TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Hidden | Surreal]

I like the ominous synths at the beginning. At :32, it seems like the kick is getting a little distorted by the sub-bass. You can fix that with sidechaining, or at least minimize the effect with some more careful equalizing if you don’t want the unnatural sound that comes with sidechaining. That said, I did enjoy the melodic content during the first minute and a half or so, although you did go quite a long time without varying the texture much at all. The transition at 1:32 didn’t quite work from me - that drum fill is not an effective way to move towards a complete change in the harmonic structure of the piece. Without much knowledge of music theory, it can be hard to make such transitions, but I’d encourage you to include some of the same instruments or harmonies on both sides of a transition in order to keep the listener grounded. The same goes for 2:22. Overall, there’s also quite a lot of minimalism in the piece, and I think you could’ve done more to use the entire frequency range as much as possible, especially the higher end. The melodies could also use some more variation, and the instruments are a little generic. I’ve been tough on you in this review, but I think the main thing you should focus on moving forward is drawing harmonic connections between distinct sections of your piece. The part at 1:34 and the rest of the piece could very well be two different pieces - smoothing over that transition and giving the piece some cohesion will gain you back a lot of points in the “structure and variety” category. Keep at it, Hidden-Hub. :)

6.25/10

Hidden-Hub responds:

Thanks for the review! I will consider this feedback when making my next piece. I haven't been in the music industry for a lot of time, and another important thing is that I don't have access to a lot of music creating software (I use GarageBand), so a couple of the points you mentioned will probably improve when I'll get something else like FL Studio. Once again, thanks for the review and I'll consider these points when making my next piece. :)

[Faller]

The instrument at the beginning is a little generic, although the progression with the arpeggios at :09 was interesting. The distorted melodies at :25 are cool, and don’t sound overly harsh in the mix, which is a big plus. I think the progression is a little slow, although it does have a good sense of climax into the first minute or so. The melodic content at 1:54 was also strong. I suppose my main problem with the piece is that it doesn’t have a ton of structural variety or shape. Things like dynamics, phrasing, and filtering could really help enhance the emotional and/or dramatic quality of this piece, keeping your listener engaged. I also thought the percussion was a little dry, probably in need of some reverb. You have a couple of sudden transitions in this piece, but the one that bothers me the most is at 3:04. It seemed like you were taking the piece in a new direction, but then you abruptly move to this coda that has a bit of a bizarre progression and that doesn’t feel all that conclusive. One thing I think that’s pretty strong in the piece is the mixing. Despite being dry, the drums are crisp and clear, and the synths blend well together. Overall, this piece is catchy and clearly displays some strong melodic and harmonic content. If you just take a few more risks with the composition, this piece could be really strong! Keep at it, Googlebugger. :)

7.5/10

Googlebugger responds:

Once again thank you so much for taking the time to check my music out and letting me be a part of the competition! I will take all the advice I can get and improve for next year!

[Walking Home With You]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. A couple of the flute/other woodwind instruments sounded a bit too harsh in my headphones - I’d suggest taking away some of the treble there with an equalizer. The melodic content of this piece is really good, though - has a smooth, flowing, relaxed feel. The snare might’ve been a bit hard-hitting compared to the cutesy nature of the melodic content. Same thing with the dramatic crashes (like at 1:55 and other places). You clearly have a good sense of harmony, and I think you nailed the mood and atmosphere. My main problem with the piece is that the texture needs a lot more variety. The melodies play on a near-constant loop, and even the transitions are overused by the end. The texture has a lot of pizzicato-y sounds that could be smoothed over with some pads - maybe you could even introduce them in a breakdown or bridge, just to add more variety. Cute, blissful and melodic piece, though. Keep at it, GoldHeartSenpai. :)

8/10

Febbs responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic! I'll keep that in mind :)

[G4CE'sz - Winter Solstice]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The chord progression is certainly interesting, although the pacing is a bit slow. It has a soothing, jazzy vibe. The beat at 1:02 is cool, but the texture needs some variation by around that point. The synth that comes in at 1:32 sounds pretty generic, and doesn’t add a lot to the sense of direction of the piece. I’d encourage you to give this piece some more shape with some phrasing, emotion, and dynamics. The spaciness at 2:03 helped, but the beat still gave it a bit of a dull sense of continuity. A lot of the melodic content you have here is only fleeting, and I also thought the transition at 3:20 was a bit awkward. The ending was a bit jarring and lazy. At the very least, I think you could smooth it out with some reverb and pads. Overall, you have a good sense of melody and harmony, and I like the mood and atmosphere of this piece. I think the composition is just a little underwhelming. The mixing is also pretty good, though - I can hear everything clearly throughout. The one issue on that front might be that the kick is a little sub-bassy for a piece like this. Still, this is a pretty cool piece. Keep at it, G4CEsz. ;)

7.5/10  

[Solitary]

The chord progression is cool. I wasn’t a huge fan of your instrument choices, though. The synth that plays on every downbeat sounds a little harsh, probably because it either has too much attack or too many treble tones. You can fix that with an equalizer and by adjusting some of the knobs on the plug-in window itself. I like the suspenseful tone, and the progression is pretty good. The drums that come in at around :30 sound a little generic, and could probably use some more reverb. I also wanted to hear some stronger melodic content early on, although 1:35 had some cool melodies. The mix seemed to be getting a bit strained at around the 2-minute mark, although I’m perhaps more concerned by the fact that 2:17 turned into a huge anti-climax. After that, the piece has a dull sense of continuity for a while. I would’ve liked to see you incorporate a bridge or breakdown or something that channeled the energy more effectively here. The piece did feel pretty climactic with the dense harmonies at around the 4-minute mark, but I think the part at 4:25 was a bit of a sudden and jarring development. At the very least, I’d suggest finding a smoother way to transition into the coda there. Overall, it’s a pretty cool track. Nice use of atmosphere and texture. Solid harmonic content and structure. I’d prioritize improving the sound design with some cleaner, more original instruments. Otherwise, keep at it, FyreDrakon. :)

7/10

[JordanKyser - Dubstep Machine [FGK Remix]]

The long intro with the white noise and ambience was a bit confusing, and the synth at :25 sounds a bit harsh and high-pitched. I’d suggest taking some of the treble tones off of it with an equalizer. Same with the pulsing wave effects and the synth that comes in at around :50, in fact. The melodic material here is pretty good, but the progression is really slow, and the mix is not very well-balanced, missing a lot of lower frequencies and fill. The transition at 2:20 was very sudden, and there are a lot of generic-sounding instruments around that point, especially the snare at 2:43. The piece is pretty catchy, and it’s also fairly well-structured. The transitions are often quite sudden, though, and the harsh mixdown detracted from my enjoyment of the piece a lot, unfortunately. Part of it could be the instrumentation - I’d suggest listening to the piece with headphones to really make sure you want it to sound that harsh in the upper register. I also really don’t think the piece needed to be 8 minutes long. There are also a lot of moments of minimalism in the piece - perhaps some more reverb could help smooth that over a bit. Overall, it has some potential. There are some amusing riffs here. Keep at it, FGK2015! :)

5.25/10

[pobreza]

It seems you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm. I think your track is peaking a bit, though. The harsh, crackling noises I’m hearing on my headphones indicate that the volume of the track is a bit too loud. I’d suggest adjusting the master volume on your track in the DAW until your peak meter doesn’t go into the red (you can probably look up how to access your peak meter in whatever DAW you use on the internet). And always use headphones when mixing and mastering your piece. :)  Okay, back to the song - I’m really enjoying the melodic content in the strings. I think it dragged on a bit too long without much variation in the texture. Welcome changes finally came at 1:14. In the future, I’d love to see you experiment more with dynamics and phrasing. Giving this piece a bit more shape could really help keep the listener engaged. It also has a bit of a dull sense of continuity - some structural variety would really help. Overall, I like it. It’s a catchy and fun piece with a distinctive character. Keep at it, man. :)

7/10

EmmanuelRojas responds:

thanks for the tips and the kind words :D

[Comet City]

I like the quirky mood. There’s a really harsh instrument that comes in on the downbeat of each measure toward the beginning. It sounds really high-pitched and jarring in my headphones. Same thing with the gritty white noise that comes in at :07 or so. I really think you need to use an equalizer to take some of the treble off of those instruments. I really wasn’t a fan of your instrumentation. A lot of the instruments here sound really unpolished and dry, like the drums at :16 and most of the synths too. Reverb could help, but I think the real problem is that you need to learn how to use an equalizer. Getting rid of some harsh and interfering frequencies here could really help give this piece a cleaner and more distinct sound. Also, I want you to consider methods of variation besides adding and subtracting instruments. The piano at :57, the synths at 1:12 and 1:28, etc., all come in without any forewarning at all, give the structure a jarring abruptness with a few too many twists and turns. Effective transitions often involve sweeps or crashes, drum fills, changes in dynamics, filtering, and phrasing. I’m not seeing you utilize any of those elements here, or anything else that could help smooth over these transitions. Overall, there are some good ideas here. A lot of the individual riffs and melodies are amusing, but the arrangement and mastering of the piece need some work. I’d suggest focusing on building stronger transitions as a priority. Once you feel like you’ve made a piece that flows smoothly, PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Emberphyte. :)

3/10

Emberphyte responds:

I'll try

[Abstrack - The Raining]

I like the powerful chords at the beginning, even if the progression is a little cliche. The melodic content at :11 is also enjoyable. I like how you scale back the energy at :22, and the bitcrushing on the percussion is amusing. Despite the frequent changes in instrumentation, it’s pretty repetitive. I also think the mixing needs some work. The kick is clearly distorting the pads (and vice versa) at around 1:15. The snare is also a bit weak. I’d suggest using some more careful equalization to eliminate the low frequencies in everything except the bass and kick, and also adding some compression to the drums. The section at 1:47 offered some nice structural relief, which then led into the final refrain well. The filtering effects at around 2:45 are enjoyable too. The ending is a little abrupt, and I wish you had some more melodic development at the end. Perhaps that’s a little picky, though. Overall, this piece is strong. Clean up the mixing and vary the chord progression and melodies a bit, and this would be a really solid track. Keep at it, DJ-white. :)

7.25/10

Abstrack responds:

Woah, thank you for your big review! All the stuff said seems pretty mutch true to me, and will be useful as hell!

[Bass synth demo]

The intro is a bit lazy, and drags on for a while without any moving notes. I like the bass line, but the progression is very slow and added to the length of the piece unnecessarily. I want you to find more creative ways of introducing new instruments to the texture besides fade-ins - such as cross-fading, filtering, transitions with sweeps or crashes or drum fills, etc. The piece has very little melodic content, and really doesn’t change fast enough to keep me engaged. The drums were also really weak, and definitely needed some more compression. I’d also recommend making sure to remove the low frequencies in everything except the bass and kick using an equalizer. The composition here is really underwhelming. I’d strongly suggest basing your future tracks off of more melodic content as a priority. Once you feel like you’ve done so, PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, DJRemedy. :)

3.5/10