xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bananadu | 2014]

0:00 Interesting melodies
0:10 I'm not sure if I like that melody so far
0:19 But I really like this melody a lot
0:29 I think the second chord for some reason seems a little out of place but not in a juxtaposition kind of way.
0:45 Very happy and nice. The mixing
0:51 OOH that riff is very beautiful. I like.
1:08 Indeed it is cute and catchy, as the tags imply.
1:20 I think you might have overdid it with the two-note riff there.
1:30 aaaand fade out

Really nice. it would be cool as a loop as well. Some chords and melodies feel out of place but overall it's a very fun and happy melodic track that would go nice as an Earthbound track or Donkey Kong or I don't know. Something cute and happy with cherries and bananas like the disc cover indicates. 4/5 from me.

Bertn1991 responds:

Wow, I've never seen anybody so particular before! Thank you for your lovely, in depth analysis on Bananadu! I am smiling : D

[Up and Away (Tweaked)]

0:00 This feels like an old school club. I think I get what you mean when you modified the automation. Sorry I haven't heard the original song but the automation per bar is pretty cool.
0:28 I can see this being the dance music for that Trinity scene in the Matrix where she tells him the life he's been living is a lie or something.
0:45 It's like some super futuristic dance techno music where everyone is wearing black leather and typing into their hologram personal devices and stuff.
1:05 It's pretty lowkey, and that's what I like about it. The synth isn't all in your face. It knows what it wants to be.
1:20 This is like the scene in the movie where everyone's dancing and trying to yell over the music but then there's some misunderstanding or something.
1:38 Sorry I keep talking about movies but it reminds me of the scene in The Social Network where Mark Zuckerberg is talking to the founder of Napster and is just yelling over the cacophony "this is our time" and there's gogo dancers dancing downstairs and all sorts of unsavoury characters around sharing their sweat.
2:20 OK I'm gonna skip to later, I hope you don't mind.
3:07 skip again
4:01 Ok this is back to a real original beat. Cool. It's very nice. I like the automation.
4:24 This has a real awesome vibe to it. Singular note, but just pounding along. Props.
4:40 And it's gonna end. Cool. I wonder how it ends.
4:53 On a delay. Nice way to end actually.

So. This isn't my typical genre but I have to say I actually really liked it. It reminded me of many great movie scenes, as you can tell by my annotation. The repetition doesn't become *repetitious*, it keeps it moving along at a brisk rate whilst maintaining momentum. I mean, it's not my type of song, but what it aims to achieve it does with success. So... good job :) 4/5 from me.

madhousecreations responds:

Thank you, that is a very interesting way of thinking about the track :) I like the style of the review :-D

[Epicness Slow-mo Variety]

0:00 I can feel the walking speed.
0:15 This is the part in the movie when the entire squad walks in slow motion looking all badass and stuff? Seems fitting.
0:30 Well that was pretty short. I wish that it would have at least looped or finished nicely.

It's a cool piece, has a nice mood that it wishes to achieve and it does. You should make it loop seamlessly in my opinion, or at least finish it off with a flourish. I could see this in some kind of movie. I mean, it's a bit simple and generic, but it serves its purpose. 3.5/5 from me.

NerdRoll responds:

tiz short because i wish to use it for a very short scene in a video im making. and i like simplicity. i try to keep things relatively simple with all my music. i agree the ending wasn't fancy or anything. but i was not worried too much about the ending, just the main part of it really. thanks for the rating and your opinion. at least it gets the job done lol.

[Open]

0:00 OK we're starting off with some nice chords, uplifting.
0:13 I can hear strings behind it. It's uplifting
0:25 I think the orchestral build up is a bit cheesy
0:34 That riff on top that repeats is quite good for building up, the filter automation that I think I'm hearing is pretty good for building up.
0:55 I feel like this is a soft build up, i hope the payoff is good
1:04 I think the payoff could have been more climactic here, the main synth feels a bit cheap like it was put through a simple Gross Beat pattern, but it's not exceptionally bad
1:37 Pretty great mixing here. I like the composition of the track, it feels professional
1:48 Oh. That's good. The crash delaying at every beat.
1:57 AH YES i like this synth a lot, especially the wobbles at the very last note of each phrase. It's very funky.
2:18 I don't know if this is different from the first, but I liked this payoff a lot more. It is more energetic perhaps than the first. Shame on me if it's essentially the same composition as the first drop
2:50 Soothing.

Overall this song is quite well mixed if a little uneventful. The synth in the second build up is a lot more interesting than the first, which made the payoff make a lot more sense. It's very happy dance music, which generally with these types of song I would feel like I get a sickening feeling from how sweet it is, but thankfully this song more teeters on the less sickening side of the spectrum by providing some actually decent melodies. I would have liked to hear more hype in the song than easy listening, but for what it aims to be, it succeeds on most points.

DJStriden responds:

Indeed :) You are incredibly perceptive.

[THE TRUTH 2]

Is the track yours behind the voice? If so, it's actually pretty well done. The distortion helps the track and the wubs are pretty nice. :)

dadark1ord responds:

Trademarked dark1ord kit I use

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/612846

[REALLY]

this is impeccably mastered, good mic and EQ'ing

the beat just bumps along super well. you're next on the big come up :)

you'll be noticed soon :)

TazPrimo responds:

Much Love ZigZag...U da homie foreal

[+-[Faerie Lullaby]+-]

This is absolutely heavenly. Absolutely heavenly.

LadyArsenic responds:

^__^ Oh thank you so much. <3

[Eterna Comedia]

0:00 Has a lot of piercing highs. It's a really nice melody though. Like the melodies and harmonies you're using. There's a kind of flanger in there which "creeps" it up. It's a pretty tune.
0:32 Ouch. That hurts a little to be honest. The highs are a bit crunchy for me, but then again I'm pretty sensitive to the timbre of the bell in general. So adjust according to your taste.
1:02 The melody is nice though. And I'm liking those chords underneath by what I'm guessing is the tgsf21x? Either way it's a nice little memorial piece that I think holds great significance to you in particular.

If anything I would EQ the bell to make it less sharp. Other than that it's beautifully composed and brings feelings. I could imagine swelling strings even coming in later on, just holding the chords underneath. It'd hold a lot of that together.

Great job, btw.

LexRodent responds:

Thanks a lot for your feedback man, I'll check the EQ on the tracks and the compressor as well to lower the high frequencies, and try your idea of adding some strings or maybe a cello.