TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[-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

[The Jester Affair 2]

I like the harpsichord at the beginning, even if it sounds a tad dry in the mix. The texture comes together well by :09, and I like the “oom-pah” bass line and eerie tone of the celesta and strings. The mix is pretty quiet overall here, but is also well-balanced and clear throughout. I like the injection of energy at 1:04 and the minimal outro. That said, I think you could’ve done a tad more with the composition here, especially the melodies later in the piece. It began feeling repetitive after a while, despite the tasteful variations in orchestration. Still, the sound design, atmosphere, progression, and mixing are all great here. Keep at it, Everratic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Rosemary Dreams]

I like the cute synths at the beginning. The kick is a little on the heavy, and the panning/delay effects on the vocals threw me off a bit. I like the content of the lyrics themselves, though, and the more transparent vocal content at :32 worked better for me. That said, I didn’t like how the vocals at :32 sounded so distorted in the mix. The clipping/distortion there is quite noticeable, and the “shut up” at the end of that phrase came across as a bit cheesy. I like the solo/post-chorus at 1:05, and the progression from there is also pretty enjoyable. The pitch-shifted vocals at 2:23 also came across as pretty cheesy. I think you tried to do a little too much with some of the mixing effects here, but the clipping/distortion is the major mixing issue here that remains unaddressed. There are a lot of good compositional ideas here, and the sound design is okay, but the production quality is what’s really holding the piece back in my mind. Getting more creative with the automations or filtering could really help “shut up” get the punchiness and impact that it deserves, and the other ornamental vocals could be relegated to a more atmospheric/coloration effect. The lead vocals need some volume control measures right away - try lowering the volume knob in the mixer track and then filling out the rest of the space with a little reverb or compression. You also might try turning down the gain on the compressors you already have in there, especially on the vocals. Sorry if this isn’t a very positive review overall. The peaking/clipping problems are easily fixable, and you’re clearly a talented vocalist and composer. Keep at it, Jackbliss! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

jackbliss responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review. This really helps me produce better music quality. Cheers! :)

[Sky Gardening]

I like the spacey vibe at the beginning. The progression is a little slow-paced at first, but the texture comes together well later in the piece. The vocals sound a little over-processed, and I’m not sure that the heavy use of mixing effects fits the down-to-earth and introspective nature of the lyrics, or the rest of the sound design for that matter. I like the lyrics themselves, but I also think the other instruments are a little quiet relative to the vocals sometimes. I like the flute solo at 1:25 and the cutesy back-up harmonies there. I like the more passionate tone the vocals have at 1:46, but it’s very hard to understand what they’re saying through all the mixing effects. Later in the piece, I feel as though the harmonic framework of the piece needs some shaking up, although the novel solo at 3:34 was a step in the right direction. The piece might also need some variety in terms of energy level, dynamics, and instrumental hierarchy. Overall, I like the sound design in the instrumental tracks, the mixing, the rhythmic content, and the mood/atmosphere. I think the composition could’ve been a bit more inspired at times, and the robotic-sounding vocals also detracted from my enjoyment of the piece. Still, solid work in almost every other regard, especially the production quality. Keep at it, SourJovis! :)

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
.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
7.75/10

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for the review back then. I've removed the vocoder from the vocals so they sound more natural. Other than that I didn't change anything but I think this may have removed the main issue with the song. Hope you like it better this way.

[...And Then There Was Light]

I like the structural arc of the piece. Definitely a well-crafted climax. A lot of the orchestral samples sound really fake, though - especially towards the beginning - and some of them sound indistinct in the mix during the busier parts (e.x., :59). The harmonic framework of the piece is pretty simple, although I really like how crisp and prominent the drums sound in the texture. The choir chords later on are nice, and overall the piece comes together by the end. Perhaps I would’ve liked to hear a tad more structuring and harmonic variety, though. I think it could help you get the most out of the dramatic flair of the piece with a more fleshed-out composition and some more gradual transitions. Still, nice work with the mixing, progression, compositional details, and mood overall! Keep at it, CloakedSoup. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Hey, thanks for the review! The samples in the beginning sound fake, because they’re from an electric violin, which is both fake in the sense that it’s sampled, but also has a synthetic 'fake' kind of sound (along with an EQ filter to make the whole beginning sound like an older recording). I had the idea of going from a lo-fi sound with just the electric violin to a really high quality sound that was more organic when it first climaxed. I wish I could have written more, but I started this the night before it was due. lol

[Agente.001 - The Memory Lane]

I like the pensive piano riff at the beginning. The strings at :14 sound really fake, but they do help give a cinematic vibe to the piece. I like the sense of climax into :25. The drum samples sound a bit generic, but they’re mixed really well. I also like the more mellow section at :53. The horn solo at 1:16 is great, but I wish the melodic content was a bit more prominent in the mix there. The drop at 1:42 is great. I think I’ve said this before, but your work really reminds me of Xtrullor. The section at 2:32 has a nice and majestic tone that really helps amplify the sense of contrast with the drops. I like the heavily processed operatic vocals at 3:01, too. I think the piece is really smooth-flowing overall, but also that you could’ve used some more gradual transitions at times. The transition at 2:30 was actually a good middle ground, where the extended chord foreshadows the following breakdown well. The echo-y outro with the bell-like instrument is great, too. Overall, the arrangement details could use a tad more work, but I love the melodies, mixing, emotion, and atmosphere here. Keep at it, Tomhson! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Strange Bliss (NGADM)]

I like the quirky sound design, but the rhythm is a little hard to follow at the beginning and the progression is a bit slow-paced. I think you could’ve done a better job at transitioning into :44, and the pads there sound a bit generic and dry. I like when the texture comes together more at 1:23, but some of the instruments sound a little harsh in the upper register, and the harmonic progression remains pretty simple, despite the heavy use of ornamentations. The melodic content at the very end kinda felt like too little, too late in terms of giving this piece some stable, climactic content. I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the composition a bit more and add some complexity to the structure. Still, the quirky instrumentation and solid production quality definitely give this piece a lot of potential, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it. Keep at it, Pulvite! :)

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
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

Pulvite responds:

I friggin love your feedback for whenever I do any NG contest, thanks a ton! :D