TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Archangel Assault GD]

I like the energy and progression right off the bat. I thought the claps at :26 were a bit too quiet, though. I think you need to try to heighten the drama during the first minute or so by creating a massive crescendo instead of starting the piece with those bass synths roaring. Otherwise, a full minute of content with flat dynamics that fails to introduce new instruments won't keep my engagement that well. The part at 1:01, which is both more upbeat and more melodic, was interesting. It seems that the melodies are very up-front in the mix throughout compared to the lower pads and drums, though. That may have been a mistake, especially since such a long piece demands better harmonic support. The texture seems full, probably mostly because of reverb and generally good mastering, but it still needs some more going on besides one instrument dominating the mix for the entire piece in order to stay entertaining. I like the progression, but it just needs more structural relief - a bridge or breakdown or re-intro or something that will sort of serve as a reset button for the emotional quality of the track. I also thought that the ending was a bit rushed. With a track like this, I might suggest using tempo automations to gradually slow the piece down during the last 10 seconds. That's usually a good way of leading into an ending a bit more. Also, the last note should usually be on the tonic. Still, it's a fun and energetic track with some cool instruments and harmonies. Keep at it, DocterOreo! ;)

7.5/10

DocterOreo responds:

Hmm i felt like i needed something like that
lets just say my next song is a huge rival of
this one

no one has been able to say which one is better

but anyways thanks for the review

[Through Darkness]

I like the atmospheric pads at the beginning. This piece progresses really slowly though, especially for such a short track. The kick had a lot of higher tones for a bass drum - I think you should've Equalized that a bit more carefully. My main problem with this piece, though, is that it seems very safe. There are some cool sweeps and harmonies and stuff, but you could've done so much more with this. I feel like this should be a roaring, 5-minute long piece with tones of quiet tension and drama that eventually explode into epicness, but instead it's a 2-minute skeleton of a track that seems like it's unfinished. The piece cuts off really suddenly, which I would've excused if it looped well (but it doesn't). The mixing is solid, and, as I said, the instruments and harmonies are cool. However, I'm getting the sense that you didn't really show off your skill set at its true potential here. I want you to aim for a fuller texture with more effects, engaging melodies and harmonies and, well, generally riskier things! Overall, this track is cool but also relatively bland. I'd love to see you really go all-out with it next time! Keep at it, DJmadalrian. ;)

7/10

DJmadalrian responds:

Thanks I will keep working at it!

you are right its not finished I have a bad habit of working on a song for weeks then never finishing it and scrapping it, so I am forcing my self to just throw things out :)

[Midnight Paradise]

I like the cute synth at the beginning. The chord progression is a bit cliché, and I didn't think you needed to establish the chord progression 2 times over before fading in other elements of the piece, but I did like the climactic nature of it and the energy. I liked the way you used those portamentos as a transition at :49. You used crashes and volume automations/filters effectively to connect various parts of the piece, and I think it's structurally a very solid track. It does get a bit repetitive by end - I don't think it needed to be 4 minutes long, maybe closer to 3 - but I still love the mood and melodies. The mixing is also not that bad. I can hear everything clearly throughout. The ending was cute, too, albeit a bit sudden. What I really think you should consider next time, though, is that I don't think you took as much of a risk with this piece. It's not very unique - I've heard a lot of tracks like this during my time on NG. There wasn't much melodic development, and I think you could've done a lot more to give more direction to this track. I think pretty much everything after the first 1.5 minutes or so is simply repeated from the first 1.5. Still, it puts a smile on my face and I admire your sense of harmony and progression. Keep up the good work, DjHoneyb! ;D

7.5/10

Jakki responds:

Thank you really much!

[Espada]

Ooo...I like the Latin theme. You have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. Unfortunately, the strings seem to get very distorted by the guitars. I would suggest working on your Equalizing skills as a priority. Also, this piece doesn't have much in the way of drums, which could really help give it some energy and also help it move forward. You have a sweep at 1:05, but I think you needed a crash to smooth over the transition at :41, and some cool percussion could really help spice up the rather dry texture you have at around :50 - 1:00. It's really easy to tell that flute-like instrument you have playing throughout the second minute of the piece distorts the piano pads and drums. Here's where the Equalizing would come in handy! It's catchy and cool, and I like the upbeat mood. However, there are also long, repetitive sections, such as between 2:45 and 3:20. I didn't think this piece needed to be 4 minutes long. Also, you don't really transition effectively into 3:20. There should really at least be a crash there to smooth it over a bit. Also, I don't know where the bass at 3:40 came from. Generally, I'd advise against introducing new instruments 30 seconds before the end of your piece. This piece has a fun mood and atmosphere, though, and, again, I admire your sense of harmony. It has potential. Compositionally, it's not bad, but learning to mix is an important next step for you. Keep working at it, man! Good luck! ;)

6/10

DeadlyAlchemy responds:

Literally every problem I highlighted with this was mentioned plus more xD I didn't have enough time to completely fix the piece before submission, so this had a lot of holes in it. All the same, thanks a lot for taking the time to listen to it and leave a review with such attention to detail. I'll be sure to actually remake this with issues fixed now I have the time to spare.

[Swindle]

I like the atmospheric yet robotic and ominous vibe the beginning had. I'm not sure the instrument that sounded like a vocal sample (it first comes in at :06) really works for me, though. It's kind of loud and I don't think it fits the piece well. The vocals also distort the drums a lot, a sign that your mix is not nearly as clear as it could be. The snare also gets very distorted by the bass at 1:41. The part at 2:05 served to provide some much-needed structural relief, yet its warm mood also didn't really to fit the rest of the piece that well. I'm not seeing much melodic development throughout the piece, which I think would've added a lot. The ending is also a bit sudden. It sounds like the coda got cut off mid-way through. I liked some of the isolated riffs, like the effect at :38 and the cool atmospheric bits at the beginning and end. Otherwise, it's rather slow to progress and the mixing needs a lot of work. I want you to start experimenting with Equalizers, and if you don't know what that is, please look up how to add one in whatever program you use to make your music. Compositionally, the piece is not that bad, but the mixing and some of the instruments (most notably the vocals) detract from it considerably. I also think that the transitions at 2:04 and 3:11 are a bit rough. It has potential, though. Hope this review helped. Keep working at it! ;)

5/10

[Journey to Newgrounds]

I like the drama at the beginning. The quality of the samples isn't great, and this is especially noticeable when the low brass comes in at :24 and the high strings come in at :40. I liked how you used the church bells as a transition at :51. I admire your sense of progression. Overall, it's pretty smooth-flowing and structurally sound, and the ending feels conclusive. I think that the chords at 1:55 clash a bit, like you were trying to force those harmonies to work just a bit too hard. Same thing at 2:20. The main problem in both of those places is the punchy, mid-high-range brass chords. I'm also afraid to say that the quality of the instruments detracted from my enjoyment of the piece considerably. Also, the mixing could use some work. It seems like both the church bells and the lower chords got distorted a bit during the second half of the piece. Overall, though, this is a pretty solid piece. Keep at it, Clueboe. ;)

7/10

[Toccata in f minor]

I see that you were going for some drama early in the piece. I think the drama would've been heightened, however, if you held out the notes for longer and layered the chords to make a fuller texture, kind of like you do at :33. All the little stops during the first 20 seconds kind of detract from the flow, though. In my experience, organs are supposed to sound embeddable, all-encompassing, and intimidating. The first 20 seconds of this piece sound like a baby organ that's taking its first steps while learning to walk. Then, some of the riffs, like at :38, sound very distorted, jarring, and hard to follow. Stylistically, you took a huge risk with this one, but luckily I'm a huge fan of classical music. ;) I like the progression, but one thing that really bothers me is the minimalism, especially during the first couple of minutes. It's a VERY long-winded piece. I did enjoy small moments like at 4:55, though, where the chords clashes in a rather haunting way. >:D I think you allude to the complex and well-thought-out structure of the piece in the description, and I agree that structurally it's rather impressive. One thing I thought you could've worked on was creating more dynamic contrast. It has a sort of continuous flow after around 1.5 minutes in, so that after a while without much "relief" (if you know what I mean), it kind of loses its engaging touch. I will say that I thought 6:49 was a height of emotion and drama, and I applaud you for that. The ending also felt very conclusive, yet it cut off suddenly. In fact, by the end you've convinced me that this is a solid piece. I still would've liked to see you at least slap some reverb on there to give the beginning (and, in fact, the whole piece), that extra huge-freaking-church, meet-your-maker-fiend sort of vibe. Still, I like it and I think that, for the most part, your risk paid off. Keep up the good work, Chris354. ;)

7.5/10

[Styles Trip]

The arpeggios at the beginning are kind of dry. I think they needed some more reverb. They also extend way too far into the treble range. The transition at :07 was a little rough, even with the crash. I think you should've faded the part at :07 in while leaving the arpeggios or some other harmonic part in. Then, there's the fact that :07 and :00 sound like completely different songs. Besides that, pacing is an issue. You go for a fast-paced arpeggio-based texture for the first 7 seconds, and then the next 4 minutes have a thicker, drone-like ambient quality. I don't think you need the first 7 seconds in there at all, really. Also, no one could've predicted the silence at 1:49. You need to lead into your transitions so that they're cleaner and smoother. I would suggest using volume automations, crashes, sweeps, or some other sort of drum. No matter what, though, you also need some more reverb, which would make the various sections of this song connect in a much more fluid and predictable way. Furthermore, you change moods too suddenly as well. The section from :07 to 1:49 sounds apprehensive and reflective, and then the chord progression from 1:50 - 2:10 sounds conclusive, even victorious. There's obviously a lot of dissonance and atonality at 2:13, which in itself is not a bad thing, but it still doesn't really fit the mood of the piece very well IMO. Then, the dissonant effects suddenly stopped at 2:40. This piece is EXTREMELY disjointed and lacks structural consideration in the extreme. The texture is also pretty thin considering that it's 4 minutes long. The instrument at 3:51 cuts off way too suddenly as well. Again, you don't need those arpeggios, neither at the beginning nor at the end. They don't feel conclusive enough to serve as a coda. I'm sorry this review is so negative, but, again, you need some drums, crashes, reverb, etc. to smooth over the transitions here. It's extremely choppy and lacks coherence to an extreme. You guys should keep working on this, though - there are quite a few isolated riffs that I liked, despite the minimalism, but the main harmonic parts you build your piece off of NEED to retain similar keys and progression across different sections of the piece. I hope you found this review helpful, guys. Keep working at it! ;)

2/10

[Love It Like This]

I love the instruments and catchy, mellow guitar riffs. The warm pads in the background also add a lot to the mood and atmosphere of the piece. It has a really refreshing vibe to it. Structurally, it's pretty complex too. I loved the sound effects at :52. One complaint I might have is that it doesn't really progress much f anywhere throughout the first minute or so, but then I really enjoyed the solos from around 1:10 - 1:50. You're obviously really talented with the guitar. I could totally picture some really soulful vocals to compliment this piece, but it also functions really well as an instrumental track. I thought the fade-out ending was a bit lazily done (as fade-out endings often are), but this piece still has a sort of continuous flow to it which somehow makes the fade-out ending okay IMO. I love the articulations on the guitars, though. You could've perhaps done more with the drums, but overall they served the purpose of drums just fine - keepin' the beat and moving the song forward. The mixing and mastering seems rather solid, too. Keep up the great work, BrandonShelton! ;D

9/10

[AngelsRevenge]

I like the chord progression at the beginning, and the warm pads really help set the mood. The beat that comes in at :12 is a little loud. I would suggest compressing and panning those pads more. The cello at :24 adds a warm vibe to the piece that I think helps the mood. I think the pads and the cello clash a bit at :32, but it's hard to tell because the pads are drowned out by the beat and cello a lot. Also, when you strip away the beat at :42, it can be a little hard to follow the rhythm of the cello. Then, I'm not sure the cello solo at :42 led into the transition at :49 very well. I liked the beats thereafter, though. I think you could've used a crash at 1:25 - I wasn't really prepared for the beat to suddenly end like that. The transitions at 1:30 and 2:08 are also a little rough, and the crash at 1:42 is very loud. The coda was kind of lazily done. I wanted to see something more creative than a simple fade-out. However, I think my main problem with this piece is the lack of coherence. It sounds like you're jumping back and forth between playing 2 or 3 different pieces. You at least tried to bring it full-circle at the end by bringing the cello back, but you didn't connect the various sections of this piece very well, so it didn't really work for me. Still, I like the instruments and the moods here, and a lot of the isolated riffs (like the melody at 1:30). If you improve the coherence and the transitions of the piece, it would be a pretty solid track. Keep at it, Bolisa! ;)

5/10

bolisa responds:

Thanks for the amazing review! The only problem is that i lost the file of this song, so i cant edit it anymore :(. With you're tips i could make a solid track indeed. But that just means that i have to use it in my future songs, and i will. Anyways, i wish you the best with the contest. There are many good musicians out here!