TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Diagnostics]

The drum samples at the beginning are pretty cool, and I like the refreshing guitars too. The drums at the very beginning don’t quite seem to be on beat, but that problem goes away once the vocals come in. The vocals are smooth, and the overall feel of the song has a great 2000’s rock feel. The production quality is really good, and the structure, while not totally original, is smooth-flowing. The solo at 2:27 is nice, and I like the sense of build into the last post-chorus at 2:37. The extra layering on the vocals at 2:48 is a nice touch, and overall the upbeat vibe, engaging sound design, and catchy vocals make this piece quite a treat. Strong work, Ajskull! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.75/10

AjSkull responds:

Thanks so much!

[Smoking Man]

I like the sound design at the beginning. The rhythm at the beginning is a little hard to follow, and the instruments sound a bit thin, likely because of filtering and other mixing effects. There’s a good sense of climax into :56, but the texture there is a little too dominated by low-end frequencies. The sidechaining is a bit heavy, too, and the harmonic content gets quite repetitive. The atmospheric breakdown at 2:05 is nice, although I would’ve liked to hear some stronger melodic content at some point in this piece. The quieter volume at 2:53 threw me off guard a bit, but I appreciated the additional mid-range frequencies at the second major bass drop. Overall, I like the atmosphere, sound design, production quality, and ominous mood of this one, but the composition might need some more harmonic depth and balance in the texture. Keep at it, Adjeye! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[Playground of Life]

I like the samples and atmosphere at the beginning. The guitar part is catchy, and the beat also adds to the texture. The funky synth at :36 is nice, and the strings at :58 have a nice airy vibe. I like the vocal sample at 1:20. Once the main harmonic section gets repeated at 2:00, I’m starting to feel that this piece needs a stronger sense of development over time. There also isn’t a lot of dynamic melodic content here. My main concerns here overall include the lack of variety (harmonic, structural, or otherwise) and the generic chord progression. I’m also not a fan of the fade-out ending. Still, the production quality is solid, the atmosphere is refreshing, and you have a good sense of harmony and progression. Keep at it, Svenzo! :)

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

[Heartfelt]

The piano at the beginning is nice. High notes sound a tad harsh and clunky sometimes, but I like the strings on the off-beats and the accents on the first note of each new chord. The sound design here is great - the flutes and plucks especially. The transition at 1:09 is a little sudden, and the drums at 1:09 were a bit too quiet imo. After that, the harmonic content is a bit repetitive. I wish this piece had more melodic development, variety in the chord structure, and maybe some more gradual transitions. The climactic section at 2:13 was nice, although the mix is really struggling. I don’t think the bass drums there really fit the overall texture that well, and you may have needed to dial back the reverb and get stricter with the equalization in order to the mix tighter there. I also thought the ending was a little sudden, and that the string riff near the end was unnecessary. Overall, the composition here is very good. I think the priority should be making the structure more fluid and the production quality stronger. Keep at it, ChrisisD! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

ChrisisD responds:

First of all, thanks a lot for your detailed review! As for all your points... I totally agree. It lacks melodic progression and it surely lacks proper mixing/mastering. As of why I made this, well I got my hands on a bunch of new VST’s and was eager to try them out. I’ll certainly take your advise with me on the next track I make. And yeah, the string ending bothers me as well. So thanks again for taking your time!

[Rainfall]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. It quickly starts sounding more dreamy than ominous when the harmonies come in at :15. The atmosphere is nice, and the chord progression is simple, yet satisfying. The piece is slow to develop, though, and the texture remains very thin throughout. The recording quality is pretty good, though, and I’m enjoying the atmospheric harmonies at around the 2-minute mark. There’s a bit of atonality in the texture at around 2:30, and sometimes when you hit the higher notes in the guitar it’s pretty conspicuously out-of-tune. I think it might also be advisable to consolidate some of your harmonic ideas here and create a more cohesive piece. I liked the addition of the bass and drums at around 4 minutes in, although the guitars and drums don’t sync up well all the time. I’d suggest putting the recordings into a DAW and trying to quantize each instrument to the beat. The texture comes together better towards the end, and I like the consistent warm tone of the piece. You could use a bit more structural contrast overall. A more prominent guitar solo towards the end would’ve done a lot to hit this piece home. Overall, I like the relaxing tone, instrumentation, and production. Just needs a little more coherence in the composition. Keep at it, Rash12! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

rash12 responds:

Thanks a lot! I apologize for my late response, but everything you said was duly noted. ^^

[Paradoja]

I like the guitars and melodic content. The texture is a little over-saturated, though. I think you need to dial back the reverb and other mixing effects. The harmonies also get in each other’s way a bit, and I suspect there are also a few wrong notes in here given the atonality at 1:20 and other places. The structure is repetitive, and overall the piece doesn’t feel very fleshed-out compositionally. I think you should invest in a higher-quality mic, practice creating some smoother rhythmic syncopations, and try to add some more prominent, dynamic melodic content. Still, if you clean up the mix and cultivate your guitar skills a little more, this could be a really cool, atmospheric track. Keep at it, Abatarr! :)

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

[Jungle Work]

I like the drum beats. The rhythmic content is creative. The murky bass instrument at :06 sounds a little ominous, and doesn’t really add much to the texture. There’s very little harmonic content in this piece, and overall the composition just needs a lot more effort put into it. Melodic content, harmonic variety, phrasing, structuring, and the like are all absent here. It’s a fun beat, and not a bad start to a more complete track, but until you flesh out the composition more it’s not going to do much in a competitive contest like the NGADM. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though! Keep at it, BlueBasic. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10

[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。∂）










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