TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[madness if it was an upbeat video game bossfight?]

I like the catchy synth riffs at the beginning. The attack on the lead synths sounds a tad too strong, especially on the downbeats. The mix is pretty clean, although a lot of the harmonies, including the bass line, are very quiet. The piece is also pretty repetitive after a while, but I liked when you stripped away the beat at :52 and let the harmonies shine a bit more. The solo at 1:17 was a good idea, but the rhythm of it is a little hard to follow at times. The final refrain at 1:44 helps tie the piece together nicely, although sometimes during that last minute or so you have the individual synth riffs tripping over each other a bit. One of the main riffs at 2:05 comes to mind - its re-entry there felt a bit forced. I’ll also say that some of the higher-pitched synths sounded a bit harsh in the mix. I’d suggest taking off a bit of treble in the EQ for some of them. The drums are a bit thin at times, especially during the busier sections, and could use some more reverb. The glitchy effect during the last few seconds of the piece is really cool, though. Overall, I like the blissful mood, energy, and melodies, although the sound design wasn’t my favorite and the mix is too top-heavy and could use some cleaning up around the edges. Still, this is a very catchy and memorable piece. Keep at it, Aszon! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

[I Get It]

I like the heavy, echo-y percussion at the beginning and the way it fades out right as the vocals come in. The vocals are really smooth and expressive, but they also feel a tad bare - a little more reverb early on might’ve been welcome. That said, the emotional quality of that part is appealing, and when the heavier guitars that come in at :31 I really like the direction the piece is taking.

I was a little confused, however, when you switched up the texture again at :46. It seems like that part is supposed to be the refrain of the piece, but it’s also a big step back in terms of intensity. I also think that instead of using the echo effects at :46 and 1:01, you’d be better off holding out the note longer, as the echoes add an element of artificiality that seems to go against the raw and bare-bones approach to the vocal mixing up to that point.

The post-chorus at 1:16 seemed to be a tad uninspired, with a single chord taking up most of the mix. The echo-y, strummed chord at 1:31 and the more frantic, fingered guitar line at 1:46 also constitute a shake-up from the previous instrumental tracks. I’m starting to think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here and focus more on the cohesion of the track over creating variety.

I really like the extended solo at 2:32, although the drums get a little buried in the mix there. The third refrain at 3:08 has the pedal note and, later, the return of the fingered riff, which I think the first and second refrains might’ve also benefited from. You did a good job creating variety later in the piece here, especially with the more passionate vocal lines during the refrain, but I think that came at the expense of having a fairly disjointed structure earlier on.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the compositional elements and sound design here. I think you tried to do a bit too much with the arrangement of the piece, but otherwise you’re approaching a professional quality with the production, vocals, and guitar recordings. Keep it up, Art! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Shiver Your Timbers]

I like the nature sound effects at the beginning and the energetic string riff that comes in shortly thereafter. The 8-bit drums and the melody that I can only describe as “pirate-y” are both thoroughly enjoyable. I love the grouchy bass at :38 in the lead-up to :51. The mix is a tad over-compressed for my tastes, but it’s also crisp, clean, and well-balanced. The sound design here is especially nice, though, and the melodic content is a close second in terms of my favorite aspects of the piece. I also commend you for the bold step of taking the piece in a very different direction starting at 2:50. All of a sudden, it sounds like Pegleg Larry met the love of his life on his most recent conquest, and decided to quit his high seas thievery for good. The orchestral solo at the end was also really nice, although I think you overdid the ornamentations on the trumpet at 3:40. Overall, you clearly went all-in on the composition here, and boy did it pay off! This piece is oozing with character, and the clean mix and colorful sound design back it up really well too. Fantastic work, Arram! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

[It is what it is]

I like the catchy 80s-style synths at the beginning. The vocal samples fit it well, and the growly bass riff at :17 is a great addition to the texture. The arrangement of the piece feels a tad formulaic, with a fairly abrupt transition followed by either adding or subtracting one or two instruments at a time. More gradual fade-ins or melodic transitions would be welcome, in addition to automations, filtering, etc. You also overused the “it is what it is” vocal line after a while. That said, I think you nailed the dynamic contrast between the refrain and the extended bridge at 1:18. The bass riff at 2:00 is especially catchy, and I think the transition at 2:39 was more creative than some of your earlier ones. The slap bass at 3:10 was a fun surprise, and the final refrain of the piece has a nice, victorious-sounding vibe. You hit the piece home nicely at the very end with a fresh perspective on the piece’s sound design and rhythmic content. Overall, I think the mixing, sound design, and melodies here are really strong. Some of the arrangement details could use some work, but most of my complaints here are relatively minor. Keep it up, Arponax! ^_^

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
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
8.25/10

[met never die]

I love the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. The distorted beats at :23 are catchy, but the volume levels might need some reining in. I think you overdid the reverb a bit, and the compression is also a tad strong for my tastes. The sound design is another highlight - especially the haunting, distorted pads. The composition also could’ve used some more fleshing out here, with a more distinct verse, bridge, or breakdown that gives the piece more of a narrative appeal. Otherwise, you’ve clearly displayed your skills at concocting a Halloween-esque atmosphere. Keep at it, Arbelamram! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

[Waiting]

I like the tranquil guitar riffs at the beginning and the crisp drums that come in shortly thereafter. I love the soothing vocals, and the lyrics themselves are also really good. I’m personally not a fan of the throaty “scoop” up to the first note in the phrase, which is particularly noticeable at :24 and :31. I also think the main guitar riff is playing slightly off-beat during the verses - it might need some re-quantization. You also might try to edit out the mic distortion at 1:17, or otherwise re-record that part. By the end of the second refrain at around 2:00, the harmonic framework was getting a tad repetitive, so I’m glad you came in with the eerie atmospheric part at 2:23. The distortion on the guitar at 2:55 is really cool, although that part of the piece felt a tad dragged-out. That said, the return of the soothing vocals at the very end really helped tie up the piece nicely in my opinion. Overall, while aspects of the production and recording are rough around the edges, I really like the relaxed, almost spiritualistic, quality to this piece, as well as the sound design and lyrics. Keep at it, Anoth3rMind! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Anoth3rMind responds:

Thank you. We love the perspective you brought and appreciate the time you took to highlight the different parts of the song.

[Brent]

I like the catchy synth riffs and creative use of filtering on the drums. The vocal samples are well-used, too. The instruments are a bit cheesy-sounding and unpolished, especially some of the synths, and I think the drums could use some more reverb and other mixing effects just to fill out the texture a bit more in what is otherwise a pretty minimal piece. The harmonic content is pretty repetitive, and there’s also a fair bit of dissonance in the texture at 2:10 with the synth that comes in on the off beats there. I think the filtering on the drums ends up being pretty distracting once more of the harmonies start coming in (at :50, for example). I also think the harmonies there are very quiet and don’t blend particularly well with the other riffs. The samples are good for some variety here (I love the elephant at 2:27!), but I don’t think they should be the main source of variety throughout the piece, which they are now. Moving forward, I’d suggest focusing on building up more layers of harmony over the course of your piece. You have some catchy individual synth patterns and rhythmic ideas, but they don’t always feel very interconnected. Try to focus on telling a story with your piece using primarily changes in the harmonies over time, not just using different samples from FreeSound. When you feel like you’ve done that, send me a PM and I’ll give you some more feedback. Until then, I did enjoy the quirky beats and eerie atmosphere of this one. Keep at it, Anonymous-Frog! :)

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
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.5/10

[mickey]

I like the cutesy organ synths at the beginning and the build-up into :13. The mix is a bit too reverb-heavy for my tastes - I think the sound would be crisper without so many mixing effects. That said, the sound design is really neat, perhaps with the exception of the drums, which I found to be a bit generic. The distorted synth at :27 is great, as are the melodies at :40. At times (especially towards the end), the drums struggle to pop in the mix - you might try a multi-band compressor to really highlight the frequency ranges in the drums that they share with the other instruments. The piece started getting a tad repetitive in the last minute or so - even a slight variation of the main riffs or a key change would’ve helped give the piece some more variety. That said, I like the white noise at the end, and overall I’m impressed with the upbeat mood, sound design, and progression of this one. Thoroughly fun and catchy piece. Keep it up, AmishPimp! ^_^

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
1/1
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

[Roaring Call of the Dark Ones | AlphaStorm]

I like the relaxed guitar riff at the beginning. The heavier chords definitely help up the energy level, and I like the more melodic lead at :23 too. The vocals were a good idea, although I think they could’ve used a bit more power behind them at times. They sound a tad thin and hollow. Part of the problem might be that you don’t draw out the note length at the ends of phrases, nor are your vowels particularly tall or resonant. In terms of composition, I like the breakdown at 2:30 and the solos at 3:15, which both help break up the verse-chorus structure of the rest of the piece rather effectively. The harmonic framework is a bit generic, although I do like the added harmonies during the final refrain at 4:45. My favorite element of the piece is probably the production quality - everything sounds so clear and crisp in the mix, although occasionally the drums struggle to stay out front. Overall, I really like the composition and the mixing and mastering. Some of the sound design details and vocal editing could use some polishing up, but you’ve put together a catchy track with some compelling lyrics here, AlphaStorm. Keep it up! ^_^

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

AlphaStormMusic responds:

Thank you for the feedback! For what it's worth, I'm not primarily a vocalist. This song was the second time I've released something with vocals and done so proudly in years, and I'm still trying to find my voice (planning on taking private vocal lessons for this kind of music soon). As well, this was a song I've had for so long that I wanted to get it out into the world and thought it might work as my submission. But I'll be honest, I forgot I submitted at all xD

I'll definitely take your feedback into mind for the future! And thank you for taking the time to review it!

[Where I am]

I like the catchy piano riffs at the beginning, although the piano itself sounds a little bare in the mix - some more reverb and other mixing effects might’ve helped jazz it up a bit. It also sounds like it was sampled from a DAW with relatively little “humanziation” - automating the volume levels and note lengths might help make it feel more authentic, and you could also use a MIDI keyboard to record it yourself if you have one. That said, I like the string chords at :40 a lot, as well as the creative drum patterns. Again, the drum pattern itself might need a bit more “pop” in the mix, including some more compression and reverb.

I like the breaks at 1:25, although the mix gets a bit distorted once those eerie synths come in at 1:45. I might try to soften up the sidechaining and try to make the EQs a little tighter. By around 2:30, the synth line feels like it’s falling behind the beat a bit - can’t if something either wasn’t quantized or misaligned in the piano roll, or otherwise the delay effects are a bit too heavy. I like the re-intro at 2:50, although that section could’ve been a tad more dynamic and led into the final refrain at 3:55 more organically. I found the extended pause at 3:45 to be a bit disorienting. I’m glad you added the sweeping pads and mallets at 4:30 for some extra pizzazz, although this is another spot where the mix could be a bit tighter. You tied up the piece well with the militaristic percussion and reverb automations.

Overall, I’ve lobbed a lot of nitpicky criticism at you here, but this piece is catchy, well-structured, and has a number of neat compositional details, from the rhythmic syncopations to the filtering effects during transitions. Keep at it, AlienSumo! ^_^

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
.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
7/10

VaeArt responds:

well first off thank you for leaving such a well constructed critique even if it is "nitpicky", second i agree on a lot of the critiques/ points made it does sound a bit robotic and messy, and the synth does kind of just lag behind and or disappear, the drums feel quite dry and do need to pop out a bit side chaining is a bit aggressive at times.

I'll try in the future to mitigate these kinks, and i once again thank you for leaving a critique and i appreciate the compliments and i hope to get around to joining NGADM when ever it arrives again. <3