TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[On Edge]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the oscillating pads in the background. It has a vaguely ominous mood about it, and the instruments all sound pretty cold and wintery. I really like the prominent use of hi-hats at around :50. Other than that, the progression of the piece is really slow and doesn’t really feature much prominent melodic content. I think the piece is too long for the amount of harmonic content that’s here. Also, when there is a significant variation in the texture at 2:08, the transition could be much smoother. The ending sounded somewhat climactic, but the harmonic framework becomes so stagnant after a while, and there isn’t really any sort of cathartic moment in the piece. It sounds good for some sort of intermediate level in a videogame between two huge bosses or something. But as a stand-alone piece, there isn’t really enough variety or memorable content to keep me engaged. That said, the mastering quality is solid and the instrumentation is good. Keep at it, TheoryGD!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Andethy responds:

Thanks for the feedback, man. Completely agree with the slow progression and melodic content. Will attempt to improve that in upcoming tracks. At 2:08, I updated that but must've forgotten to update to NG, oh well...

[Hunter&Prey]

I like the airy arpeggiated synth at the beginning. Has an apprehensive mood about it. Despite the generic-sounding synth bass and dry drums, the instrumentation isn’t bad overall. Well-balanced texture and cool atmosphere. Let me cut to the chase, though: the composition is extremely underwhelming. The entire piece sounds like an intro for a 5-minute track. There just isn’t much of a strong progression here - no melodies, little structuring, no big transitory moments, etc. I think you know this, too. Seems like you just ran out of time. The content that is here is decent, but this is hardly a structurally complete piece. If you ever do finish it, please PM me. I’ll give you a proper review. Keep at it, Tansuma1!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.25/10

tansuma1 responds:

Thanks for your in-depth review TaintedLogic. It seems Deadlines are not my friend! Honestly I just work a lot which leaves me very little spare time to create anything coherent anymore but thank you for not saying my work is basically trash lol. I will continue to improve and one day pm you the finished thing!

[Synapse]

Quirky synth at the beginning. I like the cute mood and climax :23. The reverb is seriously excessive on this song. It both compromises the mix and makes some of the instruments sound unpleasantly indistinct. A lot of these synths sound pretty unpolished and generic, too. I will say that the mix, while not particularly clear, is both loud and full-sounding. Also, the drums remain up-front in the mix for the whole piece, which is good. Compositionally, the piece is also pretty sufficient. I like the structure and the melodies, and the piece comes together well by the end. I have no issues with the transitions, harmonies, or textural fill either. Overall, the mixing and the instrumentation are my biggest concerns here. Elements of the texture may also be a tad generic, but some instrumentation fixes would go a long way towards solving those issues as well. Other than that, keep at it, StaticLF!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Tears Ft. Lowpry]

Quirky synths at the beginning. Sounds like a piano with a ton of pitch-bending. The overall effect is eerie, and the drums certainly have a laid-back, retro vibe about them. The sub-bass is pretty heavy, but there’s little else to fill in the texture besides that and the piano. I appreciated the breakdown at 1:24, even if that transition came on a bit suddenly. There’s little variation between the first and second halves of the piece, and between that and the minimalism I think the composition is seriously underwhelming here. Great job with the atmosphere, mood, and sound design, though. The mastering is also clean, even if the mix doesn’t feel entirely full. Some stronger melodic content, more structuring and variety, and maybe even some additional instruments would go a long way to help this piece imo. Keep at it, Ruko29!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Keep Me Awake]

Quirky instruments at the beginning, and the vocals are a nice touch. The atmosphere is great, and the instruments blend together really well. There’s a nice sense of climax into :55, but I think because the texture is so rich here the anti-climax works quite well. Otherwise, though, the composition doesn’t sound very dynamic. That’s my main concern, honestly. Despite some fun drum fills and vocals to keep things interesting, the harmonic framework of the piece is quite stagnant. I’m also not sure how the thematic content of the vocals fits the character of the piece. As for production, I think you could stand to fill out some of the bass frequencies a little more at times. The high-end twittering was also a bit much at times, and came across as a tad harsh. Overall, great job with the atmosphere, mood, and sound design. Composition is a tad underwhelming right now, but you’re on the right track with the vocal samples and flavor of the piece. Keep at it, RedSoul92!

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

[I]

Quirky synth at the beginning. I think it drags on for a bit too long, and the entry of the strings at :21 is not only sudden but also shifts the mood of the piece considerably. That said, the strings do blend pretty well with the synth at the beginning, and I like the new, warmer-sounding texture. Progression here is seriously slow, though. The transition at 1:05 also didn’t work for me. I think it would’ve been more effective if you had created a more distinct sense of build-up over the first minute of the piece. The pads totally dominate the texture during the refrain, and the re-intro at 1:50 doesn’t contribute much to the directionality of the piece imo. I really like the atmosphere at 1:58, and the percussion there is nice and crisp. There’s a serious slow-down in the pacing at 2:20, and I don’t think that downtempo section leads very logically into the final refrain at 2:52. You certainly gave the last minute or so of the piece a climactic and conclusive edge, but I think it would’ve been more effective if you had a more gradual build-up. The piece in general doesn’t have a ton of strong melodic content either, and when it does have melodic riffs (at 3:20 or so, for example), they’re a bit buried in the texture by the strong pads. Overall, I think your main priorities going forward should be the transitions, melodic content, and maybe the instrumentation. I was confused about the mood of the piece between the eerie-sounding synth at the beginning and the blissful refrains. I’ve been tough on you during this review, but I think the mixing and mastering here is quite good, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony too. Keep at it, Red65!

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
.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
7/10

Red65 responds:

thanks for the feedback.

//red

[Cold windows]

Quirky instrumentation at the beginning. I like the phasing synths and radio effects. The piece takes a really long time to arrive at any moving notes, though, and the drums at :47 come in really suddenly. The mix is good; crisp, clear, and well-balanced instruments throughout. I thought the experimental nature of the texture provided a great atmosphere, but to see so much of it foregrounded for the entire piece compromised the overarching sense of direction of the track. The ghostly riff at 2:26 was beautiful, but quickly gets drowned out by more distorted effects. A lot of the transitions here are really sudden. Without any grounding in moving notes, the composition became a bit too experimental for my tastes after a while. The track simply doesn’t satisfy my criteria for harmonic or melodic content, texture, and structure. That said, you certainly get full credit for sound design, mixing and mastering, and originality. Keep at it, Pusga!

6.75/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.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
6.75/10

[Outcast]

The intro, while a simple fade-in concept, was effective. I like the cute synths and the sweeps. The build-up beginning at :33 was a nice touch, and I enjoyed the refrain. I think there’s more room for stronger melodic content. I don’t really consider arpeggios melodic content. While the mix is really loud, it sounds both over-compressed and a tad indistinct at times. I’d suggest trying to rely more on equalizing than compression to make your mastering sound clear and well-balanced. I think the other main flaw with this piece is that there’s not a lot of variety between the first and second half. The two refrains sound very similar, and the underlying harmonic framework of the piece never really changes. That said, the ritardando at the end was a good idea. I think your composition skills are pretty strong overall, and it’s great that your mix, while not perfect, sounds so loud and full. Other than that, the instrumentation and arrangement of the piece are a tad generic. Overall, solid work with the build-ups, atmosphere, and volume levels. Keep at it, NoobGameYT!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

NoobGameYT responds:

Thank you so much, it was really fun and I can't wait to join the N G U A C next time :)

[Arcade]

I like the cute synth at the beginning. Nice job with the portamentos too. The rhythm by around :17 sounds a bit experimental, but the climax into :48 is nice. Unfortunately, the drums get seriously lost in the mix at that point, and the bass is too loud. I think you need to be a little stricter with the equalizer, and maybe compress the drums more. The mix is sufficiently loud, but it’s not very well-balanced in my opinion. The drums could also use some more reverb, and the clap sounds pretty generic. The song is well-structured and smooth-flowing, though, and at the end of the day I like the quirky instrumentation and somewhat unconventional rhythmic choices you made. Keep at it, MishkoLalko!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10