TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[JustSomeBread - Phonky Situation]

I like the apprehensive beats at the beginning. The mix sounds seriously distorted, quiet, and bottom-heavy here, though, and the harmonic content could use a little more fleshing out. My favorite part of the piece is probably 1:11 - really catchy synth riff there, with a cool Middle Eastern-sounding vibe. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but the minimal texture and lack of melodic content here are turn-offs for me. More harmonies, especially in the upper-mid range of the frequency spectrum, would help make the texture more full and rich.

I also think the texture is getting distorted because you have multiple instruments playing at the same frequency range now. You can fix it by adding a compressor to the drums, and then using an equalizer to filter out the bass tones (less than 200 Hertz or so) in the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and drums). I’m sure you can look up “how to use a compressor” or “how to use an equalizer” and then add the name of your audio software to help you navigate the technicalities of your DAW. You also might already be familiar with these mixing tools - you should use them way more often, is the point. The snare here in particular sounds pretty weak, and I suspect that’s because the bass is stealing some of its lower-frequency tones.

Mixing and minimalism aside, this is a catchy piece with some cool sound design, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[Epic of the Hero]

The flute melodies at the beginning sound graceful, but the instruments playing them don’t sound particularly authentic. Some reverb on the flutes might help enrich the sense of atmosphere, but the strings at :16 also accomplish that purpose pretty well. I like the sense of build into 1:01, but the cello there is also rather clearly fake, as is the guitar at 1:23. Sometimes, if you don’t have orchestral samples that sound real, it’s better to replace them with instruments that are meant to sound synthetic, even if you’re going for a cinematic vibe. It’s also fairly easy to get free or low-cost orchestral samples that sound decent. I’d suggest PM’ing @LD-W and joining the NG Audio Pub on Discord. The Resources tab there is full of great sample libraries and tips on where to find more.

Instrumentation aside, I really like the melodies and rhythmic syncopation in the drums. It did throw me off occasionally that the strings were playing dotted quarter-eighth-quarter-quarter instead of quarter-quarter-quarter-quarter when accompanying the guitar solo, but that’s a small detail. The harmonies were occasionally dissonant here, notably at around :55 and 2:40, but it bothers me less at 2:40 since that section is very transitional. Another compositional nitpick I have at 3:13 is that the cello solo seems a bit “over-decorated” - it’s squeezing in a lot of frantic notes that don’t always add a ton of interest to the melodic contour. I appreciate how you varied the guitar solo at 3:47 compared to the first one. The outro with the church bells and string arpeggios also works well.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the melodies, progression, and rhythmic content here, and the mix sounds pretty clean and well-balanced. Work on beefing up your sample library, and this could be a top-notch track. Keep it up, Joel! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Joel-Phelps responds:

Thanks a lot for the review!

I'm glad you liked the atmosphere and melodies, and I will definitely look into getting better instruments.

[Audience with the King]

I like the warm pads at the beginning. The “oom-pah” rhythm at :08 is cute, as are the “oh!” vocal samples. The texture is a bit minimal here, and could probably use some percussion to give it more of a sense of energy and drive. The composition in general could be a bit more fleshed out, as after the intro the structure seems to be a pretty simple ABABA form. The string instruments don’t sound particularly authentic, either, and the dramatic descending mallet riff at 1:02 sounded a tad out-of-place compared to the rest of the piece. It might’ve been better to turn the entire piece into a loop.

Overall, there are quite a few good isolated ideas here, from the cute sound design to the plucked string melodies, but the piece could use a bit more harmonic depth and variety. I’d encourage you to keep working on it, though. Certainly has potential. Keep at it, JizzyJazz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Tergiversation]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the very beginning and the sense of build into :24. The synth melodies and punchy drums at :24 are great. I wish the low-register piano line at 1:00 popped a bit more in the mix, and sometimes the drums feel a tad over-compressed, but otherwise the production quality is really strong here. The emotional quality of the string and piano melodies counterbalance the frantic beats really nicely. Aspects of the harmonic framework and sound design are a bit cliche, but I love the revolving cadre of melodies you’ve strung together during the middle section of the piece. At some point, it might’ve been nice to play around more with the energy level, as the piece seems to be at a near-constant intensity for 3 full minutes, which is not always conducive to maximizing listener engagement. Still, the glitchy mid-range bass at 3:30 was pretty sweet, and the ominous outro also helped provide a fitting conclusion to the piece, although the very end came on a little suddenly. Overall, this is a really neat and well-varied track with some cool instrumentation and solid mixing. Keep at it, JinZ! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Orange Sky]

I like the groovy guitar riff at the beginning and the crisp percussion at :07. The section at :22 was a bit minimal by comparison - might be a good place for a vocal phrase, actually. The rhythmic content and atmosphere are great here, and I really like the quirky sound design decisions like the choir vocals at 1:20. That said, you could’ve used a bit more melodic content, especially in the first half of the piece. The guitar solo at 2:02 is awesome, and the filtering effects at 2:32 work well to transition the piece into the outro. You also made good use of panning at 2:48. The mix is loud and well-balanced, but could be a bit more distinct in the bass range, especially when the sub comes in at 1:48 and other places. Overall, this is a really creative piece that’s full of variety, great sound design choices, and well-designed compositional details. Keep it up, Jens! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
9.25/10

[The IPU]

I like the catchy mid-range synth riff at the beginning, although it sounds a bit dry and minimal. Some more reverb or other mixing effects might give it a bit more “pizzazz.” The piece is pretty slow to progress, and the percs at :29 could use a boost in the mix, as could the E-piano at :45. Some drum kits or pads or something would really help fill out the texture and add a sense of energy and drive. I like the sound design, but I also would’ve liked to see you create variety by changing up the harmonies at some point, not just switching out instruments playing the same couple of riffs. The cute mood, catchy harmonies, and solid sound design still get you a lot of credit here. I also think that, if you had sped up the pacing at the beginning of the piece, this would make a good loop. Keep at it, Jeffbeard! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

[Double Flavored Femboy Smoothie]

I like the quirky percussion and the eerie organ synth at the beginning. The mix is a tad harsh-sounding for my tastes, but the rhythmic content is neat and the rich atmosphere. The harmonic content could use a bit more depth variety at some point, although the moody breakdown at 1:04 was a nice touch. The second half of the piece gets pretty repetitive, though, and overall I’d suggest fleshing out the structure a bit more. Despite my compositional complaints, the experimental texture is really cool, and you also get full credit for sound design and atmosphere. Also, this doesn’t factor into my scoring rubric, but the title is really creative too. :) Keep at it, JarJarZoinks!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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

2keg responds:

thanks for the review Mr.Logic bruv, gonna come back harder for next year's NGADM

[Flutter - Future Electronica]

I like the quirky atmosphere at the beginning. It’s a little hard to get a sense of the meter/rhythm at first with all the risers in the texture, but by 1:00 the texture is coming together well. The progression is a bit slow-paced, but the creative percussion and rhythmic content helps keep me engaged. I would’ve liked to see the harmonic framework have a bit more depth here, and throughout the piece it felt like it was missing a strong lead instrument. Maybe some vocals would fit the bill? The dreamy atmosphere and production quality are top-notch here, though. The compositional details just need a bit more fleshing out. Full credit for mixing and sound design, though. Keep at it, Jans! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[EXPLODING ESCAPE]

I like the dense rhythmic content and quirky sound design at the beginning. The brass stabs at :17 are a nice touch, but I wish they were a bit more up-front in the mix. The production quality is solid, though, with loud and crisp beats, and a clean texture. The structure could be much more fleshed-out here, though. The piece might make a good loop, but it also needs a bit more ebb and flow in the composition first. I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodies and variety in the harmonic framework at some point, and it’s hard to do all that in less than a minute. You might also consider adding vocals here - feels like the piece is missing a strong lead instrument. Still, I love the catchy beats, instrumentation, atmosphere, and mastering work here. You’ve certainly earned a scout. Keep at it, J-P! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Apparitions]

I like the filtering at the beginning and the bassy groove at :16. This isn’t the kind of music I remember you making back in the day, but it has the same solid production quality and rich atmosphere. The mix is perhaps a tad bottom-heavy, but I love the piano solo at 1:20 and the crisp beats. The string melodies during the breakdown at 2:08 are really nice, as are the rhythmic syncopations with the percussion there. The piece comes together really well by 2:45 - great triumphant feeling to the final chorus. Overall, I’m seriously impressed with this track - the engrossing atmosphere, cool sound design, and airy piano melodies in particular. Keep it up, Jakey! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
9.25/10