TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[HadenTheCreeper]: Footsteps in the Aftermath]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. Some of the instruments here sound a little high-pitched and harsh, especially the one that comes in at :35 and the one featured at :52. The drop at 1:28 was pretty cool. The chord progression is a little cliche, and are some of the instruments, but I like that atmosphere and mood of the piece. The mixing is also fairly strong. I can hear most elements of the piece clearly throughout, and the piece uses a lot of well-balanced frequencies that cover a broad range. I would’ve liked to see the chord progression break down at some point, though, just to give this piece a little more shape and direction. At the very least, you gave the piece some structural variety by stripping down the energy between 2:45 and 3:30 or so. You used reverb pretty well here - the mix sounds nice and spacious. You could’ve done a lot more creative things with the drums, though. I also didn’t think the piece needed to be this long. I think you can use the part at around 4:10 where you halve the pacing of the chord progression as a transition to a final drop, instead of winding all the way down over the course of 3 long minutes. The part at 6:24 also strikes me as good outro material. As it is now, the contour of the progression (mostly decreasing in energy) over the course of those 3 minutes really made it hard to stay engaged. The piece lost a bit of momentum towards the end in that way. Also, there wasn’t a ton of strong melodic content in this piece, mostly just floaty rhythmic riffs that were very grounded in the chords (e.x., 3:30, 4:40, :35, etc.). Good melodies are often grounded in the chords, but they don’t necessarily change exactly when the chords do or play all the notes that the chords do. I think that’s why your “melodies” don’t really function well as melodies in this piece. Still, I’ve been tough on you in this review. It’s a good piece, but it just has a few compositional quirks that need tidying up. Keep at it, man! ;)

7/10

MrCreeperGeometryDas responds:

I know what you mean at the end, I've always lost interest when things don't change after 20 seconds. Thanks for the motivation! I'm doing big tracks and game songs now rather than when I used to only make two and a half minute songs randomly.

[Epic Music - The Guardian]

I like the mood at the beginning. It’s very light and brisk, like a carefree dance. The climax at :26 was very well-crafted, despite coming on relatively quickly. The pace of the piece is very fast, and it could stand to be fleshed out a little more. I liked the section at :48 a lot too. You did a good job with the mixing, although it is hard to make out the string section at around the 1-minute mark. Excellent atmosphere and emotion. Admirable use of instrumentation. The texture sounds very full in my ears, and your taste for drama and drive is incredible. Amazing work! It’s a shame this track isn’t ripe for downloading. Keep up the great work, my friend!

9.75/10

SteveSyz responds:

Hey it's been a while! Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

[Apex]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning. It’s a catchy and refreshing piece, and the drums are nice and crisp. It’s also a little slow to develop, though. I was itching for some more melodic content by around 1:30. The kick also gets a little lost in the dense texture at around 1:10. I think you needed a smoother transition into 1:45, even a crash or sweep or filter automation would suffice. Same thing with 2:50. You vary the riffs a bit, but there really isn’t a lot of work with dynamics, phrasing, or melodic development that would give this piece some much-needed variation. The part at 2:50 offers some structural relief at the very least, but the elements of the piece that do change over time always change sudden, and that’s a risk you took that I don’t think paid off here - a lot of the transitions sounded a bit jarring. You know how to blend instruments and create an atmosphere pretty well, but this piece has some major compositional shortfalls - no memorable melodies, very repetitive within certain sections, etc. I’d suggest focusing on making a more melody-driven piece. After you make a melody, it should become easier to structure your piece. Keep at it, man!

5.5/10

[Angels and Demons Ft SeamlessR (DnB)]

The track clicks at the beginning. I’m not sure exactly what caused that, but I’d suggest trying to fix that by having a bit of silence at the beginning of the track. The mood is intense. I like the gritty synths at :17, but after I see that they’re going to take up most of the piece, I’ll suggest you flesh this thing out a lot more with some more melodic content. The kick also gets lost in the mix a lot because it’s competing (and losing to) the bass. This piece needs some structural relief, and the ending is really rushed. You have a lot going for you here with the atmosphere and instruments. Please turn this into a full-length track with more mind to dynamics and phrasing, and I think you could have a killer piece! Right now, it just doesn’t satisfy certain compositional desires of mine - melodic, dynamic, etc. Keep at it, man!

5/10

[-Run or Die-]

I like the energy. It’s a catchy and fun piece. I recognize the sample at :04 - I think Waterflame has used it in something? The beat could be a little more distinct - I’d suggest using some stereo widening techniques to really make it sound as crisp and clean as possible, and definitely equalizing and compression if you haven’t already. The melodies at 1:32 are really cool. I think this piece has a lot of variety, and the pace is also pretty fast. Be careful not to make the piece move so fast that it’s either jarring to the listener or the piece moves too fast that it has no coherence. You were on the verge of doing so here. I can clearly hear you’ve picked up Waterflame’s knack for creating music with really bizarre structures. Nice work with the instrumentation and energy/mood, though. The structure and variety are my main concerns. Otherwise, solid piece. ;)

8/10

Preds responds:

Aww yeah, I always wanted a constructive review of my tracks!!

Well, I use the VEC sounds pack a lot, guess that is one of my problems when doing a track, I always use those vocal loops but im trying to prevent that becuase it really sounds so... "Non profesional" and very repetitive. Yeah, I used a very common drum sequence, and I guess I needed to variate more on that too! I always try to master my tracks as much as possible, but I really don't know how to do it the right way, I should look up for it so my tracks wont sound too crapy :/
Yep, definitely my inspiration, I admire him a lot but I am trying to find my own style, because I know my melodies and bass rifts sound so similar to his oldish music, that is an issue I have always fight with.

And, really really thank you! I feel like im the roockie of the NGADM and its great to be in! Im learning of my errors and this is a great opportunity to get people to listen my music and of course, to improve as a musician!!

~ThaPredator

[Overlook]

I like the ominous intro and somber piano. The strings are a little distorted when they come in at :40. I’d be careful with the equalizing between them and the pads, maybe even adjusting the panning accordingly. The kick at 1:11 doesn’t sound very clean or distinct. The mood of the piece is pretty cool, though, and I like the melodic content that’s in the section between the refrains. Unfortunately, neither the melody nor the refrains are ever really varied significantly, which detracts from my enjoyment of it. Not a bad track, but overall it’s lacking the melodic development and phrasing that could really hit it home. The mixing and mastering also need work, as I mentioned earlier. Part of the problem could be an excess of reverb. Overall, though, I think your composition skills are pretty good. You should take more risks next time! Keep at it, man. ;)

7/10

acxle responds:

Thank you so much for the advice!

[Vacation]

I like the relaxed vibe at the beginning. I think the rapping is good. Vocals sound well-mixed and compressed, and full and rich to the ear, which probably means you used some kind of chorus effect and/or autotune. Lyrics are a little cliche, but I did enjoy the rhyme scheme. I would suggest filling in the texture on the instrumental a little more; those pads and the beat alone is fine for the verses, but once the chorus comes around I think you want people to know it’s the chorus. It’s a fun piece, but you could’ve done so much more with it compositionally. Overall, it just seems a little lack-luster. I didn’t notice any problems with the mixing or anything, though. Keep at it, man!

5.5/10

Kurtiskong responds:

In a sense it was slightly satire, it was meant to be an "radio rap song". But thank you for the constructive criticism:)

[Growl Kat - Never Give Up]

I like the beat and bright piano at the beginning, but I definitely don’t think you should have that snare panned so far to the left. Usually, core rhythmic section instruments in a piece should be front and center, and this piece is no exception. I’d concern yourself with compression and equalization before you change the panning on the drums too much. The melodies at around the 1-minute mark are nice, and the synth at around 1:20 was a nice touch. The structural relief you offered at around 2:00 was also enjoyable, and I liked the somewhat creepier mood the riff at 2:10 had. You have a good sense of harmony, but the texture doesn’t quite seem full enough at some points. Some of the instruments are a little dry and probably need more reverb, and I think some background pads or something could really help give this piece that extra injection of flow that liquid d’n’b usually has. I also thought the ping-pong effect at the end was a little over-the-top. I think the piece is missing a predominant melody that would give it a little more structural coherence. Overall, not a bad piece, although I think you could’ve done a lot more with it on the composition front. Keep at it, man!

7/10

GrowlKat responds:

Oh tanks guy, its really helpfull, I will try to make another Liquid DnB with this recomendations

[On My Mind...]

Nice chill mood at the beginning. Vocals are solid. The kick gets a little lost in the mix, and I don’t like the harsh-sounding high-pitched instrument that plays on beat 3 of every measure, panned way to the left. Good articulation on the rapping, too. The texture is nice and full throughout, and I like how you broke it up at around the 2-minute mark in advance of the next refrain. I would’ve appreciated it if you varied the chorus a bit towards the end. It plays 4 or 5 times, and sounds essentially the same throughout. Solid piece with feel-good vibes, though. Keep it up, guys!

8/10

Vinstigator responds:

Thanks! My singer changed it up a little towards the end by dropping one of his harmonies, so it does sound slightly different. And the hook was so catchy that we had to let it run! Just like 2Pac's "How Do You Want It" and "Do 4 Love", those hooks were so catchy and just played over and over throughout the songs. But the hooks were so catchy that you didn't mind. In fact, you wanted to keep hearing the chorus as the songs were fading out! Anyway, thanks for the review, it's greatly appreciated!

[The Crystal Guillotine (Hyper Light Drifter cover)]

I like the dreamy guitar at the beginning. Sounds a little ominous with the chord progression. It’s really slow to develop, though. I think you should’ve thickened the texture way before 45 seconds in. Even then, it’s not a very rich texture. By around 2:15 when the melodic content seeps in, I really enjoy the soulful vibe it has. It’s like a long intro to an old western movie, with the camera panning around beautiful mountainous terrain. The pace of this piece is really slow. I think it doesn’t function great as a stand-alone piece until 3:45, when the energy picks up significantly. The mixing and mastering seem pretty good. I like the crash hits on every beat during the middle section of the piece, although they do get a bit distorted at times by the guitars. The mood of the piece is great - it’s very powerful and foreboding. The transition back into the tranquil section at 5:45 was a little sudden. Perhaps it’d be appropriate for a movie scene with a dramatic plot point, but without the accompanying visuals you need to foreshadow that transition a little more carefully. The distortion at 7:30 is enjoyable, but I didn’t quite understand the stops and starts. It didn’t turn out to be a very effective transition IMO. Overall, I think you need to think more carefully about the pacing of the piece and to gauge the textural depth that’s needed to keep your listener engaged. Several of the transitions in here also need work. That said, the guitar work is quite enjoyable, and the piece does have quite a unique mood and atmosphere. Keep at it, man!

6.75/10

Twone responds:

You've given me quite a bit to think about. Thanks for the review!