TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Ola gyro gyrizoun]

I like the chill guitars at the beginning and the melodic content. The lyrics at :36 don’t have the best recording quality, but I really like the vocals themselves. They sound soulful and expressive. I’d love a translation of the lyrics if you get the chance, too. The dreamy, higher-pitched line in the guitars at 1:11 was nice for giving the piece a greater sense of progression despite the minimal texture. At around 1:27, there’s a little distortion in the mix. I’d be careful not to overwhelm the stereo when you’re recording. It couldn’t hurt to turn down the volume knobs a bit before recording, and then use compression or other mastering tools to make them sound louder as needed. The bridge at 1:50 is really soothing, and serves as an emotional high point for the entire the piece. At 2:30, there are a couple of blips, which is probably the guitar strings vibrating against the body of the instrument, but either way it sounded like a bit of a mistake that should’ve been re-recorded or edited out. The instrumental section at the end dragged on for a bit long, especially given that it’s mostly a repetition of the same few chords. I think the part at 2:23 mostly serves as an outro, structurally-speaking. I would suggest either fading it out after around 2:50 or at least launching some new melodic material to accompany the chord progression later on. You also probably could’ve edited out the last minute or so of relative silence, during which I can hear the metronome you used during recording as well. Still, this piece is quite strong overall. Despite the slight recording mistakes and my detail-oriented structural gripes, you’re clearly a talented guitarist and vocalist, with a good sense of melody and progression to boot. Keep up the good work, Thetakis! ^_^

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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Thetakis responds:

Thank you very much for the Details:)
at 0:46 barfood i run at this beach, here the people have camped at night they make fires and sing 1:10 "Stoped clocks in tha sand, and time have no matter, at this world exist no losers ,cause Earth we all dance around the some "fire".....

[Time Paradox]

I like the peaceful mood at the beginning, even if the string samples sound a bit inauthentic given the uniform vibrato and such. I like the addition of the bass at :27; it really helps fill out the texture. There’s a good sense of build starting at :51, too. The drum samples, especially the snare, are a little generic, and the piece is pretty over-compressed. The climax at 1:18 sounds really full and rich, but not quite as energetic as I was anticipating given the build-up. The mid-range bass at 1:42 is a nice touch, and I like the emotional appeal of the strings here overall. The breakdown at 2:08 is nice, and the piano arpeggios in the background add a somber tone to the string drone. The build-up at 2:33 sounds very similar to the other one, and I think the punchy pads at 2:59 clash a bit with the overall relaxed vibe of the strings. I think the string melodies are also due for a little more variety towards the end of this piece. The emotional appeal of the outro was a nice touch, although I think the transition into it was pretty abrupt. Overall, I think the composition and atmosphere are really strong, but there’s room for a little more balance and blending in the mix and originality in the arrangement and progression. Keep at it, Serfab! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.75/10

Serfab responds:

Well thanks for the support.
I make it the most melodical as possible, i am more inclinated more to the chillstep or ambient music than Melodic Dubstep.
The sounds are pretty simples, making unique music in mobile is so hard and i need to experiment with it to found my own style,
Normaly It takes a lot of time.
Anyways, thanks for your support and for tell me what i should to be better:)

[Sunset]

I like the refreshing chords at the beginning and the sense of atmosphere and build. The vocal samples at :15 are cute, although I think there’s a bit too much reverb in the texture at this point. The blissful mood is fun, and the melodic content at :45 is strong. That said, the sound design, arrangement, and chord progression are pretty generic. I think the vocals at 1:16 get a little lost in the mix, and removing some of the reverb here and doing more with panning, stereo widening, and the like should help alleviate that problem. I like the bridge section at 1:37, and the vocal sample at 2:05 made me smile. I wish you would’ve varied the cutesy vocals and melodies towards the end a little more, but overall the piece comes together pretty well, and the filters at 3:05 are a nice touch. Throughout the piece, I think you could’ve done some more creative work with the drums, and some sort of outro might’ve been nice to wind down the energy and drive of the last refrain. Overall, this is solid work. Despite my issues with the mixing and lack of originality, you clearly have a good sense of melody and harmony, sound design, and atmosphere. Keep at it, Semicedevine! :)

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
.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
7.5/10

Semicedevine responds:

Got it, next song will have more unique sound design and variation on drums

ty for write-up! xD

[Neon Void]

I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the instrumentation. The smooth pads, synth bass, and cheesy drum samples at :16 combine well. That said, the panning on the drums was a bit excessive imo. The piece is a little slow to progress, but the mastering quality is solid. The synth at :52 struck me as a tad cheesy, but it fits along well with the 80s vibe of the rest of the track. This piece is missing some prominent melodic content for the first half or so, but there’s still a nice, gradual sense of progression. I like the breakdown at 2:04, although at some point I would’ve liked to see you change up the chord progression and really aim for some structural contrast here. The synth lead that fades in at around 2:20 has a lot of melodic motion about it, but it’s still very in-the-chords and doesn’t provide the kind of catharsis I crave in the midst of all the escalating tension throughout most of the piece. This tension is even exacerbated by the lead synth as it gradually gets louder. The various elements of the piece come together well at 3:20, and, despite my typical branding of fade-out endings as lazy and overused, the abbreviated one here actually works quite well. The presence of the pads at the end in isolation feels like the only point of resolve this track is willing to provide, which in a way fits the way the tension in the piece never quite boils over. Overall, solid work! Despite my criticism, this piece has strong production, a really solemn moodiness, a pleasant atmosphere and texture, and a cool progression. Keep at it, RealGamja! ^_^

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
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
8.75/10

RealGamja responds:

Wow, this is a really detailed review, thanks for going into so much depth!

[Etched Bow]

I like the quirky percussion and funky guitars. The rhythmic content is really pleasing, and the piece has a great sense of flow and energy alike. Some of the prominent chord progressions in the piece are a tad repetitive or cliche, like at :31. I also would’ve liked to hear some more prominent melodic content that stood out from the rhythmic textures. I think you needed to include some variation on the main riffs later in the piece in order to keep me engaged, too. The plucked bass riff at 2:05 was a good idea for an outro, but I thought the fade-out came across as a bit lazy. That said, the production quality here is top-notch. There’s a good balance of frequencies here, with a loud mix and tasteful amount of reverb to boot. It would’ve been nice to introduce a more legato element to the texture at some point, though, as everything in the instrumental palette can sound relatively percussive throughout. Still, the sound design in this piece is really fun, the adventurous mood is great, and overall there’s a lot of creative energy in this piece. Keep at it, Petrol4brains! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
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
8.5/10

Petrol4brains responds:

Wow, thanks for the review! Really going to try working to improve my future songs based on your feedback for sure.

[Ecarsa (Part 2: The Redemption)]

I like the funky bass at the beginning, even if it’s a bit dry. I’d encourage you to be careful about putting so much reverb on the kick at :08. It can make your mix sound pretty muddy if the texture is thick enough. That said, I didn’t notice any huge problems with the mixing, besides it being a tad quiet. I think the texture is a little bottom-heavy at times, without a lot of mid and treble-range tones. The texture also consists of a lot of catchy, albeit repetitive, riffs that don’t have a lot of forward motion to them. Perhaps fittingly, there are a couple of jarring transitions here that you use to bridge the gap between sections, like at 1:32.

I like the frantic harmonies and the rhythmic content, but I wanted to see you give the piece some more shape - ebb and flow over time will help maximize the emotional appeal of your piece, which is especially important for keeping your audience engaged with such a long piece as this one. Nevertheless, I like the gradual build in intensity with the percussive instruments at 2:05. I think that’s a good start towards establishing the kind of dynamic composition I’m looking for. That said, the transition at 2:05 only really served to introduce what I thought was a pretty clunky snare sample at 2:18, instead of taking the harmonic material in a meaningful new direction.

I’m beginning to think that you should try consolidating some of your compositional ideas here. I think it’s helpful to envision a story while you’re making your piece. If your story is a movie, and I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the movie, I might choose to go somewhere in this middle section of 1:32-4:13. I think there’s very little sense of direction for most of that section, especially in the harmony, and even during transitory moments to the sub-sections, there isn’t a sense of gradual build and flow but of sudden entrance and interruption. Try to think about the “going to the bathroom during a movie” analogy when you’re making your piece, and cut out repetitive or structurally flat content as necessary.

One thing I like about this middle section, though, is the creative drum beat at 3:43. It has a great sense of drive about it, and while 4:13 is another abrupt transition, I feel like the piece has come together more so at around the 4-minute mark than anywhere else. What’s still missing is some strong melodic content (I think the melodies in here now are a little too frantic and fleeting to satisfy my melodic craving) and smooth transitions.

I thought the two-part fade-out ending you had in here was a little bizarre. I momentarily appreciated the idea of a “return to the solo bassline” like you had in the beginning, but I think it would’ve worked better if you had cut off the bassline on the downbeat after the melodic instrument fade-out and ended the piece like that. It probably also would’ve sounded smoother if you had some more reverb or delay effects on the melodic instruments, so that the first fade-out feels more gradual atmosphere-wise than it is note-wise.

Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here. The melodic riffs are catchy, the production quality is solid, and the sound design, while a bit cheesy, fits the thematic content well enough. You just needed a bit more of a “flexible” feel to your composition and arrangement that wasn’t quite there, and some more mixing effects could really enhance the sound design and atmosphere of the piece. Keep at it, PanBat! :)

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
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6.25/10

PanBat responds:

thank you for this critique. very constructive and helpful, really helped open my eyes to what i could have done better

[Welcome To The Matrix]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Some of the synths sound a bit murky, like the low-mid pad at :05. I can’t tell if that’s just the sample quality or the mix is making it sound watery. There’s a good sense of atmosphere here overall, the drums are a bit dry and could probably use a little more reverb. The progression is pretty bizarre after a while, and the texture remains quite minimal for most of the piece. There are more cheesy synths at 1:01, and the snare at 1:12 sounds way too over-saturated in the mix. The progression here is pretty haphazard, and doesn’t feel like it has a very strong sense of direction. A lot of the individual riffs are catchy and neat, but I’m not getting a strong sense of storytelling or climax and resolve from this piece. It needs a little more harmonic depth, gradual structuring techniques, and tighter mixing. Next time, I think you should try considering the way your piece is arranged - both structurally and harmonically - before you start composing the notes. Try to create richer textures by thinking about several chords that sound good together in a progression, and then constructing riffs and patterns that connect the harmonies in those chords over time. Still, this piece certainly has its merits. I like the mood and atmosphere, as I mentioned before, and on their own, the synth patterns you have here sound good. Keep at it, Kyuki! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
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
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4/10

Kyuki responds:

Thank you for giving some detail on the scoring of the piece. This was actually my first piece (song) ever originally created. Thank you for your input!

[Yokai [Sunward Isles]]

I like the dramatic strings at the beginning and the foreboding church bells. The percussion here is great, and the mix is loud and clear. I love all the subtle swells of strings and the variety in the instrumentation. The eastern-sounding instruments during the second half are great, and the melodic content helps heighten the tension of the piece. There are only a few small things I dare complain about here: first, there’s never really either a resolve to the apprehensive mood of the piece, nor is there a great climax of tension towards the end. I think you could’ve really hit this piece home with a final, soaring melodic phrase or influx of intensity that wraps up the storyline of the piece. The ending also cuts off a bit suddenly, although that’s a tiny detail in the grand scheme of things. Lastly, the mix is a bit wide for my tastes, but perhaps that’s just the price one pays for such a sharp and clear production quality. The composition of the piece is also fantastic. There are a lot of good cinematic composers on Newgrounds, but I think you have the Underdogs group won in that genre. Keep up the great work, KrianMusic! ^_^

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.5/10

KrianMusic responds:

Thanks a ton! We've known eachother for some time but i deleted my old account, also sorry i COMPLETELY forgot about the entire competition happening.

Mainly it goes nowhere/final climax, because it's intended for in-game looping and heard repeatedly for like god knows how long

[Ricochet]

I like the sassy strings at the beginning. The mix is a bit too loud, though. It might help to lower some of the volume levels here. The murky bass at :16 is a nice addition to the texture, although the mix feels a bit bottom-heavy because of it. I’d recommend adding some high-pass filters or more careful equalization to make the texture sound cleaner and less distorted. The melodic content at :54 is great, though, and you clearly have a great sense of harmony and progression. Sometimes, it felt like the piece needed some sort of percussion to keep it moving along, or at least some reverb or something to make the string melodies sound a tad less dry. Overall, my main problem with the piece is definitely the production quality. Do you hear how muddy the texture sounds at busy places like :32? I think that’s largely because you have several instruments in here that are fighting for attention in the same frequency ranges, resulting in distortion of the audio output. You can fix that by using filters (often called “EQs” or “equalizers” in digital audio workstations) to remove overtones that are shared between different instruments. The range that’s really going to make your track sound muddy if it’s too crowded is any frequency lower than 200 Hertz or so. I’d strongly recommend removing those frequencies in every instrument except the bass here. You might even consider transposing the low string part up an octave to further separate that instrument from the muddy bass tones. After you clean up the distortion with an equalizer, there’ll be more room in your mix for cool effects like reverb and delay, but equalization is a good place to start. Otherwise, I really like the composition and sound design here. You’re clearly a talented composer. I think you just need to use a broader swath of production tools you have at your disposal in your DAW. Keep at it, Joe-Mega! :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.25/2
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
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.75/10

Joe-Mega responds:

Dang, this is the most thorough and helpful criticism I've ever seen. Well it's fully noted. Mixing will be my next hill to climb. Thanks for the help man I really appreciate it.

[Metric]

I like the smooth guitars at the beginning and the dreamy atmosphere. The crisp drums are cool too, and when the bass comes in and the intensity increases at :26 the progression really comes together too. The melodic content here is really refreshing, and the descent into a more atmospheric vibe at 1:10 sounds like a daydream in the middle of a hectic workday (i.e., awesome). The breakdown at 1:46 is really pleasant, too, and the melodic content thereafter is so dynamic and cool. You really told a story with this one. Wow. If I had to complain about something, it might be that the plethora of melodic content and constant driving energy of this piece compromises its sense of cohesion and structural contrast a tad. Still, the progression is so smooth that none of those nit-picky structural complaints actually bother me that much. Amazing production quality, sound design, atmosphere, rhythmic and melodic content, and sense of shape and flow. This piece is awesome and you should feel awesome. Keep up the good work, Introverse! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
10/10

Introverse responds:

Thank you for awesome feedback. It's awesome to have some recognition on my childhood's favorite site :D. I really appreciate it. Cheers, hope to see you at the next round.