TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[In-between]

I like the descending bass line at the beginning and the rhythmic elements. The piece is catchy throughout, and has a lot of good ideas in isolation.

The transition at :41 is very abrupt, as both the mood and instruments change at the same time without much warning. Maybe some drums/crashes/risers would help smooth it over a bit, but you might even want a "cross-fading" section where the bass line fades out or gets automated so that it sounds more atmospheric, and simultaneously the pads fade in.

Later in the piece, you try to create variety by either switching out instruments with new ones playing the same pattern (example, 1:10) or by switching up the rhythm of that same pattern (1:36). There's also an extended build-up/transition at 1:50, but on the other side of that (2:06) you haven't really added much novel harmonic content either. I think what you really need is more variety in the harmonies themselves, not new instruments/rhythms playing the same harmonies. Try crafting a melody to match the bass line and pads. Or change the chord progression over time, beyond the 4-chord pattern you have playing for most of the piece.

That said, I like a lot of the instruments here, like the quirky synth at 2:07 and the dreamy pads at :41. When the two bass instruments are layered on top of each other (like at :27), the texture sounds really crisp and punchy.

Overall, this piece is not bad at all. But to improve it further, I would suggest prioritizing 1) adding more depth and variety to the harmonies and 2) smoothing over some of the sudden transitions here. Hope this helps! ^_^

HammyMusic responds:

Ok.

[-Wildflowers 2-]

Hey, sorry for the slow response! Had a really busy week at work. I like the sound design a lot here. The stop-start string riffs at the beginning might need some more decoration (reverb, other mixing effects) to help enhance the atmosphere a bit. Love the higher-pitched string line at :45. A lot of the percussion in the piece is very low-register - I would give the mid-range frequencies a boost in the equalizer. Also, there's a bit of dissonance at around 1:10. Maybe part of the problem is that the chords sound pretty muddy when all the notes are so low-pitched. The outro with the guitar was a nice touch, though - super mellow way of "resetting" the piece for the final minute or so. Overall, solid work, CF24! A clear improvement over the original. ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thank you! Yeah the original whenever I hear it makes me this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX-X4Lroxzc

[The First and the Last]

So sorry to hear about your grandfather passing.

This piece is pretty good! Has a nice, pensive feel to it, although the transition at :25 doesn't quite stay on beat. The recording quality is also a bit muddy/distorted at around :07 - :10. I really like the second half of the piece - sounds really moody and introspective. Maybe some percussion or something would help give the piece a stronger sense of energy and drive. Until then, I enjoyed the piece for what it is.

I hope you continue to "keep this thing going," as you put it. ^_^

CabinKing responds:

Thank you for the thoughtful review! The way I composed this song I transcribed what I had become accustomed to playing when not using a metronome so I have some subtle changes made to the time signature and tempo. It starts off at 125 BPM in 6/8 then around 0:25 it changes to 115 BPM in 4/4, then it ends at 105 BPM. It didn't sound right if I kept it all the same. But I will think about hiding that sort of thing better next time, I appreciate the note.

I am happy with the end result though, I was originally going to throw on some effects to make it sound like it was recorded on an old cassette. Then it would've been really distorted and scratchy. In the end I used two microphones and mixed them a bit. I'm glad you liked it and we'll just have to wait to see when and what my next song is.

[2025]

I like the somber piano chords at the beginning and hollow bell-like instrument that comes in at :30. The track seems to be missing some bass tones, though - I would've liked to see the texture be a bit more filled-in. The beat and production quality are both strong, and the descending line you add at 1:31 in response to the main piano riff is a nice touch. Happy New Year, Nash! ^_^

NASHqp responds:

Thanks! I cooked this up an hour before I slept last night lol

[-Christmas In Basylton- [TRAP MIX]]

The beat is pretty good. You overuse that high-pitched snare on the off-beats a bit (the one that always plays in clusters of four 16th notes), and the instrumental tracks do sound a tad distorted by the heavy compression when the beat first comes in. That said, the sidechain effect is pretty satisfying in other places, especially 1:33, where it adds a nice counterrhythm to the descending string line. Overall, the last minute or so of this piece is really nice. Catchy, but also minimal enough that the heavy compression doesn't sound too extreme. Keep at it, CF24! ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

False, this song is ass and your ears are bleeding lol

[-Christmas in Basylton-]

I like the rich chords and upbeat brass stabs. You could make the chords sound even more powerful by spacing out the pitches a little more, perhaps by moving some of the "middle voices" up an octave. The rhythm is a bit hard to follow at times, and I think the drums could sound a bit stronger in the mix throughout. The orchestral instruments sound a bit inauthentic, but I really like the descending string line at 1:36. The mix sounds a bit muddy at 2:06 - there are just a few too many low-range frequencies competing for attention. I like the regal and soothing air of the the outro. Overall, I like the more melodic flair this piece has compared to some of your other recent tracks. I'd still like to see you write some more legato melodies sometime (i.e., hold out each note for longer, as opposed to having flurries of short, punchy notes in rapid succession), but 2:21 is certainly getting closer. Merry Christmas, CF24! Keep at it. ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks for the honesty! Yeah, I agree, though I was actually scared of the drums being too powerful, since i wanted to focus it more on the classical aspects rather then the game aspects lol.

[Arcade Fever]

I love the video game-inspired sound effects at the beginning, the upbeat mood, and quirky synths. Solid build-up into :42, and the bass sits really nicely in the mix there. The harmonic content was starting to get a bit repetitive, which made the "B" melody at 1:10 especially refreshing. Later in the piece, you overuse the stop-start transitions with the vocals just a tad, and I would've liked to hear some more variation on the main melody during the final refrain at 1:57. That said, the mixing is really strong here. You clearly put a lot of effort into the filtering automations and other dynamic effects throughout, and it shows. Overall, this is a catchy and well-produced track with some neat sound design. Keep it up, TenodiBoris! ^_^

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you for detailed review! I'll do ky best for the next one to be even better:)

[-Midnight Vibrancies-]

I like the eerie low-register rumblings at the beginning. The mixing sounds fine - I can hear all most of the instruments clearly throughout, although the bassy instrument gets a bit murky after a while. Frankly, I'm impressed so many of your other songs sound as clean and clear as they do without EQs. In general, your mixing is pretty good, and I'm glad you have another tool in the toolbox now.

The composition here sounds a bit thrown-together, though. The instruments don't always blend well with each other, and a lot of the entrances are pretty sudden (like the ghostly mid-range synth at :58). Between 1:10 and 1:30 or so, there's quite a bit of dissonance between the chords that play on the downbeats and the other instruments. The melodies could use a lot more variety, too, although the main one (at :58 and 2:13) is pretty catchy. I would encourage you to use more melodies that have longer, held out notes - often, they're more memorable that way.

Good to see you're still doing so much experimenting with new tools/ideas. :) Happy holidays, CF24!

Creeperforce24 responds:

This was mainly experimentation in EQ fields, not really anything else. I’m probably gonna use EQ’s much more often, but not as much as this one, it makes the whole song sound a little too muddy, cause I even EQ’ed the bass and drums, big mistake. Thanks for your critiques!

[KJörd - Space Valkyrie]

I like the growly bass guitar at the beginning. The piece is a tad slow to develop, and is also mixed very loud, which can cause a bit of distortion in the texture (I’m not hearing too much here, though - just something to watch out for going forward). The riffs here are really catchy, but since their contour is very similar throughout, they don’t quite keep my attention for the full 5+ minutes. Some drums could really help give this piece more of a sense of drive, and at some point a melodic element (vocals, lead guitar, etc.) would also help fill out the texture in the higher pitch range. You’re clearly a really talented bassist, though, and I love the compositional details here, like the ornaments at 4:49. You’ve earned a scout, my friend. Thanks for coming out to Battle of the Bands 2024. Keep at it! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Unitron2112 responds:

Thanks for the kind words and constructive suggestions! I've always loved some good growling bass. The slow buildup is intentional, but I agree that adding in some drums would really help express the sludgy vibe, and bass and drums go hand and hand for creating the power rhythm section. I was originally planning on experimenting with some additional instruments for this, like a drum machine and maybe even guitar and vocals, but I didn't have the time for the Battle of the Bands, but I'm definitely planning on doing that in the future!

This is also the first time for me mixing anything with distortion. I've gotten pretty used to mixing my solo harmonic stuff, but figuring out how to record and mix distortion has been a real trial-and-error thing. I felt like this was good though for a first distortion heavy recording, but I've got some ideas of how to maybe improve the mixing. I'll probably release a remix of this song at some point after I've had more experience with that.

Thanks for the scout, and glad to have entered a song into this, it was a new experience!

[(SOTHC Demo) What Is A Man Without Their Flesh?]

I like the gritty texture and demonic vocals at the beginning. The production quality is super clean and clear - the drums really pop in the upper register, too. The bass is a bit overpowering at times, so much so that it’s hard to make out the vocals. I think the composition might benefit from a bit more ebb-and-flow. There are long sections of the piece that largely have the same texture, energy level, and mood. The atmospheric breakdown at 4:05 helps add some variety. Love the mood there, too - creepy, but also strangely soothing. The pacing of the piece is still a bit slow during this middle section, but I like the more foregrounded vocals at 6:00 or so. The lyrics of the piece in general are compelling. The return of the gritty bass and busier drums at 7:40ish help round out the piece nicely. I feel like there’s an almost full-circle narrative element to it. Overall, killer sound design and mixing as always. This piece is a slow-burner, and could benefit from a bolder “point of arrival” later on, but I appreciate the experimental texture and thematic elements here. Keep at it, LD-W! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8/10

LD-W responds:

Thanks for the review

Alot of what's going is pretty genre-specific in both merger ways, for the better or worse (although I've ensured to maintain pretty surgical production-values wherever possible, since it's an area important to me). It's a careful balancing act between existing tropes and 'what I prefer' per-say without specifically trying to maximize scoring potential (otherwise I would do exactly that with a completely different style of entry in a more serious contest).

While you don't like the bass-profiling, it's a staple of both the genre(s) and the overall intended design-palette, so a future album's worth of tracks for this project will be keeping it, especially since a large heap of private feedback I've received from metal contacts are demanding more tracks exactly like that and heavily praising the fretless processing. Not overtly-bothered by the vocals situation since they're not that important, and I've resculpted them somewhat anyway for an updated-mix variation being pushed to streaming services shortly, so it's abit more forward (but not by too much more). I won't update it here until the judging period is over.

Bridge sections done with the 'Cinematic Dark Ambient' flare I've done alot over the years are more of a personal staple and I'm always happy to do them, glad that you enjoy it!

I'm very likely to go ahead and do a full album next year since the demand via private feedback is high enough to take the gamble to do so. Although most of what's going on will stay as-is in terms of mixing decisions, albeit with some additional creative additions & compositional shifts where I'm not restrained by a 10-minute contest time limit to squash everything within (it's not uncommon to see 15-25 minute tracks within that space).