TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Okathan - Closer (Feat. Jayden Salas) (EDM)]

I like bright tone and soulful vocals at the beginning. This acapella has a great vocal range, although the lyrics themselves are a bit cheesy. There’s a great sense of build-up into :46, and the drop there feels really cathartic and upbeat. Love the percussion rolls and synth lead, too. Aspects of the sound design and arrangement of the piece are pretty generic, and I would’ve liked to see more variety in the composition, especially during the second half of the piece. My favorite aspect of the piece is probably the production quality - all of the instruments are loud, clear, and well-balanced in the mix throughout. Overall, strong work OkaThanSongs! ^_^

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[This Dosen´t Care (?) Album versión]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Many of the instruments are a little cheesy, though. The choir pad sounds very inauthentic, and the synth at :12 sounds a bit out-of-place, especially considering how short-lived its role in the song was. The guitar at :16 totally hijacks the mix, and once the other harmonies come in around it it’s totally distorting the drums, especially at :53. Anything you can do to make more room for the other harmonic instruments in the mix - filtering, EQ work, dialing back any mixing effects on the guitar, etc. - would be worth your while here.

Compositionally, the piece is a bit bland. You have a habit of abruptly switching out instruments to create variety, without doing much to switch up the harmonic framework or layer different harmonies on top of each other. As a result, the piece has both a very disjointed structure, with a lot of sudden transitions, and also feels very repetitive. I do like the tranquil outro at 2:20, but some more reverb or a pad (something to fill out the atmosphere) might’ve been nice there.

Overall, I know this isn’t a very positive review, but I do think you have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. You just need some more ambitious compositional ideas and a cleaner mix to support it. I hope you’ll keep working on this. The gritty sound design and foreboding mood certainly give this piece a lot of potential. Keep at it, Octusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[Delivery]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. Some of the synths sound a bit cheesy and unpolished, though, including the “lead” echo-y one at the very beginning. The intro also drags on for a bit too long here without a strong sense of development. I like how you start really playing up the dissonance by about :40, but the synth at :44 still comes in way too suddenly and just completely hijacks the mix. Toning down the synth’s reverb a tad might help make more room for the drums, which are getting heavily distorted by 1:20 or so.

Especially during the busier sections, it might help to use equalizers more often. Also known as EQs, they’ll help you filter out the frequencies in the harmonic instruments (i.e., pretty much everything except the bass and drums) below about 200 Hertz. That’ll make all of the instruments sound much clearer because instruments with a similar frequency range tend to distort each other, especially on the low end of the spectrum. You may already know about equalizers, but you should use them way more often, is the point.

I also found the harmonic content of this piece to be very minimal and repetitive. There are long sections of this piece (like 2:20 to 3:10) where each instrument is playing a maximum of 2-3 unique notes. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but working to layer more interesting and variational harmonic patterns on top of each other would really help take this piece to the next level.

Until then, I thought the content that is already here was catchy, and had some cool sound design elements. The acid bass at 3:12 is really groovy and alien-like, and the sweeps towards the end (4:30ish on) add a nice sense of apprehensiveness too. Keep at it, OANSHY! ^_^

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

OANSHY responds:

Wow, thank you for the abundance of feedback! I didn't expect to be accepted anyway because I just started producing music about a year ago and there are plenty of other folks who create really great music. I am very much an amateur and I don't know much about producing, but this message has helped me a lot. Thank you! ^_^

[[Chillout] Nisker - The sky has descended to earth]

I like the dreamy, if murky, texture at the beginning. The cutesy synth at :27 feels a lot more lucid by comparison, though, and might’ve used a bit more reverb to help blend into the atmosphere more. The acid bass at :48 is another pretty odd sound design choice IMO, but the harmonies blend well together, and the phasing effect on the bass helps add some variety to an otherwise slow-to-progress track. I like the string harmonies and crisp drums that come in at around 1:30. Overall, the mix here is a bit quiet, and the texture feels a tad off-balance, with the atmospheric synths much quieter than the mallet-like synth and strings. The chord progression is a bit generic, and in general the harmonic framework could use some shaking up at some point, especially in a 10+ minute-long track.

The arrangement of the piece also feels very formulaic, with regular changes every 8 or 16 measures, but not a lot of “ebb and flow” within those 16 bars. Just a lot of repeated note patterns, one or two of which is either added or subtracted like clockwork every 8 bars, and an occasional drum fill or sweep to mark a major transition. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression, but this “robotic phrasing” aspect of your composition is something that probably needs the most work IMO. It might help if you had some more dynamic riffs or melodies here - something that sounds like it’s leading somewhere at a given time, not just playing the same riff over and over again.

That said, I liked the minimal breakdown at 6:24. I think you could’ve done even more to play up the atmospheric appeal of that section with some more wet reverb and filtering effects. Much of the rest of the piece feels redundant with the first half, though. I was looking for a stronger sense of overarching development in a piece this long. One of my more nit-picky gripes is that, for most of the piece, the rhythms you use are very square - it’s just eighth note after eighth note in the strings and drums, and mostly quarters in the mallets. That said, the sound design grows on me over the course of the piece, and I think the production quality holds up quite well, with crystal clear instruments in the mix throughout.

Overall, you’ve made a relaxing, pensive-sounding, and well-produced track here. The composition is pretty bland, but the mood gets pretty enchanting after a while. Keep at it, Nisker! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Capybara ft. EILON (Bass House)]

I like the eerie synth line and crisp beats at the beginning. There’s a good sense of build-up into :30, and the drop there is catchy, if a bit minimal. The arrangement and sound design here are a bit generic, and I also thought the transition at 1:02 was a tad abrupt. The composition could use a lot more fleshing out, tbh. More variety in the sound design and depth in the harmonies would be welcome. That said, the production quality here is top-notch - loud, punchy mix with well-balanced frequencies and an appropriate amount of reverb and effects. Overall, I’d like to see you flesh out the structure a bit, but this is still a really danceable and well-produced track with a nice and eerie mood. Keep at it, NightPredator! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

NightPredator responds:

Wow. Thanks for the detailed feedback! I'm glad you liked it, I'll finish it :)

[Not so good music]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning and the cutesy instruments. The filtering effect at :38 is cool, although starting at :39 it feels like some of your instrument choices could’ve blended a bit better together. Maybe adding a little reverb would help? Also, the entire mix sound pretty quiet. I’d suggest adding a compressor to the drums at the very least.

Overall, the harmonic content is pretty repetitive here, but you find nice, subtle ways of creating some variety. The stop-start transitions (like :38, 1:55, etc.) get a little old and predictable after a while, and I think a big solo or atmospheric bridge or something would really help add some more “pizzazz” to the composition. Otherwise, I like the cute mood, rhythmic content, and sound design here. Keep at it, NewGameExplorers! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

NewGameExplorers responds:

Thanks!

[Evaporation]

I like the quirky texture at the beginning. The breakbeat that starts fading in at :22 is also nice. The piece is very slow to progress, although the arpeggios at :50 or so and the glitchy breaks at 1:20 help maintain interest. The harmonies could use a bit more variety, and the melodies at around 2:00 sounded pretty square rhythmically. The breakdown at 2:40 sounds really cool, but came on a bit suddenly. Still, I love the switch-up in the drum pattern and the distorted vocal samples. It does indeed sound like two different songs, but you re-integrate the floaty melodies and glitchy breaks by around 3:50 to tie the piece together. At around 4:00, the drums get a tad lost in the mix, although otherwise the mix is very clean and well-balanced here. Overall, I love the mood, instruments, and production quality here. Very unique arrangement too. Evocative work, N0B4nn! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Tension]

I like the glitchy synth and smooth bass at the beginning. The mix could be a tad sharper here - there’s maybe a tad too much reverb in the texture, and the filtering could be a tad more strict on the bottom end (i.e., removing more of the frequencies below 200 Hertz in the harmonic instruments could let the true bass line really shine). The drums could also use a bit of a boost in the mix, perhaps with some more compression. There aren’t a ton of higher-pitched tones in the texture, either, so a high-pass filter would probably help some of the harmonies stand out more.

Compositionally, the piece has a nice sense of drive to it, and some solid sound design that helps it live up to its title. There could be a tad more structuring to capitalize on the drama, though. I feel like the piece is meant to be paired with a chase scene that doesn’t end in a climactic way, but rather with the pursuer getting tired. Some more “ebb and flow” during some of the long, repetitive sections (especially the first 52 seconds) could further sell the drama - filtering automations, gradual transitions, etc. This piece is pretty short as is, too, so I’d encourage you to try writing in a “final climax.’

Overall, I enjoyed the sound design, rhythmic content, atmosphere, and progression a lot here. Clean up the mix a tad and make a couple of bolder compositional choices, and this piece would be a real banger. Keep at it, MyrtleMist! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

MyrtleMist responds:

Thank you for a detailed review. Bummer that I did not get to participate further. I am not one to return to work I've already made so I'll try to keep the advice in mind when I make a new piece. Hopefully next time I'll make it.

[Escapade]

I like the bird chirps and airy pads at the beginning. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but the high-pitched piano chords at :30 help fill out the texture in the meantime. A lot of the synths at :58 sound pretty cliche and unpolished, and a lot of the original sound design elements get lost in the mix there, including the pads from the beginning. I actually like the dissonance in the texture at about 1:30, but during that section the drums sound very weak relative to the harmonic instruments. Compressing the drums might help a bit, but you might have to use less reverb on the harmonic instruments too. It sounds like a lot of the synths in here are from Nexus or something, in which case they might come with preset reverb. But you can still mess around with panning, filtering, stereo widening, etc. to avoid distorting the mix this much.

Regardless, the relatively mellow section from about 2:20 to 3:45 provides a nice element of contrast with the hectic texture earlier. I think the texture starts sounding pretty muddy again after that, though, and frankly I’m starting to think that layering multiple of these Nexus (or Nexus-like) instruments on top of each other is not a good idea. The piece is also missing a lot of bass frequencies throughout, and some plugins that don’t have a uniformly legato, ambient style will help balance out the texture a bit.

You do have a lot of good melodic ideas here, though, and I really like that echo-y synth that sounds like a baby wolf’s howl (6:05 and other places). You clearly have a good sense of progression and harmony. Variety in the sound design and a sharper mix would really help take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, MusicBySpektral! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

MusicBySpektral responds:

thanks for the review!

[Cypress]

I like the bright-sounding pads at the beginning. Nice use of the amen break too. :D The chord progression is very fast-paced and hard to follow harmonically, though. The arrangement is also rather choppy here, with a lot of sudden transitions, although I enjoyed the brief bridge with the thin-sounding synth at :48 and the quirky vocals at 1:06. Overall, this piece could’ve used a tad more harmonic depth and a more coherent arrangement/structure, but over the course of the piece the experimental texture really grows on me. The beat is absolutely fire, and the creepy lo-fi outro at 1:54 was also really creative. Overall, evocative work here, Mushi11! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
7.5/10