TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Losing my mind [WIP]]

I like the chord progression at the beginning and the synths at :12. The filtering on the drums at :18 is nice too, and I especially like the prominent ride cymbal there. The heavy synth bass and lead at :28 sound a tad unpolished compared to the rest of the sound design, but the build-up into :49 was nice. The drop at :50 is a tad over-compressed for my tastes, with the drums giving the harmonic instruments a really constrained and artificial feel.

The breakdown at 1:35 was good for some variety, as was the “delayed drop” at 2:20. I like the more prominent on the downbeats of the second drop and the mid-range harmony instrument added at 2:42. Later in the piece, I still would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic variety - either variation on the main melody or a richer texture in general. The tranquil and atmospheric outro is a nice touch, though.

Overall, this is a catchy piece that flows smoothly and has solid production quality. The arrangement and sound design are a tad generic, and I can’t help but think it was missing that “X factor” towards the end. Still, the danceability and use of creative mixing effects has me sold on this. Keep at it, IreadysuckS! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

IreadysuckS responds:

thanks for the detailed feedback!
The track was meant to feel as 'artificial' as possible; most of the music that I make (and listen to) is more chill 128/132bpm stuff with a lot of organic sounds and I challenged myself to make something as aggressive, tight, electronic, and 'sound design-y' as I could. I think the saw wave build up is very much love it or hate it lol I sent it to a few other producers and it was either their favorite part or the part they thought was the weakest. I don't listen to much drum n bass so I def lean on tropes of the genre especially looking back now a few months later. I notice you gave a 1.5/2 on mixing but didn't really elaborate on it–is that just about the first drop being squashed or is there something else you would change? I really want to perfect this one's mix

[Constant]

I like the quirky bass at the beginning and the creative percussion. The synth line at :28 is nice too, although a lot of the transitions in this piece are pretty abrupt (like at :28, :55, etc.). A simple sweep or crash might help out, but some more gradual transitions and automations are also welcome. By 1:20 or so, the piece comes together really well into a chaotic tapestry of sound. The sound design is easily my favorite aspect of this piece - very unique and engaging. I can tell this piece makes for a smooth loop too.

I think some more dynamic melodic content and a more smooth-flowing structure would help take this piece to the next level. Right now, the arrangement is a bit robotic-sounding, with most of the variety coming from the introduction of new instruments rather than most advanced changes in dynamics, phrasing, or mixing tools. Still, this is a neat track that provides some replay value for its detailed rhythmic syncopations and fun instrumentation. Keep at it, IonicCat538! ^_^

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
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

[Scab Polaroid]

I like the cute and somewhat exotic beat at the beginning. The distortion beginning at :20 is a bit too much. I like the somewhat grainy melody at :41, but it takes up a bit too much of the mix relative to the other harmonies. Love the thin snare at 1:01 and the rhythmic content throughout. Overall, the experimental texture of this piece is really cool, but it could stand to be polished up a bit better to take the edge off some of the more grating elements. That said, I certainly enjoyed the comparatively mellow outro at 2:05. Overall, the production quality is pretty good, although the kick is fighting for attention a bit at times. Engaging and evocative work here, Intikus! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Paranormal 👻]

I like the ominous pads at the beginning. Really cool filtering automation there. The piece is a bit slow to develop at first, but the eerie arpeggios at :35 are a nice touch. Also, there’s a lot of reverb in the texture, and the mix sounds a bit muddy. Might help to use equalizers more generously. Every harmonic instrument besides the bass and the kick should have the frequencies below around 200 Hz completely cut off. That may be part of the reason why, at :49, you can barely hear the arpeggios anymore.

That said, I really like the melodies at :49, and the synth that plays them fits the theme of ghosts quite well. The post-chorus at 1:44 was also nice, especially with the dramatic descending line that kicks it off. The part at 2:33 is a great rhythmic counterpunch to the melodic chorus, and I really like the creepy high-pitched arpeggios there as well. The key change at 3:04 was another pleasant surprise. There really are a lot of great compositional details in this piece. If I had to complain about one thing compositionally, it might be that the second half of the piece could use a big “moment of arrival,” and in my mind if you wanted to do another refrain after the 3 minutes 42 seconds here, you could.

But the big concern I have with the piece is the mixing. The drums and a lot of the harmonies get pretty lost in the mix during the busier sections. It might help to take a bit off the reverb at times, but with the arpeggios and other backing harmonies, stereo widening or other mixing tools that keep the competing mid-range tones out of the middle of the stereo range could help add clarity. In general, ideally each instrument would have a “slot” in the frequency range that other instruments rarely impede on. But it’s hard to do that in a piece with such a rich texture as this. Again, the biggest “easy” step you can take to reduce some of the mud in the bass range is to use an equalizer to cut out the tones below 200 Hz or so from the harmonies.

Overall, though, this is a really neat track, InfraredFire. I am thoroughly haunted. Keep it up! ^_^

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
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
8.25/10

InfraredFire responds:

wow tysm for the very thorough review and the high score! the info about the mixing is especially helpful since i dont have a very good grasp on how to do it well. i will be sure to keep these in mind in my future songs. :))

[The butchers stool]

I like the waltzy piano music at the beginning. There are a few dissonances in the harmonies, which gives the piece a bit of a chaotic flair, but otherwise I would like to see a lot more variety in the energy level and structuring of the voices. After almost 2 minutes of very repetitive phrases, you finally switch it up at 2:03, although that section only sounds more dissonant, and the drums and bass there really drown out the piano in the mix. You can help fix that by adding an equalizer to the harmonic instruments and eliminating the frequencies below around 200 Hz in each of them.

A bit trickier is how to add more variety in the composition. There are lots of ways to create variety in a piece of music, but the ones especially lacking in yours are different volume/energy levels. It might help to add some new instruments before the 2-minute mark, or at least add a more dynamic melody line to the piano at some point. Aim for a strong sense of overarching narrative - right now, the piece feels pretty stagnant for long stretches of time. Instead, try to constantly give your piece a sense of direction - rising or falling velocities over the course of a measure of two, the slow fade-in of a new instrument, etc.

Overall, there’s a lot of potential here, so I hope you keep working on this. A bolder composition and a slightly cleaner mix toward the end would easily give you a point or two back from me. Keep at it, Helldynamics! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Helldynamics responds:

thanks for listening, of course im an amateur, this was one of my firsts songs, i will try to take your criticism into account.

[Disco For The Specially Educated]

I like the crisp percussion at the beginning. The balance of the different instruments in the mix seems really off until around :14, with the synth bass and harmonies completely drowned out by the kick and hi-hats. The tranquil pads at :14 are nice, but overall the texture is still rather minimal. The claps at :43 are way too loud, and at :44 the bass riff is once again really hard to make out. The transition at 1:12 is very abrupt, and the glitchy effects at 1:42 don’t add much of what this piece really needs IMO, which is harmonic depth and variety. There are certainly some good ideas here, especially rhythmic ones, but until you rebalance the frequencies and smooth over some rough transitions, the piece isn’t really coming together for me. Once you readjust the volume levels and make the arrangement less choppy, feel free to reach out to me via PM. I’m happy to give you some more feedback. Until then, keep at it, Gr4ftY01! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
4.25/10

[Skybound]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the quirky synth at :15. The piece has a good sense of build-up into :38 or so. There’s also a lot of reverb in the texture, so I’d be careful to tighten up the mix a bit with some more strict equalization. Specifically, every harmonic instrument should be free of frequencies below around 200 Hz. The drop at 1:02 is catchy - I especially like the plucked synth lead, and the snapped percussion at 1:34 was another good sound design choice. Overall, this piece has a bit of a generic arrangement and chord structure, but the sound design and production quality are quite good. I enjoyed the second build-up into 2:43 as well. Really neat rhythmic content and rich, full textures throughout. The ending is a bit abrupt, but otherwise the piece is very well-structured and smooth-flowing too. Strong effort here, GEOD1M! Keep it up. ^_^

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

[Man Of Millions]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The organ chords and, later, the drums and vocals, aren’t quite always on beat. I can tell you used MIDI to record most of the elements of the song, which is fine, but you should definitely quantize your track once the MIDI files are in your software program.

I’d also suggest writing out the vocal part in your piano roll to use to practice before recording. Sometimes, the delivery of the vocals feels a bit too loose here. Singing along with a written part will help make the vocals sound more consistent and tonal.

I also think you tried to do a bit too much with the organ track. It has a lot of variety, but sometimes it’s better to keep your listener grounded in some core repeated riffs.

Lastly, there are long sections of this piece where there’s not a lot going on, like between 2:41 and 3:01. It might be helpful to cut out some of the minimal sections and really focus on polishing up the “man of millions” vocal refrain.

Don’t get me wrong - there are certainly some good compositional ideas here. I especially like the harmonies at around 3:15. But it’s just hard to make the most of those compositional ideas until the piece has a steady beat and more of a coherent harmonic structure.

I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Once you feel like you’ve addressed some of my concerns, or you just have more questions in general, feel free to reach out via PM. Happy to give you more feedback in the future.

Keep at it, GatesAlek27! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
3/10

[ᑫᵘᵉˢᵗᶦᵒᶰ Mᵃʳᵏ - Schtiffles [YM2612 + SN76489] rearrangment]

I like the oom-pah bass and cute synths at the beginning. The lead at :07 sounds a bit too close in pitch to the bass to create a well-balanced mix. I’d recommend transposing it up an octave, and also making sure that you’ve removed the lowest frequencies (say, <200 Hz) from it with an equalizer. In general, your mix will sound the cleanest if each harmonic instrument has a “slot” in the frequency range that other instruments rarely occupy. That said, the piece is developing nicely by around :40, with some cool melodies and a strong rhythm section. The “B” melody at 1:01 was also a nice touch. Some of the transitions here could use a bit of smoothing over, like at 1:15 and 1:42. Some filtering automations, or even just sweeps/crashes could help make them sound less abrupt. I like how the beat switches up at 1:57, and also how the compression isn’t quite as strong as in the original. And of course, the melodic content and level of variety are both really admirable here. Overall, this is a solid effort, Foxy317! You’ve earned a scout. ^_^

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
.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
7.75/10

[Rough]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning. The instrument that comes in at :07 is a bit grating, though, and when repeated becomes a bit spammy. I like the beat and sub-bass at :15, as well as the synth that comes in at :30. At 1:00, the sub-bass is a bit overpowering, and overall I would’ve liked to see some more harmonic variety in this piece. The second half was missing a major “point of arrival” that hit the piece home. Still, this piece is nice and danceable, with some cool rhythmic content and crisp beats. If you can make this in 3 hours, I’d like to see what you can make in 10 or 15. In those 7-12 hours, I’d recommend rebalancing the mix a bit to be less bottom-heavy, polishing up or replacing some of the more grating instruments, and - most importantly - adding some more dynamic melodies and a more fully fleshed-out structure. Until then, it’s certainly a solid effort for 3 hours. Keep at it, ForiGD2078! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6/10