TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[rat on toast]

Catchy beats at the beginning. Synths sound a little generic and unpolished, though. Also, the texture is quite minimal for most of the piece. Nice job with the transposition at the 1-minute mark or so. I didn’t really see the breakdown at 1:19 coming, though. Felt a bit forced, and you could’ve done a lot more to foreshadow its appearance (automations, phrasing, etc.). Despite the crisp drums and good balance in the texture, the mix is very, very quiet. Compression and volume level adjustments are really tools you should look into using more. The progression of the piece isn’t bad, but also doesn’t feel like it’s leading anywhere. You maintain the somewhat grim chord progression of the breakdown for the rest of the piece without ever really tying it together with what I’m predisposed to believe is the main theme of the piece (during the first minute). Overall, the composition needs a lot more fleshing out here. More harmonies, textural fill, and high-pitched frequencies in general. Also couldn’t hurt to vary the beat at some point. That said, it’s a catchy piece with a distinctly eerie mood and some admirable rhythmic work. Keep at it, d347rat!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.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
Composite score
6/10

[Emotion]

I like the quirky bell-like instrument at the beginning, but the rhythm is a bit hard to follow. Once the more melodic elements come in at :20, the rich texture is pretty nice. I think the more high-pitched elements could’ve been reigned it a little more in the mix. They sound a tad harsh in my ears sometimes. The mix is very clear, but is also on the verge of being too loud. Be careful about distortion caused by that booming kick drum. My main complaint, however, is that this piece simply isn’t structurally complete. There’s no sense of closure at the end, and the piece also doesn’t loop well. Overall, the quirky sound design and progression are really enjoyable here, but I think you need to flesh out the composition more and help the mix settle before this is a sufficiently stand-alone piece. Keep at it, ChronicBurnR!

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Yugoslavia 1982]

I like the angry, staccato bass sounds. A lot of the effects here are really cool, like the twittering sound at :08. Nice rhythmic work with the hi-hats too. As for the reverb-heavy crash-equivalent at :15, I think you overdid it a bit. It just consumes the texture for the couple seconds after it comes in. The dark mood and brass hits here are pretty cool, but I think my main complaint with this piece is that it’s lacking compositionally. Far from being a structurally complete piece, it only has one engaging moment of climax with the brass melody at :46 before a hurried, lazy fade-out. Rhythmic, staccato elements dominate the texture, and the harmonic framework is not sufficiently fleshed out for my tastes. Is the track bad? Certainly not. Have you earned a scout? Yes. But I wanted to see you do a lot more with the composition here. Keep at it, Chickenizer!

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6/10

Chickenizer responds:

Hi TaintedLogic, thank you for listening and the comprehensive, constructive feedback!

Excuse Mode ON: I only had an hour to make this, and so decided that the best course of action would be to spontaneously synthesize a synthwave soundtrack cue (hence the fade-out at the end, where it would supposedly loop back should it play with some visual media like a video game).

But, excuses aside, I should have definitely worked on that one longer. And I too think that the structure is the one aspect of the track that is hurting it the most.

Also, I really don't think I should've cut so much lows on the brass. D'oh.

Still, I'm glad you found value in this – I should really call it by it's name – sketch.

I'm glad I earned my place for a scout! So if we are both scouts, tell me, when do we start selling cookies? Just kidding. :)

Cheers!

[Winner Track (Original Mix)]

Smooth track. A little generic in its arrangement and harmonic progression, but the drops are fun and the sound design is pretty cool. Mix is super loud and clean, if a little over-compressed. There also aren't a ton of high-pitched frequencies, which leaves the balance kinda bottom-heavy. Some stuff might need a high-pass. Well-structured and smooth-flowing, though. Definitely fits a niche mood. Keep at it, Kaixo!

KaixoMusic responds:

s t o p t a k i n g t h i s t r a c k s e r i o u s l y p l e a s e xD

[Edge of The Cliff]

Hey man! I'm not judging your group, but I momentarily thought I was because I was on the wrong tab of the judges' scoresheet. Have a review anyway:

Really catchy riff at the beginning. The drums sound a tad dry, but are also crisp and loud. There are a lot of fun patterns and melodies here, like :27, :53, and others. I think the progression doesn’t have a clear sense of directionality sometimes, and instead flits back and forth between a few different themes. I also think that the mix, while quite clear, is pretty quiet. Still, my main complaint is that the track needs a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time. The breakdown at 2:37 was a good start, but overall this piece is largely categorized by sudden changes in energy (although the first 2.5 minutes have a relatively uniform level of intensity). I just think that the structure is not as digestible as it could be. The arrangement of the piece doesn’t really give it a sense of dynamism or direction like I want it to. Maybe it would’ve helped if the piece ended shortly after the big solo at 3:05; that felt like a point of resolve and catharsis more than anything else in the piece. I’ve been pretty tough on the compositional elements of this piece, but the production, sound design, and harmonies are all really admirable here. Keep at it, Metallica1136!

[long goodbyes]

I like the quirky synths and the emotional appeal of the lyrics. Vocals themselves are really good too. I think the drums at 1:15 are a little too loud, and the snare sounds a bit biting given the smooth, sensual aspects of the lyrics and atmosphere of the song. I love the backing vocals and the moodiness, though. Really heart-felt song here, Midi. Production quality is great as always - really wet and full texture, yet crystal clear too. Keep up the great work!

[凍傷 "Frostbite"]

Chill riff at the beginning. Kick drum is a little heavy, though, and kinda hijacks the mix. I like the VGM-ish effects and progression. Nice work with the hi-hats, too. I guess I would've liked a little more variety on the main riff, and maybe some melodic content to give the piece more directionality. Fade-out ending came off as a bit lazy, but the production quality is really strong overall. Keep at it, DreamEater!

DreamEater responds:

Thank you very much for your feedback Taintedlogic, I greatly appreciate it.

[Derpcat - The Fallen Kingdom (review)]

Solid work! I like the melodies and the progression. Doesn't really feel like a structurally complete piece, but the mixing is really strong, if a tad over-compressed. I like the emotional appeal of the strings towards the beginning, too. I guess my main complaint is that the instrument at :27 sounds a tad harsh in the upper register. I'd watch your volume levels/filtering there. Melody at :55 sounds like pirates for some reason. :D The dreamy synth at the outro part was a nice touch, too. Anyway, strong stuff overall.