TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Star Rush (Mario Starman Remix Mash-up)]

The synths at the beginning are a little generic, and I think you need a smoother transition into :26. I like the sense of climax into :39, and the section at :39 was cute and catchy. You seem inclined to shake up the texture of the piece at a pretty fast pace, which I think is dangerous because it allows a lot of your transitions to be jarring to the listener. The drums also get very distorted when the synths come in at 1:59 (this also happens in other places, though) which is a sign that you need to do some more work with compression and equalization. Compressors and equalizers are really useful tools for making all your instruments sound clear. I suppose my favorite element of the piece was the cute mood and catchy synth patterns. Improving the mixing and mastering (i.e., using compressors and equalizers) here is probably your most important next step. Keep at it, man. :)

6/10

mutty99 responds:

Actually this is my first track i've ever made with FL Studio, so i experimented a lot of things: some went good, others not. Thanks for the feedback ;)

[Nothin']

I like the smooth, relaxed guitar riff at the beginning. Your voice has a great throaty quality to it. The lyrics themselves are also rather enjoyable. The solo at 1:18 is great too. It might need some variety in the instrumentation after a while, but the solo at 2:31 kept it feeling fresh. Some drums might also give the piece a little more drive and punch. Still, this is just a really authentic and soulful piece with a lot of character to it. Keep up the great work! :D

9/10

frank-n-furter666 responds:

Thank you!

[Collapse]

The synth at the beginning is a little generic, and I’m not sure I liked the bell-sounding one at :18 either. Maybe it’d help if you equalized out some the of the treble tones in the bell-like one. The piece is a little slow to progress. I appreciated the melodic content at 1:12, but I think it needs more rhythmic variety. The drums are a little bland, and don’t come through the mix very well during the busier sections of the piece. The piece is fairly catchy, but overall the composition of the piece is a little underwhelming. Most of the instruments here are cliche, including the drums. I don’t think the sound design compliments the mood of your piece very well. I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the structure a little more, too. The composition just needs a lot more creativity IMO, but I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Keep at it, man! :)

5.5/10