TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bathing while Boiling in Blood]

I like the crisp beats at the beginning and the mysterious-sounding pads and guitar riffs shortly thereafter. The rhythm has a bit of a weird pattern of emphasis at first, but I’m getting used to it by the time the lead comes in at :47. The mix here is very quiet - you could stand to manage your volume levels a bit better, honestly. The texture sounds pretty clean, but could also be punchier with a little more compression. I love the melodies here, though, as well as the prominent hi-hats at 1:25, the descending flute line at 2:09, and other compositional details. The harmonic content/main melody got a bit repetitive after a while, and I might’ve liked to see you switch up the melody instrument or pitch range at some point. Even the variation of the main melody at 2:14 has a very similar contour. Still, the catchy beats, cool sound design, and well-balanced mix all score you a lot of credit here. Keep at it, Scott! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[The Chucklesome Chucker]

I like the rhythmic content at the beginning. The synth pads are a bit soft in the mix at first, but I like the distorted vocals and synth bass at :13. The mix could’ve been a tad punchier here - the drums might need a boost during the busier sections, and the pads sound watery and indistinct - but the trumpet solo at 1:00 is really great, and I like the prominent vocals at the outro too. Overall, the harmonies could’ve used a bit more depth here, and the arrangement sounds pretty formulaic, with a lot of instruments added and subtracted over time but not a lot of variety in the main harmonic riffs. Still, the rhythmic content and sound design here are fantastic. Keep at it, SAKKth! ^_^

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

[(AIM) Ryzmik - "Aztec Reaper"]

I like the sound design and atmosphere at the beginning a lot, as well as the rhythmic content and the ominous mood. You blend the orchestral/world and electronic elements of the texture quite well, and the eerie flute riffs contrast really nicely with the grouchy mid-range bass. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture, though, and the drums don’t always come through the mix as strongly as I would’ve liked. The bass-y percussion at 1:54 is also something I really would’ve liked to be more front-and-center in the mix. I also would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content and/or harmonic depth at some point, but you still did a fairly good job creating variety with the spacey breakdown at 1:54. Some of the main riffs towards the end could’ve used more variation as well, especially compared to the first refrain at :46. Despite the full texture and rich atmosphere here, I find myself craving some vocal samples or even full rap verses that further sell the drama of the piece. Still, some nightmares are better left unspoken. >:D Really neat piece overall, Ryzmik! Absolutely love the instrumentation, catchy breaks, and apocalyptic overtones of this one. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

[Bullet Hell]

I like the frantic synths at the beginning. The transition at :08 was a bit jarring, though. Very different soundscape there than just a few seconds before, and you do the same thing to me at :32. It’s like I’m switching the dial on the radio constantly throughout the piece.

The more mellow section at :56 (and other places) has a better sense of balance and melody than the one with the frantic breaks, but the sound design is still a bit cheesy (especially with the piano), and the reverb is a bit too heavy to keep all the instruments sounding distinct in the mix.

The busier section at :32 (and other places) has some catchy beats and cool sound design, but is also very internally disjointed after switching between the sub-sections with the heavy bass and the cutesy, frantic synths. By 1:42, you do a good job of integrating elements of both of the main sections, although the mellow section’s melody gets a bit buried in the mix by 1:55 or so. I also think some of the compositional details and effects, like the ascending chiptuney thing at 1:50, are a bit too loud.

I like the tempo automations at 2:15 or so, but the rough transitions keep on coming, and you also don’t do a lot to create variety in the main riffs over time - even a key change or slight variation in the melodic pattern would help give this piece a stronger sense of progression over time. The downtempo groove at 2:55 was probably my favorite part of the piece, actually, as it offered a bit of much-needed variety here.

Overall, you have a lot of good individual ideas here - from the rich atmosphere of :08 to the rhythmic content at 3:18 - but you need to do more to integrate the ideas together in a smooth and gradual way. The arrangement feels very disjointed, and over time I’m getting whiplash trying to keep up with all the sudden shifts in mood, instrumentation, and energy level. That sense of frequent, abrupt mood shifts might’ve been your intention behind the piece, but I personally don’t find it very enjoyable. Sorry!

For what it’s worth, I think you clearly have a good sense of harmony and rhythm. If and when you make another piece that reflects my feedback here regarding the transitions, sound design, and mixing details, feel free to send me a PM, and I’m happy to leave you another (hopefully more positive) review. I hope this review doesn’t come across as discouraging - from the section between 1:36 and 1:42, I know that you know how to make smoother transitions. I just wanted to see the whole piece reflect that.

Keep at it, Rougetoad49! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

MYYA responds:

I had some balls using this as an audition, that's for sure. Given what you're grading it on, I probably should have thrown another song at you instead but eh, you live and you learn.

I suppose my goals here were not really in line with what NGUAC is all about. Most of the things you're docking me points here for were actually intentional choices, barring mixing. I know nothing's gonna be reconsidered, but I kindof regret using this song as my audition. Oh well.

Thanks for listening to it and writing all that anyways. Surely I'll do better next year.

[RobTop - Random Song 06 (SoTshu Remix)]

I like the ominous tone at the beginning. The mix is pretty crisp and clean, although I might’ve taken the bass/kick combo on the downbeats down a notch. The rhythmic content is really cool, and the sound design fits the dark mood of the piece really well. There’s a good sense of build into :40, and I like the gritty mid-range bass there too. The texture is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy throughout the piece, and I would’ve liked to see you at least flesh out the composition a bit more. Feels like it ends right as it’s getting to a melodic breakdown or atmospheric bridge or something. Still, the catchy breaks, smooth progression, and production quality are all really impressive here. Keep at it, Rombit! ^_^

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

SoTshu responds:

Hi! Thanks for checking out my song and for this really insightful feedback! Really appreciate it! Much love!

[Deluxe - MusicalRobo]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the very beginning and the contained-sounding synth at :07. I could’ve used a bit of a smoother transition into the energetic section at :21, and the mix there is very over-compressed. There’s a good sense of build into the drop at :43, but the drop itself is a bit minimal and harsh-sounding with all the rolled percussion/effects. I’d like to see you reign in the volume levels a lot here, and based on the author’s description, you’re already aware that this is a problem. Priority #2 is probably to work on your transitions - 1:32, 1:54, and 2:42 are all really sudden and jarring, and give the arrangement of this piece a very disjointed feel. I’d also like to see you add some harmonic depth to the composition and focus on balancing out the frequencies of your mix more - there are a lot of sections of your piece that seem to be missing mid-range pitches with tonal centers for long stretches of time, like at 1:54 - 2:42.

Sorry this isn’t a very positive review. I like a lot of the individual ideas here a lot, from the eerie effects during the percussive part to the sense of blissful energy the piece has at 1:29. But not I’d like you to both make these ideas more smoothly connected to each other across time (i.e., with smoother transitions) and have blend them together better in the texture (i.e., with less bloated volume levels and some “softening” mixing effects like filtering and wet reverb).

Still, the piece has potential, and I hope you’ll keep working on it. Feel free to send me a PM when you’ve implemented my feedback and/or made other changes, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Roboticclan! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10

[Sunset Riders]

I like the relaxed guitar riff at the beginning. The drums could’ve been a tad punchier in the mix here, and the guitar has a lot of echo/reverb to it that might be further edging out the drums and bass. The piece doesn’t have much of a strong sense of progression until the breakdown/bridge at 1:03, but I like the quirky sound design during the second half of the piece. I know you’re a really talented guitarist, Ritz, but honestly the mix could be a lot tighter here, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition too. Still, I’m a big fan of the rhythmic content, atmosphere, and sound design here. Keep at it, man! ^_^

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

Ritz190 responds:

Hey thank you for the feedback!

It's been rough getting back into music the way I was before, got kids now and takes most of my time, but I'll def work on the weaker aspects of my music that you have pointed out.

Thanks again! Peace!✌️

[Puffs]

I like the smooth atmosphere at the beginning. The piano sounds a bit harsh in the mix, though - I might suggest using an equalizer to knock down some of the treble-range tones down a peg. The pad slides at :19 and :37 are really cool, and I love the relaxed mood and the rhythmic syncopations in the percussion. The production quality is solid, although the piano and other harmonic instruments could’ve had a tad more room to breathe after the bass comes in at :59. The harmonic content here is very repetitive, though, and at some point I would’ve liked to see you vary the main riffs of the piece or otherwise give the piece a stronger sense of progression. Still, the haunting mood and airy sound design are really nice here. Keep at it, Rilo15! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

ggsevv responds:

Thank you! I'll take this and improve. Be on the lookout for me next year!

[Catastrophe- Mr. Germs (Ft. Reytunez Bz)]

I like the furtive synth at the beginning. The vocals at :11 sound a bit harsh in the mix, and much of the rest of the sound design could use a bit of polish. The kick at :21 is very heavy for an otherwise mellow piece like this, and I would’ve liked to hear some more mixing effects on the harmonic instruments to fill out the atmosphere a bit more. The way the lead synths kinda duck under the other instruments occasionally (suddenly gets quiet at :34, then louder again at :37, etc.) is a bit bizarre, and overall the texture feels very thin and slow to progress for most of the rest of the piece.

You layer on a high-pitched synth at 1:10 or so, but that one could also stand to be a bit softer in the mix - maybe add some reverb and then turn the dry reverb way down, to give it more of an atmospheric appeal. The added percussion at 1:28 is pretty cool, and overall I like the rhythmic content in this piece a lot. That said, the beat later gets a bit too busy-sounding and indistinct at around 2:30 onwards.

Overall, you have a lot of good isolated ideas here, but they don’t always blend together well, and sometimes the sound design detracts from the realization of those ideas. I’d suggest going for some bolder compositional decisions to add variety to the lead synth here - either increasing its range higher or lower at different points of the song, or even having it fade away entirely at times in favor of other melodies and riffs. The beat is really neat here, but the off-beats could’ve been stronger, with more compression on the main snare/perc that’s playing at a given time. I’d suggest adding some reverb on more of the instruments to aid with blending, and then using filtering to even out the texture so that nothing sounds too harsh.

I know this review hasn’t been very positive, but I think you clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression. You just need the harmonies and sound design components of the composition to match the efforts you’ve put into the rhythm and progression now. When you feel like you’ve implemented my feedback or made other improvements, feel free to PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, ReyTunezBz! ^_^

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

ReytunezBz responds:

Thank you very much for the review. I will use this to grow and progress on future projects. -Reytunez Bz & Mr. Germs.🦠

[Into The Thünder]

I like the synth guitars at the beginning and the crisp drums. The synth melodies at :12 are also nice, but I think the balance feels a bit off there - the bass is way too loud, and the drums and lead synth are too quiet. The descending guitar riff at :31 offers a good transition back into the main melodies, although some of the articulation on the guitar riff at :39 could’ve been a bit sharper. Part of it may be an indistinct mix, but I also think the melody line itself was a little disorienting - a lot of jumpy note patterns that don’t create a strong sense of direction towards a specific cadence or other note pattern. The big 80s synth lead at 1:04 is nice, but again the bass feels like it’s taking up too much of the lead’s oxygen in the mix. Towards the end, the arrangement also feels a tad formulaic, and I would’ve liked to see you vary the main melodies a tad towards the end, just to cement an overarching sense of development to the piece. Still, I like the sound design, rhythmic content, and atmosphere of the piece a lot, and I can tell that the loop is really smooth despite the fact that Newgrounds hates loops now lol. Solid effort overall, despite my nitpicks! Keep at it, RetroCarrot. ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10