xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[BP (Sky Trance Remix)]

0:00 Nice beginning, from the beginning, it's evident what type of song this is.
0:20 Wow! Is that a sample from a Disney movie? Cause that's really cool if it is!
0:45 Nice soothing part. Traditional open hi-hat comes in.
1:00 These chords remind me of Tiesto's "Elements of Life"
1:30 The vocals sound *slightly* cheesy. Even if they are very innovative.
1:55 Things are starting to sound kinda stale. Could use some spicing up.
2:30 Ah, yes. It's a My Little Pony thing. "I'm a little pony every pony should know". Too bad I haven't watched the show.
3:00 This part is nice and soothing. Still feels a *little* stale.
3:25 This drop was kinda yuck. I'm just not feeling it by this stage. Maybe this track is too long.
3:55 This tune is nice. I like this riff. It's very happy-go-lucky. The whole tune has this idealist vibe. It's very nice.
4:30 Ooh, nice change! The major chord is very cool.
4:45 This is a good change.
5:00 OK, the vocal sample is kinda annoying. But ah well. Good track.

Overall, good track. I like your mixing/mastering, and your chords are very uplifting. It's got a sweet vibe. Sometimes it may be *sickly* sweet, combined with the vocals, but overall very good, in a cotton-candy-cottage-mary-mary-quite-
contrary-how-do-you-do kind of way.

Well done.

TheBellmaker responds:

Thanks for the very detailed review! My primary motivation for making this track was in repayment for a friend who had bought me a lot of (yes, pony) stuff. The original song is one of his favorites, so I decided to remix it for him. Thus, I couldn't make it as "unstale" as I would have liked, due to the constraints of the original lyrics.

As for you review itself, I find it very helpful, especially with the time markers. Also appreciate how you're not afraid to through in generous criticism, as it does help me out in future songs.

Thanks for listening!

[Ayaklanma Bok (RAC 2012)]

Hey Rahmemhotep

I see that you are very interested with Turkish culture. I'm wondering whether you actually are Turkish, which might have made it easier to create that style of music. But either way, the instruments sound very true to traditional style. I'd say that up to 1:10 it is very serene and nice.

After that, distorted guitar is added, which I did not like that much. It seems like the proportions/levels are incorrect, or that the EQ is wrong, or something that makes it jarring to listen to. The way you put the Turkish voices in was good too, though.

This is very emotional and has a certain angsty vibe to it, probably indicative of the subject matter you are addressing. I thought that from 2:45 onwards, with the distorted riff, it was a rough patch for me. I think you might need to up your skill on mixing/mastering a bit for you to fulfill the intent of what you are trying to bring.

Overall, this is an emotional story-based song about war, unity, dissonance, and revolt. It is quite harsh and has a distorted vibe to it, which I think could be improved.

Thanks for letting me listen:
~
Beauty: 5.5/10
Skill: 6.5/10
Intent: 8/10
Dynamics: 7.5/10
X-Factor: 7.5/10
~
Overall: 35/50 (70%) [B-]

SoulSecure responds:

No, I'm not Turkish, I just have an intense desire to learn about the world, its music and cultures. Turkey is one of my favourite countries musically, because it's extremely unique and has tons of different styles. Even Turkish black metal sounds different from Nordic/Scandinavian black metal.

I love the guitar just the way it is. I made it sound the way I wanted to hear it, a bit dissonant and with a ambient room filling feel about it. It's definitely got rock distortion on it. I'm guessing you'd like something more smooth sounding like death metal distortion... Anyway, I think it sounds great, lol.

I also have the distorted saz sounding just the way I want it to. I could have softened it with reverb, yes, but I didn't, simply because I didn't want to muck up the sound.

[LO - Black Keys (RAC2012)]

Wow. Really? Well done.

From the start I was intrigued by the voice used, simply because as a RAC submission I thought you might have gone for the more oriental side. So I was surprised to hear synths. Upon reading your description, though, I understand the reason why.

The bass dropping at 0:50 is MAJOR. Seriously, it is a very great drop. I also like that it is syncopated with Passion-Pit-esque synth riffs at about 1:00 as well. Then I can really feel the influence of that band at the 1:20 mark, with the nicely-sidechained soothing square pads giving a feel-good vibe.

Your skill in mixing is very apparent, although I didn't really feel it the first time, but at 2:10 it was much more potent. I would have liked to have heard some authentic Japanese instrumentation throughout, simply because it would have created a nice depth. The second drop at 2:45 didn't hit me as startling as the first, but that was OK, because it was still good.

Overall, this is a very unique submission into the RAC, incorporating melodic tendencies of the Japanese, to create your very own style of Fidget-House-cum-Brostep-cum-Synth-Po p-cum-Indie-Electronic-Hooplah. And I commend you for that.

Word.
~
Beauty: 8.5/10
Skill: 9.5/10
Intent: 8.5/10
Dynamics: 7.5/10
X-Factor: 8/10
~
Overall: 42/50 (84%) [A-]

[Life, Obstinato - skyood]

Hi skyood

From the beginning, the strings bring about an atmosphere of cool calmness, and the meanderings of a thoughtful piano. The background is very soothing, almost comforting. The dynamics are handled very well, I can feel it in my bones. When the drums come in the textures may not be at the right levels, but the overall composition is appealing.

Your skill in composition is fantastically good. The fluidity of the parts is amazing, and you flow from soft to loud with ease. The rough patch in the middle is fine, because it still sounds great. My instinctive guess is that you are a very good composer, but if you learnt a bit more about mixing, you'd be *fantastic*, professional level.

It's emotional, it grasps me by the heart and fails to let go until the last note. You have poured emotion into the strings, which I feel are the saving grace of this piece. It feels like the music is a deeper metaphor for an inner revealing of self, finding strength to carry on. Encouraging.

In some circles, it could be seen as overly sentimental, as in the soundtrack to a Whitney Houston romance, but you handle it with such finesse that it is bearable. In the right circumstances, even kitsch can be art.

I like your statement. It's an uplifting motif, it speaks to me, it moves me. I like this.

Shot.

skyood responds:

Yeah, I spend probably put about 25% of the time and effort into mixing than I do into the actual writing of the song. This one even less so because I was so stoked about the feel of it I wanted to rush it out and get some feedback. The drums are particularly problematic for sure.

As for more metaphoric type things ... the reason it's called "Life, Ostinato" (oops, I'll have to go back and edit the title as I misspelled ostinato not obstinato. Doh) is because it's supposed to the kind of constant, moving along that life takes us on. Sometimes the steady pulse crescendos into true beauty ...

Back to reality, based on the little feedback I've gotten here, I'll definitely be spending time (when I have more. Yeay midterms!) mixing and perfecting it. Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated.

[LTM² - Miniature Fantasy]

Hi ListenToMyMusic

It's interesting that you have chosen to remake a track, because this means it's more about the reproduction of sounds than the actual composition itself. But I will try to make as accurate of a review as possible.

Based on the actual song, I can say that your repeated patterns are generally pleasing to the ear, but it lacks a certain fluidity that a lot of house/trance tracks have. You can hear the individual textures, but I'm not sure if they "mesh" well.

Your skill in mixing, etc. is pretty decent. I wouldn't say professional level yet, but getting there. Just keep learning stuff about EQ, compression, automation, etc. (not that I am that good at it either) but I can see you becoming a very good musician.

It's emotional, but it doesn't evoke extra-strong feelings from me. It seems like it's just exploring the same subject as a lot of other electronic music without providing a new and unique take on it. But at least it's not gimmicky or full of distractions, it has a nice structure.

The theme is semi-catchy, but it would help to learn some professional skills to make your mix "pop" more, or have more flow. Thanks for letting me listen to your nice tune.

Cool.

[A Prelude To Glory]

Hi Halindir

I am captivated by the strings in this work. They are very beautiful and haunting. I don't know why someone gave you a 1/5 for this work, because it is simply stunning. The repeated shapes and patterns meshing over each other are extremely appealing, and the composition is A+.

The skill in composition is fantastic. Your strings layer over everything in a booming hush, and the foreign vibe is extremely euphoric. The mixing is top-notch, and nothing seems out-of-place or jolting. Good job with the professional feel of it.

This is emotional and it provokes feelings from deep within the dark abyss of my cold heart. Feelings rise fast from the ashes of burnt dreams, climaxing in wisps of fate. It seems to reference the Arabian sands, large expanses of hot deserts reaching into the deserts. Roomy.

The subject is new. It feels like the genre has been flipped upside down, like that guy flipping the table. This music makes a bold statement that not all music on NG has to be booming DnB or wubbing Dubstep, but it can be its own feel without being the same as everyone else.

The aura is one of peace, and positivity. I love the rising guitar chords, and I hope you recorded them yourself, but it's OK if you didn't. This piece is amazing, and you should feel good about it. It has meaning, purpose, poise. It is a true work of art.

Thanks.

[Children of earth]

Hi SeanSullivan

This music is captivating, because it lulls the listener into a sense of catatonic unnerving knowingness whereby they might understand the world more completely. The textures complement each other quite well, despite being quite jarring, and they provide an almost "industrial" feel. The levels of the kick drums don't seem to be "boomy" enough for my liking.

The composition is largely brittle, in that it doesn't have the "punch" that I would give more defining works. It has its rough patches, for instance, when the rug is pulled out from underneath you at the end, and it feels jolted, and out of focus.

This piece is emotional, but it lacks variety, and it seems like a loop looping over and over again sometimes. The horns evoke an almost apocalyptic feel to it, giving it a post-futuristic vibe.

The song is unique, in exploring a new type of feel almost a la Burial. But unlike Burial, the drums don't jump out at me like his clicks and bleeps do. This would work well in Future Garage.

I can see the statement you are making. But it is done in a very numbing fashion, so that after a few loops, it seems to sink into your mind, so that you do not want it back. It's not mindless mumbo jumbo.

Sweet.

[Kr1z - Forever (NM Remix)]

Highly audible!

~~~xxxZigZagxxx's Listen-a-Trak~~~
0:00 Trancey start, with a hardcore tinge. Epic swoops.
0:30 Snare fades well into the kick.
1:00 Bass is muddying up the mix! NOPE.
1:15 Seriously, someone needs to EQ that bass.
1:30 So far highly underwhelming, but it could get better.
1:45 Ah well, at least it's melodic. You've got a nice lead line going on there.
2:15 This is starting to sound very epic. The addition to the lead makes it 5x better.
2:45 Ah yes, that kick is good. But might need a bit more high end, so you can feel the presence of the rhythm? I'm not sure, that or it might ruin the mix.
3:15 Very chill vibe going on here. Just cruising along the trance route. The hi-hats are a bit weird though. Sounds like they're going through a flange of some sort. Insane upon the membrane!
3:45 Amusing synth coming in here. A bit puny. Is that all you got, synth? Also, Y U GO OUT OF TUNE?
4:15 An overly loud synth that is clearly out of tune.
4:30 Get that annoying buzzy bee out my eardrums, ASAP!
4:40 Thank you.
4:55 Starting to get a bit boring.
5:15 Meh... yawn.
5:30 OK I'll stop the review here.

Very interesting rendition of a great song. I don't believe you nailed it like you could have. There were some minor mixing issues, including a major one at about the *ahem* 3:45 mark. ( I would mute that channel if I was you.)

But yes, overall, entertaining but underwhelming. Gets boring around the 5 minute mark, which is kinda good considering that 3:30 is the ideal radio track length. So your experiment kinda worked.

Production: 6/10
Listenability: 7.5/10
Creativity: 5/10
Style: 6.5/10
Reviewer's Tilt: 2.5/10

TOTAL: 27.5/50
GRADE: 55%
VOTE: 3/5

xxxZigZagxxx

MessanyRecordings responds:

Now that was a long and helpful review.
In fact I could try to improve this remix indeed.
But I will probably finish some WIPs before I get back to this one.

[In a New Dream]

Cool piano tune

TRACK LISTEN REVIEW:
0:00 Sounds like a regular DnB track, which is nice.
0:20 Interesting orchestral hit sounds... add to the epicness of tone.
0:30 This violin part is extremely well produced, and the snare is poppin'!
0:45 Snap! Things changed in an instant, to a grungy-type police-chase music. Exciting!
1:15 Back to the main theme again. That piano is very nice and dainty.
1:30 There's the orchestral hit sounds. Sounds very retro-80's tv show.
1:45 I just LOVE those violins. They're crisp and beautiful and sweet.
2:00 This transition is very abrupt and doesn't really fit in with the mood. But it is still nicely produced.
2:25 Back to the main theme. This doesn't get old.
2:40 OK, now it's getting kinda old. But it doesn't get repetitive for some reason.
2:55 I'm guessing you're just gonna loop this song three times. Very good economic use of your music material. I usually switch things up everytime it comes around, but this is still good.
3:35 Oh, nice ending. Sounds like "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton.

Overall, a very enjoyable listen of a crisply produced track with contrasting themes. It's very retro-80's grunge material, such as some cheesy track played for the TV sitcoms, with punchy drums. Good job!

Production: 8.5/10
Listenability: 8/10
Creativity: 8.5/10
Style: 7/10
Reviewer's Tilt: 7/10

OVERALL: 39/50
GRADE: 78%
VOTE: 4/5

xxxZigZagxxx

JinNJuice responds:

Oh my. I haven't been given an in depth review in a long time. I'll be honest. I was a little frustrated in making this right. Many ideas that I put into this turned out badly. I kept the ones that I liked, which obviously wasn't that much, really.
Anyways, thanks for taking the time to listen AND review! -KN