TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Kytoon - Save My Breath]

I like the smooth guitars and atmosphere. I wish you would've let the reverb fade out by its own accord at :21 instead of the sudden cutoff, but the raw vocals and progression are really enjoyable here. At times, I wanted the vocals to be more up-front in the mix, especially at the busier sections. One thing I really liked about the vocals was the call-and-response structure of some of the phrases, like at 2:20 for example. Nice touch with the solos at the end of the piece, too. The lyrics feel pretty powerful overall, and the structure definitely amplifies that effect. Production is super clean. Overall great work! ^_^

GhostLawyer responds:

Thanks for the thoughtful response! Always a struggle to keep the vocals on top of everything without getting too compressed - constantly trying to improve my mixing in that regard.

[Cat Trap]

Interesting rhythmic work at the beginning with the hats and metallic clanging sample. At first, I don't think the clanging quite feels quantized with the rest of the beat, but by :23 the piece comes together pretty well. I think the build-up into :23 is also really smooth. The atmosphere and sound design is great here, and the beats sound pretty crisp. The pause at 1:32 (and other places) was a bit long, and the synth at 1:38 was pretty grating on the ears. Overall, though, I think my biggest complaint here is that the piece needs more variety. The progression is very slow for most of the piece, and the piece gets very repetitive after a couple of minutes. I'd suggest implementing some stronger melodic content in the piece, even if it's just in a bridge or something. That would really help give the piece a sense of overarching direction. Still, the mood here is really engrossing and the beats are super catchy. Keep it up, DjRemedy!

djRemedy responds:

Thank you for another solid review, TaintedLogic! I appreciate the time you take in your comments... Couldn't have said it better myself. You rock!

[freezy destroyer]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning and the airy synths. Chord progression is a tad cliche, but I like the sense of build-up into :44. The drums could stand to come through the mix a bit stronger at the drop, but I like the rhythmic work with the bass. The arpeggios are getting quite repetitive by around 1:20, and the transition at 1:44 was really sudden. I think the harmonic framework of the piece could use a tad more fleshing out, but besides some potential for the drums to be punchier the mastering was rather good. There might be room for a tad more clarity by eliminating some reverb, but that's more of a detail than anything else. Arrangement/structure-wise, I think I wanted another drop to add some finality to the piece. The part at 1:58 felt more like a bridge. Overall, though, cool sound design and satisfactory job with the production. Piece is smooth-flowing and catchy too. Keep at it, man!

cathatmusic responds:

I have no memory of you commenting on this. but thank you for giving me some feedback! some of the stuff you mentioned I am just learning how to fix nowadays :p

[Transient]

Aha! Good to hear from you, Lockyn. ^_^ I like the spacey synth patterns quirky bass at the beginning. Really fun melodic riffs by around :40, and you really start taking it in a different direction with the piano melody at the 1-minute mark. I think some of the transitions could've been a bit more gradual/well-shaped, but tbh that's my main complaint here. The production quality is really strong as always. Crisp, clear beats and loud, punchy mix throughout. The drop at around 2:05 was a bit more ominous-sounding than I thought it would be, but I like how you quickly defaulted back to your smooth, beautiful melodies by around 2:40. :) I also thought you could've done a tad more with the drums throughout this piece. It's a pretty straight-forward kick-clap-kick-clap for most of the piece. The passion of the melodies at 3:47 was really nice. The second drop might've needed a bit more variation to draw some contrast from the first one, but at the same time I respect the amount of cohesion that you gave this piece (despite its quite substantial length). Classic Lockyn piano outro, too. Strong work again! Looking forward to listening to your whole album when I have time. Keep it up, man! ^^

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, thanks again for the review. I agree with most of your points, very valid criticism. Cheers mate!

[Avalanche!]

I like the ominous sitar at the beginning and the mini-buildup into :18. The oom-pah rhythm of the harmony at :18 was really fun. Melodies are strong too. Some of the instruments are a bit cheesy, but it also sets the scene for a video game or short animation really well. The mix is strong and well-balanced. Part of me wanted some more prominent percussion in the piece. Feels like most of the top-end is hi-hats right now. That said, the composition of the piece makes up for that with its narrative structure and constant sense of ebb and flow. Nice work! ^_^

Possibly responds:

Thanks very much for the review. The thing at the beginning is a hammered dulcimer, the closest I had to a Cimbalom, which is featured in Klezmer music, which the guy wanted me to reference. Thanks again!

[Oncoming Storm]

I really, really....REALLY should've checked out your music earlier. I'm impressed. I liked the pensive mood and atmosphere at the beginning. The background distorted whoosh noises were a bit too in-your-face for my taste at the very beginning, but that's a tiny detail. The progression is also a little slow towards the beginning, but I'm loving the cinematic vibe by around the 1-minute mark. The grainy, static-y synth bass there doesn't add a lot to the texture. I guess I wanted it to be replaced with something that was a bit more polished, like a round sub-bass or something. I'd also like to see the bell-like melodies at around 1:45 come out a bit more. The production is probably my favorite part of the piece, but I think the sound design is quite pleasing overall (despite my issues with a couple of choices). The piece really comes together by the end with the quirky mood and staccato-y riffs in the upper-mids. Nice work! Atmosphere at the end was a great touch too. Keep up the good work, Adrean! ^_^

ADR3-N responds:

I want to be completely upfront about this piece and just say I had no idea what I was doing, haha. New PC, new SFX, had to redesign my FX library since I lost a lot of what I did have, and I've never done a piece quite like this... like ever.

I think you're probably right. I was thinking of taking those whooshes down about .5 dB -- although they're actually wind and rain samples, singing dunes in the key of the song.

1:00 I was considering taking that bass down and applying some silky flange-y FX but I thought the song needed some grit. Perhaps I could have given it more life with another sidechain input in fabfilter C2 or lowpass/LFO play there. I find that subby basses take up a lot of space in the mix -- like those kicks and bass drops -- the former is hard to manage alongside a fat bass.

Yeah, that synth bell thing probably could come up a bit -- it's actually the second to last melody I wrote; I appended it to the end as well as sort of a tie on. Like at 2:21 through 2:32, lots of Eric Whitacre influence there. Probably should have brought both up by about 1-2 dB.

Production wise, mixed at -6 dB with the volume on like 10% before I touched the master. I wish I had EQ'ed out a lot of the sub pre-compression. Each track has a multiband compressor on it in lieu of an EQ to keep a more natural frequency range.

Also, thank Quarl for pestering me to bother with atmos, haha.

Thanks for the review! Lemme know if you have a piece you want looked at. :)

[MDK - Press Start (Froej & Trickshot Remix)]

Good to see it ended up on the site! I like the sound design at the beginning. Sounds very cutesy, with retro VGM vibes. Catchy rhythmic work at :34, too. The pacing is nice, and I like the build-up into 1:09. The chord progression and arrangement of the piece are a bit cliche, but the production is pretty strong. The mix is loud, but not overly compressed. I think you could've done a tad more with the drums in the piece, but I like the filtering work at 2:03. The distorted guitar chords at 2:20 were a bit off-putting, but that's the only sound design choice that actively bothered me in the piece. It's well-structured and smooth-flowing too. Might've been a tad dragged-out with the lead-in to the final refrain at 3:12, but overall I liked the composition a lot too. Nice work guys! Gl in the remix contest. ^_^

Froej responds:

thanks for your feedback :)

[Sea of Love Tears 「恋水の海」]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The gradual fade-in could’ve been more creative, but the sound design is absolutely gorgeous. The emotional appeal of the piano riff at :35 is great. The climax into 1:02 is nice. I think the low percussion there could’ve sounded a lot more distinct in the mix, and the piano at 1:19 sounds strangely dry. The string cut-off at 1:28 is a bit sudden, although I did thoroughly enjoy the lush breakdown section. You’re great at creating textures and giving shape to a piece within phrases. I would’ve liked to hear a bit more variety in the refrain the second time around, but overall the piece comes together well. Strong effort all around, Tennon. My complaints are minimal, and I think the sound design and atmosphere are particularly enjoyable here. Congratulations on all your hard work over the course of the competition! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Tennon responds:

TL’s review never lacks any detail

[illbefine]

I like the jazzy chords and the mellow beats at the beginning. I really like the vocals, including the lyrics themselves. Sometimes, I think the vocals could be compressed a little more, just to put them a little more up-front in the mix. Occasionally, your voice tails off a bit toward the end of the phrase. The cute melodies at the post-choruses are simple, but still enjoyable. I think my biggest problem with the piece is that the composition feels pretty safe. The texture was pretty minimal in places, and I think you could’ve gone a lot further to create a sense of release and resolve with some of these post-chorus sections. At the very least, varying the melody slightly between 1:20 and 3:06 would probably be advisable. You also overuse the crashes/hats, like at 1:20. Overall, though, this is a catchy and fun track with a strong production quality and cool sound design. Keep at it, Icantpronouncethis!

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
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
7.75/10

icantpronouncethis responds:

Because this was my first attempt at using "normal" vocals, I kinda wanted to make it a bit simple, but I did learned a lot in the process. The part that still gets me is the compression. I know the gist of it, but I'm not sure how to use it effectively. So many knobs. Plus, there so many use of it, Limiter, Sidechain Compression, etc. Any tricks and tips to practice or learn more about compression?
and thank you so much for your input. It was a lot of fun being in this competition.

[To The Clouds]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The busier string riff at :16 is great, and the progression of this is really nice despite a sudden transition or two (:31, for example). I also found :46 to be a rather unexpected harmonic shift. At times, the spacious strings and bell-like instruments can be simply mesmerizing, and the vocals at 1:25 only amplify this effect. I think my biggest complaint with the piece is that it feels really disjointed. There are a lot of transitory moments in a short time, especially during the first couple of minutes, and sometimes you seem to take a Band-aid-like approach to bridging these gaps. For example, the not-too-subtle modulation at 1:40 is smoothed over only by a crash. That said, I’m really enjoying the mounting sense of apprehension by 2:20. The percussion at around 3:30 sounds really cool, and the piece comes together well by the end. I was a little confused by the entrance of the horn at 4:07. I guess I don’t usually regard introducing new melodic instruments that late in a piece as advisable. I understand that you used the same instrument earlier, albeit in a much different context. I know that it’s a tiny detail, but I still found the 4:07 entrance to be a tad jarring. Miniscule compositional complaints aside, I thought the production here was absolutely fantastic. The only thing that I would dare criticize about that is that I thought the strings on the downbeats were a bit too strong at 3:20. Still, you’ve made a really strong effort yet again, Jordi. The atmosphere is gorgeous. The sound design is beautiful. The melodic content is inspiring. Great work! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
9.5/10

etherealwinds responds:

Hey hey TL!
Thank you for taking the time to review my track. I always appreciate that! Because I was taking the piece in so many different directions, I wanted to scatter the transitions appropriately enough to highlight the changes, switching it up from orchestral transitions and electronic swooshes. This piece definitely goes a lot more places than my tracks generally would, but that was sort of my intention with this - I was having a lot of fun exploring what I could do using orchestral elements. That said, I'm excited to keep working with orchestra in the future to make less explorative pieces and solid structural pieces.

I'm not super sure I personally agree with the brass being a confusing new element in the piece, at least for me. It was quite present at 1:12 near the beginning of the piece and again at 2:49 quite heavily to change the tone of the piece. I'm feeling really inspired to go back to the piece though (which I will do) thanks to so many wonderful suggestions and perhaps the brass will make more sense in the piece when everything else comes together! Fun fact: this is actually the first time (I think) that I've ever used brass in any track of mine.

Really happy you liked my piece for the final and I'm defintely glad I entered this year!