jagiak's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Soothing Technotunes]

Makes me feel nostalgic...

This is actually a really nice track, ain't gonna lie. Really shocked this was only done in a hour cause it sound REALLY bloody nice! It does get a bit repetitive midway through but the synths added toward the end really drive the track home and keeps it interesting. One nitpick I with this track is that I'm not sure if this would fit great under the "Techno" genre of music, this sounds a lot like Chiptune to me, but hey whatever. Still a solid track either way; keep up the great work!

-Bow

AlbeGian responds:

Thanks gawne, this means a lot :')
I actually did it when at aproximately 21 or 22pm a melody was spinning around my head, so I went to my laptop and this is what I could do.
Yeah, It's repetitive because there was supposed to be an up-scaling strings sound in the background and don't know why it deleted tbh. Also I didn't put my 100% effort in melodies and variations (let's say a 78%) but I will improve it in the future when I finish another project I'm working on (this is actually a 100% dedication one, like some of my previous ones) so you can bet this is not finished yet, just a few more stuff over here and over there...

[∀malgamation - Midnight Stroll]

This track is awesome! Period.

Seriously, this is some very well done Synthwave! The beat, the lofi lead, everything is on point. One thing that would've made it more Synthwave-y would be if the bass a bit more prominent and was side chained to the beat to give it that "bouncy" vibe. Though, this still sound nice, nevertheless! Keep up great work!

-Bow

Skiddle responds:

Thank you so much Gawne! I was actually just experimenting with synths in Caustic 3, didn’t plan on making something like this XD Yeah Ik I could’ve sidechained but I dunno how in C3 :p. Thanks for the kind words & nice review :D

[F-777 - Dubstepah]

I can't believe I'm going to be "that guy," but I'm sorry, this is easily the worst track that I've heard from you...

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE dubstep but there are two big reasons that make me hate this song. Firstly, it's way to friendly on the high-end of the spectrum. Dubstep always has that bass in it that combined with equally bassy wubs and growls make it a joy to listen to. While this track has the wubs and growls that define dubstep it's still way to high-end friendly. In fact, this is a theme that I've noticed in your more recent work; everything just seems to be shoved on the high-end of the spectrum with little to no compensation on the low-end, this is really off-putting to some of your more veteran fans and I know that I'm not the only person who has complained/addressed this. I mean It's not to the point where the high-end of the track becomes grating but it's still not too far off from it.

Secondly, this track is way, way, way TOO repetitive. There was zero progression in it which made it feel generic and, well, boring. The brake at 1:50 is nice but the track needs more variation. Variation is one of things that make Dubstep so great to listen to; all the different layers working together to make something complex and cool sounding is an amazing thing to marvel about while listening to the genre. It's what makes people want to come back for more dubstep. But here, it's just disappointing, just the same "wubbidy-wub-wub" melody over and over.

Alright, now please don't get the wrong idea here. I'm not trying to bash you or your work, quite frankly I'm a huge fan of your work. But when I hear something this bad coming from the same person who's made stuff like "Space Battle" and more recently "Medusa" I just have to say something about it. I'm glad other people enjoyed this track but I feel extremely sad to say that I didn't.

-Bow

[Xrus & ∀malgamation - Burst [UPDATED]]

Incredibly good!
I love, love, LOVE this track. It does progress a bit to slowly and the drops hardcore bass is a bit too loud and grinding, but aside from that it's a solid track. Definitely a bit amateur but does a lot of things right such as changing up the melody midway through the track, and adding a breakdown between the two drops. I also love how you filter the synth throughout the track so when the filter is lowered it sounds epic. Overall, it's good I'm actually pretty impressed how well this track turned on on FL Mobile. Could use some transitioning samples like white sound, risers, and such but still a could track without the aforementioned. Very nice job, guys!

-Bow

Skiddle responds:

Thank you so much Gawne! We really appreciate the kind words :D

[∀malgamation - Empty Scarlet]

Ooooo
You're getting there man! Just keep on adding layers. Stack 'em, stack 'em nice and evenly!
Anyway...
You seem to be mostly focused on your drums more than anything. That's not bad, but just remember there are other parts of a song, some of which being: chords, melody, and baseline (just to list a few). Overall, needs work but ever since I began to give your tracks a listen a while back, you've improved a ton! Now the hard part of that is to KEEP on improving! Keep at it =)

-Bow

Skiddle responds:

Haha, yeah I know. I'm not that good with melodies & shit but I'm trying XD Thanks a lot for your genuinely great advice, Gawne!

[Restart]

Love this track!
Drum n Bass is a genre of music that I just adore, this is a very example reason as too why I love DnB; Chilled drums, intense melody, it's perfect. Though the someone syncopated pauses in the first drop are a little unnecessary, kinda breaks the flow of the track. Since Drum N Bass drops seem to give the listener that "rushing" feeling, it does kill the mood of the first drop a little. Aside from that, a very nice DnB track, wish I can say more but really that's all there is too it - a very solid DnB track. 34 hours spend right!

-Bow

JamiesonDube responds:

Hey man thanks a lot. I really appreciate the kind words, they're what keep me working on stuff (which I am, I promise). <3

[Xtrullor - Paradigm Shift]

Shut-up and take my stars! 5/5

[Xtrullor - Authority]

"Dedicated for the most dangerous superstition on this planet." Ha, nice...

Anyway, this track actually has a lot of things I like about your other tracks: a very prominent drum beat, those phasing sounds from Ego Death and your SUPER old tracks, and of course that 'rushing feeling' from The Armor of God's second drop.
Although, your drops really aren't as powerful as they were a few years back, I will say they continue to sound more dynamic something that keeps me listening to Dubstep, and with this track it's no exception. Back to what I said about that 'rushing' sensation; it's what I really like about this song, I feel like I'm in a middle of a super intense boss fight or something. Only two of your drops have given me this (quite tingly) sensation: The Armor of God and now Authority. In fact, it seems to be what your trying to turn your drops into; a rushing feeling that's gives the listener a sense of urgency and intensity, and you know what? I'm open arms to that. Keep doing what you're doing, Xtrullor. 'Cause if this is the stuff that I can look forward too for the rest of this year and next year, I'm excited to say the least :)

-Bow

[What Lies Beneath]

I love it!
It's a great ambient song, that builds up tension and leaves the listener wondering what's going to happen next and therefore it could definitely be used in a way to accelerate tension. Though the song progresses pretty slowly and the song is basically just a (very) slow progression that, in my opinion, could go into a chorus/drop, but that's just me. Overall, though, you show a lot of potential and that is why I'm scouting you! Hope to hear more from you :)

-Bow

BenzeneBeanMage responds:

Ah, thank you, so, SO much!! I was actually messing around with some VSTs I didnt really use or haven't used in a while, and if it werent for adding the piano, I dont think this would have been finished! Even though I've been doing this for almost a year now, Im still a little all over the place with what things are and properly building up a song and having all the certain parts (which I should look up), but I can say that I've definitely improved, like anyone else in the community!
*To shorten it, you have no idea how thankful I am to be scouted, and this review is true to it's word! My style is a bit of an aquired taste I suppose, and still has plenty of room for improvement! But again, thank you so much, and sorry for the ramble!

[Xtrullor - Karma (feat. Albert Hyrönen)]

Awesome everything... except for the drops
I'll say this, the morphing of the acoustic guitar and electronic music actually sounds really sweet, and the intro along with the breakdowns sound amazing! The guitar give the song this southern feel while still sounding like some awesome mid-tempo. But that's were the positives end.

Those drops just don't sound good, in my opinion. It seemed you didn't know what to do when you got there in the song so you just collided instruments and growls together in hopes of making it sound nice. To me there's a fine line between what's wobble garbage and what's eargasmicly amazing, the drop is unfortunately nothing more than wobble garbage. It doesn't sound massive and powerful like your other drops, rather sounds like a series of electronic-y sounds mixed together in the worst possible way. I really want to like this song, but with just those horrendous drops, I can't and considering you've done a hell of a lot better, this just comes across as just disappointing (with the drops anyway).

All of that being said, I can see that this was an attempt. And up 'til the drops it was a pretty solid attempt. If you ever choose to make a song like this again, this is what I would recommend: a drop that's more organized and structured, all of your drops in the past have been, despite how they sound, very well organized/structured, there easy to listen to while still sounding epic, here the sounds are all over the place in turn overwhelming the listener. Something else I would recommend it to get rid of the running notes (or any unnecessary sound in the drop) heard in 1:07 and 2:44, they're out of place and are just unnecessary additions to the drop.

Overall, far from your best work. But taking into account how it was an attempt at new style you've never done. I can't go too hard on the song... Nevertheless, you still remain as my favorite music producer and as always I'm excited to hear what other greatness you pump out next.

-Bow