TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Revenant - Eternal Stagnance]

I like the airy piano at the beginning. The drums that come in shortly thereafter sound very muddy and indistinct, though. You might’ve needed to dial back the reverb and add some compression or something. In fact, the mix is very quiet and subdued in general here. I like the strings at :30 and the gradual sense of build-up into :54. The piece has a very square overarching rhythm about it, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodies and variety in the harmonies. The breakdown at 2:20 created some variety in the intensity level, though. I like the cutesy harmonies that come in at 1:45, but they still sound rather minimal and rhythmically square. The injection of energy at 2:10 was good, but the lead synth still doesn’t have quite the strong sense of leading somewhere that I would expect of a main melody. You also start overusing the reverse crashes by the end of the piece.

Overall, you do a great job of channeling the energy here, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. The composition could’ve been a bit more ambitious, though, and the mixing could use some cleaning up as well. The uplifting mood and decent structuring work still make this piece memorable. Keep at it, Revenant! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.5/10

RevenantMusic responds:

thank you, i really appreciate your feedback!

[Sweet dreams]

I like the dreamy sound design at the beginning. The chord progression is a bit cliche, and at :15 the piano and bell-like synth lines kinda trip over each other a bit. I like the crisp drums at :29 and the cutesy breakdown at :44, although the transition into :44 was a bit abrupt. The mix could be a tad sharper here, especially in some of the mid-range harmonies. Some more compression all around would probably be advisable, and during some of the more minimalistic sections (like 1:30), some more reverb might help fill out the atmosphere. During the busier sections (like at 2:13), some of the instruments are hard to hear, especially the string melodies. It might help to look into panning effects as a way of making all the harmonies sound more distinct.

That said, I like the emotional quality of the section at 1:44, as well as the added string harmonies at 2:00. Clearly, you have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and instrumentation. The arrangement sounds a tad formulaic here - there are regular changes to the texture every 8 bars or so, but not a lot of ebb and flow within those 8 bars. Overall, the composition is strong here, though.

Overall, I love the tranquil mood and melodies in this piece. Crafting a “looser,” more dynamic arrangement and tightening up the production quality would help take it to the next level, but as it is it’s both catchy and relaxing. :) Keep at it, Qwerzer! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Qwerzer responds:

holy cow, thank you so so much dude!

I'm literally speechless reading this as it's so nice seeing someone deconstruct my song so well and tell me where to improve this is genuinely so helpful <3

I don't want to bother you but are there any resources you know of to help me improve? Your review is already insane and i'll definitely use what you've told me but i know that there's still a lot left to learn which is why i'm asking. If it doesn't take too much time out of your day feel free to send me a PM please I'd love to learn more, although I get it if you're busy so no worries you've already helped plenty!

Anyways big thanks for the review, have a great day <3

[Delivery]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. Some of the synths sound a bit cheesy and unpolished, though, including the “lead” echo-y one at the very beginning. The intro also drags on for a bit too long here without a strong sense of development. I like how you start really playing up the dissonance by about :40, but the synth at :44 still comes in way too suddenly and just completely hijacks the mix. Toning down the synth’s reverb a tad might help make more room for the drums, which are getting heavily distorted by 1:20 or so.

Especially during the busier sections, it might help to use equalizers more often. Also known as EQs, they’ll help you filter out the frequencies in the harmonic instruments (i.e., pretty much everything except the bass and drums) below about 200 Hertz. That’ll make all of the instruments sound much clearer because instruments with a similar frequency range tend to distort each other, especially on the low end of the spectrum. You may already know about equalizers, but you should use them way more often, is the point.

I also found the harmonic content of this piece to be very minimal and repetitive. There are long sections of this piece (like 2:20 to 3:10) where each instrument is playing a maximum of 2-3 unique notes. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but working to layer more interesting and variational harmonic patterns on top of each other would really help take this piece to the next level.

Until then, I thought the content that is already here was catchy, and had some cool sound design elements. The acid bass at 3:12 is really groovy and alien-like, and the sweeps towards the end (4:30ish on) add a nice sense of apprehensiveness too. Keep at it, OANSHY! ^_^

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

OANSHY responds:

Wow, thank you for the abundance of feedback! I didn't expect to be accepted anyway because I just started producing music about a year ago and there are plenty of other folks who create really great music. I am very much an amateur and I don't know much about producing, but this message has helped me a lot. Thank you! ^_^

[Capybara ft. EILON (Bass House)]

I like the eerie synth line and crisp beats at the beginning. There’s a good sense of build-up into :30, and the drop there is catchy, if a bit minimal. The arrangement and sound design here are a bit generic, and I also thought the transition at 1:02 was a tad abrupt. The composition could use a lot more fleshing out, tbh. More variety in the sound design and depth in the harmonies would be welcome. That said, the production quality here is top-notch - loud, punchy mix with well-balanced frequencies and an appropriate amount of reverb and effects. Overall, I’d like to see you flesh out the structure a bit, but this is still a really danceable and well-produced track with a nice and eerie mood. Keep at it, NightPredator! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
7.5/10

NightPredator responds:

Wow. Thanks for the detailed feedback! I'm glad you liked it, I'll finish it :)

[Not so good music]

I like the upbeat mood at the beginning and the cutesy instruments. The filtering effect at :38 is cool, although starting at :39 it feels like some of your instrument choices could’ve blended a bit better together. Maybe adding a little reverb would help? Also, the entire mix sound pretty quiet. I’d suggest adding a compressor to the drums at the very least.

Overall, the harmonic content is pretty repetitive here, but you find nice, subtle ways of creating some variety. The stop-start transitions (like :38, 1:55, etc.) get a little old and predictable after a while, and I think a big solo or atmospheric bridge or something would really help add some more “pizzazz” to the composition. Otherwise, I like the cute mood, rhythmic content, and sound design here. Keep at it, NewGameExplorers! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
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

NewGameExplorers responds:

Thanks!

[Tension]

I like the glitchy synth and smooth bass at the beginning. The mix could be a tad sharper here - there’s maybe a tad too much reverb in the texture, and the filtering could be a tad more strict on the bottom end (i.e., removing more of the frequencies below 200 Hertz in the harmonic instruments could let the true bass line really shine). The drums could also use a bit of a boost in the mix, perhaps with some more compression. There aren’t a ton of higher-pitched tones in the texture, either, so a high-pass filter would probably help some of the harmonies stand out more.

Compositionally, the piece has a nice sense of drive to it, and some solid sound design that helps it live up to its title. There could be a tad more structuring to capitalize on the drama, though. I feel like the piece is meant to be paired with a chase scene that doesn’t end in a climactic way, but rather with the pursuer getting tired. Some more “ebb and flow” during some of the long, repetitive sections (especially the first 52 seconds) could further sell the drama - filtering automations, gradual transitions, etc. This piece is pretty short as is, too, so I’d encourage you to try writing in a “final climax.’

Overall, I enjoyed the sound design, rhythmic content, atmosphere, and progression a lot here. Clean up the mix a tad and make a couple of bolder compositional choices, and this piece would be a real banger. Keep at it, MyrtleMist! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

MyrtleMist responds:

Thank you for a detailed review. Bummer that I did not get to participate further. I am not one to return to work I've already made so I'll try to keep the advice in mind when I make a new piece. Hopefully next time I'll make it.

[Escapade]

I like the bird chirps and airy pads at the beginning. The piece is pretty slow to progress at first, but the high-pitched piano chords at :30 help fill out the texture in the meantime. A lot of the synths at :58 sound pretty cliche and unpolished, and a lot of the original sound design elements get lost in the mix there, including the pads from the beginning. I actually like the dissonance in the texture at about 1:30, but during that section the drums sound very weak relative to the harmonic instruments. Compressing the drums might help a bit, but you might have to use less reverb on the harmonic instruments too. It sounds like a lot of the synths in here are from Nexus or something, in which case they might come with preset reverb. But you can still mess around with panning, filtering, stereo widening, etc. to avoid distorting the mix this much.

Regardless, the relatively mellow section from about 2:20 to 3:45 provides a nice element of contrast with the hectic texture earlier. I think the texture starts sounding pretty muddy again after that, though, and frankly I’m starting to think that layering multiple of these Nexus (or Nexus-like) instruments on top of each other is not a good idea. The piece is also missing a lot of bass frequencies throughout, and some plugins that don’t have a uniformly legato, ambient style will help balance out the texture a bit.

You do have a lot of good melodic ideas here, though, and I really like that echo-y synth that sounds like a baby wolf’s howl (6:05 and other places). You clearly have a good sense of progression and harmony. Variety in the sound design and a sharper mix would really help take this piece to the next level. Keep at it, MusicBySpektral! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6.5/10

MusicBySpektral responds:

thanks for the review!

[~MR~ Out There (NGUAC Entry)]

I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning and the sense of build-up into :30. In fact, I think you could’ve done even more to sell that build-up, like adding a sweep, or using some more extreme filtering, drum fills, etc. The refrain at :31 has a nice, quirky sound design and a punchy, well-balanced mix. Love the bass too. The breaks at 1:21 are catchy, but also don’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. During the following minute, the drums also get a tad behind the rich pads in the mix. Breaking up the heavy texture with the bridge at 2:35 was a good idea, although the piano sample sounds a bit familiar - FL Keys, maybe? I also wanted to see you vary the main harmonic riffs more during the second half of the piece. Feels like a missed opportunity to give this piece a stronger narrative appeal. Still, I like the sound design and rhythmic content here a lot. The mix also holds up pretty well despite my nitpicks. My main concern here is probably the bland composition, but “trying out a bunch of new effects/mixing” definitely paid off for you. Keep at it, MarkRuff21! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

MarkRuff21 responds:

Holy shit thanks so much for your comment ;0
I’ve been wanting to receive a comment like this on one of my tracks for so long! Your critiques are heavily appreciated <3
Thanks again for the review! :)

~MR21~

[Sustain]

I like the arpeggios at around :27. I wasn’t a big fan of the gritty synth chords at the beginning - they sound very distorted. Part of the problem might be that the notes are too close together to sound distinct from each other, especially in the bass range. Moving one of those lines up an octave might help.

The piece is pretty slow to progress, and continues to have a pretty muddy texture, but it also has a nice sense of build into 1:12. I thought the refrain at 1:13 was a bit short-lived, although the airy drums at 1:27 and the re-intro at 1:31 were both good ideas. I appreciate that you were trying to do something different during the second refrain at 2:07, but the added distortion there doesn’t really help give this piece a strong sense of development. The distortion also causes the drums to duck under the mix a bit there.

Overall, I can tell you have a good sense of harmony and progression, but the sound design here is pretty cliche and unpolished, and the mix felt both a little too loose and rather undecorated at times. I’d suggest using at most one synth that’s from the kind of square wave oscillators I think you’re using here (3xOsc, maybe?) and balancing out the mix with some thinner, cleaner instruments. Then you will have more space in the mix to add some more reverb and effects that’ll jazz up this minimal texture.

Still, this is a catchy and upbeat piece with a lot of potential, and I hope you’ll keep working on it. Keep at it, Magicnumber69420! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
4.5/10

Magicnumber69420 responds:

Thanks for the rating! I agree with the unpolished synths, so I have a bit of mastering to do, but I'm working on a better version of this at the moment, so this will definitely be helpful!

[NGUAC 2023 submission]

I like the eerie atmosphere at the beginning. Some of the synths/pads there sound a bit harsh there in the upper register, but some basic filtering with an EQ should take care of that. The snare at :24 is a bit weak, and could probably use some compression. The synth arpeggios at :48 sound a bit distorted in the mix, and also kinda disrupt the otherwise mellow vibe. The other synth harmonies you layer onto the texture at 1:12 sound a bit out-of-place, both harmonically and rhythmically, and overall the piece has a very slow pace and frankly feels like it ends when it was just getting started. I can tell that it loops well, but I’d still like to see a bit more variety and depth in the piece overall. For what it’s worth, I’m impressed you made this in 15 minutes. I personally often take an hour or more just to select and modify the plugins/samples I intend to use for a piece. XD That said, I’d encourage you to do more with this. I want to see a full-length ambient beauty at next year’s NGUAC. Until then, keep at it, LpixXxel! ^_^

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

LpixXxel responds:

thanks for the feedback! i use garageband mobile and i'm still figuring out a bunch of stuff, if i save up enough i could try getting maybe a better program on my PC that i can use, i might get a MIDI keyboard too, FL Studio is free though i think so maybe i'll use that, i don't know though. i have a lot of song ideas and melodies i've came up with some stuff on guitar. maybe we'll get a 6min + masterpiece next year if i start working on it now, but who knows.