TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - ACID RAIN]

I like the groovy guitar at the beginning and the smooth bass and crisp drums that come in shortly thereafter. The lead guitar at :10 has a really great ‘70s vibe. The progression is a bit slow-paced here, but in a way that fits the relaxed mood of the piece. I think you could’ve done a tad more with the texture at times - vocals would fit in really well, or just a switch-up in the instrumental hierarchy at some point. Otherwise, the energy level is pretty much constant for the entire piece, which makes the arrangement feel bland and stagnant. That said, I really like the sound design, rhythmic content, mood, and (especially) the generous use of that open hat. Keep it up, Dry! ^_^

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

[Eternal Locrian]

I like the moody synth at the beginning. The mix is very quiet, but I like the use of reverb. I think you tried to do a tad too much with the harmonies at :31 - it’s hard to get a sense of the underlying chords there. I like the ambiguity in the mood, as I’m not sure whether the piece sounds blissful, tranquil, or creepy. The rhythmic elements of the piece are nice, too. The texture is a bit bare-bones, though, and the piece cuts off rather suddenly at the end. It might help give the piece a stronger sense of energy and drive if you had added some drums or something. I would like to see the composition fleshed out more in general, actually - it has a lot of potential, but it doesn’t quite feel like it’s hit that “moment of arrival” yet. Still, this is a good start - a really great, moody pad and a number of catchy riffs and cool harmonic ideas. Keep at it, DonDonPan! You’ve earned a scout. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

[Toy Upload | おもちゃのアップロード]

I like the tempo automations and cutesy melodies, although the lead synth at the very beginning is a bit harsh-sounding. The crisp beats at :17 are nice, and the breakdown at :43 with the eerie pad is good for some variety. That said, the piece is still pretty repetitive here, and is also missing some mid-range frequencies in the texture. I’m not a huge fan of the sound design, which is both tinny and grating in places, including in small details like the sweep at :17. That said, the rhythmic content is good, and the syncopations between the bass, beat, and lead synth work really well. The composition could use more fleshing out, but I think you’ve got a good sense of progression and harmony based on these 98 seconds of music. Overall solid effort, especially on the mixing, drums, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Doffu! ^_^

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
.5/1
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

[Miss Out On You]

I like the bright pads and floaty piano at the beginning. The chord progression is pretty generic, but I like how the vocals fade in at :13. The vocals themselves are really smooth and expressive, though. The mix feels very crowded, and there are certainly some elements of it that I wish had shone through a bit more, like the piano chords at :47. The drums seriously duck under the mix when the vocals re-appear for the post-chorus at 1:40. Part of the problem might be that you have a LOT of reverb and echo/delay effects in here.

The re-intro at 1:54 is a nice touch, although overall the arrangement of the piece is also rather generic. I would’ve liked to see you switch up the harmonic framework at some point here, especially since the chord progression is so cliche. I also wanted to hear some more variety in the main melody/refrain during the second half of the piece, but instead you really started to overuse the vocals there in a way that made the entire piece feel rather dragged-out.

Overall, I admire your sense of harmony and progression, but some of the arrangement details of this piece could use an injection of creativity, and the mix simply needs to be a lot tighter. I’d suggest getting stricter with your use of equalizers and cutting a lot of the reverb, especially in instruments that have a lot of low-mid tones. Still, you’ve made a catchy piece with some memorable melodies and sound design that fits well with the upbeat mood. Keep at it, DJWitherhead! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Raylectro responds:

Quite good feedback, I know I've lost but at least I got some feedback to do better next year

[The Gods]

I like the pensive bell-like synth at the beginning and the ominous bass accompanying it. The sound design is really quirky and evocative here, and over the course of the first minute or so, you do a great job of building up the tension. The rhythmic syncopations at 1:20 are really nice, and despite the minimalism you’re keeping me engaged well with the variety in the instruments and smooth flow of the track. The part at 1:57 is a bit over-compressed for my tastes, and also feels a tad stale after a while, but I like the addition of the acid synths at 2:36. The filtering at the transition at 3:15 was really cool, although it still felt a tad jarring to go back to the eerie, downtempo ambient content so suddenly there. The dissonant choir part at 4:08 is easily my favorite section of the piece - sounds like heaven and hell are slowly merging into one before my eyes. You also do a good job of integrating the eerie ambiance and gritty rhythmic content of the first drop at 4:45. The creepy, shimmering synth at the outro was a nice way of hitting the piece home, too. Overall, I really like the sound design and production work on this piece. The composition wasn’t my favorite, especially with some of the bare-bones textures and somewhat disjointed arrangement, but you’ve clearly displayed a wide variety of talents in terms of rhythm, progression, and harmony here. Keep at it, Djjaner! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[AIM - Clouds]

I like the airy guitar arpeggios at the beginning and the thin-sounding snare at :22. The sub-bass and chords at :45 are nice additions to the texture, although it seems like the excess of reverb in the texture is distorting the mix a bit. It’s very hard to make out the guitar riff after a while, although the drums are still breaking through, which is important. The evocative high-register piano riffs starting at 1:52 are really nice, and I also welcome the breakdown at 2:15 as a dose of variety. The harmonic framework of this song is very repetitive, though, and I also think the arrangement feels a tad formulaic at times - every 4-8 bars, a new instrument comes in, but there’s little sense of ebb and flow within individual phrases. In terms of things that keep the piece sounding fresh during the second half, there’s the strings at 3:20 (although they’re also getting a bit distorted by the mix too), and little else. Overall, the sound design is probably the strongest element of the piece in my opinion - it’s very dreamy and soothing. Clearly, you have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression too. It’s just the mixing and arrangement of the piece that need some work. Otherwise, this is a solid effort with some catchy beats and whimsical piano riffs. Keep at it, Diossel! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[Society of the Future]

I like the chords at the beginning. The drums could stand to be a bit louder and more up-front in the mix, but otherwise I’m not going to nitpick the mixing. The vocals seem rather uninspired - the tone of them lacks a sense of passion, and often they’re flat and off-beat. In fact, at 1:01, I can tell you’re intentionally holding out some of the notes towards the end of the phrase so that you can get back on the beat. It’s probably better to re-record the vocals entirely then come up with Band-Aid solutions like that. That said, the lyrics themselves are pretty good - you’ve got a decent rhyme scheme and meter laid out, and the subject matter is relatable.

The instrumental track is a bit bland and repetitive. At some point, it would’ve been nice to break up the verse/post-chorus structure of the song with a solo or bridge. That said, I like how the piece ends abruptly, especially after the lines “take my hand, and you will see,” which foreshadow that there’s more to come.

Overall, I’d encourage you to work more on the vocal editing, timing, and inflection, and also flesh out the structural elements of your piece more. When you feel like you’ve done so, feel free to send me a PM, and I’ll give you some more feedback. Until then, keep at it, Diamondman! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
4/10

[Detious - Shaded]

I like the eerie chords at the beginning and the crisp beats shortly thereafter. The vocal samples work well, although the acid synth at :22 sounds a tad unpolished. The drop at :47 is catchy, if minimal, and overall I’m enjoying the combination of electronic and hip hop influences here. At some point, I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic content - you’re missing a lot of frequencies in the mid- and upper range of the spectrum here, and while the rhythmic content and eerie atmosphere are neat, they’re not enough to adequately keep me engaged here. But despite the minimalism and lack of variety, the production is really clean, and you nailed the sound design, mood, and rhythmic elements. Keep at it, Detious! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.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?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

DetiousMusic responds:

Always appreciate your reviews, Tainted! Ahhh, I won't lie. I decided to go with my most recent track instead of my best. Should've went all out, haha!

[Chocnoon - Hydraulics (CCLXXVIII)]

I like the upbeat synth riff at the beginning. The drum samples and some of the synths are a bit cheesy, but a bigger problem is the mixing. The drums are very hard to hear once the harmonies at :24 come in. Notice how the drums sound a lot quieter at around :30 than they did at :10 or so? 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 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’m sure you can look up “how to use a compressor in Jummbox” or “how to use an equalizer in Jummbox” 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. You can also try dialing back the reverb, which might be making the texture sound even muddier.

Production quality aside, I like the energy and rhythmic content here. The harmonies, while hard to discern in the muddy mix, fit nicely together, and you also have some cool transitions in here, like at 1:15. While the harmonic content is very repetitive here, the key change at 1:26 and the shifting instrumental palette help keep things interesting. Still, at some point I would’ve liked to hear an extended breakdown or bridge section where you strip away the beat and give the piece a stronger narrative appeal. Right now, it’s high-energy pretty much all the time, which isn’t very conducive to keeping the listener engaged.

Still, I like the shimmering synth at the outro (2:41), and overall the atmosphere, melodies, and progression of the piece are enjoyable. Keep at it, Derailment! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
5.75/10

name responds:

Well, the presets (and the DAW) aren't really the best. But I have to admit it, my mixing is not the best. But well... I wonder what's that .25/1 in uniqueness.

[Awake]

I like the neat riser at the beginning and the tranquil E-piano and guitar shortly thereafter. The transition between the electronic and acoustic-sounding parts is really smooth, and you channel the energy really well with the drums and effects. The echo-y drop at 1:25 is really catchy, if a bit minimal, and overall I’m really impressed with the variety in the sound design. The mix is a tad over-compressed for my tastes, but otherwise clean and clear throughout. The tranquil breakdown at 2:17 is good for some variety, and I love how you double down on it at 2:42 right when it seemed like you were going to launch into another big build-up. I really like how you decided to shake up the drop the second time around at 3:34, although the writing there doesn’t feel quite as well-varied and dynamic as the first drop. The piano outro was another good idea, though. Despite my nitpicks, this piece is seriously good - great mixing and mastering, killer sound design, plenty of variety, and some super catchy drops. Keep it up, DenPelm! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10