Haggard's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mario Kart 64 -- Title (Remix)]

Good remix

Hm, I never played Mario Kart 64, so I just listened to the original title theme on youtube. I must say, I like your version even better. The organ sounds really awesome and fits perfectly.
Also, the organ creates a much better atmosphere than the original title theme.

Too bad the remix is so short, though. You should make it longer! :)

Oh yeah, I couldn't find any flaws in the mixing/mastering department.

{ Review Request Club }

Birdinator99 responds:

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've gotten a review from you -- good to see you again!

Glad you enjoyed the organs; I really like using them in my music.

Seems to me that I'm getting better points on mixing/mastering this time around. Cool stuff.

Thanks for this review!

[Lamentation by the Sea]

Good

Hm, this piece has a very sad note to it. Maybe it comes from the monotony you create with using the same theme throughout the track. Or maybe it's just that the melodies are kind of sad.

Anyway, the track is pretty good. I like the composition very much, even though it really tends to get a bit repetitive towards the end.

I liked the part at 2:46 very much (and we can hear it again at 4:13). The transition to the more "triumphiant" interlude is done really nice. Even though it's done in such a simple way (two notes on the violin, if I'm not mistaken) it is really effective. Maybe you should try to include more of those "interludes" to make the song a bit less repetitive.

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descara responds:

Thanks for the feedback!

Personally I'd say it's simply the harmonic and melodic material that does it, rather than the form.Glad you liked the interludes at least. ;)

[What is This!]

Hmmm

Hm, I'm not really sure what to make out of this song. So, the title is very fitting. What is this?! I really don't know.
The main beat gets a bit repetitive towards the end, but at least we get to hear a nice piano part (the melody sounds very familiar, but I don't know where I might have heard it before).

Maybe the bass of the main beat could be a bit bassier, deeper. But on the other hand the strange feeling I have while listening to this song might be lost.

The part at around 00:57 isn't really that great. It starts very unexpected and there isn't that much to hear anyway... so yeah, maybe turn up the volume there a bit?

{ Review Request Club }

xxxZigZagxxx responds:

Thanks for your review of this song, Haggard. Your efforts are well appreciated.

I'm glad you felt alienated from the beginning. It was supposed to be that way. I'm also happy that you enjoyed the piano melody. The main beat, I must admit, gets annoying even to my own ears. I don't remember ever hearing the piano melody myself, but perhaps it's buried in my subconscious, I don't know :)

I have had lots of suggestions that things could be bassier. I agree, perhaps I will add more bass. The part at 0:57, I agree, is quite jarring. The purpose was to have people alienated, then broiught back down to Earth with the main beat. But I guess it just put people off a bit from the groove, so I won't do that again... :P

Learning lessons, loving the music-making process. Thank you for your kind criticism.

Benny a.k.a "Silly Boy"

[Long Story Told Short]

Sounds good

Well, the pianos sound pretty good here. And I like the "story" you are telling with them, it sounds very interesting.

I also like how both pianos have something to "say" in this track. Maybe the darker piano is a bit too loud for the other piano, but that's how life goes. The sad/cruel/evil stories are heard and the happy/cheerful stories are overlooked.

Only thing that bothers me is the long silence at the end. Is there no way to edit it out? Audacity is a good way to edit sound files, for example.

ErlendHL responds:

Hey thanks for the review! Not long time ago, I found out that there is a way. Well it's too late now, if I shouldn't delete this and upload a new version, which I won't.

[Welcome to Zebes]

Good

Lol, why do I always have to think of Final Fantasy whenever I hear a track like this one? ^^

Anyway, I think this is a pretty good track for a video game. I think it could be used in a pretty big range of video game genres, doesn't necessarily have to be a RPG, but could also be an action game like Rambo for the NES (well, the game was horrible, but that's beside the point ^^) as the song gets pretty intense towards the end.

The only problem I have with this one is that it doesn't loop too well. So in order to be used in a game you'd have to "fix" it first.

{ Review Request Club }

MeteorManMike responds:

Haha, the styles of Metroid and FF are quite similar, now that I think of it. Probably the string types I used.

I'd call Metroid sort of a platformer/shooter/RPG. It's kind of its own genre.

Yeah, It's always hard to spice up a classical track and then bring it back down to loop right. I could always work on this one later, I guess.

Thanks for reviewing!

[Voyage pt. I & II]

Relaxing

This is how a voyage should be like. Nice and relaxing. I like the background music here very much. It creates this relaxing atmosphere that I quite like.

However, the drums sound a bit strange to me, some kind of "artificial sound". Maybe you could try out different drum sounds to find one that doesn't stand out so much?

Overall, this is a good song.

{ Review Request Club }

MakerThe responds:

Didn't mix/master the track with my monitors (yeah, don't think I'll do that again), but now that I have them up and running again I can see what you mean. Cheers!

[Waiting For The Madness [WIP]]

Good song

Very good song. Even with the nonsensical lyrics.

The guitar sounds very nice. It plays some simple chords, but "simple" is just what fits best here. Together with the sometimes too quiet vocals it creates a very dense atmosphere.

I also like the various effects you put into this, like the echo on the voice and the backwards-like guitar we can hear after the chorus.

Only thing that bothers me is that the vocals are too quiet. I know, the lyrics are supposed to be nonsensical, but it's quite hard to make them out right now. So yeah, turn up the volume of the voice. ^^

{ Review Request Club }

StickyRemnant responds:

Haha, the song now has proper lyrics ...but they're still quite nonsensical!

I'll make sure to up the vocals when I finish it

Cheers for the review. Glad you liked it.

[J@K's Guitar Covers #4]

Good cover

This is a pretty good cover, but it seems a tad bit too slow to me (but on the other hand, I haven't listened to Purple Haze in quite a long time).

The recording does has it's flaws, but it also has a very special "garage recording" charm to it. What kind of setup did you use to record this cover?

It would be great if you could also record the other instruments (drums at least), but I guess it's kind of difficult to do.

{ Review Request Club }

gamejunkie responds:

Thanks for the review Haggard, much appreciated. If you listen to the Original Studio Recording the timing is perfect. The guitar is a 2007 Distressed Fender Stratocaster Vintage S 56 'Relic' Model. Into a Marshall Twin Speaker Cabinet then recorded onto a Zoom midi portable recording studio, (not the greatest device ever made). We are working on some better stuff at the moment.

Cheers gamejunkie.

[MoL- Destroyed]

Good loop

When the song first started I immediatly thought of the Resident Evil soundtrack. I think its the strings in the background, because they create a very dense and almost frightening atmosphere.
However, the rest of the instruments give this piece a more sad, tragic touch. Just like you wanted the piece to sound like. I listened to this loop while I was reading your description and I think it fits really well.

However, I think the flutes could be a bit louder. They are nearly drowned out by the other instruments, which is really a pity.

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MeteorManMike responds:

That's great that it fits my description. I often compose my music with the specific scene in mind.

When I turn up the flutes, they kind of take over the composition, you can't hear anything else. I love intricate supporting parts, having been one myself for a time, when I was in band.

Thanks for the review!