TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Amplify!]

I like the rhythmic content at the beginning and the sense of climax into :18. The piece has a lot of quirky sound design and a fun, blissful vibe. The mixing is really good, if a tad over-compressed at times. The drop at 1:12 is really groovy, and I like the fun, melodic components at the ends of phrases. I love the cute, mini-melodic phrases at 1:57 too. The breakdown melody is excellent - it sounds so dynamic and refreshing. I love the energy and musical diversity you have packed into this song. Even the drops are varied slightly the second time around. Really smooth track overall, MrKoolTrix. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the arrangement is a bit generic or that you overuse the stop-start transitions after a while. Still, fantastic track overall! Congratulations on your hard work in this competition. ^_^

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

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks for the review, TaintedLogic! :)

[Guilt]

I like the smooth guitar strumming at the beginning and the dark vocals. The mix is really clean and sharp, and the vocals are quite well-balanced with the instrumental tracks. The lyrics have a great conversational tone that make their content feel really personal for me, and the overall tone of the piece is really haunting and ballad-like. You do a great job of gradually leading into the refrain at 1:18. I like the flowy and more mellow vibe of the section at 1:40 too, as well as the more melodic flair of the texture at around 2:06. The transition at 2:22 was a bit sudden, but the burst of intensity there was a great way of providing contrast with the dark, soft-spoken vocals thereafter. You hit the piece home with the second refrain quite well. I liked the dissonant guitar screech at the very end, too. I think your production really has improved a lot in the last year or two, man. This piece is awesome. My only real complaints here - a couple of sudden transitions, some missed opportunities for more variety, some cliche elements of the arrangement - are pretty small details at the end of the day. It’s been a pleasure following your work throughout this competition, and I look forward to keeping up with your upcoming projects as well. Congratulations on your hard work over the past couple months! ^_^ Also, is there anywhere I can download/buy this?

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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

dude2312 responds:

I'll send you a copy of the wav file. Let me know what your email is! It is an honor to receive such comments from you, TaintedLogic. Let me know what your email is and I'll send it right away!

Thank you for checking my stuff out.

[Futuristic Dream]

I like the airy synths at the beginning and the atmosphere. The chord progression is a tad cliche, and the pacing of the piece is pretty slow too. The mixing is good, and the texture seems pretty well-balanced and full overall. The melodies at 1:12 are cute, and there’s a good sense of climax into 1:44. A lot of the drum samples and other elements of the sound design (like the riser at 1:28) sound a bit generic, and the arrangement of the piece also seems overused. I would’ve liked to see you vary the melodies more towards the end, and also shake up the chord progression at some point. Overall, my main concern with the piece is that it lacks originality, especially in the instrumentation. Still, nice job with the production, melodies, and flow of the piece. Keep at it, DJFrankMusic! :)

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
.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
7.25/10

DJFrankMusic responds:

You are right, I will be more original since all this I take as a hobby, now I have a new PC, I will be more original, that of mixing and mastering is not a problem for me :)

[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