00:00
00:00
CheckeredZebra

21 Audio Reviews

11 w/ Responses

This gives me a very "Tales of" vibe, especially 1:04 when the harpi comes in. I really enjoyed this piece, and I feel it portrayed its atmosphere very effectively. Nice job!

I agree that the beginning was pretty catchy! But I felt the dynamics/flow of the pieces were a bit odd. I think the transition into the part at 31 was too soon, and if you spent a bit more time between those measures, the whole song would be very smooth.

I really like what you did with the percussion; despite the song's tempo and drive remaining pretty consistent, the variation in the beat really helped to keep the song interesting. I also loved the instrumentation; did I hear an organ in there, at around the 50 second mark?

Finally, the loop was very smooth; it would be difficult to tell it was repeating without seeing that playbar at the bottom. =P

-Review for a Review

I really, really like the composition and the balancing in this piece! However, sometimes it seems a bit overly out of sync in some areas, especially from the beginning to the middle. It could just be the the fact that playing some of these rhythms would be extremely difficult. Or you could have done that on purpose and I'm just too snarky. Either way, it's keeping me from giving a 5/5.

Not that 4.5/5 is shabby at all, though. This is a very good song and I really like the attention to the sub voices (like the low string rhythms).

SilverPoyozo responds:

Why, thank you very much!

I actually had to do this in one evening for a contest, and that part was indeed a bit hard to record so...yeah.It always irks me when I listen to the beginning section because of that.
But still, thanks for giving it a listen.

I quite liked it, I enjoyed the piano personally. =P Though it should slowly lower in volume as the song goes on up until its solo (or whenever it has variation).

However, 1:00 felt too jarring/off to me. You had these complicated layers of rhythm right before it, and suddenly all the instruments were sort of banging the same thing. Having one of the melodies counter with the main tune or having a background instrument play something that was off-beat would've made it transition better, I think. :]

Aside from that, the improv sections were all nice. The odd chords worked fine and really gave depth to the piece. The performances were pretty spot on. SO...4/5 for me. This must have taken a lot of time, and it shows.

SMES responds:

Thank you for your review! And thanks for taking the time to give some good suggestions. I do like the idea you actually suggested about an off beat counter melody. It would be very cool, might actually put it in.

Thanks again for your review =)

Wow, props for making this on an actual music box!

*Listens to song*
*Shivers*
*Gives 5/5*

I wish I could give more constructive criticism than that, but I cannot. The percussion and instrumental hits at 26 really got to me.

Rampant responds:

Mucho gracias! It may not be ultra-critiquey critical feedback, but your review made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :D

I'm not really a dubstep person, but I really liked this! Although, I felt the "wuuh" female voices, while a really creative idea, were done a bit oddly and they stuck out a bit too much. Toward the end though they felt pretty natural.
Well, as natural as dubstep is, haha. Probably not the best word.

Either way, loved it.

GrantBowtie responds:

Haha thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the fact that dubstep isn't your cup of tea : )

I don't even know why, but this is amazing (aside from the nifty volume mixing changes and such.)

So amazing I can't even think of anything to write about it, which is a rarity. My reviews are normally long and picky.

13098609846 out of 5.

bryce responds:

i am honoured sir

The intro starts off a bit uncoordinated, but in a good way. At around the 8 second mark, it comes together, which is pretty awesome sounding! :D However, after that it goes back to feeling a bit too uncoordinated =P

You might want to try a more structured melody after second 8. (I suggest listening to video game tracks as they are fairly easy to follow) Sort of like a constant theme, if you will. =P Basically, make the melody more tight, and possibly even more predictable. If you just REALLY feel like the rest of the song should sound a certain way, then by all means, do it! Don't be afraid to follow what you hear in your head.

On another note, your harmonization are different, but it's definitely not in a good way! I'm glad you didn't just stick to one "happy/Generic" sound. Waaay too many new composers do that. I encourage you to keep playing with off the wall harmonies! Some of the most beautiful songs use notes that clash with eachother. (But I wouldn't try that until you've gotten more practice. I'm in college and only just got into that stuff, haha)

Now, a way for you to immediately improve is to give your songs different rythms. Most of the instruments you used work well together, but they all play either the melody or something that directly follows the melody. Try having a long, drawn out sound on a low instrument, for example, instead of it doing almost the same thing that the melody does. (Make sure the note works with the rest of your sounds and harmonizes).
Then, have another part on a different instrument. (An easy one is straight 1/8th notes if you want to do something simple that gives your song a more flowing or epic feel.)
Don't limit yourself to one thing; let the other instruments explore the song and let them have their own, unique roles! That way they can shine, too =) And I absolutely promise that, if you're making the notes sound good compared to the others, it'll sound TONS better if you just do this. (Unless you're doing something really crazy . O.o)

PS: Since it's a chant, don't be afraid to throw some choir/voice instruments in there, too. Perhaps one could come in somewhere in the middle?

Anyhow, hope this helps, and I'm glad you have a lot of fun making songs. I know I do =) Keep up the good work!

E123metalman responds:

Thank you very much, one of the main things I tried to do was put the Cello Section as the voice, this will be fixed in a redux(Viola... ugh) There is a voice option on my thing so I'll try that, but I wonder is a Bass Voice good or a Tenor, as the song is very tenor/baritone sounding. I know I really messed up on some thirds(probably stress). You should check out my first one too, it in my opinion sounds better(irony) Just because of how the sounds mix and how the tuba can go with the melody and sound amazing. It really adds a soul to the song.

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally giving this a 5/5 on votes =P

This is a perfectly fine piece that is well structured, well thought out, and has GORGEOUS instrumentation. However, I took off .5 from my review because it's almost as if I've heard it before. Although once it hit the1:25 mark, for some reason it suddenly garnered my attention. I absolutely love that section; it has it's own unique spice to it.

It's not really the chords, it's just the overall feel of the song. That sense of wonder and mysticism...I've heard it time and time again. But that doesn't mean that this shouldn't get my absolute full vote; this is a beautiful piece and I will definitely be listening to it over and over again.

Am I a popular artist? No. Am I that interesting? No. But, I submit anyway. Please enjoy my music, and PLEASE remember to blindly prai- I mean, constructively criticize my work. (Unlike people who just blam and leave. Don't be one of them!)

Age 31

Student

With stupid

Joined on 11/25/09

Level:
7
Exp Points:
470 / 550
Exp Rank:
> 100,000
Vote Power:
4.91 votes
Audio Scouts
1
Rank:
Civilian
Global Rank:
> 100,000
Blams:
2
Saves:
19
B/P Bonus:
0%
Whistle:
Normal
Medals:
615