TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Little Brave Robots]

I like the oom-pah bass pattern and the fun melodies towards the beginning. The mix is super loud, clear, and clean, and I like the sound design too. The piece could use a bit more harmonic variety at times, and I think some of the transitions were a bit abrupt (like at :54). The energy level is pretty similar for a lot of the piece, although I like the moments where the mix is a bit more spacious (like at 2:18). The orchestral elements at 2:18 were nice, although I wish they came through the mix a bit louder. I like how you finished the piece off with a more climactic, bass-heavy section, although the arrangement of the piece still feels a bit formulaic and square, with major changes almost exclusively occurring at even 8-bar intervals. It’s just not a recipe for a very dynamic-sounding composition. Still, the mood, instrumentation, and mixing are all top-notch here. Keep at it, Depard! ^_^

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
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
8.25/10

[Sunset On The Hill]

I like the bright tone at the beginning. Fade-ins generally aren’t the most creative ways to start pieces, but it works relatively well here. I like the rhythmic syncopations at :15 and the quirky sound design. The kick drum might be taking up a tad too much space on the low end of the frequency range, and I think it could come through the mix a little clearer with more mid-range tones left in it too. I love the injection of intensity at :58 and the blissful mood of the piece overall. There isn’t a lot of dynamic melodic content in this piece so much as variations on the same theme/progression throughout. The instrumental palette is really fun, though, and the more “organic” samples even sound fairly authentic. I appreciated the short breakdown at 2:06, although I would’ve liked to hear some more structural variety in this piece. Some more gradual transitions and phrasing might help this piece out, especially towards the end when the harmonic content starts to get a bit repetitive. My favorite part of the piece was probably the outro starting at 3:06, though - you really took the piece in a different direction by then with the slower rhythmic pace and pizzicato samples. Overall, this is a super cute piece, and the solid mixing, sound design, atmosphere, and harmonies definitely keep it afloat. Keep at it, Dag0! ^_^

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

[ONE WAY HOME]

I like the tranquil vibe at the beginning and the emotional quality of the piano line. The echo/delay effects towards the beginning might’ve been a bit overdone, and the pause at :39 really threw me off, especially given the otherwise legato texture of the piece to that point. I would’ve at least let the reverb bridge the gap there. There was a good sense of climax at :40, but the rhythmic pace of the piece still feels a bit slow, and the percussion could’ve been a bit more distinct in the mix. I really like the gradual transition into the quiet section at 1:26, and the quality of your samples is rather good here. The ascending line of the strings at 2:15 is beautiful, and the piece certainly has a nice build into 2:35. I still wanted the percussion to be a bit sharper here, though, and despite the beautiful harmonic content I feel as though you haven’t done much in the way of dynamic melodies here. The melodic content that is in here kinda comes in short bursts, and also serves to lay out the chords more than carry a direction of its own. Overall, beautiful work with the atmosphere, harmonies, progression (other than :39), and sound design. The mixing might need a tad bit of tightening, though, and I also can’t help but feel that you played the composition a bit safe. Still, it’s been a pleasure listening to your work throughout this competition, and I wish you the very best with your future projects. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.5/10

[Voyage]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the cute vocals. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the blissful melodies and fun sound design are both pluses. The mix is loud and clear. The drum fill at :55 threw me off the flow of the harmonic progression a bit, and there were some other transitions that could’ve been a tad less sudden (like at 1:10). Still, I like the mellow, jazzy feel of 1:11 and the subsequent re-iteration of the cheerful, VGM-ish content later on. I think the piece might’ve benefitted from a more distinct climactic section towards the end, and the repetition of the sections started to feel like they weren’t fulfilling an overarching structural role after a while. It also might’ve been nice if you had changed up the harmonic progression towards the end. The piano arpeggio at the end is tasteful, and also makes the synth-heavy sections feel a bit more integrated with the fun, jazzy bridge. Overall, I like the melodies, mixing, and rhythmic content of the piece a lot. Major areas for improvement are the dynamism in the composition and originality. Keep at it, 8-bitheroes! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!

[Ode To Seek]

Good for you for exploring the non-traditional time signature. I love the atmospheric flair and the sound design of this one, especially the pizzicato-y sound at the breakdown at 1:51. Production quality is amazingly high here, although I thought the effect at 2:21 sounded a bit cheesy. This isn't as melodic as some of your other tracks, but it's nice to hear a more introspective tone in this piece which helps give it a vivid sense of storytelling. Nice work, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. :D

[Closer]

I like the furtive feel of the vocals at the beginning. The vocal layering/mixing effects at :17 don’t quite blend well imo. I like the glitchy, climactic part at :36, but the synths are pretty cheesy, and the lyrics are a bit generic. I like the melodies at 1:08, and the glitchy outro was a nice touch too. I think the structure of the piece could’ve been fleshed out a little more, but you still did a lot of good work towards giving the piece an emotional appeal by varying the energy levels between sections and such. Overall, I think the recordings/production could’ve been a bit cleaner, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition (add a full breakdown, other climactic melodic section, etc.), but the melodies, rhythmic content, glitches, and passion in the vocals are all good. Keep at it, TenodiBoris! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
7/10

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you very much for detailed review, constructive criticism helps me improve my work and gives me hints where to look, and how to level up with my work 😊

[-Energy-]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning and how the cutesy synths slowly bleed in. The quirky texture at :45 is really nice, and the rhythmic content in this piece as a whole is great. The piece is a little slow to progress, and sometimes the texture can be a bit thin and dry, but the melodies by around 1:05 are enjoyable. I like the bass-y breaks at 1:49, although the main chord progression here is a bit cliche. My favorite part of the piece is probably the production quality - the mix is super clean and well-balanced. The sound design is also a big plus, and you integrate the orchestral-sounding samples, vocals, d’n’b elements, and VGM style really well. The piece starts taking a bit of a different direction at 3:26. The texture there is very minimal, yet the novel riff at 3:47 makes it seem like that part isn’t just functioning as a breakdown. The piece feels a bit dragged-out towards the end, and I think one of my main complaints here is the lack of textural fill for a lot of the piece. The piece comes together well by the end, though, and I definitely like the little ritardando at the end with that cutesy VGM synth. Overall, strong work with the mixing, instrumentation, melodies, and rhythmic content here. Keep at it, PredatorMusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[IC 08 - Can you comb your hair with a dragon fruit?]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the video game flavor. The brass instruments sound pretty fake, though, and at times I wanted the drums to be stronger in the mix. The piece has a pretty constant sense of energy and drive, and could use some more structural variety in the form of an atmospheric section or extended breakdown. I like the melodic content here, although sometimes the overarching compositional content feels a bit directionless, with each melodic phrase just sort of bleeding into the next. I also would’ve liked to hear a more creative ending than a fade-out, even if the content is meant to loop in-game. Overall, I like the mood, harmonic content, and rich texture of the piece. I think the arrangement and the sound design could use a tad more work, though. Keep at it, Pheanir! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
7.75/10

Pheanir responds:

Yeah, having the drums at just the right amount of "oomph" is always a problem for me; I experienced it either to be too much or too less. Since I cannot use a lot of the functions FL Studio has to offer, I have to improvise a lot in my compositions with how I do stuff.
And I totally get you, the missing direction is a good reflection of my current mood concerning composing. It's kinda hard to "justify". :/
I'm just really glad that you give me such constructive feedback. Thank you really much! ♥

[Deviate]

I like the cutesy sound design and energetic bass line. The rhythmic content here is especially nice, although the texture is pretty slow to evolve for most of the piece, and I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content. The piece is pretty short, and could use some more structuring and a more fleshed-out composition. There are some cliches here, like the ascending line in the chord progression at 1:40. I also found the shift in the texture at 2:03 to be a bit awkward. There are a lot of good ideas here, but the arrangement of the piece doesn’t feel very well thought out to be honest. There isn’t a strong sense of direction for most of the piece, and the abrupt ending and near-constant energy level of the piece leave the composition feeling stagnant. Still, nice job with the production quality, sound design, catchy beats, and blissful mood. Keep at it, Hyenaedon! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10