TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Odoroki Ruins]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. The string samples aren’t of the best quality, but I like the eastern-sounding instrument at :39 and the harmonic content. The texture is a bit thin, and at times I wished the drums had a more prominent role in it. I like the powerful brass at 1:47, but I’m not sure I like how the note cuts off right before the next one starts. The mix is a little muddy in the low end at times, especially with the strings, and also sounds rather quiet overall. Sometimes, the harmonies are even a bit quiet relative to each other. The arrangement is a bit choppy, too, with sudden transitions (like at 3:03) and not much of an overarching sense of direction. The structure of the song feels a bit cyclical after a while, and I really wanted the texture to be a bit richer at times. The piece is missing a moment of climax or arrival at the end to really hit it home, despite having a lot of mysterious tension throughout. That said, there’s a pleasant atmosphere and harmonic content here. I think the unfamiliarity of a new DAW is affecting the quality of this piece, unfortunately, and that was apparent in the mixing and sound design. Still, I appreciate your resolve to make a track despite these setbacks. Keep at it, ARealGhost! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.75/10

ARealGhost responds:

Thank you for the feedback and for the opportunity, Tainted! I will keep pushing forward.

[Passing Through]

I like the bright piano and atmospheric noise at the beginning. The texture sounds very light and graceful, but also rather contemplative at the same time. I like the sub-bass and crisp drums at :52, even if the drums were a bit dry and simplistic. The production quality is really strong here, although I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodies in the piece. The breakdown at 1:38 seems to have a bit of added distortion to it, which I liked. I also liked the sense of climax starting at around 2:40, and the second refrain at 2:50 had a refreshing, cathartic vibe with some minimal (but satisfying) melodies. I still think the composition is a tad underwhelming here, but the atmosphere, flow, production quality, and sound design help compensate for that. The piano solo during the outro was a nice touch, too. Keep at it, Aesaire! :)

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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Aesaire responds:

I have a bit of trouble with committing to melodies when writing ambient tracks, sometimes I feel that the ones I write are a little too distracting for the listener and genre. Need to make up my mind whether I want to be more or less melodic when making these.

Thanks for the feedback anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part.

[Black Cherry]

I like the smooth pads and plucked guitar at the beginning. The mix is pretty quiet and thin, though. Some more mixing effects would be nice here. The drums are also really loud relative to the harmonic content. The relaxed vibe and flowing melodic content (like at 1:11) make this piece great to just chill to. That said, the arrangement is pretty choppy, with several pretty abrupt transitions (:56, 1:25, 2:22, etc.) and not a great sense of overarching direction. The transition into 1:53 with the pitch-shifting snare is also a bit cliche and cheesy. I did appreciate how you added a melody in a higher register towards the end. That helped the piece feel a bit more climactic. Still, I can’t help but feel that you played it a bit safe with the composition. Overall, though, the mood, atmosphere, sound design, and melodies are all pleasant. Keep at it, Xehao! :)

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
.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
7/10

Xehao responds:

Once again, thank you for the extremely helpful review, will work on transitions and drums, very excited for the final round

[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