TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Let's Dance Through This :: EX Rebirth]

I like the pensive bass riff at the beginning and the rhythmic flair. The beat is catchy, although there’s way too much reverb on the clap at :23. The mix could be tighter here. I’d suggest getting stricter with the equalization and eliminating some of the reverb. The transition at 1:07 is pretty sudden, and there’s another abrupt transition at 1:22. The progression of the piece is okay, although there isn’t a great sense of climax or resolve towards the end. I think you need to flesh out the structure a bit more, including adding a bit more shape and contrast. Some of the synths are also pretty cheesy. Overall, I like the atmosphere, rhythmic content, and harmonies. The composition and mastering details should probably be your priority going forward. Keep at it, MisterMonroe! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Clouds]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the quirky instruments. The chord progression is pretty generic, though, and the mix is a tad quiet at the beginning. I think the kick is a little heavy at :33, although the melodic content is pleasant. The post-chorus melodies at 1:05 are also nice, and this piece has a pleasant atmosphere and uplifting vibe. The subtle tempo automations are a cool touch, too. The reverb at 1:50 is a little excessive, and by the end the melodies get a little repetitive. I also think the lead gets a little lost in the mix at the busier sections towards the end. Some more careful equalization and less reverb will help fix this. The fade-out ending was a bit lazy imo. Cute piece overall, though. I like the harmonic content, atmosphere, and synths. Keep at it, Djresset! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[i like ᶜʰᵉᵉˢᵉ (old)]

I like the cute synth arpeggios at the beginning, but the synth itself is pretty cheesy, and sounds a bit harsh in the upper register. The kick at :23 has a lot of reverb, and seems panned way too far to the right. Generally, core rhythmic components of your piece (drums, bass, rhythmic harmonies, etc.) should be front-and-center in the mix. The harmonic progression here is a little generic at first, and then after the sudden transition at :38 seems rather atonal. The texture at 1:03 is a little too busy, and there are a lot of rough transitions here. There are some good harmonic ideas, but the arrangement is so choppy that you’re not really using those good ideas for meaningful compositional purposes. I think you should work on transitions a lot more. Adding some drums might help - crashes, sweeps, and risers are very common ways of smoothing over otherwise rough transitions in electronic music. The mixing also needs work, starting with being a little more conservative with the panning. Still, the cute riffs, melodic flair, and rhythmic components of the piece are enjoyable. Keep at it, Calculati! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
0/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
2.5/10

Calculati responds:

Thanks for the review, but the main problem for me was the lack of instruments I had. The app, Auxy, has 2 drum kits, has 2 bass instruments, a couple leads and synths, a guitar, and a piano... and none of them sound good together. .-. That’s why I had to make use of what I had. Crashes, sweeps, risers, sure, I could add them... for a very expensive membership.

Look, I know I’m not good at electronic music; I got it, okay? So, that’s why I am sticking to classical music. Plus, that song I made was made a couple years ago, before I discovered how to use Newgrounds.

Thanks for the review, though. It’s nice to know that other people can recognize my existence. It’s been a fun journey on NG, but I can’t export my new projects without the audio file rushing through parts, ignoring dynamics, and ignoring quality. So I decided to stop posting on NG and start posting on YouTube.

Thanks.
☆〜（ゝ。∂）










i l o v e a t o n a l i s m .

[Tax Extensions]

I like the somewhat thin drum beat at the beginning. The snaps are a bit too loud relative to the rest of the beat, but that becomes less obvious once the other instruments come in. I like the bass instrument at :07, although its line seems a bit meandering. The sound design overall is pretty cool, although the brass samples don’t sound very authentic. The progression is a tad slow-paced at times, although my main problem with the progression is that you didn’t have a lot of creative ways of creating variety in the piece. Techniques like volume changes, automation, filtering, drum fills, etc. are all way more advanced than just adding or subtracting instruments over time. I liked when the texture starts to fill out a little more at 2:18, though. The harmonic aspects of the piece are a little repetitive, but the melodies are cute. You might have wanted to incorporate a little more structural variety here, whether that be via an atmospheric breakdown, climactic solo, or something else. The energy level and mood just feel very flat and consistent in this piece; I would’ve liked to hear a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time in the composition. Still, the sound design is fun, the production quality is good, and I like the atmosphere and rhythmic content of this piece. Keep at it, Shima33! :)

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

[Keys for days]

The production quality is solid, and the instrumentation is quirky, especially at :06. The riser at :12 sounds a little dissonant with the rest of the harmonies, and the atonality continues at :18. There’s a fun sense of build into :57. The melodies at :57 are pretty wonky, and by 1:27 the texture is pretty dissonant. The melodies get very repetitive after a while, and the church bells continue the atonal trend, which I’m starting to think is a little over-the-top. The texture is pretty well-balanced, but you overuse some of your risers here (like the one at 2:13). Harmonically, this piece sounds a little incoherent, yet the arrangement is still pretty generic and the melodies are repetitive. The ending is pretty sudden as well. Overall, the track is just a bit too experimental for my tastes, but I do applaud the instrumentation, mixing, and structuring. Keep at it, DjGrahnstetto! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

DjGrahnstetto responds:

Thank you so much for your response.

[After Vibes]

I like the hard-hitting bass and foreboding mood at the beginning. The mix is a little over-saturated, with some heavy compression and reverb. The progression is pretty cool, but some of the synths sound pretty generic, like the one at :44. I like the melodic content at :44, though, and the build-up into 1:14 is nice. The texture is pretty minimal for a lot of this piece, although the rhythmic content and sound design are both engaging. I like the breakdown at 1:46, too. The arrangement of this piece is a little cliche, as is the transition at 2:06, and I would’ve liked to see a little more harmonic variety. The second drop was cool, albeit very similar to the first one, and I also think you could’ve done a bit more with the drums in this piece. Overall, my main concerns are the lack of originality, minimalism throughout, and excessive repetition. That said, the mix is clean and loud, the piece is both catchy and atmospheric where appropriate, and the harmonic content, while not fleshed out a ton, is pleasant. Keep at it, T0NIT0RMX! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[TI:.Robot OrchestraRD2012]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the chord progression. The synths sound pretty quirky and refreshing, too. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but the mix holds up pretty well. The heavy pads at :41 are a bit cheesy, and at times this piece is very slow to progress. The drop at 1:25 is pretty cool. I like all the vaguely orchestral-sounding hits, which you made sound pretty creepy with some modification. This piece lacks some strong melodic content or harmonic variety, but the structuring is well-done. At times, I wanted the drums to be a little louder, especially with the crashes at 2:53. The second drop is also cool, and I appreciated the short post-chorus at 3:43. The end cuts off a little suddenly, but overall this is a strong piece. The quirky sound design, solid production quality, and rhythmic content of the drops are all highlights here. My main concerns are the lack of variety and lack of dynamism in the composition. Keep up the good work, TIMarbury! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
8.75/10

[Virtual Memory (feat. Viki Hopper)]

I like the cute synth plucks at the beginning and the gritty mid-range bass. The rhythmic content here is pretty sweet, although the chord progression is a little cliche. The mixing effects on the lead vocals are a bit heavy, and I think the male voice sounds a little generic and artificial. The sense of build into 1:18 is good, and the drop itself is pretty catchy and full-textured. The breakdown at 2:12 is nice for some structural relief. I think the sound design in the piece overall is quite good, too. The vocal lines get a little repetitive, and the arrangement of the piece is a bit generic. I think the content of the drops and vocals need more variation, which is probably my main complaint here. The production quality is strong, the sound design is refreshing, and the composition is catchy and engaging. Keep up the good work, SevenChakras! ^_^

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
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
9.25/10

[Agente.001 - Cataclysmical Solar Eclipse]

I like the ominous mood and atmosphere at the beginning. The bass drone sounds a tad harsh in my ears, but the orchestral elements at :40 are valuable additions to the texture. I like the percussion and the sense of build into 1:06, too. The drop is really cool. The rhythmic elements are enjoyable, and the texture is full and rich. Reminds me a lot of Xtrullor, actually. The emotional appeal of the piano solo at the 2-minute mark is nice, too. You have a great sense of atmosphere and melody alike. The breaks at 2:53 are nice, if a bit more minimal than the more atmospheric content earlier. The sound design is even reminiscent of Xtrullor. I like the sassy string line at 4:13 and other harmonic details during the extended drop here, but I wish the atmospheric/melodic elements came through the mix a little more during this section. That said, the vocal samples at around 4:45 are pretty sweet, and the composition falls together nicely at 5:04. I love the cinematic vibe of this piece overall. The production quality, sound design, emotional appeal, atmosphere, and melodic content are also top-notch. This is a fantastic piece. Wow. Good to see a new face competing at such a high level in the NGADM. Keep up the good work, Tomhson! ^_^

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

[Memories]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. There’s a good sense of climax into :27, and the mood is uplifting and refreshing. The melodic content at :27 is nice, and the production quality is solid. The build-up into 1:22 is a little drawn-out, but I like the heavier bass and rhythmic components of the drop. The chord progression, arrangement, and to some extent sound design of this piece are a little generic, but I’m enjoying the emotional appeal of the breakdown at 2:04 and the pitch-bending at 2:30. The bright pads at 2:31 are also a valuable addition to the texture, and overall the atmosphere and instrumentation in this piece are very pleasant. I wish you varied the drop a little more the second time around, but overall the melodic content helps keep things engaging. Overall, very strong work here! The production, atmosphere, and melodic content are all top-notch. My main concerns are the lack of originality and lack of variety towards the end. Keep it up, Ligiarathalos! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10