TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Struggle]

I like the somber mood at the beginning and the warm strings that come in shortly thereafter. There’s a huge contrast between that and the upbeat electronic beat at :27 - maybe a more gradual transition between the two would help bridge that gap. Love the frantic synth melodies at :41 and the filtering work at around 1:05. This piece also has nice and crisp drums and a full, well-balanced mix. The variations in the main melody at 1:40 really hit the spot, and overall I’m really loving the energy and rhythmic content of this one too. All things considered, the intro almost feels out-of-place by the end. Still, if I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the arrangement and aspects of the sound design here are a bit generic. That said, you nailed the mixing and mastering, melody writing, emotion, danceability, sound design, and transitions. Keep it up, MiniMusicPieces! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Llightt]

I like the quirky pads at the beginning. The piece is very slow to progress - at the very least, some mixing effects or automations could help spice it up. I like the added energy at 1:50. It might be advisable to foreshadow the introduction of the new pads there, just like you foreshadowed the melodic contour with the harmonies that start fading in at around 1:15. The bass line at 1:50 is a bit dissonant at times with the pads. The piano line at 2:22 has a nice emotional appeal, but also feels a bit undecorated, with a square rhythm and constant velocities. The higher register of the melody at 2:58 gives the second refrain a bit of a sense of evolution, which is nice. Overall, the composition is pretty minimal and bland. Bare-bones ambient pieces can work well sometimes, but you’ll need to put more effort into phrasing first - little ebbs and flows in the texture to make longer sections more engaging. Try playing more with filtering, automation, volume level changes, velocity changes, etc. It helps if you have a MIDI keyboard and you’re able to record the lines yourself, as opposed to using a mousepad and piano roll, which will almost always give you a more rigid and uniform texture. That said, I like the sound design, and I also enjoyed the airy atmosphere of the piece and a lot of the individual riffs and melodies. Keep at it, MeowMusicStudios! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

MeowMusicStudios responds:

Thanks a lot for the feedback!!! :D I really appreciate mentioning all of the things i can improve in!

[Macaroni - The Path to Victory]

I like the bouncy beat at the beginning. The chord progression is a bit generic. The mix is full and well-balanced, but could be a bit sharper at times - specifically, it’s hard to hear the drums and bass at around 1:00 or so. I’d double check that only the bass and kick have frequencies below 200 Hz in the equalizer. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, and at :30 I found it a bit odd that the main melody is pitched below the pads. The piece is smooth-flowing, but some more contrast between the phrases in terms of energy level and instrumentation would’ve been welcome for some variety. The arrangement itself is also fairly cliche, and during the final refrain at 2:42 I also would’ve liked to see a shake-up in some of the lead riffs. Still, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression. The piece just needs a tad more originality and variety in the sound design and arrangement. Keep at it, MacaroniAndGames! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Night City Lights]

I like the jazzy hits at the beginning and the bass-y groove shortly thereafter. The filtering starting at around :12 threw me off a bit - kinda disrupts the flow. The reconstituted beat at :18 sounded a bit too busy and even dissonant between the bass, lead, and pads, and also had some rhythmic oddities with some elements of the drums that weren’t perfectly calibrated. You add some cool new elements later on, like the vocals at 1:18 and the brass at 1:24, although the brass is a bit too far back in the mix to be as expressive as it could’ve been. I also think the high-energy section of this piece drags on for way too long without a major change to the texture, like a bridge or breakdown.

Overall, there are a lot of good ideas in here, but you also tried to do too much with this piece, both rhythmically and harmonically. There are a lot of clashing frequencies playing at once during the busier sections, and the vinyl scratches and snare rolls towards the ends of phrases don’t line up very well with the syncopations in the harmonic instruments. I’d challenge you to make a piece with just 5 notes: C, D, E, G, and A (you can repeat these notes any number of times and have multiple playing at the same time in different instruments, but no B, no F#, etc.). The spacing of those 5 notes will make it relatively easy to avoid dissonances. Then, try not to overdo the rhythmic “density” of the piece either - one trick could be to only have rhythmic instruments (bass, drums, and effects) play at the same time as notes are playing in a harmonic instrument (chords, melodies, vocals, etc.).

That said, I really like the sound design and production quality of this piece. There are a lot of good individual ideas in here, like the catchy brass line at 2:12, but taken together the piece just sounds like sensory overload. Happy to leave you another review once you make that 5-note piece - feel free to notify me when it’s done via PM. Until then, keep at it, Lunar48! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

Lunar48 responds:

Very glad for your inspiration words i know i have to improve my composing skills and i feel really happy cuz u liked my work, im gonna prepare a better piece for the next deathmatch and this helps me to catch my errors at making music, thanks you so much :3

[Tinnitus]

I like the fade-in at the beginning and the quirky mid-range bass instrument. The chord progression and arrangement are a bit cliche, but the rhythmic content here is nice and catchy, and I like crisp drums too. The mix is pretty quiet and also a little bottom-heavy. The main melodies could use a boost in the upper-mids with an equalizer, and you could potentially recalibrate some of the volume levels with a soft, adaptive limiter. Just be careful to avoid clipping. That said, the composition is strong, with some memorable melodies and a thick texture throughout, and I also like the sound design, as the instruments blend together well. Solid work, LeanLean! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

LeanLean responds:

Thanks for the feedback! It's much appreciated. It seems I've gotten myself onto the next round, so I'll keep these things in mind. Thanks!

[Faraway]

I like the upbeat mood and quirky synths at the beginning. The occasionally dissonant chords are nice, as is the build-up into :35. The production quality is good too, but even better are the melodies starting at :52. Really dynamic and fun lead riff. The rest of the sound design is cool, too - from :35 to 1:27, it almost sounds like there’s a distorted vocal sample on the off-beat. The re-intro at 1:27 was another good idea, and gave you another opportunity to show off a knack you have for cool syncopations. I love how in the second refrain you can hear the full vocal line, although some more variety in the harmonic content there would’ve been welcome. If I had to complain about one thing in this piece, it might be that the arrangement and aspects of the sound design are pretty generic. Still, you’ve put together a well-produced track here that’s both melodic and danceable. Strong work, Klimen3y! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Klimen3y responds:

It's a pure dream to have such a complicated review under your own creation! Thanks)

[Rapid Eye Movement]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. The spacing on the chords is a little too tight to maximize the level of expression, though - they end up sounding a tad clunky and indistinct. Still, I like the crisp drums at :20 and the cute synth at :41. The piece is pretty slow to progress, but has a great rhythmic appeal and sound design. The breakdown at 1:15 was a good idea, but also a bit bland - might be a good opportunity to add a “B” melody or other new instrument. The piano at 1:50 is a nice touch, but it could’ve been a bit more creative rhythmically. Towards the end of the piece, it seems like it’s missing a big moment of climax or resolution. Overall, I like the moody atmosphere, instrumentation, and experimental texture of this piece. Also, the production quality holds up well, although the mix is a tad quiet. More importantly, some of the compositional details just need a tad more fleshing out. Keep at it, Katatatatataris! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Katatatatataris responds:

Thank you for the review! I’m very grateful that this contest has such good judges, I could definitely hear what was lacking in this song lol. Next year I’ll make it into knockout

[Call me feat. FL studio]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the transition into the rhythmic club beat at :26. This piece has a good sense of atmosphere and some cool compositional details (like the glitchy effect at :45), but some of the transitions are a bit abrupt. The low-mid-range melody at 1:01 is cool, and really helps play up the ominous mood pervading the bulk of this piece. I also like the build-up into 1:27, and I applaud you for taking such an experimental approach to the rhythm at 1:40, which really helped jazz up an otherwise fairly bland drop. The eerie bells and relaxed pads at 2:20 threw me off a bit - that’s another super sudden transition - but also helped bring the piece full-circle towards the end. Overall, there are a lot of creative twists and turns in this piece that make it stand out among the other house/trance tracks in this competition. The production quality also holds up well, and I like the sound design and rhythmic content as well. The choppy arrangement/rough transitions is the one major item to work on in my view. Keep at it, Justik! ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

JustikShow responds:

THX! 😊

[BLACK HEART]

I like the pitter-patter synth riff at the beginning and the low-mid pad that comes in shortly thereafter. The synth guitar at :17 is much heavier than the rest of the texture up to that point, and also has a bit of a square rhythm at first, a missed opportunity to do more to keep the listener engaged IMO. The drums are rather quiet compared to the guitar and harmonies, so a bit more compression and some stricter equalization might be in order. There’s also a lot of reverb in the texture, so that could be a culprit as well. It’s also really hard to rein in the volume levels of FL Slayer in my experience. The mixing is probably my main concern here - it’s really hard to hear the drums during the last 5.5 minutes of the piece, and generally drums should be the loudest instrument in your track.

I like how you switch up the texture by around 1:05 and generally create a lot of harmonic variety in this fairly long piece. That said, along other parameters, particularly the energy level, I think this piece could use some more variety. You have almost 7 minutes of high-octane content here, which ironically makes it hard to keep the listener engaged. I think you could create more of a compelling arrangement with some more narrative appeal if you had interspersed a breakdown or atmospheric bridge or something at some point. The closest thing you come to that is probably 4:49, but even then you could go that much further by playing more with the volume levels and filtering. I feel like you tried to squeeze just a few too many ideas into this piece, frankly.

Overall, you clearly have a really good sense of melody, harmony, and progression, and a lot of creative energy behind the composition. Working on the mixing and variety in the dynamics/energy level are the main two factors that could take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, JorelSimpson! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10