Sounds like Data Ease Or Sunsoft
Reviews for "Circus To My Vanity"
NGAP 10TH ANNIVERSARY CONTEST REVIEW
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Circus music from ZipZipper. I SHOULD HAVE GUESSED. And well-made circus music too!
You honestly have considerably good production skills, which make this have an even crisper mix than the original has. I love how you take techniques that are often used in circus music and make them your own, by the way. To any listener, this will sound exactly like circus music, but despite that, you've got quirky synths that work very well but aren't often used in circus music, if at all, since generally accordions, strings/guitars, bells, etc... are used. And then you still make tributes to circus instrumentation at parts like 2:57. The sounds are pleasing to the ears overall and this is just a really well-made track. By the way, love the time signature changes. You actually transitioned between them very well on the whole. Great work.
A tiny problem I had with this is that while I love the piano solo at 4:13 (and the extremely elegant transition at 4:28), the piano mostly plays singular notes and I think that for a solo like that, some more complex accompaniment would work very well. If it were up to me I'd make that section a bit more rubato too, but that's personal preference. My main issue with this is that halfway through it unfortunately gets quite monotonous. I can tell you worked hard on it but it's a very long track and it's practically in one suspenseful circus mood the whole time. The only change that was truly welcomed as a change of tone was the piano solo. I know the original is quite long and not that diverse either, but that doesn't mean you can't diversify yourself!
Despite the issues I mentioned, I think this is one of my favourites from the contest! Great work.
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SCORE: 9/10
ZipZipper responds:
Agreed...shouldn't have been so focused on following the original. Guess that's how I approach covers, I'll feel rude if I manipulate the original too much. And yeah piano solo was blah...I need to lose the OCD I have with music...
Hello.
The Good:
-Very nice mixing for pretty much the entire thing.
-This is definitely one of the most odd pieces in the contest. I also applaud your generally non-repetitive song for being five and a half minutes long. That's pretty impressive!
-There are some good sections which aren't in the original and make sense with the style.
-The drums are pretty nice, though I wish the kick were stronger and less "blobby". ...yeah, that probably should have gone in the not-so-good section.
-Nice panning on the... mandolin? at about 3:07.
-Great reversed effects at 3:18 and onward.
-Some really nice atmosphere at about
The Not-So-Good:
-Many of your transitions aren't really that good. It seems more like you're just switching between ideas when you get bored with the last one without trying to make it flow.
-I wish the parts where you remixed the original song weren't quite so cut-and-paste-like. They seem extraordinarily similar, mainly with instruments replaced.
-Random stops at 3:59, 4:02, 4:06, and 4:10. Don't sound really nice.
-4:15-4:28 has really nice atmosphere, but it really feels like that should have been the end. When it picks up it seems more like a time-increaser, especially since it just goes back into the beginning. I understand the compositional formatting you did there, along with making a nice finale, but you had a great end. The end you finally did sounded EXTREMELY uninspired.
Overall: Score of 9/10. Some really nice stuff here. Main problems were transitions and the copypasta that was occasionally used.
ZipZipper responds:
Hahahaha you got me. The original was like copypasta in some ways and I was really really focused on following the original, probably too much, but I agree...well everything except the random stops comment. Also, you have an unfinished statement "some really nice atmosphere at about ???" but that's ok what's done is doneee
Loving what you did with this one, truly brought out a creepy yet fun vibe. Really reminded me of music from banjo kazooie ;D brilliant stuff!
This is the first of the submissions that stood out to me for this contest. <3 All the best.
And yes, it is disturbing... but I guess that's what the song is trying to convey? I get the image of a circus with all those flashy lights going on and there's this atmosphere of people crowding round wanting to see what's going on, and in the background, somewhere in a hidden corner outside the venue, is this creepy clown who wasn't invited to the proverbial party, rubbing his hands together as he conspires to ruin the night for everyone.
Beautiful rendition of a beautiful song. ^_^
ZipZipper responds:
Aahhh yay thank you! <3 All the best to you too.