TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Save me]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The chord progression is a little cliche, and I think you went a little overboard on the reverb on a couple of the synths here. The melodic content in the piano is enjoyable, and you have a good sense of harmony. The drums come through the mix pretty clearly, but I think the excessive reverb detracts from the distinctness of the synths. The piece has a cool atmosphere and mood, although the piece gets pretty repetitive towards the end. The fade-out ending struck me as a bit lazy, and I think you could do more to offer some shape and variety in the piece (a breakdown or bridge, some more dynamic contrast and phrasing, etc.). Overall, it’s pretty good. A little more effort into the composition, and this would be a really solid piece. Keep at it, Shabbyjazz. :)

7.25/10

CielOuvert responds:

Much appreciated, a very thorough and precise review. I will take this into consideration :)

[Nirimi - At dark times]

The descending line at the beginning had a really somber vibe, and I like how each note bleeds into the next. The progression is really slow, and there’s a bit of dissonance in the harmonies at around :40. I think you could’ve done a lot more to use the entire frequency range to your advantage here. The entire piece is very minimalistic, and I would’ve liked to see you use some more creative transitions besides the crash at some point. The piece is lacking strong melodic content and occasionally even tonality. At best, the composition is really underwhelming. I’d strongly suggest that you structure your piece around some sort of melodic riff or emotional height. When you feel like you’ve done so, PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Don’t be discouraged. The mood and instruments are pretty cool - you just needed to put more effort into the composition. Keep at it, RobinvanDommelen. :)

4.75/10

RobinvanDommelen responds:

Thanks. I will definitely try to improve :)

[Mechanical Breakdown]

The ascending line at the very beginning is pretty interesting, but I really don’t understand the role of that harsh, blaring synth at :02 in the texture. It doesn’t complement the mood of the piece at all, and ends up detracting from my enjoyment of the piece considerably. It completely takes over the mix when it comes in. If you want to keep that harmony line in there, I’d suggest replacing it with a smooth bass or something. At 1:08, the texture is a bit too busy, with a lot of dissonances between the various moving lines going on. I’m just confused which melody to listen to. I also thought a lot of your instruments were pretty generic. The riser that starts at around 2:05 also sounds thin, harsh, and obnoxious. Overall, the composition of this piece just didn’t come together for me at all. I know I’ve been really tough on you in this review, but I think you have a good sense of structure and flow. Also, the mastering is pretty good - I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. The main thing that bothers me about this piece is the sound design, but I’d also suggest you think a little more about how your harmonies relate musically. Keep at it, man! :)

5.5/10

redflaresountracks responds:

there are trills there for a reason. its about a old machine breaking down. Thanks anyway!

[Highway 963]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning. Some of the instruments seemed a little generic, but everything still blends well together. You have a good sense of harmony and progression, and the mixing is also pretty strong. By around the 2-minute mark, I really would’ve liked to see some more structural variety here. The main riffs and melodies get really repetitive, and after a while it has a dull sense of continuity. I think you needed a bridge or breakdown or something to give this piece some more shape and contrast. The fade-out ending also came across as pretty lazy. Overall, it’s a catchy piece with some cool melodies and harmonies. Solid work!

8.25/10

[Omson's Epic Music: Legion Of The Fallen]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning. The crisp percussion and the pulse of the strings are great touches. The dissonance at :53 also works really well. Occasionally, I can tell the brass is inauthentic, probably because of the really slow attack. The dark mood here is gripping, although I do think you could’ve humanized some sections a bit more. From what I can tell, the mixing is also pretty strong. I like the climactic finish, but I don’t think the drum fade-out at the end was even remotely necessary. My biggest compositional complaint is that the piece has a constant sense of energy, and it could really use some more shape. Including some sort of breakdown or bridge could really help you out in that regard. That said, this is very impressive work overall. I’m excited to see what else you produce for the contest. Keep it up!

9.25/10

[Press On]

I like the bouncy chords and blissful mood at the beginning. The drums are nice and crisp, and give the piece a great sense of drive. I think you could’ve done more to foreshadow the transition at :34, but I like the melodic content there. I guess my main problem with the piece is that it has a sense of continuity throughout without much structural variety. You could’ve done a lot more with the composition here, and I think the texture could benefit from some more creative instrumentation. Overall, though, it’s hard not to like this piece. Good job with the atmosphere and mood, which the simplicity enhance. Keep at it, OForTheWin. ;)

8/10

OForTheWin responds:

Thank you very much for the feedback!

[Brink]

I think you have a good sense of harmony and progression. The instruments here sound really inauthentic, though. The mix also sounds strained at many points. For example, it’s hard to hear the woodwinds once the brass comes in at 1:16. I’m not sure Musescore has the capacity to fix that, but if you’re using a Mac I’d highly recommend exporting the piece to Garageband and using an equalizer to try to make each instrument come through clearer. I did enjoy the melodic content in this piece, though. The pacing of the piece is a little fast, although overall the structure and transitions are enjoyable as well. Overall, this is a strong composition, but the mixing and sound design need work. Keep at it, Novent-Music. ;)

7.25/10

Novent-Music responds:

Thank you for your input it is greatly appreciated. as far as mastering goes I'm experimenting with exporting the instruments to audacity and doing the equalization there.

[Proxima]

You have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. The instruments here struck me as a little generic, though, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the panning in the drums - it was a very hard pan that didn’t add much to the piece IMO. Also, once the bass comes in at :16, the kick and drums get a little distorted. I think you need some more careful equalizing, and probably some compression too. As for the composition, I would’ve liked to see you vary that main lead riff (comes in at 2:22 and many other places) more. The piece gets quite repetitive after a while, and also doesn’t have much in the way of dynamic contrast or phrasing - just a near-constant energy level for over 4 minutes. The melodic content here is really enjoyable, though. I think my main problem with the piece is the mixing - it just sounds really strained during the busy sections. Excessive reverb might be part of the problem, but I think you really need to look into using an equalizer to limit the distortion here. As a priority, I’d suggest eliminating all of the low frequencies in every instrument except the bass and kick. Doing so will make the sound quality much clearer. Solid work on the composition, though. Keep at it, Nicfart646. ;)

6.75/10