TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Black Cherry]

I like the smooth pads and plucked guitar at the beginning. The mix is pretty quiet and thin, though. Some more mixing effects would be nice here. The drums are also really loud relative to the harmonic content. The relaxed vibe and flowing melodic content (like at 1:11) make this piece great to just chill to. That said, the arrangement is pretty choppy, with several pretty abrupt transitions (:56, 1:25, 2:22, etc.) and not a great sense of overarching direction. The transition into 1:53 with the pitch-shifting snare is also a bit cliche and cheesy. I did appreciate how you added a melody in a higher register towards the end. That helped the piece feel a bit more climactic. Still, I can’t help but feel that you played it a bit safe with the composition. Overall, though, the mood, atmosphere, sound design, and melodies are all pleasant. Keep at it, Xehao! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10

Xehao responds:

Once again, thank you for the extremely helpful review, will work on transitions and drums, very excited for the final round

[Strongest]

I like the gritty, industrial atmosphere at the beginning, even if I think you could’ve taken a bit more treble off the equalizer on some of these distorted samples. My main complaint here is the lack of variety and harmonic depth. The texture is very experimental overall, and quite frankly you just needed some more moving notes in here to keep me engaged. You’re really good at constructing this raw, grating atmosphere, but I wanted to see you channel that intensity into something more dynamic. This is evocative work, but it also doesn’t showcase the wide variety of compositional skills I’m looking for in competitions like this. Still, this certainly has got me curious about some of your other tracks. Good luck with your future projects, man! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
0/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3/10

[My Nearing Dawn]

I like the piano riffs at the beginning, but the instrument itself sounds a bit dry. It could use some reverb or other mixing effects. The bass line is nice, and I like the minimal drums at :24 too, despite their also being dry. The transition at :40 was a little sudden, and the guitar at :43 definitely shifts the mood in a different direction. The frantic piano riff at 1:00 sounds a bit unnatural. Maybe it would help if you put a tad bit of space between the notes. The texture is also pretty thin for a lot of the piece. Some more compression or atmospheric elements might help fill it out. The flute melodies during the second minute are nice, and I like the breakdown at 2:17, despite the abrupt transition at 2:13. I really like the transition at 2:36 back into the main theme of the piece, and the filtering at around the 3-minute mark adds a bit of decoration to a piece whose texture remains pretty dry throughout. I think the transition at 3:48 was pretty rough, and I’m not sure the piece felt conclusive by the end. It does have a pretty experimental texture at times, and some of the quirky drum samples reinforce that idea. I’m not sure I like the rest of the sound design much, tbh. The orchestral/acoustic-sounding elements aren’t very authentic, and you didn’t do much to help the instruments blend well together (reverb, compression, etc.). You clearly have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the arrangement of the piece can be choppy at times and the compositional details need a bit of polished. Still, I enjoyed the production quality, pleasant balance of frequencies, mood, and rhythmic content. Keep at it, Tebyricat! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Mystic]

I like the pensive, quirky synths at the beginning and the pads. The minimal percussion also fits the texture well. I think the strings at :24 could’ve sounded a bit more distinct in the texture. The drums are mixed quite well, so it threw me off a bit when a lot of the harmonic tracks could’ve sounded sharper. Excessive reverb might be part of the problem, but the more likely culprit is “loose” equalization. The mix is also a bit quiet overall. I love the sound design and atmosphere of the piece, but I think the composition sounds a bit cyclical and stagnant after a while. I think you needed a more climactic section or some stronger melodic content to hit this piece home at the end. I also didn’t like the ending very much. The instrumental tracks cut out very suddenly at 2:47, and then the fade-out of the drums thereafter came across as a bit lazy. Still, I’m pretty torn about this piece overall because, despite my criticisms, a lot of the instrumentation, rhythmic content, and synth riffs sound really funky and unique. Keep at it, StoneForged! :)

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[For You]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the somewhat melancholic nature of the harmonic content there. At :15, the claps are really quiet, and the synths from the beginning get very distorted in the mix. I think you need to get stricter with the equalization and also cut out some reverb on the claps. It might also be a good idea to compress the drums (especially the snare) more, and look into other mixing techniques like panning and stereo widening. I like the climax into :45, and the melodies are blissful and catchy. The chord progression is pretty cliche, but the energy and synths still keep me engaged. The breakdown at 1:24 has a nice emotional appeal to it, and I’m enjoying the additional harmonies at 1:53 as well. Still, 1:53 reveals how muddy the mix is. Please make sure that you don’t have any frequencies below around 200 Hertz in any instruments besides the bass and kick. Low frequencies create the muddiest sounds in your track. Still, I’m enjoying the 2nd refrain at 2:37, and the modulation at 3:07 helps increase the intensity towards the end. I think the modulation at 3:37 was a bit excessive, though - the piece started to sound a bit dragged-out at that point, and it probably would’ve been more effective to vary the melody itself rather than the key. I also think this piece is missing a proper outro - it ends pretty much right after the last refrain. Overall, solid work with the melodic content, progression, and harmonies. My main concerns here are the mixing and the lack of originality. Keep at it, Semicedevine! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Runa - Delta]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning and the distorted vocal samples. The melodic content here is really nice, and there’s a good sense of climax into :45. The section at :45 is pretty minimalistic and bottom-heavy frequency-wise, but I like the rhythmic content and high-pitched ornamentations. The transition into 1:23 was creative, and the thin, pizzicato-y synths there work well. The energetic bridge at 2:08 is a nice touch, too. Despite my complaints regarding the occasionally thin texture and generic compositional and sound design elements, the piece comes together really well with the intensity and melodic content. Overall, this is quite enjoyable piece, Runanova! Keep up the good work. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Let's Dance]

I like the bright pads and energy at the beginning, but I think there are a lot more creative ways of introducing a piece besides a gradual fade-in. There’s also a lot of reverb in the texture. At :31, there’s a bizarre buzzing sound layered under the snap, and I’m not sure if it’s there on purpose or not. It might be some sort of distortion, or it might be there on purpose, but either way I don’t think it fits the character of the piece very well. There’s a good sense of climax into :45, and I like the rhythmic breaks at :51. The drop at 1:16 was pretty nice, although I’m not sure the contrasting moods of the piece (cute, blissful vs. gritty, industrial) were integrated that well. The harmonic content of the piece is also very repetitive after a while, although the breakdown at 2:30 with the strings is refreshing. By around 3:20, the synth arpeggios in the background seem quite loud for an atmospheric effect. The piece comes together pretty well at 3:47 with the melodic variations and thick texture. I still think the chord progression could use some more variation later in the piece, but the harmonic content that’s here is good in and of itself. The composition might need a little more creative energy here, and there are a lot of elements of the sound design and arrangement that are pretty cliche, but overall I’m enjoying the production quality, energy, and full textures. Keep at it, RedMike7! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Judicious]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the organ synths on the downbeats. There’s a nice sense of climax into :51, but the progression is a bit gradual until then. I think the snare could be a bit louder, and in fact the mix as a whole is rather quiet. The melodies are nice, but I think the texture could use more legato and/or atmospheric elements so that it sounds richer. The chord progression and risers are a bit cliche, although the structuring is pretty good. I like the re-intro at 1:55. The variations at 2:47 give the piece a good sense of climax towards the end, and I’m also really enjoying the rhythmic attributes of the piece. Overall, this is a cute and uplifting piece with some solid melodies and a clear mix. I think my main complaint here is the lack of originality, as well as the need for more harmonic variety. Keep at it, Przekrosza! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10