TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Light (overlay)]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The synths are a little cliche, as is the clap sample. It’s also a little slow to progress. I like the cross-fading at around :35. The mid-range bass at :45 seems a bit out-of-place amidst all the upbeat synth patterns. The kick gets a little lost in the mix at 1:30, and overall the drop there didn’t compliment the mood of the piece up to that point very much at all. I think you needed to make more of a gradual progression from the relaxed mood earlier in the piece to the intensity and drive later on. Until around 2:10, you change up the texture a lot without much forewarning in the form of drum-led transitions, phrasing, or dynamics. The part at 2:05 sounds like a completely different piece from the rest of the track, and the transition back into familiar content at 2:26 is very abrupt. I think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here and work on making a more cohesive whole. The fade-out at around 3:50 confused me, and I think the transition at 3:58 doesn’t work too well as far as channeling the energy goes. The part at 4:00 is a very similar story to that of 1:30. You have a lot of instruments in there that sound really harsh and unpolished - even if you’re going for a hard-hitting feel, the synths should still blend in well, and they really don’t here. It’s hard to follow the harmonic progression of the piece after the 4-minute mark because the texture is so variational that it lacks coherence. Overall, I think you need to think a lot more about the mood, progression, and harmonies here, and how those elements interact to make the piece sound both smooth-flowing and cohesive. This piece provides some enjoyable melodic content and atmosphere, though. Keep at it, man!

5.25/10

[Invisible Women]

The cute synths and the church bells were a bit of a bizarre combo at the beginning, made more bizarre by the completely different instrumentation at :12. The brass sample at :23 sounds pretty inauthentic, too, although you clearly have a good sense of harmony and rhythm. I think you needed a transition to foreshadow the change in texture at :53. A lot of the instruments you have in here strike me as being either generic or fake-sounding, like “choir” at 1:12 and the bell-sounding synths at 1:33. The portamento (slide effect) at 2:01 was a little cheesy, and overall this piece has a lot of minimalism. I think you needed some pads and additional harmonies to fill in the texture more, even during some of the low-energy sections of the piece. The extended section where only the beat played at 2:53 really didn’t contribute a lot to the composition, either. The piece is also pretty repetitive at the end of the day, with little variation on the piece’s main riffs and harmonies, and probably shouldn’t have been as long as it is. The ending was abrupt, too. Overall, I think the main thing you should focus on is adding atmosphere to your pieces - look into using effects like reverb and delay. They’ll help add some texture to your piece, especially during transitory moments, and will give your piece a more well-rounded sound. I’d also encourage you to try experimenting with dynamics, phrasing, and filtering - these are all ways of varying your piece over time other than simply adding and taking away instruments. Keep at it, man!

5.5/10

JourneyJaybeats responds:

This is a backing track for a song I've written. I find the accurate assessments made in your review to be irrelevant to the quality.

I like some of your ideas and will consider them in the future.

[Unfair Love]

I like the catchy riffs at the beginning. The mix lacks a lot of distinction at :17 or so and at several other points where the texture is pretty thick. The vocals sound a little dry, and could definitely use some reverb. I like the lyrics themselves, but the vocals also seem a bit overdone and melodramatic. The progression is pretty smooth, but I don’t think the minimalism at 2:23 did much for the piece. The transition at 3:00 was a little sudden, but the solo that starts at around 3:55 is great. The ending is pretty amusing, although I think there are some dissonances in the texture at around the 5-minute mark that I don’t think were intentional. The entire middle section of the piece (2:23 - 4:00 or so) lacks cohesion, and I think cutting that section back a bit could help make this piece more concise, as I didn’t think it needed to be 5.5 minutes long. That said, overall the cool solos, fun lyrics, and rich character of the piece won me over. Keep at it, man!

7.5/10

[NGADM Audition 2017-19]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the vocal sample at :12. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the instruments blend well together and build up a lot of tension. After around the 2-minute mark, I was really itching for some more melodic content, though. The piece also badly needs more structural variety at this point. It lost its sense of direction after a while. Stripping away some of the more atmospheric elements at 2:53 wasn’t enough IMO. I also thought the fade-out ending was rather lazy. There’s a lot I like about this piece - the mood and instruments, the production quality, the sound design - but unfortunately the repetition and lack of melodic content really bumped this down a few notches for me. I have to say, though - I laughed out loud when I saw the title. ;) Keep at it, man!

7/10

[[0002-ACMF] The Helm of Valknut]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the instrumentation. The melodic content is gorgeous, and you’ve also left yourself a lot of space for climax here. The strings at 1:08 sounded a bit fake, though - something about the timbre of them was off. The transition at 2:09 was a little abrupt. You set the atmosphere up so well for some really cinematic content, but I don’t think you quite capitalized on your capacity for emotion and climax here. I also thought the mix was straining to include some of the lower harmony parts at around the 2-minute mark. The strings at 2:25 could sound a lot crisper and clearer. Still, you really killed it with the atmosphere and sound design. Keep up the good work! :)

9.25/10

DwightFalcon responds:

Hi TaintedLogic,

Thank you very much for detailed analysis and review. Really help me much to understand what am I lacking of. :)
Also apology for the late reply. :)

Regards,
DwightFalcon

[Eternal Sunset]

The instrument at the beginning seems a little generic, and I think you have a couple of sudden transitions in this piece that change the texture very abruptly (:28, 1:36, 1:59, etc.). At :40, the kick gets a little buried in the mix. I’d suggest some more comprehensive equalization and compression. The melodies at 1:04 are a bit frantic, and are somewhat overwhelmed by the high chords that first come in at :51. I like the texture at 1:36 - offers some nice structural contrast too compared with the energy of the chorus. The mood and atmosphere are cool, but I think you could’ve made the melody a lot more memorable and catchy if it was both slower and varied more rhythmically. The piece also ends a bit abruptly. Overall, you have a good sense of how to create harmony, texture, and variety. Focusing a little more on mixing and mastering as well as the melodic content would really help this piece. Keep at it, man. ;)

6/10

EdKempeper responds:

Hi !

Thank you very much for your review !
I totally agree with you on these points.
Unfortunately, I didn't spent so much time on the mixintg of the track, and my maximiser is a bit "brutal".
For the transitions, I tried to work on it this year, bit you can still hear the different part of the FL project...
And yes, same chords all along the track.
I still like this track however, I tried some new things on it and I'll try to improve my skills for the next ones.
Thanks again !

[G4CE'sz - Zen]

I thought the fade-in was pretty lazy and the instruments at the beginning were really generic. The piece is also mastered VERY quietly - I have my speakers turned up as loud as they can go and the piece is at a standard volume. It’s very slow to progress at the beginning, but I think the bit at 1:06 is quite catchy. The off-beat open hats at 1:21 are cliche, but fit the character of the piece well. You really needed some melodic content in here sooner, though. Otherwise, the piece lacks a strong sense of direction, which is a problem. The piece has a good sense of atmosphere at times, and the mixing and mastering is pretty solid. The composition is definitely the weakest point of this piece - bland and uninspired. I’d encourage you to make a more melody-driven piece, or at least thicken the texture beyond bass-beat-chords for a significant portion of the piece. The piece is still smooth-flowing and has a cool mood, though. Keep at it, man!

5.5/10

KayJay-Artique responds:

Thank you for the response, I'll keep those tips in handy for future pieces. :)

[Solar Prowler]

There are a lot of harsh frequencies in the mix at the beginning - I think you need to eliminate some of the treble tones on those synths. The balance with the percussion that comes in shortly thereafter is also a bit bizarre - I think the conga were a bit too quiet, especially when they first came in. The synths themselves are also a bit generic. By 1:10 or so, the texture has thickened. You have a good sense of harmony, although the kick sample had a bit too much treble as well IMO. The riff that is isolated at 2:13 needs to be varied a bit more - this piece has a dull sense of continuity after a while that demands some structural relief. You also didn’t vary the piece much in the latter half of the piece compared to the first half, and the first half has a greater emotional height than the second, which doesn’t help the sense of climax and resolve the piece has at the end. There also isn’t a lot of strong melodic content here, which makes it hard to stay engaged at times. The mix is clean, although it does have some frequency balance problems as I mentioned earlier. My main concern, however, is the rather bland composition. The piece has a great atmosphere, but I would’ve liked to see you use more phrasing and a stronger sense of progression and direction within that atmosphere. Fix that, and you’ve got a strong piece on your hands, my friend! Keep at it. ;)

6.25/10

[Hyper Gridlock (FINAL)]

I like the smooth guitar riffs at the beginning, although the panning at around :25 may have been a little too far to one side - I think core melody lines like that should probably be front-and-center most of the time. I like the vocals a lot, though - very genuine and soulful. The lyrics themselves are also rather good. I like the variations in energy throughout. The string samples at 2:04 sounded pretty fake, though. I like the solo at 2:43 a lot, too. Really helped channel the energy going into 3:11 and beyond. This piece is very well-structured and smooth-flowing. The one thing that consistently bothers me throughout the piece is all the panning. I understand it helps with the mix, but it can also sound really jarring and obnoxious with headphones when it’s so far to one side. I think you should find other ways of keeping the mix clean as a principal method of doing so. Other than that, solid work!

9.25/10

[Day by Day]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning. I like the progression, even if the pace is a bit slow. The vocals at :50 sound a bit dry, and also don’t blend too well together. I’d suggest incorporating more reverb, perhaps changing where you recorded the piece accordingly if possible. The hard-hitting sections (1:23, 2:27, etc.) sound cool, but I think the vocals still need a little help there to sound as full and expansive as possible. I like the transition at 3:57. The piece could use a bit more variety on the hard-hitting section the last time around - it needs more of a sense of climax towards the end beyond imitation of the first couple of choruses. The instrumentals also don’t have a ton of melodic content or variation throughout the piece. I thought you did a good job of changing up the energy levels and dynamics, though. Overall, it’s a pretty cool track. I’m not familiar with exactly what you used to produce this piece equipment-wise, but if there’s any way you could add some reverb, equalization or panning, and chorus effects to this piece, I think that would help enhance the sound design a lot. Keep at it, man. ;)

7.75/10