TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Welcome back, my old friend]

I like the soothing guitar riff at the beginning. The rhythm gets a little frantic at around :13, which kinda sends off the wrong vibe given the mood at the beginning. There are a lot of sudden shifts in mood and pacing here that come across as quite jarring. The piece is also very short, and not truly complete from a structural standpoint. I think you could’ve done a lot more with the instrumentation. If you wanted to make a piece with only guitar and drums, I’d strongly encourage you to at least layer some harmonies on top of the content you have here. You also may want to widen the frequency range of your piece, because right now you’re not really taking advantage of the full spectrum. You’ll also need to vary the energy level and dynamics a lot more. This is a risky sort of minimalism here, and I don’t think it paid off this time. Sorry! You have a good sense of progression and harmony, but overall the composition here is pretty underwhelming. Keep at it, Bichenok. :)

5/10

[Megalithic]

The riff at the beginning is catchy, but I think you overdid the reverb. It sounds really muddy, which is why putting that much reverb on bass instruments is not usually a great idea. A lot of the instruments here are really generic and harsh-sounding in the mix. I think you need to use equalization to eliminate the harsh treble tones, and also the low frequencies in instruments besides the bass and kick. This piece has a lot of really sudden transitions, and adds and subtracts instruments in quite an arbitrary manner. I think you also went overboard on the distortion at 1:43. Despite the lack of cohesion, the piece is actually very minimalistic throughout. In the future, I’d highly recommend structuring your piece around some sort of melody instead of a couple of riffs that take turns dominating the texture. Harmonies, as well as variation in the drums, could also help you more effectively transition between sections of the piece. I’d encourage you to listen to one of your favorite pieces and analyze the structure, trying to mimic the structure in your own work until you get a better feel for how to keep the listener grounded. Once you feel like you’ve written a piece that’s a little more smooth-flowing and structured, send me a PM and I’ll leave you another review. Good luck! ;)

4.5/10

[That One Realization]

I like the riff at the beginning, although you may have gone a little overboard with the reverb - the instrument seems to have a lot of feedback. I wasn’t a huge fan of your drum samples - that kick has a lot of treble, and the snare was a bit dry. It’s also really easy to tell that the snare is getting distorted by the pads at :55. I think you need to be stricter about equalizing all of the instruments here and compressing the drums. It was a good idea to bring the piece full-circle with the riff at 2:00, but I think you needed a smoother transition there. The piece also has a sense of continuity without much structural variety - the energy levels don’t change all that much, and I’m not hearing anything in the way of dynamic contrast or phrasing. I want you to find more ways of creating variety besides adding and subtracting instruments over time - using filtering, volume levels, and automations could really add some emotion into this piece. The melodic content here is solid, though, and you have a good sense of harmony. Keep at it, BeeFef. :)

6.25/10

BeeFef responds:

Thanks. The reason why the drum samples sound a bit off is because I made them/recorded them myself. I'm still working on it. And I think the distortion on the snare is caused by the kick compressing with it sometimes during the faster part. I actually added like some sort of crunch sound to the snare for that part to make it sound better without the kick, but I guess it didn't work that well.

I hope I make it in!

[The Leaf Dance]

I like the calm mood at the beginning, and how it quickly devolves into apprehension. The mix isn’t very loud, and I think the piano riff gets really buried by the instruments that come in at :26. The samples also aren’t of great quality or authenticity. The composition has a nice flow and phrasing, but could use some stronger melodic content. The percussion that comes in at 1:21 is pretty weak and dry - I really think you need to look into mastering skills like equalization, compression, and panning. The piece also ended a bit abruptly, and doesn’t quite feel structurally complete. Overall, you have a good sense of harmony and progression. Please work on mixing and mastering as a priority. Keep at it, Austing93! ;)

5/10

[Relativity]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning. I think the arpeggios need some of their treble tones equalized out. Otherwise, the piece is really well-balanced, and uses the frequency spectrum well. Nice job with the climax into :56, and the melodic content thereafter. While the drums are a little generic, they sit nicely in the mix - crisp and clear. I think the post-drop dragged on a little long (until 2:08, under my analysis). The piano melodies there were beautiful, though. You have a lot of talent for crafting atmospheres, my friend. I think the pacing is still a bit slow, but the part at 3:48 was beautiful once again. It disappointed me that you didn’t include much melodic development during the second half of the piece, but really that’s the only thing separating this piece from the 9-range. Keep up the good work, Attackofthetroy! :)

8.5/10

Attackofthetroy responds:

Wow thank you for the feedback! I'll be sure to look into some changes.

[That Tree Have A Face]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. I think the square bass line is a little too loud compared to the melodic content that’s at a higher register. Overall, this piece needs way more humanizing and variety. It has a drab sense of continuity where it could really use some dynamic contrast, phrasing, and structural relief. The melodic content is enjoyable, though. The transition at 1:38 threw me off a bit - there wasn’t anything that foreshadowed it at all. Same thing with the change in pacing at 1:58. Overall, the composition here is pretty weak, and that’s what’s really dragging this piece down IMO. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, but I think you need to consider implementing variety along more parameters, especially since this is a solo instrument piece. Keep at it, Ardakio2! :)

5/10

ardakio2 responds:

Thanks for the review, i should try to apply your tips and growing as musician, i hope be better the next year. Respect and thanks a lot cx.

[flow master]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. I like the injection of energy at :12. This piece has a cool atmosphere and sound design. There’s a lot of minimalism here, and I think it’s missing some melodic content. You have a good sense of rhythm, and the reverb was a nice touch. My main problem with the piece is that you could’ve done a lot more with the composition. It has little sense of direction, and probably needs more contrast in energy or dynamics throughout. I’m really torn about it because, again, the atmosphere is really well-crafted, and the piece has a lot of character. I think you needed some stronger melodic content and inventive structuring to really sell this piece, though. I’d encourage you to keep working on it, because I love the mood and instruments. Keep at it, Arbelamram! ;)

7.75/10

[Intergalactic Pop Tart Space Ship]

I like the sense of climax into :15. I think the synths are a little generic, and the sweeps seem a bit...undressed. There are a lot more creative things you could’ve done with them. The frantic melodies at :41 are pretty cool, and with a bit more of a build-up that could’ve been a really euphoric section. I like the section at 1:09 that strips away the energy, too. You have a good sense of phrasing and progression, and the racecar (I think?) FX that comes in at various points fits in well. It’s a shame you didn’t put a little more effort into the composition here, because this piece has a lot of potential. I’d suggest fleshing out the structure a little more and switching up the instrumentation. After that, this’ll be a killer track! Keep at it, AndChicken. ;)

7.5/10

[2+]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. I think some of the synths and/or effects are a little harsh-sounding. I’d suggest removing some of the treble tones with an equalizer. I think the kick drum also had a bit too much treble for my tastes. The rap at :29 fits into the texture well. I didn’t think it was necessary to repeat it 4 times, but I did enjoy the refreshing, atmospheric texture at :58. Some of the instruments here are a little generic, but they still blend together really well. I also enjoyed the more minimalistic texture you concocted at 1:46 - it offered some nice structural contrast. The fade-out ending came across as a bit lazy, but overall the piece flows really well. I think you could’ve used some stronger melodic content here, despite the fact that you clearly have a good sense of harmony. There are a lot of arpeggiated riffs here that use really square rhythms - not exactly melodies in my book, but great for constructing the full, rich texture you have here. I also think the piece could use a little more cohesive structuring. Right now, there are certainly repeated ideas and themes, but they occur in a way that’s a little hard to predict, which isn’t really a good thing. Overall, killer atmosphere and sound design. I’d encourage you to think about some more compositional elements of the piece, as well as being a little stricter with equalization. Besides that, cool piece! I’ll give you a scout. ;)

8.25/10