TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mechanical welfare]

I like the blissful vibe at :04, although the drum fill at the intro was a bit cheesy. The chord progression here is pretty generic, although I enjoy the sound design and string melodies. You could’ve used a smoother transition at :36 (even a crash would’ve helped), and I think the drums could’ve been louder in the mix throughout. I like how you combine the guitar and strings towards the end; it’s a good way of adding an element of conclusivity to the piece. That said, the ending is very sudden and I would’ve liked to see more complexity in the arrangement of this piece. You have a pretty consistent energy and volume level throughout, and the harmonic content never changes either. Overall, I like the mood and instruments and atmosphere, but the composition here was pretty bland and the production could use a little more punch. Keep at it, Charmanzer! :)

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
.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
6.75/10

[The Depth Quest]

I like the sound design at the beginning and the rhythmic content. There’s a lot going on in the texture, and it can be pretty overwhelming at times. The composition might need a stronger sense of direction, and it feels like there are a lot of transitory moments in this piece. At some point, I wanted a little more stability in the texture and some melodic content I could really fully grasp as a listener. Most elements of the mix are really fleeting here, and the fast pace of progression makes that really jarring at times. The composition and arrangement of the piece feel really experimental, but I do like the rhythmic content and instrumentation. This piece has me really torn. On the one hand, the piece doesn’t really have a coherent sense of direction, climax, or resolve, and I’m a pretty big stickler for those kinds of overarching structural considerations. I also thought the panning could be a tad too heavy at times. On the other hand, the production quality is solid, the atmosphere is tasteful, and the sound design is so cool and refreshing it should be a new Gatorade flavor. Overall, you certainly earned a scout and a mental note of mine to check out more of your music later, but I still think you need to do more to earn more points in my compositional scoring categories. Keep at it, Donjonneau! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Shoeless Stroll]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the melodic content. The texture at :18 sounds really full and rich, even if the drums could’ve been more creative, both in terms of the rhythmic pattern and the samples you used. The synths have a nice bouncy vibe, though, and I like the bass riff at the post-chorus at :55 too. I think you really should’ve fleshed out the structure of this piece more, though. The one-climax model is hard to pull off, and I think that’s as true here as ever. I like the dreamy ending to the piece, but I wanted to hear a little more structuring, harmonic variety, and melodic development, which is hard to accomplish in a 2-minute track. I know I’m a huge stickler for the overarching compositional elements, but overall this is really solid work. The production quality is great, the sound design is cool and refreshing, and the melodic content is fun. Keep at it, EmoshiLorenzo! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Violence!]

The vocal samples at the beginning were pretty goofy, but cemented the thematic content of the piece well. The beat at :08 sounds a little harsh. I think you might want to take another look at the equalizers on those grainy hi-hats - they might need something off the top end. Still, the rhythmic components and sound design of this piece are fun. The progression is a little slow-paced, and there are several sudden transitions, notably 1:02, 1:57, 2:11, 4:01, etc. The piece also needed some more harmonic depth, despite the tasteful atmosphere and catchy synth riffs. The guitar riffs at around the 2-minute mark are fun, but don’t seem very dynamic or variational. I think the arrangement of this piece is what needs the most help. The composition feels very choppy and disjointed here, and the riffs you use, while really cool on their own, don’t feel related to each other. I think it would help to think of a storyline to go with the piece you’re creating. The harmonic content here also needs to evolve over time on its own. You repeat some catchy guitar or drum pattern for a time, and then suddenly it drops out a few repetitions later without ever developing into something more in an organic way. It almost sounds like you selected 10 or so stock loops made by someone else and arranged them in a pattern for this track. There are a lot more creative ways of creating variety in your piece. Manually automating volume levels, filters, reverb, and other mixing effects will give the composition a sense of ebb and flow over time, which is really valuable because it helps channel the emotional qualities of the music. I’d like to see you start using some of these advanced compositional techniques above all else. Otherwise, the beats sound great, the production quality is solid, and the sound design is well done. Keep at it, UnknownMeta! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Hard Candy]

I like the quirky, distorted synths at the beginning and the blissful-sounding chord progression. The frantic drums at :26 were a valuable addition to the texture, and there’s also a good sense of atmosphere here. The texture really starts to fill out at 1:00, even if the bass there is a little heavy. Nice work with the rhythmic content of the drums and the filtering automations. I wanted to hear a little more melodic content and fill in the texture at some point, as there are not many treble-range frequencies in the piece throughout. There are also a couple of sudden transitions that could use smoothing over, like at 2:24. The breakdown at 3:12 was nice for some structural contrast, and there’s a good sense of climax into the final refrain at 4:24. I still think that some more melodic material would help hit this piece home towards the end, but the rhythmic material once again keeps things engaging. The outro was cool. I’m concerned that you didn’t really maximize the potential of this piece from a compositional standpoint, but the production quality is solid and the creative rhythms keep things engaging. The texture could feel more dynamic and rich, but overall this is a fun, groovy piece with a tasteful atmospheric component. Keep at it, ackai! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Cs - 'Slippery']

The riff at the beginning is catchy, although I think the synths you used sound a tad unpolished and generic. The crashes starting at :21 are a little too loud, and the snare might’ve even been too soft, although I really like the catchy riff at :32. I think the piece could use a little more harmonic variety and contrast, as it gets pretty repetitive after a while. The second refrain at 1:25 sounds pretty similar to the first, and overall I thought you could’ve done a lot more with the composition here. The transition at 1:04 is also a little sudden. Some filtering work or maybe a drum fill would probably help make it a bit smoother. Overall, the production quality is pretty good and there are a lot of good harmonic and rhythmic ideas here, but I wanted to see you do a little more with variety, phrasing, and the compositional details. Keep at it, Csucskos! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

Csucskos responds:

Thank you!

These kind of detailed reviews help me immensely. I'll definitely get back to this track to perfect it, although it is an older track.

To be honest, the second refrain is exactly the same as the first one, as I didn't want to bring anything jarring into the melody, to make sure, the listener feels safe after the adventure, getting back to the familiar melody. I'll experiment with more variety, but finding the balance between variety and familiarity is always hard.

I don't feel the same about the transition, maybe because I've already listened to this track many times. I'll make experimental changes there to see if that makes it better, but I'm not sure if it really needs that.

Anyways, you had a great deal of good points, so thank you for giving directions about what to look into more.

[Twilight Forest]

The chord progression with the strings at the beginning sounds really unique, although the string samples themselves weren’t my favorite. The anti-climax at :40 wasn’t great, although you clearly have a lot of experience constructing cool risers and transitions. The harmonic content of the piece needed a bit more variety, and overall the arrangement of the piece is very choppy and the structure seems incomplete. It’s definitely got a fun, quirky mood and a solid production quality, but I think you need to flesh this out a little more in order for the piece to come together in my mind. Right now it feels like a couple of disjointed sound design and transitional ideas on the same track. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but you have pretty much all the other elements - sound design, mixing, flavor, harmonies - and it’s just the composition that needs work. Keep at it, ElderlyKite! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

ElderlyKite responds:

Thank you very much for criticism! I'll try to improve next time.

[Gapbrick - Vacillation]

I like the pensive mood and dreamy atmosphere at the beginning. The chord progression is also pretty cool and unique-sounding. There might be a tad too much reverb in the texture, as the piano sounds a bit muddy at :25, but the sound design is cool and the drums still sound pretty crisp. The piece has a bright, uplifting tone about it, although not a lot of melodic content or dynamic textural components. Some sections of the piece, especially the square lead at 1:17, could really benefit from more use of phrasing and automation. There’s a nice sense of climax into 2:08, and overall the texture comes together well at the end. I would’ve liked to hear some more variation on the refrain the second time around, but the catchy rhythmic content and sound design still sell this piece well. My main concerns are probably the distorted mix, lack of variety, and overly rigid structure. Keep at it, Glutenfree! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[The dream]

I like the progression and harmonic content here. Some of the instruments are a little cheesy and/or generic, and I think there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture sometimes. The mix would be crisper with some tighter equalization and less reverb. Still, the mood of the piece is really fun, and despite the cheesy synth bass and string samples, the instruments blend well together. My main complaint is that the composition is very flat and bland. I think you missed an opportunity to maximize the emotional appeal of the piece by not using more dynamic contrast, automations, filtering, and other effects that would give the piece some more shape. I also thought the fade-out ending was another pretty lazy evasion of structuring the piece. Still, the piece has a lot of potential with the pretty atmosphere and harmonic content. I’d suggest you keep working on it! Keep at it, Shabbyjazz. :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Sommeil]

I like the dreamy electronic piano at the beginning and the arpeggios. The atmosphere in this piece is beautiful, and I like the sound design a lot too. The texture isn’t always as full as I wanted it to be, but the frequencies are pretty well-balanced. Sometimes, it felt like the mix was missing a lot of upper-range pitches, and the sound design at around 1:18 is a bit bizarre. I wanted to see you do more to maximize the emotional appeal of this piece. The last ⅔ or so is very minimal, and I think the composition would’ve benefited from an injection of energy and climax at some point. The dreamy textures are nice, and you did a nice job with the harmonies and rhythmic content too, but the composition needs a bit of a stronger sense of shape and direction here imo. Still, the sound design and atmosphere sold this piece for me. Keep at it, Zechnition! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Zechnition responds:

Thank you for the review, I agree with all the points you made! I didn't make it into the competition but I'm still very happy with my score. Hope to see you here again next year.