TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Alter Ego (Part 2)]

I like the cinematic vibe at the beginning. The vocals were a nice touch, and the strings create a lot of drive and anticipation. At :24, I think the strings could sound a bit more distinct in the mix, though. Still, the percussion is crisp and loud, which is a good sign that the mixing is strong overall. The piece lacks some direction until around 1:20, though. For a cinematic piece, there’s not a ton of phrasing and shape. The piece was very suspenseful without offering much in the way of emotional heights. At 1:38, that powerful brass melody really takes a back seat. That’s a missed opportunity to really let loose the tension that’s been present for the entire piece so far. The section at 2:53 sounded more like a climax than anything else, but you still could’ve done a better job of building up to it using dynamics and phrasing rather than simply layering instruments on top of each other and having an occasionally sweep or crash. I think the sound design and mixing are really strong here, but the composition needs a lot more flavor and shape to hit it home. Keep at it, Omson! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

[astrEnfant]

I like the ominous vibe at :05 and the atmospheric flair. The piece has a really engaging cinematic vibe. The sound design is great, and the part at :42 feels really climactic. The guitar entrance at 1:02 caught me off guard a bit (not because it was a rough transition, but because the guitar wasn’t really an obvious choice given the instrumentation up to that point). I also thought the drums were a bit generic, and the pacing of the piece is very fast. You don’t have to change up the texture every 10-15 seconds in order to generate enough variety. Also, the mini-bridges with the high-pitched bells (like at 2:11) got a bit overused after a while. There are a lot of good ideas here. The melodies are fantastic. The mixing is super clean and clear. You’ve varied the energy levels a lot, and I appreciate it. BUT the composition feels extremely patched-together and incoherent. I’d highly encourage you to put more effort in the future into keeping the listener grounded in a (slightly) more predictable and repetitive structure. All these rapid changes in the texture is jarring for the listener, and consolidating your ideas and slowing down the pacing would help a lot. Don’t be afraid of a little more repetition! That said, overall I enjoyed the piece a lot. Keep at it, Miyolophone. ;)   

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Miyolophone responds:

Thanks for the review TL! I admit your criticism about coherence comes as a surprise to me, since I actually worked super hard this time on making my melodies repeat as frequently as some might in more typical electronic genres, but this time it seems texture was my downfall, so definitely a fair point. Perhaps I went a little crazy on generating new material— funny how writing more music can actually make it less enjoyable— as is typical for me in my quest to never be boring, so in the future I'll try not to go overboard on that sort of thing.
(also I will regret the electric guitar until the day I die)
Thanks again!

[Finale]

I like the warm texture at the beginning. It’s a little slow to progress, but I love the phrasing in the pads. The lead at :53 was a nice touch, but I’m not sure the high-pitched arpeggios complement the texture very well. Overall, the mix is pretty clean, but I think the composition is a little underwhelming. The chord progression is pretty cliche, and the rest of the harmony parts are heavily grounded in that progression. The pause at 2:03 was a little sudden and awkward, but I appreciated your attempt at structural variety and emotion with the piano at 2:06. There’s also another rough transition at 4:04, and overall not a lot of new material in the second half of the piece to keep me engaged. The sound design is probably my favorite element of the piece, but overall the piece needs a little more textural fill in places and some more substantial melodic content. I was also impressed with the mixing, though. Keep at it, Madze. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[The Garden of Eternity]

The rhythmic elements of the piece are appealing from the get-go, and I love that quirky synth lead at the beginning. The panning might’ve been a bit excessive, but it does keep the mix relatively clean. You have an excellent sense of progression and harmony, btw, and the smooth melodic content in the strings at around 1:10 is absolutely gorgeous. The texture is very rich, although I couldn’t help but feel it was missing some atmosphere at around 1:30. Some of your instruments are a bit too dry, while others have a lot of reverb that allows them to take over the mix a too much IMO. The structure is also very hard to follow, and there aren’t really any predominant melodies over the other ones - it’s just a continuous wave of successive melodies. I also thought the transition at 2:49 was a bit rough, perhaps a last-ditch effort to give the piece some coherence. The sound design here is absolutely amazing, but the composition feels very thrown-together and inconclusive. If you had given this piece a little more shape and direction, you might’ve won the competition IMO. Still, admirable work. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Baumarius responds:

Thanks! I started to notice those things after a while too, but my sample subscription ended, so I couldn't really change it. I'll go back before I release the Kadamitas album and fix it up a bit c:

[Quaid City Bar]

I like the groovy drums and quirky sound design. I think the kick could be a lot stronger, and the snare also needs some compression. The rhythmic and melodic elements of this piece are really amusing, though. The melody at 2:01 was particularly enjoyable - very soulful and even tranquil in a way. I appreciated the change of pace when you broke down the bass line at 2:40. At the same time, I thought the piece could’ve used a distinct emotional height or finale to really hit it home. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy. I know you wrote this for a videogame, but tracks in this competition should really function as stand-alone pieces. I also thought the bass lines could’ve been a little more distinct - you might want to be stricter with the equalization in the low frequency range. Still, the mood and atmosphere are absolutely fantastic. Keep up the good work! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Joey4Track responds:

Thanks for the review! Yeah I actually don't have monitors atm so my mixes aren't up to par, I have no idea what's going on in the lower frequencies right now, lol. And yeah the song is meant to be looped but actually I totally do have a problem ending songs haha. It was really fun, thanks for judging and for the great feedback :)

[Dovax - Mellow]

I like the atmospheric vibe at :05 and the melodic content. The drum samples seem a bit generic, but they sit well in the mix. I like the lead instrument a lot, and there’s a good sense of climax into 1:15. The minimalism there made the progression feel a bit anti-climactic, and the transition and re-intro at 1:45 felt a little lazy. Perhaps my biggest problem with the piece is that it sounds very generic, especially considering the pads, transitions, and structure. Filling in the texture with reverb alone is a bit risky. I really would’ve liked to see some more harmonic depth throughout the piece. It’s a catchy piece with solid mastering and an enjoyable atmosphere. The composition is extremely lack-luster, unfortunately. Keep at it, Dovax. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Zyzyx - Stroll Through Space]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The blend of orchestral and synthetic elements was enjoyable. Has a bit of a jazzy vibe, which I also appreciated. The groovy melodic line at :21 is great, and the mix is rather clean. That said, the drop at 1:04 seemed a bit underwhelming by comparison, and didn’t add much to the piece musically. I also would’ve liked to hear more of the arpeggios in the background there - toning down the reverb might help with that. The breakdown at 2:30 with the cool panning and drums is also enjoyable. The melodies at 3:14 really tie this piece together - that last bit of catharsis really gives it a great sense of resolve, and I like the outro with the orchestral flair. A couple of the transitions in the piece could use a bit of work - you have a habit of connecting everything with risers and sweeps, so I would’ve liked to see some more creative transitions at 3:35, 1:48, and 2:29. Overall, though, the composition is really strong here. It’s really only a few little things that bother me here. Keep up the good work, Dj-zyzyx! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

DJ-Zyzyx responds:

Thank you so much mate :D

[Dalux & Fhyre - Ambiguity (Old Version)]

Nice job with the atmosphere at the beginning. The piece has a really smooth and soothing vibe. The kick for the first 26 seconds is pretty weak, and I think the lead and clap at :30 both sound a bit generic. The blissful mood is good, though, and the melodic content is enjoyable. The sub-bass is a nice touch, too. I wish you had given the hi-hats a bit more of a boost in the mix (perhaps some more compression, or just lifting the treble range in the equalizer) - it’d be great if they sounded more up-front and crisp. The melodic development at 2:38 is great, though. This piece comes together really well, and sounds very climactic and conclusive. The strings at 3:03 were a nice touch as well. Overall, really strong work here, guys! ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
2/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

[Reckless]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. That guitar sample isn’t my favorite, though, and the pacing is pretty slow. At :58, the percussion and pensive guitar/synth line mesh really well together. I think you could’ve used a stronger transition into 1:51, though, and the minimalism there made that part rather anti-climactic. The melodic content at 2:18 is enjoyable, but I still think the texture needs more fill. The more atmospheric part at 2:45 was a nice change, but this piece still feels a bit too drawn out and empty to serve as a stand-alone piece. Nice job with the phrasing into 3:38, but the minimalism thereafter felt really underwhelming again. I think you needed some sort of emotional height to hit this piece home. Overall, nice job with the mood and atmosphere, and the mixing is also fairly strong (despite a bit of a treble-heavy kick). The composition is a little lack-luster, but that’s your biggest problem here. Keep at it, Cursedsnake. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Abendland - Thrillseekers]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning, and the adventuresome vibe that follows with the melodic content at :09. The pulse of the strings gets a little lost in the mix at :16, though. I think you need to be careful about equalization here, especially in the lower range. The low percussion at :47 clearly distorts other instruments. That said, the composition here is quite strong. Nice job with the instrumentation, too - the vocals at 1:15 were particularly a nice touch. The transition into 1:57 was a tad lazy, but overall the piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing as well. I think the mastering is the biggest culprit here. Otherwise, strong work. ;)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.75/2
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the above elements interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10