TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Chronophobia]

I like the distorted, almost psychedelic vibe of the guitar at the beginning, but by :25, the harsh, high-pitched overtones are just a bit much. Also, the entire texture sounds very arrhythmic in a lot of places, with the guitar not really syncing up with the hats at the beginning, and the rhythmic content at around :47 also feeling very loose. The lead guitar at :47 was nice, but by 1:02 or so you had canned that and taken the piece in a completely different direction. The panning on the lead guitars at 2:55 also makes them sound really harsh. Frankly, this piece is jarring to listen to on a couple of fronts: the disjointed structure, the atonality, the arrhythmic passages, and the harsh and unpolished production.

That said, I like the angry vocals at around 1:52, and it’s a cool creative choice that the vocals are more spoken word than harmonic, and seem to play more of an atmospheric role in the piece than anything else. At around 3:37, it finally sounds like there’s a steady groove going that’s a little more tonal, although the guitars still aren’t quite playing on-beat. I also like the melodic contour at around 4:55, but by the time the second guitar and bass come in at 5:07, the texture sounds very dissonant and rhythmically hard-to-follow once again.

As I’ve made clear, you have some good compositional ideas here. But I’d suggest consolidating them a bit, focusing on more gradual transitions, and polishing up the mix so that the output isn’t nearly as grating. That’ll give the listener a bit more to hang his hat on the next time - otherwise, this piece is very disorienting and downright hurts my ears at times. You clearly have a lot of creative energy, which is great to see. But at the end of the day, you went for an experimental approach along a few too many parameters for this to work for me. Sorry! Thanks anyway for coming out to the NGUAC.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
3/10

TheHigherDyer responds:

Thank you a lot. I will try my best for the next time. I'am really aprociate when people criticize in that constructive way.

[A Storybook's End]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the gradual build-up into :28. The bass is a bit too loud in the mix, though, and sometimes the harmonies are a bit too rhythmically dense, with too many ornaments (especially at :48) that make it hard to follow the contour of the melody. I would suggest simplifying your melodies a bit - save the ornamentations for when they would truly be impactful.

The production quality could also use some help at times. With such a busy texture for much of the piece, it’s hard to keep everything crystal clear, but the church bells at 1:50 or so sound especially distorted, and during the busiest sections, the drums are also struggling to pop through. You might have to get a bit stricter with the equalization here - definitely make sure the harmonic instruments have the frequencies below around 200 Hz cut off in the equalizer. You might consider more advanced tools like stereo widening for the church bells, which is more of a supplemental element of the mix.

I really like the groovy breakbeat at 2:35, and how that gets reshaped into the crisp beat with the rolled snares at 2:53. The breakdown at 3:31 is one of my favorite parts of this piece because - with all the filtering and changes in the instrumental palette - it’s the part of the piece with the strongest sense of direction. The other melodies in this piece often feel like they’re not really leading anywhere - the riff at 5:32 is a good example of that. It’s a pretty narrow frequency range with a repetitive rhythm and contour. I would encourage you to aim for looser melody writing that has an “end goal” in mind, whether that’s hitting a certain high note toward the end, or quickening the density of the rhythm over time, or otherwise taking the piece in a new direction. Also, later in the piece, adding variations to the main melody would be a welcome source of variety.

Overall, there’s a lot of creative energy behind this piece - the upbeat mood and frantic, well-varied drums are big selling points. The mix could use a tad bit of cleaning up, and you overuse the stop-start transitions after a while. But some more dynamic, impactful storytelling in the composition is what would really take this piece to the next level in my view. Otherwise, it’s catchy, versatile, and has some neat sound design. Keep at it, TheClickbaitArrow! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

TheClickbaitArrow responds:

Thank You ❤️❤️❤️

[Perilous]

I like the ghostly pads at the beginning. Maybe a bit odd that they keep replaying the same note every 6 seconds or so, as opposed to just a continuous drone. By :26, the chord progression is coming together well, although the drums sound a bit flat in the mix - maybe some reverb and a bit more compression on the snare would help them stand out more.

Overall, the piece is a bit slow to develop, and the drums really get a bit lost in the mix by around 1:20. I’d suggest applying an equalizer to each harmonic instrument (so, everything besides the bass and kick) and eliminating the frequencies below around 200 Hz in each of them. That should help clean up the mud in the lower end of the mix and make the drums sound sharper.

I like the synth arpeggios, but at some point some more dynamic melodic content would’ve been nice. Later in the piece, the harmonic content gets pretty repetitive. It could use a switch-up to the chord progression, or maybe an atmosphere bridge or something.

Overall, the piece has a nice atmosphere and sound design, and the progression isn’t bad either. The composition could just be a bit bolder, and the mix needs some cleaning up. Keep at it, TheBestMusicMakerEvr! ^_^

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
.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
6.75/10

TheBestMusicMakerEvr responds:

Thank you so much for the review, this was my first time trying to mix and everything so I was doing a self taught approach but I’m kinda disappointed I didn’t make it to the 2nd round but this is my first time for making more advanced music so I’m just glad for this review. I wish good luck for all the guys that made it to the knock out round and this review motivates me to improve

[lullaby]

Alright, this is really cute. I like the twinkly synth lead and minimal melodies. The sub-bass at :10 was a bit of a bizarre choice, though - it takes up a bit too much of the mix, and also just doesn’t really fit the character of the piece. Also, the composition could’ve been a tad bolder here. I would love to see a more fleshed-out structure with a bolder range of energy levels and instrumental palettes. The final cadence even makes the piece feel incomplete - it doesn’t resolve on the tonic. At some point, adding a stronger sense of atmosphere with a little reverb would also be advisable. Still, the sound design and melodies are great here. You’re truly living up to your username, sweedlebee1! Keep at it. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

sweedlebee1 responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I’m still relatively new to this so this is actually really helpful!

[Symphony of Savagery]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. Sounds like the hero of the story is entering a vast, misty forest to start a great journey. The piece is a bit slow to develop, but I like it when you switch up the instrumental palette a bit at 1:10. The melody at 1:18 doesn’t feel quite as dynamic as it could - a lot of repeated rhythmic patterns and a similar contour over the course of a few short phrases. I would encourage you to aim for looser melody writing that has an “end goal” in mind, whether that’s hitting a certain high note toward the end, or quickening the density of the rhythm over time, or otherwise taking the piece in a new direction.

Regardless, the breakdown section at 2:34 is good for some structural variety. I think the texture feels very square and rigid, though. Especially with a piece this long, I’d encourage you to spend more effort “humanizing” the piece with subtle phrasing details - ebbs and flows of energy levels and compositional details that keep the listener more engaged throughout some otherwise long, structurally flat sections of music (like 2:34 to 4:21). The pacing of this piece is very slow compared to the amount of harmonic variety.

The transition back into the hook at 5:14 was smooth, but the main melody at 5:34 simply needed a bolder contour or some thicker backing harmonies or SOMETHING to give this piece a stronger sense of overarching development after 7 minutes.

Other than my compositional gripes, the piece is fine. Solid sound design and decent mixing (even though the drums are struggling to pop through the mix at times). I just want to hear more ebb and flow in the arrangement - that’ll help you maximize the emotional appeal of this track and also give it more narrative flavor than it has right now. I’d encourage you to keep working on this, though - it has a lot of potential given the cinematic flair, instrumentation, and atmosphere. Keep at it, SrAlpaco! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

[Psycho]

I like the gritty synth at the beginning. The beat at :14 is pretty cool, but I would’ve liked to hear a bit more of the hi-hats (or whatever is playing on the off-beat there - sounds heavily processed). The piece is a bit slow to develop, and by :59 the texture feels both a bit grating (especially in the upper register) and still rather minimal. I think the mix is seriously lacking in some mid-range frequencies, which would help the texture feel more well-balanced. Also, in general the harmonic content should be a bit louder than it is here. The rhythmic content is certainly good, and other than the harsh high-pitched synths the sound design is pretty cool. I’d just like to see a bit more harmonic depth and some more structuring. The creepy mood is really engrossing, though. I’d encourage you to spend some more time fleshing this out - it has potential. Keep at it, spazzymusik! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
4.5/10

spazzymusik responds:

Sorry for the late reply!! didn't see your comment but thank you for your feedback it really helps I have tried cutting out some of the things that you said needs working on so hopefully next year you'll see some improvement but again thanks for the reply!

[ZOO-WEE-MAMA! (Autism Mix)]

I like the blissful melodies at :05, even if the articulation on that synth is a bit wonky at times. The tempo automations at :23 are pretty cool, and I like the energy of :34. The mix sounds a bit muddy at :34, though - the guitars are especially indistinct. It might help to use an equalizer to eliminate the frequencies below around 200 Hz in the other harmonic instruments.

The breakdown at 1:17 was good for some structural variety, and there’s a good sense of build-up into 1:39. The transition at 2:21 was a bit abrupt. At 2:42, I wish the vocals sat on top of the mix a bit more, although the “B” melody at 3:04 is really nice. The tempo automation at 3:27 is a bit jarring - maybe it would’ve helped if you had something keeping the beat from 3:24, when the tempo starts slowing down. Then, just as suddenly as the tempo slowed down, it sped back up at 4:03.

In general, there are a lot of stop-start transitions in this piece. More gradual transitions would make the arrangement sound less disjointed. Some more variety on the main melodies and harmonic framework would also be welcome. Lastly, I think some of the busier sections of this piece in particular would capture my attention better if they had a bit more “shape” - changes in the energy level or instrumental palette (or something else) within the phrase.

Overall, I like the melodies, sound design, and moodiness of this one. The mix could be a bit tighter in places, and the arrangement could feel a bit more flowing and well-paced in general. Still, I’m liking the frantic, quirky synths and catchy rhythmic content of this. Keep at it, SodaPop770! ^_^

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
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
7.25/10

[Overcoming Fear (Fallen Moon's Dungeon)]

I like the theatrical intro and crisp, acoustic-sounding drums. The warm string melodies and light piano harmonies are really nice, although I would’ve liked to hear more bass in the mix. Also, the mix sounds very static-y at times (maybe it’s the acid bass in the background?), which is a bit of a bizarre choice for this type of piece in my opinion. In general, I like the variety in the instrumentals, especially the guitar solo at 1:21 and the drum fill at 2:00. The piece could use a little more variety in the energy level, though - after a solid three minutes of busy beats and thick textures, a breakdown or atmospheric bridge or something would be a welcome change. Still, I love the melodic content, sound design, harmonies, and creative energy of this piece. You cover a lot of ground narrative-wise in less than three minutes, and it all feels very flowing and coherent. In other words, you’re a talented composer who has earned my scout. Keep it up, sodakc! ^_^

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
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
9/10

sodakc responds:

thank you !!

yeah I agree the acid bass might not work the best here -- I mainly included it as it was kind of a staple of the "battle themes" I was composing for the project (this being the third one).

I agree with your thoughts on the energy level throughout the track as well -- when I made a kind of tonally different version of this for the second part of the project (called the "book 2 arrangement") I ended up adding in a bridge-like section in.

thanks again for the great feedback !!

...I'll be uploading the other tracks soon.

[Paraphile]

I like the cute lead at the beginning. The bass sounds a bit muddy, though - I would strip away whatever mixing effects you have on it and also make sure to use an equalizer to remove the frequencies below around 200 Hz in the harmonic instruments. The mix is very bottom-heavy in general, so it might help to transpose some of the synth lines up an octave. The piece is catchy, but also quite minimal at times, going a solid 30 seconds between :25 and :57 or so without a strong lead or other foregrounded element.

I like the subtle build-up into 1:25, and despite being abrupt, the part at 1:54 also does a good job of “resetting” the piece once it needed some more structural variety. The instruments in this piece blend well together, but individually a lot of them are hard to make out. Frankly, I want to see what your Fruity Convolver settings are and which mixing channels you’re applying it to. Same with the delay plugin. Something is making the mix sound very indistinct in general here…

Compositionally, the piece is better, although there’s a bit of atonality in the texture at around 3:20 onward, and in general it seems to be lacking in strong, dynamic melodic content. I like the sound design and the eerie mood, though. The piece has potential - I really like the rhythmic content and a lot of the individual riffs. I think my favorite is the twinkly synth at 2:43. Clean up the mix and the dissonance and maybe add a bit of a bolder melody or two at some point, and you could easily get two full points back from me on your total score. Keep at it, Snoot-Doot! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.75/10

[Sunday]

I like the crisp drums and smooth guitars at the beginning. The vocals have a great, joyous energy to them, even if they’re a bit overly theatrical. This piece feels like it’s just getting started when the vocals cut off at :44. I’d encourage you to flesh this out more. It’s just hard for me to assess some of my compositional criteria with a piece that isn’t very structurally complete. I certainly like the sound design, vocals, and production quality so far. Send me a PM if you ever turn this into a full-length track. There’s great potential for a piece that really tells a story here, but first you’ve got to give the energy level, vocal phrasing, and articulation a bit more range. Keep at it, SmithdownRunners! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
7.25/10

SmithdownRunners responds:

Theatrical. THEATRICAL??? In a thousand suns i never... nah jk thank you so much for the fleshed out feedback was not expecting that