TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lordant - The Ascended Dark]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the foreboding piano melody at :04. The energetic section at :39 sounds vaguely Celtic to me, and the choir and horns that come in shortly thereafter serve to up the drama. The electronic bass at 1:14 also does a good job of creating a sense of tension and urgency. Love how well-varied the sound design is here, and the airy string pads in the background for the first half of the piece are absolutely gorgeous. The piano breakdown at 1:49 was really nice, and I love the injection of energy at 2:23 with the brass solos. It’s a little hard to make out the string line in the mix at 2:23, but the choir helps scratch that itch, and the gradual climax into 3:15 is a glorious conclusion to a thoroughly epic piece. The low-register flute outro is a nice touch too. Very impressive work overall, Lordant! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[AIM - Harmonic Dispersion]

I like the quirky pads at the beginning and the crisp hats at :10. The percussion that first hits at :17 sounds rather harsh in the mix, and also appears two more times later on, but once the texture evens out at :18, I’m loving the bright-sounding synths and joyous melodies. The breakdown at :55 was good for some structural contrast, but the distortion on some of the synths there was also a tad heavy, especially in the treble range of the frequency spectrum. Otherwise, the production quality here is solid throughout, with a full texture and well-balanced mix. The minimal “echo section” at 2:34 was a nice touch that helps add some variety before the final refrain. The final refrain at 2:54 is probably one of my favorite elements of the piece - just different enough from the ones that came before it to offer a strong sense of overarching progression and conclusion to the piece. Overall, I really like the sound design, melodic content, and mixing here, although I think a couple of small aspects of the production could use some cleaning up. The arrangement of the piece also seemed a bit formulaic at times, with regular changes to the texture every 8 or 16 bars, but not a lot of ebb and flow within the phrases. Still, between the cute, upbeat mood and dynamic melodies, you have me sold on this piece. Keep at it, LordAndiso! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.75/10

LordAndiso responds:

Thank you sooo much! I couldn't agree more. This is very helpful for me! I will take and learn from this!

[Connect - Digitized]

I like the furtive solo at the beginning and the round, fat synth bass at :13. There’s a good sense of build into :39, and the sidechaining at :40 is nice without distorting the other instruments too much. The texture is fairly minimal for much of the first couple minutes of the piece, and the chord progression is pretty generic. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the rolled claps, like at 2:05 - you might consider at least adding a filtering automation on them so that they don’t sound as loud. Also, the main snare sample you used during the refrains was also not my favorite sound design choice - it doesn’t have a very hard tonal center, and is very staticy. The airy breakdown at 2:40 was a nice element of contrast from the energetic melodies earlier, and the more ominous-sounding bridge at 3:46 was cool. The distorted vocals that play on the downbeats there sound a bit harsh in the mix, but otherwise I like the drums there. I would’ve liked to have heard you vary the main melodies during the final refrain, just for some variety.

All things considered, this is a catchy and fun/upbeat track with a good amount of energy and some solid mixing. Aspects of the sound design, harmonic framework, and arrangement are a bit generic, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep at it, LHPixel8! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Twin Millennium (Nitrous Remix)]

I like the eerie texture at the beginning and the synth fade-in starting at :18. The orchestral hit at :24 is nice, and the revving engine pairs well with the melodies at :34. Elements of the sound design, especially the drums, are a bit generic, but the melodies are memorable and the production quality is quite strong here. I might’ve liked to see a bit more variety in the harmonic framework at some point, but you did add some variety to the energy level with the more minimal section at 1:55. The layered arpeggios during the final 30 seconds or so were a good way of hitting the piece home. Overall, this is a really fun, catchy, and well-mastered piece, Lashmush! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

[[SHAMKORE!] Hyperactive State of the Dreamscape]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning, although the rhythm is a bit square until :23. I like the neat meter at :35, although the rolled kicks at :52 were a bit much. The minimal drop at :58 is a little underwhelming, although the open hat at least helps balance out the bottom-heavy mix. Speaking of the mix, I applaud you for a clear and well-balanced production here, although the compression is a bit heavy for my tastes throughout.

The angry bass at 2:00 is nice, although when paired with the string line at 2:23 the texture seems a bit too busy. The transition at 3:07 came on a tad suddenly, although I like the call-back to the haunting string riffs and male choir of the intro. The frantic beat at 4:03 is catchy, but again very minimal. The breaks at 4:50 were really cool, though.

I think my biggest complaint here is probably the arrangement - it just feels very disjointed. There are a lot of sudden transitions, and long stretches of time with very little harmonic content at all. You seem to switch up the texture every 8 or 16 bars, but there’s not much of a sense of ebb and flow within the phrases themselves. The result is that the composition feels very formulaic after a while.

Overall, the energy, rhythmic content, sound design, and mixing are all very strong here. Some of the compositional details could use some smoothing out, but regardless, kudos on a catchy and compelling track fitting for a cinematic chase scene, Kysertron! ^_^

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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Krea - Cotton Candy Clouds]

I like the smooth synth pads at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty neat, and the busy beat and blissful melodies at :23 really hit the spot. The rhythmic content at :34 is also nice, but the mix sounds very strained there. Not sure the upper-mid-range synth pads really came through as clearly as they could’ve. During the busier sections of the piece, the drums also could’ve been a bit punchier. That said, you’ve done a lot of creative work with the frantic synth leads from 1:00 to 1:50 or so. The pads are clearly ducking under the mix at 2:03 - that’s something else worth cleaning up. You do a good job hitting the piece home with the second frantic synth section at 2:25, although there could’ve been a smoother transition there. The spacey outro with the string pads at 3:10 was a good idea too. Overall, despite my complaints with the mixing, this is a really catchy and memorable piece with a lot of energy and some flashy sound design. Keep it up, Krea! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Link]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the funky sound design. The crisp beats at :20 are especially nice, especially with that prominent hi-hat. The blissful piano line at :53 is also nice, but might’ve used a boost in the mix, since the E-piano pads seem almost as loud as it is. At some point, it might’ve been nice to switch up the harmonic framework or otherwise do more to create some variety. The melodies could’ve been a tad more dynamic here, and at times the arrangement felt a bit formulaic, with regular changes every 8 or 16 bars, but not a lot of ebb and flow within the phrase. Still, I really like the blissful tone of the piece, the sound design, and the production quality. Keep at it, Kitschy! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

Kitschy responds:

Thank you for your valuable feedback! I really appreciate it!

[JustSomeBread - Phonky Situation]

I like the apprehensive beats at the beginning. The mix sounds seriously distorted, quiet, and bottom-heavy here, though, and the harmonic content could use a little more fleshing out. My favorite part of the piece is probably 1:11 - really catchy synth riff there, with a cool Middle Eastern-sounding vibe. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but the minimal texture and lack of melodic content here are turn-offs for me. More harmonies, especially in the upper-mid range of the frequency spectrum, would help make the texture more full and rich.

I also think the texture is getting distorted because you have multiple instruments playing at the same frequency range now. You can fix it by adding a compressor to the drums, and then using an equalizer to filter out the bass tones (less than 200 Hertz or so) in the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything besides the bass and drums). I’m sure you can look up “how to use a compressor” or “how to use an equalizer” and then add the name of your audio software to help you navigate the technicalities of your DAW. You also might already be familiar with these mixing tools - you should use them way more often, is the point. The snare here in particular sounds pretty weak, and I suspect that’s because the bass is stealing some of its lower-frequency tones.

Mixing and minimalism aside, this is a catchy piece with some cool sound design, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[Epic of the Hero]

The flute melodies at the beginning sound graceful, but the instruments playing them don’t sound particularly authentic. Some reverb on the flutes might help enrich the sense of atmosphere, but the strings at :16 also accomplish that purpose pretty well. I like the sense of build into 1:01, but the cello there is also rather clearly fake, as is the guitar at 1:23. Sometimes, if you don’t have orchestral samples that sound real, it’s better to replace them with instruments that are meant to sound synthetic, even if you’re going for a cinematic vibe. It’s also fairly easy to get free or low-cost orchestral samples that sound decent. I’d suggest PM’ing @LD-W and joining the NG Audio Pub on Discord. The Resources tab there is full of great sample libraries and tips on where to find more.

Instrumentation aside, I really like the melodies and rhythmic syncopation in the drums. It did throw me off occasionally that the strings were playing dotted quarter-eighth-quarter-quarter instead of quarter-quarter-quarter-quarter when accompanying the guitar solo, but that’s a small detail. The harmonies were occasionally dissonant here, notably at around :55 and 2:40, but it bothers me less at 2:40 since that section is very transitional. Another compositional nitpick I have at 3:13 is that the cello solo seems a bit “over-decorated” - it’s squeezing in a lot of frantic notes that don’t always add a ton of interest to the melodic contour. I appreciate how you varied the guitar solo at 3:47 compared to the first one. The outro with the church bells and string arpeggios also works well.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the melodies, progression, and rhythmic content here, and the mix sounds pretty clean and well-balanced. Work on beefing up your sample library, and this could be a top-notch track. Keep it up, Joel! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Joel-Phelps responds:

Thanks a lot for the review!

I'm glad you liked the atmosphere and melodies, and I will definitely look into getting better instruments.

[Audience with the King]

I like the warm pads at the beginning. The “oom-pah” rhythm at :08 is cute, as are the “oh!” vocal samples. The texture is a bit minimal here, and could probably use some percussion to give it more of a sense of energy and drive. The composition in general could be a bit more fleshed out, as after the intro the structure seems to be a pretty simple ABABA form. The string instruments don’t sound particularly authentic, either, and the dramatic descending mallet riff at 1:02 sounded a tad out-of-place compared to the rest of the piece. It might’ve been better to turn the entire piece into a loop.

Overall, there are quite a few good isolated ideas here, from the cute sound design to the plucked string melodies, but the piece could use a bit more harmonic depth and variety. I’d encourage you to keep working on it, though. Certainly has potential. Keep at it, JizzyJazz! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10