TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!

[endK - Fragments]

I like the atmospheric vibe at the beginning and the sound design. Nice job with the filtering in the pads too. Mix is really loud, clear, and bright. Definitely has a summery feel. The bass at :47 is really soothing, and the beat keeps things moving along nicely. It might be missing some melodic content for most of the first half, but the variety in the texture is good at keeping me engaged regardless. I like the cello at 1:45 (and other places). I think an extended melodic section could've really hit this piece home, but it never really comes. That's my one big critique with this piece. I also would've liked to see you vary the cello riff a little more. That said, I like the airy spaciousness of the breakdown at the 3-minute mark. The ending was a tad abrupt, but overall the mood and atmosphere are what really sells this piece. Sounds like classy hotel lounge music. Keep it up, EndK! Enjoy your vacation. :)

endKmusic responds:

Yeah, I'm used to having 300 different melodies in my pieces.
I'm currently in the mood of trying to let's say 'control' myself with tons of instruments / things happening so that I can focus on individual instruments + have time to make them sound how I want rather than overloading the playlist with patterns.
Also I wanted this piece to be kinda minimalistic, but nevertheless I agree with you on the 'melodic section that never comes'.
Note taken and thanks for the review TL! :)

[Juizzy Fruits - Opening Theme (Fahad Lami Cover)]

The tempo seems to be a bit fast. Hard to follow the harmonies at times, and the rhythm is quite square in the lead. Still, I like the sound design and mastering. Production is totally clean, and I can hear all the instruments clearly throughout. I liked the little breakdown section at 1:25 and the somewhat atonal piano notes layered on top shortly thereafter. Overall, it's a well-structured piece and, while it was missing a major climax at the end, I'm impressed with your mixing skills and instrumentation. You earned yourself a scout. Keep up the good work, man!

FahadLami-NG responds:

Thank you. :D

[The Human Salvation Project]

I like the cute synths at the beginning and the melodies. A lot of the drum samples seem pretty generic, and the piano could've sounded more authentic, but I like the constant arpeggios throughout. Nice job with the structuring and flow, although the piece sounded like it was just getting to its climax before it ended. I'd love to see you do more with this. Lmk if you need some more pointers with FL Studio. Keep at it, man! ^^

Godlimations responds:

Thank you! I’m not quite sure yet how to break it out with the drum beat but hopefully it improves in future. I can definitely do with some Pointers!