TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Behind the Curtain]

I like the fade-in at the beginning and the emotion behind the lyrics at :09. The high-pass on the drums is a little strong for my tastes, and I think the vocals could be mixed a little more up-front in the mix at times. The instrumental tracks are great, though - love the seamless combo of synths and guitars. I enjoy the contrast between the ascending vocal line and demonic response at 1:20, too. The vocals at 1:30 could’ve blended a bit better together, but the rhythmic bridge at 1:43 was a nice “reset” moment, and that in turn transitioned nicely into the more high-octane section at 2:20 or so. Overall, the production quality here is really nice, and I’m impressed with the variety and structuring here. You channel the energy really well throughout, and also tell a compelling story in general. The parallel bass/synth solos at 3:15 really hit the spot, and I love how the tenor of the piece “stabilizes” again for the final refrain at 3:30. This is top-to-bottom a really well-done track, Spadezer. Keep up the good work! ^_^

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

Spadezer responds:

This is encouraging! Glad you liked it. 8 definitely appreciate the critiques on the vocals since this feels like new territory for me.

[Zombify]

I like the instrumentation and the angsty lyrics. The vocal delivery isn’t always perfect - you don’t quite articulate all the lyrics clearly at times (like at :38 and 1:00), and you could also put some more emotion behind the vocals in general. I think the recording/production quality is my biggest problem with the piece, though. The guitars and drums sound seriously distorted whenever the vocals are playing simultaneously. What software are you using to mix the different tracks together? Send me a PM - I’ll try to help you polish up the production quality here. On the plus side, the bridge at 1:28 was good for some variety, and clearly you have some good guitar skills. Thanks for coming out to Battle of the Bands 2024, CrabbyXX! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[SHATTERED MEMENTO]

Love the atmosphere at the beginning and the pensive E-piano line at :15. Mix sounds well-balanced and full. The bass line and beat at :40 help channel the energy nicely. The rhythmic content is a bit hard-to-follow at first during the drop, and later on this piece could use a bit more variety and depth in the harmonies. That said, the sound design is really evocative - fitting title in that regard, too. Keep at it, ToirMusic! ^_^

[Flower Dance]

I like the bright tone and cute synths here. The piece is consistently catchy and smooth-flowing, with strong transitions and a pleasing progression that channels the energy well. The drums are a bit generic, and the kick in particular has a lot of higher-range frequencies for my tastes. I also think the mix could use a tad more bass at times, especially during the refrain at 1:04. The melodies are nice, but a bit repetitive. The drums get a little buried in the mix during the busier sections of the track, although I know Garageband has only a limited set of tools for dealing with that. I'd encourage you to experiment a bit more with panning and stereo widening, which could help the drums stand out in the "front and center" of the mix.

Overall, this is a solid track, V1ZION! The composition could be a tad bolder and more well-varied at times, but I like the melodies, sound design, and blissful mood. Keep it up. ^_^

V1ZION responds:

Thanks so much, TL! ^^

[-Port Force-]

Catchy piece! A bit minimal, but it has a decent amount of variety regardless. I don't think you mixed it too hard, but I would've liked to hear a bit more of the lead at :58 or so - it was way far back in the mix. The melody writing isn't your strongest here. The phrases feel very stop-start, with the harmonies getting increasingly thin until the track "resets" (like at 1:22, 2:17, etc.). I'd challenge you to make longer, more dynamic melodies with a wider range of pitches. Still, I like the cute instruments, production quality, and rhythmic patterns. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

MINIMAL!? That is not what I was thinking! Thanks for the honesty tho!

[-Psycho Lady-]

I like the groovy bass line. The texture is a bit dissonant at :11, and I also think the snare could be a bit more up-front in the mix. The brass instruments sound a bit inauthentic too.

I like the more upbeat mood at around 1:15, although there are still a few too many notes that don't seem to match with the other harmonies there. I'd suggest laying out all the chords you want to use in advance and making sure that every note that's playing during a given bar/measure is in the corresponding chord. It also might help to look at some online tutorials specifically on jazz harmonic structure - I'm not sure it's always quite as loose as you're treating it here.

The frantic piano line at 2:40 is probably one of my favorite elements of the piece. It gets a little lost amidst a very busy texture at around 3:00, but it has a really light and airy feel that I like a lot.

Overall, I appreciate you going out of your comfort zone with this one. I hope you find more time to do some more jazz-inspired tracks - it's a really underappreciated genre in my opinion. Cheers! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Sorry that it’s not that great, thanks for your honesty

[-Dark Woodlands-]

I like the murky atmosphere at the beginning. Definitely feels Halloweeny. :)

The way the drums faded in sounded a bit bizarre. Fading them in with filtering as opposed to just volume might've been smoother. There's a bit of dissonance in the texture at around the 1-minute mark, and the transition at 1:19 is pretty sudden. The texture feels like it's missing a lot of mid-range frequencies. The complex rhythmic structure of the piece would also come through more clearly if the different harmonies weren't so close together in pitch.

I also feel like the song needs a more prominent lead riff. Right now, the echo-y mid-range bass riff that serves as the lead for most of the piece (it plays in isolation at 3:48) sounds a little too minimal and murky to really stand out.

Overall, not your best, but you definitely nailed the creepy mood and sound design. Happy belated Halloween! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the advice!

[Journeyman]

I like the spacey vibe at the beginning. The wave-like pattern of the synths is definitely on-brand. The pacing is a bit slow, but I like the call-and-response high-pitched synth line at 1:33. The quickening pace of the synth line at around 2:00 helps give the piece a sense of direction, although the transition at 2:20 still felt a tad abrupt, as did the entrance of the bass at 2:28. The heavier drums and synth guitar at 3:10 or so are a nice break from the mostly atmospheric content of the first 3 minutes. The texture is still pretty thin harmonically, but the blissful melodies at around 4:10 help thicken it up a bit. Sometimes, during the busier sections of the piece, the drums are struggling to come through the mix, like at around 5:30. I also think the "The city" section drags on for a bit too long without much variety in the instruments or harmonies.

I like the more melancholy tone of the piece by around 7:00, although the transition into 8:00 could've been a bit smoother. The piano melodies there are a highlight of the piece for me, although at 8:52 the chords sounded a bit clunky. It might help to space the notes out a little more so they have a more open, well-balanced sound. The rich pads at 9:30ish are a treat, although some more filtering or automation could've added some interest at times, especially to maximize the emotional appeal of the piano at 10:17. The wonky progression at 11:02 is really engaging, and the organ and frantic drums that come in shortly thereafter really give that section a sinister undertone. This is another place where the drums are a bit too quiet in the mix, though - I might give the organ a little less space in the lower-end of the frequency range in the equalizer. The drums might also need a boost in the mid-range with a multi-band compressor. The melodies at 12:33 are killer, although they also could stand a boost in the mix vis-a-vis the pads and harmonies.

13:20 is one of your better transitions in the piece, and I love the drum solo at 13:34 and the catchy low-register piano line at 14:06. The section at 14:53 sounds like a jabbering bird indeed, although the fade-out into 15:39 was a bit underwhelming of a conclusion to that section, even though it's on-theme. The gradual fade-in at 16:20 is nice - I really like the atmosphere and sound design of that part, from the floaty synth arpeggios to the murky pad at 17:08. The last 5.5 minutes of this piece would actually function well as a stand-alone track in my opinion. The gradual build-up of tension into 18:40 is really effective, and the rhythmic syncopations blend really nicely together. The melodies at 19:50 serve as a nice point of arrival, although a lot of the harmonies are ducking under the mix during the downbeats at that section. Again, it couldn't hurt to clear out some of the low-end frequencies there or even pull back on the reverb. The dense final chord at 21:07 is nice - the grating treble range of that organ adds a bit of tension to the otherwise resolutive tonic, as if the journeyman's journey is not truly over. :)

Overall, I think you've focused a lot on the overarching narrative aspects of this piece, which isn't a bad thing, but it could use a bit more ebb and flow within some of the individual sections, just to keep the listener engaged more. Vocals might help make some of the thematic elements of the track come alive, especially during the "argument" section, which, it should be noted, is my favorite of the piece. Given the overall energy level and dynamism of the melodies, I think the argument section could even be a fitting conclusion for the piece as a whole. If I was going to do a "radio edit" of this piece, I would probably make an "Argument/Old Man is a Bird/Argument" sandwich, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I commend you for a strong and ambitious track here, Cavernsparten. A little more variety in some of the individual sections and some cleaner mixing in places would help take it to the next level, but overall the sound design, atmosphere, rhythmic content, and narrative elements of it are really impressive. Keep it up! ^_^

[-Diagonal-]

I like the cute sound design. The rhythm is a little hard-to-follow at first, but I like the prominent hi-hats and frantic descending lines that start each mini-phrase. It could use a tad more variety later on, but overall it's catchy and has some cool instrumentation. This would make a good soundtrack for a fast-paced platformer. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks mate! Glad you like it!

I also showed it to my friend @Thetageist, she had the same issue of it hard to follow. Yeah, I say it’s my standard basically lol, at least transitionings well, just too much (I think)

[-Stranded-]

Alright, thanks again for your patience! I like the atmosphere and the growling bass toward the beginning. The percussion is creative and sets the scene nicely. The different rhythmic elements are totally groovy, and there are definitely some unexpected sound design choices in here - like the guitar at :34 and the airy woodwinds at :55. The transition at 1:08 is a tad sudden, but I like the string line at around 1:20. The guitar line at 1:36 is catchy, but the melodic contour it has is a bit too narrow to be captivating IMO. The production quality is solid throughout, and I like the extended flute lines later on. Overall, I think this piece could use some stronger melodies and some more gradual transitions in places, but the atmosphere, sound design, and mixing are all really strong. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Yay! 4 stars this time :D thanks for the advice Taintedlogic!