TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Voyage]

I like the strong beat at the beginning and the cute vocals. The chord progression is a little cliche, but the blissful melodies and fun sound design are both pluses. The mix is loud and clear. The drum fill at :55 threw me off the flow of the harmonic progression a bit, and there were some other transitions that could’ve been a tad less sudden (like at 1:10). Still, I like the mellow, jazzy feel of 1:11 and the subsequent re-iteration of the cheerful, VGM-ish content later on. I think the piece might’ve benefitted from a more distinct climactic section towards the end, and the repetition of the sections started to feel like they weren’t fulfilling an overarching structural role after a while. It also might’ve been nice if you had changed up the harmonic progression towards the end. The piano arpeggio at the end is tasteful, and also makes the synth-heavy sections feel a bit more integrated with the fun, jazzy bridge. Overall, I like the melodies, mixing, and rhythmic content of the piece a lot. Major areas for improvement are the dynamism in the composition and originality. Keep at it, 8-bitheroes! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.25/10

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!

[Ode To Seek]

Good for you for exploring the non-traditional time signature. I love the atmospheric flair and the sound design of this one, especially the pizzicato-y sound at the breakdown at 1:51. Production quality is amazingly high here, although I thought the effect at 2:21 sounded a bit cheesy. This isn't as melodic as some of your other tracks, but it's nice to hear a more introspective tone in this piece which helps give it a vivid sense of storytelling. Nice work, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the detailed feedback. :D

[Closer]

I like the furtive feel of the vocals at the beginning. The vocal layering/mixing effects at :17 don’t quite blend well imo. I like the glitchy, climactic part at :36, but the synths are pretty cheesy, and the lyrics are a bit generic. I like the melodies at 1:08, and the glitchy outro was a nice touch too. I think the structure of the piece could’ve been fleshed out a little more, but you still did a lot of good work towards giving the piece an emotional appeal by varying the energy levels between sections and such. Overall, I think the recordings/production could’ve been a bit cleaner, and I would’ve liked to see you do more with the composition (add a full breakdown, other climactic melodic section, etc.), but the melodies, rhythmic content, glitches, and passion in the vocals are all good. Keep at it, TenodiBoris! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you very much for detailed review, constructive criticism helps me improve my work and gives me hints where to look, and how to level up with my work 😊

[IC 08 - Can you comb your hair with a dragon fruit?]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning and the video game flavor. The brass instruments sound pretty fake, though, and at times I wanted the drums to be stronger in the mix. The piece has a pretty constant sense of energy and drive, and could use some more structural variety in the form of an atmospheric section or extended breakdown. I like the melodic content here, although sometimes the overarching compositional content feels a bit directionless, with each melodic phrase just sort of bleeding into the next. I also would’ve liked to hear a more creative ending than a fade-out, even if the content is meant to loop in-game. Overall, I like the mood, harmonic content, and rich texture of the piece. I think the arrangement and the sound design could use a tad more work, though. Keep at it, Pheanir! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Pheanir responds:

Yeah, having the drums at just the right amount of "oomph" is always a problem for me; I experienced it either to be too much or too less. Since I cannot use a lot of the functions FL Studio has to offer, I have to improvise a lot in my compositions with how I do stuff.
And I totally get you, the missing direction is a good reflection of my current mood concerning composing. It's kinda hard to "justify". :/
I'm just really glad that you give me such constructive feedback. Thank you really much! ♥

[Rosemary Dreams]

I like the cute synths at the beginning. The kick is a little on the heavy, and the panning/delay effects on the vocals threw me off a bit. I like the content of the lyrics themselves, though, and the more transparent vocal content at :32 worked better for me. That said, I didn’t like how the vocals at :32 sounded so distorted in the mix. The clipping/distortion there is quite noticeable, and the “shut up” at the end of that phrase came across as a bit cheesy. I like the solo/post-chorus at 1:05, and the progression from there is also pretty enjoyable. The pitch-shifted vocals at 2:23 also came across as pretty cheesy. I think you tried to do a little too much with some of the mixing effects here, but the clipping/distortion is the major mixing issue here that remains unaddressed. There are a lot of good compositional ideas here, and the sound design is okay, but the production quality is what’s really holding the piece back in my mind. Getting more creative with the automations or filtering could really help “shut up” get the punchiness and impact that it deserves, and the other ornamental vocals could be relegated to a more atmospheric/coloration effect. The lead vocals need some volume control measures right away - try lowering the volume knob in the mixer track and then filling out the rest of the space with a little reverb or compression. You also might try turning down the gain on the compressors you already have in there, especially on the vocals. Sorry if this isn’t a very positive review overall. The peaking/clipping problems are easily fixable, and you’re clearly a talented vocalist and composer. Keep at it, Jackbliss! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

jackbliss responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review. This really helps me produce better music quality. Cheers! :)

[Sky Gardening]

I like the spacey vibe at the beginning. The progression is a little slow-paced at first, but the texture comes together well later in the piece. The vocals sound a little over-processed, and I’m not sure that the heavy use of mixing effects fits the down-to-earth and introspective nature of the lyrics, or the rest of the sound design for that matter. I like the lyrics themselves, but I also think the other instruments are a little quiet relative to the vocals sometimes. I like the flute solo at 1:25 and the cutesy back-up harmonies there. I like the more passionate tone the vocals have at 1:46, but it’s very hard to understand what they’re saying through all the mixing effects. Later in the piece, I feel as though the harmonic framework of the piece needs some shaking up, although the novel solo at 3:34 was a step in the right direction. The piece might also need some variety in terms of energy level, dynamics, and instrumental hierarchy. Overall, I like the sound design in the instrumental tracks, the mixing, the rhythmic content, and the mood/atmosphere. I think the composition could’ve been a bit more inspired at times, and the robotic-sounding vocals also detracted from my enjoyment of the piece. Still, solid work in almost every other regard, especially the production quality. Keep at it, SourJovis! :)

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7.75/10

SourJovis responds:

Thanks for the review back then. I've removed the vocoder from the vocals so they sound more natural. Other than that I didn't change anything but I think this may have removed the main issue with the song. Hope you like it better this way.

[...And Then There Was Light]

I like the structural arc of the piece. Definitely a well-crafted climax. A lot of the orchestral samples sound really fake, though - especially towards the beginning - and some of them sound indistinct in the mix during the busier parts (e.x., :59). The harmonic framework of the piece is pretty simple, although I really like how crisp and prominent the drums sound in the texture. The choir chords later on are nice, and overall the piece comes together by the end. Perhaps I would’ve liked to hear a tad more structuring and harmonic variety, though. I think it could help you get the most out of the dramatic flair of the piece with a more fleshed-out composition and some more gradual transitions. Still, nice work with the mixing, progression, compositional details, and mood overall! Keep at it, CloakedSoup. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.5/10

CloakedSoup responds:

Hey, thanks for the review! The samples in the beginning sound fake, because they’re from an electric violin, which is both fake in the sense that it’s sampled, but also has a synthetic 'fake' kind of sound (along with an EQ filter to make the whole beginning sound like an older recording). I had the idea of going from a lo-fi sound with just the electric violin to a really high quality sound that was more organic when it first climaxed. I wish I could have written more, but I started this the night before it was due. lol

[Strange Bliss (NGADM)]

I like the quirky sound design, but the rhythm is a little hard to follow at the beginning and the progression is a bit slow-paced. I think you could’ve done a better job at transitioning into :44, and the pads there sound a bit generic and dry. I like when the texture comes together more at 1:23, but some of the instruments sound a little harsh in the upper register, and the harmonic progression remains pretty simple, despite the heavy use of ornamentations. The melodic content at the very end kinda felt like too little, too late in terms of giving this piece some stable, climactic content. I would’ve liked to see you flesh out the composition a bit more and add some complexity to the structure. Still, the quirky instrumentation and solid production quality definitely give this piece a lot of potential, and I’d encourage you to keep working on it. Keep at it, Pulvite! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
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
7.5/10

Pulvite responds:

I friggin love your feedback for whenever I do any NG contest, thanks a ton! :D

[Burning The Body (NGADM Group Stage Entry)]

I like the atmospheric intro and the heavy sub-bass. The cute synths that start fading in at :25 are nice, and the creative percussion here is another big plus. The texture doesn’t really fill out very much, especially in the mid-range, until about 1:05. Still, I liked that climactic section, and the production quality here is really sharp. I couple of the stop/start transitions are pretty jarring here, especially 1:20. I like the spacey breakdown at 1:47 and the more gradual transition back into the emotional height at 2:05. I think the arrangement of this piece is a little choppy, with a lot of sudden pauses that detract from the flow. The over-saturated texture at 2:43 also didn’t work well for me. I think the piece has a very fast pace of progression towards the end, and I wanted to see you hit the piece home with a more stable, prolonged climactic section. Still, I like the energy, sound design, mixing, and rhythmic content here. Keep at it, BurneMusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

BurneMusic responds:

k cool

[Abendmusic - Wilderborn]

I like the majestic and tranquil mood at the beginning. The flute solo at :18 is really lovely, and the soft reverse crash at :32 was a nice way of transitioning into the more Celtic-sounding section thereafter. I think the melodies are pretty simple, but the variety in the sound design and texture of the piece keeps me engaged. The arrangement is a bit choppy during the middle minute of the piece; it felt like a battle for the soul of the piece for a while there. Eventually, I think the adventurer turns to a volatile life on the run to soothe his aching soul, but he doesn’t forget his regal, cloistered past. It says a lot that this piece can place such a vivid image in my head. You really told a story with this one. The composition, sound design, and production quality are all strong here. Well done! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

Abendland responds:

Thank you a lot for sharing your thoughts and giving me such a thorough feedback! Your words mean a lot to me!
All the best, Chris