TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Buzzer]

I like the catchy bass riff at the beginning. I think the bass is seriously distorting the drums in the mix, though. I think you should explore using tools like filtering, compression, and the like to add more clarity to the texture here. That’ll help make your drums punchier and the entire mix less muddy in the bass range. While there are definitely some good ideas with the bass riffs, the composition is otherwise quite lacking. There’s not a lot of mid-range or treble tones anywhere in the piece, and very little melodic content or meaningful progression of ideas. I think you should try layering more harmonic material on top of the existing notes you have to add some complexity and a sense of direction to your track. It’s clear to me that you have a good sense of rhythm and flow, but it’s hard for me to assess a wide range of compositional skills from this track because there’s just not much variety in the piece. There are also several points, like :22 and 1:15, where stereo distortion (also called peaking or clipping) is clearly audible, which is a sign that you haven’t put a lot of effort into mixing and mastering your track. In FL Studio, you want to press F9, remove the limiter from the master channel on the window that pops up, and turn down the volume levels when you first begin your project. Then, you can use some of the tools I mentioned earlier, like compression, to increase the loudness and thickness of the texture after you finish the composition. I know all of this probably sounds really overwhelming, but honestly on Newgrounds the best indicator of popularity is decent mixing and sound design. Please PM me if you don’t understand something that I’ve written about today, or you just have further general questions. I hope you keep working on this piece, and also that you understand that creating a complete and polished track might require a little more effort. Best of luck! Let me know how I can continue to help you going forward. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
2.5/10

ChoNoTuTe responds:

Thanks for your feedback! Actually I made this track using 1 troll tutorial from Youtube. I know that this song isn't the best quality.

[REPEAT]

The vocals at the beginning sound pretty haunting, and really set the tone for the rest of the track. The distortion and vocal layering here is really nice, and I like the moment of contrast when the vocals finally ascend to earth from Satan’s cradle at :17. It almost has a sugary pop sound all of a sudden, and your voice gives a simultaneously innocent, inquisitive, and intelligent angle to the subject matter of the lyrics. The crisp drums and instrumental breaks are also valuable additions to the texture, and I love how you manage to make the theremin (the ultimate creepy, haunting instrument) sound just as sweet and sing-songy as the persona the narrator has taken on in the chorus. At around 1:20, the syllables in the lyrics don’t quite fit the beat pattern all that well, especially at “happen from the start.” The combination of the atmosphere and re-introduction of the horror elements at the 2-minute mark are great. The key change at 2:20 could’ve been a bit more subtle, but overall I love the flowing aspect of that section, and you transition back into the last refrain quite effectively. Great job with incorporating the distortion into the refrain at the end. The coda felt a tad drawn out, but I really like how the piece comes together with the emotional appeal of the piano there. Overall, this piece is fantastic. Strong production quality, structuring, compositional details, thematic elements, sound design, and atmosphere.

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?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.75/10

BeoWeapon responds:

I'M SO BLESSED THAT YOU GAVE ME A REALLY POSITIVE REVIEW! THANK YOU SO MUCH
I have the song on youtube if you're interested of supporting my channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sSEr4_uTxc

[Summer is coming]

I like the blissful mood at the beginning. The synths are cute, if a little cheesy, and the underlying pulse to the piece really helps drive it forward. At the end of your little 2-bar mini-phrases at the beginning, the piece occasionally descends into atonality, if only for a split second. I also think the melodic content doesn’t feel very dynamic. Rather, you’re repeating 2-bar mini-phrases with slight variations at the end, which makes for a predictable arc to the overarching refrain. That’s a little detail-oriented of me, though. I like the filtering work at :38, and it leads well into another more climactic melodic section around the 1-minute mark. The change of instrumentation at 1:16 was a little sudden, but the tempo changes at 1:29 breathed new life into the piece. The minimal section helped push the reset button on the track a bit, which was refreshing after a rather fast pace of progression for the first couple of minutes. The piece came full-circle by the end, although I think a final climax like that of 1:00 would’ve hit the piece home more. Still, there are some really creative and appealing compositional details of this piece. One gripe I have with the production, however, is that at times the mix feels really thin and dry. I think the drums could’ve used some more reverb/delay effects, and I would suggest some more advanced techniques like stereo widening to get a thicker texture out of your existing instruments. The mix is still loud and generally clear, although I think the clap was fighting to push its way to the front at 1:30 a bit. Overall, solid work with the composition, sound design, and atmosphere. A lot of my complaints are more “missed opportunities” than things that actively bothered me, which is a good sign. Keep it up, BBouthillette!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
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
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

BBouthillette responds:

Thank you for your feedback! In fact, the tempo increase gradually from 1:16 to 1:40 if you look my LMMS project. After that, the tempo decrease until 1:46.

[Miracle Days]

I like the smooth bass at the beginning, even if the progression is a bit cliche. The beat has some cool rhythmic elements, although I think the particular samples you chose sound a bit harsh at times. The drums are also pretty dry, which is a pretty easy fix with a little reverb. The string samples at :24 and beyond sound really fake. You’re probably better off replacing them with something that’s meant to sound synthetic. I like the melodic content and the emotional appeal of the guitar at :43. The stop-start transition at 1:23 was a good idea, and the piece comes together a lot more after that. I think some of the high-pitched strings you have at 1:24 sound a tad grating in my headphones, which you can fix by removing some of the higher tones with an equalizer or other filtering tool. The overarching progression of this piece is nice, and I like how you saved the most climactic section for the end, but I think sometimes the phrases felt a little pasted-together, as opposed to using a gradual build-up, dynamics change, or subtle harmony shift to bridge the gap. My main problems with the piece are probably the inauthentic and to some extent generic-sounding instruments, as well as the lack of originality in the chord progression and arrangement. That said, there are a lot of compositional strengths here. You clearly have a good sense of harmony and structuring, and you channel the emotion really well with elements of the sound design and transitions. Keep at it, Aecis!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
6.25/10

Aecis responds:

THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS SO DETAILED! I will read this many many times over

[Earthquake]

I like the melodic content at the beginning, but the percussion came across a bit too strong in my opinion. It’s a combination of the cheesy effects (like at :34) and overcompression that makes some of the drum samples sound a bit too harsh in my headphones. I’d suggest cleaning that up with a less stringent approach to mastering that emphasizes balance and blending among the instruments more so than loudness. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the climax into the drop at 1:00, although I found the drop to be a bit harmonically empty and repetitive. The post-chorus at 1:48 was a nice touch, but I found that the synths didn’t come through the mix very well compared with the drums, which have a lot of reverb and space in the frequency range of the piece until about 2:10. It’s also around this time that you really start to overuse the riff at 2:22. I do like the melodic content and progression of the piece, and despite my issues with your mixing approach you’ve largely achieved your goals of loudness and clarity. I appreciated the pitch-bending you added to the second drop at 3:17 for variety, but I might suggest adding more substantive harmonic changes to the drop in the future. Other strong elements of the piece include the melodic synths, which have this really sweet and victorious sound to them, and the transitions, which employ a satisfying build-up and drop paradigm. Overall, the piece feels a bit pasted-together, with a lot of riffs repeated throughout in predictable locations within a phrase, and the brick-wall limiting gives the texture a really harsh edge, even during the blissful parts. These are my two main complaints, but there’s real potential here in the sound design, melodic content, and clarity of the mix. Keep at it, AceTAD!

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
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

AceTAD responds:

Thanks! Even if I didn't pass the competition, at least I tried lol.

[Abandoned Facility]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning. Has a good sense of atmosphere. The bass guitar that comes in at :10 is a little dry by comparison to the rest of the sound design, though, so it really sticks out. I really like the swells of the creepy ambient swells throughout the mini-phrases in the first 45 seconds. The distortion and added intensity at :50 was a nice touch. I think the piano sample you used was a bit generic. Sounds a lot like FL Keys. I also think there’s some more room for clarity in the mix during the busier part. I wanted the piano to come through a little stronger at times. The sudden transition into the breakdown at 1:30 fits the piece well, but the frantic riff at 1:35 came across as very experimental and a little anti-climactic. I would’ve preferred to hear some sort of memorable melody that helps give the piece a stronger sense of progression. The beat at 2:02 was a pleasant addition to the texture that keeps things moving along during the second half, despite the lack of harmonically novel material. It seems like you didn’t add a lot of new content at the end, which I think was a mistake. There’s a lot of tension and apprehension in this piece, and I would’ve liked to see that tension either escalate notably or resolve at some point, either via a bridge, coda, climactic section, or otherwise. Despite these advanced compositional concerns, this piece has an engrossing mood and atmosphere. Overall, the texture is well-balanced and full, and despite the lack of harmonic depth doesn’t strike me as too minimalistic or underwhelming. Strong thematic content here, too - it easily puts an image into my head. My main concerns here are mostly in the overarching compositional details. Otherwise, solid work! Keep it up, 4203. :)

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
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?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10

4203 responds:

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! Will try to improve more next time

[Xtrullor - Arcana (Tennon Remix)]

Sorry for the super slow response, man! I really like the sound design and soothing collage of riffs at the beginning. They kinda bleed into each other in a really smooth way. The percussion at :33 is a strong follow-up, and the atmosphere and full texture really sell this piece. It has a couple of sudden mood changes, notably the drop at 1:48, but overall the progression and transitions are quite pleasing. The mix is very loud and clear. You clearly spent a lot of time on the production here. The "principal" breakdown at around 2:30 was nice, especially with the sweeping strings at 2:45. I think you cycle through some instrumental themes a bit too quickly during this section. The piece loses its sense of direction for a while until you bring back the instrumental hierarchy of the first climax at around 3:15. Overall, really strong work here. You took a lot of compositional risks here, and most of them certainly pay off. This piece sounds like a journey. Keep up the good work, Tennon! ^_^

Tennon responds:

You just reminded me of how shitty am I at transitions and thats a big issue! I love your reviews, cuz they never lack anything!

[wdrfl_lst]

I like the sound design. Sounds like a slow-mo alien invasion. Some of the instruments, especially the one at :35, might've had a bit too much treble left on them in the equalizer. I also thought you overused that radio effect that comes in on the downbeat starting at :48. Still, cool stuff. Dreamy atmosphere and strong sense of harmony. Keep at it, man! ^_^

trevor8 responds:

Thanks!