TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Tavern Song]

I like the sound design at the beginning. There are a lot of evocative Nordic-sounding stringed instruments and crisp drums. The instruments sound pretty dry in the mix until the strings come in at :15, though. Perhaps some more reverb and other mixing effects would help fill out the atmosphere a little more. Also, I’d like to see you create variety in this piece in more advanced ways besides just adding and subtracting instruments over time - dynamic contrast, drum fills, automation, etc. Otherwise, some of the transitions here seem a bit abrupt (like at 1:34), although I really liked the one at 1:12. The melodic content here is good, but a little repetitive. Especially later on in the piece, I wanted to hear some more dynamic melodies and harmonic variety. The production quality holds up quite well, though, and as I mentioned the instrumentation here is fantastic. Keep at it, OliRO! :)

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

OliRO responds:

Thank you so much for this in-depth review! I'm super happy to be part of the Knock-out round and I'll make sure to do some ironing on the aspects you mentioned. I understand that I really need to trade some of the methodical ''square'' knowledge for more wild creativity. I'll push this hard on the second round.

Cheers!

[Dototototo (WIP)]

I like the glitchy mid-range bass at the beginning and the ominous atmosphere. The harmonies are a bit dissonant at times, but I like how the texture thickens up by :46. The crisp, organic-sounding drums were a nice touch, too. The melodies seem a bit meandering and directionless, and the climactic section in the middle drags on for quite a long time without much change in the energy level or instrumentation. The mellow breakdown at 2:12 was a good idea, and the quirky pads there sound warm and rich to contrast the punchy drums and melodies. You hit the piece home nicely at 1:43, although the mix sounds a tad strained there, with the drums not quite as up-front as I would’ve liked to hear. The tempo automations at the very end were really clever, though. Overall, I like the sound design, atmosphere, production quality, and rhythmic content of this one. The compositional details might need some work, though. In particular, I’d like to see a stronger sense of melodic progression earlier on and more variety in the harmonic content and texture. Still, the cute, triumphant mood of the piece seems perfect for a video game soundtrack. Keep at it, NicolasPL64! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
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
7/10

NicolasPL64 responds:

Thank you so much!
Yeah, I should've mastered the track. At least I know I'm in the good way in terms of composition, sadly I didn't have the time for mastering the track or improving the mixing.

[Through Time]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the rich atmosphere. The bass at :21 is a little loud, and the chord progression is pretty cliche. The drums also could’ve been a bit sharper in the mix - some more compression couldn’t hurt. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression, though. I’m enjoying the sense of build into 1:14. The bass is a bit overpowering at the drop, and again I would’ve liked to see the drums be more up-front in the mix. In general, the loudest instrument at any given time should be the drums. I also would’ve liked to hear some more variation on some of the main riffs later in the piece, just to give it a sense of melodic development. The filtering at the end was a nice touch, though, and you know how to structure a piece pretty well. Overall, you have a good sense of melody, progression, and rhythm, but I would’ve liked to hear some tighter mastering and more variety later on in the piece. Keep at it, MrSpud8! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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

MrSpud8 responds:

Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated

[Event Exodus: Slime boss]

I like the quirky percussion at the beginning and the cutesy harmonies. The sound design is really neat, but the mix also sounds a bit dry and unpolished. A little more atmosphere - pads, or maybe just reverb - would help fill out the texture a little more, especially later on in the piece. I also think the composition could use some fleshing out here. The piece sounds thinner and less energetic as it goes on, and in a pretty linear fashion too. Instead of throwing the listener directly into the busiest part of the piece, maybe it would help “sell the narrative” of the piece a little more to build up to it in some way. Otherwise, this piece seems to be missing that big climax or “point of arrival” that makes the story behind the track come alive. That said, the instrumentation, rhythmic content, and harmonies are all really impressive here. I hope you keep working on this; it has a lot of potential! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.5/10

Mooman380 responds:

Thanks man

[Static]

I like the catchy synth riff at the beginning, but the synth itself is a bit cheesy. The bass at :23 sounds neat, but the texture at the drop is pretty minimal. I would’ve liked to see you fill in some of the atmosphere around the rhythm section there. The mix here also sounds pretty strained, with the bass seemingly distorting the mid-range synths. The mix is simultaneously pretty dry, with not a lot of reverb or other mixing effects to keep things sounding airy and smooth. If you do add reverb to try to fix that, though, please just fix the distortion problems first, as reverb can make distortion sound worse. The synth at 1:08 sounds really harsh in my headphones, but I do like the harmonies there. The piano solo at the breakdown was a nice touch - sounds like FL Keys though, a bit of an overused plug-in in electronic music in my opinion. The more melancholy tone of that section was nice for some contrast with the earlier part of the piece, and I like the dissonant harmonies leading into the next climactic section at 3:45. The more melodic flair of the piece at the end helps hit it home nicely, but I thought the synth at 4:10 sounded a bit unpolished and grating. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and progression, but I want to see you spend more time making the mix feel fuller and more well-balanced. Modifying some of the instruments would also be a good next step for you, as a lot of the synths and drum samples here sound pretty generic. Keep at it, MelodicRice! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.75/10

Rici-Ellipsis responds:

Thanks so much! This is the first track that I actually started mixing, and very badly at that, at the time I'd only used FL studio for about 2 months. You're right about FL keys, now I would have switched it to maybe Grand Piano or at least some different preset. I wasn't good a serum at the time (still am not) and what was used was the demo version where I had to save what I had with Directwave which made everything I made with it distorted, once I get home from vacation I will fully buy serum. Thanks for the in-depth review, I really appreciate it.

[Volcanic [Lifelight Records Release]]

I like the crisp beats at the beginning and the ominous atmosphere. The rhythmic elements and harmonic dissonance at :25 work well, but thereafter the piece is pretty slow to progress for a while. I’m enjoying the sense of build into 1:40, and the minimal drop there was catchy, if a bit bland. The production quality is good here - the compression is pretty heavy, but not so as to distort the other instruments to an unpleasant extent. You have a great sense of progression and rhythm, as the piece flows smoothly and remains catchy even during the fairly downtempo parts. The sound design is fitting, but unremarkable. The sweeps, drums, and several of the synths strike me as pretty generic. I would’ve liked to hear some more harmonic depth in the piece to keep me engaged after a while. The compositional details are fun, such as the panning at around 4:25 ghostly alarm that sounds at several points, including :14. Overall, the mixing, arrangement, and rhythmic content are all strong here, but the composition and sound design were a tad underwhelming for me. Keep at it, mar234! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.75/10

mar234 responds:

Thanks a lot!

[Silver drum]

I like the airy guitar at the beginning and the rather ominous atmosphere. The heavy echo effects on the guitars are a bit overwhelming at first, but as the rest of the instruments fill in I don’t notice it too much. The synths that come in at :17 are a bit cheesy, but I like the E-piano. The texture starts sounding much fuller and moree well-balanced once the beat comes in at :32. Overall, the cutesy sound design is great here, and I appreciate the liberties you took with the harmonic framework, like with the riff at 1:02. I might’ve liked to see you switch up the main melodies and riffs a bit more towards the end, but I like how the piece ends on a pretty dissonant chord. The composition here felt a tad stiff at times, with a lot of repetition later on a variety created mostly through adding and subtracting instruments over time, as opposed to more advanced methods like dynamic contrast, filtering, and automation. But overall, this is a cute and fun piece with some neat instrumentation and solid mixing. Keep at it, LeanLean! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

LeanLean responds:

@TaintedLogic
@ADR3-N
Thank you for inviting me to the contest and thanks for giving me constructive criticism that I can use to be a better person, its appreciated. Thanks.

[Dream]

I like the quirky synths, slap bass, and warm pads at the beginning. Some of the synths that come in later sound a bit cheesy, though, like the one at :22. I think the mix can come across as a bit indistinct at times. The drums aren’t quite as front-and-center as I want them to be, and some of the lower-pitched synths sound pretty murky. The vocal samples at :47 are pretty cool, but after a while you start to overuse them a bit. The rhythmic content here is really nice, although I’m not quite sold on the composition, as the texture is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy during much of the middle section, and there isn’t much in the way of melodic content or structural variety to keep me engaged. I also think a lot of the drum samples here sound pretty generic. Later on, the piece sounds pretty repetitive, although I like the injection on energy at 2:54 and the rhythmic content during the last minute or so. Overall, you have a good sense of rhythm, progression, and harmony, but the mix could be tightened up a bit, and I would’ve liked to see a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition. Still, this is going to be stuck in my head for a while. Keep at it, HG-HL! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10

HG-HL responds:

Thank you so much for the analysis! Over time I’ll hopefully get out of my looping phase lol. I’ll also try to get some plugins to get some different sounds into my songs :)

[A new Chapter]

I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the organic sound design. The upbeat melodies and well-balanced harmonies suit the mood well, and I like the “B” section at :38 too. The piece feels a bit slow to progress after a while, given the constant energy level and instrumental palette. The somewhat darker chords at 1:50 help add some variety, but overall I’d like to see a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition here. Later on, the modulations help hit the piece home, but you also might consider adding some drums or something to help drive the piece forward a little more. Lastly, the mix is a tad quiet, even though the frequencies are well-balanced and clear. Overall, you nailed the relaxed and determined mood, sound design, and melodic content here. A little more variety in the texture would’ve been welcome, but clearly you’re a talented composer. Keep at it, Gemini*2! :)

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

GeminiGemini responds:

Thank you for the review

[Castle Dregs]

I like the ominous-sounding organ riff at the beginning. The long pause at :11 threw me off a bit, and then the bass riff at :16 took the piece in a bit of an unexpected direction. The beat there is really catchy, and has a cool instrumental palette, but the mix sounds a bit strained and distorted throughout the rest of the piece, with the organ not quite popping through on top of the beat as much as I would’ve liked and the drums sounding a bit soft too. I’d suggest toning down the reverb on that bass riff and giving more space in the mix to the harmonic instruments.

Compositionally, there are a lot of cool ideas in here, from the creative rhythmic content in the drums to the string riffs at 1:50 or so. That said, there isn’t quite enough structuring in the piece to keep me engaged for the whole 5.5 minutes. The energy level is almost constant, and despite slight changes in the instrumental palette, I’m not getting a strong sense of narrative direction in this piece over time. The result is that the composition comes off as a bit bland, and needs more ebb and flow over time. It also seemed like you didn’t quite know how to end the piece, given the fade-out ending.

Overall, you have a great sense of harmony, rhythm, and sound design, but the production quality and compositional details here fall flat at the end of the day. Limit the distortion on the harmonic instruments in the mix and add some more compelling progression over time, and this piece is easily an 8 out of 10, at least. Keep at it, djadj50! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

SednovaNova responds:

I appreciate the tips and the constructive feedback. I can learn a lot from this. I have been looking for some feedback it has been something I needed to hear. Thank you so much for this criticism. It is really appreciated and welcomed! It is true, I was confused at the end about where I was going. I usually come back to the piece later. I did, but I decided on an end that probably needed more work. I appreciate it.