TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[okaynow]

Very evocative sound design here. The really high-pitched faller at the beginning is a bit harsh-sounding, but I like the beat at :08. The lead synth could use some more polish - it doesn’t quite sit up-front enough in the mix, so maybe some more compression would help. By :44, you’re really starting to overuse that rising effect. The piece is pretty smooth-flowing, although the lengthy drum fill and dissonant harmonies starting at 1:01 caught me off-guard a bit.

I would like to see more harmonic content in general in this piece. Rhythmic content and transitory/filler stuff makes up most of the “foreground” of the track. The synth riff at 1:42 is also very dissonant. Having the piano breakdown at 2:10 was a good idea, although I think you rushed back into the synth-heavy breaks by 2:30. Frankly, I think you tried to do a bit too much with this piece. There are a lot of clashing ideas here that, besides the drums, aren’t really developed much beyond their original forms, and overall the structure of the piece is very disorienting at times.

I would challenge you to create a piece that has 5 notes: C, D, E, G, and A (you can repeat these notes any number of times and have multiple playing at the same time in different instruments, but no B, no F#, etc.). The spacing of those 5 notes will make it relatively easy to avoid dissonances. Then, focus on SLOWLY changing the way those notes are arranged, even if it’s only in one instrument at a time, to create a meaningful harmonic progression over the course of the piece. You can have rhythmic aspects to the piece as well, like drums, but focusing on the harmonies will probably be the most rewarding. Please PM me when you’re done, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, BB0ii! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4/10

[CHARACTER SELECT //Level 356.98FM//]

I like the sound design and rhythmic content here a lot. The mix sounds very quiet and flat, though. I would suggest using some more compressors, especially on the drums, and equalizers on every instrument besides the bass and kick drum to free up the low end of the frequency range. That’ll make the texture sound a lot less muddy and give the drums and “heys” more bite. The bass is also just a tad too loud relative to the harmonies and percussion here. Still, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. Just need a little more attention to detail on the production/mastering side. Keep at it, AVVENTURA! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
5.5/10

AVVENTURA responds:

thank you so much for the feedback it was very helpful! I applied it in my project, and I saw results :D

[Xtraktor - Shadows]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The texture sounds pretty murky and indistinct - maybe that was intentional, but it might help to get a little stricter with the equalizers, especially on the low end of the frequency range. The progression of this piece is nice, though. I like the energetic drop at 1:08, the full and rich texture, and the cinematic sound design. The part at 2:14 is another moment where the texture sounds seriously distorted by an overly-strained mix. The drums and guitars just don’t come through very well. There’s probably just too much going on below 1000 Hz or so. Cutting off some of the low end with some equalizers, transposing the guitar part up an octave, and dialing down any reverb that’s on the bass or guitar could all help. Also, aspects of the arrangement and sound design (especially the snare) are pretty generic, and later on the harmonic content gets a tad repetitive. That said, I really like how you switched up the final drop, and then turned up the emotional appeal during the piano outro. Overall, stellar compositional skills on display here. Clean up the mix a bit, and this would be a top-tier track. Keep at it, Auryle (you may have tried to trick me by changing your username midway through the competition, but I caught you lol)! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[A Rainbow Of Impossible Colors]

I like the eerie fade-in at the beginning. The glitchy breaks at :14 are a bit harsh-sounding, and the texture here could use more fill in general, but the reverb/filtering automations are pretty cool and help maintain a sense of direction. Some of the transitions are a bit abrupt, like at :53. The following 17 seconds, until 1:10, were a bit disorienting, with a hard-to-follow rhythm and a lot of different sound design elements thrown in there that didn’t blend very well together. The piece stabilizes a bit by 1:12, but I think both the snare and the pads have a bit too much treble. The faller at 1:41 is cool, although the glitchy tremolos at 1:52 were a bit overdone. The strongest aspect of the piece is the production quality - I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout, and the use of mixing effects and automations certainly helps maintain interest over time. In general, the grating and experimental nature of the sound design is pretty off-putting for me. The frequencies need more of a sense of balance, with more bass at times and more mid-range/atmosphere at others. The arrangement can also be pretty choppy here, with the structure of the piece often sounding just as experimental as the texture. Still, I admire the creative rhythmic content, production value, and unique compositional details of this one. The title seems fitting with the evocative, but sometimes overwhelming, attributes of this piece. Keep at it, Artackni! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Artackni responds:

I guess I'm going with something more melodic and less experimental for following NGUAC rounds lol. That being said, the song really isn't the best.

Whatever. What matters is that I passed the tryouts, even if the score ended up being shitty.

[-Tropperslash-]

I like the gritty bass and atmosphere at the beginning, but the rhythm is a bit hard-to-follow until the beat comes in at :12. Love the organic-sounding snare, though. The texture is a tad minimal, and in particular is missing some upper-mid range frequencies. The filtering on the bass is good, and all the rhythmic effects help keep things somewhat interesting, but the piece could still use some more atmosphere - maybe some additional pads, or at least other mixing effects like reverb. I like the somber-sounding synth line at 2:30, but the texture for the next minute or so is really thin. I think layering on a new melody or at least some more harmonies would really help that section stand out more. I'll commend you on the vocals at around 4:00 and beyond, though - they sound really cool. I also like the dark-sounding chords at 4:46.

Overall, this is a catchy and well-produced track. The composition could use a bit more cohesion - right now it kinda sounds like 3 different tracks - and also more variation in the harmonies. Still, the sound design is neat, and you are clearly making strides on mixing and compositional details like vocal chops. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thank you, so the main problem here is the fact that some parts are too minimal and some what mixing problems
Thanks for the advice!

[water_town]

I'm seriously impressed you made this in 40 minutes. It actually has a decent amount of structuring, dynamic melodies, a pleasant harmonic framework, and some really cute sound design. It's also on theme - I can clearly picture this water town. Seriously, please get someone from the movies portal to make a claymation out of this. Meanwhile, it takes me 40 minutes just to select the instruments I want to use for a track lol. Keep it up, LordAndiso! ^_^

[-Challenger-]

The rhythm is a little hard to follow at the beginning, but it gets easier once the beat comes in at :07. Love the creative percussion and dense rhythmic content. I'm 1,000% sure I've heard that "listen" vocal sample at :35 before - where is it from? I also recognize some other vocal samples that Waterflame has used, haha. :D

Overall, the sound design choices here are pretty good. I like the guitar at :40 in particular. The synth at the very beginning sounds a bit unpolished, though.

I'd say my biggest problem with the piece is that it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. You've pulled in a lot of different cool samples and beats, but you haven't really told a compelling overarching story. The transition at 1:29 was pretty jarring, too, and then by 1:41 the texture feels very similar to how it was before.

Overall, not your best, but still super catchy, with some solid mixing. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

I saw that one coming lol

Also, the sample listen thing is from songs from waterflame, such as slapstick and Train to nowhere @taintedlogic
Waterflame told me it was from a website called Breakbeat Paradise

[-Shine!-]

I like the drum beat and the cute sound design. The texture oscillates between being a bit too minimal and having some clashing harmonies, like at :54. Also, the rhythmic content of the piece is a bit square at some points. The dreamy atmosphere at 1:43 is nice, although there's still some dissonance in the harmonies there. I like the "let's go!" vocals at 2:43, and the final refrain ties the piece together nicely. Overall, solid production and instrumentation here, but the dissonance was bothering me after a while. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the critique! I’ll try to work on that!

[HOLDINGBACK]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The bass sits perfectly in the mix. There's a nice sense of build-up into :48. Really catchy beats. The drop at :49 might be a tad over-compressed relative to the rest of the song - it's just a really stark contrast in volume levels. Love the added hat and the more held-out pads during the second refrain, though. If I had to criticize one thing, it might be that the composition is a tad minimal, and that aspects of the arrangement are a bit generic, especially with all the stop-start transitions. Despite that, the production details really shine through, making this a really pleasant and well-balanced listen. Glad you're back, Crysstal! Be well. ^_^

Crysstal712 responds:

my phone's sound is basically none because of cable issues on it, probably gonna actually mix it when i can (not even an excuse there's just no way of mixing it right now lmao)