TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Supermarket Troubles]

I like the waltzy meter and airy synth riff at the beginning. The harmonies at :13 are a bit dissonant, though, and there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture here to keep all of the instruments sounding crisp and distinct from each other in the mix. The beat at :21 is catchy, and I also like the eerie pads at 1:03. There are a lot of ideas here that are good on their own, but I think the problem is that they often clash pretty hard when you pair them with the other riffs. I’d suggest the following: try writing out a series of chords in a single track on your music production program, and then use those chords to write all of the other parts for each instrument. As long as the original chords sounded good, and you make sure that all of the notes that are playing together at a given time are in the corresponding chord, it should be a good way of constructing a harmonic framework that sounds more congruous and tonal. Feel free to PM me when you try this out, and I can give you some more feedback.

And to be clear, there’s a lot to like with this piece, “Supermarket Troubles.” You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, and it also has a fun, creepy atmosphere throughout. But the clashing harmonies are a big issue for me - a little dissonance is fine, but dissonance in music is kinda like curse words: when you use them sparingly, they have the biggest impact. :)

Keep at it, UnderFlood! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
4/10

[Mechanical Uprising]

Ah, nothing like a good uprising. I like the dreamy synth arpeggios at the beginning and the bass that gradually fades in until :30. The distorted atmospheric synth at :31 is pretty neat, although by :38 the texture sounds a little too bottom-heavy and the clap is seriously weak in the mix. The crisp beats and rhythmic syncopations at 1:02 are nice, but also don’t introduce much novel harmonic content or dynamic melodies or anything. The prominent hi-hats at 1:41 are nice, but otherwise the compositional details and gritty, mid-range bass at 2:04 don’t do enough to add variety and a strong sense of direction to the piece later on. Overall, the sound design and production quality are both quite strong here, but the composition feels a bit bland and underwhelming. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece - with a well-chosen lead and maybe a bit of a boost to the upper-mids in the mix, this would be a real banger. Also, I really like the atmospheric outro here, the way the reverb sneaks up on you like an ocean wave as you have your back turned. Yeah. Keep at it, Ultimatepalmtree! ^_^

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10

[Good Trip]

I like the retro vocal samples at the beginning, but the transition at :14 threw me off a bit. I guess I was expecting more of an extended intro. Some of the synths here are a bit cheesy and generic, but the beat is catchy, and the sound design certainly adds to the air of mystery in the piece. The piece is a bit slow to progress after a while, although I do like the added harmonies at 1:03. The mix could’ve been a tad sharper and louder, perhaps with some more compression on the drums and some stricter equalization/filtering of the low-register frequencies in the harmonic instruments. Otherwise, the piece sounds pretty repetitive and stale after a while. The energy level, instrumental hierarchy, and harmonic framework are nearly constant throughout the piece, and the vocal samples only do so much to add variety. I would’ve liked to see an extended atmospheric bridge or climactic solo at some point. That said, the texture is nice and full for most of the piece, and the rhythmic content and atmosphere are both enjoyable. Overall, it’s a solid piece that just needs some more polish on the mix and a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition. Keep at it, Ukatz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Collar]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the jazzy organ-sounding thing at :03. The drums are a bit soft in the mix throughout the piece, and could use some more compression. The transition at :29 really throws me off - you replaced a rich atmospheric, and pensive texture for a minimal and cheesy one. The jazzy atmosphere and bass blend well together at :48, but I think you may have been better off just layering the bass on top of the rest of the atmosphere at :29 as opposed to giving it its own interlude. The transition into the section with the new bass line at 1:20 was smoother, although having two competing bass lines at 1:25 probably wasn’t the best idea. Each would stand out more if you transposed one of them up an octave or two.

The bass riff at 1:44 is catchy, but also doesn’t seem very interconnected with the texture that came beforehand. The entire mix is especially bottom-heavy during this section (until 2:55), and could use some upper-mid-range harmonies to balance out the competing bass lines. The re-intro at 3:12 is a bit drab, and at this point in the song I would’ve liked to see you shake up the harmonic framework or even introduce a new instrument or melody, just for variety. Instead, the entire second half of the piece seems to be content that I’ve already heard earlier, or at least doesn’t do much to give the track a sense of overarching narrative or progression.

Overall, there are a lot of good isolated ideas here, from the groovy bass riffs to the rich atmospheric textures to the jazzy harmonies early on. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and melody. Now I just want to see you integrate the different harmonic ideas in this piece into more of a cohesive whole, while creating more variety in the energy level and sound palette to maintain interest over a long 6.5 minutes. It’s doable, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Also, a relatively easy fix is slapping a compressor on those drums and using the gain knob and maybe a little reverb on the snare to ensure that they pop through the mix throughout the piece. Feel free to send me a PM after you incorporate the judges’ feedback, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, TVP06! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.75/10

TVP06 responds:

Thanks, I'll keep your advice in mind as I was planning on fixing up Collar sometime due to its rushed nature.

[Xeveir and Xeron vs. XH (ft. JinoBeats) - Eternal SubconsciencƎ]

The breathy vocals at the beginning have a nice, haunting vibe, and the frantic percussion helps enhance that feeling too. The vocals at :15 are good, although it’s a bit unconventional to pan them to one side like that, and in general it’s very hard to make them out in the mix. The loud, distorted, and heavy drop at :38 was not my cup of tea. The atmosphere there was pretty creative, but the spammy rolled percussion took away all sense of rhythmic appeal, and the pads and other harmonic elements are really hard to make out in the mix. I might’ve actually used 1:01, the post-chorus, as the full drop. The harmonies come through a bit better at 1:26, but the rolled percussion is just a little too prominent and distorted in the mix there for my tastes. The vocals also get fairly repetitive after a while.

The breakdown at 2:34 was a nice relief from the harsh mastering of the previous 2 minutes of content. I like the dreamy synths and warm strings there a lot. The soulful vocals at 2:57 add a great, emotional appeal to the texture. You also integrate that soulful verse well back into the harsher refrain at 3:50. The guitar solos at 4:14 are nice, although they overwhelm the vocals in the mix a bit too much IMO. The breathy vocals at 4:40 are good for some variety, too, but the “eternal subconscious” vocals that follow are seriously overused at this point.

Overall, the composition and sound design are solid here, but the mastering seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the piece. The volume levels are seriously out of control, and the level of distortion in the texture obliterates most of the harmonic content. Still, I can tell that you’re a talented producer, and I think it would’ve take much to rein in the volume levels, limit the distortion on the drums, and make this piece a well-balanced and still-catchy banger. Keep at it, TurbonicZ! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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
7/10

TurbonicZ responds:

Most of the "Distorted percussion" wasn't on my end, it was by XH/Nari's since his speedcore style is MUCH more distorted than mine.

[neon drifto]

I like the sub-bass at the beginning, although admittedly it’s a bit of a strange way to start a piece (with the sub alone, that is). The mid-range synth bass at :13 is a bit generic, but I like the crisp beats at :28. The texture is still pretty minimal for a while, and I think some sweeps or crashes would’ve helped smooth over some of the abrupt transitions here, like :40 and 1:08. The mix is also pretty bottom-heavy, with two loud bass riffs competing with each other at :54 and only a relatively soft, floaty synthline to counterbalance them in the upper range. It might help if you move one of those bass lines up an octave or two.

The synth guitar solo at 1:08 is really catchy, and I like the pitch slides too, even if they sound pretty inauthentic. At 2:18, I like that you switch up the melody line with a higher density of notes. Helps the piece come together well by the end. Overall, the composition here is pretty good - you have a great sense of rhythm and harmony, and the mix is pretty clean and loud, despite my complaints with the imbalance among instruments of various pitches. My main concerns here are the abrupt transitions and cheesy sound design. Work on making the piece progress smoother and more gradually, and maybe add some mixing effects or substitutes for some of the instruments, and this piece could be a real banger. Keep at it, Tsunami900! ^_^

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Nebulous Mind - Reimagined, Complete, Mastered]

I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning. The wet clicks and distortion there aren’t my favorite, but the sense of atmosphere and the quirky sound design are great. The punchy drums and heavy guitars at :26 are great, and the bass and added harmonies at :44 help fill out the texture nicely. The transition into :57 was a little abrupt, and there are also long sections of the piece towards the beginning that are pretty bottom-heavy and minimal. That said, the spacey texture at 1:28 or so is really nice, and the mysterious mood at 1:42 is great. Sounds like the first 1.5 minutes were the protagonist’s escape from some underground compound, and then the following 45 seconds is when he realizes the compound is in the middle of a barren desert, and he has to go back into the compound to steal a getaway vehicle.

The drum work here is truly impressive. Very dynamic and rhythmically dense at times, and it always fits the immediate context of the instrumental tracks around it extremely well. There was another abrupt transition at 2:44, but in retrospect I’m glad you have a re-intro there, with an added dreamy guitar line at 3:10 to boot. Over the course of the next 30 seconds, the piece really evolves into more of a soothing and upbeat track. I love the texture at 4:10 too - it’s somehow both crisp and atmospheric. Of course, this track fully deserved a baller guitar solo, which is exactly what it got at 4:50. The rhythmic content at 5:30 is also good for some variety, if a tad hard to follow at first. Still, it serves as a creative idea for an outro in a piece representing an incessant state of inner anxiety and confusion.

Overall, my favorite aspects of the piece are the production quality and the sound design. The arrangement feels a tad disjointed at times - it might be wise to consolidate your ideas a bit, or otherwise find ways of transitioning between them more gradually. Still, there’s a lot of compositional details to like here between the guitar melodies, rich atmosphere, amazing drum lines, and gritty, head-bopping breaks like at 2:10. Keep it up, Trunotfals! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[Dreaming ft Hania [DnB Mix]]

I like the piano arpeggios at the beginning and the powerful vocals at :12. The instrumental track is a bit minimal and slow to progress at first, but I like the added percussion at :53. I feel like the snare should’ve been a bit sharper in the mix, though, and I also think that the mix was seriously lacking in bass tones for the first half of the piece. There’s a good sense of build into 2:02, which serves as a nice and cathartic “point of arrival” for a piece that had a lot of pent-up tension in it before. The repetition of the “dreaming” phrase before the final refrain at 2:46 was also a good decision. Sometimes, the lyrics are a bit cheesy and repetitive here, although the composition really helps channel their emotional quality well. I think you could’ve wound down the piece during the outro a bit more gradually - when the “falling” vocal lines stop at 3:19, it feels a bit abrupt. Despite my nitpicks, I really enjoyed this piece. The composition feels very dynamic, and the upbeat mood and emotional appeal are compelling. Always sounds like a daydream when Hania is singing. Keep at it, Trackers! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

[98]

I like the groovy synth riff at the beginning. The synth lead at :08 sounds a bit cheesy, and the harmonies there start clashing a bit with the other instruments harmonically - the dissonance is especially noticeable at :27 and :35. There are a couple of transitions here that are pretty abrupt, like at :23 - some of the initial harmonies suddenly cut out there, which is a bit jarring. I’d recommend using a sweep, crash, or drum fill to smooth it over. You have similarly abrupt transitions at :54 and 1:25.

I’d also recommend giving the structure a bit more of an ebb and flow. Right now, the beat is constant throughout the piece - a brief breakdown where you strip away the beat, or an atmospheric section with a special solo and different harmonies, would’ve helped create some variety.

Still, there are a lot of things to like here, like the individual harmonic riffs and the cutesy flourish at 2:03. You also have a really good sense of rhythm, and I like your use of 9/8 time. For much of the piece, it almost feels like two measures of 4/4 with an added beat, giving the entire piece a really refreshing, almost glitchy vibe. :D Keep at it, Toad-shroom! ^_^

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

toad-shroom responds:

Thank you for your tips! The way you explained things makes a lot of sense and I'll definitely consider those things moving forward. I hope to do more fun competitions in the future :)