@Parsolar - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: When did you get interested in creating music?

I got interested in creating my own music when I was around 10 years old. I've always had this passion for music and for putting loops together to make some beats, but it wasn’t until I was 14 years old when I actually started composing my own stuff, note by note.

Q: How would you describe the role that music plays in your life?

It’s the main thing that keeps me motivated to have a future in life, I have no other plans for my life other than to live off of music, and that’s the dream. Music takes the role of helping out when depressed, when happy, when feeling any emotion, and I as a composer I try to let it all out that way too.

Q: Your advice for creating music?

Never stop, never be too “correct” with it. If you have an instrument, DAW or any form of sound making object just go for it. Even if it “sucks” at first, you’ll eventually find a style or a method that’s fun for you, and of course, always try to have fun while doing so :)

Q: Which tools and software do you use and why?

I make my music with FL Studio. I find it very straightforward and intuitive to use, it’s very easy to start making music with it and it’s also good enough for when it comes to the professional matters, since it has more in depth utilities. It also helps for a very smooth workflow!

I also use a bunch of VST plugins that tend to change from time to time, I’d personally recommend NI FM8, Massive, Absynth… Blue, Serum, Nexus, Opus… and much more that each have their unique sound and creative ways of using them. I also tend to use various sample packs that have been collected since I was young pretty much :).

Q: What made you change your name a couple of times?

Well, I chose the name “Predator” when I was very young, and by that time I didn’t really know what it meant, apart from the movies with the same title or the animal meaning of it (like apex predator), adding to the fact that I’m from Mexico, so in my language the bad meaning of that name didn’t really pop out until much later. So years later it started to become a problem, people weren’t following, I was getting shadowbanned, algorithms didn’t help, and overall there was a lot of discomfort around it. I ultimately decided that, for the best and to actually have a shot at this music career, that I should rebrand to something more unique, more friendly and that would resemble my style more, so Parsolar was born.

Q: What makes "Newgrounds is love, Newgrounds is life."?

Newgrounds has been home to my music for over a decade now, it’s also thanks to Newgrounds that I can keep making music consistently, it has opened a lot of doors and opportunities for me to not just call this a hobby. It has helped me tremendously to be a bit more “known” across the community, I’ve been on a 100+ frontpage streak, I’m part of the NGZ, many indie devs have contacted me through here, I’ve personally discovered SO MANY talented artists here, and so on. Newgrounds is a place where YOU can have your next opportunity to pursue a dream or a goal. It has helped many underground artists like me and has shown us that it is indeed possible to achieve something from a talent, in a world where many artists go under the radar forever, the community here is awesome and helps each other.

Newgrounds supports all of us, that’s why I support Newgrounds back.

Newgrounds is pure love, and Newgrounds is my life <3

Q: Has your philosophy and approach to the way that you think about music changed over the years?

Yes, I always wanted to be like my idols. I always wanted to make a certain style and be inspired from other artists to learn how to approach certain ideas or genres. But over time you start to develop your own branching style, even if it’s similar to- you start to learn stuff on your own and that basically shapes your ideology of music, the more you practice. Nowadays I’m open and capable of making such a diversity of genres, all coming from heavy emotions, heavy thoughts and a mindset of getting to a broader audience. So yeah, it has evolved over time, you start to understand what you want to say through sounds.

Q: What are your inspirations?

Videogame music overall, but obviously Waterflame being my biggest musical inspiration. I started actively listening to Waterflame around 2010, and it was pretty much all I listened to for way over a decade. He’s a legend to me, and he has created a “path” where many of us have followed to find a place in this music industry. He also has provided a lot of feedback and personal advice throughout the years and I couldn’t be more thankful about it. Waterflame has to be one of the most important pillars of videogame music, especially since Flash and what led afterwards.

My other non-music inspirations have to be my life situations, the people I’ve met and lost over time, and the emotions of having a very difficult life but still being here giving my absolute best to inspire others too <3

Q: Favorite food and drinks?

Oh man I mean, I’m mexican, I HAVE to say enchiladas, chilaquiles, TACOS (de bistec, de tripa, de pastor, de suadero, de birria…), I also love pizza, hamburgers, pasta… and well as for drinks ehh I don’t really drink alcohol, so apart from the good wines and sporadic beers, I enjoy stuff that you would drink at place like Starbucks and yeah… maybe energy drinks like Monster or Predator (hehe), and just fresh normal “mexican” beverages like horchata and jamaica.

Q: Your experiences with dealing with Spotify?

It really depends on your publisher. I personally use Distrokid and I pay a certain amount of septims a year and I can upload whatever, whenever. When it comes to troubleshooting or getting support it can be a real, REAL nightmare but it usually depends. But overall, Spotify as a platform, I see it as a great way to earn a passive income, and obviously it depends on how many listeners you have per month, but in my experience, it has been one of the things that has bought me some food when in need, or has helped in saving for a new VST or a game etc, but the amount obviously varies a lot. At the point where I am now (I get around 300-600 monthly listeners) I just get enough for that kind of mindset (saving it, investing it, emergencies, sporadic groceries), but you can imagine how much you can passively make when having 100k+ listeners or more. If you’re lucky enough to be living off commissions + royalties from Spotify and other services, man you can ultra focus on music and eating at the same time! xD (follow me and listen if you wanna buy me some chips <3)

Q: How has the Internet changed over the years from your perspective?

It has opened new opportunities, but it has also created more toxicity in some places (that’s why I stopped using X for example…). But I honestly like to think of it as a good, constantly evolving tool. I’ve met new people from around the world, I get more fans from such cool countries, and we can all interact from anywhere on the planet! And of course share our own creative stuff, like on Newgrounds, where you have everything, by everyone ;)

Q: What do you like about Skyrim?

HOW DO YOU KNOW?!?!?

Skyrim is my favorite game of all time, and I have several good games in my heart, but Skyrim came into my life when I was going through such a horrible time, and I play it a lot, hours and hours. I love the freedom you get, you get to be what you want to be, good, evil, both, you can roleplay, you can just feel alive in there, such an amazing adventure. The world is very immersive, stories are incredible, very good writing (I can say the same for the other TES games). And it just stays in your heart forever… I personally have a very cool tattoo of “Marked for Death”, which usually has to do with the Dark Brotherhood…

(this is when I recently got it)

Q: What makes an interesting game in your opinion?

The soundtrack, the artstyle and the love the creator puts in. I’m more of a person that like easter eggs or hidden stuff. The games that have a good, lasting replayability are usually the ones I enjoy the most too. Even to this day I go back to games like Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Viva Pinata, Voodoo Vince, Marble Blast, etc. But yeah, as a musician, if it has good music I’m already interested :).

Thank you so much for this interview. I hope people like my answers and can have an idea of who I am, how I started, what I like and how it's going ;)

Thank you Aalasteir, thank you Newgrounds, thank you for being the BEST COMMUNITY.

Stay tuned~