TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

["Wonder" (6/10/19)]

I like the chill mood at the beginning. Good sense of atmosphere and drive to the piece at the same time. The drums are creative and energetic, while the pads and synths really maintain the flow. The progression is a tad slow, but the piece really starts coming together when the bass picks up at :53. I was itching for some more melodic content during this section, though, as I wasn’t sure exactly what the piece was building towards after the 1-minute mark. The second minute of the piece feels really dragged out, although those rich chords at 1:59 help take the track in a new direction. Excellent sense of build into 2:40, although the prominent melodic content I’ve been waiting for never really comes. The emotional height is still pretty sweet, but a really dynamic and full melody would help advance that moment of catharsis. I like how the thrill of the emotional height gradually dies over the last minute, but I still wish you had at least varied that main riff a little more. The strongest element of this piece is probably the production quality - the mix is as clean and polished as a knife fresh out of the dishwasher. The instrumental palette here is really appealing, and complements the structural arc of your piece really well. Most of my complaints here simply point out missed opportunities rather that things I actively disliked about the piece, which is certainly a good sign. Keep up the good work, DJ-Saidez! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
9/10

DJ-Saidez responds:

Yay

Yeah, a few people told me it was kinda repetitive, and I can see why. But practice makes perfect!

[Son Rise]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the nature FX that fades in and out starting at :13. The drum beat is a little simplistic, but the atmosphere of the piece is great. The progression is slow, though, and by around 2 minutes in I’m wondering if there’s going to be any melodic development in the piece. I like the quirky instrument at 1:36, but I wish you would’ve had a stronger transition before introducing it. Otherwise, it’s hard to anticipate the addition of each instrument as the listener. The layering on the clap at 2:08 is nice, though, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony. The production quality is pretty good. The drums are crisp, loud, and relatively clear throughout, although there were a couple of moments where I thought there was a bit too much reverb in the texture, notably around the 3-minute mark. The breakdown at 3:12 was good for some structural relief, although the stereo clicks there were a bit too loud and distracting imo. I also like some of the compositional details during this part of the piece, especially the slide whistle at 3:51. The transition at 4:16 could’ve been a tad smoother, but the quirky instruments there are really nice, and I like the pitch-bending effects at 5:21 (and other places). Overall, this is a relaxing piece with a fantastic atmosphere, but some of the compositional elements were a bit lacking. I needed a bit more dynamism in this track to raise the score, and the sudden ending leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The main riffs are never really varied in the second half of the piece, and there isn’t really a strong point of resolve or climax either. Great job with the instrumentation and mood, though - the sound design makes it sound like the heat is getting to the protagonist. :) A summery piece indeed. Keep at it, Disorderlys! ^^

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
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
7.75/10

[EPIC MOVIE MUSIC/HIP HOP Project]

I like the somewhat medieval theme and progression, but I think some of your samples sound quite inauthentic and cheesy - from the choir and strings to the harpsichord. I also think the mix is a little bass-heavy at times, and completely absent of low-range frequencies at others, which can be a bit jarring. At :30, the drums aren’t quite as up-front in the mix as I want them to be, and I think the bass can also distort the mix at times. One thing I really like about the piece is the melodic content - it’s catchy, dynamic, and fits the thematic content perfectly. Despite the cheesy samples, the track really does sound anticipatory of an epic battle scene. That said, the composition gets very repetitive by the end, even with the fun rhythmic break at 2:30. I wish you would’ve varied your melodies a bit more towards the end, and perhaps also created a slightly different harmonic progression to the piece at some point. Still, I like the full texture, loud mix, and atmosphere of the piece a lot. It’s a fun piece, but the devil’s in the details, especially with the sound design and repetition. Keep at it, DarkTrojanGames! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Landscapes]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The mood is pretty haunting, especially with the pitch-bending on that shimmering synth. It begins to sound a bit atonal at :40 or so, which is actually rather refreshing. The progression is rather slow-paced, though, and I’m concerned that, while the sound design and atmosphere are great, you’re not really demonstrating a good variety of compositional skills with this piece. The dissonance at 1:36 sounds really sweet, and I’m beginning to admire your sense of harmony along with the instrumentation and moodiness of the piece. That said, I think that even an ambient track needs a little more structural variety and melodic content to be competitive in this contest. It’s always pieces like this that I’m really torn about because, while I would absolutely enjoy the piece as background music for a game or movie, I’m not sure it’s quite developed enough to constitute a stand-alone piece in my mind. All of that said, I think you absolutely deserve a spot in the next round, and I hope the other judges agree. Flesh out the composition a little more next time, and you should be well on your way to a 9-range score from me. Keep at it, Dantonsgo! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7.5/10

[Stalker]

I like the cute, videogame vibes at the beginning, but the mix sounds a bit thin and overly contained. I liked when it started opening up a bit more at :29, but I think the stop-start transition there could’ve been a bit more creative. The chord progression is a bit cliche, but I like the melodic content and energy of the piece, especially at the post-chorus at 1:01. The re-intro at 1:23 works well, and the melodic section at 1:47 was another nice touch. The piece comes together well by the end, and definitely feels climactic and conclusive. The use of reverb and filtering at the end is a fun detail. My main complaint with the piece is that it comes across as very generic in a lot of ways - from the sound design to the arrangement to the harmonies. I think this piece would sound a lot more advanced (and also well-varied) if you had gotten away from the same 5-chord progression at some point. Still, solid work with almost all of the other compositional elements. It’s a catchy and cute piece with a fun atmosphere. Keep at it, Dag0! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Glitched - War]

Cute riffs and fun rhythmic elements at the beginning. Some of your synths were a bit cheesy, though, and I think there might’ve been a tad too much reverb for my tastes on some of the instruments. The progression is a little slow-paced, however, and after a minute or so the texture remains quite minimal. There isn’t a lot of harmonic depth to the piece, and while I’m glad you put in some melodic content after a while (~1:48), the melodic phrases could’ve been a bit more varied and dynamic. I also really like the delayed transition at 2:04. I think that’s a really effective way of calling attention to the final refrain of your piece. At 2:22 and 2:29, there are a couple of unpleasant popping sounds, first in my right ear and then in my left. That could be any number of things, from peaking/clipping to a misplaced radio effect to a microphone click on whatever recording device you used, but it strikes me as a bit of a sloppy mistake tbh. Overall, this piece comes together well by the end, but I still think the composition is a bit underwhelming, especially harmonically, and elements of the sound design sound like presets. That said, I thought the mixing and mastering here was rather strong, despite the reverb issues and mic popping. Keep at it, Curruff! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Passionblind]

I like the ominous mood and the sound design. I think there’s a lot of distortion in the texture, though, most likely from an excessive use of reverb. A lot of the harmonic content is rather atonal, which struck me as over-the-top after a while. Considering the plethora of reverb, the mix is pretty loud and clear, although sometimes some of the backing instruments can sound a bit indistinct. My main problem with the piece is probably the lack of an overarching sense of direction and shape here. There are a lot of cool riffs and harmonic ideas, but they’re a bit lost in the distorted texture to the point that it’s hard to keep the listener grounded. There’s also very little melodic content in the piece, and a near-constant intensity that makes it hard to stay engaged via any ebb and flow of energy, dynamics, or phrasing. I think you should consider consolidating your ideas a bit before branding this as a stand-alone piece, even if it fits the project you made it for perfectly. There isn’t a strong sense of direction in the composition, which leaves me a bit lost after a while. Fittingly, the ending is very sudden. Despite this criticism, I remain in admiration of the atmosphere, instrumentation, and individual riffs of your piece. There’s a lot of compositional ideas to like here, but I think they’re not serving the most effective purpose all the time because of the somewhat haphazard structuring. I hope you’ll keep working on it, though - a little tightening of the mix and some more careful phrasing considerations, and this will be a baller track. By the way, you should check out @Lich. Your work reminds me a lot of him. Keep at it, CorvonHLordhaze! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Electro Dance]

The beat at the beginning is pretty good, although I think you put a bit too much reverb on the kick. By :20, the bass is really driving the piece, and the little end-of-phrase synth riffs and theremin-sounding thing at :41 are valuable additions to the texture. I also like the atmospheric instrument at :56, but I’m not sure that it goes so well with the more hard-hitting danceable elements of the piece. There’s a collage of instruments thereafter that, by themselves, also sound pretty cool, but at this point I think the track starts to lose its sense of cohesion a bit. There isn’t really much melodic content or overarching shape to the piece. At some point, I wanted to see you do more with phrasing, dynamics, or another aspect of structuring that would offer the listener some relief from the repetitive bass riffs and simplistic beats, like a bridge or breakdown section. The glitchy section at 2:33 begins to take the piece in that direction, but I think it’s too little too late in terms of creating some structural variety in this track. It’s a cool beat, and you definitely have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and sound design, but I don’t think you told a story with this one as much as you could’ve. Otherwise, the mixing is fairly good and I do like the mood and atmosphere of the piece. Keep at it, CompXsco! :)

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

CompXsco responds:

Thanks

[The inferhallow triangles]

The phasing synth at the beginning is pretty cool, but some of the backing synths sound a little thin. The bass helps fatten up the texture a bit, but the piece only really starts coming together in my mind at about the 1-minute mark. The progression is pretty good, but there isn’t a lot of melodic content, and the beat is very simplistic. Has a vaguely ghosty sound overall, but the instrumental palette is well-balanced and benefits from a clean mix. I like the re-intro at 1:45 and the bridge section at 2:14. The rhythm at 2:43 is a bit too busy, but by around the 3-minute mark there’s a good sense of energy and resolution in the texture. A lot of the riffs and rhythms are pretty square and repetitive here, though, and I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies. I think the mood, atmosphere, and mastering are all pretty strong, and I applaud your tasteful use of white noise at transitory moments. The sound design was cute, albeit a bit cheesy, but my main concern is the aforementioned compositional details. Still, nice job overall with this one. It’s a catchy and flowing piece that seems fitting for some sort of platformer game. :) Keep at it, ClitBait!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10