xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lovely]

Sounds very much like a modernized 90's Mariah Carey joint. Smooth and happy. That style. That sweg.

That sweg.

[You'll Find Someone - Inferno]

0:05 Interesting pop take.
0:20 Not a huge fan of the vocals (they seem a bit whiny).
0:28 OK this is a bit better from the vocals. Maybe it’s the doubling. Needs a bit of reverb or processing of the vocals to make them less dry maybe?
0:53 That vocal chopping lol.
1:15 I think the vocals are sometimes too loud and sometimes too quiet… I think a compressor would help this out maybe? It also seems a bit drowned out by the synths… Eq’ing here with the synths to make room for the vocals?
1:53 This solo is pretty awesome though.
1:57 Not sure I’m a big fan of the latter end of the solo, or the scratches though… the scratches seem pretty “pasted in”. And the drums need a bit of energy to pop out of the mix more.
2:30 Interesting experimentation with synths though.
2:39 OK the vocal chopping is getting a bit old, sadly.
2:47 The chords are nice though. They might need a bit of EQ’ing to take out the harshness.
2:55 This is a nice refrain. Needs a melody on top of it maybe? Or a little more definition and wideness from those strings.

Overall, it’s an interesting composition with creativity to be sure, but it lacks polish in the mixing, for both the synths and the voice. The voice could use some processing to make it seem less raw, and to sort out the volumes at certain points of the song. The strings could be a bit wider, and the drums a little less subdued so they can “flow” with the song. I can’t actually pinpoint the exact reason why it didn’t flow so well, but it’s probably some combination of those factors. Still a good song in concept, though, and musically it could become a hit, but it just needs a little work.

Free2Play responds:

Indeed vocals are really not my strong suit, as I'm not a trained singer at all and I've only had the equipment to record vocals for a year now. I really need to look up more mixing tutorials on vocals, I just do what doesn't sound awful lol.

You're right, my drums are not particularly exciting and come across weak. It's really been a long time since I've tried polishing the drums to a shine, I often just use them as a tool with the composition not really its own section if you know what I mean.

I'm glad you still enjoyed a lot of the parts of the song I enjoyed, and quickly noticed the things I rushed. I'm glad I'm not boasting about any parts that I knew weren't good lol.

If you know any good way to learn more about mixing and mastering I would love to hear it.

I plan on starting another song soon, but planning the whole thing out whereas this was an improvised beat that eventually became a full fledged song.

EDIT: OH YEAH! I forgot, you mentioned chopping in the vocals. That was intentional, maybe it just wasn't obvious enough. I never intended for it to sound like I recorded more, I mean it was the tail end of the line I just did so I thought it wasn't hard to figure out.

[Last Stand]

0:00 I like these chords. These are some sweet chords.
0:15 Yeah, get hype up in da club!
0:35 Those triplet notes are pretty nice.
0:45 I think you needa find a way to hit that snare more hard. Maybe EQ it up a bit, make it really "pop" (it's a terrible adjective, I know). You can do it!
1:10 That said, you've composed this so well that it's hard to get sick or dislike it despite the wet-towel mixing and mastering. Definitely something you could improve on.
1:35 I mean, I'd get down to this, definitely. If I *could* get down without looking like a massive wet turd. My dancing's meant for a bedroom.
2:05 This progresses. It never feels like it's boring or monotonous, that's what's good about it.
2:40 I get the thing with the exporting too. It always sounds quieter. But I think it's just the way it's mixed and mastered. Things always sound better while you're mixing it. You'll find that in the editor, if you go back and turn the volume down lower, then it sounds exactly the same as it does right now. Probably. It's something weird, a phenomenon that I can't quite put my finger on when I'm producing.

Either way, well done. I get the feeling we're in the same boat when it comes to mixing and mastering. I'm thinking of getting someone to help me mix/master my tracks to make them louder or at least more interesting and less flat. But this is good composition, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And... I'm out!

TeraVex responds:

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! I've turned up the snare, but I'm not sure if the replacement file uploaded. Newgrounds has this problem of not always replacing the mp3 with an updated one. But the updated one will probably go on soundcloud.

[Handyman - Reittini]

0:15 I don't understand it, but it sounds emotional.
0:22 You could use a better mic, it sounds kind of distant. A better quality sound will improve this track a lot.
0:44 I like the emotional piano riffs.
0:55 It actually reminds me of some of those Lil B tracks where he just lazily flows over a beat. It isn't too offending.
1:15 I wish I could understand it. Maybe you can post the lyrics as well next time, for those who really don't understand English? That would be just great.
1:45 From what I can hear it's kind of monotonous. I think you'd benefit from varying up your voice a little so it doesn't sound like one continuous ringing note.

I mean, overall, it's nice-sounding, but it's nothing really that exciting for me. Maybe it's just because I didn't understand the meaning because it was in a different language, but it didn't resonate with me. Getting a better mic might help.

Sweet.

[La ultima Cancion]

0:05 These drums are really cool and "rock-steady".
0:16 Nice rhythm plucking guitar. There's some weird little harmonics (?) going on I think.
0:30 Oh ok that other lead makes it a little more filled out
0:40 Sounds strokes-ish, the way it repeats.
1:00 This is actually really nice. Sounds like Strokes or Neon Trees
1:05 Oh it's in a different language. Sounds nice though. The vocals are understated and don't offend too much.
1:30 Sounds very Strokes-ish, especially their Reptilia album.
1:50 It'd be nice if there was some distortion on that vocal, it would fill the vibe and make it almost Black Keys-ish.
2:05 THIS is very, very nice. But the vocals kind of waver a bit and sound disjointed from the song... there could be a bit more energy in it imo. Perhaps it's just the mixing though. You can play around with distortion and stuff with the vocals.
2:40 Big fan of this song by now.
2:58 This is a nice build up. I like the quarter note (?) stabs.
3:10 OK this is beautiful. I like that the vocal really gives his all here. It really gives energy to the song.
3:33 Granted, he's not the greatest singer ever, but he's got heart, and that's what counts. It's beautiful ^_^
3:47 Yeah this is grand. Cool. I'd love to see you guys live.
4:00 Really transcendent. Awesome.

Overall this song started off humbly, but then got better and better with passing time. Perhaps you can start off a little more interestingly in future (without having the whole 1st minute pass without vocals etc.) but overall it's a well-packaged rock song and I love the possibilities. Favourited both the song and you.

Cheers!

ZombieEmika responds:

jajajaja cool, i will keep in mind the vocals jejeje

by the way i recorded all the instruments an vocals myself, i do have a band, here is a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtVmVcpPi-g

there are some songs the didn't like so i keep them for myself and share them here.
i'm glad you liked the song, i'll try to focus on making better songs

[A Brave Soul]

0:00 I like this sound. It feels almost like a little cute robot is making it.
0:06 This is a cute melody too.
0:13 Some of the background melodies are a bit "off", but that contributes to the atonal nature of the song somewhat.
0:25 And moments like this it snaps back to normal.
0:36 This would be really nice for a slightly dramatic SNES game or something.
0:50 This is an emotional melody. I like it.
0:55 This little change in chord progression I didn't like so much. I would have stayed with that same chord for the entire quarter (?) note. Hope I make sense.
1:20 This is kind of nice. The ocarina (?) melody is a *bit* busy at times, where it could subtly signify a pause, but it's mostly in the right place.
1:42 Not a big fan of this final part. It's not a nice ending, it kind of leaves you hanging a little. Unless it's supposed to loop, but the song was submitted as a song not a loop, so I'm kind of perplexed at how abruptly it ends.

Overall, it's a quaint melody with a nice little lead, but it's a bit abrupt and obvious in places. There are atonal background chords and stuff that work well for the song, and resolve themselves into nice chords, but I'm not a big fan of either the way the chorus' chord progression ends (I think it's the chorus) and how the song in general ends (on a hanging note). But these are just small nitpicks in what is generally a sweet and beautiful song.

Keep doing!

DaveMajor7 responds:

Thank you I appreciate your feedback. The piece will be mixed into a loop for the game it has been created for.
HAHA don't worry, I write my atonal works to be performed live . You can't have a re-occurring (mainly) diatonic chord progression in a atonal work (unless you complete your aggregates with counterparts, but that would sounds like a off mix for sure). All the chords are just basic major and minor chords with some extensions.

You make some great points! You should have heard the how busy the first draft of the melody was haha, but you are right it can be busy. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback.
Keep it up!

[FF7 Battle]

I haven't played FF7 (I know a crime), but I still notice this. Maybe it's from FFIX as well? It sounds like you just took it from the game... I guess you chose the instruments well. If that's the case, then you've mixed it pretty nicely. It brings back some nostalgia, but I'm not sure how to rate it based on the fact it's so similar to the original. It's nice though.

:)