TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Radius - Weather Control (Original Mix)]

Cute sound design at the beginning. Some of the synths are a bit cheesy, but the melodic content is really nice. I think the drums are a tad over-compressed, and the drop at :56 seemed a bit too gritty and minimal for my tastes. Adding some reverb there to make the texture less dry would probably be advisable. The drop was also pretty dragged-out, and the transition back into the melodic section at 1:41 was rather abrupt. The production quality overall is solid, though, and the texture seems pretty well-balanced overall. I think the track might need some more bass during the melodic frequencies, and also more variety. There’s very little sense of development over the course of the piece, both in terms of melodies, harmonies, and instrumentation. That’s probably my main concern here, along with the lack of originality in the arrangement, harmonic content, and instrumentation. Still, there are a lot of good ideas here, between the cute mood, crisp mastering, and fun melodic content. Keep at it, Radius! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Symbiogenesis]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the vocal samples. The warm pads and emphatic percussion really helps enhance the spacey mood, too. The strings at :40 are gorgeous, and the bassy beats at 1:18 sound really sweet, albeit a bit minimal. The production quality here is fantastic, and the sound design really gives the piece a strong sense of flavor and drive. That said, I think the composition is a little underwhelming at times, despite all the juicy swells, automation, and mixing effects. I wanted to see more harmonic depth in the piece, especially during the last half or so, but the melodic content at 2:29 is really nice. The lo-fi drums at 2:44 are pretty sweet, and there are a lot of awesome atmospheric ideas here. Still, the piece loses a tad bit of cohesion after a while, and I was still looking for a more climactic and full-textured section to tie it all together that never really comes. Gorgeous emotional quality, mood, sound design and production. Still, the piece needed something more to hit it home composition-wise. Keep at it, WolfgangMiakoda! ^_^

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

[Aterr - Rain Legion]

I like the refreshing guitar riffs at the beginning and the pensive vibe by around :24. The progression is a tad slow-paced, but the strings at :41 were a nice addition to the texture. That said, I thought it would’ve contributed to the atmosphere more if they were a little more legato, as opposed to cutting off before the next note came in. The production quality here is also solid, with a well-balanced texture and clean mix. The choir at 1:20 is nice, although it sounds a tad indistinct at times, perhaps because of an excess of reverb. One of my main problems with the piece is that the structure seems very flat. I think you needed some sort of bridge or breakdown at some point to give this piece more shape. Otherwise, most of the variation in the piece comes from the addition and subtraction of instruments over time, which is not very advanced. That said, there is some nice harmonic variety at 2:55, and I like the addition of the bell-like synth to the texture at 3:35. The solo at 4:12 is awesome - it sounds like there’s finally a sense of resolve and catharsis in the texture. Overall, solid work with the sound design, mixing and mastering, and melodic content. Things to work on include giving the composition a stronger sense of ebb and flow and maximizing the emotional appeal of the track. Keep at it, Aterr! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Aterr responds:

Thank you for such detailed analysis and constructive criticism!
And also, I am very happy, that you and other people (here on NG) enjoyed this overall.
I am making now a checklist for the song, and will spend some time in future to improve it, based on the criticism I received here. :3

[some patterns 7]

I like the rich, bass-y texture at the beginning. I'm not sure all the sound design choices were my favorite, especially the cheesy lead at :11. Still, the piece has some cool melodic content and a soothing mood and atmosphere. The nice, subtle harmonic shifts keep things sounding fresh despite the lack of structural variety. I also think the production quality is rather strong. You could've done some more creative work with the drums, but overall I'm enjoying the soothing retro vibe of the piece and the well-balanced texture. Keep at it, AliceMako! :)

[The failed to qualify for the NGUAC blues]

I like the smooth guitars and melodic content. It really does sound quite bluesy. It's not perfectly quantized all the time, but I love the harmonic progression and production quality. Drums are nice and crisp. The higher register later in the piece (at around 1:40) really hits the track home. Solid work here, man! :)

Soundslave responds:

Pretty happy with this response this was made today in a few hours,,bit of a joke around peice to be honest but im glad you like it!!

[nothing in particular]

I like the synths and the filtering work near the beginning. The snare sounds a little generic, and might need some more space in the EQ. The drop is pretty good. The mix is clear and the mood of the piece is pretty sweet. Melody's already stuck in my head. Just needs a bit more complexity to the composition and some cleaning up on the production. Keep up the good work, hy-polaris! :)