TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Agente.001 - Starsprite]

I like the angry fade-in and arpeggiated line shortly thereafter. The stop-start transition at :06 didn’t really work for me, though. Sounds like you fleshed out two different ways of starting the piece and then just left them both in there. At the very least, I’d suggest drawing out the arpeggio build-up a little more before a big dramatic pause like that. The production is really loud and clear, if a bit over-compressed. I like the blissful melodies, mood, and atmosphere, but some of your samples sounded a bit cheesy and generic. Some of the more experimental elements of the texture are pretty cool. I like what you did with the transition at 1:36, even if it felt a bit too drawn-out. It was a nice way of warming the listener up to that tempo change. Good sense of build into 2:17 too. I think you didn’t quite hit this piece home, though. I liked the second drop, but I think the ending of the piece felt a bit rushed. I would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content towards the end to tie the piece together more. Maybe you could’ve brought back the melody at :36 with some subtle variations or something. I also think you didn’t incorporate some of your bingo board elements very well. I wasn’t able to pick out that ride cymbal until I saw you mentioned it in a forum post, and the E-guitar is also not easily identifiable. Overall, though, I think this is a pretty strong piece. Plenty of fun variety, rich harmonies, and a full atmosphere. Keep at it, Tomhson!

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.5/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Clear The Board (NGAPBC 2018)]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The percussion that comes in at :08 is pretty cool, but you seriously overdid the wet reverb on it. Some of your synths and pads thereafter are a little cheesy, but I like the melodies at :54 and the rich atmosphere. The element of the song that clearly needs the most work is the production. There are a lot of places where you use way too much reverb to the point that it seriously undermines the clarity of the mix. The mix is also very quiet. Try to be careful about how you set up your volume levels when you’re first working on your piece. Louder is certainly not always better, but compression will help you out a lot. I like the catchy bass riff at 1:32. It made for a good re-intro, and the trumpet that came in after, while not a very realistic sample, blended into the texture well. The mood changes a little suddenly at 2:17, but I do like the eerie piano and cello parts there. By around 3:40, I’m starting to feel that this piece is pretty disjointed. There’s a long stretch in the middle of the piece with several distinct sections that have little harmonic relation to each other. The most jarring transition is at 5:04 imo, where you go from a huge cinematic climax straight into light orchestral fare. While I commend you for going above and beyond with the bingo requirement, I seriously think this piece should be five different pieces. It just loses its integrity after a while. Otherwise, I think there are a lot of great individual ideas here, from the graceful ending with the piano to the well-executed climax at 4:38. Keep at it, SplatterDash!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[I Wish You Were A Bird]

I like the cute melodies and blissful mood at the beginning. Some of the synths were pretty cheesy, and a couple of the transitions could’ve been smoother (especially :10). The synth at the very beginning even sounded a bit too harsh in my ears. My main problem with the piece is the production quality, though. The pads and melody/harmony synths are seriously distorting each other. It’s especially noticeable after the transition at :10. Later in the piece, I’d also like to see a little more structural variety. There’s a constant sense of energy, and the texture just doesn’t change that much (same arrangement of instruments, same cutesy melodic flair, etc.). The ending also could’ve been a lot more creative than a fade-out. That said, you clearly have a great sense of harmony and rhythm, and you nailed the cute VGM vibe here. Catchy piece. It’s going to be stuck in my head for a while. Also probably my favorite title of the competition. Keep at it, Garydos!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Fear As Though You've Never Feared]

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!

[Un-scouted beginning]

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

[Swingy]

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.

[Paris 2049]

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.

[The End is Year]

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

[Fraxo & Whales - Dead To Me (feat. Lox Chatterbox) [Spitfya Remix]]

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. ^_^