TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cosmos]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the nature sound effects. The atmosphere is really dreamy, although I think you could’ve used a smoother transition into the section at :23. Same thing with :47, in fact. The melodies at :47 are enjoyable, and there’s a great sense of climax into 1:19. I’m enjoying the blissful melodies at the drop, although sometimes I think your melodies have a little too much complexity to be able to grasp them fully. Memorable melodies are often simpler in my experience, and it’s probably that they have too many notes (rather than the rhythmic components) that bother me. The re-intro at 2:09 was enjoyable, and really heightened the contrast between the various moods and energy levels of the piece. The production quality here is excellent, btw. I enjoyed the mixing effects and additional synths you used on the second drop; they added a great sense of variety and finality to the composition. The outro is simple, yet effective, although the blip/mic pop at the end was a little jarring, especially given how loud it is relative to the piano chords. Overall, strong work with the sound design, harmonic content, mixing, and atmosphere. Despite my complaints about the compositional details, you really nailed this track in most regards I can think of. Keep up the good work, CamicalMusic! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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?)
1/1
Composite score
9.5/10

CamicalMusic responds:

Thanks for the incredible feedback!

[Glimmer]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the atmosphere. The bouncy synth at :24 was a great choice for the melody instrument, and the production quality here is really good. There’s a great sense of climax over the course of the first minute or so, and the drop at 1:09 comes together really well with the victorious-sounding synth on top and the bassy wall of sound below. The rhythmic content at 1:54 was another highlight, and the crisp percussion sample that comes in at 2:06 also sounded good. I like the more relaxed mood at 2:42, although I would’ve liked to hear a climactic moment in this piece towards the end to really hit it home. Otherwise, there’s a sense of a loss of energy as the piece goes on that doesn’t really vibe well with the blissful mood imo. I also thought the ending you chose came on a little suddenly. Still, top-notch work with the mixing and mastering, sound design, and melodies here, Solize. Keep up the good work! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10

Solize responds:

Not complaining! Thanks for the feedback

[Nomenclature]

I like the smooth guitar riff at the beginning, but the panning was a little heavy. Especially since the texture of this piece is pretty minimal, it’s probably a good idea to keep most elements of the mix front-and-center. I like the moodiness and progression, although I would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content and a richer texture at some point. The atmospheric content seems a bit repetitive; it sounds like it’s playing the same riff of feedback over and over again. I also thought the pause at 2:10 was a little awkward. Overall, solid work with the sound design, production quality, and mood. I think the composition needs some more variety, fill, and sense of shape at times. Keep at it, Spikel! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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
6/10

spikel responds:

Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback.

[Araççn0 - Succubus]

Interesting texture at the beginning. The quiet choir voice in the background vibes well with the minimal beats, and I like when the creepy ambiance started fading in at around :23. That said, the minimal mid-range bass at :32 didn’t do much for me without some atmosphere to back it up, and I think it would’ve been appropriate to use more prominent percussion in this section too, at the very least a hard-hitting snare. There are a lot of fun harmonic and rhythmic ideas in this piece, and the vocal samples add some nice flavor, but overall the minimalism, gritty synths, and somewhat generic arrangement make the composition pretty underwhelming in this piece. The production quality is pretty good, although mixing is relatively painless with so few instruments in the texture at a time. Also, the vocal sample of Nelson from The Simpsons at the end is almost certainly copyrighted. There are some good ideas here. I like the structuring, rhythmic elements, and thematic content. The composition just needs a little more fleshing out. Keep at it, Aracnofobia! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
5.5/10

Aracnofobia responds:

Actually, I take the choirs of this trailer And, I make it a sample with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQPiDmT7KI

[Kiss the Boar]

I like the rhythmic appeal of the beginning and the vocals. The texture sounds a little dry, and could use some more atmospheric elements and/or reverb, especially on the vocals. That said, the guitar riffs are really refreshing, and the melodic patterns at :59 are especially nice. There’s a lot of variety in the texture here throughout the first couple of minutes, and I think the piece would’ve benefitted from some more gradual transitions at times, especially at :30. I liked the breakdown at 2:11, and the vocal samples at around 2:30 add an interesting thematic component that I can’t quite reconcile with the different tone of the vocals at the beginning. I also think you overuse the vocals within a given phrase at times. I like the more spacious texture at 3:15-ish, though. In general, I think the drums are a little quiet in this track, but the production quality is still solid. I think there are a lot of different compositional ideas in this piece, and it might benefit the track to consolidate them a bit. The arrangement here can feel a bit choppy at times, although I appreciated the repetition of the first part of the song towards the end. It made things feel a little more full-circle. The variations in the melodic content at around 5:55 are a nice final touch to the compositional direction of the piece. They have an air of finality about them, too. I thought you could’ve had a more creative ending than a fade-out, though. Still, the mood, melodic content, production, and sound design are all really strong here, Djt820! Keep up the good work. ^_^

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
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
8/10

djt820 responds:

I fucking love your reviews man. I feel like I can take something from it. Again, thank you. It's so strange because I felt like the drums here were the loudest I've ever done here! Hahaha. And yes, I try to make "full circle" moments in my arrangements whenever I can. Arranging is my favorite part about music, no matter how scatter brained mine might be, at times.

I got something really different in store for the next round of the competition. Putting the finishing touches on it tomorrow.

[Dovax - RATS]

I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning and the quickening of the rhythmic pace at :07. The melodies at :15 sound nice, and the mix is super clean. The chord progression, transitions, and arrangement of the piece are all a bit cliche, but I enjoyed the build-up into 1:00 and the drop nonetheless. The harmonic content could use more variety, as variations of the same 2 riffs make up most of the moving notes of the piece. The second drop does sound somewhat varied vis-a-vis the first one, but overall my biggest problem here is not the lack of variety but the lack of originality. Still, you’re clearly a talented producer, with some good sound design and atmosphere to boot. Keep at it, Dovax!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
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
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

Dovax responds:

Thanks for taking your time to listen and writing this review, it's an honor to get high scores from you, i thought it was original because i used a dnb drum pattern in a glitchy future bounce song but i guess i was wrong, i will definitely work on that :D

[Wildfire]

I like the smooth synth arpeggios at the beginning and the atmosphere. The reverb is a little excessive at times, and the clap samples sounded a bit cliche, but I’m enjoying the sense of climax into :48. The murky bass at :48 was nice, but I would’ve liked to hear a fuller texture and more melodic content in the first half of the piece. The entrance of the strings at 1:52 is a little sudden, as is the re-entrance of the drums and bass at 2:08. That said, you do a good job with the build-up into 2:24, and the smooth guitar you add there sounds nice, if a little reverb-heavy. The ending is also sudden, and I’m still a bit unnerved about the excessive reverb in general. Overall, the atmosphere and sound design in this piece are really refreshing, but I think you missed a bit of an opportunity to do more with the composition here. Keep at it, JRTH! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

JRTH responds:

Thanks a lot for these exceptional reviews! This song may seem a bit bland or transition-less in places because there is a vocal track that the song was designed around - the vocal track was so good that the track was meant to compliment the voice, rather than the track to stand on its own - but I thought why not upload the instrumental here to see what people think!

All the feedback has been taken on board and again, very appreciated.

[Junkie]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the blissful vibe of the initial melody. The pause at :14 was a bit awkward; I would’ve at least let the reverb bridge the gap there. That said, I’m enjoying the melodic content at :15, even if the drum samples are pretty generic. The drop is pretty cool, and I really like the melodic content at 1:15. I can hear the drums struggling to cut through the mix, though. Some stricter equalization and compression might be in order. It might even be more of a volume issue than a mastering issue, really. The atmospheric part at 1:48 is really nice, and I like how you left a lot of room for contrast with the second drop. The variations at the second drop were nice, and I found the rhythmic content consistently engaging. The piano outro was a nice touch, too. Overall, nice work with the production, drops, melodic content, and atmosphere. I have some minor issues with the progression, mixing, and originality (especially of the arrangement), but this piece is solid work in my book. Keep at it, Plygon! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10

Plygon responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review! I really appreciate the feedback!

[Finger Paint]

I like the sassy strings at the beginning and the emotional quality to the harmonies by around :15. The texture is well-balanced, and the choir at :35 is a valuable addition to the texture as well. I like the beat at :56 and the cute synths and sub-bass. The drum samples sound pretty unique, too. Great sound design here overall. I would’ve appreciated some more melodic content at the climactic points of this piece, though, and I thought the transition at 1:43 was a little sudden. Overall, the structure works really well here, although I would’ve liked to see a little more harmonic variety towards the end to really drive this piece home. Still, the mixing and mastering, sound design, atmosphere, and drum beats are really cool here! Keep it up, CANDYdisturber! ^_^

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
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

CANDYdisturber responds:

Very thorough review; thank you for the critiques!