TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Goldenrod Game Corner [SUPER HYPER MEGA MELEE MIX]]

I like the bouncy synth pads at the beginning and the rhythmic content. The sound design has a big 80s vibe, and I like the melodies at :44 too, despite the somewhat strange contour on the descending bit at :55. The mix could’ve been a bit louder and sharper here, with the kick drum in particular getting buried during the busier sections. I also like the addition of the brass at 1:14 or so, as well as the synth solo that follows at 1:28. At some point, I might’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in the energy level here. A near-constant energy level for the middle 3.5 minutes of the piece isn’t always the most conducive to keeping the listener engaged. Still, the tempo automations into 2:27 and the switch-up in the harmonic framework were creative ways of creating variety. The mix seems a bit muddy at 2:27, though, possibly because of an excess of reverb. Still, you hit the piece home nicely with the final melodic section at 3:12, and I was glad to see the brass also figure prominently there. Overall, despite being a tad repetitive at times and having some slight production blips, this is a really catchy and fun piece with some neat sound design and an engrossing, upbeat mood. Keep at it, Metatron! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[STAR☆COASTER~]

I like the blissful melodies at the beginning and the cutesy 8-bit sound design. There was a good sense of build into :24, but it didn’t quite prepare me for the frantic craziness there. It sounds like the vocals were sped up and were intended to sound upbeat, but I think the artificially fast tempo actually has the opposite effect - they almost sound creepy instead. The bassy instrumental section at 1:05 is good, and the vocals at 1:14 sound like a pitch-shifted version of one of Eminem’s classic “speed verses.” :D The melodies at 1:24 are nice, and there’s a great sense of triumph in the melodies at 2:05. At some point, I might’ve liked to see you slow down the pace a bit and create some more variety in the energy level and thickness of the texture. That said, the piece is full of variety in other ways, including in the sound design and melodic content. Overall, this is a strong piece that might be more effective if it slowed the pacing down a tad, just to keep the listener grounded in some of the core motifs of the piece more. It’s a little jarring to listen to a piece that changes so much every 10 seconds or so. Either way, the composition, sound design, and production quality here are all really impressive. Keep it up, MetaHumanBoi! ^_^

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
.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
8.75/10

[mesage - final Connection]

I like the airy piano at the beginning. The chord progression at :06 is a bit strange, and the drums at :15 sound very generic - I think I recognized one or two FL Studio stock samples. Later on, the beats are more enjoyable, especially the one with the prominent hi-hat at :48. That said, the harmonic content is very bland and repetitive. Layering on some additional harmonies, or alternatively switching up the texture with a richer atmospheric, might be advisable here. At some point, I also wanted to hear some more dynamic melodies - ones that feel like they’re leading somewhere, not just repeating the same 4-note phrase over and over again.

Sorry if this hasn’t been a very positive review so far. I do like the rhythmic content, a lot of the individual riffs, and most of all, the production quality. The mix is loud, clear, and well-balanced throughout, although the bass could use a bit of a boost at times. Overall, some more variety in the composition would be welcome, but you’ve put together a catchy and pensive-sounding track here. Keep at it, Mesage! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10

[McSpeedster2000 - Heatrave]

I like the catchy beats at around :13 and the melodic contour in the lead. The mix is loud and pretty clear, but also appears to be brick-wall limited, which can create distortions in the texture if you’re not careful. I’m not a huge fan of some of the sound design choices here, notably the screechy descending sample at 1:22.

A bigger problem is that the harmonies frequently clash with each other. I’d double-check to make sure that all of the notes that are playing at a given time are in the chord that you want to use, and I’d suggest avoiding tones that are less than 4 spaces apart in the piano roll. I’ve never used BandLab, but in most audio production software you can highlight all of the tracks that are playing at a time and then open the piano roll to see them layered on top of each other. In the future, it might even help if you write one series of chords that covers what you want to do with the harmonic framework for the entire piece, and then assign notes in those chords to different instruments. While it’s a bit strict, that method will ensure that you’re only using harmonies that sound good together, and you can still create different rhythms and patterns as long as you’re using the same notes from the chords.

Still, you have a lot of individual riffs and ideas here that are pretty cool. I like the rhythmic content, blissful mood, and the main melodies. I’d caution against using too many of the repeated tones (for example, the melody at the very beginning often plays 4 of the same note in a row before moving on). It just sounds a bit spammy and cheesy after a while, and you do the same thing later with the drums (at 1:09).

Later in the piece, I might’ve liked to see some more variety in the riffs that were playing. It’s a good way of creating a dynamic composition to slightly vary the note patterns you used earlier, even if they play a slightly different rhythm or start on a different pitch. Again, just be careful that if you’re changing the pitch of one instrument, the others still match with it harmonically.

Overall, sorry if this isn’t a very positive review. You already have a good sense of rhythm and progression. Harmony is just a piece of composition that’s especially crucial. When you feel like you’ve better aligned the harmonies of this piece, or have created another one, send me a PM, and I’ll give you some more feedback. Keep at it, McSpeedster! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
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

McSpeedster2000 responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I will look over this to enhance my future songs although I don't fully know how to work chords. Incrementally improving each aspect song by song is my move from basic to technical.

[Closer]

I like the minimal rhythmic synth at the beginning and the breathy vocals that come in shortly thereafter. The crisp beats and synth arpeggios pair well with the vocals, although the transition into :56 could’ve been a tad smoother. The echo-y vocal sample at 1:28 is also a nice fit. You’ve concocted a dense rhythmic texture from the vocal samples and synths here, which is both catchy and has a strong atmospheric appeal. I think the part at 1:44 with the added vocal layering is my favorite part of the piece. The build-up into 2:56 was a bit too dragged-out for my tastes, but it did indeed provide a smoother transition into the post-chorus. In fact, I might’ve liked to have the more gradual build-up into the first refrain, and the more abrupt transition into the post-chorus during the second one. The vocals get a tad repetitive by the end of the piece, and I would have liked for you to vary the refrain and post-chorus a little more the second time around compared to the first one. Also, a proper outro would’ve helped wind down the piece a little more. Still, I enjoyed the sound design, production quality, upbeat mood, rhythmic content here, despite the composition needing a tad more variety and flavor at times. Overall, you’ve made a catchy and fun track with a strong atmospheric appeal, Mauxus. Keep it up! ^_^

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
.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
8.25/10

Mauxus responds:

Precious feedback, thank you!

[Azimov]

The sweep at the beginning was a pretty evocative way of starting the piece, and I’m really liking the sense of build into :22 and the gritty lead synth. The compression is pretty heavy for my tastes here, but I like the ominous tone of the atmosphere and the sound design. The vocals are a bit over-processed IMO, but the lyrics themselves are really creative. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies or otherwise something that broke up the dense rhythmic texture and frantic beats, just to create some structural contrast. That said, you’ve certainly captured the dystopian feel of the lyrics in the instrumental tracks, all with some cool rhythmic content and crisp beats to boot. The mix does sound a tad strained during some of the busier sections of the piece, and it may help to dial down the reverb at times. Still, you’ve put together a catchy, dark, and compelling track here, Matt! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[MattMG - Horizon]

I like the bouncy piano lead at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty generic, but I like the string pads too. Not sure I liked the idea of using pitched drums at :36 - they kinda clash with the rest of the instruments here. The crisp beats at 1:04 are nice, although I might’ve liked the pads to come through the mix a bit stronger there. You could look into mixing tools like stereo widening to help you accomplish that. There’s a good sense of build into 1:51, and I like the blissful melodies there and the filtering at 2:11. The transition at 2:29 is a bit abrupt, but the string and piano re-intro there was a good idea. The melodic variations at 3:06 are nice, but at some point I would’ve liked to see you switch up the harmonic framework, especially since the one you’re using is so cliche. Still, the extended melodic section at 4:02 is nice, and the key change at 4:42 is a good way of adding a sense of progression and climax towards the end of the piece. I might’ve liked to see you come up with a more creative ending than a fade-out, but overall the narrative arc of the piece comes together well. Overall, my biggest problem with this piece is probably how generic it is - from the chord progression to the arrangement to the sound design. Finding ways of creating variety and “surprising” the listener a bit with your instrumentation, progression, and the overall structure of your song would really help take your composition to the next level. Still, I admire the strong production quality, blissful mood, and solid melody writing here. Keep it up, Matt! ^_^

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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

[Project Fate - Termination!!]

I like the creative percussion and quirky synths at the beginning. The mix is loud and punchy, but the drums still sound pretty dry and flat. Some more reverb and other mixing effects might help them pop a bit more. Some of the synths here are pretty cheesy, like the lead at :41, and I think the bass line could also stand to get a boost in the mix. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear an extended breakdown or bridge or something that stripped away the beat. Otherwise, the piece has a near-constant energy level, which is not very conducive to maintaining listener engagement. I also think the ending could’ve been a bit more creative than a fade-out. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, but some of the production details and sound design choices here could use a little more polish. Keep at it, MastaPowa7! ^_^

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
.5/1
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

MastaPowa7 responds:

Thanks for the constructive feedback. Just a quick note on the ending, I usually fade out my songs as most of my songs don't usually have an ending as they're meant to loop indefinitely, so fading out the song is usually how I end the songs. I don't know how else to end my songs that are meant to always loop other than fading out.

Also, because I use Rytmik Ultimate, I can't really add many effects as it doesn't have many of the common cool effects. On top of that, Rytmik Ultimate also has some limitations that makes it a hard sometimes to make and polish the songs the way I want to, but regardless I can still try to make an effort to try and make it as good as I can.

Again, thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

[RIT-6RAV3]

I like the rhythmic content at the beginning. The instrument at the beginning itself sounds a bit muddy and distorted, but the pads at :07 are nice. The bass and the lead synth at :23 are tripping over each other a bit - just very different emphases in the rhythms they’re playing. I like the tambourine at :38 and the more melodic synth line there too. The extended pause at :56 is a bit awkward, but I like the furtive synth line that comes after it at :59. The synth at 1:13 sounds a bit harsh - maybe you could use an equalizer to filter out some of the treble-range frequencies? I like how you brought the piece full-circle at the end with the second refrain at 1:37, and the added melodies at 1:52 are a nice touch. During the section at 1:52, it’s a little hard to make out the drums and bass in the mix. You might try adding a compressor to the drums and eliminating the bass frequencies (200 Hertz and lower) in the melodic instruments. Overall, this is a cute piece with some nice compositional elements - you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. That said, the sound design is a bit cheesy, and the mix sounds pretty quiet and indistinct at times. Still, I think the piece has a great charm about it, and I hope you keep working on it. Keep at it, MaskHeroe! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10