TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ritualistic Alchemy]

I like the foreboding atmosphere at the beginning, the storm sound effects, and the percussion that sounds like a ticking clock. The demonic vocals at :35 and the cinematic flair of the rest of the sound design are really great together, and the sense of build into 1:07 is nice too. The drop itself is a bit minimal, though, and I might’ve filtered out some of the high-end frequencies on that atmospheric screeching. The majestic breakdown at 1:54 is absolutely gorgeous, and I like when you integrate the orchestral sound design with the energetic beats at 2:24. The string arpeggios at 3:00 are a good way of re-introducing the listener to the ominous overtones of the piece, and I like the way the drop at 3:30 leads with the bass this time, as opposed to the upper-register content. I really like the jittery vocals during the outro at 4:47.

Overall, I think my favorite element of this piece is the production quality - everything sounds really loud, clean, and clear in the mix - although sometimes the harmonies could’ve used a bit more room to fill the atmosphere (the synth guitar at 3:54 comes to mind). The composition is enjoyable, despite the minimal drops, and the sound design is top-notch. The arrangement and harmonic framework are a tad generic, but otherwise you really made this piece your own with the apprehensive mood and instrumentation. Keep at it, WingsOfAsh! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

ESHRR responds:

Thanks for the review! I’m excited to start the next round!

[behind us (w/ AKS0R)]

I like the soothing, mellow synth at the beginning. The bass at :10 is a bit too loud relative to the other elements of the texture, although maybe the distortion on it is what’s really bothering me. The drums at :19 are a bit dry, and could use some more mixing effects (especially reverb) to help them contribute more to the atmosphere of the piece. The quirky synths at :38 help fill that void, but at some point in this piece I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies. The reverb automations at 1:10 or so are pretty sweet, and I like the re-intro at 1:17 too. The spoken word vocals at 1:35 are also a tad loud, and don’t blend in with the instrumentals quite how I want them to. I also would’ve liked to hear some more variety during the refrain at 1:55 compared to the first time those riffs appeared. Still, overall I enjoyed the sound design and atmosphere of this piece a lot. Also, the mix is loud and clean, despite my complaints about certain elements of the texture being too loud at various times. Overall, I enjoyed this piece a lot - it’s spacey, catchy, and smooth-flowing. A good combination of attributes to have for a song about moving on. :) Keep at it, VirtuaLI! ^_^

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

VirtuaLIkimono responds:

OH AH THANK YOU!!! I am very glad that you liked this track. I spent a lot of time on it. I'll take your comments into account. It was difficult for us to work on the sound, as we are not very experienced musicians yet.

[Tankmen's Hotrod]

I like the gritty texture at the beginning - sounds like the Devil is sharpening his pitchfork. The guitar riff at :08 is a bit muddy and indistinct - I can’t tell if the recording quality is bad, or you tried to add distortion or other mixing effects, but either way it could be a lot sharper. The orchestral sample at :23 feels a bit out-of-place, and then the distortion and indistinction on the second round of guitar riffs at :28 is even worse. Admittedly, I’m a little confused about what’s going on here. Which of the sounds I’m hearing are samples. Which were recorded. Which were manipulated in your DAW and which are fairly “raw.” Either way, it doesn’t really sound like a cohesive or structurally complete piece yet. Sorry. I think integrating the gritty synths at the beginning with the guitar riffs might make for a compelling grunge track, but first the guitars should definitely be re-recorded or otherwise polished up in your DAW. Seriously, please let me know how the different elements of this piece came together so I can offer you some more constructive advice. But for now, keep at it, VoV! ^_^

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

VilestOfVile responds:

I think the same thing about it, actually. No need to apologize, criticism is what I'm always looking for :3
Yes, samples were used and I think this one could've been better. I'm currently in the middle of saving for FL studio because fuck Bandlab.

[Collar]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the jazzy organ-sounding thing at :03. The drums are a bit soft in the mix throughout the piece, and could use some more compression. The transition at :29 really throws me off - you replaced a rich atmospheric, and pensive texture for a minimal and cheesy one. The jazzy atmosphere and bass blend well together at :48, but I think you may have been better off just layering the bass on top of the rest of the atmosphere at :29 as opposed to giving it its own interlude. The transition into the section with the new bass line at 1:20 was smoother, although having two competing bass lines at 1:25 probably wasn’t the best idea. Each would stand out more if you transposed one of them up an octave or two.

The bass riff at 1:44 is catchy, but also doesn’t seem very interconnected with the texture that came beforehand. The entire mix is especially bottom-heavy during this section (until 2:55), and could use some upper-mid-range harmonies to balance out the competing bass lines. The re-intro at 3:12 is a bit drab, and at this point in the song I would’ve liked to see you shake up the harmonic framework or even introduce a new instrument or melody, just for variety. Instead, the entire second half of the piece seems to be content that I’ve already heard earlier, or at least doesn’t do much to give the track a sense of overarching narrative or progression.

Overall, there are a lot of good isolated ideas here, from the groovy bass riffs to the rich atmospheric textures to the jazzy harmonies early on. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and melody. Now I just want to see you integrate the different harmonic ideas in this piece into more of a cohesive whole, while creating more variety in the energy level and sound palette to maintain interest over a long 6.5 minutes. It’s doable, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece. Also, a relatively easy fix is slapping a compressor on those drums and using the gain knob and maybe a little reverb on the snare to ensure that they pop through the mix throughout the piece. Feel free to send me a PM after you incorporate the judges’ feedback, and I’ll leave you another review. Keep at it, TVP06! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
5.75/10

TVP06 responds:

Thanks, I'll keep your advice in mind as I was planning on fixing up Collar sometime due to its rushed nature.

[Xeveir and Xeron vs. XH (ft. JinoBeats) - Eternal SubconsciencƎ]

The breathy vocals at the beginning have a nice, haunting vibe, and the frantic percussion helps enhance that feeling too. The vocals at :15 are good, although it’s a bit unconventional to pan them to one side like that, and in general it’s very hard to make them out in the mix. The loud, distorted, and heavy drop at :38 was not my cup of tea. The atmosphere there was pretty creative, but the spammy rolled percussion took away all sense of rhythmic appeal, and the pads and other harmonic elements are really hard to make out in the mix. I might’ve actually used 1:01, the post-chorus, as the full drop. The harmonies come through a bit better at 1:26, but the rolled percussion is just a little too prominent and distorted in the mix there for my tastes. The vocals also get fairly repetitive after a while.

The breakdown at 2:34 was a nice relief from the harsh mastering of the previous 2 minutes of content. I like the dreamy synths and warm strings there a lot. The soulful vocals at 2:57 add a great, emotional appeal to the texture. You also integrate that soulful verse well back into the harsher refrain at 3:50. The guitar solos at 4:14 are nice, although they overwhelm the vocals in the mix a bit too much IMO. The breathy vocals at 4:40 are good for some variety, too, but the “eternal subconscious” vocals that follow are seriously overused at this point.

Overall, the composition and sound design are solid here, but the mastering seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the piece. The volume levels are seriously out of control, and the level of distortion in the texture obliterates most of the harmonic content. Still, I can tell that you’re a talented producer, and I think it would’ve take much to rein in the volume levels, limit the distortion on the drums, and make this piece a well-balanced and still-catchy banger. Keep at it, TurbonicZ! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

TurbonicZ responds:

Most of the "Distorted percussion" wasn't on my end, it was by XH/Nari's since his speedcore style is MUCH more distorted than mine.

[98]

I like the groovy synth riff at the beginning. The synth lead at :08 sounds a bit cheesy, and the harmonies there start clashing a bit with the other instruments harmonically - the dissonance is especially noticeable at :27 and :35. There are a couple of transitions here that are pretty abrupt, like at :23 - some of the initial harmonies suddenly cut out there, which is a bit jarring. I’d recommend using a sweep, crash, or drum fill to smooth it over. You have similarly abrupt transitions at :54 and 1:25.

I’d also recommend giving the structure a bit more of an ebb and flow. Right now, the beat is constant throughout the piece - a brief breakdown where you strip away the beat, or an atmospheric section with a special solo and different harmonies, would’ve helped create some variety.

Still, there are a lot of things to like here, like the individual harmonic riffs and the cutesy flourish at 2:03. You also have a really good sense of rhythm, and I like your use of 9/8 time. For much of the piece, it almost feels like two measures of 4/4 with an added beat, giving the entire piece a really refreshing, almost glitchy vibe. :D Keep at it, Toad-shroom! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
5/10

toad-shroom responds:

Thank you for your tips! The way you explained things makes a lot of sense and I'll definitely consider those things moving forward. I hope to do more fun competitions in the future :)

[PartySlaughter (May 2022)]

I like the bouncy synths at the beginning and the energetic beats. There’s a lot of reverb in the texture here, which might be compromising the quality of the mix a bit. I might’ve liked the drums to get a bit of a boost, though. Aspects of the sound design are also pretty cheesy, like that acid synth at 1:18, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies. Still, the texture is full and rich throughout, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony, progression, and rhythm. Another compositional detail that might need work is just how constant the energy level is throughout the piece - more ebb and flow in the intensity of the piece would really help keep the listener engaged. There were also a few transitions that were a bit abrupt, notably at 3:03, although it’s probably nothing a sweep/crash combo can’t fix. Overall, solid work here, TNM! The mix could be a bit sharper, but the composition is catchy and well-structured, and the sound design, while a bit generic, fits the mood well. Keep it up! ^_^

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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

TheNormalMusic responds:

I think that's a very fair rating for this song. It has a lot of issues, as it's quite old. Next time I will make a brand new song so I'll have more chance. Thank you for rating this song and for running the NGADM this year!

[Death (Horseman) | SynnCloud]

I like the echo-y church bells and heavy guitar riff at the beginning. The drums could’ve sounded a bit more punchy in the mix, although overall I think the mix is well-balanced. The section at :27 has a nice apprehensive vibe, and the progression at :54 is also suitable for the tension that’s building throughout the piece. At times, the arrangement feels a tad formulaic, with regular shifts in the texture every 8 bars or so, but not a lot of ebb and flow in the texture within those 8 bars. I also would’ve liked to hear some of the tension in the piece resolved at some point with a climactic solo or otherwise cathartic section. To be honest, it felt like the piece never quite got there. Still, I love the sound design, atmosphere, mood, and rhythmic content of the piece. Keep at it, Synncloud! ^_^

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
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

SynnCloud responds:

THANKS, ILL TAKE ALL THE TIPS <33

[Bleeding my Time]

I like the tempo automations and quirky atmosphere towards the beginning. The naked synth bass at :24 drags on for a bit too long IMO - kinda disrupted the flow there. The mix is very minimal and bottom-heavy, although I like the moody sound design and percussive texture. I think you could’ve foreshadowed the entrance of the vocals at 1:20 a bit better, and the harsh, distorted sounds by 1:33 or so are not my favorite. There are some other unexpected shifts in the texture, like 2:24, that could’ve been the subject of more gradual transitions. I really like the smooth pads that come in at 2:33 to mellow things out, though. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dissonant harmonies at 3:07 either. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed the stop-start pads during the outro at 3:50.

Overall, I appreciate the experimental approach you took to the sound design here, but the disjointed arrangement and thin, bass-y texture don’t do you many favors IMO. You get a lot of credit for creativity, atmosphere, and instrumentation, but as a listener I wanted some more repetition and depth in the harmonic content to hang onto after a while. Some of your choices regarding structure and tonality worked for me, but others plainly didn’t. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer with a knack for creating dissonant, moody textures. Keep at it, SroSocial! ^_^

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

SroSocial responds:

Appreciate the review and kind words. Clearly fundamentally we have very different approaches/views for music and that's fine, on some level, but please allow me to puke out a comment from muh soul.

I said something here with this song. Everything on it was intentional. Everything wrong with it's "grammar" was purposeful. Just like the song title, I portray what I'm saying in the song itself. Fundamentally I feel like we speak two different languages, me espiolah and you wagabugoo. Both holding different intentions: I want to be heard, not satisfy you. You want to be satisfied, while not hearing me.

That's my criticism of your review@4am. I accept and embrace the fact that I can't satisfy everyone, but idk this just felt like I was ignored in it all in favor of weird preferences for my song to become something it's not. Looks like you guys judged my song as a WIP to give feedback to, ya know?

;c

[FACUNDO GARDIOL - Airborne ( Future Bounce )]

I like the airy vocals at the beginning, although the way they’re layered over the beat in terms of the pattern of emphasis in the rhythm is a bit bizarre. I like the sense of build into :34, though, and the drop there is seriously catchy. The mix is clean and well-balanced, if a tad over-compressed for my tastes. I also like the synth drone and filtering during the post-chorus at 1:06. The arrangement, sound design, and chord progression of the piece are all pretty generic, and I would’ve liked to see more variety in the main melodies and drop later on in the piece. My favorite element of the piece is probably the production, which is punchy and crisp. The rhythmic content is also nice - this piece is upbeat and danceable, and it’s hard to go wrong with that. :) I might have to pass on the skydiving though lol. Keep at it, SPIRALi! ^_^

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

SPIRALi responds:

thanks!