TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[apocalypse keeper]

I like the pacing and the gradual fade-in of the strings at the beginning. The chord progression is a bit generic, but the melodies at :33 are nice. In terms of arrangement, the piece is smooth-flowing and well-structured. The instruments are a bit cheesy-sounding - the strings in particular sound pretty fake, and the synth bass line is a tad undecorated. That said, I like the synth arpeggios at 1:08. Clearly, you have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. Some more variety in the main melody and a longer, more expressive final refrain at 1:30 might’ve made the composition stronger. Otherwise, my main complaints are with the sound design and mixing, but I know MuseScore has a lot of constraints in that regard. Still, this is a catchy, cute, and upbeat tune with some strong melodies. Keep at it, detalexip! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

detalexip responds:

thank u

[D4 - Aerodynamix]

I like the gritty bass at the beginning and the edgy guitar at :19. The texture is a bit thin, with a lot of missing upper-mid-range frequencies, and a pretty staccato-y articulation to the notes that could use some contrast at some point for variety and to fill out the mix. You clearly have a great sense of rhythm, progression, and sound design, though. Also, the mix is nice and punchy, even if the drums don’t quite always stay on top of the guitar the way I want them to (I can especially hear them struggling to come through at around 1:30). After a while, the harmonic content of the piece is pretty repetitive, and I appreciated the thicker-sounding bass you added at 2:30, although the squeaky harmonics there sound a bit harsh. The outro at 3:06 really threw me off - the transition was sudden, and having a light, airy piano introduced after 3 minutes of frantic guitar music made it seem really out-of-place. Overall, I like the energy, rhythmic content, sound design, and progression of this one. The production and, especially, the harmonic aspects of the composition could use a little more teasing out. Otherwise, solid work here, D4W1LL! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

D4W1LL13 responds:

dully noted. thanks a lot!

[Ev]

The static at the beginning sounds a tad unpolished, but I like it when the textures smoothes out a bit and the bass comes in by around :15. By the time the lead synth comes in at :43, you’ve got a solid groove going. The mix is a little quiet and indistinct, though. The drums would sound a lot punchier with some more compression, and I’d also suggest using an equalizer to make sure the harmonic instruments don’t have any frequencies below 200 Hz, which will help add some clarity to the texture. The sound design is cute, but sometimes would benefit from some more reverb or other mixing effects to help the different instruments blend better and add some atmosphere. The static on either end still sounds a bit out-of-place to me - you’re probably better off looping the piece. Overall solid work, Cutterion! The mixing and mastering could use a bit more attention, but you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Contact]

I like the furtive atmosphere at the beginning and the bass-y synth groove at :15. I like the bright-sounding pads at :45, but they also take up a tad too much space in the mix. The drums don’t quite sound sharp enough at times, especially the snare, which could probably use some more compression. I like the revolving spate of melodies, but after a while the piece lacks an overarching sense of direction - the synth brass at 2:33 sounds especially out-of-place. The transition at 2:16 is really smooth, and in general the piece has a nice sense of flow about it. The breakdown at 3:01 was a nice way of creating some variety in the energy level and thickness of the texture, and the slower pace of the melodies that follow was a nice way of wrapping up the piece. The arrangement feels a bit formulaic here, with the same drum roll used for most transitions, and major changes to the texture occurring at very regular intervals. That said, the melody-writing and sound design are both enjoyable overall, and despite some minor complaints of mine, the production quality holds up pretty well. Solid work, CosmoSynth! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
7.5/10

CosmoSynth responds:

Thanks for the thorough feedback buddy :D

[Chicada - Godspeed (Original Mix)]

I like the gritty acid synth at the beginning and the harsh-sounding riser/faller in the background. The drums are a bit generic, and the piece is very slow to progress over time. The texture could also use a little more fill after a while. The prolonged “reset” at 1:23 was a pretty bold compositional choice, and I like the furtive vibe of the synth that starts fading in shortly thereafter. I like the sense of build-up into 2:59, even if the build-up seemed a bit dragged-out. The production quality is solid throughout the piece - I can hear all the instruments clearly, and the frequencies sound well-balanced. I like the callback to the acid bass by around 4:00 - really helps bring the piece full-circle. Overall, this piece is catchy and has some pretty cool sound design, but it’s also very minimal and, besides the “reset” aftermath at 1:30, devoid of strong melodic content. The compositional details are also neat, though, like the prolonged faller effect at 4:48 and the filtering on the acid bass. Overall solid work, Chicada! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[The Flutes World]

I like the crisp strings at the beginning and the slow fade-in of the warmer string pads. The triumphant tone of :48 is great, and the vocals at 1:14 are a nice touch too. In many ways the composition is pretty bare-bones and simple, but you’ve instilled a great sense of emotion and dynamism in it. The production quality is strong too. If I had to criticize one thing, it might be that the arrangement felt a tad formulaic, with significant changes to the texture occurring like clockwork every 8 measures. Still, this is a compelling track with great storytelling and sound design. Keep it up, brnalemusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[okaynow]

Very evocative sound design here. The really high-pitched faller at the beginning is a bit harsh-sounding, but I like the beat at :08. The lead synth could use some more polish - it doesn’t quite sit up-front enough in the mix, so maybe some more compression would help. By :44, you’re really starting to overuse that rising effect. The piece is pretty smooth-flowing, although the lengthy drum fill and dissonant harmonies starting at 1:01 caught me off-guard a bit.

I would like to see more harmonic content in general in this piece. Rhythmic content and transitory/filler stuff makes up most of the “foreground” of the track. The synth riff at 1:42 is also very dissonant. Having the piano breakdown at 2:10 was a good idea, although I think you rushed back into the synth-heavy breaks by 2:30. Frankly, I think you tried to do a bit too much with this piece. There are a lot of clashing ideas here that, besides the drums, aren’t really developed much beyond their original forms, and overall the structure of the piece is very disorienting at times.

I would challenge you to create a piece that has 5 notes: C, D, E, G, and A (you can repeat these notes any number of times and have multiple playing at the same time in different instruments, but no B, no F#, etc.). The spacing of those 5 notes will make it relatively easy to avoid dissonances. Then, focus on SLOWLY changing the way those notes are arranged, even if it’s only in one instrument at a time, to create a meaningful harmonic progression over the course of the piece. You can have rhythmic aspects to the piece as well, like drums, but focusing on the harmonies will probably be the most rewarding. Please PM me when you’re done, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, BB0ii! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4/10

[CHARACTER SELECT //Level 356.98FM//]

I like the sound design and rhythmic content here a lot. The mix sounds very quiet and flat, though. I would suggest using some more compressors, especially on the drums, and equalizers on every instrument besides the bass and kick drum to free up the low end of the frequency range. That’ll make the texture sound a lot less muddy and give the drums and “heys” more bite. The bass is also just a tad too loud relative to the harmonies and percussion here. Still, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. Just need a little more attention to detail on the production/mastering side. Keep at it, AVVENTURA! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

AVVENTURA responds:

thank you so much for the feedback it was very helpful! I applied it in my project, and I saw results :D

[Xtraktor - Shadows]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The texture sounds pretty murky and indistinct - maybe that was intentional, but it might help to get a little stricter with the equalizers, especially on the low end of the frequency range. The progression of this piece is nice, though. I like the energetic drop at 1:08, the full and rich texture, and the cinematic sound design. The part at 2:14 is another moment where the texture sounds seriously distorted by an overly-strained mix. The drums and guitars just don’t come through very well. There’s probably just too much going on below 1000 Hz or so. Cutting off some of the low end with some equalizers, transposing the guitar part up an octave, and dialing down any reverb that’s on the bass or guitar could all help. Also, aspects of the arrangement and sound design (especially the snare) are pretty generic, and later on the harmonic content gets a tad repetitive. That said, I really like how you switched up the final drop, and then turned up the emotional appeal during the piano outro. Overall, stellar compositional skills on display here. Clean up the mix a bit, and this would be a top-tier track. Keep at it, Auryle (you may have tried to trick me by changing your username midway through the competition, but I caught you lol)! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[A Rainbow Of Impossible Colors]

I like the eerie fade-in at the beginning. The glitchy breaks at :14 are a bit harsh-sounding, and the texture here could use more fill in general, but the reverb/filtering automations are pretty cool and help maintain a sense of direction. Some of the transitions are a bit abrupt, like at :53. The following 17 seconds, until 1:10, were a bit disorienting, with a hard-to-follow rhythm and a lot of different sound design elements thrown in there that didn’t blend very well together. The piece stabilizes a bit by 1:12, but I think both the snare and the pads have a bit too much treble. The faller at 1:41 is cool, although the glitchy tremolos at 1:52 were a bit overdone. The strongest aspect of the piece is the production quality - I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout, and the use of mixing effects and automations certainly helps maintain interest over time. In general, the grating and experimental nature of the sound design is pretty off-putting for me. The frequencies need more of a sense of balance, with more bass at times and more mid-range/atmosphere at others. The arrangement can also be pretty choppy here, with the structure of the piece often sounding just as experimental as the texture. Still, I admire the creative rhythmic content, production value, and unique compositional details of this one. The title seems fitting with the evocative, but sometimes overwhelming, attributes of this piece. Keep at it, Artackni! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Artackni responds:

I guess I'm going with something more melodic and less experimental for following NGUAC rounds lol. That being said, the song really isn't the best.

Whatever. What matters is that I passed the tryouts, even if the score ended up being shitty.