TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[BreakdownMatrix - Submission-01 [Dance/Gamemusic]]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The dreamy arpeggios are great, and I like the frantic drums and bouncy synths at :14 a lot. The production quality is strong, and the piece has a good (yet rather fast-paced) sense of progression. There are a lot of transitory moments in the first minute, and I kept waiting for a more distinct climax before a stable emotional height. Perhaps 1:23 is that section, although I would’ve appreciated some more harmonic variety and dynamic melodic content to really sell the emotional impact. My favorite part is 2:10, which has a great, dark, eastern vibe that’s also very catchy and blends seamlessly into the section with the arps at 2:35. That said, the final iteration of the refrain melody at 3:07 was very rushed, to the extent that it doesn’t quite feel satisfying by the end. I think you need to pace your piece more carefully next time. It’s like you want the piece to progress from build-up to drop to post-chorus to bridge to build-up again in a very narrow timeframe, but that’s pretty jarring for the listener, especially on the first cycle. This could easily be a 5-minute track - don’t sacrifice coherence because you’re overly concerned about a piece being repetitive. That’s probably my main complaint of the piece, and I think it’s part of the reason why the composition doesn’t have the emotional impact that it could here. The rushed structuring leads to a point where it’s hard for the listener to pinpoint a distinct “arrival point” during the climactic sections of the piece. Still, this track has some strong mixing and mastering, sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic work. Keep at it, Kyrowo! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Kyrowo responds:

Thank you very much!

and yeah - the whole structure is still kinda hard for me to realize due to my confused mind:D But I'm working on it! It's one major point I have to consider for the future that im already dealing with :D

Thank you for your kind review and rating! I'll try to improve everything you mentioned there :)

[Mysterious Planet]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The synth lead at the beginning sounds a tad unpolished (or maybe detuned?), which I’m not sure I like. That said, the bass at :51 really helps fill out the texture, and the melodic synth at 1:07 is also a really valuable addition to the mix. The riser at 1:50 is pretty cool, and I like the melody at 1:58 too, although I think you used way too much reverb in this section. Along with the sidechaining/compression, it makes the mix sound pretty distorted here. The heavy breaks at 2:15 are cool, though. I think you could’ve done more with the drums throughout this piece - they’re pretty bland. The modulation at 2:49 was a good idea, although I thought it was a little too unexpected to work well at the particular spot you chose. The piece comes together pretty well at around 3:30, although I would’ve liked to hear some more variations on the melody there to really hit this piece home. Overall, most of my complaints are compositional details and easily fixable production tidbits. The sound design, melodies, progression, and mastering are all really good overall. Keep at it, H1K0! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[I See You]

I like the whirring synths at the beginning and the stop-start transition into :14. The vocals are haunting, and the mixing effects give them a fitting robotic flair. The chord progression is pretty cliche, and at times I wanted the texture to be more full, such as at 1:01. The gritty edge to the texture is nice, and the bouncy synths and vocals keep me engaged here pretty well. I also liked the little drum fill at 2:08. It was a fun and somewhat unconventional choice for a bridge/breakdown. The last minute or so of the piece didn’t quite do a great job of hitting it home, though. The content was pretty repetitive, and you never really satisfied my craving for more harmonic variety towards the end. Still, the track has a fun mood and sound design and solid production quality. I also enjoyed the vocals - that’s an asset that a lot of your competitors have not employed to the fullest extent. Keep at it, DarthWeather! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[The Deeper Green]

I like the fun synth riff at the beginning - sounds like comic mischief. :) The volume automations at :28 are a little bizarre. Usually, volume levels change either suddenly at a transitory moment in the piece or gradually over the course of a section, not in a 2-3 second window. The melodies at 1:10 were nice, but didn’t always vibe well harmonically with the synth riff in the background. I liked the airy percussion and ambiance, but I think this piece needs a bit more structuring and shape to it. The composition doesn’t quite feel fleshed out enough to me yet, and you just started a cool new melodic idea at 2:03 when the piece ends. I also think the mix has some balance issues. The melodies aren’t quite prominent enough in the texture for my tastes; I wanted them to be sharper and louder, especially the ones at 2:03. Part of the problem might be that there’s a bit too much reverb crowding things out in the texture. Still, my main concern here is that the piece doesn’t feel structurally complete or interesting. I’d highly encourage you to keep working on this piece, but for now you have a good start with the sound design, mood, atmosphere, and melodies. Keep at it, SI-7! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

SI-7 responds:

Thanks for the comprehensive review! I definitely think structure is one of my weakest points right now, and that's going to be the next thing I look at after figuring out how to properly use chords. I agree that the mix isn't too great in this piece. I also probably shouldn't have made this my first time to use compression, and I definitely shouldn't have started with a multiband compressor.

I really appreciate the feedback, it helps a ton. :)

[Sinister [Drumstep]]

I like the cool off-beat groove at the beginning and the quirky synths. The drums could’ve been a bit more creative, but overall the melodic content is catchy and I like the sense of climax into :44. The lead at :55 sounds a tad generic, but I like the drop at 1:07. The chord progression is a bit cliche, too, and I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic variety in the piece after a while. The piece also has a pretty uniform energy and volume level, despite the brief moment without the drums at 1:51, so you could’ve played with that a little more. The creepy melody at 2:25 sounds really good, and I like the injection of energy at 3:07. The ending also came on a bit suddenly - I think the fade-out could’ve been more gradual. My favorite element of the piece is probably the production quality - the mix sounds really clean, despite an excess of reverb at times. Overall, solid work with the sound design, production quality, and harmonic content, even if I thought the piece could use a little more structural variety and such. Keep it up, DrayxMusic! :)

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
.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
8/10

DrayxMusic responds:

Thanks for the feedback. Will keep that all in mind for my next composition!

[coolssh3 - Edge of the Universe (Melodic Dubstep)]

I like the emotional appeal of the strings at the beginning. The string samples seem to be of pretty good quality, too. The drums at :26 are a little too loud, and have a ton of reverb to boot. The production quality seems good, although the pace of progression is a little slow here at times. The first major point of climax comes at almost 2 minutes in, which is a long time to wait. The drop at 1:49 has a catchy rhythmic component, but I think the descending bass line is a bit too loud, and completely hijacks the mix from the drums, which should be louder there. The re-intro at 2:50 is nice, and I’m enjoying the piano melodies at 2:58. I would’ve liked to see you vary the drop the second time around at 3:51, and also change up the harmonic progression at some point during the piece. I also think you begin to overuse the riser at 4:57 after a while. Overall, I think the biggest weaknesses of the piece are the lack of variety and generic sound design and harmonic content. Still, the piece has a smooth flow, cool drums, and a nice airy atmosphere. Keep at it, coolssh3! :)

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
.5/1
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

coolssh3 responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I'll be sure to keep this in mind for the future. (The previous message was deleted because I thought this comment was for a different song soooooo woops.)

[Conveyor Chaos]

I like the dramatic and ominous mood at the beginning, but I thought the lead synth at the beginning sounded a little cheesy. The drum samples could also use a bit more modification to make them sound more polished and authentic. You have a good sense of progression and harmony, though, and I’m liking the more blissful vibe in the texture by around the 1-minute mark. One of my main complaints with the piece is that there isn’t a lot of structural variety or gradual overarching change. I’d suggest using more advanced ways of creating variety besides just adding and subtracting instruments over time - phrasing, volume changes, automation, filtering, etc. It would really help maximize the emotional appeal of the piece if you, say, used some pitch-bending or reverb automations on the guitar synth solo at 2:44. The mixing could also use some tightening in this piece. During the bigger sections, the low percussion is struggling to come through the mix. I’d suggest adding some high-pass filters to almost everything here, seeing if you could cut out some of the reverb in choice instruments, and equalize away as many low tones as you can in the pads and harmonies. You could also add some more advanced techniques like stereo widening on the pads, as right now the mix sounds pretty centered. Overall, I like the thematic content you went for here (I can visualize the factory when I listen to the song), and the piece had a smooth flow, cool synth riffs, and memorable melodies. The compositional details and mastering quality could use some work, but overall nice job here, forger343! :)

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
.5/1
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

[Mechanical welfare]

I like the blissful vibe at :04, although the drum fill at the intro was a bit cheesy. The chord progression here is pretty generic, although I enjoy the sound design and string melodies. You could’ve used a smoother transition at :36 (even a crash would’ve helped), and I think the drums could’ve been louder in the mix throughout. I like how you combine the guitar and strings towards the end; it’s a good way of adding an element of conclusivity to the piece. That said, the ending is very sudden and I would’ve liked to see more complexity in the arrangement of this piece. You have a pretty consistent energy and volume level throughout, and the harmonic content never changes either. Overall, I like the mood and instruments and atmosphere, but the composition here was pretty bland and the production could use a little more punch. Keep at it, Charmanzer! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[The Depth Quest]

I like the sound design at the beginning and the rhythmic content. There’s a lot going on in the texture, and it can be pretty overwhelming at times. The composition might need a stronger sense of direction, and it feels like there are a lot of transitory moments in this piece. At some point, I wanted a little more stability in the texture and some melodic content I could really fully grasp as a listener. Most elements of the mix are really fleeting here, and the fast pace of progression makes that really jarring at times. The composition and arrangement of the piece feel really experimental, but I do like the rhythmic content and instrumentation. This piece has me really torn. On the one hand, the piece doesn’t really have a coherent sense of direction, climax, or resolve, and I’m a pretty big stickler for those kinds of overarching structural considerations. I also thought the panning could be a tad too heavy at times. On the other hand, the production quality is solid, the atmosphere is tasteful, and the sound design is so cool and refreshing it should be a new Gatorade flavor. Overall, you certainly earned a scout and a mental note of mine to check out more of your music later, but I still think you need to do more to earn more points in my compositional scoring categories. Keep at it, Donjonneau! :)

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

[Shoeless Stroll]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the melodic content. The texture at :18 sounds really full and rich, even if the drums could’ve been more creative, both in terms of the rhythmic pattern and the samples you used. The synths have a nice bouncy vibe, though, and I like the bass riff at the post-chorus at :55 too. I think you really should’ve fleshed out the structure of this piece more, though. The one-climax model is hard to pull off, and I think that’s as true here as ever. I like the dreamy ending to the piece, but I wanted to hear a little more structuring, harmonic variety, and melodic development, which is hard to accomplish in a 2-minute track. I know I’m a huge stickler for the overarching compositional elements, but overall this is really solid work. The production quality is great, the sound design is cool and refreshing, and the melodic content is fun. Keep at it, EmoshiLorenzo! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10