xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Golden Lobster]

0:00 Nice synthy starting. The reverb is nice, but may be a bit too much.
0:20 It is pretty ambient though.
0:30 Drums are sufficient. They don't hit *hard*, but they're good enough.
0:48 Yes. This refrain is really good. You need to bring the hype up with some sweet swishes though, and bring it up to a satisfyingly epic climax.
1:17 Right now is where it should build up. Have some crazy SFX and crap to bring that right out of there.
1:34 More swooshes!
1:40 I can hear it, but we need more!
1:51 I get that it's progressive, but I think you need to vary it up a bit.
2:15 Nice claps you bring in.
2:22 Those snares need to be louder.
2:35 More buildup please.

OK I think I've heard all I need to. This song needs a bit more energy, nice swooshes and hype-builders, perhaps a drop, some kick EQ to make it more bombastic, and generally... well, hype. I can see that it's really good musically and all, but for it to connect with the soul and the "hype-gland", we need those fancy FXs, bro. Or at least I feel like I do. Other than that you've got it musically down pat, might just need to be a bit more *progressive*. Good stuff.

Benny

cannibalcurator responds:

It loops at 1:17 with no difference between the loops. I'm honestly not sure what progressive means. I did re-export the song based on some of your points but left some other parts alone as typically don't like the sound of crowding effects. It is meant to be an ambient loop and not a full track so adding hype/drops wasn't my original intention for the song. Thanks for the review.

[Flatulent Submissions]

0:05 Oh my gosh that bass. Too overwhelming.
0:17 That synth. You really went overboard on the 80's-cop-drama VST pack didn't you?
0:47 Bit repetitive dood.
0:55 I like this breakdown.
0:57 No! Why did you ruin it!

You need to keep going. That last snippet where there was like just a pad and the synth. I liked that. That could be your refrain. I mean, I know this is a joke, and the synth's too loud, but it still sounds good. Just... structure :I

zigzag

Gobblemeister responds:

i feel that

[Timeless]

0:00 Orchestral strings and a steady building gat synth amp this.
0:23 Automations provide interest, build-up is steady.
0:33 I wasn't expecting a I chord there. Strange yet satisfying, if only a bit repetitive.
0:53 Incoming melody please.
1:04 What is this? A refrain? Very soothing, but a bit sudden.
1:18 Dem building gat synths.
1:30 Well it is building up.
1:42 Same build-up, different feel. A recapitulation of sorts.
1:54 This time it feels less forced. More expected. Nice background listening music.
2:25 Then again I can just imagine Flo Rida on this. You should try putting a Flo Rida acapella on it just for fun.

Steady, lilting techno-pop. Danceable, if not exciting. A bit mellow, and I usually like things on the mellow side, but this was almost too mellow. But it was well-mixed, well-produced, and it had a predictable structure as well as rise-fall mechanics. Chords may be a tad repetitive, since you're just switching between the I and IV chords I think. But nevertheless, nice release.

ForeverBound responds:

actually I'm atm more aiming on some more mainstream songs which u hear on the radio :)
Still looking for somebody who can sing and is willing to collab with me. I also think that the songs are getting less bored then because u have the vocals ;)

[Less Than Zero]

0:00 Hi-hats in the background, a weird noisy signal.
0:10 Wow. Very loud. Distorted drums. A siren.
0:19 Bass that hits pretty hard. Reminds me a bit of Aphex Twin actually.
0:35 Ooh sidechain. I hear the acoustic piano.
0:54 Interesting refrain. The synth that kind of modulates in pitch brings a unique flair to the song.
1:20 More piano.
1:30 Oh snap. That piano is so distorted is not funny. I kind of like it, but not. Too much clipping can be a bad thing, you know?
1:51 Very nice riff, would be nice if it had different parts to it.
2:08 This is pretty intricate. I do enjoy the snare riffs and such.
2:20 Fading off. Wonder if it will come back.
2:28 More gat-synth stuff.
2:35 Ooh. Sounds like ringtones mixed in with that kick. A bit random, though. I don't see the structure here.
2:56 Lol. Oh I see, it's a heart machine. And now it comes back to life. Interesting concept.
3:17 A crash delayed/sidechained/whatever. And then it comes back for a finale. A bit abrupt, but interesting nonetheless.
3:42 And I'm guessing it's just gonna fade out like this. Nicely done.

Well there's a lot of distortion and weird stuff in here. The concept of a heartbeat, a heart rate monitor of some sorts. Starts off fast and distorted, then slows down to something more minimal, before halting to a stop. And then starting again. The mixing has a lot of distortion, which has its effect, but it's also harsh on the ears. You may want to work on that. Overall vibrant piece with a lot of experimental stuff thrown in. Cool.

xxxZigZagxxx

Aethertigris responds:

I'll try to ease up on the distortion. Thank you!! I won't scrap this, then.

[Radiance]

0:00 Starting up. Nice fading in effect.
0:10 I hear those riff melodies coming in. Very happy and ecstatic.
0:20 Ambient kind of. Drums are bit quiet, the low-mids (i think) are a bit overwhelming)
0:40 Very calm and soothing
0:46 Only a little bit repetitive :)
1:00 Nice little change up in here. When you remove that synth that used to be there you free up a lot of sonic space
1:15 ooh nice harmonies and stuff
1:21 Haha I heard that vocoding-type thing
1:30 Not sure about this part. I do like that you're changing it up, using automation filters and stuff.
1:58 Sounds like an underwater synth. I can hear the bass chugging along there. nice if you varied it up.
2:16 Soft and soothing.
2:27 I like those synths that kind of fade in and out. Provide a good interesting embellishment.
2:42 Now it's starting to warm up. I would've liked more of this earlier on to make things interesting.
2:57 Fading out nicely. well done.

This is a slightly repetitive song that you can play in the background while studying or something. Nice automation and stuff, and instruments. Things started to get interesting towards the end, I'd have liked to hear more of that towards the start since that's what most people listen to anyway. Overall decent song with nice dynamics, could use some excitement/flair.

Cheers
xxxZigZagxxx

Synthapse responds:

thx for your review i'll take in account some of your points in the future.

[No Sleep.]

Really cool. I do like the rawness of it all. The snare hit is really cool. The guitar in the background, doing the riffs and stuff, reminds me of the XX. You should do an XX-style minimalist song. Really good tho :D

KittenBeat responds:

Thanks. That's my patented "Be really lazy and let the stick rattle on the head" hit. :3
Ah. I love the XX. I'm going away for a couple days (I might still post on ng) so I won't be able to record with my people, but we might just do something like that. I'll also start labeling which songs are mine and which are the collective effort of my band.

[*Take U Out*]

i'm jelus of ur voice and ideas. keep goin mate and be a legend.

Poniiboi responds:

You're too kind.

[Prog Amp House Loop]

0:00 Nice start. Little synths rising out of the depths. Very paddy, and ambient-ish.
0:20 Things change a bit. This is pretty well-mixed. I like.
0:30 The drop is going to come soon, isn't it? Just kidding.
0:42 The kick is very good and thumps it along nicely. Not too present, but present enough in the places where it counts.
1:23 That's beginning to sound like a cheesy 80's guitar riff. It's beautiful :3
1:37 Nice change of riffs here too. Things get a bit disco-ey, which I'm always fond of.
1:52 It would be nice if it built up and settled down in some points,
2:08 Especially leading up to this. because i think it deserved a bit more hype up to this part, and then maybe quieting down.
2:42 You do a bit of it here, which is nice. but this part should have been before the big drop, imo.

Well this is really nice. Really beautifully mixed, nice synth lines, ambient pads, and general production know-how. It's also very soothing and... well, wide. Nice arps, beautiful little riffs going on there. Good job good job. Good job.

Cheers
ZigZag aka Ben

KittenBeat responds:

Thanks, Ben. This is a great review
Listening to it and reading your comments has me really agreeing with you. I might just re-arrange it like that and re-upload it, and that way I don't need the bass plunge at the beginning.
Also, would you believe that all the percussion in this is acoustic? I meant for it to be a place holding for adding synth drums, but I was so impressed with how well they sank into the mix that I just left it :P
Anyways, I'm really glad you like it c:

[Guetta - Titanium (Remix)]

Awesome bro! It's been a long time since I've been in contact with you... it's thatbennyguy, I just made a new account. Again, I'm not a great fan of David Guetta, but this is very good. It keeps it going right up until about 2:45, where I felt it fell off a bit. But you really have that skill of making something cohesive and nice-sounding. I wish I could be as good a producer as you one day :)

Cheers
Benny

PrEmoEffect responds:

Hey, how nice to hear from you again. Production hasn't been going on lately, as I've been getting busier and busier (it sometimes feels like I'm losing myself, but maybe I'll find a way to express that later), so I haven't really been developing my production skills. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Best,

Han

[The Shaqtory]

Oh bravo bravo. Grand.

Gobblemeister responds:

thnx