TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bright Futures]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning and the gradual fade-in. The crisp beats and airy vocals at :30 are great, and I’m loving the relaxed and upbeat mood. The progression is a bit slow-paced at times, and I would’ve liked it to have a bigger “moment of arrival” at some point - climactic, melodious, etc. That said, I liked the breakdown with the piano riff. I’ll also add that the production here is rock-solid, with some very clear and well-balanced instruments throughout. Some more variety towards the end of the piece would’ve been welcome, as again, I feel like it’s missing something to hit it home and add an overarching sense of dynamism. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer with a knack for soothing atmospheres and neat vocal work. Keep at it, GalaxyTones! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

[Bohemian Theme - Ash Wednesday]

I like the somewhat melancholy melody at the beginning and the groovy bass line at :17. The drums at :14 don’t quite sound like they’re playing on the beat, though. Or maybe there was a tempo automation in there that I missed? Either way, it’s something worth taking a second look at. The eerie riff at :33 is nice, and the bass line accompanies it well. The harmonies at around 1:08 are a bit dissonant, but only briefly. The solo at 1:18 does a nice job of hitting the piece home. Overall, I like a lot of the individual melodic ideas and progression of the different sections of the piece. The piece sounds a bit minimal throughout, though, and it might be a good idea to either add some additional harmonies or layer on some mixing effects (reverb, compression, etc.) to fill out the texture more. Still, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression, and you’ve earned a scout. Keep at it, GabeMalk! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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
6.5/10

[Voltage Rush]

It’s a bit hard to follow the rhythm at the beginning 5 seconds or so, but I like the punchy synths and the crisp beats. Some of the drum samples are a bit generic, and the synths at :30 sound a bit harsh and indistinct in the mix. It also sounds like you have some reverb on the kick at :52, which could also be compromising the production quality a bit. You channel the energy really well here, with a number of cool transitions and fun compositional details like the glitches at around 1:10. The harmonic content gets a bit repetitive after a while here, and at some point some more melodic content would’ve been nice. The structure seems a bit formulaic after a while, despite the cool transitions - you seem to switch up the texture every 8 or 16 bars or so, but don’t do much to create variety within the phrase. Despite that missed opportunity, I’m enjoying the apprehensive mood and sound design overall here. You clearly have a great sense of rhythm, progression, and harmony. The composition just could’ve been a bit bolder and more variational. Still, the catchy synth riffs and high-octane breaks are really neat. Keep at it, g2961! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

G2961 responds:

Thanks for advanced review! I accept it!

[Grove of Fragile Dreams and Towering Nightmares]

I like the emotional appeal of the piano at the beginning. The melodies at :09 are nice, but I think you overused the little rolled chords at the beginning of each phrase (:09-:14, :18-:25, etc.). The transition into :52 was smooth, although some of the instruments there sound pretty inauthentic. The piano could’ve sounded a bit more distinct in the mix, but otherwise the production quality holds up well during the climax of the piece. The post-chorus at 1:40 has a nice, punchy rhythm to contrast with the flute lead. Overall, this is a really impressive composition. I honestly think my biggest problem with it is the quality of the instruments - clearly fake, and occasionally a bit harsh-sounding in the treble range (i.e., 1:36). You should probably look into getting some better orchestral samples, but your sense of melody, progression, and rhythm certainly make up for that here. Consider yourself scouted. Keep at it, FUZZYFREAK! ^_^

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
.5/1
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

FUZZYFREAK responds:

hey man, thank you so much for providing such a detailed response to my piece! i really really appreciate you taking so much time and care into listening and analyzing something i've made so closely, even if it's something you presumably take great pleasure in doing :)

before i explain some stuff i must say i 100% agree with basically everything you've said here. the elephant in the room i wanna address is that this piece was made in flat.io, a browser hosted notation based software (think musescore, sibelius etc. but exclusively hosted on your browser instead), which is why some of the instruments sound very inauthentic in the mix as well as the mix itself not being expertly handled (there are 0 mixing options provided besides being able to pan and give reverb to instruments as well as a hard-cap limiter put in place when exporting to mp3 or wav to prevent clipping, but anything else is completely out of the picture hahaha)

as for the rolls in the beginning, i thought of them less as chords and more just the main melody being played by the right hand in a unique way - the melody itself is just doubled an octave higher, so what the roll is effectively doing is just making it so the octaves aren't playing at the same time (something you've probably noticed is that at places like :40 for example i didn't use this roll to accent that specific beat/note for effect, since overall i think the roll makes the melody more "floaty"). all that is to say i don't think you're necessarily wrong, just that there's a difference in artistic vision, which i still honestly super appreciate you mentioning to me as it gives me something to think about


once again, thank you for the review! and dw i'll definitely be applying for the other contest, just wanted to see the results of this one first ;)

p.s. forgot to mention but i've moved to making music in FL since i've made this piece so don't worry about that LOL

[Scam Sponsorships]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning. The synth instrument itself is a bit generic, but the pads on the off beats at :07 offer a nice syncopation. The transition into :25 was pretty smooth, although the clap sounds a bit dry there and the mix is pretty distorted. The harmonic content gets pretty repetitive after a while, but I like some of the compositional details, like the bass riff at 2:05.

My biggest issue with the piece is the production quality. It’s very hard to hear all the different instruments playing at the same time distinctly. See how much quieter the off-beat pads sound at :43 than at :06? That’s a sign that the texture is getting distorted because you have multiple instruments playing at the same frequency range. You can fix it in a few ways: first, 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 (everything besides the bass and drums, that is). I’m sure you can look up “how to use a compressor in FL Studio” or “how to use an equalizer in FL Studio” 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.

Another thing that might help is thinking about “frequency slots” for your instruments before you start working on your piece. You have a lot of instruments playing low-mid range pitches here, so when you use the playback feature they’re going to sound muddy because they’re competing with each other for space in the audio output. One solution is to move one of the riffs here up an octave or two so that it takes up a different “slot” in the pitch spectrum. Ideally, you’d have 1 instrument each in the bass, low-mid, mid, upper-mid, and treble ranges, although usually drums take up more than one of these. You can even reinforce the slot method by using filtering tools (like equalizers) to eliminate some of the tones that would otherwise take up the slots you designate to other instruments. You can definitely take this too far as well - you don’t want your piece sounding too thin and minimal - but it’s a good tool to play with when you have a lot of similar-sounding, similar-frequency synths in your piece. Once you play with the slots method, it becomes a lot easier to add reverb and other mixing effects without affecting the quality of the output too much.

Anyway, I went on a tangent lol. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm, harmony, and progression. I would’ve liked to see a bit more variety in the piece, but again, investing more in your mixing skills is a great next step for you as a composer/producer. Keep at it, Foxyman697! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Heroes (Original)]

I like the echo-y pads at the beginning and the bassy groove at :04. The mix is loud overall, but the vocals need a serious boost. They sound both over-processed and way too soft. Vocals and drums should be easily the loudest elements of the mix, and right now neither of them stand out. I also would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content and some more creative sound design - the drums especially were a little cliche here. That said, the vocal layering on the post-chorus is nice (like at 3:21), and I like the smooth, dreamy pads and bass.

The mixing is definitely my main concern with this piece. I would suggest scaling back the reverb/delay effects and getting a lot stricter with the equalizers on the instrumental tracks, before using some compression and filtering to make the vocals punchier and more up-front. The clap could also use some compression, but it might be more impactful to give it a boost in the upper-mid range where it has the most frequencies so that it “pops” more in the mix.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the compositional details, rhythmic content, and progression here. It just needs a more crisp and well-balanced production, is all. Keep at it, Force64! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

Force64 responds:

Thanks for you review :D

[Woven Tapestry]

I like the acoustic guitar at the beginning and the pensive mood. The quantization is not perfect, and sometimes there are little pauses that briefly disrupt the flow of the piece (most noticeably at :37 and :48). That said, the rhythm of the strumming, even when it’s irregular, is really soothing, and the subtle mixing effects you added work well. I might’ve liked to see the piece have a stronger sense of structuring, especially towards the end. Instead, the sense of flow and direction in the texture gradually slips. You’re clearly a talented guitarist, but some additional layering and more of a dynamic composition (use more of the guitar’s pitch range, or record a more percussive accompaniment at some point, etc.) could’ve really taken this piece to the next level. Still, the title of this piece captures something really important about this track: a tapestry of riffs that you’ve woven together to tell a story. Evocative stuff! Keep at it, Flamadour. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
7.5/10

Flamadour responds:

Thanks for the constructive comments and review. I was contemplating about adding additional layers and instrumentation such as a lead guitar part over the top. I might do that for future compositions.

[Sweet Night]

I like the mellow, jazzy vibe at the beginning. The character of the piece is full of whimsy and light-heartedness, and the sound design absolutely enhances that feeling. The organ melodies and rhythmic syncopations fit together like a glove, and the piece flows very smoothly from melodic section to tranquil breakdown back to more uptempo jam session. The stop-start transition at 2:10 is very gracefully done, and the soft, furtive tonic chord at the end is such a sweet and elegant way to end the piece. My goodness, this is the kind of piece that’s got me swooning over an imaginary love interest. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the drums sounded a tad soft in the mix at times, but in a way that fits the character of the piece well. I’m pretty sure the last time I gave a piece a perfect 10/10 in a competition was in 2017 - seriously. Congratulations, and keep up the good work! ^_^

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

[Finnsfolks - The Orbital Pt. 1]

I like the airy pads at the beginning and the dense, jazzy chords they’re playing. It’s a tad difficult to follow the rhythm in the first 25 seconds, but the dramatic hits at :26 and the gritty texture at :38 help keep me grounded. I like the build-up into 1:04 and the punchy breaks at 1:05. The sound design really shines during the drop, as does the clean and well-balanced mix. The string drone at 2:00 and the melodic content at 2:10 did a nice job of balancing the heavy drop with some emotional appeal and dynamic contrast. The breakdown transitions well back into the second build-up, although I wish you had done a bit more to make the second drop sound distinct from the first one. Overall, my biggest problem with the piece is how generic it is, especially regarding the arrangement. I could literally name dozens of EDM songs that go intro-buildup-drop-breakdown-buildup-drop-outro. That said, the sound design and mixing are especially good here, and I like how you end the piece with the ominous string riff. Reminds me of a T.S. Eliot poem (and I paraphrase): “the world ends not with a bang, but with a whimper.” Keep at it, Finnsfolks! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Hyper-Plasma]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning, but it’s a little hard to follow the rhythm, especially because the tempo is so frantic. It gets easier once the beat comes in at :33, though. Some of the synths here sound a bit cheesy and unpolished, especially the one at :43. Maybe a little reverb would help it blend in with the rest of the texture better? The production quality is strong, though - the mix is loud, clear, and well-balanced throughout the song. I like the upbeat melodies at 1:38, although they probably shouldn’t be more quiet than the clown horn-sounding synth at 2:02. The vocal samples at 2:22 were pretty cool, and that in turn transitions nicely into the heavier section at 2:33. I thought you probably could’ve done more with the drums in this piece, as the beat is not contributing much to the rhythmic content, and it’s also hard to make out anything besides the snare during the busier sections. The breakdown at 3:38 was a long time coming in my opinion - up to that point, the high energy level of the piece was constant, which ironically gave the piece a kind of drab sense of continuity. I like how you combined the heavy breaks from the earlier bridge with the blissful refrain at 4:35. Many of the instruments here still sound a bit cheesy and dry, and could probably use some mixing effects and automations to add interest during the final couple of minutes, especially since the piece is so long. I’ll also note that the harmonic framework and arrangement of the piece are both pretty generic at the end of the day. All of that said, clearly you have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, and your mixing and mastering skills are very strong overall as well. Keep at it, Ezzedo! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
7/10