TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[S.Y.G.A.]

I like the synth bass arpeggios at the beginning and the organ synth at :08. They occupy a very similar frequency range, though - might help make each one sound more distinct if you moved one of them up an octave. That would also help balance out what was a pretty bottom-heavy texture until that point. Still, I like the guitar melodies at :53 and the walking bass line. The drums could use a bit of a boost in the mix - I’d suggest some more compression. In fact, the mix is a bit quiet on the piece in general, so maybe that compressor should go on the master track. Just be careful that you don’t compress it so much that the entire mix sounds artificial.

After :53, much of the first half of the piece is pretty repetitive. Especially since the overall track is so long, it might benefit from some more structural changes in the texture - stripping the beat away entirely, switching up which instruments are playing the melody, etc. I like how the guitar gradually climbs into its upper register by 2:45, even though it took a pretty long and meandering path to get there. The spacey atmosphere at 3:14 was a good way of wrapping up the first melodic section before the re-introduction of the bass a few seconds later.

I think the brass at 4:00 in particular could use a bit of a boost in the mix, and also the instrument sounds a tad inauthentic. I also would’ve liked to see you shake up the melodic section the second time around at 4:20 - it seems to be copy-pasted from the first half of the piece. The final tonic note at 6:43 is a nice touch, though.

Overall, the sound design and composition of the piece are enjoyable, and it’s especially nice to see such a dynamic main melody. The mixing is the main thing that needs tweaking here in my view. You could also stand to have a bit more variety during the long melodic sections, but it might serve you just as well to loop the piece off at 3:20 instead of just repeating everything again. Neat track, DonDonPan! Keep it up. ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

ZuwerWS responds:

cool I'll keep this in mind, also yeah almost everything after 3:20 is a copy paste just to show how it loops

[Hooked on Pythonics]

AHHH!! A snake. >_> I love the quirky texture at the beginning and the eerie mood of that synth at :09. The different instruments seem to be tripping over each other a bit by :17, and the texture sounds pretty muddy and distorted. I can barely make out the piano line in the upper register. Did you use MIDI to record this? If so, I’d make sure that you have all of the instruments quantized. Or maybe it’s just that the reverb/delay effects are a little too strong - hard to tell. The bridge with the sharp piano line at 1:28 is probably my favorite part of the piece - it feels like a real “point of arrival” in a piece that otherwise has more of a “tapestry of sound” approach to filling out the texture. I would’ve liked to see you do something more creative than the fade-out ending, but otherwise I don’t have many structure-related complaints either. Overall, this is a really fun piece. The composition and sound design are really enjoyable - seems perfect for a horror-themed video game.

The one big complaint I do have is with the mixing. It’s hard to hear all of the instruments clearly at a given time, and sometimes the excess of reverb in the texture further makes the piece sound muddy and distorted. I’d suggest dialing back the reverb, adding a compressor to the drums, and - most importantly - filtering out the frequencies in the harmonic instruments (i.e., pretty much everything except the bass and drums) below about 200 Hertz. You can do this with a mixing tool called an “equalizer,” or EQ for short. You may already know about equalizers, but you should use them way more often, is the point. They’ll make your piece sound much more punchy and crisp, which is exactly what you want for a dramatic track like this.

Anyway, I hope this review was helpful! I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. It has a lot of potential to be a real banger with some more work on the production. Keep at it, dogsinmrimachines! ^_^

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

dogsinmrimachines responds:

That's excellent advice on the mixing, thank you!

[Plant-Based Pickles]

I like the ominous riff at the beginning. The chord progression is a tad cliche, and the piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but I like the crisp drums and syncopations at :45. Despite a lot of pent-up energy and some nice filtering work, 1:15 ended up being a bit of an anti-climax, although putting the lead riff up the octave at 1:30 helped up the ante a bit. The airy breakdown at 1:47 was nice and creepy, but also pretty minimal. The echo-y synth might benefit from some stereo widening or something just to make sure it doesn’t distort the core harmonies in the mix. Overall, though, the production quality is quite good here.

I’m digging the bassy groove at 2:47, although the pulsating flanged synth at 2:54 isn’t my favorite - sounds a bit harsh relative to the smooth synths earlier. I also think the transition back into the “A”-section riff at 3:16 was a bit abrupt, and I wanted to see you create more variety and interest later in the piece that never quite came to fruition. You passed up the opportunity to create a real “point of arrival” that released and/or resolved some of the pent-up tension here.

Still, I love the atmosphere, eerie mood, mixing and mastering work, and sound design in this piece. Give me a “radio edit” version of this piece with some more variety, and I’ll blast it at every party I host. :D Keep at it, DJSupaMonkey!

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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

DJSupaMonkey responds:

Hey TaintedLogic

Man, I just wanted to say thank you for giving my piece a listen and providing constructive feedback. It's really nice to have some points I can identify and work on in my future music, as most of what I have learned has been on my own over the years. Having someone genuinely listen to my work is an honor in and of itself, but the clear and concise commentary is a wonderful addition.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. <3

Alex (DJ Supa Monkey)

[Luxury]

I like the cute melody at the beginning and the upbeat mood throughout. The beat at :26 with the prominent hi-hat is seriously catchy, and the clap with the heavy reverb is a nice touch. The harmonic content is a bit cliche and repetitive, though. The drop at 1:13 has some refreshing rhythmic content, although the drums could use a bit of a boost in the mix there. I think the breakdown/bridge at 1:50 is especially repetitive and minimal, and also drags on for quite a long time (until 2:43). I also would’ve liked to see you switch up the drop the second time around, and maybe have more of a proper full-length outro.

Overall, the sound design, progression, and atmosphere are all really nice here. The arrangement is a bit generic, and the mixing could use a bit of polishing up in places, but my biggest problem is how bland, repetitive, and cliche the harmonic content is. The entire piece is based on the same 4-bar riff, and could at the very least use some more fill in the texture (especially during the bridge) and a key change or “B”-section riff for variety.

Still, the rhythmic content, energy at the drops, and beats help keep me engaged. There’s a lot to like in this piece, and I hope you keep working on it so it can achieve its full potential. Keep at it, DJ-Minix. ^_^

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
.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
6.75/10

[In The Triad]

I like the flirtatious sax and crisp beats at the beginning. The sax gets a little lost in the mix at :08 underneath the bass and harmonies, though. I think in general, the bass is a bit too loud, and there’s a lot of reverb on the low-end of the frequency spectrum that’s making this piece sound a bit distorted. The piano riff at 1:00 clashes a bit harmonically with the main synth riff, and overall I think the arrangement sounds a bit choppy and formulaic here. The sound design, atmosphere, and quirky synth riffs are all awesome, but the composition doesn’t quite come together for me. It needs a little less start-and-stop energy and a little more gradual ebb and flow. In between prominent sax solos, it’d also be nice to hear some more dynamic melodic content, perhaps in a vocal phrase or two. I hope you’ll keep working on this one. Could be a real banger if you balance out the mix and flesh out the composition a bit more. Keep at it, djadj50! ^_^

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
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
7/10

SednovaNova responds:

Very much appreciated, this I will take to heart and work towards better compositions, or more fluent style here. I appreciate it.

[DIXLOX-Necrotic heart]

I like the ominous atmosphere at the beginning. The piece is a bit slow to progress at first, but I like the gritty bass line that starts fading in at around :32. The drums could’ve been a tad punchier in the mix, and that main snare at :45 sounds pretty thin. The transition at 1:06 was pretty abrupt - I might’ve at least cranked the reverb there and let it fade out for a second or two. There are some cool mixing effects, like the pitch-bending at 1:44 and the rhythmic variations later on, but otherwise I think this piece could use a lot more variety and harmonic depth. You re-introduce the eerie vocal section at 2:00, but at this point it doesn’t seem well-integrated into the overall flavor of the piece. You also start overusing the glissando/pitch-bending thing start at around 3:00, and then the 20+ seconds of “heart beating” during the outro was a bit excessive. Still, you have some great rhythmic content and sound design here, and overall the mix holds up pretty well. My main issue with the piece is the fairly bland and repetitive composition. Still, I think the piece has a lot of potential, and I hope you’ll keep working on it. Keep at it, DIXLOX! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
6.75/10

[dekiru - star seeker]

The sweep at the beginning is pretty cool, and I really like the atmosphere at :04. The distorted bass is not really to my liking, though - it just doesn’t jive well with the spacey sense of wonder in the rest of the texture. I also think the mix becomes a bit strained once the texture gets busier, as it’s hard to make out the piano and the other atmospheric instruments after a while. The mellow string section at 1:18 is nice, and I like the crisp beats at 1:36 too. I wanted the piano line at 1:57 to be a bit more prominent in the mix - maybe less wet reverb and more dry reverb? The transition at 2:31 is a bit abrupt, and you already know how I feel about the bass, but the atmosphere around it is really nice there. The frantic synth at 3:46 sounds cool, but also completely hijacks the mix and probably needs to leave more room for the other instruments (especially the bass). The key change at 4:40 was also pretty abrupt, but I think the overlapping string and piano riffs at the outro were really nice.

Overall, there are a lot of good ideas in here, but not much “integration” of the ideas with each other across sections, leaving it a bit jarring to listen to sometimes. Smoother transitions will certainly help, but you also might have to consolidate your ideas a bit more and think more carefully about how to interweave them, including transposing keys and overlapping harmonies. I know this piece is long enough as it is, but some more gradual transitions between the gritty bass and orchestral/atmospheric elements would likely be advisable. You could also try more cross-fading or melodic transitions, as opposed to simply introducing new instruments right on the downbeat.

Still, there’s a lot to like between the rich atmosphere, string and piano melodies, and catchy rhythmic content here. Keep at it, Dekiru! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Magnet]

I like the piano line and crisp drums at the beginning. The drop at :06 is pretty catchy, although the synths are a bit cheesy and unpolished-sounding. I also think it would’ve been nice to flesh out the intro and build-up of the piece a bit more. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture that seems to be distorting the mix, and part of the problem might be that you need to eliminate some of the low frequencies (<200 Hertz or so) in everything besides the bass and drums. The rhythmic content is really nice here, and I think the string pads at 1:53 help offer some variety later on in the piece - much more mellow and pensive tone than earlier. The final drop at 2:37 could’ve been a bit more distinct than the first two, though - that would’ve really helped give the piece a stronger sense of development and narrative. I’ll also say that, overall, the sound design and arrangement of the piece sound pretty generic. Still, you put together a catchy, engaging, and full-textured track here, Deforklift. Clean up the mix a bit and create a bit more ebb and flow in the composition, and this would be a top-notch track. Keep at it! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Dang]

I like the bell-like synth at the beginning. Some of the harmonies sound a bit dissonant, notably at :06, and a lot of the instruments are pretty cheesy and unpolished. Sometimes it’s good to modify presets to fit the piece you’re making better. Also, I find it a bit jarring how quickly you switch out different instruments, which in turn only stick around for 10-15 seconds or so. I’d suggest consolidating some of your instrumental choices, and also maybe using some more prominent drums or something to smooth over the transitions between different sections of the piece. Seriously, sweeps and crashes can go a long way towards making abrupt transitions seem less abrupt. In general, the drums should probably be louder anyway - it’s hard to hear them for most of the piece.

Still, I like a lot of the individual riffs and ideas here. The soaring arpeggio at 1:04 is probably my favorite. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and harmony, but the corny sound design and disjointed arrangement of the piece don’t do you any favors here. It might help to slow the pacing down a bit - this piece is pretty short right now, after all - and focus on crafting gradual transitions and giving your instruments some more flavor and depth. A little reverb might help towards that latter goal, but you may also need some different samples that are less cliche. 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.

Anyway, hope you found this review helpful. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece, too - it’s catchy and has a lot of whimsy about it. Keep at it, deepfriedfiend! ^_^

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10