TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sky, Sea, Stars]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The percussion is a little dry here, but the luscious chords are nice, and the rhythmic content is pleasant. The kick at :35 is a bit over-saturated in the mix, though. I think you need to rein in your volume levels a bit here. The melodies at :59 are nice, as is the bass at 1:20.

That said, I think you need to do some serious work on the mixing and mastering here. The bass is clearly distorting some of the other instruments in the mix. You can fix that by using an equalizer (often called an EQ in your DAW) to get rid of the lower frequencies in every instrument except the bass and kick. While you’re at it, you also want to lower the volume levels on the drums, then add compressors to make them sound louder anyway. That way, the kick won’t sound this harsh. You can also add reverb to make your drums sound like someone’s playing them in a concert hall, and tons of other cool effects too! Equalization and compression are probably the most important, though - they make your piece sound clear and crisp, as opposed to muddy and distorted (like 1:22 in your piece).

Anyway, the atmosphere, mood, and sound design still get you a lot of credit here, and I like the progression overall too. I thought 1:45 was the beginning of a dreamy breakdown, but then it really comes at 2:08. Maybe some more gradual transitions would help you smooth over some of the structural “fake-outs” you have in the last half of your piece. Going forward, I’d like to see a more dynamic composition as well, with some more melodic development and variation, but I think the mixing should be a priority for you in the near future.

Overall, really nice work with the moody atmosphere, instrumentation, and beats. Keep at it, Osheakami! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[A New Land]

I like the guitar and echo-y drums at the beginning. The rhythmic content is pretty cool, and the mood is soothing, especially when the flute comes in at around :23. Great job with the sound design and progression here, even if the piece does take a while to develop. The string melodies are beautiful, although the transition into 1:11 was a little abrupt. The mix is also a bit dry, with not a lot of reverb or other mixing effects. A couple of the instruments have relatively sudden entrances that bother me a bit, too, like at 1:34. The melodies and harmonic content are beautiful here, although 1:56 was a little abrupt once again. The overarching structure here is interesting. I like the cello at 2:55. The texture comes together well again during the second loop. Everytime the structure resets itself, the transitions are a bit abrupt. Especially in such a flowing and atmospheric piece, I think you could do more to smooth over all of these rough entrances and transitions. Still, that’s my only major compositional complaint here. I applaud the sound design, harmonies, phrasing, and rhythmic content. I would’ve liked to hear more of the drums in the mix during some of the busier parts, but overall the production quality is also quite strong. You definitely took some compositional risks with this one, not least important of which is the sudden ending, but overall most of them paid off imo. Keep up the good work, Syamori! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

Baumarius responds:

Thanks! I'll keep this stuff in mind when I finalize it for the game!

[Radio Etalia]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The kick at :08 sounds a little weak, although I like the filtering into :16. The melodic content at :16 is pretty groovy, and I liked the rhythmic content of the post-chorus at :34. Solid sense of flow and harmony here. The texture is nice and full throughout. The drums don’t come through the mix quite how I want them to, and some of the effects and sweeps are a little cheesy. I also think this piece needs a lot more structural variety. It’s basically four minutes of straight, full-textured melodies one after another, which - while better than four minutes of minimal club beats - is also not really conducive to great compositional technique. I’d recommend pushing the reset button on your listener’s expectations after a while by making a section with a much thinner texture: an atmospheric breakdown, rhythmic bridge, or even glitchy drum solo or something. It’s just hard for the listener to stay grounded in a meaningful structural framework when the instrumental hierarchy of each section sounds so similar, and I also think the sudden ending here is also an indicator of this lack of structuring in your piece. Overall, though, I like the sound design, mood, and atmosphere. The arrangement and, to a lesser extent, the mixing need some work here, though. Keep at it, Garydos! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.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
7/10

[Nitro]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the cute synths. The chord progression at :20 is a little wonky, but I like the drum beat at :38. The transitional synth at :37 is a bit cheesy, as is the bass instrument, too. It’s a catchy piece overall, but I wish you did a tad more with the drums as the piece progressed. There also isn’t a lot of dynamic melodic content in this piece, although the dreamy breakdown is really nice. Good sense of climax at around 2:30, too. I like how the kick gradually fades at around 2:50 until just the atmospheric elements are left to shine. I think the second refrain at 3:11 would’ve been a bit more effective if there was a little more variety vis-a-vis the first one. I was also looking for some stronger melodic content and variation in the harmonies at some point. The relatively sudden cutoff of the beat at the end also doesn’t work well for me. That said, the atmosphere, sound design, and solid production quality do a lot to carry this piece.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Kassich responds:

Thank you for taking the time to judge all of these songs! These contests are always very fun to take part in!

[Navy Rain (Original Mix)]

Fun sound design at the beginning, and catchy beats. The open hats on the off beats are a little generic, though, and I think the bass is a tad too loud. The transitions are smooth and the texture full and rich, though. The piece is a little slow to progress, but it’s still really engaging. There’s a bit of a sudden shift in the mood at :57, although I really like the warm atmosphere there. Good sense of climax into 1:31, and the melodic content there is refreshing. The arrangement and sound design of this piece sounds very old-school, to the extent that it’s pretty cliche, tbh. The production quality is clearly really good, though. Nice loud, clear, and well-balanced mix. I would’ve liked to hear some more variation on the refrain melody the second time around at 2:28, though. I think that was a bit of a missed opportunity there, although the added harmonies at 2:53 were a nice touch. The atmosphere at the end ties this together well, and overall this is a very strong piece. The originality is my main issue here, but you did a great job with the production, melodies, harmonies, atmosphere, and mood. Keep it up, Squarion! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Cult March]

I like the foreboding mood at the beginning. The atmospheric guitars are pretty nice, and the sense of suspense is really strong with this one. There’s a tad too much reverb on the drums imo, but the climax into 1:10 is nice. My main problem with the first half of this piece is that there’s not a lot of harmonic depth or variety. The acoustic guitar that appears in the background at 1:43 added a nice layer of pensiveness, but it still takes over 2 minutes for you to get into any solid melodic content, which is a long wait. That said, the melodic line at 2:18 is pretty sweet, even if it could be a little more dynamic. I like the foreboding tone that 2:50 has, and the soulful riffs at 3:30 are great as well. The choir in the background provides a nice sense of atmosphere too. The piece comes together well at 4:08, despite the somewhat repetitive nature of the main riffs involved. The outro and fade-out fit well with the thematic content, though. Overall, strong work with the production, harmonies, atmosphere, and mood. Compositional details aside, this is a really fun piece. Keep up the good work, thebitterroost! ^_^

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

[Reality (demo)]

I like the smooth guitars at the beginning and the atmosphere. You have a great sense of harmony and rhythm. The vocals are :54 are pretty nice, but also sound pretty undecorated. They might need a little more reverb and other mixing effects. Sometimes the vocals also duck under the mix for the splittest second, like at around 1:50. I can’t tell if that’s because of the mastering quality or the recording, but either way it warrants fixing. Once you get into the higher register at around the 2-minute mark, the vocals sound a bit thin and strained, too. I enjoy the meandering harmonies, but I would’ve liked to hear some more structural variety here. The piece has a near-constant intensity for almost 2 minutes, which is quite a while without any sort of breakdown or bridge section. There’s actually an escalation of intensity at 2:15 before anything else, which helps make the piece feel climactic, but also doesn’t do much to maximize the dynamic contrast and emotional quality of your piece overall when the baseline is something like 1:08, which is also pretty full-textured and driven. The solo at 2:43 is pretty sweet, though, and overall I think the composition of the piece comes together really well. I also really like the lyrics themselves. The line towards the end, “I’m feeling the wrong way” hit me hard. The end comes on a tad suddenly, but the guitar amp fade-out helps alleviate that. Overall, solid work with the flow, melodies, and vocals. Some of the compositional details might need a bit of work, but the production, mood, and rhythmic content were also strong. Keep at it, ZappaFan52! :)

P.S.: Sorry to hear that you’re depressed. Let me know if you need someone to talk to.

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
.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
8.25/10

ZappaFan52 responds:

The depth and specificity is greatly appreciated, I'll definitely keep all of that in mind going forward! Thanks again ^_^

[Lapse of memory]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning and the atmosphere. It has a nice sense of build throughout the first minute, but overall the progression is pretty slow. I thought there was a little too much reverb on the clap at :43 (and in general), but the harmonic content here is really cool. The white noise at 1:04 seemed a bit undecorated - could use some rhythmic variation or filtering. Either way, the drop is pretty cool, if a bit bland harmonically. My main problem with the piece is the lack of harmonic complexity. The chord progression is pretty generic and simple, and overall it doesn’t feel like there’s a strong sense of direction to the piece overall. Absolutely a lot of potential here, but it almost feels like I didn’t get to hear the second half of the piece, where you (supposedly) provide another emotional height, melodic development, a modulation or other harmonic variety, and maybe even an atmospheric bridge or something. Still, really good start here. I really like the sound design, rhythmic content, and atmosphere, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece! Keep at it, klru27! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

klru27 responds:

Thanks for pointing out my lazy mistakes. I'm still glad that you scored it better than I expected! Newgrounds has been a nice place for me thanks to people like you! I'll try to bring better works later! :)

[Jade]

I like the sound design and atmosphere at the beginning. The eastern-sounding instrument at :07 is cool, and the pitch-bending on it at :14 was a nice touch. The pads and percussion are also valuable additions to the texture, and the blissful mood here is great. The piece has a strong sense of climax into :37, and the melodic content is really catchy and fun. The mix sounds a bit over-compressed, though, and overall the arrangement and rhythm section of the piece are pretty generic. The breakdown at 1:38 is effective, although I would’ve appreciated some more variation on the melodies during the second half of the piece. The distorted bit at 2:20 was a nice touch, too. Your style reminds me a lot of EnV. Overall, solid production quality, mood, sound design, melodies, and atmosphere. My main complaints are the lack of originality in the structuring and the lack of variety.

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
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
9/10

[Burning Rush]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The synth rolls were a bit much - I think they would be better if they had a distinct rhythm, but I like the bass instrument at :11. The kick could come through the mix a bit cleaner, and the melody at :22, while catchy, seems to have a few too many notes to be memorable. The chord progression is also pretty cliche. Honestly, my main problem here is probably the generic sound design and harmonic elements of the piece. The way the lead cuts off at 1:08 is a little sudden, and the harmonic pattern of the piece changes very suddenly there. Given the frantic tempo of the piece, it might be a good idea to put in a more spacious breakdown so that you can give the listener some time to adjust to the new harmonic content. You actually have one at 1:53, but unfortunately it comes after you switch up the chord progression. That said, I like how you combine the two main harmonic progressions at 1:45 and again at 2:10. The transition back into the refrain at 2:18 was good, but once again there’s not a lot connecting the sections joined by the transition at 2:41. You have the crash and drum fills, sure, but that feels like a bit of a Band-Aid solution. I’d encourage you to make your transitions more gradual. Ideally, the different sections you’re connecting would share a couple of instruments and even the same riff. The melody at 3:26 also kinda came out of nowhere. Overall, despite my compositional complaints, I enjoyed the blissful mood, energy, and overarching structure. This piece just needs a little more tightening on the mixing, some more creative sound design, and a smoother flow. Keep at it, Mutty99! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
7/10

mutty99 responds:

I'm happy you liked the energy, that means part of my "experiment" worked!

The instrumentantion choice has always been problematic for me, i think i should find new plugins for when i'm gonna come back this Autumn.
About the structure, the sudden transitions were voluntary: i tried to get inspired by the direct and simple style of Pokémon tracks, but maybe, following your review, i could've put more parts of my composing style. Understandable :)
One last thing: the 3:26 melody is a variation of the 1:30 one, i put it to make the mix less annoying and repetitive.
Glad you enjoyed the mix, i'll try to improve my style even more!