TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spiritual Hunger]

I like the gritty bass synths and ominous mood at the beginning. The vocal samples were integrated well, and the progression is solid, if a bit slow to develop. The production is strong, too, although I'm not sure you needed all of the treble end in some of the synths. The breaks at the 1-minute mark felt like a bit of an anti-climax after the long intro, and after a while I was itching for some more melodic content. The frantic synths at around 1:20 are fun, and you continue to use the vocal samples well. There are a lot of stop-start moments in this piece, though - be careful not to overuse them. The organ-like riff at 1:59 has a fun vibe. It serves well as a sort of breakdown/bridge section. Overall, the piece feels a tad disjointed structurally, but the sound design, mood, and mastering are all really cool. Nice work! Keep at it, HeyJellyBear. ^_^

HeyJellyBear responds:

Thanks for the in depth words! Super appreciate you taking time to listen! :3

[DJT & Rusyd Rosman - Breathing Space (Shuffle Horse Remix)]

Hey, sorry for the slow response, man! I like the energy and the vocals. In fact, I think the vocals may be a little too quiet relative to the instrumental at times. Nice job chopping them up at 1:18, too. The synths are really crisp and catchy, too. The sound design is also pretty cool here. The one exception may be the piano at the beginning, in fact - I'd suggest taking some treble off of it to add some more emotional appeal. I also think there are a lot of moments in this track that don't quite have a sufficiently full texture. Even the post-chorus thing at 1:16 is kinda missing a legato element, for example. Otherwise, great job with this track. The production is really strong - I'm particularly impressed by that. Keep at it, man! Good luck with your new account. ^_^

ShuffleHorse responds:

Thanks a lot man :D, really Thanks

[Unusually Complex Understanding]

The tone of the piece is very sensual and romantic. I think the string samples could be a bit more authentic, and the rhythm in the beginning was a little hard-to-follow. The soft percussion is nice, and the piece has a great sense of flow. I think the piece might need some more variety in the texture. The cello and piano were dominating the texture for almost the entire piece, although occasionally their “relationship” (in terms of foregrounding) changes. Normally this wouldn’t bother me so much, but I think the quality of the cello sample detracts from my enjoyment of the piece, especially when it’s playing the main melody for most of the track. I also think the pacing of the piece is a little fast sometimes, as it’s hard to discern the distinct structural elements of the piece through the first couple of listens. Overall, though, the mood of the piece is more than enough to keep my attention. I also think the production quality is rather good here. Keep it up, AzulJazz!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

AzulJazz responds:

Thanks !!

[Lighting Another]

I like the powerful guitars and frantic riffs. The vocals are pretty haunting, if hard to discern solely from listening to the piece. The production quality is generally good, although there were times when I thought the drums could be a tad louder, especially during the vocal sections. The lyrics themselves are also quite good. It seems like the tone of the content is rather different between the two verses, at least from reading it. Compositionally, the piece is a tad repetitive and also lacking on melodic content. The piece’s constant sense of energy and drive comes at the expense of structural variety and dynamic contrast. I understand that this is a metal song, but I think it’s hard to maximize the emotional appeal of a track if the level of emotion is so similar throughout. Overall, though, electrifying piece. The guitar work is really strong, and the vocal content is quite memorable. Keep at it, TSRBand!

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

TSRBand responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review :) Really glad you liked it overall, and your tips are always invaluable!

[Fear As Though You've Never Feared]

I like the call-and-response opening section. There are a lot of fun and catchy riffs in this piece, in fact. The progression is a little slow-paced, though. The first minute and a quarter or so felt like an intro to me. Production is pretty loud and clean. All of the guitars sound really distinct, although the drums don’t come through quite as well on some of the busier sections, especially 2:03. That said, I thought the melodies at 2:03 were great, and really help channel the energy of the piece. The vocal sample at 3:22 caught me by surprise a bit, but fits in well with the directionality of the piece. Nice job incorporating the flute, and I love the victorious mood in the texture at around the 4-minute mark. The transition at 4:16 was a tad sudden. Would’ve helped to let the sound fade a bit before completely shifting gears. The next section was quite mesmerizing, though, if a little out-of-character given the rest of the piece. The piece loses a bit of cohesion that way - almost makes it feel like a filler song on an album, meant to bridge the gap between two different styles of composition. Still, this is a strong piece. Nice job with the sound design, mastering, and melodic elements. Keep it up, Djt820!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

djt820 responds:

I rarely get my music analyzed to this degree haha. I'm glad you dug the song and can appreciate your feedback. Its funny... I've gotten that "slow paced" comment a lot lately but I don't mind! I come from a doom metal background and the motto is "low and slow". If you ever explore doom metal, smoke a joint beforehand.

Melody is always important to me so I'm glad you liked that aspect.

Like my life, there is very little cohesion so your criticism is valid.

Thank you very much for the detailed review. This is why I like NG!

[Swingy]

Fun piece. Has a bit of a Celtic vibe, although I’m not sure I was a huge fan of your percussion samples. The sub-bass also felt a bit out-of-place in the texture. You have a good sense of melody and harmony, and I liked the modulation at :53. I think my main problem with the piece is that the phrasing and structure could be a lot more creative. The main way in which you create variety in the piece is by adding and subtracting elements over time, which is a pretty rudimentary way of doing so. I’d suggest experimenting with changing volume levels, using automation and filtering, and adding variations on existing riffs as a way of creating a stronger sense of progression. I also think the mix is pretty quiet in this piece. I’d suggest looking into compression as a way of helping the mix feel thicker and louder. That said, I generally didn’t have any problems with the clarity of the mix. Overall, cute piece with some strong melodic content and catchy harmonies. Keep at it, SI-7!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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?)
.5/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

SI-7 responds:

Thank you so much for the review. This is really, really helpful in telling me what I need to improve on, and I appreciate it a lot.

[Paris 2049]

I like the mysterious-sounding fade-in at the beginning and the atmosphere. The piano and choir help set the mood nicely. Very unexpected chord at :45, though - feels like the mood shifts very suddenly, which is then made more confusing by the dissonant pads at :55. Quite an eclectic sound design here. I’m a little unclear about the directionality of the piece after a while. Much of the piece is pretty minimalistic, and uses an excess of reverb to fill in the texture. I wanted to see you tie together some of these loose thematic ends with some melodic content, an emotional height, or at least some more stable harmonies later in the piece. The mix could use a bit of cleaning up, especially with those high-pitched bells at 1:45 and the reverb. It’s hard to pull off such an experimental piece like this, and I think you needed a bit more of a strong directionality to hit it home. I did really enjoy the sound design, eerie riffs, and creative progressions, though. Keep at it, Dangalletti!

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Satisfies bingo requirement?
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

dangalletti responds:

In my mind, this is gameplay music for a sci-fi/cyberpunk title. I imagine the intro to be a cinematic preview of sorts which sets up the level/area. Then, at 0:45 the gameplay begins and 0:55 marks the starting point of the loop.

Not trying to be defensive, just offering some insight into what I had in mind while writing it.

I agree the mix could be cleaner. I'm still learning my way around production so any tips (in here or for future tracks) will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your feedback and kind words, glad you enjoyed it.

P.S. Kinda curious why the bingo requirement wasn't completely fulfilled though.

[-Daybreaker-]

Great! There's a really bubbly sense of anticipation from the beginning, and I love the frantic synths at :22 that kinda serve as a build-up into the next section. That organ synth that forms the foregrounded riff is really fun, especially when it gets the slightly distorted texture like at :40. This is a really rhythmically dense piece, but the pacing isn't so fast that it's disorienting. The vocal samples interact really well here, and I really like it when the bass becomes more exposed at around 2:40. I also thought the spacey outro at 3:38 was a great touch - almost gives the piece a house vibe, and the filtering at the very end is scrumptious. You've really outdone yourself here, Waterflame! Fitting conclusion to 2018. Happy new year!

Waterflame responds:

Always a pleasure when you review one of my tracks! Thank you for the detailed kind words. This really goes to show for me that taking that extra workday of polish is really worth it! Excited to make more tracks in 2019! :)

[-Atom Sampler-]

Ooo...I love the eerie vibes at the beginning and the old-timey piano that comes in shortly thereafter. The vocal samples add a bit of a cinematic flair, but I think you overdid them after a while. I was a little uncertain as to the directionality of the piece during the second minute, and pretty soon it's evolved into a more danceable, rhythmic piece. Kinda reminds me of a more rushed "Sinking Feeling." I like when you bring back the atmospheric elements towards the end. Really creative work overall. Not sure it's come together for me quite yet as a coherent whole, but I'll listen to it a couple more times and see what happens. :D Keep up the good work, WF!

Waterflame responds:

Thanks! I will agree that the middle of the track could use more direction. But I wanted it to be a bit..floating. the hook was supposed to be the vocals themselves and the choppy guitar. I guess I never had a clear direction with this to begin with so thats why it came off a bit like a stitched together thing. Appreciate the pointers!