TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Good Vibes]

I like the upbeat feel the beginning had. Once the harmonies come in at :14, the chords at the beginning get really distorted and I can barely hear them in the mix. I think you need to work on equalizing your tracks better so that all of the instruments come through as clearly as possible. I also thought some of the instruments, like the one that comes in at :28, were a little too high-pitched and harsh-sounding. The equalizing would come in handy there too. I also thought that the sweeps at :42 (and other places) were a little too loud. The drop at :55, however, was awesome, and in fact I think I recognize a certain high-pitched sample at 1:00 from Back-from-Purgatory's "Only the Beginning." I think the transition at 1:23 would've worked better if you had left some reverb to fill the silence, because otherwise it sort of just sounds like it cuts off suddenly. The vocal samples around 1:45 - 3:00 added a lot to the piece, though. I will compliment you on the rather full texture you've created here. It keeps the track really engaging, fun, and energetic throughout. I liked the melodies at around 3:42, and overall I think the balance was pretty good. I liked the idea of the gradual fade-out while keeping the vocals and drums prominent, but if you're going through with that idea I think you should've probably smoothed over the ending a bit instead of ending on a rather punchy snare-hit. Still, overall I think this is really a solid track. The mixing was pretty good at most spots of the piece. In fact, :14 was my biggest problem in that regard. Keep up the good work, Trunotfals. ;)

8/10

trunotfals responds:

Wow thank you for this solid review!

I didnt think about making the initial chords more prominent and honestly wanted the rhythm of them to be drowned out a bit, the problem here was the harmonies are so active in the higher end of the eq that they naturally drown out the high frequencies that articulate the upbeat rhythms in the initial chords. I did eq those frequencies a bit higher to help them cut through, and eq out the same frequencies in the harmonies but it just doesnt do it justice, maybe some heavier eqing. but then it sounds tangy and metallic due to over compression. you know the things. lol

my overall idea was to layer each idea all together in the beginning just as introduction, and then throughout the song to layer them differently in multiple combinations to bring back each idea and concept, combined in different ways.

Thank you so much for your feedback I really love this track!!!!!

Im going to go back into this and see if I can eq it a little better, work on my mixing. The goal of this song was to work on my mixing so Im glad you said overall it was mixed well! Thank you again!!!!

[A Promise (Instrumental mix)]

The beat at the beginning is pretty cool. I thought that the snare was a little dry, so you might want to consider adding a bit more reverb. I thought it was a little bizarre that you changed the beat once the synth at :32 came in. It kind of defeats the purpose of the beat at the beginning IMO if you change it before other instruments come in. I saw very little connection between the frantic synths at :32 and the relaxed piano chords at around :48. The texture is extremely thin and minimalistic, and (although perhaps it's in the nature of the genre), this piece progresses extremely slowly. I think you needed to lead up to major transitory spots in this piece like 1:48 a bit more. Using a sweep or riser is strongly recommended. Otherwise, it kind of comes out of nowhere. I appreciated the melodic content at around 2:30, but in reality it should've come to more than a minute into the piece, not almost 3. This piece gets extremely repetitive by the end. You need to have more melodic development than this, although I appreciated the structural relief you offered at around 3:50. It's too bad you didn't submit the vocal mix of this piece for tryouts, because I'm sure vocals would've helped keep the listener engaged a lot. Also, the beat at 5:55 came out of absolutely nowhere. It's generally not a good idea to introduce new instruments 30 seconds before a piece ends. You also didn't do anything terribly unique or risk-taking in this piece. I've already listened to countless upbeat techno and house tracks for this competition. It has potential, though. The mixing isn't bad. It's structured well, and most of the transitions are relatively smooth. Still, it didn't need to be 6.5 minutes long. With a bit more concision and creativity, this could be a really solid piece. Until then, keep working at it, man. ;)

6/10

stegosaurus responds:

Thank you for all of this critique! I probably should have shortened some parts, and I'll make sure to use all of this critique for my next track!

[Serious Kit Kat Break]

I like the beats at the beginning. The chill guitars were cool, and then the string pads added to that relaxed aesthetic. I like the piano arpeggios around the 1-minute mark, but I think the drums get a little distorted by them. Same thing with the synths at around 1:30. You need to do a more careful job of equalizing all your instruments, and probably compressing your drums as well, especially since this is a D 'n' B track. The ending cuts off really suddenly, which I would've excused if it loops well (but it doesn't). I guess what really bothers me about this piece, though, is that you don't really have any predominant melodies, just a bunch of random ideas that are connected by this one simple guitar riff that first comes in at :12. Your ideas don't really have a discernible flow or progression to them that makes sense to me. You have string pads (:23), Reggae-sounding off-beat strums (:46), trance-like pianos (:57), classic rock organs (1:10), and videogame-style synths (1:31). These ideas dabble across genres and don't seem to be in any particular order. The string pads, strums, and organs might make an appropriate combination, but they never even play at the same time. The result is a thin and rather bland texture to a piece that's not very structurally pleasing. I want you to work on layering your harmonies more and aim for a fuller texture with bass, drums, pads, and melodies all playing at the same time. I like how you tried to create some structural relief at 1:19, but before you can effectively do that you need a bit more texture and drama to create more contrast in your work...because that's what music is, right? Creating a wave of emotion, ups and downs through layering various instruments on a track, making your listeners feel something, connecting you to them in some way. Anyway, this has potential, and after some stricter structural considerations, this could be a pretty solid track. Good luck, man. ;)

5.5/10

Spurta responds:

Thanks for the response on this one, man.
I didn't really know what I was doing all too much when I was making this, especially since I was mainly experimenting to be perfectly honest.

[The Galactic Chase]

I like the cute synths and progression. You have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. One thing I would warn you about is that some of the synths sounded a little too high-pitched and harsh, especially the one that comes in at :28. I think you needed a smoother transition at :42. The synths, while cute, are a little dry. Some reverb might help, but you may also need some less-pizzicato-y content in there. I think some drums would've really helped with some of the transitions (especially some crashes), as well as increasing the energy and drive of the piece a bit. I know this piece is supposed to loop, but there are a couple of seconds of silence at the end that sort of ruin that prospect. It sounds like you uploaded it with a wrapped remainder, but accidentally left a blank measure of two at the end. Either way, I think the simplicity detracts from this piece a bit. Your mixing isn't bad, but on the other hand it's hard to screw up the mixing when your piece is so dry and thin-textured. You could really make this piece excellent by spicing it up with some drums, effects, and pads, but until then it's a humble yet cute track that's certainly fitting for a videogame. :3 Keep at it, Sheeepie2. ;)

7/10

Sheeepie2 responds:

Thanks for the review :) I made this with LMMS, which I found it hard to find reverb and efects features (if there were any) However, my dad bought me FL Studio 12 this week, which I've found to be a lot easier to use, so I might try to do a remake of this piece with a thicker texture.

It's so hard to get a good drum pattern though :P

[Crystal]

The chord progression is pretty cliché, but I like the upbeat mood and climactic nature of it. The transition at :45 didn't really lead much of anywhere IMO, although the filters you put there were pretty cool. You switch up the instruments quite a bit, but you don't really have a lot of melodic development or variation. Some of the risers, crashes, and transitions were cool, and I like the bass slide at the end. I don't think you did anything particularly unique or risky, however. I've heard a lot of upbeat techno and house songs just from judging this contest. You need to build more off of the two riffs that play at :47. Your melodies could've been a lot more memorable IMO. Your mixing wasn't that bad, though, and I do admire your sense of harmony and progression. I think I've used the term cliché before in this review, but if you avoid using such generic progressions as this and broadening your horizons a bit, you could go far in this competition. Keep at it, Razorrekker. ;)

7/10

Razorrekker responds:

Alright
Yeah some of my other stuff isn't as generic, or even genre specific. This was sort of intentionally cliche because I kind of love that chord progression. Build more off the riffs at :47? I don't know what you mean by that, but okay. Mixing: listening to this over and over, the kick should have been more noticeable IMO. Memorable melody? What's in a memorable melody? Sorry I don't know, and this might be obvious, but I would like to know. I just didn't know what people were looking for, so I didn't enter an extremely special song, as this was also the best work I had at the time. The filters at :45 were inspired by another song of this genre, so that's kind of where I got that from...
Thanks, Razorrekker
Anything else? just ask!

[-Space Knight-]

It's catchy. I think the white noise at the beginning was a bit bland. You could've used some Lo-fi effects or something on it. Also, I'm not sure why you decreased the volume on the frantic synths at :16. It kind of caught me off guard. The instrument at :26 sounds a little harsh. I think it needs some more equalizing. I like the energetic and fast-paced nature of this piece, and I appreciate that you really went for a full texture here. However, I think you have some serious mixing issues. At :20, you can clearly hear the kick, for example. Then, by around :45, it gets lost under your frantic bass synths. Same thing with the piano and snare. I think an important next step could be to educate yourself on how to use equalizers, compressing, and panning to your advantage in whatever program you use to make music. That said, I like the melodies at 1:10 and the piano solo at around 1:30. You have a lot of quirky instruments (like at 1:50) in here, but your melodies are rather cool and well-varied. It's a very long piece, yet it keeps my attention rather well. I also really like what you did with the filters on that lead at 5:27. The ending cuts off a little suddenly, but that's not a huge problem (probably more of an error when uploading the piece than anything else). I think you're really good at harmonizing, and this piece is structurally sound and smooth-flowing (although you do overuse the crashes a bit as transitions, no?). I also think you could've used more reverb on a lot of your instruments to make them sound more connected and smooth. Still, the mixing is my main problem with this piece. Compositionally, this is really admirable work. Keep it up, Pi0run-V. ;)

8/10

Pi0run-V responds:

I completely agree with you. I still didn't exactly learn how to use equalizers etc. :\ In 0:16 It was an error of filter on this instrument. I planned to make Uplifting Trance track so I thought it will be better when I add here many transitions, some of them could damage the instruments.
Anyway, I'm glad you think it's an admirable and well composed track.
Thanks for your review! :)

[Pick Me Up]

I like the organic guitar sound at the beginning. The vocals are generally good, but I think you need to enunciate your consonants more because it's hard to determine what you're saying at times. I would appreciate it if you left the lyrics in the description in the future. It's a pretty well-structured piece, and I like the warm, feel-good vibe it has. The simplicity gives it a really human quality. The ending was a bit sudden and inconclusive IMO. I also think the echo effects you used at 1:42 sort of detracted from the organic, down-to-earth vibe I thought you were going for. You probably could've done more with dynamic contrast and melodic development, too. Still, I admire your sense of harmony and progression, and it's a very smooth-flowing piece. Overall, I like it! Keep up the good work, Norway69. ;)

7.5/10

Norway69 responds:

Thanks Tainted. Most of music on here is experiments I do, and layer by layer did it as you say on the spot. I have a feeling I will rerecord it in the future and do it properly because it turned out quite nice :)