TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - A Dreadful Space Journey]

I like the mix of electronic and orchestral instruments here. There’s a nice sense of atmosphere and suspense in the texture, although the chord progression is pretty generic, and the piece is pretty slow to develop. The production quality is solid, and the sound design is really cool. I was really itching for some melodic content after the first 2 minutes, and the minimal horn riff doesn’t feel quite dynamic enough after 2.5 minutes of suspense. The re-intro at 3:06 does a lot to further the suspense, and the bubbly riser at 3:20 was a pleasant surprise sound design-wise. The harmonic content of the piece doesn’t feel very dynamic or interesting after a time, and I wanted to see you vary the refrain at 4:14 to do more to hit this piece home. There’s a lot of tension in this piece that never really gets resolved in any way, and I think you missed an opportunity to maximize the emotional appeal of this piece in that regard. Still, I enjoyed the strong mixing and mastering, atmosphere, instrumentation, and phrasing. Keep at it, JordanKyser! :)

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
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
8.25/10

[Domyeah - WHAT IF I !.3]

I like the progression at the beginning and the sense of climax into :14. The piano sample sounds a bit inauthentic, and there seems to be a bit of distortion on the pads at :14. It could just be some heavy sidechaining, but it detracted a bit from my feel for the rhythm. I liked the drop at :56, although the lead synth is a bit cheesy. I would’ve liked to see some more gradual transitions in this piece, although I think the somewhat abrupt drop at 1:56 actually works well in this context. The more minimal section at 2:25 offered some nice structural contrast, and the following melodies provided a nice sense of harmonic contrast to the first 2.5 minutes. Personally, I think a lot of the instruments you use in this piece sound pretty unpolished and/or generic, and some may be a bit over-filtered so as to sound unnatural (which I don’t think fits the character of the piece very well). The arrangement of this piece can be a bit choppy at times, such as at 3:40, where there’s a bit of an awkward pause. I enjoyed the drop at 3:58, which has a lot of good filtering and rhythmic work. I might’ve liked to hear the drums a little more up-front in the mix, although the mix also feels loud and generally well-balanced to my ears. There’s a bit of another awkward pause at 5:06, and honestly I think you might’ve gotten away with ending the piece there (or adding something minimal like an atmospheric pad or something). Still, the ending you chose still feels a little sudden, even if the last drop did such a good job of making the piece sound climactic and conclusive. Overall, nice work here with the rich texture, melodic content, atmosphere, and rhythmic material. I think elements of the structuring and arrangement, mixing, and compositional details might need some work, but it’s certainly clear that you’ve put a ton of effort into this piece. Keep up the good work, Domyeah! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Cosmos]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The atmosphere is really dreamy, although I think you could’ve used a smoother transition into the section at :23. Same thing with :47, in fact. The melodies at :47 are enjoyable, and there’s a great sense of climax into 1:19. I’m enjoying the blissful melodies at the drop, although sometimes I think your melodies have a little too much complexity to be able to grasp them fully. Memorable melodies are often simpler in my experience, and it’s probably that they have too many notes (rather than the rhythmic components) that bother me. The re-intro at 2:09 was enjoyable, and really heightened the contrast between the various moods and energy levels of the piece. The production quality here is excellent, btw. I enjoyed the mixing effects and additional synths you used on the second drop; they added a great sense of variety and finality to the composition. The outro is simple, yet effective, although the blip/mic pop at the end was a little jarring, especially given how loud it is relative to the piano chords. Overall, strong work with the sound design, harmonic content, mixing, and atmosphere. Despite my complaints about the compositional details, you really nailed this track in most regards I can think of. Keep up the good work, CamicalMusic! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

CamicalMusic responds:

Thanks for the incredible feedback!

[Glimmer]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The bouncy synth at :24 was a great choice for the melody instrument, and the production quality here is really good. There’s a great sense of climax over the course of the first minute or so, and the drop at 1:09 comes together really well with the victorious-sounding synth on top and the bassy wall of sound below. The rhythmic content at 1:54 was another highlight, and the crisp percussion sample that comes in at 2:06 also sounded good. I like the more relaxed mood at 2:42, although I would’ve liked to hear a climactic moment in this piece towards the end to really hit it home. Otherwise, there’s a sense of a loss of energy as the piece goes on that doesn’t really vibe well with the blissful mood imo. I also thought the ending you chose came on a little suddenly. Still, top-notch work with the mixing and mastering, sound design, and melodies here, Solize. Keep up the good work! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Solize responds:

Not complaining! Thanks for the feedback

[The Living End]

I like the distorted texture at the beginning and the synths. There might be a bit too much reverb in the mix for my tastes, but the eagle screech sound effect was a nice touch, and I like the guitar synths and airy dance patterns. This piece sounds like a spiked ABBA song towards the beginning. There was a nice sense of climax into 1:17, although the bass there was a bit too loud and the progression and rhythmic aspects of the bass line could’ve been more creative. I also thought you could’ve done more creative work with the drums throughout this piece. My main complaint with the piece is that the composition doesn’t have a lot of room to breathe at times - by which I mean there isn’t a lot of variety in the energy levels and complexity of the texture. I would’ve liked to hear an atmospheric bridge or more minimal breakdown at some point that gave the piece a little more shape. Still, the production quality is solid, the sound design is fun, the rhythmic content is good, and overall it’s a catchy and enjoyable piece. Keep at it, MegaSphere! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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

[Nomenclature]

I like the smooth guitar riff at the beginning, but the panning was a little heavy. Especially since the texture of this piece is pretty minimal, it’s probably a good idea to keep most elements of the mix front-and-center. I like the moodiness and progression, although I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content and a richer texture at some point. The atmospheric content seems a bit repetitive; it sounds like it’s playing the same riff of feedback over and over again. I also thought the pause at 2:10 was a little awkward. Overall, solid work with the sound design, production quality, and mood. I think the composition needs some more variety, fill, and sense of shape at times. Keep at it, Spikel! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6/10

spikel responds:

Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback.

[Cognition - Oh My God They've Killed Kenny (HardBass)]

I like the white noise and descending synth at the beginning, but the mid-range bass plucks were a little hard-to-follow rhythmically after a while, and didn’t do much to fill out the minimal texture of the piece. You needed more treble tones in this piece, and the sound design sounds a little generic and unpolished. Some of the mixing effects on the plucked bass are cool, but otherwise there’s not much to keep my engagement in this piece, including very little sense of structuring, harmonic development over time, or melodic content. Sorry to be so tough on you. This is a decent start to a track, but the texture needs more fill and the composition needs more fleshing out. There are some good ideas here between the rhythmic components, mixing effects, and beats, but in a competitive contest rife with full-length tracks, this just doesn’t cut it for me. I hope you’ll keep working on it, though! I really started to feel the groove towards the end. Keep at it, Cognition! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
0/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
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

[No Control]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the energy. I think the drums might need a bit more prominence in the mix; I’d recommend some more compression and some tighter equalization on the other instruments. The lead synth at :41 (and other places) sounds a tad harsh at times - it might have a few too many treble tones. Still, the melodic content in this piece is really fun, and I like the brief moment of minimalism at 1:32. There are some rough transitions here, including 1:42, although the rhythm at 1:42 is awesome. The main melody might’ve needed a bit more variation during the last refrain at 2:13, but overall the harmonic content here is pretty solid. My main complaints are with the poorly-mixed drums, lack of originality in the sound design and chord progression, and somewhat choppy arrangement. I also thought the last note was held out for a bit too long. That said, the mood, melodies, rhythmic components, and atmosphere of this piece are all well done. Keep at it, colorsCrimsonTears! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Mind]

I like the relaxed vibe at the beginning. I would’ve liked to hear a more gradual transition into :14, but the vocals are cute and there’s a good sense of climax into :55. The drop at 1:07 is good, but I’m not sure how well it vibes with the blissful mood of the intro. The production quality here is really good, though, and I like the breakdown at 2:05. It helped add a sense of structural contrast to the piece. I would’ve liked to see a little more harmonic variety during the second half of the piece, but instead it gets a bit repetitive by the end. The rhythmic content during the second drop is fun, although I would’ve liked to hear a proper outro after the drop to wrap up the piece in a more gradual way. Overall, strong work with the progression, mixing and mastering, atmosphere, and mood. My main problems here include the lack of originality in the arrangement, the lack of variety in the harmonies, and the sudden mood changes. Keep at it, Moreweed! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10