TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Save me]

I like the cute mood at the beginning. The chord progression is a little cliche, and I think you went a little overboard on the reverb on a couple of the synths here. The melodic content in the piano is enjoyable, and you have a good sense of harmony. The drums come through the mix pretty clearly, but I think the excessive reverb detracts from the distinctness of the synths. The piece has a cool atmosphere and mood, although the piece gets pretty repetitive towards the end. The fade-out ending struck me as a bit lazy, and I think you could do more to offer some shape and variety in the piece (a breakdown or bridge, some more dynamic contrast and phrasing, etc.). Overall, it’s pretty good. A little more effort into the composition, and this would be a really solid piece. Keep at it, Shabbyjazz. :)

7.25/10

CielOuvert responds:

Much appreciated, a very thorough and precise review. I will take this into consideration :)

[Nirimi - At dark times]

The descending line at the beginning had a really somber vibe, and I like how each note bleeds into the next. The progression is really slow, and there’s a bit of dissonance in the harmonies at around :40. I think you could’ve done a lot more to use the entire frequency range to your advantage here. The entire piece is very minimalistic, and I would’ve liked to see you use some more creative transitions besides the crash at some point. The piece is lacking strong melodic content and occasionally even tonality. At best, the composition is really underwhelming. I’d strongly suggest that you structure your piece around some sort of melodic riff or emotional height. When you feel like you’ve done so, PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Don’t be discouraged. The mood and instruments are pretty cool - you just needed to put more effort into the composition. Keep at it, RobinvanDommelen. :)

4.75/10

RobinvanDommelen responds:

Thanks. I will definitely try to improve :)

[Mechanical Breakdown]

The ascending line at the very beginning is pretty interesting, but I really don’t understand the role of that harsh, blaring synth at :02 in the texture. It doesn’t complement the mood of the piece at all, and ends up detracting from my enjoyment of the piece considerably. It completely takes over the mix when it comes in. If you want to keep that harmony line in there, I’d suggest replacing it with a smooth bass or something. At 1:08, the texture is a bit too busy, with a lot of dissonances between the various moving lines going on. I’m just confused which melody to listen to. I also thought a lot of your instruments were pretty generic. The riser that starts at around 2:05 also sounds thin, harsh, and obnoxious. Overall, the composition of this piece just didn’t come together for me at all. I know I’ve been really tough on you in this review, but I think you have a good sense of structure and flow. Also, the mastering is pretty good - I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. The main thing that bothers me about this piece is the sound design, but I’d also suggest you think a little more about how your harmonies relate musically. Keep at it, man! :)

5.5/10

redflaresountracks responds:

there are trills there for a reason. its about a old machine breaking down. Thanks anyway!

[Press On]

I like the bouncy chords and blissful mood at the beginning. The drums are nice and crisp, and give the piece a great sense of drive. I think you could’ve done more to foreshadow the transition at :34, but I like the melodic content there. I guess my main problem with the piece is that it has a sense of continuity throughout without much structural variety. You could’ve done a lot more with the composition here, and I think the texture could benefit from some more creative instrumentation. Overall, though, it’s hard not to like this piece. Good job with the atmosphere and mood, which the simplicity enhance. Keep at it, OForTheWin. ;)

8/10

OForTheWin responds:

Thank you very much for the feedback!

[Brink]

I think you have a good sense of harmony and progression. The instruments here sound really inauthentic, though. The mix also sounds strained at many points. For example, it’s hard to hear the woodwinds once the brass comes in at 1:16. I’m not sure Musescore has the capacity to fix that, but if you’re using a Mac I’d highly recommend exporting the piece to Garageband and using an equalizer to try to make each instrument come through clearer. I did enjoy the melodic content in this piece, though. The pacing of the piece is a little fast, although overall the structure and transitions are enjoyable as well. Overall, this is a strong composition, but the mixing and sound design need work. Keep at it, Novent-Music. ;)

7.25/10

Novent-Music responds:

Thank you for your input it is greatly appreciated. as far as mastering goes I'm experimenting with exporting the instruments to audacity and doing the equalization there.

[Secrets]

I like the energy at the beginning. A couple of the instruments area a little generic, especially the drums, but I like the climax into :30. You do a good job for most of this piece of creating a full, rich texture. The climax that starts at 1:15 is also enjoyable, and I like the melody at 1:32. For big room house, it’s actually not that minimalistic, which is a good thing. I appreciated the structural relief you had at the 2-minute mark. The mixing and mastering are strong here as well. I wish you had varied the drop the second time around a little more. The second half of the piece doesn’t have much in the way of melodic development or a sense of progression or expansion from the first half. The ending also came about a bit suddenly. Overall, this is a really strong piece. The repetition and lack of originality are the only issues that stuck out to me. Keep it up, NebulaTrax. ;)

8.5/10

RiSUKU responds:

Thanks!

[Futa Dick]

I like the atmosphere and the synth riff at the beginning. The melody synth that comes in at :17 is a little harsh-sounding in the upper register. I’d suggest using an equalizer to cut out some of the treble tones there. The melodies themselves are enjoyable, though, and the piece is smooth-flowing throughout. The piece doesn’t have a lot of cohesion, and ends a bit abruptly. I think you should work on the structuring here a bit more. Right now, it’s really short and also doesn’t have a very prominent rhythm section. Giving the bass a boost in the mix and adding some drums might help give the piece some drive while also helping you use a broader frequency range. Overall, pretty solid work here. Most of the criticisms I have involve compositional details. Keep at it, Mydogbuddy7. :)

7.5/10

Mydogbuddy7 responds:

Wow thanks a ton, I'll take all of that into consideration for my next piece! Love the criticism.

[SAO - Swordland (Remix)]

I like the sense of climax into :20. The string instruments weren’t very authentic, and they have a very weak attack. I think you have a good sense of harmony and flow, but your instruments are very generic. The melodic content here is also enjoyable, but I think you need to let the piece breathe a little more. Right now, the piece has a constant energy and drive, but I think it would help give the piece more shape and direction if you incorporated some kind of low-energy breakdown or bridge. It’s a short piece, so fleshing out the structure more will still allow you to keep it concise overall. Other than that, it’s a nice, blissful piece. Keep at it, Mutty99! ;)

7/10

mutty99 responds:

Thanks a bunch, still trying to find a decent orchestral bass drum :)

[The Last Stand]

I think you have a good sense of harmony. The anti-climax at :21 wasn’t great, though - a bit out of proportion for the energy of the following section. I liked the melodies at :32. The kick gets a little lost in the mix after a while, though. I’d make sure to be stricter with the equalizing and compression. The snare is also a little weak, overpowered by those synth leads. The snare should almost always be the loudest instrument in the mix, and this is no exception. I think my main problem with the piece is that it’s not really structurally complete. Fleshing out the structure a bit and aiming for a little more shape and contrast would really help strengthen the composition here. The build-up at the very end threw me off in a similar way as :21 - usually build-ups like that lead up to a really energetic or busy section of the piece, and it felt a little jarring and inconclusive to end the piece that way. Overall, there are some good ideas here, but I think you need to put some more effort into the composition. Keep at it, M-Mowz. :)

6/10

Hedrix responds:

Thanks for your feedback