TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Peeter Angelo - Something 'Bout You]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the chill pads. The harmonic pace is a bit fast-paced at times, especially at :22 or so. Still, the vocals are refreshing (even if the lyrics are a little cliche) and the rest of the sound design is smooth. I think the drums could be a little louder here, but otherwise the production quality is solid. I especially like the slight glissandos in the vocal line and the fun, jazzy solo at the breakdown at 2:03. The composition is strong here overall, and the piece has a great feel-good vibe. The mixing effects at 2:53 are cool for some variety, and the chopped vocals later on help hit the piece home. I would’ve appreciated some more melodic variation during the refrain, but overall you keep things engaging with the energy and synths. Keep up the good work, Peeterangelo! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

peeterangelo responds:

Wow, what an in-depth review! Up until recently I've composed instrumental songs almost exclusively so I don't have much experience with writing lyrics yet. I'm hoping I'll get better soon if I keep at it, though. Thank you very much for the kind words and suggestions.

[The Lost Legacy]

The percussion at the beginning is cool, and I like the mysterious synth patterns at :06. Nice job with the bass riff at :22 and the atmosphere. The drums sound a tad generic, and the texture doesn’t quite come together in a particularly rich way until the very end. Even then, there’s room for some stronger melodic content and additional structuring here. I’d love to see you flesh out the composition more here, as well as create some more gradual transitions and build-ups to maximize the emotional appeal of the piece. I also think the bass could be a bit louder during the final climactic section. That said, I enjoyed the strong production quality, sound design, and rhythmic content here. Keep at it, EdKempeper! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
8.25/10

EdKempeper responds:

Hi !
Wow, thank you very much !
I always appreciated the details of your reviews. I keep in mind all of your advices especially when I'm mixing my tracks (maybe the hardest part).
It's a very short piece, so you're right, I could have add some part.
And you often mentionned the transitions within your reviews, I'll try to work on it differently for my next tracks.
Thanks again ! ;)
Ed

[The Brink]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the string drone. The industrial sound effects are really nice, but I think there’s a bit too much reverb on the bass bomb at :29. It hijacks the mix a bit there. I think the mix could have a tad more clarity, and cutting some reverb and tightening up the equalizers are probably priorities for fixing it. There’s a great sense of climax into 1:29, but it doesn’t lead much of anywhere. The percussion throughout the piece is really nice, and gives it a sense of drive and energy that it would’ve otherwise have. I think you start to overuse the bass bombs after a while, and I also would’ve liked to hear more melodic content in this piece. This piece needs a cathartic section towards the end to really hit it home and absolve the tension that’s prevalent throughout the piece. Instead, the piece feels like it ends on a cliffhanger, which lacks a sense of resolve to a track that otherwise has a good sense of storytelling. Still, nice job with the drama, sound design, and atmosphere in this one. Keep at it, SuperTonic64! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

SuperTonic64 responds:

Hey TaintedLogic

I really appreciate this detailed review. I definitely agree that there is some more work to be done to improve this mix! Hopefully when I can get things more in order, I'll sit back down and give this one another look through, because I do think that there is some potential with it.

This review was fantastic and I honestly wish more folks spent the time and effort you did to outline the things that you liked and could be improved upon. I'll continue to do my best, and thank you for this review once again!!

Thanks,
- ST64

[◦Fantasy Rush◦]

I like the synth bass at the beginning and the cute synths at :14. The kick at :07 has a bit too much treble for my tastes, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. The harmonies at :29 seem a bit too dense, with hints of atonality between the pads and other synth harmonies. The progression might need a stronger sense of direction over time, with the melodic content very in-the-chords and the variety in the texture mostly limited to formulaic additions or subtractions of instruments every 4 bars. There also isn’t a lot of structural variety in the piece, with the bass line and minimal drums in the texture for the entire time. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the sound design could be a little more original and the composition could have a bit more shape and variety. Keep at it, ZeroDigitZ! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Tough Endeavor]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the emotional appeal of the piano and string lines. The samples are of pretty good quality, and there’s a good sense of atmosphere to the piece as well. I’m really enjoying the brass swells at :46, too. While the pace of progression here is a little fast, you do a great job with the storytelling and structural contrast here. The melodic content later in the piece is excellent, and the production quality is very high. I also like how the piece comes full-circle by 2:13 with the emotional piano line. There are a lot of moments where you transition between different sections in the middle of harmonic phrases (like at 2:09), and the composition could be a little more fleshed out on the whole. Besides that, there’s not much to complain about here. Beautiful piece with some killer melodies and a distinct emotional quality. Keep it up, Columbers! ^_^

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

[A Hero Returns]

I like the bass groove at the beginning and the refreshing guitar riffs. The mix is nice and punchy, and the drums give the piece a nice sense of drive despite the relatively thin texture. The piece is a little slow to progress, but the melodic content at :57 is nice. The harmonic content gets a tad repetitive after a while, but I enjoyed the breakdown at 1:55. The drum fill leading into 2:38 was really nice, and the addition of the frantic synth patterns for the final refrain really helps hit the piece home. Overall, nice work with the production quality, sound design, mood, and progression. There could be a tad more depth to the harmonies here, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this track. Keep at it, LTGuitarist! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
9/10

LTGuitarist responds:

Thanks for your feedback, glad the elements I was pushing came through. Gutted not to have made it into NGADM this year, but notes taken for future. Appreciate your time given the volume of applications!

[Quit Time]

I like the relaxed synth chords at the beginning and the airy beat at :30. The mood is really cute and dreamy, although the piece is a little slow to progress. I also think the progression is a bit formulaic, as the texture only seems to change every 4th bar, which gets pretty predictable after a while. You also could’ve gone for a little more contrast and shape with the composition here. The instrumental hierarchy is very similar throughout, and at some point I think you could’ve used an injection of energy or other structural variety to add some emotional appeal. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm, sound design, and harmony, but the arrangement of the track could’ve been more creative here. The sudden ending sounds a bit jarring given the chill mood of the track. The mixing is pretty good, too, although it might’ve been a bit cleaner with some stereo widening on the more atmospheric harmonies. The piece was also missing some lower frequencies throughout. Adding a nice sub-bass or something would’ve really helped fill out the texture and add a sense of drive to an otherwise sleepy and repetitive piece. Still, you had me sold on this one with the quirky instruments and pleasant harmonic content. Keep at it, masterakuma99! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

masterakuma99 responds:

Thanks for the very detailed review!

[Away]

I like the indistinct bass at the beginning and the gradual influx of tonality leading up to :15. Some of the instruments you introduce by :38 are a bit cheesy, including the drum samples and bright pads, but I like the quirky mood and progression here. The tempo automation at :57 was a fun idea, although the texture is pretty minimal until around 1:33. I’d also like to see you find more interesting ways of creating variety in this piece besides adding or subtracting instruments ritualistically every 4 bars. Such a formulaic way of making the piece progress gets very predictable after a while. It’s also a recipe for some rough transitions, which you have in here, especially later in the piece. I like the melodies at 2:45, though - they help the piece come together well. However, I think the mix might be getting a bit overwhelmed at around that point, as the melodies don’t seem as prominent as they could’ve been. I also wanted to see you do more with the drums in this piece. Still, nice job with the harmonic content, mood, texture, and sound design. Keep at it, bassclefff! :)

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[wrecker]

I like the catchy synth riffs at the beginning and the cool drum samples. The mix sounds a bit over-saturated and harsh at times. I think some of these instruments might be over-compressed. There also aren’t a lot of mid-range or treble tones in the texture at a lot of times, giving the mix a strangely empty feel despite its being very loud. Perhaps it would help if you used some more mixing effects and atmospheric instruments to fill out the texture. I enjoyed the shake-up in the texture at 2:17, although after a time the harmonic content of the piece gets pretty repetitive, and I wish the density of the harmonies were a little richer. Overall, I like the gritty bass, crisp drums, production quality, and mood, but the composition needs stronger melodic content, more variation, and a thicker texture. Keep at it, hirojusa! :)

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