TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AstronautX9-Some Bits]

I like the progression towards the beginning, although there might be some more creative ways of starting a piece than with the gradual fade-in here. The piano sample itself sounds a bit generic and inauthentic, as do the strings at :48. I think you could’ve used a smoother transition into :48. Some drums would really help move this piece along a little more, as the pacing is pretty slow here. There’s also a bit of dissonance in the texture at 1:30 between the bass and the rest of the harmonies. I like the bright piano melody at 1:35, but the flat, undecorated drone at 1:35 didn’t add a lot of value to the texture. The progression of the piece feels very formulaic after a while, and you could’ve used a lot more mixing effects, phrasing, automations, filtering, and other techniques to maximize the impact of the climax into 2:50. I was a little thrown off by the prominence of the synths in the texture at 2:52, and the pause at 2:54 was a bit awkward. The energetic section at 2:58 sounds nice, although it doesn’t feel very connected to the orchestral music of the first 3 minutes of the piece. You begin to solve that problem by around 3:45, but at that point I think it’s a little late. The transition at 3:58 was pretty jarring given that the sound almost completely dissipates from the texture (without even reverb or other effects) before the new section begins. The fade-out ending at the end came across as a tad lazy too. Overall, my favorite parts of the piece are the harmonic content, production quality, and rhythmic components. I think this piece sounds like you rushed some of the overarching compositional considerations, including the arrangement, sense of cohesion, and depth of melodies. Still, there are a lot of individual riffs in here that sound cute and catchy, and the first half of the piece has a really nice emotional appeal. Keep at it, AstronautX9Music! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Odoroki Ruins]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The string samples aren’t of the best quality, but I like the eastern-sounding instrument at :39 and the harmonic content. The texture is a bit thin, and at times I wished the drums had a more prominent role in it. I like the powerful brass at 1:47, but I’m not sure I like how the note cuts off right before the next one starts. The mix is a little muddy in the low end at times, especially with the strings, and also sounds rather quiet overall. Sometimes, the harmonies are even a bit quiet relative to each other. The arrangement is a bit choppy, too, with sudden transitions (like at 3:03) and not much of an overarching sense of direction. The structure of the song feels a bit cyclical after a while, and I really wanted the texture to be a bit richer at times. The piece is missing a moment of climax or arrival at the end to really hit it home, despite having a lot of mysterious tension throughout. That said, there’s a pleasant atmosphere and harmonic content here. I think the unfamiliarity of a new DAW is affecting the quality of this piece, unfortunately, and that was apparent in the mixing and sound design. Still, I appreciate your resolve to make a track despite these setbacks. Keep at it, ARealGhost! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

ARealGhost responds:

Thank you for the feedback and for the opportunity, Tainted! I will keep pushing forward.

[miss u gramps]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning and the little swells from :03 to :21. The heavy and crisp hats at :21 sound really nice, although I would’ve liked to hear a few more distinctive moving notes by this point. The transition at :43 sounded like it wasn’t synced well rhythmically - maybe the heavy sidechain threw me off? The stop-start transition at 1:02 worked well, and the creepy vocal samples add a lot of flavor to the piece. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture at times, especially on the vocals, but overall I think my main complaint is the lack of harmonic depth here. The most memorable harmonic riff in the piece is at 2:40, and the piece just doesn’t go very far towards demonstrating some of the compositional skills I’m looking for: melody writing, overarching structural considerations, etc. Still, the piece has a great atmosphere, flow, and sound design, and the production quality is solid. The arrangement and harmonies might need some more teasing out, but overall this is strong work, Arbelamram! :)

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
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
8/10

[Blunderlust]

I like the cute, plucky synths at the beginning and the sense of climax into :13. The mix sounds a bit over-compressed, with some hard-hitting drums and a lot of reverb. The snare sample also sounds a bit generic, but I enjoyed the quirky lead at :13. I liked the frantic arpeggios at :48 and the riser at 1:12. There are some cool compositional details here, but overall the harmonic content seems a little thin at times. I also think you could’ve done a better job at foreshadowing the minimalistic drop at 1:41 - maybe introducing that mid-range bass instrument earlier, even briefly? The atmospheric re-intro at 2:06 was enjoyable, and the clock-ticking percussive sound adds some flavor to the piece. I also liked your use of tempo automations in this piece. Mixing-wise, things hold up pretty well, although I thought the piece was missing a lot of higher-range frequencies at times. There are also long stretches where the drums could’ve been more creative, and the ending was pretty sudden as well. Still, I like the progression, synths, atmosphere, rhythmic content, and energy here. Overall solid work, Aoraz! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Passing Through]

I like the bright piano and atmospheric noise at the beginning. The texture sounds very light and graceful, but also rather contemplative at the same time. I like the sub-bass and crisp drums at :52, even if the drums were a bit dry and simplistic. The production quality is really strong here, although I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodies in the piece. The breakdown at 1:38 seems to have a bit of added distortion to it, which I liked. I also liked the sense of climax starting at around 2:40, and the second refrain at 2:50 had a refreshing, cathartic vibe with some minimal (but satisfying) melodies. I still think the composition is a tad underwhelming here, but the atmosphere, flow, production quality, and sound design help compensate for that. The piano solo during the outro was a nice touch, too. Keep at it, Aesaire! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Aesaire responds:

I have a bit of trouble with committing to melodies when writing ambient tracks, sometimes I feel that the ones I write are a little too distracting for the listener and genre. Need to make up my mind whether I want to be more or less melodic when making these.

Thanks for the feedback anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part.

[Prismatic Skies]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano and strings at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, but you’ve really set the composition up for contrast nicely. I think you could’ve foreshadowed the injection of energy at :42 a bit better, and I also would’ve liked the balance to favor the melodic content a little more. Right now, the harmonies at :42 are relatively too loud. There was a great sense of climax at 1:13, but it didn’t quite reach a distinct point of arrival before 1:22 came. The tranquility at 1:22 is nice. A lot of the texture throughout the piece is pretty minimal, but the sound design, atmosphere, and harmonic content here are all beautiful. The male choir and female lead towards the end are especially valuable additions to the instrumental palette. Once again, though, the piece sounds like it’s on the verge of a cathartic moment when it suddenly becomes much more reserved in character (at 3:02). I also thought the little fade-out at the very end came across as a bit lazy. Overall, I think the overarching sense of structure here could be a bit stronger, and I also wanted the percussion to be a bit crisper in the mix. Still, wonderful job with the phrasing, instrumentation, atmosphere, melodies, and flow. Despite my structural complaints, there are a lot of advanced compositional techniques in here. Keep it up, Aenter! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Memories]

I like the powerful synths at the beginning, although the chords sound a bit like the notes are spaced too close together. Might help give the piece a more open sound if you experimented with moving a couple of the notes up an octave. The chords also have a lot of attack, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The kick drum you used sounds a bit dry and high-pitched, although there’s a nice one with more bass at :37. The melodies at around :45 are pleasant, although by then it’s easy to tell that the melodic synths are really distorting the drums in the mix. I think you need to cut down on the reverb and add some compression to the drums. More importantly, I’d make sure to use an equalizer to remove the frequencies in the synths (besides the bass) that are below around 200 Hertz. Tones down there can really make your mix sound muddy and indistinct. Notice, for example, how much quieter your drums sound at 1:05 compared to the few seconds the melody isn’t playing at :47. You can fix that with mixing tools like equalization and panning. The distorted mix is probably my main problem with this piece. I really like the spacey atmosphere and harmonies. Some of the drum samples, especially the snare, are pretty generic. The piece could also use a tad more structuring - it sounds like it has a pretty continuous flow until around the 2-minute mark, where there’s a stronger sense of climax. Still, it would’ve been nice to hear a breakdown in the middle or an atmospheric bridge without the drums. Overall, though, mixing should definitely be the main area of focus for you. The sound design, progression, composition, and melodic content are all good here. I strongly suggest looking up tutorials on YouTube for how to use equalizers (often called “EQs”), compressors, and panning for whatever DAW you use. If you happen to use FL Studio, PM me and I’ll give you some more pointers myself. Let me put it this way: good composition makes you sound like you took some music theory courses in college. Good mixing makes you sound like you’ve mastered your DAW. You already have the composition down. Now it’s just a matter of getting the most out of your production tools. Good luck, man! Please do contact me if you use FL Studio. It really doesn’t take long to get good at mixing and mastering if you know which buttons to press. :) Keep at it, Xyanp!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Black Cherry]

I like the smooth pads and plucked guitar at the beginning. The mix is pretty quiet and thin, though. Some more mixing effects would be nice here. The drums are also really loud relative to the harmonic content. The relaxed vibe and flowing melodic content (like at 1:11) make this piece great to just chill to. That said, the arrangement is pretty choppy, with several pretty abrupt transitions (:56, 1:25, 2:22, etc.) and not a great sense of overarching direction. The transition into 1:53 with the pitch-shifting snare is also a bit cliche and cheesy. I did appreciate how you added a melody in a higher register towards the end. That helped the piece feel a bit more climactic. Still, I can’t help but feel that you played it a bit safe with the composition. Overall, though, the mood, atmosphere, sound design, and melodies are all pleasant. Keep at it, Xehao! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

Xehao responds:

Once again, thank you for the extremely helpful review, will work on transitions and drums, very excited for the final round

[Strongest]

I like the gritty, industrial atmosphere at the beginning, even if I think you could’ve taken a bit more treble off the equalizer on some of these distorted samples. My main complaint here is the lack of variety and harmonic depth. The texture is very experimental overall, and quite frankly you just needed some more moving notes in here to keep me engaged. You’re really good at constructing this raw, grating atmosphere, but I wanted to see you channel that intensity into something more dynamic. This is evocative work, but it also doesn’t showcase the wide variety of compositional skills I’m looking for in competitions like this. Still, this certainly has got me curious about some of your other tracks. Good luck with your future projects, man! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
0/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3/10

[Electro Symphony]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the cute synths at :06. The mix is a little quiet, but otherwise well-balanced and clear. The piece is a little slow to progress, and the chord progression gets pretty repetitive after a while of being the main attraction in the texture. There’s a nice sense of climax into 1:23, but the drums sound a bit plain and dry. I like the filler riffs at the end of each mini-phrase of the drop, although you still missed out on incorporating some harmonic variety here. At 2:20, the balance is way off between the kick and the snare. The snare should almost always be louder than the kick. I also would’ve liked to see more variety at the second drop at 2:59. Still, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. I think you just played the composition a little safe here. The sound design, arrangement, and chord progression could all be a bit more original, too. Sorry this isn’t a very positive review - this piece still has solid production quality and a thick, well-balanced texture throughout, and the drops are catchy and fun. Perhaps the details were missing some inspiration, but overall I still think the piece has a lot of potential, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it. Keep at it, TeqLonse! :)

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

TeqLonse responds:

Again, thanks for your opinion. I will keep it in mind.