TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Into the Devil's Lair]

The drums at the beginning sound a bit gritty and unpolished - it might help to soften them up with some filtering, and perhaps some wet reverb on the snare. The way the beat oscillates in and out is a bit bizarre, but the texture comes together well by :51. The arpeggios might’ve come through the mix better with some stereo widening or more careful equalization. In general, I think the texture here is a bit dry, and could use some echo/delay effects, reverb, and other mixing effects to help fill out the atmosphere. The mix in general is also a bit quiet, and might benefit from some more compression.

Compositionally, the piece has a nice harmonic depth to it. The bass is perhaps a bit too loud, and the drums a bit too quiet at times, but I love the rich pads at 2:36 and other places, as well as the rhythmic content and variational sections like 3:08. The drums could use more variety, especially during transitory moments, just to help smooth over some of the transitions. The energy level of the piece also seems pretty constant over time, and at some point I would’ve liked to see you switch up the instrumental hierarchy or main melodic riffs in the piece.

Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. Learning how to enhance the level of interest in your piece by using more mixing effects, automation, and atmospheric elements is a good next step for you. Keep at it, BigBlueBazooka! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

BigBlueBazooka responds:

Thank you.

[Love you more (Remix Madeon - Love you back)]

I like the floaty synth at the beginning. The vocals sound good, and the instrumental tracks around it really help fill out the atmosphere. I also like the synth guitar at :45, and the drop at 1:03 has a refreshing and well-varied sound. The drums here are a bit bland and generic, but otherwise the sound design is great. I’m loving that subtle riser at 2:05, and I also thought the transition into the breakdown at 2:15 was creative. The filtering work during the breakdown is really nice, but I would’ve liked to hear more of the atmospheric guitar at 2:33 in the mix. The momentary key changes from 2:52 to 3:26 are really neat, although 3:30 ended up being a bit of an anti-climax. I don’t think the piece every returned to the same level of intensity it had at 1:03, but overall the catchy synths, rich atmosphere, and solid mixing of this piece are big pluses. Aspectrs of the sound design and arrangement are a bit generic, but you’ve really stretched out the harmonic framework at 2:52 - 3:26 and found other ways of making this piece your own. Strong work, BAOWZ! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

BAOWZ-Tobass responds:

Thx for taking the time to review the tracks. It's hard to be truly original in electronic music these days, glad you enjoyed and thanks for selecting me✌️

[Aestrul - Hopeful Day]

The synths at the beginning are cute and airy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drums at :22, though - the clap is very heavy, and the kick has a lot of upper-register tones. In fact, the entire texture has a bit too much reverb IMO, and the piece is also pretty slow to progress. There’s a good sense of build into 1:22, but the texture there is rather distorted. The call-and-response action between the acid bass and quirky pads was a good idea, but the harmonies they’re playing could’ve been more dynamic. The tranquil breakdown at 2:33 is nice, although it was also a bit of a missed opportunity to introduce some novel harmonic content into the piece. During the second drop at 4:12, the claps take up a lot of space in the mix, and the acid bass also distorts the mix a lot when it comes in. The texture would sound much clearer and more well-balanced without so much reverb on the synths and drums. The piece is also pretty repetitive after a while. At some point, it would’ve been nice to switch up the chord progression or add a new, more variational melody on top of the existing harmonies. Still, I really like the atmosphere and sound design of this piece, and the transitions and rhythmic content are also good. Clean up the production quality, and this piece could be a really banger. Keep at it, AstralJam! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.75/10

AstralJam responds:

Thanks!

[Alone in the light]

I like the airy piano line at the beginning. It threw me off a bit that it stops and re-starts again at :06, but the detuning work at :27 is pretty cool. From :28 to :46, the continued detuning coupled with the white noise filters and drum fills sounded pretty cheesy, though. The drop at :46 is catchy, and the chords on the down beat sound nice and rich, but most of the drop is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy in the mix. The transition into the breakdown at 1:21 is a bit abrupt, but I like the creepy piano riff at 1:29 and how you integrate the busy beat of the drop and the piano and atmosphere elements of the intro at 1:38. I still think the mix sounds a tad thin here - you might consider giving some of the harmonic instruments a bit more room in the EQ if possible. Still, the soaring piano lines and demented bass riffs towards the end really help this piece come together nicely. Keep it up, Artackni! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Artackni responds:

Thanks for the review! This song was a big milestone for me, as I finally (almost) got the sound I wanted to get. Definately will be doing melodic neurofunk for NGUAC, and gotta say, I improved a lot since then, in, well, everything, but most importantly, mixing and mastering. Excited to see if I make it to the final round, or, perhaps, even win the competition!

[epic drop]

I like the catchy synth riff and crisp beats at the beginning. The lead synth sounds a tad distorted in the mix at :16, and you can tell the higher-pitched synth is getting distorted by the heavy bass underneath at :27. You might try getting a bit stricter with the equalizers - really make sure that none of the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything except the bass or drums) have frequencies below 200 Hertz or so. I also think there are a couple of sudden transitions here, like at :51 and 1:03. That said, I like the cutesy instrumentation and more upbeat tone to the piece by 1:20 or so. The open hat at 1:27 is another element that seriously gets buried in the mix - that might be a good candidate for some stereo widening or something. During this middle section (1:20 - 2:30 or so), you also overuse the stop-start transitions, like at 2:01 and 2:14.

I like how you brought back the riff at the beginning at 2:19, although the vocal bridge didn’t quite work for me. It kinda disrupted the flow of the rest of the piece - it would’ve been better if you had kept the beat going while delivering the vocals at the same time. Again, the hat at 2:50 needs a bit of a boost in the mix, and much of the content during the next minute felt a bit repetitive. I like the transition with the arpeggios at 3:27, and the bass-y breaks at 3:47 are also cool, but the mid-range pad you layer on there at 3:51 needs to poke through the mix more. Towards the end, I would’ve liked to see you vary some of the main riffs a bit more, especially the one at 4:05. That said, the melodic flourish at the very end of the piece was very well done.

Overall, I like a lot of the compositional elements of the piece, as well as the sound design, but the mixing could use some cleaning up, and the arrangement is a bit choppy at times. Still, I really enjoyed the rhythmic content, creative drum lines, and rich atmosphere of the piece. Keep at it, AndrewCr! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

AndrewCr responds:

I just noticed this, sorry for replying late!
Thanks for the criticism, I can tell you really looked into it and brought up every single mistake. Still, I'm not changing anything, I want to keep the original here

P.S.: Btw, I actually didn't know about that 200 Hz thing, thanks for that!

[Onslaught]

The synth at the beginning is cool, and by :12 or so I’m really digging the rhythmic content. Most of the instruments here sound pretty dry, though. Have you considered adding some reverb or other mixing effects to fill out the atmosphere a bit more? The texture is pretty thin and bottom-heavy, with not a lot of atmospheric or melodic content to counterbalance the prominent rhythm section. I also found the stop-start transition at 1:35 to be a bit jarring. The strings during the second half of the piece were a good idea, but by 2:00 or so I can barely hear them - I think the bass is overwhelming them. The piece has a lot of pent-up tension, but not much in the way of a “point of arrival” or climax that helps release some of that tension. With a little more effort, I could see this piece making a really good loop, but in terms of a stand-alone composition I also wanted to see more higher-pitched tones and and more memorable harmonic riffs. Still, the sound design is really cool - reminds me of some soundtracks @ConnorGrail has made. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though - with some additional harmonic layering it could be a total banger. Keep at it, AdmiralEnsin! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6.5/10

AdmiralEnsin responds:

yeah i made this a long time ago when i wasn't very experienced. thanks for the feedback though

[Riptide]

I like the tranquil guitar and white noise at the beginning and the subtle build-up into :18. The vocals at :19 sound a bit indistinct in the mix, and the choir instrument itself doesn’t sound very authentic. Part of the problem may be that there’s still some of the white noise from the introduction in the texture, which may be making it sound muddier. I like the dramatic pause at :58 before the variations at 1:00, although it might have added interest to the composition to have more of a full-length bridge or breakdown in between the two climactic parts of the piece. The transition at 1:38 was also pretty abrupt, although the piano outro was a good idea. Overall, I like most of the sound design (besides the choir) and the harmonic content, but you could’ve done a tad more with the composition here. The drums could also use a bit of a boost in the mix, perhaps with some more compression, and the bass doesn’t come through well either. Still, I like the Spanish-inspired chord progression and adventuresome mood of the piece. Keep at it, 7a9s7! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Timetable]

I like the quirky atmosphere and heavy kick at the beginning. The panning on the synth at :13 is pretty cool, and I’m enjoying the build-up into :38. I think you could’ve foreshadowed the lead melody at :38 a bit better, but overall I enjoyed the thick texture, rhythmic content, and sound design there. The breakdown with the piano line and vocal samples at 1:17 was nice, and the pulsating pads and glitchy vocals at 1:45 serve as a nice way of transitioning back into the hook section at 1:56. I’m glad you offered some variety with the drop the second time around with the additional grouchy mid-range bass and higher-pitched synth. Overall, the arrangement of this piece is pretty cliche, and the mix could be a bit tighter in places, perhaps with some stricter equalization. But the composition and sound design are fantastic, with flashy synths, well-written harmonies, and a smooth-flowing progression. Keep it up, 314leafcutterant! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[I Like Your Style]

I like the busy beat and bouncy piano line at the beginning. The brass line at :10 is also good in and of itself, but the harmonies are clashing hard with the piano, and later many of the other instruments also sound a bit jarring when they’re playing at the same time. I’d suggest laying out a chord progression you want to use for your piece, and then using only the notes playing at a given time in that chord progression to make the various instrumental parts. It would also help you to use pentatonic (literally, 5-tone) scales when you make your piece, to avoid having any clashing notes among chords that play in close succession.

Otherwise, this piece has a lot of good ideas, between the retro-sounding orchestral hits on the downbeats, creative rhythmic content, and the descending bass line that first appears at 1:05. You clearly have a good sense of progression and rhythm. I think the way you’re layering your harmonies together here just needs a bit more attention. Keep at it, 1Tap! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.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?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.5/10

[Teeth]

I like the quirky percussion and jazzy pads at the beginning. The strings at :18 are a nice touch, too, and the bass has a great presence in the mix. The open hat at :35 is a bit cliche, and the snare at :42 doesn’t fit the laid-back and acoustic character of the piece that well up to that point. The bass might even have to come down a notch at :50, although I like the sidechaining, denser rhythm of the beat, and prominent pads there. The harmonic content gets very repetitive after a while, and could also use a wider variety of frequencies to help fill out the texture. Overall, the sound design and mixing here are solid. I just would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition - more ebb and flow in the structure, more memorable melodies/solos, etc. Still, the tranquil, jazzy mood of this one is a highlight. Keep at it, 1Hanzo! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10