TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Newgrounds Round 2 Submission]

I like the contained sound at the beginning - sounds like you recorded a song that was playing through the speakers at the mall. :) The texture at :11 has a smooth, mellow vibe, and I like the well-balanced drums and sound design too. The progression is a little slow-paced, and by the 1-minute mark I was really itching for some variety in the harmonic content. Some more dynamic melodic content would also have been nice. Despite the clean production and good use of effects, the mix is a tad quiet throughout. The minimal piano section at 1:40 was good for some structural contrast, but also didn’t do much to switch up the simple chord progression that forms the root of this piece. I like the subtle, gradual climax into 2:13, but I would’ve liked to see you aim for a stronger escalation to really hit this piece home. There’s a great sense of atmosphere, progression, and balance in the texture, but the composition is rather underwhelming at the end of the day, and that’s the main thing holding the piece back imo. More variety, more ebb and flow, more risks - that’s what you needed here. Otherwise, nice work with the mixing and mastering, instrumentation, and mood of this one. Keep at it, ChristopherReeves! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Between Space]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the rich texture. The melodic flair and wave-like quality are both really nice. The piece is a little slow to progress, although I’m enjoying the more ominous elements at around :53. I think you needed a lot more dynamism in the composition here. The instrumental hierarchy is almost exactly the same throughout, and at some point it would’ve given the piece a stronger sense of direction if there was a more regular rhythmic component. I really like the solo at around 2:40, as well as the shimmering pads at around 3:30. I also think you didn’t have a lot of prominent movement in the bass range for a lot of the piece. The ending feels pretty inconclusive, which is likely a product of the rather flat structure of the piece. There were moments of slightly increased intensity, but overall the piece lacked a strong sense of ebb and flow that could really help maximize the emotional quality of these haunting pads and airy synths. Overall, wonderful job with the atmosphere, sound design, and harmonic content. The arrangement and compositional details could use a bit more fleshing out. Keep at it, BasiatordeCoronatus! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[AstronautX9-Some Bits]

I like the progression towards the beginning, although there might be some more creative ways of starting a piece than with the gradual fade-in here. The piano sample itself sounds a bit generic and inauthentic, as do the strings at :48. I think you could’ve used a smoother transition into :48. Some drums would really help move this piece along a little more, as the pacing is pretty slow here. There’s also a bit of dissonance in the texture at 1:30 between the bass and the rest of the harmonies. I like the bright piano melody at 1:35, but the flat, undecorated drone at 1:35 didn’t add a lot of value to the texture. The progression of the piece feels very formulaic after a while, and you could’ve used a lot more mixing effects, phrasing, automations, filtering, and other techniques to maximize the impact of the climax into 2:50. I was a little thrown off by the prominence of the synths in the texture at 2:52, and the pause at 2:54 was a bit awkward. The energetic section at 2:58 sounds nice, although it doesn’t feel very connected to the orchestral music of the first 3 minutes of the piece. You begin to solve that problem by around 3:45, but at that point I think it’s a little late. The transition at 3:58 was pretty jarring given that the sound almost completely dissipates from the texture (without even reverb or other effects) before the new section begins. The fade-out ending at the end came across as a tad lazy too. Overall, my favorite parts of the piece are the harmonic content, production quality, and rhythmic components. I think this piece sounds like you rushed some of the overarching compositional considerations, including the arrangement, sense of cohesion, and depth of melodies. Still, there are a lot of individual riffs in here that sound cute and catchy, and the first half of the piece has a really nice emotional appeal. Keep at it, AstronautX9Music! :)

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
.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
6.25/10

[Odoroki Ruins]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The string samples aren’t of the best quality, but I like the eastern-sounding instrument at :39 and the harmonic content. The texture is a bit thin, and at times I wished the drums had a more prominent role in it. I like the powerful brass at 1:47, but I’m not sure I like how the note cuts off right before the next one starts. The mix is a little muddy in the low end at times, especially with the strings, and also sounds rather quiet overall. Sometimes, the harmonies are even a bit quiet relative to each other. The arrangement is a bit choppy, too, with sudden transitions (like at 3:03) and not much of an overarching sense of direction. The structure of the song feels a bit cyclical after a while, and I really wanted the texture to be a bit richer at times. The piece is missing a moment of climax or arrival at the end to really hit it home, despite having a lot of mysterious tension throughout. That said, there’s a pleasant atmosphere and harmonic content here. I think the unfamiliarity of a new DAW is affecting the quality of this piece, unfortunately, and that was apparent in the mixing and sound design. Still, I appreciate your resolve to make a track despite these setbacks. Keep at it, ARealGhost! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

ARealGhost responds:

Thank you for the feedback and for the opportunity, Tainted! I will keep pushing forward.

[miss u gramps]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning and the little swells from :03 to :21. The heavy and crisp hats at :21 sound really nice, although I would’ve liked to hear a few more distinctive moving notes by this point. The transition at :43 sounded like it wasn’t synced well rhythmically - maybe the heavy sidechain threw me off? The stop-start transition at 1:02 worked well, and the creepy vocal samples add a lot of flavor to the piece. There’s a tad too much reverb in the texture at times, especially on the vocals, but overall I think my main complaint is the lack of harmonic depth here. The most memorable harmonic riff in the piece is at 2:40, and the piece just doesn’t go very far towards demonstrating some of the compositional skills I’m looking for: melody writing, overarching structural considerations, etc. Still, the piece has a great atmosphere, flow, and sound design, and the production quality is solid. The arrangement and harmonies might need some more teasing out, but overall this is strong work, Arbelamram! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
8/10

[Blunderlust]

I like the cute, plucky synths at the beginning and the sense of climax into :13. The mix sounds a bit over-compressed, with some hard-hitting drums and a lot of reverb. The snare sample also sounds a bit generic, but I enjoyed the quirky lead at :13. I liked the frantic arpeggios at :48 and the riser at 1:12. There are some cool compositional details here, but overall the harmonic content seems a little thin at times. I also think you could’ve done a better job at foreshadowing the minimalistic drop at 1:41 - maybe introducing that mid-range bass instrument earlier, even briefly? The atmospheric re-intro at 2:06 was enjoyable, and the clock-ticking percussive sound adds some flavor to the piece. I also liked your use of tempo automations in this piece. Mixing-wise, things hold up pretty well, although I thought the piece was missing a lot of higher-range frequencies at times. There are also long stretches where the drums could’ve been more creative, and the ending was pretty sudden as well. Still, I like the progression, synths, atmosphere, rhythmic content, and energy here. Overall solid work, Aoraz! :)

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

[Passing Through]

I like the bright piano and atmospheric noise at the beginning. The texture sounds very light and graceful, but also rather contemplative at the same time. I like the sub-bass and crisp drums at :52, even if the drums were a bit dry and simplistic. The production quality is really strong here, although I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodies in the piece. The breakdown at 1:38 seems to have a bit of added distortion to it, which I liked. I also liked the sense of climax starting at around 2:40, and the second refrain at 2:50 had a refreshing, cathartic vibe with some minimal (but satisfying) melodies. I still think the composition is a tad underwhelming here, but the atmosphere, flow, production quality, and sound design help compensate for that. The piano solo during the outro was a nice touch, too. Keep at it, Aesaire! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Aesaire responds:

I have a bit of trouble with committing to melodies when writing ambient tracks, sometimes I feel that the ones I write are a little too distracting for the listener and genre. Need to make up my mind whether I want to be more or less melodic when making these.

Thanks for the feedback anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part.

[Prismatic Skies]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano and strings at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, but you’ve really set the composition up for contrast nicely. I think you could’ve foreshadowed the injection of energy at :42 a bit better, and I also would’ve liked the balance to favor the melodic content a little more. Right now, the harmonies at :42 are relatively too loud. There was a great sense of climax at 1:13, but it didn’t quite reach a distinct point of arrival before 1:22 came. The tranquility at 1:22 is nice. A lot of the texture throughout the piece is pretty minimal, but the sound design, atmosphere, and harmonic content here are all beautiful. The male choir and female lead towards the end are especially valuable additions to the instrumental palette. Once again, though, the piece sounds like it’s on the verge of a cathartic moment when it suddenly becomes much more reserved in character (at 3:02). I also thought the little fade-out at the very end came across as a bit lazy. Overall, I think the overarching sense of structure here could be a bit stronger, and I also wanted the percussion to be a bit crisper in the mix. Still, wonderful job with the phrasing, instrumentation, atmosphere, melodies, and flow. Despite my structural complaints, there are a lot of advanced compositional techniques in here. Keep it up, Aenter! ^_^

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

[Memories]

I like the powerful synths at the beginning, although the chords sound a bit like the notes are spaced too close together. Might help give the piece a more open sound if you experimented with moving a couple of the notes up an octave. The chords also have a lot of attack, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The kick drum you used sounds a bit dry and high-pitched, although there’s a nice one with more bass at :37. The melodies at around :45 are pleasant, although by then it’s easy to tell that the melodic synths are really distorting the drums in the mix. I think you need to cut down on the reverb and add some compression to the drums. More importantly, I’d make sure to use an equalizer to remove the frequencies in the synths (besides the bass) that are below around 200 Hertz. Tones down there can really make your mix sound muddy and indistinct. Notice, for example, how much quieter your drums sound at 1:05 compared to the few seconds the melody isn’t playing at :47. You can fix that with mixing tools like equalization and panning. The distorted mix is probably my main problem with this piece. I really like the spacey atmosphere and harmonies. Some of the drum samples, especially the snare, are pretty generic. The piece could also use a tad more structuring - it sounds like it has a pretty continuous flow until around the 2-minute mark, where there’s a stronger sense of climax. Still, it would’ve been nice to hear a breakdown in the middle or an atmospheric bridge without the drums. Overall, though, mixing should definitely be the main area of focus for you. The sound design, progression, composition, and melodic content are all good here. I strongly suggest looking up tutorials on YouTube for how to use equalizers (often called “EQs”), compressors, and panning for whatever DAW you use. If you happen to use FL Studio, PM me and I’ll give you some more pointers myself. Let me put it this way: good composition makes you sound like you took some music theory courses in college. Good mixing makes you sound like you’ve mastered your DAW. You already have the composition down. Now it’s just a matter of getting the most out of your production tools. Good luck, man! Please do contact me if you use FL Studio. It really doesn’t take long to get good at mixing and mastering if you know which buttons to press. :) Keep at it, Xyanp!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Black Cherry]

I like the smooth pads and plucked guitar at the beginning. The mix is pretty quiet and thin, though. Some more mixing effects would be nice here. The drums are also really loud relative to the harmonic content. The relaxed vibe and flowing melodic content (like at 1:11) make this piece great to just chill to. That said, the arrangement is pretty choppy, with several pretty abrupt transitions (:56, 1:25, 2:22, etc.) and not a great sense of overarching direction. The transition into 1:53 with the pitch-shifting snare is also a bit cliche and cheesy. I did appreciate how you added a melody in a higher register towards the end. That helped the piece feel a bit more climactic. Still, I can’t help but feel that you played it a bit safe with the composition. Overall, though, the mood, atmosphere, sound design, and melodies are all pleasant. Keep at it, Xehao! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

Xehao responds:

Once again, thank you for the extremely helpful review, will work on transitions and drums, very excited for the final round