TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Polfarer (Polar Explorer) - botb2024]

I like the low, ominous drone at :04. The texture quickly gets too distorted for my tastes, though. I can hear the chords change, but at times the distortion is so extreme that it’s hard to tell which instruments are playing them. There also isn’t a lot of variety in the texture until the lead guitar cuts through at 1:43, but by 2:22 the piece sounds so murky it’s like I’m hearing it from underwater. The drums get a bit stronger at 2:44, but I still feel like not nearly enough of the body of the sound is coming through my headphones. I seriously would encourage you to pull back on the mixing effects - distortion, reverb, etc. - and try to rebalance the harmonies so that they’re each more distinct in the final output. Sorry if this isn’t a very positive review, and I know you’re making these production choices with intention. It just isn’t my cup of tea. Keep at it, Dadlur!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
0/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
4/10

[Screed - Queering Cat Rescue]

I like the acoustic guitar and crisp drums at the beginning. I also think that throwing the listener right into the action of the piece (as opposed to having an extended intro) was a good decision here. Love the lyrics too - great storytelling, compelling stream-of-consciousness style. I also really like how the lyrics never repeat, even though there’s still an underlying verse-chorus structure. I think my favorite line is “I have no other friends; I was lying when I told you that before.” The vocals are exaggerated and theatrical in a tasteful way. The vocals also get a bit buried underneath the guitars at times (like at :48). This piece has a ton of variety - I especially like the introduction of the intense strumming at the end of each vocal phrase starting at :55. The production quality is strong too. Honestly, this song is about as close to a 10 as it gets for me. Complete outpouring of emotion. Lyrics are poetry. Well-structured and well-mastered. Excellent job, y’all. ^_^

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

UwUwizard responds:

Aw man, thank you so much for your kind words and thoughtful feedback. I really appreciate the observation about not reusing lyrics but retaining the same lexical symmetry during repetitions of the same melody, that’s something I particularly dig in music too and really liked how naturally it came out here. Will definitely take into account the vocal mixing in future too. Thank you for listening!

[Liberty Priced - Where Am I? - Botb2024]

Love the dissonant guitar noodling at the beginning and the sinister, echoey laugh for flavor. I think you didn’t quite capitalize on the tension built up there, though - I kept expecting the dissonance to be resolved at some point, especially once the more tonal and regular vocal phrases come in at :44. The harmonic center of the piece is still pretty hard to discern until then, and a more minimal and mellow section at some point would’ve also added a nice bit of variety. The drums also get a tad lost in the mix during the busier sections, although the frequencies are pretty well-balanced throughout. Overall, I think you went experimental on just a couple too many parameters here. The dissonant chant-like content would make for a good intro/outro/bridge, but it’s not quite grounded enough for you to pull it off for 90% of the track. That said, you’re clearly a talented guitarist, and a lot of the production decisions are also neat here (like the mixing effects on the vocals). Thanks for coming out to Battle of the Bands, Liberty Priced! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
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
6.25/10

[Behind the Curtain]

I like the fade-in at the beginning and the emotion behind the lyrics at :09. The high-pass on the drums is a little strong for my tastes, and I think the vocals could be mixed a little more up-front in the mix at times. The instrumental tracks are great, though - love the seamless combo of synths and guitars. I enjoy the contrast between the ascending vocal line and demonic response at 1:20, too. The vocals at 1:30 could’ve blended a bit better together, but the rhythmic bridge at 1:43 was a nice “reset” moment, and that in turn transitioned nicely into the more high-octane section at 2:20 or so. Overall, the production quality here is really nice, and I’m impressed with the variety and structuring here. You channel the energy really well throughout, and also tell a compelling story in general. The parallel bass/synth solos at 3:15 really hit the spot, and I love how the tenor of the piece “stabilizes” again for the final refrain at 3:30. This is top-to-bottom a really well-done track, Spadezer. Keep up the good work! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Spadezer responds:

This is encouraging! Glad you liked it. 8 definitely appreciate the critiques on the vocals since this feels like new territory for me.

[Zombify]

I like the instrumentation and the angsty lyrics. The vocal delivery isn’t always perfect - you don’t quite articulate all the lyrics clearly at times (like at :38 and 1:00), and you could also put some more emotion behind the vocals in general. I think the recording/production quality is my biggest problem with the piece, though. The guitars and drums sound seriously distorted whenever the vocals are playing simultaneously. What software are you using to mix the different tracks together? Send me a PM - I’ll try to help you polish up the production quality here. On the plus side, the bridge at 1:28 was good for some variety, and clearly you have some good guitar skills. Thanks for coming out to Battle of the Bands 2024, CrabbyXX! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[SHATTERED MEMENTO]

Love the atmosphere at the beginning and the pensive E-piano line at :15. Mix sounds well-balanced and full. The bass line and beat at :40 help channel the energy nicely. The rhythmic content is a bit hard-to-follow at first during the drop, and later on this piece could use a bit more variety and depth in the harmonies. That said, the sound design is really evocative - fitting title in that regard, too. Keep at it, ToirMusic! ^_^

[Flower Dance]

I like the bright tone and cute synths here. The piece is consistently catchy and smooth-flowing, with strong transitions and a pleasing progression that channels the energy well. The drums are a bit generic, and the kick in particular has a lot of higher-range frequencies for my tastes. I also think the mix could use a tad more bass at times, especially during the refrain at 1:04. The melodies are nice, but a bit repetitive. The drums get a little buried in the mix during the busier sections of the track, although I know Garageband has only a limited set of tools for dealing with that. I'd encourage you to experiment a bit more with panning and stereo widening, which could help the drums stand out in the "front and center" of the mix.

Overall, this is a solid track, V1ZION! The composition could be a tad bolder and more well-varied at times, but I like the melodies, sound design, and blissful mood. Keep it up. ^_^

V1ZION responds:

Thanks so much, TL! ^^

[-Port Force-]

Catchy piece! A bit minimal, but it has a decent amount of variety regardless. I don't think you mixed it too hard, but I would've liked to hear a bit more of the lead at :58 or so - it was way far back in the mix. The melody writing isn't your strongest here. The phrases feel very stop-start, with the harmonies getting increasingly thin until the track "resets" (like at 1:22, 2:17, etc.). I'd challenge you to make longer, more dynamic melodies with a wider range of pitches. Still, I like the cute instruments, production quality, and rhythmic patterns. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

MINIMAL!? That is not what I was thinking! Thanks for the honesty tho!

[-Psycho Lady-]

I like the groovy bass line. The texture is a bit dissonant at :11, and I also think the snare could be a bit more up-front in the mix. The brass instruments sound a bit inauthentic too.

I like the more upbeat mood at around 1:15, although there are still a few too many notes that don't seem to match with the other harmonies there. I'd suggest laying out all the chords you want to use in advance and making sure that every note that's playing during a given bar/measure is in the corresponding chord. It also might help to look at some online tutorials specifically on jazz harmonic structure - I'm not sure it's always quite as loose as you're treating it here.

The frantic piano line at 2:40 is probably one of my favorite elements of the piece. It gets a little lost amidst a very busy texture at around 3:00, but it has a really light and airy feel that I like a lot.

Overall, I appreciate you going out of your comfort zone with this one. I hope you find more time to do some more jazz-inspired tracks - it's a really underappreciated genre in my opinion. Cheers! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Sorry that it’s not that great, thanks for your honesty

[-Dark Woodlands-]

I like the murky atmosphere at the beginning. Definitely feels Halloweeny. :)

The way the drums faded in sounded a bit bizarre. Fading them in with filtering as opposed to just volume might've been smoother. There's a bit of dissonance in the texture at around the 1-minute mark, and the transition at 1:19 is pretty sudden. The texture feels like it's missing a lot of mid-range frequencies. The complex rhythmic structure of the piece would also come through more clearly if the different harmonies weren't so close together in pitch.

I also feel like the song needs a more prominent lead riff. Right now, the echo-y mid-range bass riff that serves as the lead for most of the piece (it plays in isolation at 3:48) sounds a little too minimal and murky to really stand out.

Overall, not your best, but you definitely nailed the creepy mood and sound design. Happy belated Halloween! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the advice!