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TaintedLogic

5,125 Audio Reviews

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I like the call-and-response opening section. There are a lot of fun and catchy riffs in this piece, in fact. The progression is a little slow-paced, though. The first minute and a quarter or so felt like an intro to me. Production is pretty loud and clean. All of the guitars sound really distinct, although the drums don’t come through quite as well on some of the busier sections, especially 2:03. That said, I thought the melodies at 2:03 were great, and really help channel the energy of the piece. The vocal sample at 3:22 caught me by surprise a bit, but fits in well with the directionality of the piece. Nice job incorporating the flute, and I love the victorious mood in the texture at around the 4-minute mark. The transition at 4:16 was a tad sudden. Would’ve helped to let the sound fade a bit before completely shifting gears. The next section was quite mesmerizing, though, if a little out-of-character given the rest of the piece. The piece loses a bit of cohesion that way - almost makes it feel like a filler song on an album, meant to bridge the gap between two different styles of composition. Still, this is a strong piece. Nice job with the sound design, mastering, and melodic elements. Keep it up, Djt820!

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

djt820 responds:

I rarely get my music analyzed to this degree haha. I'm glad you dug the song and can appreciate your feedback. Its funny... I've gotten that "slow paced" comment a lot lately but I don't mind! I come from a doom metal background and the motto is "low and slow". If you ever explore doom metal, smoke a joint beforehand.

Melody is always important to me so I'm glad you liked that aspect.

Like my life, there is very little cohesion so your criticism is valid.

Thank you very much for the detailed review. This is why I like NG!

Cute piece. I like the VGM vibe and thematic elements. I think the balance is a bit off, though. The bass is really loud, and the piano seems really quiet. The timpani seemed a bit out-of-character for the piece, and I thought you could’ve done a lot more with the drums. What this piece is really missing, though, is structural variety. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, but the texture is uniformly loud and dense for the entire piece. I wanted to see you give the piece a little more shape - a bridge, a breakdown, a climactic solo, etc. Something to hit the piece home. I was also a little thrown off by the sudden pause at 1:27 in an otherwise very smooth-flowing piece. Almost sounds like you meant for it to loop, in fact. Overall, the compositional elements of the piece are pretty strong. Both the melodic and rhythmic elements of the piece were enjoyable. I’d suggest experimenting with dynamics and automation more. I think that’s a good next step for you. Otherwise, keep at it, Tebyricat!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Fun piece. Has a bit of a Celtic vibe, although I’m not sure I was a huge fan of your percussion samples. The sub-bass also felt a bit out-of-place in the texture. You have a good sense of melody and harmony, and I liked the modulation at :53. I think my main problem with the piece is that the phrasing and structure could be a lot more creative. The main way in which you create variety in the piece is by adding and subtracting elements over time, which is a pretty rudimentary way of doing so. I’d suggest experimenting with changing volume levels, using automation and filtering, and adding variations on existing riffs as a way of creating a stronger sense of progression. I also think the mix is pretty quiet in this piece. I’d suggest looking into compression as a way of helping the mix feel thicker and louder. That said, I generally didn’t have any problems with the clarity of the mix. Overall, cute piece with some strong melodic content and catchy harmonies. Keep at it, SI-7!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

SI-7 responds:

Thank you so much for the review. This is really, really helpful in telling me what I need to improve on, and I appreciate it a lot.

I like the mysterious-sounding fade-in at the beginning and the atmosphere. The piano and choir help set the mood nicely. Very unexpected chord at :45, though - feels like the mood shifts very suddenly, which is then made more confusing by the dissonant pads at :55. Quite an eclectic sound design here. I’m a little unclear about the directionality of the piece after a while. Much of the piece is pretty minimalistic, and uses an excess of reverb to fill in the texture. I wanted to see you tie together some of these loose thematic ends with some melodic content, an emotional height, or at least some more stable harmonies later in the piece. The mix could use a bit of cleaning up, especially with those high-pitched bells at 1:45 and the reverb. It’s hard to pull off such an experimental piece like this, and I think you needed a bit more of a strong directionality to hit it home. I did really enjoy the sound design, eerie riffs, and creative progressions, though. Keep at it, Dangalletti!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

dangalletti responds:

In my mind, this is gameplay music for a sci-fi/cyberpunk title. I imagine the intro to be a cinematic preview of sorts which sets up the level/area. Then, at 0:45 the gameplay begins and 0:55 marks the starting point of the loop.

Not trying to be defensive, just offering some insight into what I had in mind while writing it.

I agree the mix could be cleaner. I'm still learning my way around production so any tips (in here or for future tracks) will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your feedback and kind words, glad you enjoyed it.

P.S. Kinda curious why the bingo requirement wasn't completely fulfilled though.

I like the dreamy fade-in at the beginning. Really soothing atmosphere there. The transitions at :32, 2:21, and 1:49 could’ve been a tad smoother, and the texture is pretty minimal throughout. The descending line at 1:41 is gorgeous. I think you successfully have the mood and directionality of the piece mapped out, but the piece still feels really empty until the solo at the end. During the last section, the drums don’t quite pop through the mix like I want them to. Otherwise, everything sounds loud and well-balanced. Overall, I think this piece has a ton of potential, but you didn’t quite hit it home for me. The atmospheric sections of this piece are gorgeous, and the solo at the end sounds great. What I’m not hearing is cohesion between these elements of the song. If it weren’t for the solo, I’d be tempted to say this is just a skeleton of what it could be. That’s overly harsh, though. The sound design, mood, and atmosphere of this track are all excellent. I’m not sure you fulfilled the bingo requirement, but you clearly made some effort to do so, which counts for partial credit in my book. Please finish this piece, though. It’ll definitely be worth it. :) Keep it up, MFT!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.25/1
Composite score
8.25/10

I like the crisp beats at the beginning and the chopped vocals during the intro. The shimmering effect on some of the synths is a really nice touch, too. The vocals are a bit repetitive, and this song has a lot of minimalistic sections with not a lot of climactic ones. Otherwise, I like it a lot. The production quality is strong, and I appreciated the subtle variations in the refrain starting at 2:40 or so. Nice work! Here's to 2019. ^_^

Great! There's a really bubbly sense of anticipation from the beginning, and I love the frantic synths at :22 that kinda serve as a build-up into the next section. That organ synth that forms the foregrounded riff is really fun, especially when it gets the slightly distorted texture like at :40. This is a really rhythmically dense piece, but the pacing isn't so fast that it's disorienting. The vocal samples interact really well here, and I really like it when the bass becomes more exposed at around 2:40. I also thought the spacey outro at 3:38 was a great touch - almost gives the piece a house vibe, and the filtering at the very end is scrumptious. You've really outdone yourself here, Waterflame! Fitting conclusion to 2018. Happy new year!

Waterflame responds:

Always a pleasure when you review one of my tracks! Thank you for the detailed kind words. This really goes to show for me that taking that extra workday of polish is really worth it! Excited to make more tracks in 2019! :)

Ooo...I love the eerie vibes at the beginning and the old-timey piano that comes in shortly thereafter. The vocal samples add a bit of a cinematic flair, but I think you overdid them after a while. I was a little uncertain as to the directionality of the piece during the second minute, and pretty soon it's evolved into a more danceable, rhythmic piece. Kinda reminds me of a more rushed "Sinking Feeling." I like when you bring back the atmospheric elements towards the end. Really creative work overall. Not sure it's come together for me quite yet as a coherent whole, but I'll listen to it a couple more times and see what happens. :D Keep up the good work, WF!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks! I will agree that the middle of the track could use more direction. But I wanted it to be a bit..floating. the hook was supposed to be the vocals themselves and the choppy guitar. I guess I never had a clear direction with this to begin with so thats why it came off a bit like a stitched together thing. Appreciate the pointers!

Cool! Must've missed this one. Love the nature FX mixed with the industrial flair. Rest of the track is really relaxing and more organic, if not quite as pastoral as the title implies. Chord progression is nice, and the more melodic elements that bleed in at around 1:05 really help shape the mood of the piece. The mini-breakdown at 1:47 was a nice touch. I've been enjoying the more downtempo tracks you've been posting recently. Keep up the good work, WF!

Waterflame responds:

Glad to hear it! Happy the slow styles are well received too. Its nice to know I can do both without scaring away people, hehe.

Hi. I'm Andrew. Audio portal junkie since 2010, supporter since 2017. I always want to improve what I do! I make music, run the NGUAC, post poetry on BBS, and am the all-time #2 audio reviewer. I love this site, and I want to make it the best I can! ^_^

Andrew Mikula @TaintedLogic

Age 27, Male

Policy Research

Bates College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

Joined on 8/16/12

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