TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Individually Compliant]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning, but the progression is a bit slow-paced, and the synth that comes in at :23 sounds a bit harsh in the upper register. I like the sense of climax into :50 and the crisp percussion. The piece has a nice ominous mood and some solid sound design to boot. I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth and melodic content in the piece, but the filtering at 2:10 works well to channel the energy and leave space in the texture for further shape and contrast. The breakdown at 2:19 has a distinct emotional appeal, and I like the direction the piece goes in from there with the renewed sense of energy. The heavy bass at 3:50 is nice, and the drumwork remains really creative and rhythmically appealing until the end. I still would’ve liked to hear some prominent melodic content in this piece, but the harmonies are structured well here. The production quality is probably the strongest attribute of the piece, and the atmosphere and mood are a close second. Keep at it, Adjeye! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Inevitable]

I like the glitchy content at the beginning and the punchy drums. The synths at :19 are cute, and the production quality is really high here. The rhythmic content is nice, and I like the sound design as a whole too. The piece is very slow to progress, and probably needs more structuring and some more prominent melodic content in places. I love the airy choir chords at 1:05, although the string samples at 1:23 sound a bit cheesy. You really take this piece in a different direction by the end. I like the sense of climax going into the end, but I wanted a stronger point of resolve after you built up all that tension. There are a lot of good ideas here, but I think you could capitalize on the groovy intro and the cinematic flair alike with a more fleshed-out arrangement. Overall, though, your experimental composition definitely paid off. Really cool sound design and atmospheric elements here. Keep at it, Vocaloutburst! ^_^

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

vocaloutburst responds:

Thanks so much for the feedback and review!!

[Broken Souls]

I like the ascending scale pattern at the beginning and the vocals. The rimshots at :08 were a little too loud imo, but the texture comes together well by :13. I’m not a huge fan of the kick at :32 - it has a bit too much treble imo. At :50, the vocals don’t blend super well, and the drums are struggling to come through the mix a bit. I like the lyrics themselves, and I also think you both have nice voices, especially your friend. The composition could be a bit more dynamic in terms of energy level and harmonies, though. I would’ve liked to see some more structural changes in the piece before the breakdown at 2:19. I like the glitchy content there, and you transition pretty well back into the last refrain at 2:47. I think the recording quality of the vocals isn’t great, and I think the two vocal parts don’t always sync up so well, which is especially noticeable towards the end. I think the composition of the piece is really good, but you didn’t necessarily execute it very well between the recordings and production. Still, I like the mood, progression, harmonic content, and atmosphere of the piece. Keep at it, SirQuebi! Best of luck at college. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Quebi responds:

Yeah, I noticed the things you mentioned, and it really is unfortunate I couldn't execute it all better. Perhaps with different circumstances it would've been a different story.

[Triangle [WIP]]

I like the dramatic descending synth at the beginning and the arpeggios at :15. The lead synth there is a bit generic, and the chord progression also sounds pretty cliche, but the mix is loud and clear, and the piece has a great sense of atmosphere. The arrangement of the piece sounds a bit formulaic, though, with major changes only occurring every 8 bars. I also think the piece gets rather repetitive by the end, and I would’ve liked to hear a more distinct and prolonged climax towards the end. Overall, the composition and arrangement of the piece feel pretty stagnant, like the piece was made from a generic template for what a piece of EDM should sound like. Some more gradual transitions, melodic development, and/or a change in mood or instrumentation at some point might help give this piece a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time. Still, nice job with the mixing, harmonies, atmosphere, progression, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Blackhole12! :)

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[I'm With You]

I like the funky guitar riffs at the beginning, the loud, crisp mix, and the rhythmic content. The piece is a little slow to progress, and at times the texture is pretty minimal. It sounds a lot like there should be a vocal track steering the piece through these phrases. Otherwise, the arrangement comes across as a bit choppy. I think the production quality is excellent here, though, and the sound design is refreshing and has a distinct feel-good vibe about it. The piece gets rather repetitive towards the end, though, and overall I think you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here. Still, the mixing and instrumentation keep this piece afloat for me. Keep at it, JamesRennaMusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Anthem For The Millenial]

I like the spacey pads at the beginning and the guitars. I think the vocals could be a little more prominent in the mix, including some more compression and other mixing effects. The lyrics are both vague and repetitive, but also relatable and down-to-earth. The transition at 1:12 could’ve been smoother, but I do like the echoy vocal harmonies. The guitar solo at 2:07 is nice, even if it’s just outlining the chord progression. I think the mixing/balance of the piece could use some cleaning up. The drums aren’t quite as punchy as I wanted them to be, especially during the lead guitar section, and the vocals don’t feel strong enough until the phrase at 3:03. I also think you could’ve enunciated the consonants a bit more. I like how the texture gradually gets stripped down towards the end, although the mic pop at 4:37 could’ve been edited out. Overall, despite all my nitty-gritty criticism, I think the harmonies, sound design, and rhythmic content are all really good here. The mix and vocal production might need a tad more cleaning up, and some more variety in the instrumental tracks would be nice later in the piece, but otherwise it’s a catchy and fun piece. Keep at it, RedSoul92! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

RedSoul92 responds:

Thanks for the review I will most definitely keep at it ^_^

[~SW~ Synaptic Surge]

I like the spacey vibe at the beginning and the smooth string pads. The little synth riff at :25 is cute, and the overall tone of the piece has a great sense of wonder about it. I like the percussion and the subtle crescendo into 1:08, too. The drums are really creative at 1:11, and the meandering melodies are really interesting. The texture really comes together well at 1:50, even if the snare samples sound a bit thin. Very creative rhythmic content here, and I like the prominent, gritty bass at 2:22. The section at the 3-minute mark offers a nice secondary melody to the content at the emotional height at 1:50. It’s hard to make the one-climax model work, but you’ve done a good job at creating a sense of dynamism in the composition even within a pretty parabolic structure. Strong work, Skye! I love how you juxtapose conflicting moods in this piece - tranquility and anger, introspection and impulsion. Keep it up. ^_^

P.S.: Is there anywhere I can download this?

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

SkyeWint responds:

Hey there, TL!

First things first, I made it available for download. Still not 100% happy with this, though I think it's nailed things a bit more than I have before... so up for normal download it goes!

The synth riff becoming audible around 0:25 is a consistent pattern playing throughout almost the entire piece, actually! If you listen in the background, you should be able to hear it. ^^

I find it really interesting you feel the snares are thinner at 1:50 - they're actually a lot sharper at the high end and have just as much in the mids as the snare in the prior section.

The gritty bass around 2:22 is one of the parts I'm proudest of. Did you notice the pad in the background expanding a bit with each of the bits of extra distortion and modulation of the bass to accent it?

Gonna try to keep on pushing out music a bit faster than before now. Take care!

[loosends]

I like the gritty, pulsing texture at the beginning, even if the wavering effect and kick drum were a bit heavy. The piece is pretty slow to progress, although the texture fills out a little more once the vocals come in. The vocals are pretty far back in the mix, and also don’t sync up very well between the man and woman’s parts. I like the lyrics themselves, though, and also the post-chorus/melodic phrase at 1:36. I think the drums, especially the snare, don’t come through in the mix quite clearly enough at this point, and also that the synths are a bit cheesy/generic. The melodic phrase drags on for a bit too long, but the contrasting breakdown section was a good idea. I like the emotional appeal of the piano solo at 3:15. The reverb is a bit excessive, and the pacing remains pretty slow, but the bridge at 4:01 works well to inject some energy back into the piece. I think the vocals sound pretty haunting overall, but also that the consonants could be enunciated a bit better. Overall, there are some really good harmonic and rhythmic ideas here, and I like the ghostly tone the piece has and the gritty synths. That said, a lot of the sound design is a bit cliche, and the arrangement of the piece is a bit too drawn-out. The mixing also needs some cleaning up, most urgently by cutting some reverb and getting stricter with the equalization. Still, this is a fun and strangely danceable piece. Keep at it, Spoonukem! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Spoonerang responds:

I appreciate the feedback; and I've been dabbling with a few edits of the track, (after the critiques) cutting reverb and other sliders around a bit in different areas. Haha, the synth sounds were admittedly a bit generic especially if you compare the sounds here to my previous works - guess you could say I was trying to go back to basics, anyways~ I had a lot of fun with this one, if not for the contests I doubt this track would have even been created! Thanks for having me and taking the time to review this moderately long track! Better luck next year I suppose! :)

[Detious - Cobalt Matrix]

I like the glitchy content at the beginning and the synth riffs at :13. The compression is a bit heavy, but I’m enjoying the atmosphere and clarity in the mix. The drop at :55 was refreshing, and I like how spacious the texture is going into the breakdown at 1:28. The extended pause at 1:38 was a tad excessive, but you’ve certainly captured my attention with the intriguing pacing of this piece. I think there could be a bit more harmonic depth and variety at times, and there isn’t really a distinct moment of prominent melodic content here. This piece has solid mixing, a steady flow, and some cool rhythmic content. It’s just the harmonic aspects of the composition that could use a little more fleshing out. Keep at it, Detious! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10