TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[RobTop - Random Song 06 (Rombit 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

[Under Surveillance]

I like the echo-y, minimal beat at the beginning. The mysterious-sounding synth bass are a nice touch, as is the flute and the echo-y percussion at :42. The piece is a bit slow to progress at first, but the sound design is really cool, and the mix is really loud, crisp, and well-balanced. The transition at 1:25 was pretty sudden. There’s a great sense of mounting tension starting at 1:50, but the part at 2:11 ended up being a bit anticlimactic. The texture is pretty minimal for most of this piece, and as much as I enjoy the synth lead at 2:32, I think all the apprehensive set-up in this piece was a bit of a missed opportunity to really create a high-octane climax later in the piece. When do the burglars realize they’re on camera and start running? When does the guard’s throat get slit? Right now, I’m not sure that moment ever comes. I also think the mix begins to sound a tad strained during the final minute or so of the piece, and the drums in particular seem like they’re fighting for attention. That said, I really like the atmosphere, ominous mood, instrumentation, and progression of this piece. Keep at it, RedCocoa! ^_^

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
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
8.5/10

RedCocoa responds:

Thanks for your very in depth feedback :)
I wanted to audition with one of the more experimental tracks on this album and I knew it was a bit of a gamble but I'll take the feedback and improve whatever I'll come up with in the next two weeks. Thanks again!

[continuity error Jazz/IDM/Future [MUSIC VIDEO]]

I like the jazzy vibe at the beginning and the crisp, punchy drums at :16. I think you start overusing that pad and crash with the strong attack at :22, and otherwise the texture is pretty minimal. The sound design is really cool, though, and I like the tempo automations at 1:02 or so. The harmonic content here could use a lot more depth and variety after a while, and I also think the structure of the piece needed a stronger sense of ebb and flow. Right now, the piece just gets a bit repetitive and predictable after a while, despite the neat sound design and strong production quality. I also like when the beat slows down at 2:48 and the off beats get a stronger emphasis than they had before. Clearly, your killer sense of rhythm is on full display here, but I would’ve liked to see you round out the composition a bit more with an overarching sense of narrative and more variety in the harmonies. Still, the instrumentation and mixing are top-notch here. Keep at it, Quarl! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Quarl responds:

Thanks for taking the time TL, and salud!

[Qshunt - The Wyvern Protocol]

I like the gritty atmosphere at the beginning and the ominous vocal samples. I’m also digging the crisp drums at :22 and the build-up into :33. The drop there is a bit minimal, but also catchy and well-balanced in the mix. The production quality is really strong here, even if there are a lot of mixing effects in the texture during the busy parts. The parrots sound really cool, too (I assume it’s the distant screeching sound at 1:50?). The breakdown at 2:01 was good for some structural variety, although the arrangement of the piece is a little generic and the drop/post-chorus sections drag on for a bit too long IMO. By 2:46, I’m loving the rhythmic syncopations in the bass, and the chopped-up vocal samples at 3:05 are also pretty neat. I would’ve liked to hear a stronger “point of arrival” and/or sense of development during the second half of the piece here, and I also think the ending comes on a bid suddenly. That said, you absolutely nailed the sound design, atmosphere, and mixing of this piece. Keep it up, Qshunt! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Qshunt responds:

Thanks for listening and your detailed review!
That's the parrots @ ~1:50 :D

I've actually replaced the file with a better sounding remaster last night that I was hoping to submit before the comp, but regardless, I'm pleased I got through the auditions!

Now for the next round!
I'm up against some pretty stiff competition.
I've checked them out and they make some excellent music.