TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[divjoci]

I like the dramatic brass hit at the beginning, although it sounds a bit awkward when you cut it short on subsequent iterations. The beat is cool, and the bird samples sound cool, but I really wanted to hear some more moving notes here. You have a good sense of rhythm, flow, and a decent sense of sound design, but this piece simply doesn’t satisfy my standards for things like melodic development, harmonic variety, and textural depth. It also gets very repetitive after a while. The bass at 2:07 sounds cool, although most of the instruments in the texture throughout this piece serve solely rhythmic purposes. There are so many different dimensions of composition to explore, and I find it frustrating that you didn’t do more to add onto the creative beat and cool instrumentation here with some other pitched notes. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece, though. It has a lot of potential. Keep at it, Kontiki! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.75/10

[The Kraken]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The snare at :08 sounds a tad generic, and I’m not sure how the gritty bass at :14 fits with the otherwise dreamy texture. The rhythmic content is a little bland, and the gritty bass sounds pretty dry throughout. I would suggest using some more reverb, filtering, volume automations, or other mixing effects to make the texture of this piece a little more engaging and variable. The harmonic content is also bland and minimal, and overall the piece has very little sense of direction, development, climax, or resolve. The production is pretty good, and I like the creepy sound effects in the background for ambiance, but my main problem with the piece is that the composition needs a lot more effort to satisfy my standards for melodic content, textural depth, and the like. Keep at it, Kamikazerabbit780! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
0/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3/10

kamikazerabbit780 responds:

thanks for the feedback, i will try to improve those in future projects

[Life Views]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The instrument there sounds like some detuned wind chimes. The beat at :30 is really crisp and quirky, and the snare might even have a tad too much bite for an otherwise chill track. The piece is a little slow to progress, although the sound design and ambiance are both really cool. I like the rhythmic content at 1:50, although I would’ve liked to see the minimalism dissipate a little sooner. The texture comes together pretty well by around 2:50, but the piece still doesn’t have much dynamic melodic content or harmonic variety. Still, the production quality, atmosphere, instrumentation, and rhythmic content are really enjoyable in this track. Keep at it, Arbelamram! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[Rap Beat 1]

I like the bouncy piano at the beginning, although I think it’s a bit too quiet in the mix relative to the drums. The drum beat was quirky and creative, although the samples themselves sound a bit dry. More reverb and other mixing effects might help give this piece some more flavor. The sound design and harmonic patterns at :47 were fun, although after that the composition is very repetitive, and some of the later riffs even seem a bit atonal, like at around 1:52. The piece needs a bit more ebb and flow over time - some more automations, phrasing, and dynamic contrast might help there. Otherwise, the arrangement is pretty choppy and the track doesn’t have a strong sense of direction over time. The sudden ending is another indication to me that you didn’t spend a lot of time considering the structuring here. Overall, nice work with the sound design, mixing, and atmosphere. I think you just need to flesh out the composition a bit more here. Keep at it, farfenwaffle! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

farfenwaffle responds:

Thank you for the well thought out review, I always like to hear what people think of my songs!

[Telaris - Galactic Collision]

I like the sense of climax at the beginning and the uplifting chord progression. The sharp claps during the first 25 seconds contrast with the overall relaxed vibe of the piece, but they fit well during the energetic parts later on. I like the melodies at :45, although I think the rhythm could’ve been a little more creative there. You might’ve needed a stronger transition into 1:15, but overall I like the progression. The burst of sound at 1:45 was a little unexpected, and that section sounds a tad over-compressed. Still, the production quality here is good. The melodies get a little repetitive by around 2.5 minutes in, and there are more sudden transitions in advance of the breakdown at 2:52. Still, the breakdown was good for some structural contrast, although the harmonic content in this piece is both repetitive and cliche. I wanted to see you use more gradual transitions, melodic development, and more creative ways of giving the piece variety. Overall, nice work with the melodies, mixing and mastering, and atmosphere. The composition is a bit bland (especially considering the lack of variety), and I also think there’s not a lot of originality in the arrangement, chord progression, and sound design. Those are my main complaints, but I also think you need to work on creating smoother transitions. All things considered, there are a lot of good ideas here. You just need to get more creative with some of the compositional elements. Keep at it, Telaris! :)

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
.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
7.25/10

[Rainfall]

I like the piano riff at the beginning, although the piano and woodwind samples sound a bit inauthentic and cheesy. The bass is a tad loud, but overall the texture feels full, rich, and well-balanced in this piece. I especially like the crisp drums and melodic content here. The piece has a really sleepy mood, but the pretty atmosphere at 1:05 and solos thereafter help to keep things engaging. I think the piece would benefit from a little more shape in the composition via a breakdown or bridge section without the drums, and I also thought that the piece lost a bit of its energy and sense of direction over time. I would’ve liked to see some more climactic content at the end to hit this piece home. The ending also came on a tad suddenly. Still, nice job with the atmosphere, harmonies, and mood of the piece. Keep at it, KnockVoltage! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.25/10

KnockVoltage responds:

Thanks, much appreciated!

[Generations]

I like the catchy riff at the beginning, and the synths here blend well together. The riser at :25 is a little cheesy, and the drums at :33 sound pretty generic and dry. Some more reverb on the clap might be advisable at the very least. The descending sweep at 1:04 is also pretty cheesy, and comes on a bit too strong in the mix. I’d suggest doing more equalization work in the top end to make it sound less harsh. The beats are catchy here, but there isn’t a lot of variety in the harmonic content. The bass at 1:36 sounds pretty muddy, and the minimalism throughout this piece is a bit excessive. I think you need to find some more creative ways of transitioning between different sections besides the cheesy risers and adding and subtracting instruments over time. The piece also needed a broader sense of direction and shape. The 45 seconds of bass notes and claps at 2:18 did nothing to advance the compositional goals of this piece. I want you to try to tell a story with your piece. That might involve more gradual volume changes, filtering, automation, and harmonic development later in the piece. The sudden transitions, generic and repetitive chord progressions and risers, and persistent minimalism all detract from the sense of storytelling here. Also, the muddy mix and cliche sound design don’t help either. Still, I’m being tough on you here. The harmonic riffs here are catchy, and I enjoyed the drum beat and atmospheric elements of the piece too. It’s just that the composition needs more work to make it feel flowing, dynamic, and consistently engaging. Keep at it, SpockMusic! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5/10

[Pink & Blue]

I like the crisp beats and groovy guitar riffs. The rhythmic content here is definitely appealing, and the lyrics enhance the sense of danceability. The robotic vocals seemed a bit over-mixed, to the point where it’s hard to discern the lyrics and the feel-good vibe of the piece feels more like aggression there. Still, I like the retro feel of the more human vocals, even if the lyrics themselves were a bit cliche. The saxophone solo definitely hits the spot, and the texture really starts coming together during the short bridge at 1:38. The influx of energy at the next section was certainly a turning point of the piece, although after that point the vocals seemed a tad repetitive. The production quality here is really strong, although the composition could have a better sense of ebb and flow over time. A more atmospheric breakdown or something would’ve served this piece well imo, helping to add some shape to the consistently energetic texture. Still, that seems more like a missed opportunity than something that actively bothers me, and the mixing, saxophone melodies, sound design, and upbeat feel of the piece are all extremely well done here. Keep it up, Time0ff! ^_^

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

Time0ff responds:

Wow!! Thank you so so much for the amazing review!! Its always good to get constructive feedback from a fellow musician, we will take all your pointers and make sure to apply them on future songs.

Also thank you so much for the nice compliments its nice to feel like all the hard work is paying off ^^

I know writing long and in-depth reviews like this takes a lot of time but it would mean the world to us if you could take a listen to our newest song "After Hours" and let us know what you think :)

Send you our best wishes TaintedLogic! You are amazing <3