason to add a little more reverb and maybe a drone-like pad or something. Either way, I really like the arpeggios at 3:11, which help hit the piece home. There could’ve been a tad more variety in the melody later on, as the piece got pretty repetitive by that point, but overall this functions really well as a cute, languid slow jam. The production quality is also solid. Keep at it, c0mc1ol! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

c0mc1ol responds:

Thanks for the review! I'll try and implement some more variety in my next song, until next time! :D