TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Fight for the truth]

I like the airy piano at the beginning and the majestic string swells. Pacing of the piece is really good. Slow, but with interesting rhythmic components that create an engaging syncopated element to the texture. The string samples don’t sound particularly authentic, but the high level of emotion by around :50 was nice. I almost wanted the pause at 1:06 to last longer. Nice sense of suspense and foreboding throughout this piece. The flute/piccolo at 1:43 or so is a great touch, too. Occasionally, the transitions in this piece could’ve been smoother, notably at 1:51. The warm sound of the strings at 2:15 was great, and the re-intro at 2:25 helped provide a solid base for the final climax of the piece. The harmonic shift at 2:59 was a great addition to the texture, too. I especially liked the punchy strings at 3:12 in the lead-up to 3:35. The descending line at 3:57 leaves the foreboding element of the mood unresolved at the end, a risky yet tasteful choice. Production quality is great, too. Loud, clear mix throughout. My main complaints are limited to some minor concerns about the instrumentation and a couple of less-than-smooth transitions. Keep up the great work, Lukiaffe!

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

[Used to Be]

Majestic riff at the beginning. Sounds a bit thin, but once the rest of the texture fills in it’s a really nice touch in that upper register. The beat is nice and crisp, too. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The piece feels really dry, though. I think there’s a ton of potential for this piece to have a gorgeous, lush atmosphere. Everything about the sound design has a great emotional appeal, except the only thing missing was the reverb/delay effects that would’ve actually given it that atmospheric touch. Otherwise, the composition here is seriously vanilla. Very little sense of progression or growth over these 2.5 minutes. This piece is both repetitive and harmonically stagnant, unfortunately. Overall, I think with a bit more variety in the moving notes and a more generous approach to the mastering effects, this piece could be an ambient beauty with the perfect amount of punch. Right now, the composition’s just a tad underwhelming. Keep at it, KnockVoltage!

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

KnockVoltage responds:

Thanks for the feedback

[Blurred Vision]

I like the fun jazzy pads at the beginning. There’s a bit of atonality between the chords and the synth that comes in shortly thereafter. Creative rhythmic elements too. Texture seems a tad dry and bare, though. Some more reverb would help this piece out a lot, especially on the drums, and with the rapid changes in the chords, it’s hard to discern a sense of overarching direction to the piece. Some more prominent melodic content would help this piece out a lot. I also think it’s quite long, even considering the fast pacing. The piece really only starts coming together at around the 3-minute mark, and even then mid-range frequencies are surprisingly absent from the texture. The tempo automation into 3:54 was a good idea, but I think the transition there still came off as a bit sudden. This piece is very experimental harmonically, yet also doesn’t have a lot of cohesiveness, which would’ve given it a more down-to-earth structural appeal. The result is that you’re not really keeping the listener sufficiently grounded in any repetitive elements of the texture, and I think that’s both jarring and ineffective from a compositional standpoint. The ending is also pretty abrupt. Sounds like the piece doesn’t really have an overarching sense of direction. I’ve been tough on you in this review, but the instruments and harmonic progression within certain sections are both really cool here. I think you just need to consolidate a lot of your ideas, flesh out the texture, and make some more careful decisions about the structure overall. Harmonically unconventional pieces are fine, but pairing that with structurally unconventional techniques is really risky. There are a lot of fun ideas in this piece - rhythmically, harmonically, sound design-wise - but I’d like to see you give the composition a bit more coherence and regularity. Hope that helps. Keep at it, G4CE!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
Composite score
6.5/10