TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lost Energy]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning and the drone-like quality to the phased synths in the background. The subtle pitch-bending effects threw me off a bit at first, but they really grew on me over time. The heavy bass at 1:15 was a nice touch, and the heavy reverb doesn’t seem to detract from the mix too much. The breakdown at 2:08 takes the tone of the piece in a bit of a somber direction, but I suppose that does help the piece live up to its title. The fade-out at the end could’ve been a little more creative, but overall the composition here is really strong. You’ve turned some pretty simplistic harmonies into something worth listening to more than twice with the neat sound design, progression, and mixing effects. Keep at it, BrandonTurner! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
9/10

BrandonTurner responds:

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the critique!!

[Ji4H3 - Lightning Strike (Original Mix)]

I like the heavy synths and crisp drums at the beginning. There’s a nice, bright tone to the piano melodies, and the stop-start transition at :35 was rather effective. The chord progression and arrangement of the piece is pretty generic overall, although I enjoyed the build-up into 1:36 and the melodies overall. The mixing is also pretty strong, despite there being a lot of reverb in the texture at times, notably at 1:36. I would’ve liked to see you vary the melodies a bit more later on in the piece, just to give the track a stronger sense of development. Still, the melodies and atmosphere really have me sold on the piece. My main problem with it is how cliche the arrangement, chord progression, transitions, and drum fills are. Otherwise, it’s clear you’re a talented producer with a strong sense of harmony. Keep at it, Bow1255! :)

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[AlgoRhythm]

I like the cute synth bass at the beginning, although the reverb is a bit over-the-top. The melody synths are pretty quirky and fun, although I think they could also blend better with the other instruments. The melodies themselves are pretty catchy, but also have a pretty repetitive contour and rhythm that makes them feel a bit stagnant. The piece doesn’t have a ton of variety or an overarching sense of direction/storytelling, despite being very short.

Overall, I think composition should be the main focus for you going forward. The excessive reverb is the main drag on the mix imo, which is a pretty easy fix. Building dynamic, memorable melodies and a sense of ebb-and-flow into your piece is much harder, though. Try building your melodies with a “goal note” in mind - maybe the goal note is a high note that occurs in the middle of the melody, or the tonic at the end. Either way, there should be a core set of parameters (energy, pitch, or volume level, for example) that change somewhat as the piece goes on, while others stay the same (instrumentation, tempo, key signature). Music exists on a spectrum between keeping the listener oriented and sending him/her on a wild, meandering journey. Right now, this piece just needs a little more of a journey. Keep at it, BBouthillette! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.25/10

[Wait for my Brain]

I like the smooth ‘80s-sounding pads at the beginning and the synth with the stereo clicks at :11. The chord progression is a tad generic, but there’s a good sense of build into :42. The melodies at 1:02 are cool, but the transition at 1:33 is a tad sudden and the drums could’ve been more creative throughout. It seems like the main method of creating variety that you use in this piece is by adding and subtracting instruments, which is not very advanced. I’d suggest experimenting more with phrasing, dynamic contrast, automation, etc. The breakdown melody at 2:05 was nice, although it could’ve used some more reverb to add to the atmosphere. I also would’ve liked to see you do more with the final chorus - melodic development and variety are key in a piece that has a cliche arrangement like this. A proper outro would’ve been nice too. Overall, highlights for me are the sound design, melodies, and mixing. The biggest problem with it in my mind is that it’s super generic, from the arrangement to the chord progression to the drum beat. Still, you’ve shown off a lot of strong composition skills here, including a good sense of harmony and atmosphere. Keep at it, Arkinefed! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Take the Day]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the creative use of percussion. The mixing is pretty quiet, and I suspect the piece could use some more compression, or maybe just a more careful use of volume levels. The string melodies at :32 are really nice, and I like the flow of the piece thereafter. I think there could’ve been a bit more structural variety here, even if it is a relatively short track - a breakdown or bridge that strips away the percussion and focuses on phrasing. The part at 1:52 is kind of like that, except its position in the arrangement makes it feel more like a coda than a bridge. I also think you could’ve made better use of the treble end of the frequency spectrum throughout this piece. I think it would’ve helped heighten the drama towards the end of the piece to transpose the strings up an octave and have the percussion do double time. Instead, the emotional height of the piece is at around 1:35, which doesn’t do enough to dispel the pent-up tension inherent to the piece. That said, I’m really enjoying the sound design, flow, and melodies here overall. Also, I really like how the part at 1:52 is just a slower version of the harmonies for the previous sections - it’s a fun detail that also makes an otherwise pretty sudden change-of-pace work rather well. Keep it up, AriothXerril!

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Heart of the Game]

I like the cutesy synths and bouncy beats at the beginning. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at times, especially in the melodies, but the sound design and solid production quality are both big pluses for me. The little breakdown melody at :43 is a lot more measured and well-paced, and I like the effective ABA structure. The mood, atmosphere, mixing, harmonies, texture, and instrumentation are all really strong. It’s not often that I give such high scores to such short pieces, but there’s a lot of variety and engaging riffs packed into these 86 seconds. Well done, Arevin! ^_^

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

[Nonet]

The dissonance at the beginning is really evocative and interesting. The pacing is pretty slow here, but the call-and-effect between the piano and strings helps keep me engaged. I like that a lot of the sound design is orchestral (somehow it fits the character of the piece), but you use fade-outs at a couple different points (like at 2:55), which sound a bit unnatural. It’s also hard to get a strong sense of overarching progression from the piece. Sometimes, the mix is a bit dry - I think it would’ve been easier to follow the flow of the piece if there was a richer atmosphere. There are also a lot of stop-start transitions throughout, which makes the arrangement feel choppy. I like the dissonance during the middle section (4:30 - 8:00 or so), but it still felt like it was lacking a strong sense of direction there. The heavy chords at 8:05 or so sound cool and rich, but they suffer from the same problem as much of the rest of the piece - lacking an ebb and flow sort of narrative. While sudden transitions seem endemic to an experimental piece like this, the one at 10:18 especially threw me off. Overall, I applaud the bold harmonic approach you took here, and the sound design and production quality are also solid. I’d like you to think more about structure and atmosphere in the future. The dry mix and meandering phrase structure both hurt you here. Still, I appreciate the compositional risk-taking. Please PM me if you ever decide to revisit this piece sometime. Keep at it, Arborescence! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Ice Sheets]

I like the tranquility and bright tone at the beginning. I think the atmosphere could’ve been a bit richer with some sort of legato drone or something to fill out the texture. Right now, it’s very minimal. The mix is also very quiet, and the piece lacks structural completeness. The mood and harmonies are great, but I’d also like to see you take some more risks compositionally and create a stronger sense of direction with the arrangement. Overall, this is lovely work, but it needs more dynamism and structural contrast to scratch all my itches. Keep at it, AliceKasaan! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10