TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Static Equilibrium]

I like the dreamy synths at the beginning. The texture sounds a bit clogged with reverb at :43. It's hard to make out the claps at times, and there's a bit of dissonance here between about 1:00 and 1:45. I like the piano melodies at 2:10 and the 80s-esque sound design.

The part at around 3:00 is another bit where you could probably use some tighter mixing. Stereo widening on those pads could help clear out the center of the mix for the main melodies and drums, and some stricter EQ work at the bottom end of the frequency range also couldn't hurt. Generally, you don't want any tones below about 200 Hertz to come through on instruments besides the bass and drums.

The composition of this piece is compelling, though. The transition at 4:59 was a little abrupt, but otherwise the progression was smooth, and there's a good amount of variety and melodic content to keep me engaged. I especially like the rhythmic section at 7:11 - sounds very eerie and futuristic.

Overall, I think it would be good for you to focus on mixing going forward. You clearly have a strong sense of melody and progression, and a cleaner production could truly set you apart from the many other aspiring electronic artists on this site. Good luck!

I may or may not circle back and listen to the other track you sent me as well, btw - I have some personal stuff to catch up on after several weeks of being flat-out with contest stuff. :)

[Floating Platform Glitch]

I like the glitchy (but blissful) riff at the beginning and the smooth bass at :19. The rhythmic content here is great, as is the sound design and production quality. The piece is a little slow to progress at times, but the piano at 1:11 serves as a nice element of variety. There are also times where the texture feels a bit minimal, with not a lot of frequencies in the low-mid range. Finding ways of filling out the atmosphere more could really help take this piece to the next level. Starting at around 2:00, you take the piece in a very experimental direction, first rhythmically, and then harmonically, but the descent into chaos is gradual enough to not be too jarring. The texture still sounds pretty dissonant by around 2:45, but you have a great way of acclimating the listener to it with the chaos at 2:00ish. The transition into 3:30 was much more abrupt, although given the familiar sound design it seemed like a good way of helping the piece come full-circle. My goodness, xkatttt. You’ve walked right up to the line between experimental and too experimental with this one, haven’t you? Overall, though, I think you did a good job of bringing the listener along with you when the piece goes into avant garde mode. This piece has a really evocative sound design, solid production quality, and an enchanting composition. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[translucent!]

I like the quirky atmosphere at the beginning. The mix could be a bit sharper here, though. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture at times, and the piano doesn’t come through very clearly at :15. The drums also seems a bit overly contained in the mix - the snare is too quiet at :22, and the entire kit could use a boost at :55. Otherwise, you might try to create some more room in the EQ for the rhythmic section here if possible. My biggest problem with the piece is the lack of a coherent arrangement, though. It feels very meandering, and the pacing is so fast as to be jarring. I think this could easily be a solid 3-minute-long track with some more repetition and more gradual transitions, but instead it sounds very frantic and thrown-together. Still, there’s a lot of potential here between the refreshing sound design and catchy rhythmic content. I hope you’ll keep working on this. Keep at it, Xetto! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Emerald Funk]

I like the quirky lead at the beginning. There’s a great sense of build into :41, and the rhythmic content and dynamism in the melodies are really nice. The production quality is fantastic too. The texture is a bit minimal, but the more authentic-sounding saxophone solo at 1:12 and the funky sound design throughout help keep me engaged. There’s some great variety in the texture later in the piece, with every given melody having a slightly different tone and articulation to it. The piece cuts off a bit suddenly at the end, and it would’ve been nice to have a grand, concluding refrain to hit the piece home. But otherwise, stellar work here, Walpang. I look forward to seeing what you produce in the final round. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[Techno = Club]

I like the rhythmic content and sound design at the beginning. The panning is a bit strong on some of the percussion, especially that one high-pitched one in my left ear that first comes in at :02. The piece is pretty minimal and slow to progress, and has a rather bottom-heavy mix, with the bass often overwhelming the mid-range harmonies. I like the glitchy breakdown at 1:35 and the prominent hi-hats at 2:06. A lot of the composition details and sound design elements are really cool here, but the texture doesn’t seem very well-balanced. Some soft pads in the treble range with some wet reverb or something might help at least fill out the atmosphere a bit more. The minimal outro at 2:55 was enjoyable, but as I said earlier, I would’ve liked to see some more fill in the texture for most of the rest of the track. Overall, the mix is clean, the beats are bumpin’, and the instruments are nice and quirky, but the composition gets pretty bland and stagnant after a while. I’d encourage you to keep working on this - there are a lot of good ideas in here, and I’m confident you can take this piece to the next level with a little more time. Keep at it, UPT3! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Runner]

I like the dark atmosphere at the beginning and the dystopian voiceover. The groovy bass at :30 and the tense, apprehensive vibe are enjoyable, but the minimal texture and overuse of the spoken-word vocals are turn-offs for me. Right as the instrumentals seem like they’re picking up, the vocals often cut in abruptly. If the vocals are original, it’s certainly impressive voice acting, but frankly voice acting isn’t what I’m looking for in competitions like this. I think you could’ve done a lot more with the instrumental tracks in terms of variety, richness, and melodic content. The production quality is probably my favorite element of this piece - the mix is clean, if a bit bottom-heavy. The sound design is a close second, though. I especially love the gritty old-school techno synths. Still, the fact that the vocals are the main thing driving the narrative here is a bit concerning to me, and the vocal sections often don’t have much else going on simultaneously to keep me engaged. Overall, I’m not sure this functions well as a stand-alone track, but if you can team up with someone from the movie portal, it would make for a compelling short film. Keep at it, Ukatz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Ukatz responds:

Yea, everyone says like "IT'S DEFINITELY A GAME OST", "Maybe a film soundtrack?".
Just don't know how show myself to someone :c

About diversity in instrumental part, i think just not enough time, try my best for this deadline.
Just happy to participate in this competition, thanks :3

[Omniscience Of Gods]

I like the rich atmosphere and crisp drums at the beginning. The transition at :20 was a bit abrupt, as was the one at :30. You just switched out a lot of different instruments all at once, and the risers and drum fills bridging the gap feel like Band-Aids over bullet holes in that regard. The blissful melodies and VGM sound design are both enjoyable, but at times I wanted the drums to be a bit stronger in the mix. Once the texture gets busier at around the 2-minute mark, they get rather buried. Part of the problem might be that there’s a lot of reverb on the pads and bells. Stereo widening could potentially help clear out the middle of the stereo space for the drums, bass, and melodies. The second half of this piece (2:12 onwards) also doesn’t have much in the way of dynamic melodies, and the melodies you do have seem pretty square rhythmically. Switching up the energy level more might help solve that. Still, I enjoyed the dense beats and cinematic flair of the sound design. Keep at it, TheTrester! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[FACUNDO GARDIOL - Slime Girl ( Future Bounce )]

I like the upbeat mood and flashy synths at the beginning. It’s a bit hard to follow the rhythm at first, at least until the beat comes in at :19. The mix is nice and punchy, and the progression is smooth. Aspects of the sound design and arrangement are pretty generic, and the composition could use a bit more variety, especially harmonically. I also thought the extended pause at 1:17 was a bit awkward. The melodic variations at 1:32 are nice, and you carry that energy into the final refrain well. Solid work overall! I really admire your mixing and mastering talents in particular. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

SPIRALi responds:

Thanks for your nice commentaries!!!

[The Morality of a Crayfish]

I like the crisp beat at the beginning. The intro could’ve been a tad more creative than a fade-in, but the quirky synths and rhythmic content at :12 are neat. The piece is a bit slow to progress, and many of the harmonies sound a bit muddy in the mix. The texture is missing some higher-pitched tones for much of the track, which may be part of the problem. Moving one of two of the riffs up the octave, especially during the first half of the piece, might help separate out the frequencies that the different harmonic instruments are sharing, which will in turn limit distortion in the mix. The transition at 1:29 was a bit sudden, but I like the spidery stringed instrument and more melodic flair the piece develops after that. The piece really comes together once you combine the two themes at 2:10 or so, although some of the new instruments you introduce later on - including the vocal sample at 2:16, the crashes at 2:20, and the ghostly lead synth at 2:33 - take up a tad too much space in the mix IMO. Overall, the sound design and rhythmic content are probably my favorite elements of this piece, but the harmonic content could’ve used a bit more variety at times, and the mix could be tighter. Still, I love the eerie mood and the wonky meter of the piece. With a couple of different sound design choices and some more prominent vocals, I could see this making a really good hip-hop track. Keep at it, SirSandman0! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

SirSandman0 responds:

thanks for the feedback! audio mixing has never been my strong suit, but I've been working on it over the years. Hopefully, my future tracks won't have these issues

[RyuiY - Pianystem (feat.花隈千冬)]

Woah, the intro is really cool. The robotic voice fits so well with the “pianystem” theme, and the glitches are timed so well with the vocals. I also like the more humanoid vocals at :22, although the mix sounds a bit distorted there, with the drums a bit soft and the bass/pads ducking in and out with the beat. The chord progression is a bit cliche, although I really like the arrangement of this piece - the transition at :52 is so cool, and you do a good job of varying the energy level and texture. The glitchy, experimental bridge at 1:26 is pretty cool. Definitely has a great rhythmic appeal, but sometimes the low-pitched piano rolls are a bit loud, and overwhelm the drums and harmonic elements. The melodic section at 2:22 hits the piece home well, and the blissful piano solo at the outro was a nice touch. Overall, my biggest problem with the piece is probably the production quality. The mix feels very bottom-heavy and muddy at times, and also off-balance between the glitchy effects and harmonic content. Still, I really appreciate how ambitious the composition is and how religiously you stuck to the “pianystem” theme. Neat track overall. Keep at it, RyuiY! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

RyuiY responds:

Wow...
Thanks for amazing review! :D I learned many things from your review.
I'm not good at mixing so I'll learn about it more.
Actually, I was sick when the knockout round started, so I couldn't make music then.
When I feel better, There were only three days left until the deadline.
so I rushed to make this and I haven't time to check mixing.

I was satisfied with the result of contest. Thanks for invite me and give me amazing experience! :)
Making music is really fun for me. I will continue to make music to make myself and everyone else fun.
(sorry for weird English. I'm from Japan and sometimes I using Google/DeepL Translate)

Thanks for listening! :D
-RyuiY-