TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Kiss the Boar]

I like the rhythmic appeal of the beginning and the vocals. The texture sounds a little dry, and could use some more atmospheric elements and/or reverb, especially on the vocals. That said, the guitar riffs are really refreshing, and the melodic patterns at :59 are especially nice. There’s a lot of variety in the texture here throughout the first couple of minutes, and I think the piece would’ve benefitted from some more gradual transitions at times, especially at :30. I liked the breakdown at 2:11, and the vocal samples at around 2:30 add an interesting thematic component that I can’t quite reconcile with the different tone of the vocals at the beginning. I also think you overuse the vocals within a given phrase at times. I like the more spacious texture at 3:15-ish, though. In general, I think the drums are a little quiet in this track, but the production quality is still solid. I think there are a lot of different compositional ideas in this piece, and it might benefit the track to consolidate them a bit. The arrangement here can feel a bit choppy at times, although I appreciated the repetition of the first part of the song towards the end. It made things feel a little more full-circle. The variations in the melodic content at around 5:55 are a nice final touch to the compositional direction of the piece. They have an air of finality about them, too. I thought you could’ve had a more creative ending than a fade-out, though. Still, the mood, melodic content, production, and sound design are all really strong here, Djt820! Keep up the good work. ^_^

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
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
8/10

djt820 responds:

I fucking love your reviews man. I feel like I can take something from it. Again, thank you. It's so strange because I felt like the drums here were the loudest I've ever done here! Hahaha. And yes, I try to make "full circle" moments in my arrangements whenever I can. Arranging is my favorite part about music, no matter how scatter brained mine might be, at times.

I got something really different in store for the next round of the competition. Putting the finishing touches on it tomorrow.

[Dovax - RATS]

I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning and the quickening of the rhythmic pace at :07. The melodies at :15 sound nice, and the mix is super clean. The chord progression, transitions, and arrangement of the piece are all a bit cliche, but I enjoyed the build-up into 1:00 and the drop nonetheless. The harmonic content could use more variety, as variations of the same 2 riffs make up most of the moving notes of the piece. The second drop does sound somewhat varied vis-a-vis the first one, but overall my biggest problem here is not the lack of variety but the lack of originality. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer, with some good sound design and atmosphere to boot. Keep at it, Dovax!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

Dovax responds:

Thanks for taking your time to listen and writing this review, it's an honor to get high scores from you, i thought it was original because i used a dnb drum pattern in a glitchy future bounce song but i guess i was wrong, i will definitely work on that :D

[Wildfire]

I like the smooth synth arpeggios at the beginning and the atmosphere. The reverb is a little excessive at times, and the clap samples sounded a bit cliche, but I’m enjoying the sense of climax into :48. The murky bass at :48 was nice, but I would’ve liked to hear a fuller texture and more melodic content in the first half of the piece. The entrance of the strings at 1:52 is a little sudden, as is the re-entrance of the drums and bass at 2:08. That said, you do a good job with the build-up into 2:24, and the smooth guitar you add there sounds nice, if a little reverb-heavy. The ending is also sudden, and I’m still a bit unnerved about the excessive reverb in general. Overall, the atmosphere and sound design in this piece are really refreshing, but I think you missed a bit of an opportunity to do more with the composition here. Keep at it, JRTH! :)

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

JRTH responds:

Thanks a lot for these exceptional reviews! This song may seem a bit bland or transition-less in places because there is a vocal track that the song was designed around - the vocal track was so good that the track was meant to compliment the voice, rather than the track to stand on its own - but I thought why not upload the instrumental here to see what people think!

All the feedback has been taken on board and again, very appreciated.

[subconscious]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning, although the lead synth sounds a little high-pitched and harsh in my ears. The bass at :17 is a little muddy, but I like the sense of climax into :31. The bell-like synth and riser at :39 are pretty cheesy, and I think you put too much reverb on the drums there, but the drop at :55 is really nice. The melodic content here is nice, and the rhythmic feel of the drop is nice too. The mixing might need a tad bit of work. As important as the drums are in this piece to controlling the flow of energy, they often get distorted by other elements of the texture. I think some more careful equalization and compression is in order. Speaking of compression, the mix overall is very quiet. That said, I enjoyed the breakdown at 2:36, and that synth and the guitar vibe well together. That said, I thought it was a little dragged-out, and the minimal beats at 3:30 onward, while catchy, extended the downtempo section a bit too far. I would’ve liked to see you wrap up this piece with another climactic section, but instead I’m afraid the piece kinda loses its sense of energy and engagement over time. The structure is really interesting, and the overall experimental vibe of it is definitely compositionally risky, but nevertheless you told a story with this one. Overall, I like the mood, arrangement, sound design, and melodies of this one, including the emotional appeal of the end, but the mixing and mastering remains a concern. Keep at it, MishkoLalko! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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
7.5/10

[Expanse]

I like the cute, dreamy instruments and the militaristic percussion. The rhythm at the transition at :20 was a bit bizarre. It was hard to tell where the downbeat fell until about :25. The strings are really nice, although I think the kick has a bit too much sub-bass for a piece like this. The melodic content is beautiful, and the injection of emotion at the 2-minute mark was a nice touch. This piece actually reminds me a lot of some of Waterflame’s older tracks, back when he used to do more orchestral-sounding stuff. That said, I think the continuous energy of the piece warrants some structural relief at some point, either via an atmospheric bridge or more minimal breakdown or something. You still give the piece a nice sense of climax towards the end with the last major phrase at 3:36, although I’m not sure it sounded quite conclusive enough for me. Still, great work with the sound design, mixing, melodies, and flow of this piece. Keep up the good work, Hyenaedon! ^_^

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

[Junkie]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the blissful vibe of the initial melody. The pause at :14 was a bit awkward; I would’ve at least let the reverb bridge the gap there. That said, I’m enjoying the melodic content at :15, even if the drum samples are pretty generic. The drop is pretty cool, and I really like the melodic content at 1:15. I can hear the drums struggling to cut through the mix, though. Some stricter equalization and compression might be in order. It might even be more of a volume issue than a mastering issue, really. The atmospheric part at 1:48 is really nice, and I like how you left a lot of room for contrast with the second drop. The variations at the second drop were nice, and I found the rhythmic content consistently engaging. The piano outro was a nice touch, too. Overall, nice work with the production, drops, melodic content, and atmosphere. I have some minor issues with the progression, mixing, and originality (especially of the arrangement), but this piece is solid work in my book. Keep at it, Plygon! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Plygon responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review! I really appreciate the feedback!

[Unity]

I like the uplifting piano riff at the beginning, although the piano notes sound a little indistinct. The synths are cute, if a tad generic, and there’s a good sense of climax into :38. The rhythmic content at :38 is fun, although the chord progression is pretty cliche and I thought you could’ve used a stronger transition into :57. I would’ve liked to see you vary the harmonic content a little more at some point, although I enjoyed the gradual transition into the last refrain. The piece might’ve needed a little extra intensity or extended stretch of dynamic melodic content to really hit it home, but overall it still sounds pretty conclusive by the end. I also thought the mix was a little quiet, and the kick doesn’t always come through so well on the low end. Overall, nice work with the melodies, textural depth, atmosphere, and rhythmic content. My main problem here is how cliche the instrumentation, chord progression, and arrangement of the piece is. Keep at it, ClockbeatAdelony87! :)

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
.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
6.75/10

[Finger Paint]

I like the sassy strings at the beginning and the emotional quality to the harmonies by around :15. The texture is well-balanced, and the choir at :35 is a valuable addition to the texture as well. I like the beat at :56 and the cute synths and sub-bass. The drum samples sound pretty unique, too. Great sound design here overall. I would’ve appreciated some more melodic content at the climactic points of this piece, though, and I thought the transition at 1:43 was a little sudden. Overall, the structure works really well here, although I would’ve liked to see a little more harmonic variety towards the end to really drive this piece home. Still, the mixing and mastering, sound design, atmosphere, and drum beats are really cool here! Keep it up, CANDYdisturber! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

CANDYdisturber responds:

Very thorough review; thank you for the critiques!

[Silvera - Behold Anubis]

I like the reverberant percussion at the beginning and the eastern-sounding instruments that come in shortly thereafter. The drums are a little generic, but the piece has a nice underlying tension and a great sense of climax into :57. The drop is pretty good, if a little minimal, and it also drags on for a bit too long imo. I would’ve liked to see some more variation in the harmonic content during the second verse, but the vocals add a nice flavorful touch. The rhythmic content at the second drop was novel, although the drop still sounds a little dry and bare to me. The production quality here is good, although at times the texture needed some more fill. My favorite part of the piece is probably the vocals. They sound so clean and well-acted that I thought they were samples at first. Overall, nice job with the mixing and mastering, sound design, rhythmic components, and thematic elements. The harmonic content could’ve been a bit more fleshed-out, though. Keep at it, JAXXN! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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

[My Old Game]

I like the refreshing guitars at the beginning and the melodic lines. The electronic instruments at :30 were a bit of a surprise, but they fit into the texture well. The production quality is great here, btw. The additional layer of harmonies at 1:15 is a nice touch in the midst of a good amount of repetition. I like the breakdown at 1:30, which gave the piece some structural contrast that made the final refrain feel even more climactic. The melodies at 1:51 are great, and I love the rhythmic content at around 2:10. The ending came on a little suddenly, but overall the piece has a smooth flow too. This is a really feel-good sort of track. Nice work, Depard! ^_^

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