TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mid-Station]

I like the chill guitars at the beginning and the static-y atmosphere. There could’ve been a bit more reverb or other mixing effects on the sweep at :20, but otherwise I really like the moody vibe here and the sound design. The texture still feels a bit minimal, with the mid-range tones a bit thin here, but the rhythmic elements are pleasing and the hi-hats help fill in the top end. The distorted samples at 1:21 didn’t really serve a clear compositional purpose in my mind, especially since the section thereafter is largely the same as before. This is a great chill-out groove, but I think you could’ve done a lot more structuring here. I would’ve loved to see some more prominent melodic content and a strong sense of climax towards the end. Overall, you nailed the mood, atmosphere, instrumentation, and mixing. There could be a tad more variety here, and a more creative arrangement, too. Keep at it, Introverse! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Introverse responds:

thank you for awesome feedback. Hope to see you next year!

[Incise ~ Aqua Regia]

I like the gritty bass and air of mystery at the beginning. The mix is a little over-saturated, with a lot of reverb and compression overwhelming and distorting the texture at times. The instrumentation is pretty good overall, but the piano at :29 sounds like a bit of a cheesy sample. There’s a good sense of climax into 1:13, although I would’ve liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content. The piece also goes long stretches without a lot of phrasing or structural contrast. I think the frantic piano riff loses its edge a bit after so many repetitions. The chord progression and arrangement of the piece are also pretty generic. I enjoyed the variations at around 3:10, and overall the piece comes together well. The main things I’d suggest working on here are the mixing and mastering (less reverb, stricter equalization, lower gain levels on the compressors) and the originality. The risers and bass riffs sound especially generic. That said, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm and harmony, and I enjoyed the ominous mood and energy of the piece as well. Keep at it, Incise! :)

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
.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

Incise responds:

Thanks for the review! Can you give me some advice on how to make this piece better? I can use some tips to improve my music.

[En Gee]

I like the fun rhythmic elements at the beginning and the cute, airy synths. The crashes and some of the other percussive sounds are a little too hard-hitting, though, especially on the downbeats. Over-compression is a likely culprit. The progression is enjoyable, but very slow-paced. I was itching for some more melodic content and textural fill at times. The riff at 1:32 is catchy, but could use a little more variety in the rhythm department. I also think the kick could’ve been a bit stronger there. There are several awkward and extended pauses in the piece, notably at 2:05. The vocals at 2:27 sound a bit cheesy, and the structure of the piece is pretty drawn-out. During the drops, there isn’t a lot of bass in the texture, and I wanted to see you incorporate more harmonic variety in the piece, especially towards the end when the piece gets quite repetitive. Overall, the arrangement of the piece could be a little more coherent, and there were times when I wanted the harmonies to have more depth, but I do like the rhythmic components, instrumentation, production quality, and melodic content. Keep at it, EppuJoloZ! :)

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
.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
7.25/10

EppuJoloZ responds:

Thanks for letting me have to opportunity to move even further :D
Next year I'm GOING further! >:D

[Young love]

I like the bright, airy section at the beginning and the cute synths. This piece has a good sense of atmosphere, and the bass at :16 really helps fill out the texture. The clap at :32 sounds pretty cliche, as do the risers and many of the other drum samples in this piece. I also think the drums are a tad too loud in the mix, but otherwise I think the production quality here is quite good. I think you could’ve used some more gradual and/or creative transitions, as the risers are overused by the end of the track. The bright piano melody during the middle section is nice, and the piece comes together well with the synth melody at 1:52. That said, there’s room for a bit more ebb and flow in the texture here. Within the distinct sections of the piece, the energy level is nearly constant, and overall the arrangement of the piece sounds pretty formulaic and cliche. I wanted the piece to have more of a sense of overarching direction, but instead it sounds like bunch of melodies that, as fun and cute as they are, were pasted together in a somewhat lazy way (i.e., with the same few sweeps/risers and crashes). The arrangement is probably my main complaint of the piece, though. You clearly have a good sense of harmony, rhythm, and production. Keep at it, DJFrankMusic! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

DJFrankMusic responds:

thank you very much :3

["Fractal" (8/5/19)]

I like the beat at the beginning, but there’s an unpleasant popping sound there that warrants fixing if you get the chance. The reverberant claps are especially nice, although the kick at :16 was a bit heavy, to the point of overwhelming the snare. The progression here is pretty slow-paced, although I like the atmospheric elements at :32. I think you could’ve faded the synths at :32 in more, just to foreshadow their prominence in the texture a bit. There’s another sudden transition at 1:02, although by 1:40 the texture is coming together more. I’d still like to hear some stronger melodic content here, especially since the riff at 2:02 is so repetitive and simple. The progression is pretty smooth through the middle section, and I like the strong (although very gradual) sense of build until 3:32. The content of the piece is pretty repetitive after that, and I would’ve liked to hear some more variety in the harmonic components and in the synth lead. I think a final melodic section would’ve done a lot more to hit this piece home, and you probably could’ve cut a couple of minutes off of this track given the excessive repetition. Still, you have a good sense of harmony, progression, and rhythm, and despite my complaints early in the piece, the mixing and mastering are quite good too. Keep at it, DJ-Saidez! :)

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
.75/1
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

DJ-Saidez responds:

Yeah I'm still learning the ropes of this. No complaints with that score, the track was kinda iffy for me too. Now that this is over for me my next goal is to finish a couple of remixes to contribute to this collab album, hopefully I can use the lessons I learned and improve as an artist. My plan is to include Wonder and Fractal in that album.
I agree that Wonder scores higher, by the way. The production session for that track had a certain sense of magic that made the elements just fit, the same sense I attempted to recreate for this track but failed, since apparently it has to come to you.
Overall, this was fun! This reminded me once again how much I love music and making it!
どうもありがとうございました！

EDIT: The popping might be either the acoustic drums, or the sound effect I added at :26 which was intentional.

[The last airbender - Azula's Theme]

Nice! I like the choir and the murky bass at :43. The percussion here is rather foreboding, and the brass really adds some punch to the texture. The harmonies at around :25 are especially juicy. My only complaint is that the end seemed a bit rushed, but if it's a straight cover I suppose there's no helping that. Nice work, VociferousMusic! ^^

VociferousMusic responds:

I also think about it that way. But here I literally copied the original soundtrack and only re-built it with my own instruments. So I would say your 'complaint' about the ending would be criticism towards the original composer. :P

[Jump Start]

Fun piece! Good to see you using vocals for a change. The production quality here is especially strong, and the sound design feels really light and fun. The lyrics get a little repetitive after a while, but I appreciate the additional rhythmic elements to the refrain as the piece goes on. The spacey outro with the vocal distortions was a nice touch too. Strong work here, MrKoolTrix! ^_^

MrKoolTrix responds:

Thanks a lot for the feedback! :)

[Geoplex - Subvert]

I like the cinematic vibe at the beginning and the crisp percussion. The strings have a powerful and uplifting feel, and the jazzy harmonies at :38 add a lot of character to the piece. The blissful mood during the refrain at :57 is great, and the production quality here is quite strong. I think you could've done a tad more with the drums during the refrain, as they sound a bit generic, but overall the texture comes together really well here. I appreciated the melodic variations at the breakdown (2:10) and the sense of climax into 2:38. The rhythmic content at 2:56 is also really enjoyable. Perhaps you could've done a tad more to vary the main melody during the final refrain, but I liked the additional prominence of the bass-y breaks there, as well as the atmospheric outro. Keep up the good work, Geoplex! ^_^

Geoplex responds:

Hey man! I appreciate the detailed thoughts, thank you :D I think in particular you're right about the section prior to 0:57, it's not the most percussively intricate buildup haha.

[After Hours]

I like the refreshing piano riff at the beginning and the rhythmic guitar patterns at :16. The section at :30 has a fresh, funky vibe, although the pacing of the intro is a bit slow. Sometimes the delivery of the vocals seemed a bit clunky to me. For example, "it's time to go out" doesn't have the same swung rhythm that the previous two lines had. I also think the vocals are a little too quiet relative to the piano at 1:10. Otherwise, the production quality is really good, and I also like the sound design. The mood and instruments here are reminiscent of ABBA. Nice job with the filtering at the breakdown at 2:26. The piece comes together well towards the end with the additional vocal harmonies at 2:58. Overall, I think the vocals are what needs the most work here. They could use a tad more energy and precision, especially at parts like 3:28, where the blending between the multiple voices wasn't great. You might've needed some more reverb, or simply a re-recording there. I also think the vocal harmonies can come on a bit too strong in the mix relative to the lead vocals. Still, this piece has a nice sense of energy and danceability, and much like your last piece some great rhythmic content, instruments, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Time0ff! :)

Time0ff responds:

Thank you so much TaintedLogic!! As always your feedback is super helpful :D

Just fixed the volume, compression and EQ on all the vocals and piano, pls let us know if feel it sounds better ^^

Thanks again, u da best!!
T0