TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Wraith]

You have a good sense of rhythm, but the percussion at the beginning sounds pretty dry and unpolished. I’d suggest taking some treble off of that high-pitched perc, or maybe eliminating the entire first 28 seconds of the song entirely, as the mood at :28 sounds pretty different. The bass sample at :28 sounds a little generic, and the progression is very slow-paced. There was another jarring transition at 1:16. I like the call-and-response action you have going on between that creepy synth and the gritty bass there, but once again you fail to create a sense of development with those riffs before reverting back to the bass riff from :28 at 1:40 or so, after an awkward pause at that. The additional harmonies at 2:07 clash a bit with the existing bass riff, and overall the arrangement of this piece is rather choppy. I think you need to think more carefully about the harmonic framework of your piece before you start working in your DAW, and also aim for more fluidity in the composition. Despite the harsh-sounding effects and percussion, the mix is pretty quiet overall, and I’m not particularly impressed with the sound design either. That said, there are a lot of good harmonic ideas here; they just don’t feel like they’re all a part of the same story yet. The different sections of the piece aren’t very well-connected, and by the end of the piece there’s not a strong sense of conclusion or resolve. I know I’ve been tough on you in this review. I think many of my criticisms boil down to two key points: the disjointed feel of the composition and the discordant/empty feel of the harmonies. I enjoyed the slap bass riffs and drum beats, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this one. Keep at it, Thenoodge! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.5/10

Peepers responds:

Thank you for the review.
Amazing how you'll listen to your own music a bit differently after someone criticizes it.

[Godless]

I like the murky atmosphere at the beginning. I found it a bit jarring when the beat suddenly gets quieter at :10. There’s also an audible mic pop or stereo click in there. I honestly wasn’t a big fan of the snare sample, either - it sounded a bit heavy and grating compared to the atmospheric elements of the piece. The panning at :25 is a little heavy, and I would’ve liked to hear a smoother transition into :51. You did a nice job with the sound design, rhythmic elements, and harmonic content, but honestly I’m not a huge fan of how this piece is mixed. It sounds a bit too experimental with the panning and volume changes, and the progression doesn’t always have a strong sense of direction. I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content, gradual transitions, and storytelling in this piece. I do like the instrumentation, rhythmic content, and atmosphere, and I know you’re a talented composer and producer, Rekuiem, but this just doesn’t do a lot for me. Sorry. I think you should keep working on it, though. It’s totally worth it to flesh out the composition a bit more and see if you can get the most out of this fun experimental vibe. Keep at it, Rekuiem! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[By Day, By Night (VIP)]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The dreamy atmosphere at :14 is great, and there’s a nice sense of climax into :41. I love the melodic content at :41, although I thought the bass was a tad too loud. The texture sounds a bit over-compressed at 1:40, but otherwise the slow pulsing vibe that section gave off is great. I also really liked the chill breakdown at 2:48. The jazzy piano at 3:06 came as a bit of a surprise, and I think you could’ve done a better job integrating it with the synths once they came back in at 3:30-ish. This is a tiny detail, but I wish the muted ambiance at 4:10 had more of a sense of shape as a lead in to the melody at 4:21, instead of the simple pick-up note. A simple volume or filtering automation would probably do the trick there. :) My biggest complaint is that the piece feels pretty drawn-out - in part because of some well-used dramatic phrasing and stuff, however. Still, I enjoyed the influx of energy at 4:46. The melodies could’ve used a tad more variation towards the end, but I enjoyed faster rhythmic pace of the harmonies at 5:10. The post-chorus at 5:38 is also a valuable addition to the composition. Overall, this is a really provocative piece between the sound design, melodies, production quality, and use of structural contrast. This track is living, breathing proof that simple melodies are often better, and the dreamy, atmospheric outro was a great way of concluding the piece, too. Keep up the great work, guys! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

tailspun responds:

tysm for the review! this is super useful feedback :)

[Oceanic]

I like the jazzy chords and unconventional meter at the beginning. The sound design is really neat, too, and when the bass and beat come in at :24 the texture really starts coming together nicely. The piece could use some more dynamic melodic content, though, as that breathy synth at 1:35 has a pretty square rhythm. The composition gets pretty repetitive after a while, although I like how you switch up the instrumentation with the flute at 2:24. The arrangement of the piece also feels pretty formulaic, with a very regular phrase structure and not a lot of variety in the harmonic content. Some more gradual transitions might also help give the composition a stronger sense of shape and contrast over time. Still, I’m a big fan of the mood, atmosphere, and sound design of this one. Keep at it, Hedrix! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
8/10

[Alexantoro49-DMS]

I like the cute synth riffs at the beginning, but some of the instruments themselves sound a bit unpolished and/or generic. There’s also a lot of white noise in the background in places, like around :10. Production-wise, the mix is pretty quiet, and the arrangement of the piece is very choppy. There are a lot of sudden changes where almost every element of the texture is changed out for something else, like at :52 and 1:56. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and melody, but I think you need to give the composition of the track a lot more cohesiveness. It sounds like an entire album full of tracks in one. I want you to work on creating gradual and smooth transitions, ideally with multiple common elements on either side of the transition. Don’t get me wrong - there are a lot of good ideas here, and I can tell you’re a talented composer. It’s just that all the different elements of the piece don’t feel like they’re a part of the same story right now, and the piece as a whole doesn’t have an overarching sense of direction or ambition. I think you need to seriously consolidate some of your ideas here, but regardless I enjoyed the mood, instruments, full texture, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Alexantoro49! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
0/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
6/10

Force64 responds:

Thanks for the review, I know that I have to improve so many things :p

[Return]

I like the airy piano riff at the beginning and the sassy strings and dramatic percussion at :06. There’s a great anticipatory vibe about this piece, and the mix is rather well-balanced and clean. Nice job offering some dynamic contrast to the listener at :37. There could’ve been a stronger sense of progression through the breakdown at :37, but I’m enjoying the furtive tension and emotional appeal of that section. I think you could’ve used a stronger transition into 1:25, but I’m liking how the texture comes together a bit more by 1:40. The melodies at 2:05 hit the piece home well. My main complaint here is probably regarding the abrupt transitions. It also couldn’t hurt to flesh out the composition a little more. If you didn’t usurp the texture every 15 seconds, it would help the arrangement feel less choppy. Still, top-notch work with the production quality, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep at it, LunyAlex! ^_^

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

LunyAlex responds:

Hey, thanks alot for the detailed review!
Very constructive and encouraging simultanously!
Still working on them transitions. I'm happy my mixes seem to be improving slightly.

Thanks again!

[Current]

I like the blissful synth patterns at the beginning and the crisp hi-hats. The piece is a little slow to progress, but there’s a good sense of climax into :41. The melodic content at :41 is a little hard to discern in the mix. It’s pretty quiet relative to the bass and harmonies, and there may be some odd filtering, volume automations, or distortions that are keeping it from cutting through the mix like I wanted it to. After that point, the composition is pretty repetitive, and I wanted to see you flesh out the structure a bit more here. An atmospheric bridge or breakdown would really help add some more shape to this piece. Still, the mood and instruments are cute, and (despite the mixing issues) I enjoyed the melodies. Keep at it, Citriclight! :)

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
.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
7.25/10

[Your World Is Unraveling]

I like the dramatic swell at the beginning. The swell, ticking in the background, and synth on the off-beats combined to give the atmosphere a bit of an ominous feel, so I was surprised when the descending arpeggios at :05 sounded so blissful and cathartic. There’s a good sense of climax into :51, although I think you could’ve used more treble tones in the texture there. The percussion was creative, although I wish the snare was a bit louder and punchier in the mix. In fact, the mix as a whole is pretty quiet, despite the unique sound design and flowing composition. Later in the piece, the strings add a new dimension of wonder, and also lead the climax into 2:09. I think the piece could’ve had some more dynamic melodic content, and the structure could’ve been fleshed out more, but overall you nailed the atmosphere, mood, sound design, and progression. Keep at it, Vocaloutburst! :)

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
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

vocaloutburst responds:

Thanks a ton for the feedback! This track was made before I got mixing and mastering tools and I also got a better laptop as well, probably gonna remix the whole thing soon. Really glad you enjoyed it!

[Unmotavation]

I like the drums at the beginning and the groovy bass guitar riff that comes in shortly thereafter. The drums sound nice and crisp, and the recording quality is pretty good, although the texture isn’t as full and rich as I would’ve liked. You have a good sense of harmony and progression, but I wanted to see you take some more risks with the composition and flesh out the structure more. The mix is a little quiet, but other than that I don’t have any complaints about the production. This piece just needs a little more harmonic variety, melodic content, and flavor. Keep at it, Jfloyd! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
5.75/10

Jfloyd responds:

Thanks I really apreciate the time you guys took and the feedback. Just getting into serious recording and the review really helps me to progress. Thanks again

[XenoXenon - Beneath The Sunset]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning and the tasteful use of reverb. The strings at :24 sounded lovely, and the pizzicatos at :37 add a cutesy element to the texture. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, and I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content earlier in the piece, but I appreciated the dynamic contrast you offered at 1:15 and the atmosphere provided by the piano arpeggios. The horn melodies that start fading in at around 1:42 are a valuable addition to the texture, and the percussion helps give the piece some energy and drive during the final section. I think you could’ve gone for a bigger climax towards the end to maximize the emotional qualities here, but I like the cute piano melody at the very end. Production-wise, the texture is pretty well-balanced and clear, although the mix is very quiet throughout. Overall, I think you could’ve taken some more risks here with the composition, but you nailed the sound design, atmosphere, and melodies. Keep at it, XenoXenon! :)

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
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
8.5/10

XenoXenon responds:

Thank you so much for feedback :)