TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[FM 14 - Sweet Guidance]

I like the upbeat mood and synths at the beginning. The chord progression is a little generic, but the melodic content at :23 is fun. I think the drums could’ve been a little stronger in the mix, and the snare sounds like it doesn’t have quite enough lower frequencies. Still, I like the energy and drive this piece has. There are a lot of great melodies in this track, but at some point I wanted to see you offer some structural contrast by dialing back the intensity a bit. An atmospheric breakdown or minimalist bridge would serve this piece well, giving the composition some shape and allowing you to reach a more emotional conclusion at the next climax. Instead, the different sections of this piece don’t seem quite distinct enough from each other after a while, and it also couldn’t hurt to consolidate some of your harmonic ideas, as there are a lot of different fast-paced riffs in this piece. It’s a little hard to stay grounded in the structure after a while. Still, I appreciate the return to familiar content towards the end, even if the fade-out ending came across as a little lazy and abbreviated. Still, the sound design and atmosphere of this piece are really cool. I especially like the instrument at 1:53 - it was probably originally meant to sound like brass, but it’s so inauthentic that it comes across as just another quirky synth, and it blends into the texture here wonderfully. Cool piece overall. My nit-picky compositional concerns probably constitute my main issue with the piece. Keep up the good work, Pheanir! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Pheanir responds:

Thank you for your feedback, this is the most in-depth review I've ever gotten.

Yeah, the things you said are true. I am mostly inspired by the Touhou project games and I have absolutely no knowledge about mixing or doing these things properly; I just "went for it". I could try to explain why I did things certain ways here, but that's probably redundant.

I always try to get better. Thank you a lot ~

[Idaku]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the synths. The bass at :15 really helps fill out the texture. There might be a tad too much reverb in the texture, but I think a bigger mixing problem is the excessive sidechaining, which impedes the flowy vibe of the pads. I’d also like to see more structural variety here over time. The instrumental hierarchy is the same throughout the entire piece. At some point, I’d suggest shaking it up - play around with the bass’s upper range more, or introduce a melodic synth on top of the pads. The clap that comes in later in the piece - around 2:05 - is also really quiet. Still, the quirky mood, atmosphere, and sound design in this piece are all really nice. Keep at it, BeeFef! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

BeeFef responds:

well i doubt i made it in with that kind of score but thanks for the feedback

edit: the clap being really filtered down and quiet is intentional. I wanted to make it mellow and lo-fi and fit the vibe of the song so I personally like it

as for structure, it may not be the most interesting but i think the way i did it makes it kind of a relax/study track

[Did you know?]

I like the guitar riffs and intensity. I think the drums could be mixed a tad better. They don’t come through as loud as I want, especially the crashes. I like the panning on the guitars. The piece has very little harmonic or structural variety, though. The underwhelming composition is probably my main complaint here. You just need more structuring to keep this piece engaging - not to mention chord progression changes, melodic content, phrasing, etc. It’s hard to accomplish all of that in a minute, and this piece is no exception. Still, it’s a pretty good start. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. I like the flow, sound design, and energy. Keep at it, HighBallers! :)

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

HighBallers responds:

Ha thanks man. This song was just a bunch of messing around. I got bigger better things coming!

[feelings]

I like the emotional piano line at the beginning and the crackly ambiance. The sound design is really smooth, and the texture is quite well-balanced. The lead guitar has some great melodic content throughout the piece, too. I think you could’ve done a bit more with the drums, as they sound pretty minimal throughout the piece. I also think the piece might’ve benefited from some more structural variety. The energy level here is almost constant throughout. At some point, I would’ve loved to hear an escalation of intensity or an even more dreamy, abstract texture - something to give the piece an overarching sense of shape. I also thought the ending came on a little suddenly. That said, the mood, sound design, production quality, and atmosphere definitely keep this piece afloat. Keep at it, ACXLE! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

acxle responds:

thanks so much for the detailed feedback!

[Bounce]

I like the cute synth bass riff at the beginning. That synth is a little muddy with all the reverb on it, though. The kick also has a little too much bass, and the texture is very minimal. The piece is catchy, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony. The composition might need some more fleshing out and variety, though. A lot of the elements of the texture are pretty short and staccato-y, so you could use some contrast with some languid pads or pedal bass instrument. Overall, I like the mood, atmosphere, rhythmic content, and melodies. That said, the texture needs some more fill at times, some of the instruments were a little cheesy (especially the synths), and the piece is lacking structural and harmonic contrast. Still, you did a lot of good work in 2 short minutes. Keep at it, Iviqrr! :)

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
.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
6.5/10

[Square Space]

Interesting work with the delay on the synth at the beginning. The mini-phrases with the gradual fading sound better with repetition. Some of the individual synths sound a little generic here, but they blend well together in the texture as a whole. The mix is clean, albeit very quiet, and I think it would’ve helped establish more of a sense of atmosphere if there were some more mixing effects in here, like reverb and compression. The beat is catchy, if simplistic, and the progression is pretty good too, albeit very slow-paced. Over the course of the piece, there’s a pleasant sense of coming together and flow, and the reverberant percussion at 2:40 helps broaden the atmosphere. My main concern here is the lack of structuring, harmonic variety, strong melodic content, or compositional risk. The structural shape of the piece can almost be described with one word (perhaps “ramp” in this case), which is not a good sign. The frequency range of the instrumental palette is also relatively narrow, with not a lot of bass-range or treble-range frequencies to help fill out the texture. Still, the atmosphere and sound design work pretty well at the end of the day. It’s mostly the bland composition and persistent minimalism that’s holding this piece back imo. Keep at it, TheFantasticZ! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Happy Galaxy]

I like the cute synth arpeggios at the beginning and the energy. The sound design and chord progression are a little generic, though, and I think this piece needed some more bass frequencies. You could’ve done a lot more with the drums, and the riser at :53 sounds a little undecorated. Try automating the filtering and rhythm of the riser a little more. The melodies at 1:00 sound good, although I think you needed more harmonic development later in the piece. You use the same chord progression throughout. I like the variations on the melodies at 2:54. The piece is pretty well-structured and smooth-flowing. I would’ve liked to hear more of a proper outro, instead of just the tonic being repeated at the end of the last refrain. Overall, solid work with the mixing, melodies, rhythmic content, and atmosphere. A couple of the compositional details might need some work, but my main problem here is the lack of originality in the sound design, harmonies, and arrangement. Keep at it, Zick407! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Path of Fear]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the ominous harmonies. The filtering at :27 was a bit bizarre, although the piece has a good sense of climax into :44. The drop is pretty good, although I was itching for some melodic content by the end. The pads at 1:24 are cool, although the harmonies at 1:40 are a bit atonal. The fade-out and fade-in transitions (like at 2:03) are a little too sudden to work well. I’d suggest using reverb, drum fills, are harmonic connectivity to transition there. I like how different the drop at 2:21 sounds from the first one, but there’s also a lot of dissonance in the texture here. I like the creepy atmospheric riff at 2:57, but I didn’t like how the ambience cut off at the end before fading out completely. Overall, the piece doesn’t have a lot of structural cohesion, and despite the cool atmosphere and sound design, the harmonic framework could’ve been a little more coherent. The production quality is pretty good, although there were times I thought you used a little too much reverb and could’ve tightened up your equalization a bit.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
6.25/10

[Body Snatchers]

I like the pads at the beginning, even if I’m pretty sure I recognize them from the FL Studio presets. The piece is really slow to progress, though. There’s no reason to walk the listener through the chord progression 4 times before adding any new harmonic content. The vocal samples and harsh percussion at around :40-:50 drastically changes the mood of the piece, and the atonality at :50 is a little much. There isn’t a lot of cohesion to the thematic elements of the piece, and I’d like to see you use some more gradual transitions and thicker textures. There are a lot of missing frequencies in the upper range of the spectrum in this piece, and little melodic content or harmonic depth. The structure gets pretty predictable after a while, and the harsh effects (like at 2:35) that are added onto the texture for variety later in the piece don’t do much to alleviate that problem. The production quality is strong, though, and the rhythmic elements of the piece are appealing. At the end of the day, I think you just need to spend a little time making the composition feel more dynamic and flowing. Keep at it, GrowlbittzOfficial! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10

GrowlbittzOfficial responds:

I appreciate the feedback and accept it. But I just have one thing to say: That is NOT an FL Studio preset (I only use Live). That's actually a pad I made in Serum. Too bad it isn't very original, I suppose. Thanks for the feedback! (P.S: Its ironic that I have missing high-frequencies. Usually everyone complains my pieces are too harsh up there).

[Lordant - Certitude]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the sense of climax into :33. The drums, pads, chord progression, and sweeps/risers are all pretty generic, but the production quality is solid. I like the melodic content here, although I wish you had some melodies that sounded a bit more legato and full-textured. There are a lot of staccato-y, plucked sounds in here, which makes the texture sound a little thin at times. Also, the sidechaining at 1:40 is a little heavy. That little roll at 1:57 is really nice, although I wish you had some more variation in the melodies later on, especially when the second post-chorus came at 2:32. Overall, though, I like the upbeat mood, smooth flow, mixing and mastering, and atmosphere of the piece. My main problem with the piece is the lack of originality, tbh, but lack of variety is a close second. Keep at it, Lordant! :)

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
.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
7.75/10