TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[High Flight 2]

I like the chord progression at the beginning, as well as the reverb and the sense of atmosphere. For the more powerful chords at :10, I think the reverb is a little overboard, though. The rhythmic quirks at :45 didn’t quite work for me, but I did enjoy the sense of climax into :56. At :56, the mix is really strained. The strings are clearly being distorted by the other instruments. I think you need to look into using equalizers on these instruments, as well as compressors as is applicable. I also didn’t think the orchestral instruments you had in the song sounded very authentic. The melodic content here is strong, though. You change up the instrumentation here a lot - I think you should work on consolidating your ideas and keeping the listener grounded more. I did enjoy the structural relief you offered at around the 3-minute mark, although the transition back into more energetic content at 3:43 was very sudden. Overall, the pacing of the piece is pretty fast, but there are a couple of very slow-moving moments that give it a bit of a wonky flow - notably the breakdown section and the coda (last 30 seconds or so). You’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the composition here, which is good to see. I think your main area of focus going forward should be the mixing. Keep at it, Myebye. :)

7/10

[Futa Dick]

I like the atmosphere and the synth riff at the beginning. The melody synth that comes in at :17 is a little harsh-sounding in the upper register. I’d suggest using an equalizer to cut out some of the treble tones there. The melodies themselves are enjoyable, though, and the piece is smooth-flowing throughout. The piece doesn’t have a lot of cohesion, and ends a bit abruptly. I think you should work on the structuring here a bit more. Right now, it’s really short and also doesn’t have a very prominent rhythm section. Giving the bass a boost in the mix and adding some drums might help give the piece some drive while also helping you use a broader frequency range. Overall, pretty solid work here. Most of the criticisms I have involve compositional details. Keep at it, Mydogbuddy7. :)

7.5/10

Mydogbuddy7 responds:

Wow thanks a ton, I'll take all of that into consideration for my next piece! Love the criticism.

[SAO - Swordland (Remix)]

I like the sense of climax into :20. The string instruments weren’t very authentic, and they have a very weak attack. I think you have a good sense of harmony and flow, but your instruments are very generic. The melodic content here is also enjoyable, but I think you need to let the piece breathe a little more. Right now, the piece has a constant energy and drive, but I think it would help give the piece more shape and direction if you incorporated some kind of low-energy breakdown or bridge. It’s a short piece, so fleshing out the structure more will still allow you to keep it concise overall. Other than that, it’s a nice, blissful piece. Keep at it, Mutty99! ;)

7/10

mutty99 responds:

Thanks a bunch, still trying to find a decent orchestral bass drum :)

[The Last Stand]

I think you have a good sense of harmony. The anti-climax at :21 wasn’t great, though - a bit out of proportion for the energy of the following section. I liked the melodies at :32. The kick gets a little lost in the mix after a while, though. I’d make sure to be stricter with the equalizing and compression. The snare is also a little weak, overpowered by those synth leads. The snare should almost always be the loudest instrument in the mix, and this is no exception. I think my main problem with the piece is that it’s not really structurally complete. Fleshing out the structure a bit and aiming for a little more shape and contrast would really help strengthen the composition here. The build-up at the very end threw me off in a similar way as :21 - usually build-ups like that lead up to a really energetic or busy section of the piece, and it felt a little jarring and inconclusive to end the piece that way. Overall, there are some good ideas here, but I think you need to put some more effort into the composition. Keep at it, M-Mowz. :)

6/10

Hedrix responds:

Thanks for your feedback

[I'm (not) A Failure]

The mood at the beginning is interesting. I like the distorted chords, but the synth that comes in at :11 sounds really thin, dry, and generic. At the very least, I’d suggest moving it to the background in the mix and giving it some reverb. Then, you use the beat to bridge the conceptual gap between ideas. By :52, it sounds like a very different piece. I think this track also needs much more melodic content in general. You have the chords and atmosphere down, but melodies are still really important. By 2:35 or so, the texture is a bit too busy and dissonant for my tastes. Part of it could be that the instrumentation doesn’t complement the mood very well at that point. Overall, I think the piece needs a bit more cohesion as a priority. Incorporating some clear “refrain” or melodic section would probably help with that. I enjoyed the atmosphere and progression, though. Keep at it, Mexican-Dessert-Pie. ;)

6.5/10

[Metafbite - Cubes]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty cliche, and you have a couple of pretty sudden transitions in here, such as :48 and 2:00. I think the melodic content could use some more rhythmic variety. It’s also very strongly rooted in the chords, which gives it a bit of a stagnant and predictable feel. I’d encourage you to find ways of varying the piece besides adding and subtracting instruments - dynamic contrast, phrasing, crashes and risers, drum fills, etc. Speaking of drums, I think this piece could really use some more drum work, just to give it some drive and energy. The instrumentation is a bit generic, too. I’ve been tough on you in this review. The piece isn’t bad - you have a good sense of harmony and structure. It just needs a little more shape. You have a habit of modifying the texture every 4 or 8 bars like clockwork. That’s very predictable and dull. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is giving your music a constant sense of direction, whether it’s with dynamics, energy, or fleeting changes in the texture. Keep at it, MetafbiteAnimations. ;)

6/10

[Zero Gravity]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The sound design is strong, and the high-pitched synths are beautiful and not too harsh-sounding (which can easily happen if there are too many treble tones). After about a minute or so, I’m really itching for some more melodic content. The riff at 1:42 doesn’t quite cut it - it’s too repetitive and simplistic. I appreciated the moment of structural relief at 2:48, but overall I think you could’ve done a lot more to give this piece some shape and structural variety. The entrance of the cello was an interesting development. It’s not the most authentic sample, but it does fit well with the rest of the sound design here. Unfortunately, the rest of the piece doesn’t have a great sense of conclusivity or direction, and you never again acknowledge the themes introduced by the high-pitched instruments early on. Overall, killer atmosphere, mood, and instrumentation. The mixing is also rather solid. What’s missing is a strong, well-varied composition. Keep at it, MasterClaud. :)

7.5/10   

[Seasons By The Sea]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The chord progression is a little cliche, though, and I think you went a little overboard with the sustain/release on the pads at the beginning. The notes of the pads bleed into each other a bit, creating some dissonances that I don’t think you want in a calming piece like this. I wasn’t a huge fan of your bongo sample - it sounds a bit generic and inauthentic. That said, the melodic content here is great, and the texture is nice and rich by around the 1-minute mark. The atmosphere here is great, and you’ve done a good job with the structuring too. The mix could have a tad bit more clarity - it’s tough integrating all of those pad-like reverberated instruments - but the drums sound crisp and clear, which is a huge plus. Overall, this is quite impressive work. Keep at it, Madze! :)

8.5/10  

[interlude]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The character of the vocals is really amusing, and from what I can hear the lyrics are also fairly good. One thing I think you should work on is adding some structural variety to the piece. It’s just a series of verses, connected by one 10-second riff. There’s a lot more you could’ve done with the composition here. I’d highly encourage you to use the instrumentation to distinguish some sections of your piece as more “important” or passionate than others. With a uniform texture, energy and volume level, this piece could be hard to keep engaging. Overall, I think this has a really clean sound and a cool mood. The weak composition is definitely my main concern. I gave you a scout - use it wisely. ;)

7.5/10

[City of Rust and Vines]

I like the dark, mechanical mood at the beginning, although the progression is a bit bizarre. The strings were lacking on attack, and the sound design certainly has a couple of quirks. I like the chopped vocals at :33 a lot, though. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drums at 1:08 - the snare sounds a little thin, whereas the kick has a bit too much treble IMO. The panning at 1:55 is a nice touch. I do like the mechanical texture here, although I think it could’ve helped you to break it down at some point. The cultic back-up vocals and clock-like percussion gets a little old after a while. By the time the refrain comes back for the 3rd time, I’m also convinced that you need to vary that melody a little more. I understand that the premise of the piece is that it’s supposed to sound robotic, but I think you still need a little more shape to the piece along such parameters as dynamics, energy levels, etc. There also seemed to be some clipping or distortion at a couple of sections of the piece, notably at around 4:40 and other more minimal parts. Overall, you’ve taken a lot of risks here with the sound design and composition, and I commend you for that. I think you could’ve pulled this off better if it had a little more variety and shape. The mixing is generally solid, though, which is a huge plus. Keep at it, Lowpolyexception. ;)

7.75/10  

lowpolyexception responds:

I am programmed to love