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TaintedLogic
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    I like the vocal samples at the beginning. Where are they from? The relaxed mood and wonky rhythmic elements and sound design are nice, although the texture stays pretty minimal throughout and could use some harmonic variety and melodic development. The section at 1:38 served as a nice mellow bridge, but I’m not sure I like how the vocals sample and beat overlap at 2:00 - seemed like a missed opportunity to express the re-entrance of the chill pads as the release of the tension from the dialogue. Overall, the mood, sound design, and production quality of this piece are all solid. The composition is a tad underwhelming, though, and the arrangement lacks originality. The lo-fi production and trippy rhythmic elements are highlights for me. Keep at it, LPSounds! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    1.75/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    .5/1.5
    Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
    1/2
    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?)
    .25/1
    Composite score
    6.25/10

    LPSounds responds:

    The vocal Samples?? Samurai Champloo. thanks for the review

    I like the frantic drum patterns and gritty synth bass at the beginning. The pulsing effect on the bass was a nice touch, too. Some of the samples are a bit cheesy and generic, especially the claps. The entrance of that other mid-range synth at 1:06 really threw me off, and the rhythm of the phaser/pulsing effect on it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the piece. The track is really slow to progress overall, and doesn’t have much in the way of interesting harmonies or rhythmic content to keep me engaged in the meantime. The mix seems a bit overwhelmed at times - do you have a limiter on the master channel of the mixer? The distorted sound design is for a while, but without any counterbalancing with smoother elements of the texture, it’s a bit much to listen to for 8.5 minutes. Many of the synths in here also sound pretty unpolished and cliche. You clearly have a good sense of rhythm and progression, but a more well-rounded and dynamic composition also necessarily includes melodic elements and more variety than this. I’d challenge you to create a piece that has some more memorable melodies and a stronger sense of “storyline.” A good way to start is by listening to a melody from a piece of music you really like, recreating it in your DAW, and, using all the same pitches, slowly alter the contour and note length until you have something new. Until then, I enjoyed the catchy beats and some of the synth riffs here. Keep at it, lllElectroMusiclll! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    1.25/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    .25/1.5
    Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
    .25/2
    Instrumentation and sound design
    .25/1
    Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
    .5/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    .5/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .5/1
    Composite score
    3.5/10

    lllElectroMusiclll responds:

    Thanks you!

    I like the jazzy sound design and relaxed tempo at the beginning. The layered kicks and snares starting at around :20 are a bit bizarre - are there multiple instruments there, or is it just a heavy delay effect? Either way, it may be a bit much, especially with the relaxed vibe of the rest of the piece. I really like the atmosphere and instruments, though. The piece is a tad slow to progress, and at some point I would’ve liked to hear a solo or bridge or something for variety. One of my favorite parts of the piece was when the bass played in the upper part of its frequency range towards the end. The mood and melodies really sell this track overall. The composition could’ve been a tad bolder, but the active bass line and drums help keep things engaging. Keep at it, Kantieno! :)

    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?)
    .25/1
    Composite score
    7.25/10

    kantieno responds:

    Thanks for the feedback! I did have multiple instruments going around 0:20, for no real good reason haha. With my current projects I am focusing on making a simpler more cohesive drum backing. Glad you enjoyed the upper frequency span of the bass, it is also my favored part. Thanks again for the feedback!

    I like the bright piano instrument at the beginning. The stop-start nature of the chords threw me off a bit, though. The strings at :21 sound pretty inauthentic, but I like the cute melodies at :41 and the upbeat mood. The progression could’ve been a bit more creative - the main source of variety in this piece seems to be the addition and subtraction of notes over time. Volume changes, automation, filtering, phrasing, and more elaborate transitions might have helped make the texture more varied and interesting, especially since the second half didn’t have much harmonic variety compared to the first half. You clearly have a good sense of melody and harmony, and also a good sense of how to structure a piece. I think getting some higher-quality samples and finding some more creative ways of adding variety and flair to your piece are important next steps for you. Keep at it, InsertNameHere0! :)

    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
    .5/1
    Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
    1/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    .25/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .5/1
    Composite score
    6.25/10

    insertNameHere0 responds:

    Thanks, I'll definitely admit that I was a bit lazy with this song as I after creating the main part basically said that's enough. Same with the samples as I just worked with what I could find in the FLEX plugin.

    I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the cute instruments. The piece is a tad slow to progress, but I like the crisp beats at :55. In fact, the drums might even be a bit too loud and sharp-sounding compared to the pads and ambiance, as is the bass at 1:21. At some point, some stronger melodic content would’ve been welcome. I also think it would’ve been nice to create some variety in this piece in more ways than just by adding and subtracting instruments over time - phrasing, dynamics, automation, filtering, etc. all pull more emotional weight than just creating a new instrument track after every 4 or 8 bars. In that way, the arrangement felt pretty generic and predictable. Still, the compositional details here - like the way the secondary snare echoes at 2:47 (and other places) and the slight pitch bend at the very end - do help keep me engaged. My favorite elements of the piece by far are the sound design and the mood, although the production quality is pretty clean at the end of the day, despite the balance issues I mentioned earlier. Overall, it’s a solid piece, but it could’ve been a lot more compositionally adventurous. Keep at it, GrahamFr! :)

    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
    1.5/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    .75/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .25/1
    Composite score
    7.5/10

    GrahamFr responds:

    Very thorough and helpful :)

    The progression at the beginning is pretty cool, but the synths sound a tad unpolished and dry. I would suggest reining in the volume levels on the pads a bit and adding some reverb to give it a smoother, atmospheric feel. Otherwise, they take away a bit too much attention from the melodies at :27. I like the quirky drums and the upbeat mood. The transition at :52 was a tad rough, and the contour of the main synth riff there is a bit hard-to-follow and chaotic. The harmonies get a little too busy at 1:06, especially with so many competing rhythmic themes, and overall the arrangement seems a bit thrown-together. The bass-heavy pad at 1:31 is another example of something that’s a little too up-front in the mix, although I like the moving synth line there. Overall, I think the composition is probably the strongest element of the piece, although you might want to consolidate your ideas some more and keep the listener grounded with some more repetition and smoother transitions. All of the mood changes and harmonic shifts of the piece are a little disorienting. Also, the sound design could be a lot cleaner and more varied. With so many similar-sounding 8-bit instruments playing at once, and sometimes in a similar pitch range (like at 1:40), the texture can sound pretty indistinct and bottom-heavy. The volume levels on the pads are a bit too high at some points - you might even be able to solve the balance issues and “indistinct texture” problem at the same time by transposing some of the melodic lines up an octave or two, especially towards the end. Otherwise, I really like the cute mood and percussive elements, and I can tell you have a good sense of harmony too. Better sound design and some more careful structuring will go a long way towards improving your score from me in the future. Keep at it, Glotchalotch! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    1.25/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    .75/1.5
    Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
    1.25/2
    Instrumentation and sound design
    .25/1
    Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
    .75/1.5
    Originality and uniqueness
    .75/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .5/1
    Composite score
    5.5/10

    glotch responds:

    thanks so much for this feedback! i agree that i tend to have problems with cohesiveness and transitions between ideas. it's definitely a challenge for me sometimes to make something that's more than the sum of its parts.

    also about your comments about variation in the synths, i can certainly try to do that, but i can't really get a ton of variation in famitracker, because it emulates the real soundchip from an nes.

    (for this reason i also can't add reverb to the drums/noise channel without post-processing in a different daw which i want to try to avoid with famitracker projects. although there is an option to import low fidelity samples that i should probably use next time for drums like a lot of famitracker artists do)

    i think probably a better solution like you said would be to have less stuff going on at once. thank you so much for this rundown!! i'll carry this with me for future songs.

    I like the graceful flute harmonies at the beginning and the more energetic string lines at :28. The piece has a great sense of gradual climax and a strong melodic flair. The adventurous tone at 1:00 really helped the piece develop further, and it’s around this time that I get a strong sense of just how strong the mixing and mastering of this piece are. Also, you nailed the sound design - the orchestration is very well thought out, and also full of variety. The transition at 2:07 may have been a bit rough, but the percussion helps smooth it over. The ending also sounds a tad inconclusive, but maybe that’s just because you’ve left me wanting a lot more. Overall, fantastic piece, my friend. From the production quality to the composition, sound design to the atmosphere, there’s really not a lot to complain about here. Keep it up! ^_^

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    2/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1.25/1.5
    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?)
    1/1
    Composite score
    9.75/10

    Santi-Montali responds:

    Thanks! :)

    I like the mysterious mood at the beginning. The chord progression and synths are a bit generic, but the phasing effects on the pads are a nice touch. The melodies at :28 are nice, but the drums sound really constrained and flat. It might be good to give the drums more space in the EQ, and potentially add some more compression. The mixing could be a tad tighter at times - be careful to avoid reverb on the bass notes and be careful to tighten up the EQ on some of the ancillary instruments. I like the progression and melodies a lot, though. As for the sound design, some of the samples are worth polishing or replacing. The drums in particular strike me as pretty generic. Overall, your composition skills are well-developed, earning you a scout from yours truly. But making your own synths or modifying existing presets more carefully could give you a much more refined sound, and the texture could sound a lot more clean and distinct if you spend more time on mixing and mastering. Keep at it, ElektrikBard! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    1/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    1.25/1.5
    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
    .5/1
    Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
    .75/1
    Composite score
    6.75/10

    ElektrikBard responds:

    Thanks for your input! I will be performing this song live with 5 other songs by the end of the month :)

    The riser at the beginning sounds cool, but also might be a tad out-of-place with nothing else going on there. The piano riff at :08 is also cool, but the sudden changes in the texture at :17 and :19 throw me off a bit. The whooshing effect at :30 also sounds pretty neat, but it distorts the mix a bit. I think you really need to consolidate some of your ideas here. There are a lot of good stand-alone riffs and motifs, but they feel really disjointed from each other, as most of the transitions are very sudden, and the harmonic patterns don’t always interlock super well. Part of the problem may be that the instrumentation is a little all over the place, including some synths that sound both cheesy and harsh (most notably the one at :46). But the bigger problem is that the arrangement needs to be more flowing and cohesive. I’d suggest having more “common elements” that play throughout your piece, like drum riffs, bass lines, or pads. It could also help to foreshadow some of your transitions with things like crashes, sweeps, risers, automation, or volume level changes. Otherwise, the track just ends up sounding like bits and pieces of 5 different tracks that play in succession. Still, again, the individual riffs are cool here. I really like the cutesy melody at :33 and the rhythmic components of the piece throughout. Focusing on the arrangement and flow of the track will be an important next step for you. Feel free to PM me once you feel like you’ve accomplished that with this or another piece of yours. Keep at it, Draggems! :)

    Mixing, mastering, and balance
    1.25/2
    Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
    .25/1.5
    Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
    .75/2
    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?)
    .25/1
    Composite score
    4/10

    draggems responds:

    Thanks for giving such a detailed review on my crappy first song :D


    My music nowadays much better than back then btw

    I also use a free software called lmms lol

    Hi. I'm Andrew. Audio portal junkie since 2010, supporter since 2017. I always want to improve what I do! I make music, run the NGUAC, post poetry on BBS, and am the all-time #2 audio reviewer. I love this site, and I want to make it the best I can! ^_^

    Andrew Mikula @TaintedLogic

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