TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[A Dream Where My Teeth Fall Out]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning and the melodic content. The vocals at :18 are really smooth, but the mixing effects on them are a bit heavy, to the point that I have trouble making out the lyrics. Part of the problem might be the synth arpeggios that play along with the vocals, but either way that’s a relatively small detail. The funky synth at 1:10 is awesome, and I love how you fill the texture mostly with the atmospheric content here. The vocals and melodies really keep things engaging, and the sound design is strong as well. I think you could’ve done a bit more with the drums, though - they seemed to be a pretty straight kick-snare-kick-snare for most of the piece. I also would’ve liked to hear a little more variation on the vocal phrases. Still, the quirky instruments, atmosphere, and mood of this one are really cool. I’d love to see the lyrics, too, if I could bother you to put them in the author’s description. :) Strong work overall, Drewpy! ^_^

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
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
9.25/10

Drewpy responds:

Thanks so much for the feedback! I added lyrics in the description :D

[FTW]

I like the rhythmic content and scattato nature of the synths. The drum beat is also pretty catchy. A lot of the synths are pretty cheesy and dry, though. I think it would’ve helped if you used some more reverb or something. The harmonies at :15 clash a bit, though, and I’m not sure you were going for an atonal harmonic framework in an otherwise blissful-sounding piece. The drop at :45 was pretty cool, although I think the drums could’ve been a little louder there. The transition at 1:15 was a little sudden, and the texture there is really minimal, just like the intro. In fact, there are a couple more abrupt transitions here too, like 1:29 and 2:03. The composition and arrangement of this piece seems a bit choppy at times. You oscillate between several different combinations of repetitive riffs, but the overarching composition doesn’t feel very dynamic or well-varied. I think you need to consolidate some of your ideas a bit while also focusing on creating a stronger harmonic paradigm for your piece. I’d suggest making a chord progression of 4-6 chords that sound good together, and then using only notes from those chords to create harmonic patterns to accompany them. Once you feel like you’ve written a piece that does that, feel free to PM me and I’ll leave you another review. Until then, the composition here feels a bit thrown-together, although I still like the catchy beats and atmosphere at the drops. Keep at it, DistortedVortex! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
4.5/10

DistortedVortex responds:

thanks for the constructive feedback

[00FF 84]

I like the funky synths at the beginning and the atmosphere. The texture is pretty distorted, and sometimes the rhythms are hard-to-follow. The mix is very loud, but I wish all the elements of the texture sounded a bit more distinct. Part of the problem might be that there’s way too much reverb in the mix. I think a lot of the instruments at 1:15 sound a bit too harsh for my tastes, and the texture also isn’t that well balanced. I think the piece needs a lot more mid-ranged frequencies. Right now, the high-pitched, harsh percussion and bass are dominating the texture for most of the piece. There’s also not a lot of harmonic depth in this piece at all. You simply needed more moving notes in this piece to maximize the potential of the composition here. The mix is also way too loud - instead of just loudness, try prioritizing clarity, blending, and balancing with your production a little more. The silence at 4:08 was a bit awkward, and then the gritty techno sounds that came after seemed to completely switch out most of the instrumental tracks of the piece. Overall, I think the piece needs to focus on harmony, melody, and meaningful progression a lot more than rhythm, loudness, and variety. The arrangement of the piece sounds choppy, and the sound design sounds jarring. I’d highly encourage you to consolidate some of your compositional ideas here and create some more tonal, coherent music. Sorry to be so harsh, but this piece just isn’t my cup of tea. Good luck with your future projects, Geonb. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
0/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
0/2
Instrumentation and sound design
0/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
0/1
Composite score
1/10

geonb responds:

You are welcome!

[Schwarzenegger Incoming]

I like the pensive and anticipatory mood at the beginning. The piece is a little slow to progress, and some of the synths are pretty cheesy, but I like the synth bass and the lead one at :51. That synth at :51 sounds like something out of a 1980s documentary about space. The bass and drums at 1:06 are a little too over-saturated in the mix, and at some point I wanted to hear some stronger melodic content here. The melody at 1:21 was pretty good, although the synth that plays it sounds a little too thin and harsh in the upper register. I also think there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture, and also that the kick doesn’t cut through the mix that well during the busier sections. The texture comes together pretty well by the end, though, and overall I like the atmosphere, progression, and mood here. Keep at it, Manderby!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
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?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Manderby responds:

Thanks TaintedLogic! That was an extensive review with lots of useful information. I agree with your points, and the 80's were definitely a theme. Cheers!

[Remastered: Abendland - Alone I stand]

I like the dramatic fade-in at the beginning and the apprehensive strings. The cinematic vibe of this piece is great, and the orchestration is pretty diverse between the brass, choir, and string section. The emotional appeal of the section at :44 is great, and the climax into :57 was nice. The melodic content here is also quite good, and you’ve got a good sense of harmony and progression. The choir doesn’t quite come through the mix as strongly as I would’ve liked at 1:10, and the same is true of the drums in places, but the samples themselves are of pretty high quality. The composition comes together well towards the end, too, with the final climax at around the 2-minute mark really hitting it home. Strong work here, Abendland! Keep it up. ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
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:

Hey TaintedLogic!
Thanks a lot for your comprehensive feedback! I appreciate it a lot!
Yeah I try to keep it up, even though life tries to keep me busy with other stuff way less fun than making music… :P
Cheers, Chris

[No Rush]

I like the quirky pads at the beginning and the chord progression. The synth at :09 is nice, too, although I think the kick at :20 has way too much treble in the equalizer and reverb in general. Do you notice how the rest of the texture gets really quiet and distorted at 1:35 during the kick rolls? You can fix that with some more mixing tools, especially compression for the kick, tighter filtering work, and maybe some stereo widening on the pads if you’re feeling ambitious. The texture comes together well at :43, but at this point the sloppy mixing is even more apparent by the distorted drums and overly saturated texture. I’d suggest cutting way back on the reverb, especially on the synths, and compressing the drums a lot more to make them sound sharper. The composition is pretty good - a little underwhelming and repetitive - but my main concern here is the mixing. Still, I like the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content of this one. Keep at it, Juliobee! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.5/2
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
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5/10

juliobee responds:

Thanks for the feedback! this was kind of one of my old pieces so there isn't too much synth variety and customised design, but thanks for the feedback!

[F-777 - Flower Bazooka]

I like the bright synths and filtering at the beginning. The crashes sounded a little too heavy to me, and there were elements of the mix that seemed a bit over-compressed, but I’m liking the sense of build into :44 and the blissful melodies. The post-chorus at 1:07 is also really nice. The chord progression is pretty generic, although the energy, melodies, and fun sound design help keep things interesting. Once again, you did a good job with the build-up to the drop at 2:34, although I wish there was a bit more variation in the main melodies there the second time around. I also liked the rhythmic content during the outro. Overall, strong work with the melodies, sound design, production, and atmosphere. I would’ve appreciated a little more variety and originality in the harmonies in arrangement, but at the end of the day there’s a good reason why you’re one of the most well-respected musicians on Newgrounds. Keep up the good work, F-777! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9/10

F-777 responds:

This has got to be the best most accurate review iv ever received.
Thank you so much for your time! I will take these notes :DD.
(and awwwww thank you for the Newgrounds musician comment. But i do give credit to just being on this site for so long XD)

Stay awesome!!!

[Arise and Fight]

I like the warm strings at the beginning. I think there are more creative ways of beginning a piece than that subtle fade-in, but at least it fits the character of the track here. The piece is also a little slow to progress, but I like the vocals at :36 and the sense of climax into 1:05. The horns were a nice touch, too, and the increased energy at 1:10 was really nice. You left a lot of space for contrast here, which is nice. The bell sample at 1:22 sounds a bit clunky. Perhaps it could be equalized or modified differently to remove some of the jittery “aftertaste” it has? That said, I like the brass melodies at 1:41 a lot, although I would’ve preferred a more gradual build into a climactic section like that. There’s a great feeling of catharsis when the strings come in at 2:15, and overall the composition here comes together really well. During the last section, I wish the string harmonies came through the mix a bit better, but overall the production quality is solid here as well. Nice job with maximizing the emotional quality of this piece, AceMantra! I think the sound design and inspiring mood here are my favorite elements of it. Keep up the good work. ^_^

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
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
9.25/10

AceMantra responds:

Hey, thank you so much for the in depth review! I know you had a lot to cover and still more to come.

Cheers!

[Glowing Beach]

I like the quirky, distorted synths at the beginning, although I think the drums at :10 are a little over-compressed, especially the clap. The harmonies come together well by :30 or so, but the short-lived piano riff at :21 confused me a bit as to the direction of this piece. There are a lot of different compositional ideas here, joined by jarring, sudden transitions. The arrangement overall sounds really choppy, and while I like the mood and harmonies overall, the sound design can be a tad cheesy at times and the composition feels very thrown-together. The sudden ending doesn’t help with that concept, either. Overall, this is a good start. You’ve got a number of fun harmonic ideas here, but you needed a stronger sense of flow and direction in the texture in order for this to feel like a cohesive piece. Keep at it, HoneyNutCheerios! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6/10

TheOGGriper responds:

Thank you, I truly appreciate the feedback