TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[My Name Is Nobody]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning, but it’s a bit difficult to follow the rhythmic content, and at :11 there’s quite a bit of dissonance in the texture. By :27, I really like the beat, but the synths sound a bit unpolished. The harmonic instruments blend together better by :47, but admittedly I’m not a big fan of the high-pitched pad with the pulsating pattern, which comes back in at 1:13.

This piece also has quite a few sudden transitions where the instrumental palette changes abruptly - 1:07, 1:28, etc. Sometimes, you’re able to effectively paper over them with drum fills that foreshadow them, but at some point some more gradual transitions would be nice to further smooth things out.

Otherwise, the harmonic content gets a bit repetitive towards the end, although I like how you switch up the drum pattern pretty frequently. Overall, this is a really catchy piece, and you have me sold on most of the sound design by the end. The production quality also holds up well. Still, a less disjointed arrangement and some more variety later on could really help take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, ACTG! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Shuffling Leaves in the Forest of Weeds]

I like the smooth pads and vocal samples at the beginning. Love the smooth bass at :30. The pacing is a bit slow towards the beginning, but between the dreamy lead and the percussion, the sound design is great. I love the melodies at around the 2-minute mark, although the beep-like synth on the downbeats there was a bit much. I also like the melodies at 2:30 - sounds like a synth that’s meant to sound like a saxophone, but got processed back into more synth than saxophone, if that makes sense.

At some point, it would’ve been nice to add a bit more ebb and flow to the energy level or instrumental hierarchy, just to break up the long, downtempo melodic sections that dominate the “body” of the piece. This track is well-produced and has a lot of pleasant harmonic progressions, but it doesn’t quite feel like a stand-alone track yet. It just needs a tad more shape and narrative appeal.

That said, it also has a captivating mood and really great instrumentation. Love this for the soundtrack of a space-themed video game or something. Keep at it, Aardvark04! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[You want REAL electronic music? Fine!! Here's some REAL electronic music...]

I like the piano flourishes at the beginning. The transition at :21 was a bit grating and drawn-out, and the piece doesn’t really have a strong sense of direction to it until the melodies come in at around :50. The production quality is strong, though. I love the full texture and clean mix, although at times the piece could use a tad more bass. The melodies at 1:19 feel really loose and dynamic - solid work there. The mellow piano breakdown at 1:40 was also great for some structural variety. Love the bridge with the frantic high-pitched synth arpeggios in the background at 2:10ish. The snare rolls at 2:30 were a bit over-done after a while, and the transition at 2:47 threw me off a bit. Really felt like the piece was reaching a big point of arrival, just for a more downtempo vibe to prevail. The piece also cuts off a bit suddenly towards the end.

Overall, the pacing is a bit slow in the beginning, and the arrangement feels pretty disjointed at times, but otherwise the composition is great. The frequencies could be a bit better balanced - I especially wanted to hear more of the low end at 2:10 or so, as a counterpunch to the really prominent melodic content that comes before it. Still, you’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the creative harmonies, sound design, and production here, and it shows. Really evocative piece - full of variety and memorable melodies. Well done, 398utubzyt! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[3manon - Me ("you" re-remix)]

I like the ambiance at the beginning. The vocal samples sound a bit out-of-place by contrast with the dreamy synths, and the vocals also sound a bit too quiet in the mix relative to the other elements of the sound design. I like the strong beats and driving house beat at :58. The echo-y percussion snaps and pitch-sliding synth lines are nice, but the texture still sounds a tad minimal, and could also use some more structuring during the "body" of the piece. The rhythmic content is strong throughout, as is the production quality. The transition from 2:30-2:36 was a bit jarring, but conceptually it does flow well into the section with the ghostly arpeggios at 2:39. That said, I don't think you fully capitalized on the energy and drive of the piece after that, as soon after the piece sputters to an end without much of a second "point of arrival" (after :58, that is).

Overall, I really like the eerie mood, danceable flair, and sound design of this. Compositionally, it could use a bit more ebb-and-flow later on, and I also don't quite think what you've done with the vocals is a compelling addition to the original. That said, some of the rhythmic syncopations (like at around 2:19) and compositional details (like the transition at 2:30) are really clever, and I have a feeling this will be stuck in my head for a while to come. Keep at it, 3manon! ^_^

Prod - 9
Mix - 8.5
Master - 9
Style - 7
OVERALL - 8.375

[The Thoughts Inside My Head [You Metal Re-Remix]]

I love the eerie ambiance at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to develop, although the sound design is both evocative and well-balanced. Nice gradual crescendo into 1:18. The part at 1:23 feels like a notable moment of arrival, and I love the dissonance shortly thereafter. The flavor is very cinematic and foreboding. Despite not having a ton of notes, the texture sounds very rich and full. At some point in the middle of the piece, I would've liked to hear a tad more structuring, although I really like the stylistic choice of bookending this piece with two big gradual crescendos. That said, the second crescendo didn't come with a whole lot of novelty compared to the first one.

Overall, this is a beautiful piece that's very well-produced. I think it also suffers from some of the tropes of the genre, though: not a ton of variety in the sound design, and a pretty slow pace in general. Still, you've captivated me with the harmonic content and arrangement, and I admire your creativity in completely reimagining the mood and timbre of the original. Strong effort, Anthony! ^_^

Prod - 9.5
Mix - 9
Master - 9
Style - 7.5
OVERALL - 8.75

anthonyragus responds:

Thanks for the thoughtful words, Andrew! Yes I ended up creating a through-composed plus bookend. I decided not to overthink this one and let some of the audio files dictate the form for me, especially bass and vocals, while making small adjustments and decorating with the rest of the stems.

[~Power of Pleasure!!~]

I like the soft bell-like synths and the fade-in with the drums at the beginning. The upbeat mood is also a plus, and there's a good sense of build-up into :38. It's a little hard to make out the lyrics, but the vocals sound pretty authentic for a vocaloid. The extended solo at 1:52 was also a nice touch, as was the drawn-out transition at 2:15. The piece gets a tad repetitive towards the end, and I will have to reiterate my main complaint from last time: the piece is super generic. Chronologically, the chord progression is the first indicator of that in the song. It's a SUPER common chord progression in pop music. Seriously, here are some songs that use the same progression:

- Numb by Linkin Park
- Kids by MGMT
- Africa by Toto
- River Flows In You by Yiruma
- Complicated by Avril Lavigne
- Grenade by Bruno Mars
- San Francisco by Scott McKenzie
- Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry
- MANY more

And of course, for a hands-up/happy hardcore track, the sound design is also very generic. The four-on-the-floor drums, dreamy pads, synth lead, and bass all sound a lot like tons of other songs. See, for example, "Come Home" by Envy (which also uses your chord progression). The compositional details also use staples of the genre everywhere, including the snare filler that steadily increases in pace at 1:22 and the "shooting star" faller at the very beginning.

So, your piece is a lot of things, Immy. It is well-produced, catchy, and smooth-flowing. It has solid melodic ideas and a pretty realistic-sound vocaloid. But it is simply not very unique. That is the main area for improvement in my view. Switch up the chord progression or a couple of the instruments and it might sound less cliche. Add a bridge in a minor key, perhaps. That is my honest criticism, even if it gets me smacked in the face with a pan.

Otherwise, I really like the production quality of this one. Mix sounds super clean and well-balanced. Cheers! ^_^

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Kevil - End Credits (feat. Kelly O’Donohue)]

This ROCKS, Bryan. Ton of fun solos and a groovy Latin-inspired beat. The layered call-and-response bit at 1:09 is brilliant, and even among the solos, this piece has a lot of overarching shape, with the trumpet solo at 1:17 the king of them all. The busy percussion really shines here, and I love how the mood is alternately sultry, mysterious, and triumphant. Keep up the great work! ^_^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thank you! Kelly really nailed that solo. I've tried programming them before, but there's nothing that can compare to the magic of letting an expert do their thing. Budgets are always shrinking, but I'd love to be able to move more in that direction for future projects.
DMed your code!

[[Sunset]]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the energetic drums. The build-up at :34 flows nicely, even if it's a bit generic, and the drop is catchy. The sound design is definitely nostalgic - really sounds a lot like late 2000s EnV. The transitions are strong, and overall the piece is well-structured, but there could've been a tad more harmonic variety in places.

Most of the foregrounded content in the piece is pretty repetitive rhythmically, and also feels a bit formulaic in terms of the melodic contour. Looser melodies with a strong "end goal" in mind would really help take this piece to the next level. Especially later in the piece, I would've loved to see you do more with the final minute or so than just repeat the fairly simple stepwise melody from before.

That said, the production quality is very strong, the rhythmic content is catchy, and you've done a good job of adding mixing effects and other compositional details to maintain interest throughout. Solid work here, Immy! It'll be stuck in my head for a while. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Spooky House]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning, but the chord progression sounds a bit bizarre (maybe it’s partly because there’s a big pitch jump between each note). The part at :07 is a bit atonal, but I like the smooth, mellow synth pads. The mix seems a bit off balance - I think the main synth riff should be a bit louder, and the glitchy rhythmic elements should be a tad quieter. You might even consider adding a bit of reverb to the glitchy elements so that they blend into the atmosphere a bit more. The bridge with the creepy bells at 1:02 is cool, if a bit minimal after 1:16.

Overall, I have a few suggestions. First, this piece could use some more traditional drums (in addition to the percussive elements you already have) to give it a stronger sense of energy and continuity. Second, it’s worth smoothing over some of the rough transitions in this piece, like at :41 and 1:36. There are many ways to do that, but the stop-start one at :39 feels a bit unnecessary, and at 1:34 or so the synth pads could simply play a bit of a melodic filler riff in advance of 1:36 to signify that they’re about to play a more prominent role in the texture (which they do at 1:36).

Third, in retrospect, the four chords at the intro feel out-of-place, and you could probably just delete them and dive right into the action at :06, especially if you expect this song to loop in the video game you’re making. Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, I would play up the idea that the mid-range synth pads are the “main thing” going on at a time, both by making them louder in the mix relative to the other elements, and potentially also by moving them up an octave for dramatic effect at some point.

This piece is definitely a good start between the ominous mood and neat sound design, though. Keep at it, Zhane9IsLame! ^_^

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

Zhane9IsLame responds:

Thank you so much for your feedback, I'm new to making music and I really appreciate your criticism. I really want to improve and this comment both helps me understand my mistakes and motivates to keep going, I really do appreciate it.

[FALLING IN]

I like the breathy vocals at the beginning. The sidechaining at :11 is VERY heavy, to the extent that it makes the mix sound more distorted than anything else. I like the beat at :48 a lot, but it ducks under the mix often. I would ease back on the compression here, and also maybe unwind the reverb until the mix sounds less distorted. It’s seriously detracting from my enjoyment of the piece - I just can’t hear all the instruments clearly throughout. Also, the composition could use a tad more variety, especially melodic development, but the sound design and rhythmic content are really cool. Meanwhile, the section at 2:49 sounded like the start of a completely different piece.

Overall, I’d encourage you to focus less on the loudness of the mix and more on balance and clarity. There are some good compositional ideas here, and I want to hear them without having to hyperfocus. :) Keep at it, xFebruaryx! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.25/10

xFebruaryx responds:

ty 4 the feedback :)