TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Injection (Melbourne)]

I like the ominous synths and sense of build it has after around :30. The progression is slow during the beginning, but you do a good job of creating space for contrast and climax. The melodies at 1:32 were seriously underwhelming, though, and showed little progression from the earlier synth patterns. You also dragged this section out for way too long. By 2:32, this piece was badly in need of some structural relief, yet you never had a proper breakdown or bridge in there. In fact, you failed to offer melodic development, dynamic contrast, or the other opportunities a second chorus would’ve provided. You failed to maximize the drama here by creating a sense of progression across multiple emotional heights. I don’t hear any flaws with the mixing or mastering, but you could’ve done a lot more with this piece compositionally. Until you maximize this track’s potential and take more risks, it doesn’t stand out as particularly unique or interesting. Sorry. You dragged out the intro and outro a lot, losing sight of the sections of the piece that the listener is more likely to remember (chorus, melodic bridge, etc.). Keep this in mind next time, and you’ll have a very strong track, my friend. Keep at it, EuphoriaSound! ;)

6.5/10

EuphoriaSound responds:

I didn't spend several hours on this time.
I barely finish any tracks anymore and the inspiration is fully gone.

It's not like it used to be :p

[Reactionary]

I like the nature sounds and atmosphere. The intro was a little drawn-out, but I’m enjoying the sense of climax and instrumentation. I like the cute pizzicatos and upbeat string melodies at 1:23 and how that contrasts with the heavy breaks at 1:38. The drop was full of variety and emotion, and I love how you brought on some structural contrast at 2:38. You might have overdone the reverb at 3:15, though, and the strings get a little lost amidst the overpowering melodies at 3:23, although this probably warrants an easy volume level adjustment. Still, you’ve blended some very organic sounds with electronica very well here. I would’ve liked to see you change the drop a bit more the second time around, just to add a sense of development to the piece, but you already have a lot of variety within the drop itself. I thought you also could’ve done more to have the energy wane a bit before the big release at 5:02. Also, this piece is long enough that you could stand to vary the main string riff (:53 and other places) more. Overall, though, this is solid work. It’s smooth-flowing, well-mastered, energetic, catchy, and well-scored. Nice work! ;D

9/10

[Heroin]

I liked the mood here and a lot of the samples. I enjoyed the panning and percussion. However, I think you needed more mobile content than the vacillation between two relatively simple chords and arpeggios that categorized much of this piece. Perhaps the only strong melodic content is at 2:16. I think you should’ve introduced that theme earlier and then developed it more later on for maximum climactic effect. You also overused that vocal sample a bit. The balance is pretty good, but I think the pads get very distorted at :34 (and other places) when the bass comes in. Looks like you have some filtering and compression to do, my friend, especially on the lower frequencies here. As for the structure, you have sections that are more mellow than others, but the texture is also almost constantly full, whether from reverb or otherwise. I would suggest stripping away the beat and chords at one point and seeing if you can insert a proper breakdown where you truly minimize the energy, just to give this piece the emotional contrast it deserves. After all, heroin can cause depressive depths after its initial manic phase, I believe. This is a smooth-flowing and catchy piece. Touch-up the melodic development, mastering and structure and this would be a very solid piece. Keep at it, EtK. ;)

7.25/10

etK responds:

Thanks for the review, truly it helps.
Yeah I just came up with these two basic chords that I really am not the first to use, that's because of this simplicity that the song is really short for a drum n'bass piece, I didn't want it to feel too "heavy" and boring. Now I agree with you : I think honestly that I should have adapted this melody to something like a drumstep piece, or at least something where I could come up with a contrast, instead of a classic DnB structure with a minimalistic melody. However for the mastering, I think it's one of the best I've ever made, I really think that all of the samples are almost perfectly balanced.
In the end I may make another version of it, maybe drumstep. Now just a question : Who are you exactly? Like, do you have a review channel or something? ^^ I'm interested. You seem like the kind of person it's great talking about music with. I have a review channel myself, on YT.
Again, thanks for the review man.

[At The Forefront]

I love the emotion at the beginning. I’m not sure I was a huge fan of the strings’ suddenly being cut off during the intro. Perhaps it adds a bit of drama, but it also disrupts the flow a bit IMO. The chord progression is also a bit cliche, at least for the first 45 seconds or so. I’m impressed with your ability to mix in that bass bomb at :41, though, and I appreciated your panning work during the transition at :58. All of the instruments blend really well here. I’m enjoying the combination of organic and electronic elements. The dark mood is engrossing, and you did a great job of creating some structural contrast at 1:39. You maximized the emotion with those strings, which is excellent, and then I’m exceedingly enthralled by the conglomeration of dreamy and foreboding moods. Perhaps the transition at 2:49 was a bit rushed, but the purpose of re-energizing the piece was fulfilled. If I had to point out any mixing or mastering flaw in the entire piece, it might be that the frantic string melodies at 3:35 get buried by the powerful ambient guitar melodies. I also thought that the bass drum and snare could’ve been brought more up-front, especially during the sections with more textural depth. Regardless, the section at 3:35 definitely has the strongest melodies of the entire piece, which, its being the final climax and emotional height of the piece, is fitting. I love how you brought the piece full-circle with the bit at 4:33, and decided to further gnaw away at my emotions for another minute after the last grand refrain. You took a lot of risks in this piece, and I think they all paid off. While not perfect, this piece is riveting and unique. Very few competitors have garnered full points for structural variety and flow from me. Your knack for structural ebb and flow will be your gambit in future rounds (and I assure you: there will be future rounds). Keep up the great work, Enzer0. ;D

9.75/10

Enzer0 responds:

Thank you for such an in depth review TaintedLogic. I too feel it was a little rough around the edges and am hoping to impress you guys with what I've got coming up! Thanks for taking the time to break everything down and I hope you enjoy my future entries! :D

On a side note, it's good that Peter Satera eventually declined in Judging the event as I am his brother. :D

[Storyboard - Frequency (AT Remix)]

Having the vocals in there as an intro wasn’t a bad idea, but I think you could’ve done a lot more to connect them more smoothly to the instrumental section that followed. A general rule of thumb is that you should always carry over one or two instruments to the next section during additive transitions. I liked the melodies at :07, although the chord progression was cliche. Then, you repeat that melody almost continuously until around the 2-minute mark with little added variety, which was a bit of a structural oddity. And that part at 1:57 sounds a little out-of-place, probably at least partly because it’s hard to make out the tonic because of that sweep you threw in there. The downbeats during that breakdown section also indicate a completely different progression as during the refrains, which makes the transition back into 2:52 pretty rough as well. I appreciated the variations on the melody you there, but then you launch into this uncharacteristically dissonant sections which also threw me off as a listener. There are two clashing moods here - the upbeat progression of the chords and bass and the newly creepy, atonal melody. Dissonance can be effective in music, but with the preceding ¾ of the piece being so cheerful and no structural changes warning me of this impending dissonance, I’m left confused as a listener. And then the bouncy, high-pitched synths you added at 3:19 were annoying, loud, and harsh-sounding. I also have no clue where the part at 3:48 came from. I don’t recall hearing any strings earlier in the piece, and generally it’s not a good idea to introduce new instruments to your piece during the last 30 seconds. Never mind the fact that 3:48 sounds like you copied and pasted it from a completely different track. Overall, this track has very little coherence, which is strange because the first 2 minutes or so actually lacked variety IMO. You mention in the description that you “never ran out of ideas,” but I think one of the main problems here is that you tried to work with too many ideas at once and the piece lost its sense of direction. You want to ground your listener in a familiar structure before creating any sweeping variations. In my view, you have not done that here. However, I have few complaints with the mixing and mastering and you did a good job of keeping the texture full throughout. Most of my complaints have to do with the structure and transitions, so I think that is what you should focus on, my friend. Good luck, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to PM me. Keep at it, EnNinja! ;)

6.5/10

EnNinja responds:

That took a while to read, but I pretty much agree with you on everything though I have to correct you on one thing. String is not only heard in the end of the song but also before the second drop along with the piano.
Thanks for the amazing review :)

[Frozen Waves]

I liked the slow-paced intro. It was relaxing and also offered some great contrast to the energetic sections later in the piece. That said, I thought you needed a bit more than a simple sweep to connect that intro with :30. Usually it’s a good idea to retain some elements of the previous section until after you make additive transitions like that. The synths at :30 are enjoyable, and it has a great sense of climax. The sounds blend well at 1:00. The texture is full and the melody is fleshed out well. I enjoyed the structural contrast you offered at 1:30. The transition at 2:23 was a bit cheesy, but I liked how the sidechaining at 2:30 gave the bassline a great sense of pulsing energy. The piece is catchy and upbeat, and I appreciate how you varied the melodies at 4:05. I appreciate that you brought the piano back at 4:34, and the melodies at 4:59 are solid. This piece is very spacious and drawn-out. The structure ebbs and flows a lot for a dance track, which is good. The mixing and mastering is also solid in general. If anything, I might suggest that you make the drums a bit more prominent in the mix. At times they seemed a little weak. Also, I think the ending was a bit lazy. I was expecting a final climax, especially given how long this piece is. Instead, you had what seemed like a bridge that played the same melody for almost 2 minutes and then gradually faded out. This is an extreme structurally oddity that drastically detracts from the sense of conclusiveness and resolve that I expected as a listener. I also don’t think you did anything particularly unique with this track, and at times it seems a little too slow and minimalistic, an unfortunate consequence of your extensive efforts at structural contrast, I’m afraid. That said, you have an excellent sense of melody and harmony, and this piece will be stuck in my head for a while. Solid work overall. Keep at it, Ectisity. ;D

8.5/10

[Good Mood Injection]

I liked the upbeat mood and frantic synth patterns. The kick sample wasn’t my favorite, though, and you had it play a short succession of rolls in a very unconventional way for the first minute or so. The piece also throws you into the middle of the action without much introductory content. I enjoyed the melodies at around :40. You have a lot of different structural elements to this piece during the middle, yet some of them are loosely connected to one another (1:43 and the part immediately before it, for example). There also isn’t a section when you dial back the energy and offer much in the way of structural contrast. This piece is lacking a sense of emotional ebb and flow that’s often necessary for development and progression. You also didn’t vary the melodies much later in the piece, thereby missing more opportunities to give this piece an overarching sense of direction and finality. The ending is a bit lazy and cuts off suddenly. With some dynamic considerations, you may have been able to turn this into a decent loop. I thought the mix was pretty clear and the frequencies here are well-balanced. Perhaps you could’ve used some more panning or compression to maximize this clarity. My main complaints mostly involve the structure and progression of the piece. I think you need to do more with phrasing and variety here, especially later in the piece when you fail to develop the progression in a climactic way that’s also different than earlier. Otherwise, solid work. Keep at it, Eatmeatleet! ;)

7.5/10

eatmeatleet responds:

Thanks for full review, it's nice to get some 1's especially for harmony and stuff. I know progression is not the most original but it's a nice track ;)

[Africa calls]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the cheery melodies at :09. Somehow this reminds me of The Lion King...which is probably an indication that you nailed the African theme. ;) The melody drags on for a bit too long IMO...and then you simply repeat it using a different instrument at 1:17. This would’ve been fine if you had more harmonic support in there to keep things interesting, but after a certain point I was seriously wondering if there would be any structural relief. However, to your credit, that moment finally came at 2:17. The song is very smooth-flowing and pleasant, but as a stand-alone piece it loses a few points in my mind because of a lack of overarching direction. For example, you didn’t really vary the main melody in any sort of climactic way later in the piece. That said, the sample quality is excellent and (again) you made the African theme really come to life here with the atmosphere and instruments. I also have no complaints with the mixing and mastering. If you fix the small structure and progression-related issues I mentioned above, this would easily be one of my favorite pieces of the competition so far. Keep up the good work, man. ;D

9.25/10

EagleGuard responds:

Hey man, thank you so much for your in-depth review! Definitely agree with all your points, and I'll certainly take it into account for future works.

Glad you enjoyed the piece as a whole, and thanks again for your review!

[Zenith]

I thought you could’ve left yourself a little more space for contrast at the beginning. The song kind of just throws you into the middle of these heavy breaks without much introductory material. It’s a little hard to get an overarching sense of climax, as the structure ebbs and flows a lot before any kind of emotional height, and then the real climax comes almost 2 minutes into the piece (1:51). The distorted guitar sounds there added a lot to the piece, but I still feel that some huge chunks of the preceding 2 minutes were unnecessary (the build-up from :52 to 1:21, for example, basically leads nowhere). The instrumentation here is great, however. You did a nice job of offering some structural relief at 2:36, and then transitioning back into a more energetic section by 3:05. The drums during that breakdown section are also quite creative. The piece is very smooth-flowing in general. You did a nice job with the panning, which I especially noticed at around 4:15. The transition into the final chorus at 4:33 was smooth yet weak. It almost seemed like you were playing this live and decided to cross-fade the prior melody and the chorus at the last minute. I was also a little disappointed that you failed to vary the melody sufficiently during the last chorus. For the casual listener, it may have even been difficult to identify that as the chorus because a large portion of this piece shares an energetic sense of continuity. I liked the ending, though. In general, the mixing is very clear and the mastering is loud and pleasant. Despite my mostly structure-related complaints, this is solid work! Keep at it, DM. ;D

8.5/10

Dylnmatrix responds:

Holy shit I never responded to this.

All your structure complaints are well placed. I believe this track mainly emulates a jam session that a band could have during a show, similar to the ones Muse has in their shows. Jams usually don't have concrete or even good structures as they're mainly improv, like this one in the sense I wrote it subconsciously in two nights.

Doesn't excuse the issues but it might explain why it's so.

[Domyeah - Digital Wonderland]

I like the intro and mood. The chord progression is cliche, though. I usually like loud drums, but here they truly dominate the mix to an overwhelming extent. I liked the melodies at :34, but they get really distorted when the drums come in at :42. I enjoyed the progression, including the heavy breaks at 1:07. The shift in mood was a little sudden there, but overall I appreciated your willingness to offer some variety in that sense. The song lacks a proper breakdown section, however, and is almost constantly energetic between the first two drops. I thought you did a good job of creating a full texture. There are more creative ways of creating variety than the modulation at 2:39, but at 2:55 you showed at least some sense of development by layering another synth onto the main melody, even if it was a bit too loud and harsh-sounding. The ending was also quite lazily done, as fade-outs often are. You’ve put together a catchy and coherent track here, but I think you have some work to do on the production quality and structural elements of this piece. I also find a lot of the synths and progressions to be quite generic, tbh. Fix these things, and you’ll have quite a solid track here, my friend. Keep at it, Domyeah! ;)

7/10