TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Night City Lights]

I like the jazzy hits at the beginning and the bass-y groove shortly thereafter. The filtering starting at around :12 threw me off a bit - kinda disrupts the flow. The reconstituted beat at :18 sounded a bit too busy and even dissonant between the bass, lead, and pads, and also had some rhythmic oddities with some elements of the drums that weren’t perfectly calibrated. You add some cool new elements later on, like the vocals at 1:18 and the brass at 1:24, although the brass is a bit too far back in the mix to be as expressive as it could’ve been. I also think the high-energy section of this piece drags on for way too long without a major change to the texture, like a bridge or breakdown.

Overall, there are a lot of good ideas in here, but you also tried to do too much with this piece, both rhythmically and harmonically. There are a lot of clashing frequencies playing at once during the busier sections, and the vinyl scratches and snare rolls towards the ends of phrases don’t line up very well with the syncopations in the harmonic instruments. I’d challenge you to make a piece with just 5 notes: C, D, E, G, and A (you can repeat these notes any number of times and have multiple playing at the same time in different instruments, but no B, no F#, etc.). The spacing of those 5 notes will make it relatively easy to avoid dissonances. Then, try not to overdo the rhythmic “density” of the piece either - one trick could be to only have rhythmic instruments (bass, drums, and effects) play at the same time as notes are playing in a harmonic instrument (chords, melodies, vocals, etc.).

That said, I really like the sound design and production quality of this piece. There are a lot of good individual ideas in here, like the catchy brass line at 2:12, but taken together the piece just sounds like sensory overload. Happy to leave you another review once you make that 5-note piece - feel free to notify me when it’s done via PM. Until then, keep at it, Lunar48! ^_^

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

Lunar48 responds:

Very glad for your inspiration words i know i have to improve my composing skills and i feel really happy cuz u liked my work, im gonna prepare a better piece for the next deathmatch and this helps me to catch my errors at making music, thanks you so much :3

[Tinnitus]

I like the fade-in at the beginning and the quirky mid-range bass instrument. The chord progression and arrangement are a bit cliche, but the rhythmic content here is nice and catchy, and I like crisp drums too. The mix is pretty quiet and also a little bottom-heavy. The main melodies could use a boost in the upper-mids with an equalizer, and you could potentially recalibrate some of the volume levels with a soft, adaptive limiter. Just be careful to avoid clipping. That said, the composition is strong, with some memorable melodies and a thick texture throughout, and I also like the sound design, as the instruments blend together well. Solid work, LeanLean! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

LeanLean responds:

Thanks for the feedback! It's much appreciated. It seems I've gotten myself onto the next round, so I'll keep these things in mind. Thanks!

[Faraway]

I like the upbeat mood and quirky synths at the beginning. The occasionally dissonant chords are nice, as is the build-up into :35. The production quality is good too, but even better are the melodies starting at :52. Really dynamic and fun lead riff. The rest of the sound design is cool, too - from :35 to 1:27, it almost sounds like there’s a distorted vocal sample on the off-beat. The re-intro at 1:27 was another good idea, and gave you another opportunity to show off a knack you have for cool syncopations. I love how in the second refrain you can hear the full vocal line, although some more variety in the harmonic content there would’ve been welcome. If I had to complain about one thing in this piece, it might be that the arrangement and aspects of the sound design are pretty generic. Still, you’ve put together a well-produced track here that’s both melodic and danceable. Strong work, Klimen3y! ^_^

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Klimen3y responds:

It's a pure dream to have such a complicated review under your own creation! Thanks)

[Rapid Eye Movement]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The spacing on the chords is a little too tight to maximize the level of expression, though - they end up sounding a tad clunky and indistinct. Still, I like the crisp drums at :20 and the cute synth at :41. The piece is pretty slow to progress, but has a great rhythmic appeal and sound design. The breakdown at 1:15 was a good idea, but also a bit bland - might be a good opportunity to add a “B” melody or other new instrument. The piano at 1:50 is a nice touch, but it could’ve been a bit more creative rhythmically. Towards the end of the piece, it seems like it’s missing a big moment of climax or resolution. Overall, I like the moody atmosphere, instrumentation, and experimental texture of this piece. Also, the production quality holds up well, although the mix is a tad quiet. More importantly, some of the compositional details just need a tad more fleshing out. Keep at it, Katatatatataris! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Katatatatataris responds:

Thank you for the review! I’m very grateful that this contest has such good judges, I could definitely hear what was lacking in this song lol. Next year I’ll make it into knockout

[Call me feat. FL studio]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the transition into the rhythmic club beat at :26. This piece has a good sense of atmosphere and some cool compositional details (like the glitchy effect at :45), but some of the transitions are a bit abrupt. The low-mid-range melody at 1:01 is cool, and really helps play up the ominous mood pervading the bulk of this piece. I also like the build-up into 1:27, and I applaud you for taking such an experimental approach to the rhythm at 1:40, which really helped jazz up an otherwise fairly bland drop. The eerie bells and relaxed pads at 2:20 threw me off a bit - that’s another super sudden transition - but also helped bring the piece full-circle towards the end. Overall, there are a lot of creative twists and turns in this piece that make it stand out among the other house/trance tracks in this competition. The production quality also holds up well, and I like the sound design and rhythmic content as well. The choppy arrangement/rough transitions is the one major item to work on in my view. Keep at it, Justik! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

JustikShow responds:

THX! 😊

[BLACK HEART]

I like the pitter-patter synth riff at the beginning and the low-mid pad that comes in shortly thereafter. The synth guitar at :17 is much heavier than the rest of the texture up to that point, and also has a bit of a square rhythm at first, a missed opportunity to do more to keep the listener engaged IMO. The drums are rather quiet compared to the guitar and harmonies, so a bit more compression and some stricter equalization might be in order. There’s also a lot of reverb in the texture, so that could be a culprit as well. It’s also really hard to rein in the volume levels of FL Slayer in my experience. The mixing is probably my main concern here - it’s really hard to hear the drums during the last 5.5 minutes of the piece, and generally drums should be the loudest instrument in your track.

I like how you switch up the texture by around 1:05 and generally create a lot of harmonic variety in this fairly long piece. That said, along other parameters, particularly the energy level, I think this piece could use some more variety. You have almost 7 minutes of high-octane content here, which ironically makes it hard to keep the listener engaged. I think you could create more of a compelling arrangement with some more narrative appeal if you had interspersed a breakdown or atmospheric bridge or something at some point. The closest thing you come to that is probably 4:49, but even then you could go that much further by playing more with the volume levels and filtering. I feel like you tried to squeeze just a few too many ideas into this piece, frankly.

Overall, you clearly have a really good sense of melody, harmony, and progression, and a lot of creative energy behind the composition. Working on the mixing and variety in the dynamics/energy level are the main two factors that could take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, JorelSimpson! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Defier]

I like the eerie bass riff at the beginning, but the percussion is a bit too staticky and takes up a lot of the mix. The eerie mood is a huge plus, although some of the transitions are pretty rough, and the instruments often sound a tad indistinct in the mix. For example, at 1:02 the bass is completely overwhelming the mid-range pads. It might help if you remove some of the low-end frequencies from the harmonies (i.e., only the drums and bass should have any frequencies below 200 Hz) in an equalizer. That said, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, and this is a well-structured piece with some cool compositional details (like the synth screech at 1:37).

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[inductance]

I like the sound design and the beat at the beginning. The delay effects on that one higher-pitched synth makes it a bit difficult to discern the pattern of emphasis for the first 30 seconds or so. Once the beat comes in at :35, it helps resolve that. The mix is also a bit distorted during the busier sections of this piece, with the drums struggling to stay on top of the harmonic instruments at times. I’d double-check to make sure the harmonic instruments don’t have any frequencies in the sub-bass range (i.e., below 200 Hz or so). The harmonic content in general is pretty repetitive here, but you also introduce some new instruments and riffs (like the wintery melody at 2:52) that keep things pretty fresh for a while, although later on I’m not sure it’s quite enough variety for a 7-minute-long track. I would’ve liked to see you play around a bit more with the energy level at times - while you sometimes strip the beat away, the piece always has an energetic flair, especially for the last 3 minutes or so, which gets a little tiresome after a while. An atmospheric bridge or something really would’ve hit the spot. The outro is also a bit dragged-out and cliche, but I appreciate the rhythmic content nonetheless. Overall, the piece has some pretty generic sound design and compositional details, but also some nice melodies, a smooth progression, and a great spacey mood. My main concern is probably with the production quality, which, again, could be sharper, especially at the low end of the frequency spectrum. Still, you got my foot tapping and my head nodding along here, Jfm404. Keep at it! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Stuck]

I like the twittery pads and chord progression (short though it is) at the beginning. The piece is pretty slow to progress, but the transition into :35 was cool. It’s a little jarring that the new instrument cuts off suddenly shortly after the second chord in the progression plays between :35 and :55. I like how the piece is starting to develop a bit more by :55, with more staccato-y elements punctuating the chords and giving it a sense of energy. That said, the overall pacing is still very slow, and the big descending slide is overused after a while. I like the mysterious-sounding pads that you start using in the final minute or so of the piece. You’ve actually covered a lot of ground in terms of sound design during this piece. There isn’t really a sense of resolution to the tension you’re building up here, though, and for much of the piece the texture is too minimal for that tension to be satisfying in and of itself. Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here, but as a whole the piece doesn’t feel complete. I think this style of slow-paced experimental piece can work, but you need more phrasing and variety within the 30-second chunks that have the same instrumentation. I’d also like to see you flesh out the structure a tad and create a stronger sense of atmosphere, maybe with some additional harmonies and/or mixing effects. Still, this is a creative piece with some cool sound design and moody elements, and I think it could be really special with a little more work on the phrasing. Keep at it, jeffbeard! ^_^

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[lonely evening]

I like the somber mood at the beginning and the gradual fade-in of the mid-range synth. The synth that comes in at :12 is a bit harsh-sounding, and doesn’t blend particularly well with the rest of the synths. I like the crisp beat at :24, but I thought the sudden transition to a busier beat at :48 was a bit jarring. The texture sounds a tad too busy by around the 1-minute mark, but the “reset” you had at 1:12 was a good idea compositionally. I also like the slidey lead at 1:26, and the transition back into the main melody feels a bit smoother at 1:39. Overall, there could definitely be a little more variety in the piece, especially the second time the main melody plays. The sound design isn’t my favorite, and the mix sounds a bit strained during the busier sections. Still, I like the mood, harmonies, overall structure, and a lot of the compositional details of the piece. Keep at it, Jdartcollections! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10