TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Melocity]

I like the fun sound design and frantic synth riffs here. There were times when I wanted the drums to be more prominent in the texture and also more creative instrumentation-wise, but the harmonies and plentiful melodic content keep things engaging here. I think you could’ve fleshed out the composition a little more and offered the listener some more structural contrast, but the piece seems rather fitting for a fast-paced video game, after all. Overall, strong work with the production quality, melodies, flow, sound design, and rhythmic content. I’d love to hear a full-length version of this track, but for now it has a fair amount of variety for such a short piece. Keep at it, PSiMetronome! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Odyssey]

I like the anticipatory string riffs at the beginning and the frantic energy and tension underlying the piece. The percussion helps fill out the texture nicely, and the melodic content at :40 is a nice change-of-pace after the intense beginning. The progression is a bit slow-paced until 1:34, but I like when the texture gets richer and fuller there. The breakdown at 2:05 was strong, and had some pleasing atmospheric components in the percussion and ascending synth lines. The production quality is strong here too, although occasionally there’s a tad too much reverb in the texture, and the mix overall is pretty quiet. The outro at 3:29 could’ve been a bit more creative, but overall I like the progression here too. Strong work overall, especially with the sound design, harmonic content, and atmosphere. Keep it up, SirQuebi! ^_^

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

Quebi responds:

All I can say is wow. While I do think you're being pretty generous in some areas, it's really heartening to see how much I've improved over the past 2 years. Thank you

[Re: MiXX]

I like the cute synths at the beginning, but the riffs are pretty frantic and hard-to-follow melodically. Some of the percussion and harmonies (like the ones at :32) sound a bit unpolished and grating in my ears, and occupy a bit too much of the mix to boot. The melodies at :57 are really cool, and I love the retro feel of the sound design. The piece could use a bit more structuring at times. It has a constant energy and drive that could use some contrast with an atmospheric section or breakdown at some point. The composition comes together pretty well towards the end, with some climactic melodic content and a strong sense of conclusion. Still, this piece is really fun, cute, and flowing, with some cool sound design and melodic content as well. Keep at it, DCMegaFan! :)

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

[Piano in the Rain]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The piano sample is of pretty good quality, and the progression comes together well by around :32. There might’ve been a tad too much reverb in the texture, and I thought the entrance of the drums at 1:04 was a little sudden. The piece is well-structured overall, but the fade-out ending struck me as a bit lazy. I also think you could use more contrast in the energy and volume levels in the texture in order to maximize the emotional appeal of the piece. Still, the composition is smooth and the bright and airy feel of the piece is rather enjoyable. Keep at it, shadow-ghost! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

shadow-ghost responds:

Thank you so much for the detailed review, TaintedLogic! I definitely think you make some good points, especially in regards to reverb (I tend to overuse it) and the song fade out. I'm glad you liked the piece overall! :)

[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