Aalasteir's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Thieves Guild Theme]

I love how deep the bass is. This is well-constructed—it feels like the instruments are having a conversation, asking questions and giving answers. Honestly, one of the most powerful techniques for creating interest in music is viewing it as a conversation, and the flow you’ve created here is great.

@Everratic, which compositional techniques do you use the most, and why do you choose to use them?

Thank you, @Everratic. I appreciate you listing the instruments you used in your orchestral theme. It’s a wise decision to subtract elements from your composition; subtraction is just as important, if not more so, than addition. It’s very easy to add too many elements, which can ruin the listening experience.

[Revière de Vie [The River of Life]]

Your composition is well-constructed, especially with how you incorporate key changes and variation. The way the strings arpeggiate in the background gives the piece a nice flow, and the atmospheric background creates an interesting environment for the song. That was a great decision. The strings are mixed well, and you’ve made excellent use of panning.

@WolfRayetMusic, what are some resources you would recommend for learning music?

@WolfRayetMusic, what is your favourite advice on creating compositions?

WolfRayetMusic responds:

Thank you for the feedback on this piece. There a some hurdles that I had to face while contructing this work of art.

For resources, I recommend watching Signals Music Studio. That's where I learned most of the music theory stuff. Also, Alex Moukala and Au5 because they make fascinating tutorials.

My advice for composing: Before the composing process, start testing your music idea first. Test on something like a piano, guitar, or any instrument in your DAW. That way, you have a sense of where that idea will go so you can make a piece layer by layer with no trouble of having "producer's block"

[¿is your love too much?]

Fantastic intro, very atmospheric with the piano, creating a strong emotional auditory narrative. I personally wish the vocals were more audible, as I couldn’t make out the words you're singing. You have a lot of talent as a singer.

I don't even know if people give a fuck about feedback these days. I do like your song. I think the vocals might work better with a style similar to how Mario Judah uses a yell-singing technique, like in 'I Miss the Rage' or Juice WRLD, where he blends a sing-songy, talk-rap approach.

@Rectxngl, how did you become interested in music?

Rectxngl responds:

Don't know if you'll see this cause it was in september but thanks man! I know my vocal mixing needs work lol. I do really like feedback tho. I love improvin' my stuff :D But idk, I just kinda bought FL Studio and started messin' around. I've always been into music ( I was a band kid ) 😼

[Estrella]

The structure of your song is great. You have a lot of variation and excellent mixing, especially with how you handled the bass. The bells and chimes sound fantastic together. I really like the breakdown at 1:45.

@larrynachos, why are you not happy with your song?

@larrynachos, what do you like to hear in music, and why?

larrynachos responds:

The music I make and the music I want to make are very different things. With my songs, the structure is transparent. You can tell exactly when I'm just duplicating the initial 8 bars. My songs are never more than one or two sound ideas, with an intro and outro hastily tacked on. My projects are never very dense, they always look pretty much the same, kinda like this:

----------------------------------------- main element
drums/bass --------- -------- --------
secondary element --- --- --- -- -
fx - - - - - - - - - -
fx - - - - -

With the music I like to listen to, the song is a journey. A constant back and forth between meeting and subverting expectations. I'm a really big fan of the rhythmic nature and creative sound design of color bass music. You can't tell what the elements are, where the seams are.

Thanks for stopping by

[Let's Go! (Instrumental)]

Great intro and excellent use of the glitch effect! The drums and bass are well-mixed, and your song has a very professional sound. Keep making amazing music! The bass is well-crafted, and the way the riser leads into the chorus is impressive. The chorus has a pirate-like attitude to it.

@G2961, what advice has helped you in making your song?

G2961 responds:

Thank you so much, Aalasteir! The only thing that helped me was that I decided to go into FL Studio after 5 days and sit in front of it for 5+ hours on a whim, so I accidentally made a new track. Also I just wanted to test out the homemade headphones, lol.

[!NGAP MEGACOLLAB!]

Amazing collab! It’s incredible to hear so many different styles!

[Graeme interviews Jsoull about Madness (2021)]

Great episode! It was awesome to hear about the Madness series, though it’s unfortunate to hear that the Discord communities have many problems. I really enjoyed hearing @Jsoull's thoughts on Madness. I completely agree—the music in Madness is absolutely amazing! It’s always exciting to see new high-quality Madness creations being created!

@Graeme, what do you think about having an album cover for your podcast audio on Newgrounds? Personally, I think that would be awesome!

@Graeme, thanks for sharing the backstory of your conversation with Jsoull. What advice would you give for handling burnout?

@Jsoull, in what ways do you feel the combat in Madness has changed in the three years since September 2021?

Graeme responds:

It's not so much a formal podcast as it was a one-off interview. I'll potentially do more in the future, and will share those here as well. Depending how that takes shape, maybe I'll add some form of album art? But at the very least I should probably give this specific upload some Madness-y art/

As for handling burnout. It's a nightmare! And something I still struggle with. The biggest thing I've learned, is to take more time than you think you need! The wind-down that comes from stepping back doesn't really count as proper rest. You need time to disengage THEN rest. If you don't give it an appropriate amount of time, you won't actually recover.

[VALERIE SCHWARZ | CREATIVE BLOCK #183]

Funny episode! I really enjoyed the discussion about leadership and how important it is to have communication skills, especially in a creative collaborative environment like animation projects, where teamwork is the foundation.

[Rollout]

Your compositions are well-constructed, with landscapes of sound that I enjoy. You have an incredible ability to create juxtaposition in music, where the quiet and loud parts complement each other seamlessly. Your sound design is awesome!

@JamesHeart, how do you build your songs so well?

[The Dead Run]

Great heavy bass, and the atmosphere is super cool. I really like the mix—it’s strong, and the song structure is unique.

01:35 - This is my favorite part! What I really enjoy is the background atmosphere, and it works so well because the buildup!

@RyuuAkito what is your system for organizing your workflow for music projects?

@RyuuAkito how did you discover Madness?

RyuuAkito responds:

Duuude, thank you!

As for workflow, when it comes to personal work I can very much be described as a monkey slamming a keyboard until something sticks. I definitely just boot up FL Studio and work until something works while building off of the knowledge I've gained over the years. When I'm managing a project, I try to have a structured approach while also being laid back; the people I'm working with are talented and they deserve the room to breathe and shine. Big things matter like deadlines, goals, and the product we're delivering, but otherwise I know that a team can shine when they aren't so restricted.

I discovered Madness in 2008 when I was like 4 years old haha. I grew up as the youngest in my family, and my older brother showed me the flash game "Madness Interactive" and I've fallen in love with the series ever since. It's a deep childhood memory for me that I will always cherish.