TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[AIM 2024] Ad Astra - nito-kun]

I like the airy pads at the beginning, although the chord progression is a tad cliche. The reverb on the percussion at :14 is a bit excessive, and the synth arpeggios at :32 are seriously distorting the pads. The piece is very slow to progress until about 2:01, and even then the harmonic content is very much the same. I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies and variety in the energy level earlier on. The mix probably needs a bit less reverb and more stricter equalization to ensure the bass and drums come through clearly throughout. The pads at 3:45 are also seriously distorting the ones that came in just 15 seconds earlier - it might take some more advanced mixing tools like stereo widening to fix that. Overall, the sound design, mood, and atmosphere of this piece are enjoyable, but the production could use some more polish, and the composition is a bit bland. I’d encourage you to keep working to add variety and harmonic depth to this. It’s just really hard to make a compelling full-length track when you limit yourself to a simple 4-chord progression for 5 minutes with little in the way of melodic content. Until then, the dreamy synths and smooth-flowing arrangement get high marks from me. Keep at it, nitokunffr! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[TimeToShine [NewGrounds Version]]

I like the sound effects at the beginning and the cute synth riff at :04. The rhythmic and melodic content alike are great, and the sound design itself is also enjoyable. The transition at :50 is a bit abrupt - at the very least, a crash or sweep would’ve helped smooth it over a tad. Later on, the piece is pretty repetitive, although you have a slightly different contour to the melody the second time around from around 1:15 on. The ending is very abrupt - even a brief outro would’ve been welcome. The production quality is pretty good, but not perfect - the drums at :19 could use a bit of a boost in the mix. Maybe some more compression is in order, or just stricter equalization in the other instruments. Overall, though, this is a cute piece with some neat instrumentation and strong, upbeat melodies. Keep at it, NewGameExplorers! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8/10

NewGameExplorers responds:

Big thanks for the review! I am pretty grateful for this.

[||TERM1NATION OF CYB3RNET1C BOUNDARIE2]

I like the bass line at the beginning. It’s a bit hard to follow the rhythm, though, and once the beat comes in it doesn’t get much easier. The rhythm might be just a bit too dense. In general, the piece is very slow to develop, but by 1:25 the texture feels full, if a bit bottom-heavy. The mixing isn’t perfect, and it definitely gets hard to hear the drums during some of the busier sections. It might help to transpose some of the harmonies up an octave or two - crowding a lot of instruments towards the low end of the frequency spectrum can make a piece sound really muddy. By 2:50 or so, the harmonies also sound a bit dissonant. I’d also like to see more variety in the instruments and energy level, which would help keep the piece sounding fresh.

Overall, I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Simplifying the rhythms could make the piece a lot more danceable - right now, there’s so much going on that it’s often hard to discern the points of emphasis in the beat. As for the distorted mix, in addition to raising the pitch of the harmonies, I would suggest using an equalizer to remove the low-pitched frequencies (below around 200 Hz) on everything except the bass and kick. That will limit the muddy, indistinct quality of the texture. You could also ensure the drums pop through the mix by adding a compressor onto them and turning up the ratio to 4:1 or so. Lastly, I’d challenge you to add one or two sections with a more mellow or atmospheric quality to them, just for contrast with the gritty club beats.

Thanks for coming out to the NGUAC. Also, I forgot to mention that the final cadence with the drum echo at 5:24 is really cool. Keep at it, NeuralDelverM! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

NeuralDelverM responds:

I really appreciate the in-depth analysis. This track was recorded straight out of my nintendo switch and sloppily mastered. Now I have some drive to get it fully stemmed out and mixed/mastered properly, and I will see what I can do about the rhythms. The rest of your suggestions should be easy to implement, especially because you provided specific points to improve on. Thank you for taking the time to help me out even though I did not make it past the first round! <3

[90's House]

The old-school groove at the beginning is nice, although the mix sounds really distorted and some of the synths sound a bit unpolished. I can barely make out the orchestral hits at :56. The mid-range pads at 1:17 are really nice, and the rhythmic content here in general is great. Some of the effects are overused and don’t blend into the texture very well - for example, I didn’t really need 15 full seconds of police siren at 1:36 (or another full 15 seconds at 2:14, for that matter).

Still, overall the composition is fine, if a little repetitive, and the sound design is mostly good. My main concern is the mixing. You simply can’t hear all the instruments clearly throughout the piece. To fix that, try adding an equalizer to each instrument in your DAW’s mixer, and then remove the frequencies below 200 Hz for every instrument except the bass and the kick. It might also help add clarity and sharpness to the mix if you put some compression on the drums, especially the snare and clap. Just make sure to turn up the ratio on the compressor to 4:1 or so - that’ll help the drums pop through a dense texture and remain crisp throughout the song.

Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, progression, and rhythm. You just need to cultivate your skills as a producer a bit more, thus the mixing tips above. Love the catchy beats and throwback instrumentation, though. Keep at it, Necromancer8642! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

Necromancer8642 responds:

To be fair, I made this song before I knew about the mixing tricks you told me but I learned the mixing tricks way before you made this comment. The drums were supposed to sound distorted. And yes the bass is really hard to hear at times. And, like like the siren :(
My regrets: Not making the bass easier to hear, not cutting off the tail of on bass before the next bass pattern plays, not making the orchestral hits easier to hear. And not my fault the 808 kick is so damn weak. ;) My newer songs are better in quality anyway.

[NGUAC2024 - Elimination]

I like the pads and quirky drums at the beginning. Once the main beat comes in at :25, the mix sounds seriously distorted, though. The drums and bass get a lot quieter than they were before, and the whole texture sounds muddy and indistinct. You can fix that by adding an equalizer to each instrument in your DAW’s mixer, and then removing the frequencies below 200 Hz for every instrument except the bass and the kick. It might also help add clarity and sharpness to the mix if you put some compression on the drums.

That said, the lead synth riff at :37 is cute, and I like how you have a built-in “B” melody at :50 too. The chord changes at 1:15 are a bit abrupt, and the faller at 1:40 is just a bit too loud relative to the harmonies, especially since it’s repeated so often for the following 30 seconds. The minimal synth arpeggio bridge at 2:04 was a nice touch, although at some point I would’ve liked to see you shake up the energy level of the piece for an extended period of time. Believe it or not, it’s hard to keep most listeners engaged when the energy level is constantly high for more than a minute or two. The “reset” at 2:48 helped bridge the gap before the new melody comes in at 3:00, and I like the build-up into 3:38. This piece has a ton of bold key changes, which in general you pull off quite well in the context of a given transitory moment, although having so many of them still makes the arrangement seem a tad disjointed.

Overall, the composition is really dynamic and creative, if not as cohesive as it could be. The sound design is good, but the mix could be a lot more polished and sharp. Serious props for submitting such an ambitious project as your NGUAC tryout! Keep at it, MutatedBacon. ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

MutatedBacon responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback!

[Feel The Voltage]

The vocal sample at the beginning was a creative way of introducing the piece, and I love the slap bass groove at :16. By around :33, the chopped vocals start to become a bit dissonant with the main harmonic riffs, but the sound design and production quality are both great. I love the E-piano solo at 1:04. Just be careful not to overuse the vocal samples - after a while, they’re both playing too often and taking up a lot of the mix, especially at parts like 1:41 where they’re played in close succession. Some of the transitions in here could be a bit smoother, like 1:52. The piece could also use some more dynamic melodic content and some variation in the energy levels at some point. The breakdown with the vinyl scratches and vocal samples at 2:56 helps in that regard, but it also comes after almost 3 straight minutes of higher-octane content with a busy beat. That’s just a bit too long to maintain a consistent energy level while maintaining listener engagement IMO.

Amidst a long piece with a lot of repetition, shaking up the texture with fresh chords towards the end was a good idea, but the pads at 4:32 clash a bit with some of the other harmonies. You may have tried to do a bit too much with the harmonic depth here at times - the harmonic framework here feels very loose, even for jazz. That said, the mixing and mastering are top-notch, and I really enjoyed the sound design and rhythmic content of this one. Keep at it, Feisty Fennekin! ^_^

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

[Mr.Must3rd; Meowtronica]

The frantic synth riff at the beginning was a pretty cool idea for an intro, but admittedly it threw me off a bit when the pace of the pads at :12 was so much slower. The synth rolls at :38 are a little overused, and overpower the other harmonies in the mix. The texture also sounds very dissonant early on, and the mood shifts quickly from spacey to eerie. By 1:20, the texture is very minimal, although I like the crisp drums and staticky atmospheric details. By 2:20, you’re back to the introspective-sounding ambient content with another pretty sudden twist, but the transition back into the more industrial-sounding beats starting at around 3:20 was more smooth and gradual, which is good. Overall, the arrangement of the piece feels a bit disjointed, and it could use more melodic content and variety. The production quality and sound design are enjoyable, though, and if you integrate the disparate harmonic motifs of the piece a bit more, the variety in the moods here would give this track a great narrative appeal. I’d encourage you to keep working on it for that reason. Keep at it, MrMusterd! ^_^

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
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

[OXYGENE]

I like the cute, frantic synth riff at the beginning. The bass riff at :13 sounds a bit clunky, with a couple of notes in the lower range that are very close together in pitch (which usually creates a muddy texture). There are a lot of sudden transitions here, and the pace of change is also very fast, making for a bit of a disorienting arrangement. A lot of the individual riffs and compositional details are cool - I think the pattern at :58 is particularly catchy. That said, I wanted to see you flesh out the structure of this piece with some more gradual transitions and maybe some more polished-sounding instruments (the bass in particular sounds like a raw square wave). I’d encourage you to revisit this piece with largely the same structure, but double the length of time between each major section and more elements in common between adjacent sections (it could be the same drum riff, bass line, or otherwise). Crashes, sweeps, and drum fills are also a good way of foreshadowing that a major change in the texture is about to occur before it does, which might make some of these transitions less jarring. All of that said, I really enjoyed the rhythmic content, upbeat mood, and energy of this piece. Keep at it, MorictoMusicia! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5/10

MorictoMusicia responds:

ty! ye, i think the 0:58 melody's pretty catchy. Tysm for the constructive critic!

[The Struggle]

I like the somber mood at the beginning and the warm strings that come in shortly thereafter. There’s a huge contrast between that and the upbeat electronic beat at :27 - maybe a more gradual transition between the two would help bridge that gap. Love the frantic synth melodies at :41 and the filtering work at around 1:05. This piece also has nice and crisp drums and a full, well-balanced mix. The variations in the main melody at 1:40 really hit the spot, and overall I’m really loving the energy and rhythmic content of this one too. All things considered, the intro almost feels out-of-place by the end. Still, if I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the arrangement and aspects of the sound design here are a bit generic. That said, you nailed the mixing and mastering, melody writing, emotion, danceability, sound design, and transitions. Keep it up, MiniMusicPieces! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Llightt]

I like the quirky pads at the beginning. The piece is very slow to progress - at the very least, some mixing effects or automations could help spice it up. I like the added energy at 1:50. It might be advisable to foreshadow the introduction of the new pads there, just like you foreshadowed the melodic contour with the harmonies that start fading in at around 1:15. The bass line at 1:50 is a bit dissonant at times with the pads. The piano line at 2:22 has a nice emotional appeal, but also feels a bit undecorated, with a square rhythm and constant velocities. The higher register of the melody at 2:58 gives the second refrain a bit of a sense of evolution, which is nice. Overall, the composition is pretty minimal and bland. Bare-bones ambient pieces can work well sometimes, but you’ll need to put more effort into phrasing first - little ebbs and flows in the texture to make longer sections more engaging. Try playing more with filtering, automation, volume level changes, velocity changes, etc. It helps if you have a MIDI keyboard and you’re able to record the lines yourself, as opposed to using a mousepad and piano roll, which will almost always give you a more rigid and uniform texture. That said, I like the sound design, and I also enjoyed the airy atmosphere of the piece and a lot of the individual riffs and melodies. Keep at it, MeowMusicStudios! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

MeowMusicStudios responds:

Thanks a lot for the feedback!!! :D I really appreciate mentioning all of the things i can improve in!