TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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

[Angry boy 4ever]

The distorted vocals at the beginning are pretty cool, but a bit dry. I like the frantic drum beat at :21, but I think they need some more compression and other mixing effects to stay on top of the mix. The rhythmic content is pretty cool at :32, but the piece is also missing some bass frequencies, and the synth at :52 sounds seriously harsh in the mix. You could try filtering out some of the treble frequencies on it with an equalizer.

Above all, the piece is missing some harmonic depth, with some fairly repetitive arpeggios and rhythmic phrases, but not much in the way of dynamic melodic content or rich atmospheric textures. The sound design is cool, but it could also blend together a bit better with a little more reverb and some more careful equalization. I like the quirky mood and rhythmic content here a lot, though. Also, while the production quality holds up well, the mix is pretty quiet in general, especially the rhythm section (drums and bass).

The climactic section at 3:22 is a nice way to hit the piece home towards the end, although it didn’t offer much in the way of novel harmonic content. Also, there are some pretty abrupt transitions throughout this piece, namely at :52, 1:38, 1:48, 2:30, 3:01, and 3:22. That said, I like the mellow outro at 4:06.

Overall, a lot of the individual riffs and harmonic ideas here are really good. I just want to see the arrangement be a tad more smooth-flowing, and also to have some less grating sounds in the upper register. Softening up the mix, adding back some atmosphere with reverb and compression, and crafting some more gradual transitions could turn this piece into a serious banger. I’d encourage you to keep working on it - it has a lot of potential. Keep at it, ZRKA! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Snowballs]

I like the airy synths at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty unconventional, and also rather fast-paced compared to the beat. The texture comes together nicely by :38, and I also like the piano at :43, despite it being pretty far back in the mix. The quirky synth melody at :57 also hits the spot. Overall, the arrangement of the piece feels a bit formulaic, though. You switch up the texture every 4 bars or so, but there isn’t much ebb and flow in the texture within those 4 bars. I wanted to see you find more inventive ways of creating variety - filtering, automation, dynamic contrast, changes in energy level, key changes, etc. The sound design and moody atmosphere of this piece are still really neat, and I like all of the individual harmonies. I just wanted to see you do a bit more with the composition here. Also, the mix might have a tad too much reverb in it for all of the harmonies to come through clearly once the texture gets busy later in the piece. Still, this is a catchy and smooth-flowing piece with some cool harmonies and a nice, wintry mood. Keep at it, Zone18069! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Zoftle x Tokzick - Hellfire]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning - very airy and full of creepy arpeggios and an ingrained sense of tension. The hip-hop-inspired beat at :34 is super nice, and there’s a great build-up throughout the first minute or so. The vocal samples at :57 help add some narrative appeal to the piece too. It feels like you did as much as possible to delay the drop as much as possible, but when it finally hits at 1:23, it’s just orgasmic. The male choir and glitchy sound effects throughout the second minute of the piece are great, and I also like the prominent strings and female choir at the bridge at 2:07.

I’ve heard the vocal sample at 2:30 used multiple times in this competition - where is it from? I’m not sure I was a fan of hearing it multiple times in the song, either, especially since it’s so long, but ultimately that’s a pretty small detail. The second drop at 2:52 doesn’t feel quite as dynamic as the first one, and the strings get a little lost in the mix there among the heavy reverb. I like the crisp strings and robotic-sounding synths at the outro, though. Overall, this piece has some killer sound design, amazingly catchy and rich harmonies, and a healthy amount of variety. Really impressive work, guys. You say this took you 3 years to complete, and I believe you. Keep it up! ^_^

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
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
9.5/10

[Far From Home]

I like the quirky atmosphere at the beginning and the guitars at :06. The vocals at :11 are great, although they weren’t quite as up-front in the mix as I would’ve liked. The drums also sound a tad dry, and could use some more reverb or other mixing effects to help it contribute to the atmosphere. The lyrics are relatable, but also a bit cheesy at times (“reaping what I’ve sown,” a fairly predictable rhyme scheme, etc.). Is the vocalist a real person? I suspect not given how consistent the tone of voice is throughout the piece, but it would be great to hear more details about her/it. Overall, the vocals are very realistic-sounding.

The production quality here is fantastic. All of the instruments sound crystal clear in the mix throughout, and overall are rather well-balanced with each other too. Composition-wise, the arrangement is pretty generic, but the guitar solo at 2:25 absolutely shreds. Some more variety in the main melody during the final refrain would’ve been welcome, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the full texture, vocal harmonies, and punchy drums throughout. Strong work overall. Keep it up, Zip-Zap-Official! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[The Land of Illusion]

I like the distorted atmosphere at the beginning. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, but it doesn’t affect the mix that much since the texture is so minimal. The eerie synth at :24 is nice and creepy, if a tad harsh-sounding in the mix, but I really like the more mellow harmonies backing it up. The melodic synth at :50 really hits the spot, although the drums at :48 are a bit flat and could use a boost in the mix. At some point, I wanted to hear some more bass tones in the texture - the mix sounds a bit top-heavy for most of the piece. That said, the texture really starts coming together well at 1:09 - the sound design is both eerie and tranquil at the same time, and I love the glitchy slides that start at 1:49 or so. Haunting stuff. The distorted bridge at 2:04 was also pretty neat, and the part at 2:13 serves as a nice secondary melody with some equally neat mixing effects.

I wasn’t quite ready for the piece to end at 2:40, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because I really liked the second half of the piece a lot, and wanted it to continue. A bad thing because the piece doesn’t quite feel structurally complete yet to me as is. I think you could do a lot more with the composition here, including shaking up the harmonies at some point and building a second point of climax later on. Still, as it is you won me over with the creative sound design, melodic content, and engrossing and quirky mood. Keep at it, Ziondiac! ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

[Enemy Territory]

I like the riser at the beginning and the airy synths at :04. The drums could’ve been a tad punchier in the mix, especially the snare. I’m also not a huge fan of the kick sample here - seems a bit sub-bassy for a piece like this. The texture comes together well by :16 - I love the string lines and dense harmonies with the overlapping rhythmic patterns. The mellow breakdown at :45 was also nice, although the synth at :55 sounds a bit thin and tinny. You also overuse the hats/crashes in the drum kit here. Later on in the piece, I would’ve liked to hear both some more variety in the harmonic framework and a more climactic refrain or melodic section. Right now, I feel like the piece never quite got back to the energy level it had at around :30, and the ending itself cuts off pretty abruptly. Overall, the sound design is good, but I wish you had done a bit more with the composition here. The production holds up pretty well, but the mix is a bit quiet overall, especially the snare. Still, I hope you keep working on this piece. Flesh out the structure a tad more, and this could be a real banger. Keep at it, ZeroDigitZ! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
7/10

[Barriers]

I like the cutesy riff at the beginning and the crisp drums at :12. The mix feels a bit strained starting at :12 - the bass doesn’t quite come through well, and by :25 even the lead is ducking under in favor of the drums and harmonies. Part of the problem might be that you need to filter out more of the bass tones and low-mids from the harmonic instruments using an equalizer. I’d also check to make sure that the drums are compressed enough to avoid clashing with some of the harmonic instruments later in the piece as the texture gets busier.

Still, the sound design and melodies here are awesome. Love the ballpark-style organ and the increasingly upbeat and energetic vibe until 1:35 or so. The melodies at the bridge at 1:39 are great, and I’m also glad you brought back the mallets at 1:50. The drums at 2:04 are especially nice, and overall you hit the piece home with the final melodic section at 2:17. Some more variation on the final melodies compared to the earlier refrains might’ve been nice, but that’s a pretty small detail.

To summarize, my main concern here is the mixing. The composition and sound design are fantastic, and with a little more tweaking this piece could make a fantastic loop for a video game soundtrack or something. Keep at it, ZaneLittle! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
8.25/10

[Imperfecto]

I like the percussion at the beginning and the bass line. The funky synth at :20 is pretty cool too. At :40, there’s this really nice stringed instrument (maybe a harp?) that’s so far back in the mix, I can barely hear it, but I really want to! Maybe some more compression would help it shine in the mix more. The mix here in general is pretty quiet - a compressor on the master track might be advisable, actually.

I like the synth melody at :59 and the mini-breakdown at 1:38. The composition could use a stronger sense of ebb and flow over time, though. It seems like you switch up the texture every 8 bars or so, but within those 8 bars the piece doesn’t sound very dynamic. Filtering, automation, slight variations in the drum patterns, etc. can really help a piece sound more interesting, especially when the harmonic framework is the same throughout.

Still, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression, and I like the sound design a lot too. A sharper mix and some more “humanization” in the composition would really help take this piece to the next level. Love the Latin inspiration and memorable melodies here, though. Keep at it, Yayday4evr! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10