TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Triangle [WIP]]

I like the dramatic descending synth at the beginning and the arpeggios at :15. The lead synth there is a bit generic, and the chord progression also sounds pretty cliche, but the mix is loud and clear, and the piece has a great sense of atmosphere. The arrangement of the piece sounds a bit formulaic, though, with major changes only occurring every 8 bars. I also think the piece gets rather repetitive by the end, and I would’ve liked to hear a more distinct and prolonged climax towards the end. Overall, the composition and arrangement of the piece feel pretty stagnant, like the piece was made from a generic template for what a piece of EDM should sound like. Some more gradual transitions, melodic development, and/or a change in mood or instrumentation at some point might help give this piece a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time. Still, nice job with the mixing, harmonies, atmosphere, progression, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Blackhole12! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[I'm With You]

I like the funky guitar riffs at the beginning, the loud, crisp mix, and the rhythmic content. The piece is a little slow to progress, and at times the texture is pretty minimal. It sounds a lot like there should be a vocal track steering the piece through these phrases. Otherwise, the arrangement comes across as a bit choppy. I think the production quality is excellent here, though, and the sound design is refreshing and has a distinct feel-good vibe about it. The piece gets rather repetitive towards the end, though, and overall I think you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here. Still, the mixing and instrumentation keep this piece afloat for me. Keep at it, JamesRennaMusic! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Anthem For The Millenial]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning and the guitars. I think the vocals could be a little more prominent in the mix, including some more compression and other mixing effects. The lyrics are both vague and repetitive, but also relatable and down-to-earth. The transition at 1:12 could’ve been smoother, but I do like the echoy vocal harmonies. The guitar solo at 2:07 is nice, even if it’s just outlining the chord progression. I think the mixing/balance of the piece could use some cleaning up. The drums aren’t quite as punchy as I wanted them to be, especially during the lead guitar section, and the vocals don’t feel strong enough until the phrase at 3:03. I also think you could’ve enunciated the consonants a bit more. I like how the texture gradually gets stripped down towards the end, although the mic pop at 4:37 could’ve been edited out. Overall, despite all my nitty-gritty criticism, I think the harmonies, sound design, and rhythmic content are all really good here. The mix and vocal production might need a tad more cleaning up, and some more variety in the instrumental tracks would be nice later in the piece, but otherwise it’s a catchy and fun piece. Keep at it, RedSoul92! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

RedSoul92 responds:

Thanks for the review I will most definitely keep at it ^_^

[~SW~ Synaptic Surge]

I like the spacey vibe at the beginning and the smooth string pads. The little synth riff at :25 is cute, and the overall tone of the piece has a great sense of wonder about it. I like the percussion and the subtle crescendo into 1:08, too. The drums are really creative at 1:11, and the meandering melodies are really interesting. The texture really comes together well at 1:50, even if the snare samples sound a bit thin. Very creative rhythmic content here, and I like the prominent, gritty bass at 2:22. The section at the 3-minute mark offers a nice secondary melody to the content at the emotional height at 1:50. It’s hard to make the one-climax model work, but you’ve done a good job at creating a sense of dynamism in the composition even within a pretty parabolic structure. Strong work, Skye! I love how you juxtapose conflicting moods in this piece - tranquility and anger, introspection and impulsion. Keep it up. ^_^

P.S.: Is there anywhere I can download this?

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

SkyeWint responds:

Hey there, TL!

First things first, I made it available for download. Still not 100% happy with this, though I think it's nailed things a bit more than I have before... so up for normal download it goes!

The synth riff becoming audible around 0:25 is a consistent pattern playing throughout almost the entire piece, actually! If you listen in the background, you should be able to hear it. ^^

I find it really interesting you feel the snares are thinner at 1:50 - they're actually a lot sharper at the high end and have just as much in the mids as the snare in the prior section.

The gritty bass around 2:22 is one of the parts I'm proudest of. Did you notice the pad in the background expanding a bit with each of the bits of extra distortion and modulation of the bass to accent it?

Gonna try to keep on pushing out music a bit faster than before now. Take care!

[loosends]

I like the gritty, pulsing texture at the beginning, even if the wavering effect and kick drum were a bit heavy. The piece is pretty slow to progress, although the texture fills out a little more once the vocals come in. The vocals are pretty far back in the mix, and also don’t sync up very well between the man and woman’s parts. I like the lyrics themselves, though, and also the post-chorus/melodic phrase at 1:36. I think the drums, especially the snare, don’t come through in the mix quite clearly enough at this point, and also that the synths are a bit cheesy/generic. The melodic phrase drags on for a bit too long, but the contrasting breakdown section was a good idea. I like the emotional appeal of the piano solo at 3:15. The reverb is a bit excessive, and the pacing remains pretty slow, but the bridge at 4:01 works well to inject some energy back into the piece. I think the vocals sound pretty haunting overall, but also that the consonants could be enunciated a bit better. Overall, there are some really good harmonic and rhythmic ideas here, and I like the ghostly tone the piece has and the gritty synths. That said, a lot of the sound design is a bit cliche, and the arrangement of the piece is a bit too drawn-out. The mixing also needs some cleaning up, most urgently by cutting some reverb and getting stricter with the equalization. Still, this is a fun and strangely danceable piece. Keep at it, Spoonukem! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
7.5/10

Spoonukem responds:

I appreciate the feedback; and I've been dabbling with a few edits of the track, (after the critiques) cutting reverb and other sliders around a bit in different areas. Haha, the synth sounds were admittedly a bit generic especially if you compare the sounds here to my previous works - guess you could say I was trying to go back to basics, anyways~ I had a lot of fun with this one, if not for the contests I doubt this track would have even been created! Thanks for having me and taking the time to review this moderately long track! Better luck next year I suppose! :)

[Detious - Cobalt Matrix]

I like the glitchy content at the beginning and the synth riffs at :13. The compression is a bit heavy, but I’m enjoying the atmosphere and clarity in the mix. The drop at :55 was refreshing, and I like how spacious the texture is going into the breakdown at 1:28. The extended pause at 1:38 was a tad excessive, but you’ve certainly captured my attention with the intriguing pacing of this piece. I think there could be a bit more harmonic depth and variety at times, and there isn’t really a distinct moment of prominent melodic content here. This piece has solid mixing, a steady flow, and some cool rhythmic content. It’s just the harmonic aspects of the composition that could use a little more fleshing out. Keep at it, Detious! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Look Alive]

I like the cute piano riffs at the beginning and the emotional quality of the piece. The occasional atonal notes (like at :37) gave the piece more of an ominous tint, and I like the sense of climax into 1:02. The guitar melodies at 1:24 are nice, too. The drums here may have been a tad too loud, but otherwise I like the sound design and production. The gritty background effects at 2:02 sound really cool, and the piece comes together well towards the end. The mix is a bit too busy at 2:41, though, and I think you could’ve used more of a proper outro here. I also would’ve liked to see the piece return to the level of motion in the melodies that it had during the first climactic section at 1:22. Still, this is a really enjoyable piece with some strong mixing, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep at it, WolfgangMiakoda! ^_^

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
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

[Don't Mean a Thing]

I like the rich quality of the vocals at the beginning and the conversational tone inherent in the lyrics. The guitar sample sounds a bit cheesy, though, and I thought the kick was very heavy and sub-bassy for a piece like this. The content of the lyrics is really clever, and I like the cutesy mallet instrument at :50 during the more mellow refrain. I’m not sure to what extent this piece describes your real life (I’d imagine your Dad doesn’t have a union job, and I’m also not sure you have siblings either), but the down-to-earth tone of the piece and the passionate vocals makes the entire thing very believable. Almost sounds like you plucked this song out of a quirky off-broadway production. The refrain at 1:32 with the high-register pads and fuller texture is great, and there’s also a great comedic quality to the spoken work vocals at 2:00 and the teacher’s “advice for girls.” Once you get to the banjo line, I’m straight-up laughing my ass off. The production quality is excellent here, btw. Overall, this is a super fun and catchy piece with a great message. At the end of the day, my main concern is probably the lack of originality in aspects of the harmonic framework and arrangement, but that honestly doesn’t even actively bother me that much. Seriously, LunacyEcho, save some good pieces for the other competitors! :P

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

LunacyEcho responds:

you're definitely right that all the content in here was just made up haha, i don't have a brother and i just thought it had a nice campfire-y folksy vibe. and thanks for all the kind words <3 i'm 99% sure this song was a fluke so i'm hoping that i can pull off another fluke for this next round. cheers!

[XenoXenon - Magical Kingdom]

I like the spacey atmosphere at the beginning and the cute melodies at around :20. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture, though, and I think the mix is rather quiet in general. The strings have a nice emotional quality, too. I think the progression could use a stronger sense of direction at times, but I like the shimmering pad at 1:10 and the gradual build into 1:36. I didn’t think the extra pause at 1:37 was quite necessary, and the percussion sounds a bit muddy in the mix later in the piece. The piece has a really uplifting vibe, but I think the production quality and generic harmonic content are my major concerns here. Still, nice work with the emotional appeal, melodies, and mood/atmosphere. Keep at it, XenoXenon! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

XenoXenon responds:

thx for feedback

[F-777 - Ice Cream (Preview)]

I like the bright piano riff at the beginning and the energy and drive the piece has. The synth lead at :14 sounds a tad on the harsh side, but my main concern here is the lack of structuring, which you probably could’ve guessed. I like the build-up at the end, and I look forward to hearing a more fleshed-out version of this piece. I do like the melodies, production quality, and rhythmic content, though. Looking forward to getting a “full scoop” of this piece later, but this taste-test sounds like it’s heading in the right direction. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10