TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spoopy House]

The creepy mood is cool. I think a lot of the synths are a little generic, and the drums could’ve been stronger. For example, the snare that first comes in at :02 would aid a lot more to the creepiness here if it was a bit crisper and punchier, which you can accomplish with some more careful equalizing and compression. The drums sound very distorted throughout much of this piece. I also think that, for the first 1.5 minutes or so, the piece doesn’t have much of a strong sense of direction - little dynamics or phrasing, filtering, changes in texture, etc. Giving the piece some more shape and structure within phrases could really help you maximize the effect of the creepy mood here. I liked your idea for the drop at 1:36, but the product is very muddy and unpolished. Equalizers will be your best friend - stripping away low frequencies in everything except the bass and kick will give your mix some clarity, and taking away some of the treble tones in the white noise at 1:36 will prevent your piece from sounding overly harsh. I’d also suggest using some reverb to make your piece sound fuller and richer when you have fewer instruments playing. One thing I did appreciate with this piece is the subtle ways you varied both the verses and the drops. I think you could’ve had some smoother transitions, though, at 3:56 for example. The ending also cuts off a little suddenly. Still, I think my biggest problem with the piece is the production quality. Please do some research on equalizers and compressors in whatever DAW you use, and you’re well on your way to making more professional-sounding mixes. :)  Keep at it, HJFod!

5.25/10

HJfod responds:

Thank you for the review! Yeah, I really need to look into equalizers and stuff, it's just I'm fairly new to FL Studio and just actually making my music into reality overall. :DD

[Hidden | Surreal]

I like the ominous synths at the beginning. At :32, it seems like the kick is getting a little distorted by the sub-bass. You can fix that with sidechaining, or at least minimize the effect with some more careful equalizing if you don’t want the unnatural sound that comes with sidechaining. That said, I did enjoy the melodic content during the first minute and a half or so, although you did go quite a long time without varying the texture much at all. The transition at 1:32 didn’t quite work from me - that drum fill is not an effective way to move towards a complete change in the harmonic structure of the piece. Without much knowledge of music theory, it can be hard to make such transitions, but I’d encourage you to include some of the same instruments or harmonies on both sides of a transition in order to keep the listener grounded. The same goes for 2:22. Overall, there’s also quite a lot of minimalism in the piece, and I think you could’ve done more to use the entire frequency range as much as possible, especially the higher end. The melodies could also use some more variation, and the instruments are a little generic. I’ve been tough on you in this review, but I think the main thing you should focus on moving forward is drawing harmonic connections between distinct sections of your piece. The part at 1:34 and the rest of the piece could very well be two different pieces - smoothing over that transition and giving the piece some cohesion will gain you back a lot of points in the “structure and variety” category. Keep at it, Hidden-Hub. :)

6.25/10

Hidden-Hub responds:

Thanks for the review! I will consider this feedback when making my next piece. I haven't been in the music industry for a lot of time, and another important thing is that I don't have access to a lot of music creating software (I use GarageBand), so a couple of the points you mentioned will probably improve when I'll get something else like FL Studio. Once again, thanks for the review and I'll consider these points when making my next piece. :)

[Faller]

The instrument at the beginning is a little generic, although the progression with the arpeggios at :09 was interesting. The distorted melodies at :25 are cool, and don’t sound overly harsh in the mix, which is a big plus. I think the progression is a little slow, although it does have a good sense of climax into the first minute or so. The melodic content at 1:54 was also strong. I suppose my main problem with the piece is that it doesn’t have a ton of structural variety or shape. Things like dynamics, phrasing, and filtering could really help enhance the emotional and/or dramatic quality of this piece, keeping your listener engaged. I also thought the percussion was a little dry, probably in need of some reverb. You have a couple of sudden transitions in this piece, but the one that bothers me the most is at 3:04. It seemed like you were taking the piece in a new direction, but then you abruptly move to this coda that has a bit of a bizarre progression and that doesn’t feel all that conclusive. One thing I think that’s pretty strong in the piece is the mixing. Despite being dry, the drums are crisp and clear, and the synths blend well together. Overall, this piece is catchy and clearly displays some strong melodic and harmonic content. If you just take a few more risks with the composition, this piece could be really strong! Keep at it, Googlebugger. :)

7.5/10

Googlebugger responds:

Once again thank you so much for taking the time to check my music out and letting me be a part of the competition! I will take all the advice I can get and improve for next year!

[Walking Home With You]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning. A couple of the flute/other woodwind instruments sounded a bit too harsh in my headphones - I’d suggest taking away some of the treble there with an equalizer. The melodic content of this piece is really good, though - has a smooth, flowing, relaxed feel. The snare might’ve been a bit hard-hitting compared to the cutesy nature of the melodic content. Same thing with the dramatic crashes (like at 1:55 and other places). You clearly have a good sense of harmony, and I think you nailed the mood and atmosphere. My main problem with the piece is that the texture needs a lot more variety. The melodies play on a near-constant loop, and even the transitions are overused by the end. The texture has a lot of pizzicato-y sounds that could be smoothed over with some pads - maybe you could even introduce them in a breakdown or bridge, just to add more variety. Cute, blissful and melodic piece, though. Keep at it, GoldHeartSenpai. :)

8/10

Febbs responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic! I'll keep that in mind :)

[pobreza]

It seems you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm. I think your track is peaking a bit, though. The harsh, crackling noises I’m hearing on my headphones indicate that the volume of the track is a bit too loud. I’d suggest adjusting the master volume on your track in the DAW until your peak meter doesn’t go into the red (you can probably look up how to access your peak meter in whatever DAW you use on the internet). And always use headphones when mixing and mastering your piece. :)  Okay, back to the song - I’m really enjoying the melodic content in the strings. I think it dragged on a bit too long without much variation in the texture. Welcome changes finally came at 1:14. In the future, I’d love to see you experiment more with dynamics and phrasing. Giving this piece a bit more shape could really help keep the listener engaged. It also has a bit of a dull sense of continuity - some structural variety would really help. Overall, I like it. It’s a catchy and fun piece with a distinctive character. Keep at it, man. :)

7/10

EmmanuelRojas responds:

thanks for the tips and the kind words :D

[Abstrack - The Raining]

I like the powerful chords at the beginning, even if the progression is a little cliche. The melodic content at :11 is also enjoyable. I like how you scale back the energy at :22, and the bitcrushing on the percussion is amusing. Despite the frequent changes in instrumentation, it’s pretty repetitive. I also think the mixing needs some work. The kick is clearly distorting the pads (and vice versa) at around 1:15. The snare is also a bit weak. I’d suggest using some more careful equalization to eliminate the low frequencies in everything except the bass and kick, and also adding some compression to the drums. The section at 1:47 offered some nice structural relief, which then led into the final refrain well. The filtering effects at around 2:45 are enjoyable too. The ending is a little abrupt, and I wish you had some more melodic development at the end. Perhaps that’s a little picky, though. Overall, this piece is strong. Clean up the mixing and vary the chord progression and melodies a bit, and this would be a really solid track. Keep at it, DJ-white. :)

7.25/10

Abstrack responds:

Woah, thank you for your big review! All the stuff said seems pretty mutch true to me, and will be useful as hell!

[Aria - Beige]

I like how crisp the texture is at the beginning, but the string samples sound pretty inauthentic and dry. I’d strongly suggest adding some reverb. I think the reverb would especially help towards the end when you’re trying to add finality to the piece. The transition at 3:14 was a little awkward, and some reverb would really help smooth it over. Later in the piece, it’s harder to tell that the string samples are fake - perhaps it was just the dynamic contour of the first chords that made them seem fake to me. By :41, the texture is rich and full, and I admire your sense of harmony. The rhythm is pretty square in the melodies, though - in the future, I’d love to see you avoid using arpeggiated patterns in place of strong melodic content. I’d encourage you to look into using dynamics, phrasing, and other methods of creating variety besides adding and subtracting instruments. Doing so will add a lot of flavor and shape to your composition, and is a great indication of experience in a composer. Keep at it, Delitescentaria. :)

6.25/10  

DelitescentAria responds:

Woah. That's a large amount of text. I really appreciate that you like some parts of what I made -- I'll take it as an achievement for being self-thaught. I'll definitely look into the structural elements that could benefit my tracks.

Thank you for this lengthy review.

[Nebulae]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning. The piece has a good sense of atmosphere, and the subbass was a nice touch. It’s a little slow to develop, though, and many of the instruments are a little generic. I enjoy the changes in energy levels throughout, although I think the mix could use a tad more clarity. You may have overdone the reverb on a few of these instruments - that could be part of the problem. The piece may also need some stronger melodic content. The lead at :54 sounds very square rhythmically, and only really has moving notes toward the end of each measure. Still, overall this is a strong piece. You have a good sense of harmony and flow. Keep at it, BluJayTunes! ;)

8/10

BlujayTunes responds:

Thank you! I definitely agree with your statements, I too noticed after a while my melodies got too repetitive, plus mixing is a thing i really need to work on. Glad to be in the next round!