TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fractal Footsteps]

I like the frantic piano harmonies at the beginning and the energy here. I think a lot of the harmonies here sound really dissonant, starting with the line at :14, and the drums are a little haphazard and overwhelming at times. The texture feels really incoherent at times, and the progression takes a lot of sudden twists and turns, like the abrupt transition at :41. During the busier sections, the mix can also sound really muddy. I think you tried to do a little too much with this piece. I’d encourage you to try consolidating your compositional ideas a little more. Try working with only 3-4 percussion sounds at a time, and constructing harmonic riffs around a simple chord progression that only uses 5-6 pitches in total. That should give you a solid baseline of a harmonic framework. There are certainly moments here where you have a strong harmonic paradigm in place here, like from around :45 to 2:10, but otherwise there’s not a lot of cohesion in the harmonic patterns of these riffs. It can be hard to construct a meaningful harmonic progression if you don’t know a lot about music theory, but until you get a feel for how to keep the arrangement of you track cohesive and well-balanced, I’d recommend keeping things simpler. Originality is important in music, but I think it’ll be good for you to prioritize creating core harmonic motifs in the near future. Please PM me if you have any questions, or just want me to review some of your other work. :) Keep at it, BALDORF!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

BALDORF responds:

I appreciate the feedback.

You seem to have a clearly defined idea of what music should be. I don't fit into that definition.

Aside from mixing and not being much of a drummer, everything is in the order I want it to be. If you don't like it, that's fine. But please, don't tell me how to make my music, let alone tell me to limit my use of notes to 6. It's insulting.

[[IV]Nigdzie]

I like the relaxing mood at the beginning and the emotional quality of the strings at :11. The piece leaves a lot of room for climax and contrast at the beginning, and I think you did a great job with the shape and phrasing in this piece. The melodic content is beautiful here, although I think the strings overwhelm the harmonies in the texture at times. Still, the harmonic content is gorgeous, and the sense of catharsis at 1:26 really hits this piece home. I suppose I would’ve liked to see a tad more structuring, though. The one-climax model you have here is rarely as effective as a piece that has a bit more ebb and flow over time. If I can describe the structural direction of your piece in one word (in this case, “parabolic”), that’s a sign that you need a tad more complexity to the arrangement. Still, the sound design, atmosphere, and production are all excellent here. You know how to tell a story with a piece of music, which is a very underrated skill on Newgrounds imo. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
9/10

IglicaV responds:

Thanks a lot! I am still working on the structure of my songs, and I agree with every single thing that you have mentioned. The one-climax thing came from some of Inon Zur's work that I was hoping to imitate, so it seems I still have a lot to learn if I want to make it worth the shortened lenght of the track. Thanks again for the review :)

[Dark Reflections]

I like the bassy atmosphere at the beginning and the pensive synths that fade in shortly thereafter. The pause at :09 interrupted the flow a bit, but you smooth it over pretty well with that airy percussion. The drums at :19 sound a bit gritty and unpolished by contrast with the instrumental tracks, but I’m beginning to like the sense of climax at around :50. The balance at the drop at :59 is a bit strange, with the rhythmic percussion kept solidly in the background and a lot of dynamism in the texture between the synths and increasing prominence of the bass. Despite functioning like an emotional height in the texture, this first drop never really feels like a stable point of release, which I think might’ve been a bit of a mistake. That said, I like the re-intro at 1:23 and the moody vibe of the somewhat celtic-sounding instruments there. You do a great job with the phrasing and sense of ebb and flow throughout this section, which makes the climax into 2:21 feel all the more intense. The second drop has some of the same balance issues as the first one, though, with a very loud bass and jarringly quiet percussion, albeit solid melodic content. The sound overall still feels somewhat contained, but the arrangement of the piece is still effective for delivering a sense of conclusiveness to the piece. The outro seemed a bit short-lived, though, which I think was a missed opportunity to maximize the emotional appeal of the piece. Overall, this piece has solid production, instrumentation, and atmosphere, despite my concerns with some of the details of the composition. Keep at it, LordJabeebus! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
8/10

LJTLegendaryL responds:

Thanks for the feedback ^^! I'm glad I did better than last time and I'll make note of how I make the elements interact with each other so it is possible to achieve easy listening and a better hook for the drops along with improvements to mastering.

[X Sentinel - The Light Comes Alive]

The gritty bass at the beginning and vocal samples are nice. The synth melodies and heavy kick add to the feeling of apprehension here as well. Good sense of climax into :33, and I like how the piece resets itself a bit thereafter. The piece is a little slow to develop at times, and the drop at 1:03 feels a tad minimal and abrupt. I wasn’t sure I liked the synth at 1:03. It had a bit too much layering and aggression for the otherwise smooth vibe of the piece. That said, overall the sound design and atmosphere here are solid, and the part at 1:30 attests to that. The production quality is probably the strongest element of this piece, and the section at 2:30 helps give this piece a strong sense of finality and resolve. The emotional appeal of the piano outro was a nice touch, too. Overall, solid work with the composition, production, and atmosphere. There are some cool compositional details here too - the echo of a melody at 3:28 comes to mind. Keep up the good work, Jimmypig! :)

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

Jimmypig responds:

Thanks for the review! I'm happy with that

[Far Away]

I like the dreamy, pensive vibe at the beginning and the smooth vocals. I like the lyrics, too. Did you write them yourself, or are the vocals sampled from somewhere? The production quality is smooth, even if there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture at times. I like the sense of climax into 1:10, but I think the piece never quite got to the cathartic melodic moment I was hoping for. The lead at 1:24 sounds very in-the-chords, and overall I think you missed an opportunity to maximize the emotional appeal of the piece with a soaring melodic section or emotional bridge. The closest you come to doing that is at 2:07, but it’s at a bit of a strange spot in the arrangement, towards the very end. At the very least, I would’ve created a more distinct outro here and fleshed out the composition just a tad more. This piece is short enough that you had some time to work with in terms of creating more emotional contrast in this piece. Still, the production is solid, the sound design is cool, and the atmosphere is really languid and pleasant. Keep at it, TenodiBoris! ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

TenodiBoris responds:

Yes I did write the lyrics for the song, and also hiered singer and did the recordings, it was nice experience for me. Thanks for the review :)

[CRY.NN - Impale]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning, even if it sounded a tad dry and repetitive. The beat at :10 is nice, and I like the sense of climax into :21. The texture is still pretty minimal, though, and lacks fill in the mid and treble range. You have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but I think the composition in this piece is pretty bland overall. The production quality is good, but I wanted to hear more melodic content and harmonic depth. The dreamy bridge at 1:17 is nice, and I like how the piece maintains its ominous edge during that section. You do a good job with the phrasing and sense of direction through this section, especially with the volume automations and such. The pitch-bending and other mixing effects at 2:10 are cool, but I was a little disappointed with the anti-climax at 2:21. After that, there’s very little novel content in this piece. Overall, the production quality, sound design, and atmosphere are solid, but I really would’ve liked to see a more fleshed out composition and full texture here. Keep at it, CryNN! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

CryNN responds:

Thanks!
I hope i will learn something from you, and i hope that i make my tracks better at some point!

[Cj'Pit - Light In The Darkness]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning and the smooth guitar and minimal percussion at :13. There’s a really smooth and soulful vibe to this piece, as enhanced by the electric guitar melodies and strong sense of atmosphere. The mix is a little wide for my tastes, but overall the production quality is really strong too. You also have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression. The fade-out ending is a bit lazy, but the flowiness of this piece is one of its strongest qualities. I would’ve liked to hear a little more structural variety, though, as after a certain point the energy level in this piece is a near-constant, which isn’t great for keeping me engaged. The melodic content might make up for that, but overall this piece would still be stronger with an emotional breakdown or climactic solo or something. That’s my main complaint here, though. This is really strong work overall. Keep at it, Pit80! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

pit80 responds:

thanks for feedback.

[Felix Zophar - Friday Mornings]

I like the blissful, smooth, dreamy vibe at the beginning. The bright pads at :10 and synth arpeggios are valuable additions to the texture. The chopped vocals at :19 are cool, and the production quality is strong here. I like the thicker texture at :40, too, and the fade-in of the melodic content at :50. There’s a lot of room for climax with this piece, but the intro feels a bit dragged out until things finally fall into a cathartic melodic phrase at 1:19. The reverb at 1:19 might’ve been a tad too heavy, which is especially noticeable after the additional layer of harmony is added at 1:30. Still, there isn’t a ton of harmonic variety in this piece, which is probably my main complaint. After 5 minutes, the harmonic paradigm you have here feels very repetitive, and despite the well-crafted ebb and flow of the texture via the cycle of build-ups, drops, and re-intros, I wanted to see you shake up the chord progression at some point, or at least use a modulation or two. Overall, solid work with the melodic content, production, mood, and sound design. There’s room for a bit more variety and originality in the composition, but the piece comes together well by the end with the powerful synth guitar. The mix can feel a bit strained during the busier sections of this piece, though - be careful about that. Keep at it, Zophar! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

FelixZophar responds:

I wanted to make this song sound like a song that would be on chill nation or something like that. That explains the repetitiveness. I appreciate your review and will take some of it into note.

[Rising Star]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning and the swirling synths. There’s a bright tone to the piece, and the drums and bass that fade in at around :25 really help contrast that vibe. The mood really shifts sharply by :32 with the quirky melodies and punchier drums, but I like that section in its own way, too. The sound design is really unique and engaging, and the melodic content is strong too. The transition at 1:32 is a bit abrupt, but I like the atmospheric breakdown there. This piece feels a bit like two sides of the same coin for a while, with a spacey side and energetic side that aren’t quite connected until the bridge at 1:57. That said, it comes together well by the end, and the additional harmonies at 2:22 help give this piece a strong sense of development over time. The harsher tone at 2:47 was also nice, but I would’ve liked to hear those hats in the background be a little more front-and-center in the mix to maximize the intensity. One thing that’s really strong with this piece is the production quality, btw. The mix is clean, crisp, and well-balanced throughout. Overall, this is a really strong piece. At the end of the day, my complaints feel more like missed opportunities rather than things that actively bother me, which is a good sign for you. Keep up the good work, SourJovis! ^_^

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

[Butterflies]

I like the cute vocals at the beginning, but the synths are a little cheesy, but I like the telephone sound effects at :35. The lyrics are well-written, if a tad generic at times. Some of the jittery rhythmic synths sound a little harsh in my ears, like around :32. I also think the texture is pretty thin throughout. Some more mid-range instruments, like pads or back-up melodies, would help fill out the mix a little more. The melodic content at :49 is nice, although I think the drums at the 1-minute mark are a little quiet, especially the hi-hats. You have a good sense of rhythm and progression, and I like the frantic, distorted rap part at 1:38. The sound design can sound a bit unpolished at times, but the atmospheric section at 2:04 was much stronger. There’s still a jittery atmospheric instrument in the background there that sounds a little too strong in my headphones...it’s almost like some nature FX or something. Crickets, maybe? The pause at 2:41 was a little awkward, but the reverb helps bridge the gap there, and the fade-in of the melodic synths at 3:03 is well done. The piece comes together pretty well at the end, although the percussion is a little overwhelming. Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here, and you clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and melody, but the mix needs a little more balance and polish, and the instrumentation can be harsh sometimes. Keep at it, Kawaisprite! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

KawaiSprite responds:

I don’t really care about the technical stuff as long as the music incited some kind of emotional reaction. If someone listens to my music and feels nothing then I have failed. Everything else comes second, even I’m aware of how reckless that sounds. But alas that’s how art works at least for me. I don’t over analyze or overthink, so if that is applied to the detriment of my art then so be it. There is my process