TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pooo1-Summer wave]

I like the energy at the beginning and the build-up into :22. Some of the instruments here are a bit cheesy, including the pads at the very beginning and the thin, minimal clap at :03. The mix could use some tightening up. The kick drum seems to be distorting the other instruments a lot throughout the first 20 seconds - you might consider looking into sidechaining in your DAW to help fix that, but you may also have the use and equalizer (“EQ”) to filter out the bass tones (less than ~200 Hertz) in the other instruments.

Mixing aside, the transition at :46 was a bit sudden, as was the one at 1:00. I’d suggest looking into using more risers, sweeps, automation, and/or filtering to help smooth over some of the transitions here. Otherwise, the piece gets pretty repetitive later on, and I would’ve liked to see you vary the main riffs here more to give the composition a stronger sense of progression over time.

But if there’s one compositional element of the piece I think could use some work, it’s the arrangement. Basically, the middle section of the piece from :40 to 1:05 or so sounds like a choppy series of harmonic ideas, as opposed to a fluid, well-connected narrative. Mixing effects like reverb, as well as simple drum fills and crashes, may help create that type of connection, but eventually I’d suggest experimenting with more subtle phrasing details like filtering automations on harmonic instruments. You’re already using sweeps and build-ups during the first 30 seconds of the piece and again at 1:22, which is good, but the middle section of the piece could use some more smoothing over.

Still, I enjoyed the catchy rhythmic content and a lot of the individual riffs, like the robotic-sounding synth that first comes in at :03. You clearly already have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. Now I just want to see you work on your sense of progression, and also clean up the mixing a tad. Keep at it, Pooo1! :)

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Dreaming in Reverse - ft. SOLARIA Lite]

I like the guitar chords and the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning. The lead instrument at :12 also sounds really soothing and light. The vocals here sound incredibly realistic - maybe it’s just me, but the vibrato on them occasionally makes them sound slightly off-pitch, at least at the beginning.

I like the string melody at 2:13, but the density of the notes makes them sound a bit inauthentic (as a classically trained cellist, it always annoys me when string samples from plugins have a really weak attack, so that every single note sounds like you’re placing the bow on the string for the first time. In real life, the notes would be slurred together in one bow, or otherwise the musician would time it so that the main body of the sound is playing right as the note hits. It’s not your fault. I need to send an angry message to ImageLine or something. But I digress.)

The minimal breakdown at 2:32 was nice for some variety, and I like the re-entry of the vocals with the more mellow (“fantasy”) line at 2:55. The return of that first guitar melody at 3:12 was really nice, and I also really like the additional layers of harmony during the final refrain at 4:12. The production quality is also solid overall, but the drums do seem a bit weak between 4:12 and 5:00, as do the guitars during both refrain sections, actually. Still, I really enjoyed the pensive and mysterious outro.

Overall, the composition is quite impressive here. Despite my nitpicks regarding the sound design and mixing, you totally have me won over with the melodic content, progression, and amount of variety in the texture. Keep it up, Pixxlman! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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
9/10

PixxlMan responds:

Thanks for the awesome, in depth review! Really glad you liked the song! :)

[My Splitter Soul]

I like the twinkly synths at the beginning and the heavy filtering on the drums. The eerie atmosphere and gritty bass mesh well together, but I think you started overusing the glitchy effects at :45 - at first I thought it was part of a build-up/transition, but eventually it comes across as spammy and also compromises the quality of the mix. The mix is very loud here, but also pretty distorted and off-balance at times. You have a great sense of atmosphere going here, but I would’ve liked to see some more variety in the harmonic content at some point. After the first minute or two the piece is very repetitive, and honestly it’s hard to even focus on anything besides the glitchy, distorted drums after a while. Honestly, replacing the percussion with some more laid-back, 4-on-the-floor drums and adding some variety in the composition could easily double your score here. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though - the atmosphere and sound design really has potential. Feel free to send me a PM when you feel like you’ve implemented my feedback, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, Peshay! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
3.5/10

[your old car]

I like the dreamy arpeggios at the beginning and the tempo automations into :31. The vocals are pretty good - I really like all the layering, but they might blend together a bit better with a tad more reverb. The lyrics themselves are a bit cheesy sometimes, but they have a great sense of narrative about them. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize you’re literally talking about an old car that you had. XD Aspects of the arrangement and chord progression are a bit generic here. That said, the compositional details, like the “yeah”s at 2:11 and the heavier instrumental tracks at 2:22, help add variety to the harmonic content, and I really like the organ solo at 3:06. The dramatic pause at 3:17 threw me off a bit at first, but in a way it feels fitting given the thematic content of the piece. The outro with the soft, soothing arpeggios is just haunting. The production quality is also strong, although the guitar riff gets a little buried underneath the heavy pads at 3:47. Overall, this is a solid effort, Pciphidic! I really like the sound design, atmosphere, mixing, and vocal work here. Keep at it! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Partialism - Islands in Space [NGADM 2023]]

I like the ominous bass drone at the beginning. The synth at :06 sounds a bit thin and cheesy by comparison, but the texture starts coming together nicely by around :30. The kick drum towards the beginning is a bit heavy, though, and the snare at :52 sounds dry and artificial. It’s also a bit difficult to make out the rhythmic syncopations in the percussion.

Despite my complaints regarding the sound design and mixing, the composition here has a great cutesy and upbeat vibe, and the melodic content is both catchy and dynamic. The synth lead at 1:59 is a good example of this memorable melodic content, and also an instrument that sounds a bit unpolished and harsh in the mix. The mix is both pretty bottom-heavy and too quiet overall here. You could definitely use some more compression on some of the drums (besides the snare), and a little more reverb on most of the other instruments to help with balance and blending. Meanwhile, the bass is plenty loud enough as is.

Again, in terms of composition, this piece is really good though - well-structured, fun harmonies and rhythmic content, and some killer melodies to boot. The key change at 2:19 is also really cool. If I had to complain about one compositional decision here, it might be that the energy level of the piece is nearly constant throughout, which is not ideal in terms of maintaining listener engagement. Adding an extended breakdown or bridge, or at least shaking up the instrumental hierarchy at some point, might help add some variety in that regard. I also thought that the main chord progression here was a bit generic.

Still, you clearly have a fantastic sense of harmony and progression, and the mix, while quiet and a bit off-balance in places, is also pretty clean overall. Solid work here, Partialism, and by all means keep repping those gangsta Teletubbies! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
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

[Red Vox - Stranded (Papkee Orchestral Arrangement)]

I like the haunting atmosphere at the beginning. The piano at :20 has a great emotional quality to it, too. The piece is a bit slow to progress at first, but the texture starts coming together well by around :56. During the first half of the piece, I can’t help but feel like you could’ve done a tad more with the riff that first appears at 1:13 - it’s repeated often, but not extended or altered much. That said, the warm, rich strings at 1:47 are really nice, and the soaring melody lines at 2:40 really tug at the heartstrings. The woodwind and string solos at the breakdown at 3:20 were good ideas, and I love the gently swelling atmosphere during that section too. The major climax at 4:15 came on a tad suddenly, but was really exhilarating nonetheless. I also love the sense of urgency in the string line at 4:33, as well as the call-and-response solos that pop in and out between then and 5:16. The minimal, furtive outro was just as haunting as the introduction, and I like the callback to the initial cello riff at 5:39. Overall, this is fantastic work, Papkee. The melodies and sound design are beautiful, and you absolutely maximized the dynamic contrast and emotion here. I’m going to go check out this Red Vox song now - here’s hoping it’s half as good. ^_^

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

[sleepwelltonight109 - Retro Beat]

I like the energy at the beginning. The lead synth there sounds a tad harsh in the treble range of the frequency spectrum - perhaps some filtering could help fix that. The chord progression, sound design, and arrangement of this piece are all pretty generic, but it’s also pretty catchy and upbeat. I like the melodies at :37, although the drums could’ve come through a lot stronger in the mix here. The breakdown riff at 1:24 is also catchy, but once again the snare at 1:39 sounds really weak. The filtering and distortion on the piano at 1:50 are pretty cool, and the transition back into the main melodic phrase at 2:51 is well done. I might’ve liked to see you add more variety to the harmonic framework and/or main melody during the second half of the piece, though. Even a key change or brief post-chorus would help add a level of interest here that’s currently lacking. Overall, my biggest complaint is probably how cliche the piece is, but the mixing could also be a lot tighter. There’s a lot to like here between the rhythmic content, memorable melodies, smooth progression, and atmosphere, though. Keep at it, Panacea! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

[Lilith (Vocals)]

I like the vocal samples and the catchy, energetic intro. The intro does drag on for a bit long, though - 48 seconds, in my estimation. Maybe it would feel less slow to progress if you had introduced the different instruments gradually, or even skipped right to the first verse at :25. I like the melancholy vocals, crisp drums, and groovy guitar riffs, though. The lyrics themselves are also really good. The mix could’ve been a bit more loud and distinct here - I especially think the lead guitar could use a boost, although it’s easy to overuse compression on electric guitars IMO.

The instrumental content in this piece gets a tad repetitive, too. There’s a near-constant energy level throughout the piece, which is not always conducive to maximizing listener engagement. At some point, an atmospheric breakdown or frantic solo would’ve been more than welcome. The only time the harmonic framework shifts is at 3:26, and even then it has about the same intensity as the vocal section before it. I also might have liked to see more variation in the vocal refrain the second time around.

Overall, I really like the sound design, rhythmic content, vocal work, and thematic content of the piece. The composition could use a bit more variety, though, and the mixing could be a bit tighter. Still, you’ve captured a great 90s “coffee shop rock” sort of vibe with this one. Keep at it, Paddy Davis! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Fluorescent Lights - Okathan & ItsMiguel09 (Synthwave)]

I like the dreamy synth pads at the beginning. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture by around :20, which adds a nice sense of atmosphere. Just be careful that it’s not affecting the quality of the mix too much - if you can have some of the harmonies pop through clearer, it might be worth it to dial back the reverb a tad. The pitch-automated synth at :54 was pretty neat, and I like the crisp drums and arpeggios during the section from :54 to 1:44. The breakdown at 1:44, while short-lived, was a good way of creating variety in the texture. The variations on the lead and harmonies during the second half of the piece are very subtle, and I would’ve liked to see a stronger sense of development over the course of the piece. I also think the arrangement is a tad formulaic here, especially during the first half of the piece, with regular changes to the texture every 8 or 16 bars or so, but not a lot of ebb and flow within those 16 bars. You also have some pretty generic structuring elements and chord progression. Still, the spacey sound design, solid production quality, and rich texture make this piece really memorable, and the rhythmic content and atmosphere are nice too. Keep at it, guys! ^_^

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