TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[RT 11]

I like the soulful vocals and the pensive guitars. I think there’s a little too much reverb in the texture, though, as the mix feels a tad over-saturated and distorted at times. There’s also this gravelly sound in the background, particularly noticeable at around :58 and 1:16, and I couldn’t tell if that was an intentional atmospheric effect or a product of where you recorded this, but either way I think it’s worth trying to make that sound a little less present in the mix. I liked the intensity of the drums and the long-suffering vibe of the lyrics. It’s a piece that really tells a story, but the structure is pretty flat, like it’s one super-long verse. At some point, I wanted to hear some development in the composition, whether that was an emotional breakdown or an epic guitar solo. The sudden ending and repetitive nature of the instrumental tracks don’t really help you out in that regard, either. This piece, despite all the emotion and passion behind it, sounds structurally incomplete. You’ve done a lot of good work here, and I can tell you’re a talented composer and vocalist. I just think you need to flesh out the arrangement of the piece a little more with a stronger sense of ebb and flow. A more organic approach to the mixing would help out this piece, too. Keep at it, VibrantMan! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
7.75/10

[Ola gyro gyrizoun]

I like the chill guitars at the beginning and the melodic content. The lyrics at :36 don’t have the best recording quality, but I really like the vocals themselves. They sound soulful and expressive. I’d love a translation of the lyrics if you get the chance, too. The dreamy, higher-pitched line in the guitars at 1:11 was nice for giving the piece a greater sense of progression despite the minimal texture. At around 1:27, there’s a little distortion in the mix. I’d be careful not to overwhelm the stereo when you’re recording. It couldn’t hurt to turn down the volume knobs a bit before recording, and then use compression or other mastering tools to make them sound louder as needed. The bridge at 1:50 is really soothing, and serves as an emotional high point for the entire the piece. At 2:30, there are a couple of blips, which is probably the guitar strings vibrating against the body of the instrument, but either way it sounded like a bit of a mistake that should’ve been re-recorded or edited out. The instrumental section at the end dragged on for a bit long, especially given that it’s mostly a repetition of the same few chords. I think the part at 2:23 mostly serves as an outro, structurally-speaking. I would suggest either fading it out after around 2:50 or at least launching some new melodic material to accompany the chord progression later on. You also probably could’ve edited out the last minute or so of relative silence, during which I can hear the metronome you used during recording as well. Still, this piece is quite strong overall. Despite the slight recording mistakes and my detail-oriented structural gripes, you’re clearly a talented guitarist and vocalist, with a good sense of melody and progression to boot. Keep up the good work, Thetakis! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Thetakis responds:

Thank you very much for the Details:)
at 0:46 barfood i run at this beach, here the people have camped at night they make fires and sing 1:10 "Stoped clocks in tha sand, and time have no matter, at this world exist no losers ,cause Earth we all dance around the some "fire".....

[AIM - Level One Start ~ Alien Landscape]

I like the cute vibes at the beginning and the dreamy synths riffs near the beginning, even if the samples sound pretty unpolished and generic sometimes. I think the mixing is a bit strained in places, too. The drums aren’t quite as crisp as I wanted them to be, and there might be a tad too much reverb in places. That said, the melodic content in this piece is really strong, and you have a good sense of progression and flow. The breakdown at 1:12 provided some much-needed structural contrast in this piece, and overall the piece comes together really well at 2:12, which feels like a great point of arrival because of the way you set up the tension in the harmonies shortly before. The loop isn’t as smooth as it could’ve been, but that might be Newgrounds’ fault in part. Overall, you have some strong composition skills and a great sense of mood, atmosphere, and progression. My main complaints involve the sound design, which can sound very cheesy at times, and a lack of polish on elements of the mix. Keep at it, Tebyricat! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[THRASHOR]

I like the creepy mood at the beginning and the glass-breaking sound effect. The filtering is nice, but the drums sound a little dry and the gritty guitar synth sounds a little muddy. The bass at :25 is a little too loud, and overall the texture here is pretty minimal and doesn’t have a strong sense of progression. I like the sense of climax into 1:03, but you didn’t really add much harmonic content during the drop, just drums and a little decoration to the bass line. The production quality here is pretty good, but I think you needed a little more depth to the composition. Some more variation and melodic content would be especially nice. The second half of the piece adds very little novel content, and despite the catchy riffs and crisp drums, I’m not sure you did enough to keep me engaged for the duration of the piece. Overall, the rhythmic elements of this piece are really cool and I like the mood and production. But the composition is pretty underwhelming, and a lot of the arrangement, progression, and sound design of the piece seems pretty unoriginal. Keep at it, SunnySideUpMusic! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Combustion]

I like the groovy bass at the beginning, and the guitar riff at :07 was cool, but the instrument itself sounded really harsh in the mix. The heavy drums help keep up the intensity, but I think you overdid the reverb on the snare. The progression is pretty good, and the rhythmic content is fun, but I think the distorted mix detracts from my enjoyment of the piece. The heavy pads at 1:06 are a valuable addition to the texture, and the mid-range bass during the bridge at 2:05 also sounds really cool. That said, the drums and guitars are struggling to come through the mix because of the heavy bass, and despite the fun industrial vibe of the piece, it could use a little more atmosphere. I’d start by trying to incorporate some more consistent mid-high tones into the texture, and also running some of the bass-heavy instruments through a high-pass filter. I also think the compositional elements of the piece seem a bit pasted-together. I’d like to see you use more advance techniques for creating variety - like phrasing, dynamics, automation, etc. - instead of just adding and subtracting instruments over time. Overall, the sound design here is awesome, and you nailed the mood and emotional quality of the guitars as well. That said, the production could be a lot cleaner, and I was looking for a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the arrangement. Keep at it, StoneForged! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Logic]

The sweep at the beginning was cool, although I think you dragged out the intro a bit. The thin claps in the texture for the first 15 seconds or so seem like filler. Still, the texture of the piece falls together really quickly after that, and I like the 80s-style dance chords, crisp drums, and back-up harmonies at :27. The melody synth at :41 is a bit cheesy, and I also would’ve liked to see a stronger sense of build into the melodic section. After you repeat the structural pattern of the first minute or so again, I’m beginning to lose an overarching sense of direction for this piece. The pensive background synths at 2:20 are nice, but other than that there’s very little novel content in this piece after the first minute, which I think is a huge mistake. Your instrumental palette is pleasant, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony and rhythm, but the sweeps are overused, the harmonies extremely repetitive, and the melodic content lacking by the end of the piece. I think you needed some more harmonic depth, including melodic content that could help hit this piece home. At the very least, I would’ve varied the melody at 3:52 a little more. Until then, the composition is pretty bland. That said, you’re clearly a talented producer. I really like the crisp hi-hats and well-balanced frequencies here. Keep at it, SpockMusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6.75/10

[Back To You]

I like the dreamy arpeggios at the beginning and the bright mood. The pads at :12 sound pretty relaxing, but around this time it becomes apparent that there’s some distortion in the mix. I think you need to remove any limiters and/or compressors you have on the master channel, and also do some more careful equalization work. Toning down the reverb might also help add some clarity to the mix, but the filtering should probably be a priority. You don’t want more than 1-2 instruments playing at a time if they have a lot of bass overtones in them. That said, the composition is pretty nice and the progression is pleasant. There’s a good sense of build-up starting at 1:02, and the drop at 1:29 was well-balanced and full-textured, even if I was craving some more dynamic melodic content by this point. I think a lot of your synths and chord progressions sound pretty generic, though. The structure of the piece is good overall, and I like the re-intro at 2:23 and subsequent build-up at 2:46. I think this track needed some more variety later in the piece, though. Despite the full texture and strong atmosphere, there isn’t a lot of harmonic development or prominent melodic content here. The lead synth at the drops has a really simple contour, and only really serves to outline the chordal patterns. Overall, I like the mood, relaxing instruments, and structuring here, but I think the production quality, variety, and compositional details need some more work. Keep at it, Sp3edometer! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[SoFtBOILeD-By Your Side]

The synths at the beginning are cute, but I think the lead synth there is a little harsh-sounding. I think you could stand to dial back the reverb a bit and take another look at the equalizer for the synths. They might have a bit too much treble. While I like the texture overall here, it seems like the rhythm of the beat, especially after around :44, is a little too busy when paired with the synths. The rhythmic content is just a bit too dense overall. The piece also doesn’t really have a strong sense of progression until around the 1-minute mark, but I like the filtering work on the lead synth at 1:06. I think that watery version of the synth is actually a lot more pleasant to listen to than the staccato-y patterns earlier. The percussion solo at 1:18 is a bit overdone, and after the build-up into 1:50, the harmonic content and instrumentation of the piece seems rather different, which is a bit jarring. I’m starting to think that you need to consolidate some of your compositional ideas in this piece and focus on 2-3 main ideas, with more emphasis on creating variety with phrasing, automation, and the like instead of adding and subtracting a lot of instruments all the time. That said, the glitchy percussion and bright synths at 1:50 sound really cool in isolation, and I would’ve liked to see you do more to develop those themes rather than reset the piece again at 2:35. The part at 2:47 sounded like a pretty pleasant breakdown, even though the texture was pretty thin. It also dragged on for a bit too long imo, and at 3:30 it seems like you’re taking the piece in yet another unexpected direction. All of a sudden, it’s very atmospheric, yet the lead synths are very repetitive and the transition at 4:02 seems a little generic. Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here, but I think you need to make the arrangement less choppy with some more gradual transitions and connectivity in the harmonic content across sections. Mixing-wise, the piece is pretty solid, but I think you need some tighter equalization on some of the harsher-sounding instruments, and the drums aren’t quite punchy enough at some of the busier sections. Overall, I like the atmosphere, harmonic content, drums, and mood, but the texture can be a little too thin, the transitions need to be smoother and more gradual, and the composition can be choppy and repetitive. There’s a lot of potential here, though. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Keep at it, SoFtBOILeD! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Final Boss Theme]

The fade-in at the beginning is pretty nice. There are generally more creative ways of introducing a piece, but here it’s pretty effective with the somewhat ominous mood. The sound design could be better, though. Your synths sound really simple, unpolished, and cheesy, despite the relatively good drum samples. The texture is also pretty thin, despite some good harmonic ideas like the chord progression at 1:03. The piece is catchy and has some cool rhythmic content, but there isn’t always a very strong sense of direction. The transition at 1:35 is pretty sudden, and otherwise the composition is pretty repetitive. Sometimes, the texture can also sound pretty atonal, like around 2:12. The strings at 2:23 were a good idea that help heighten the ominous mood, but you may have overdone it a bit with the clashing chords at 2:32. I think the composition here needs a little more shape and contrast in general. I wanted to see you strip away the drums and bass at some point and launch into a more melodic bridge or breakdown section. Mixing-wise, the piece sounds a bit strained during some of the busier sections (like 2:32), and overall the mix is pretty quiet. Some more compression and careful equalizing might help you out there. It also might help from a variety standpoint to switch up the drum beat more at some point. I liked the string solo at 3:43, though. There are definitely some good compositional ideas here, but the slow pacing and somewhat flat arrangement of the piece doesn’t help you get the most emotional impact out of your ideas. Overall, I like the atmosphere, rhythmic content, and mood, but I think some more effort is needed on the broader compositional concerns, instrumentation, and tonality. Keep at it, SleyGD! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10