TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dusk]

I like the dreamy pads at the beginning. The drums sound a little generic, but a bigger problem here is the mixing. The pads at :36 are way too loud, and also distort the drums a lot. Notice how the drums sound a lot quieter at :36 than they did before those pads came in? That’s a sign that the texture is getting distorted because you have multiple instruments playing at the same frequency range. You can fix it by adding a compressor to the drums, and then using an equalizer to filter out the bass tones (less than 200 Hertz or so) in the harmonic instruments. I’m sure you can look up “how to use a compressor in LMMS” or “how to use an equalizer in LMMS” to help you navigate the technicalities of your DAW. You also might already be familiar with these mixing tools - you should use them way more often, is the point.

Production aside, I’m enjoying the re-introduction of the dreamy pads at 1:05 and the airy melodies at 1:10. The chord progression is a bit generic, and at some point I might’ve liked to see you shake up the harmonic framework here. Most of the variety in the piece comes from switching out the instruments over time, rather than the note patterns themselves. The result is that the piece sounds very repetitive after a while, and some of the instruments also sound rather unpolished, like the lead at 1:40. I like the arpeggios at 2:02 and the synth bass at 2:16, though.

Sorry if this isn’t a very positive review, but the production quality could be a lot tighter and the composition is a bit bland and repetitive. Overall, my favorite element of the piece is probably the rich atmosphere and upbeat mood. Switching out a few of the cheesier synths might help you double down on the dreamy quality of the piece, too. I’d encourage you to keep working on this piece, though. It certainly has potential, and you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression. When you feel like you’ve implemented some of my feedback, feel free to PM me, and I’ll give you another review. Keep at it, Colin8tor! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
6/10

Colin8tor responds:

Thank you so much for the feedback. I found it helpful and really appreciate it.

[A New Chapter In Life: 80s Version]

I like the fast-paced drums at the beginning and the synth bass that comes in shortly thereafter. The chords at :17 take up a bit too much space in the mix, though - it might help if you had compressed the drums a bit more. The floaty synths at :27 and :38 help round out the texture nicely, and the organ synth at 1:01 adds a brighter tone to the harmonies. The transition at 1:23 was a tad abrupt, and also rapidly changed the pacing of the piece to a more ambient, pensive, and downtempo track. I like the somewhat more dissonant texture at around 3:10, but otherwise the middle section is a bit bland and repetitive. The transition back to the more uptempo part at 5:02 was similarly abrupt, and this time the dissonance in the texture doesn’t quite work as well for me. The key change at 5:48 was a good idea, but you also tried to do a bit too much with the progression too fast starting at around 6:30. I enjoyed the added percussion at 6:54 and the dreamy outro, although the crash at 6:55 was a bit too drawn-out.

Overall, you have a lot of good ideas here between the atmospheric synth patterns and upbeat, energetic sections. The arrangement is just a tad disjointed, and the mixing could be tighter with some stricter equalizing and maybe slightly less reverb. Still, you’ve displayed a strong sense of storytelling through music here, which is an advanced skill to have. Keep it up, CIEIR! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7/10

CIEIRMusic responds:

First and foremost, thank you for a very thorough review. While I've been given constructive criticism before, this is literally the first time someone has given me vivid detail. Now don't take this the wrong way, but while I do take criticism well, I often am one of the few that try to say things in my defense but that doesn't mean I haven't listened, more or less wanted to tell you my POV on those specific ones.

At 0:17, one of the overall motifs on my music is that I try to do a good build up and I do agree, sometimes yes they do take up too much space. That being said, much of why I didn't compress the drums is that with that specific VST I use for them I extract it separate so I could add reverb and give it that 80s sound. I'm still new to music editing, so up until you pointed it out, I honestly didn't see it as a problem, but you're right.

At 0:27 - 0:38 this is one of the reasons why I keep my music the way it is sometimes. Part of the fun is putting the stuff people would like together with stuff that needs improvement, so the liked stuff would take people more by surprise.

At 1:01 this one I'm both surprised at and proud of. Most of the time whenever I incorporate the organ in my work, I usually incorporate it into something scary. I know kinda cliche, but at the same time, the idea that I am capable of bright stuff with a usually dark instrument is a win all it's own for me.

At 1:23 I was afraid someone would notice that. The most difficult part of my newest works and you can see that in my earlier works, is that I often have difficulty transitioning it seamlessly. I use Audacity for the editing and they have a thing where if you're really good at timing, all you have to do is find the exact location on the audio's timeline by the microsecond and highlight the beginning and end of it before paulstretching it. However get one microsecond wrong and it goes from seamless to somewhat choppy. As seen when it begins at 1:23 and ends at 5:02. My whole thing was to go fast paced, slow, then fast paced again. But you're right that part could use more work. That being said, the original version of this song is much longer, more repetitive and like I said when I entered it, would have been overkill. That being said the overall motif of the middle was more or less what was going on in my head at the time I realized said chapter in my life was going. And while repetition in music, by my own admission can be annoying I believe in this case it's apt. When people think, thoughts are repetitive sometimes. And in that case it dawned on me how much things were beginning to change for me for the better. So I wanted to replicate that process in music. The idea being that I wanted to not just do storytelling, but convey thoughts and emotions through music and sound. To me music, regardless of preferred genre is an emotional medium on top of being an auditory medium. So my main motif of my overall work, tries to convey that even with said repetition. That being said I do agree with your points here with some exception.

At 5:48 with this and a lot of my music, I love doing a high key reprise, it's a bit cliche, but the way I see it if you can't have fun making this stuff, there's no point in making it even if the work is a Mozart level masterpiece or a Salieri.

At 6:30 with that it's another trademark, but essentially a lot of songs I make, I do what I like to call a "Wrap up." in which when I feel the song has played for too long, I give my listeners a break. My way of telling them. "Ok you listened this far, it's almost over." But ya, you're right it could use some work here too.

6:54 Percussion was never really my strong suit, because I'm still learning to get around using more stuff than just snare, bass and crash. So I'm glad this one is to your liking. Personally I like the crash mainly because while yes, it is drawn out, listening to it now, because I stretched it, it kinda (to me at least) gives it sort of a singing bowl feel to it.

In terms of the overall conclusion, I am glad storytelling is my strong suit on this one. I figured if all else, I could at least be able to tell the story of the song. You'd be surprised how many pieces of art have gotten famous and worth $ over the past centuries, over the story of the art rather than the art itself. For example, The Mona Lisa, one of Da Vinci's famous works, didn't get famous until some asshole broke into his house and stole it.


All and all, thanks for a very thorough and in depth look at my work and I suggest you check out my other stuff. I recommend Attack The Nightclub.

Update: I just read my overall judgement on the doc on the forum. I know it wasn't the judges intention, but two things. 1. The last scores including average inadvertently form a 666 pattern. Lol. So even the Devil judges my work. 2. Not sure if the last 2 judges were doing a bit or if that's how the scores work, but I got 2 6.9s which looks an awful like 69. Lol.

[All I Want]

I like the pulsating beats and chopped vocals at the beginning. The vocal samples at :15 are really smooth and well-blended into the rest of the texture, and the drop at :31 is super catchy too. The production quality here is truly impressive, and the chopped-up post-chorus at :48 has a nice punch to it. You might begin overusing the chopped-up vocals at 1:02, but having a more mellow breakdown section at 1:18 was a good idea. Some elements of the arrangement and harmonic framework are a bit generic here, but I’m glad you shook up the drop the second time around at 1:48. The house-inspired outro at 2:20 was a nice idea too, especially with the added percussion. Overall, this is a well-produced track with some flashy synths, catchy beats, and a good use of vocal samples. Keep it up, CHPSK8! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

CHPSK8 responds:

so surprised i made it! considering all of the other incredibly talented artists that I was up against.

[Clashing Palletes]

The stringed instrument at the beginning is pretty catchy, and the staticky white noise at :07 is cool, even if the attack was a little strong on the latter. At :14, the harmonies work well, but the mix sounds a bit strained. I think there might be a bit too much reverb in the texture, and I’d also suggest looking into adding a compressor on the drums, if that’s an option in Jummbox. The string melodies at :58 are really nice, and the synth riff at 1:12 is really catchy as well. The whole call-and-response structure you have during the middle section of the piece is really fun and engaging. That said, I also enjoyed when you slowed down the pacing at 1:40 and got back to the more melodic content. The arrangement of this piece comes off as a tad disjointed at times, as there are a lot of different sections that play in quick succession. I think the one at 2:25 was a good one to end on, though - it’s energetic and climactic, and complements the outro at 2:39 well. Some of the sound design elements are a bit cheesy, including the sweeps and the (relatively inauthentic) stringed instruments.

I think the biggest problem with the piece is that the texture sounds a bit muddy. An important way I can tell that the mix is not as clean as it could be is that the drums are very hard to hear during the busier sections. There are a lot of ways to go about fixing this, but the most important is probably using what’s called an equalizer, or EQ. You might know this already, but if so I think you need to use them way more often. Basically, every single instrument in your song should use an EQ to filter out all the frequencies below around 200 Hertz, except for the bass and kick drum. You should also try to select and manipulate your instruments so that there aren’t more than 2-3 playing in the same frequency range at a given time, and the visualizer on your EQ is a good way of identifying which instruments are in which frequency ranges. Other mixing techniques you might employ to make the sound quality sharper include panning, compression (especially on the drums), and more advanced techniques like stereo widening.

I’m going over this in detail here because, frankly, I think that this track could be a top-notch piece in this competition if you had paid more attention to the mixing here. Mixing is probably the most technical of the skill sets you need to make electronic music well, but you clearly already have the other ones down. You have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression already. Let me know if you have more questions about mixing. Again, I might not be able to answer Jummbox-specific questions, but you should be able to find YouTube tutorials about how to mix in Jummbox, or more specific things like how to add a compressor to your drums in Jummbox, etc. Best of luck! Keep at it, ButterBees. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
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
7.25/10

ButterBees responds:

...thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. Ever since the start of the pandemic and even a little before, I've been trying my absolute hardest to learn all of this myself and to see that the only thing I'm really missing from my music is a better understanding of mixing (something I've never really delved into yet, but definitely will now), it's inspired confidence in me like never before.

This is the best feedback I've ever received from anyone, and it tells me that not only can I reasonably fix and improve my songs from the past, but I can further improve my own style going into the future. I'll look into tutorial videos and try experimenting to my fullest with this knowledge in tow.

I am overwhelmed with emotion right now. You don't know how much this means to me.

Thank you for holding this contest and for inspiring a guy like me to keep my head held high.

[Another Day of Endless Pain]

I like the catchy synth riffs and the minimal percussion at the beginning. The synths themselves sound a tad cheesy and generic, but the melody synth at :29 is also pretty quirky and fun. The first melodic section does drag on for a bit too long with only minimal changes to the harmonies, but I like the extra percussion line at 2:10. The breakdown/re-intro at 2:12 was a good idea, as was slowing the pacing of the chord progression down at 2:41. Other than that, the piece gets a bit repetitive and predictable after a while. After 3:10 or so, I felt like I had heard all there was to hear, tbh. There was that section with the faster bassline at 4:09, but it might’ve been nice to switch up the harmonic framework/chord progression entirely at some point. I also might’ve liked to hear a less abrupt ending here, perhaps with a fuller outro. In terms of mixing, your drums could’ve been a bit punchier - I’d look into adding some compression on them. Still, this piece is catchy, well-structured, and has some really nice melodies. Keep at it, BigBlueBazooka! You earned a scout. ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.5/10

BigBlueBazooka responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I will take onboard what you said.
and thanks for scouting me.

[Worlds Between]

I like the quirky synth arpeggios at the beginning and the heavier guitar riff that comes in shortly thereafter. This piece has nice, crisp drums and a loud, well-balanced mix. The transition into the more tranquil section at :33 was a bit abrupt, but I loved the solos at 1:05. The gritty, rhythmic bridge at 1:46 came on a tad suddenly, but I love the jumpy solo at 2:20 and the brief, jangly section at 3:00. I like how you brought the synth arpeggios back at 3:20 - truly a full-circle piece. The ending was pretty abrupt, though. In fact, the biggest complaint I have here is that elements of the arrangements are pretty disjointed. Otherwise, though, you’ve made a catchy, expressive, and well-mastered piece that’s full of variety (and killer solos!). Rock on, BOE! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Thank you for the amazing score and constructive feedback, greatly appreciated! <3

[Far Beyond]

I like the suspenseful mood at the beginning and crisp string riff at :15. Once the drums come in, the compression is a bit heavy for my tastes, and I think the sidechaining distorts the string lines more than is necessary. The breaks at 1:14 were really catchy and intense, but that section also seemed a bit too dragged-out. Adding the vocals during the bridge was a great idea, but the processing on them was a bit heavy compared to the orchestral flair of the rest of the piece. The lyrics themselves are also enjoyable, though, and I liked the build-up into 3:00. I might’ve liked to hear a little more variety in the drop the second time around compared to the first, but it was still an effective way of hitting the piece home. Overall, I commend you for the clean mix, progression, sound design, and atmosphere of this one. Some aspects of the piece seemed a bit over-produced, and aspects the arrangement were a bit generic, but otherwise you’ve made a dramatic, catchy, and compelling track here, Benji. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

Benji-G responds:

Hey thank you TaintedLogic! I greatly appreciate the effort you make to give us such detailed reviews, they're incredibly helpful.

[Unsichtbar]

I like the echo-y bass growl that plays every 2 measures during the first minute. The lead synth is pretty bland and dry - some more mixing effects on it might help keep me engaged during what is otherwise a pretty slow-paced intro. I like the furtive feel at :53, although the long stop-start transition at 1:26 didn’t quite work for me. It also threw me off that the guitars totally took over the texture at 1:30 - I would suggest at least introducing the guitars earlier to foreshadow its role as the lead instrument later on. I also would’ve liked to hear some more melodic content earlier on in the piece, especially since the “verses” in the piece are so repetitive. I like the transition into 3:16 and the additional atmospheric elements there. The mixing is pretty good overall, although the drums could’ve been punchier with a bit more compression. The key change at 4:26 was a good idea, although I thought the transition into it could’ve been smoother. In retrospect, 4:26 was a good way of concluding the piece, as it’s easily the most melodic and memorable part. That said, I still wanted to hear more melodic content and a fuller texture earlier. The outro at 5:20 has some neat phasing and panning effects, too. Overall, you have a good sense of harmony and some decent mixing skills. I’m not always a huge fan of your sound design choices, and some of the arrangement details in this track could use more effort. Still, you’ve put together a catchy piece with a well-balanced mix and a killer final solo here. Keep at it, BBaNK! ^_^

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

BBaNK responds:

Thanks for the review TL, appreciate it!

[Universal Pulse]

I like the dreamy synth riffs at the beginning, and the eerie harmonies that come in shortly thereafter. The progression is a bit slow-paced, but by the time the crisp drums and guitars come in at :43, I’m starting to feel the groove more. The reverb on the drums is a bit heavy for my tastes, and the snare sample sounds a tad thin and high-pitched too. The chord progression and arrangement of the piece are a bit generic. I really like the way the piece slowly builds up to 1:25, although the synth melody there was a tad cheesy and generic-sounding. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the pulsating pads at 2:00 - they were a little disorienting at first, and also have too much reverb IMO. I like how you stripped away the beat at 2:25, and then immediately offered some contrast in the energy level with the killer guitar solo at 2:40. You transitioned well back into the refrain at 3:16, although I might’ve liked to hear a little more variety on some of those main riffs and melodies the second time around. Still, the piece comes together well by the end, and the mix holds up well despite the busy texture there. Overall, despite my complaints with the instrumentation and compositional details, you’ve clearly displayed your strong production, melody-writing, and progression skills here. Keep at it, Barbier! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

BarbierDoesMusic responds:

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Yeah, at this point I was still getting the hang of using my virtual instruments, also the lack of time due to my personal challenge of posting a song per week to train more my music making skills. Still, I'm really glad you liked it (specially the guitar solo, it also was my fav part to make :D).

Welp, it sucks that I didn't get to the competition this year, but will shoot for the next, as well as the NGUAC to see what happens. Thanks for the opportunity and for checking out!! ^^

[Waiting]

I like the tranquil guitar riffs at the beginning and the crisp drums that come in shortly thereafter. I love the soothing vocals, and the lyrics themselves are also really good. I’m personally not a fan of the throaty “scoop” up to the first note in the phrase, which is particularly noticeable at :24 and :31. I also think the main guitar riff is playing slightly off-beat during the verses - it might need some re-quantization. You also might try to edit out the mic distortion at 1:17, or otherwise re-record that part. By the end of the second refrain at around 2:00, the harmonic framework was getting a tad repetitive, so I’m glad you came in with the eerie atmospheric part at 2:23. The distortion on the guitar at 2:55 is really cool, although that part of the piece felt a tad dragged-out. That said, the return of the soothing vocals at the very end really helped tie up the piece nicely in my opinion. Overall, while aspects of the production and recording are rough around the edges, I really like the relaxed, almost spiritualistic, quality to this piece, as well as the sound design and lyrics. Keep at it, Anoth3rMind! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.5/10

Anoth3rMind responds:

Thank you. We love the perspective you brought and appreciate the time you took to highlight the different parts of the song.