Aalasteir's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Something That Lingers]

I am amazed by the intro; it is so mysterious with an aura of great magnitude. The song is very beautiful and elegant, and it reminds me of flowing rivers—very relaxing. You are clearly an immensely skilled musician, and I was truly shocked and amazed when I clicked play on your song!

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

@Thomaisho what elements do you value most in music, and why?

Thomaisho responds:

@Aalasteir Oh wow thank you very much! I really appreciate the kind words :)

In terms of organizing my workflow, I typically start by finding the right chords and chord progressions that give the feel I’m looking for. I’ll build the layers and add instruments one by one, usually one section at a time. Drums and percussion are usually worked on after the meat and bones are created, and I try to find a nice melody along the way. Honestly, most of the time I just create beginning to end with little preplanning. It’s all about the emotion and texture to me, and my brain just adapts and spills it all out as I go. Sometimes I hyperfocus so much with creating that I’m up by 4am in the morning wondering where the time went! Haha

The elements I value most in music are how instruments are given a voice. I feel that each facet of a track plays an important role, and letting each part sing really gets me excited!

I value those satisfying buildups and transitions that resonate raw emotion. I love letting out a good cry or an ecstatic giggle in awe of how I felt what the artist probably intended me to.

I value harmonies in music quite a bit as well. When they all come together and flow into one another, it’s just so pleasing to the ears and gets me singing or humming along to em! I always appreciate good harmonies. They tend to display great originality and emotion to me personally. Oh! And portamentos.. pitch bending and portamentos really get me emotional when used right, and I personally love using them quite often :)

Thank you again, I hope you’re having a wonderful day/night ❤️

[Power of Connection]

Congratulations on winning the contest—Your song is very rich in atmosphere. Thank you for creating your music; you do great work. Keep up the excellent work and continue being the musician you aspire to be.

@TheChuckie how do you determine when your song is ready to be published?

@TheChuckie what advice has helped you in making your music?

TheChuckie responds:

Hey, thanks for responding!

I really had a lot of fun making this song and I'm really happy it both performed well and ended up being a favorite for many.

For me publishing music either is split whether I say "oh I will just upload to newgrounds directly" or "i will contribute this song to an album that I'm passionate about and want to distribute on streaming platforms", and as such I end up becoming pretty sloppy with how I roll out my music xd, regardless though I think there are some people who appreciate me sending out music. On the topic of when I think I'm ready to just send this out and see how it goes, oftentimes with the context of the album a lot of them have almost a concept album aspect to it where they tell a half-baked story through electronic synths is almost a fascinating concept to me, so whenever a song contributes in my mind to that aspect I end up just sending it to the album.

For any musicians who are looking for advice, the only thing I can tell them is to make music YOU want to hear and make music that comes from your soul, because I know for a lot of songs I can tell what had the passion and drive that only could come from a genuine human. Make music you are passionate about, it will let everything else fall in to place, so to speak.

[lucid dreaming over wifi]

Your song has a great beat, and the mix is professional. There’s a unique atmosphere, and your lyrics and vocals complement the song well. The guitar solo is excellent. It’s difficult for me to compare your song to others because it stands out on its own.

@BestGuess what are your creative goals? And why?

@BestGuess what have you learned from making your song?

BestGuess responds:

ty!! hmm, that's a good first question actually. i would love to play more shows and tour AND put a band together (but my job kinda prevents that).
2nd question: i struggle with perfectionism, but i was really able to let go and still make something i like this time around!

[Emotional Error 08]

Your song is awesome! Your style is awesome, especially in how you capture the spirit with a blend of old-school game sounds and piano. The amazing variation in your compositions gives them so much power.

DaxCamdaxian responds:

Thanks friend, i appreciate it, and thanks again for inviting me to the collab :)

[Underground]

Awesome industrial energy! I’m excited to see what this will be when it’s released later. Thank you so much for making your music royalty-free, James.

@JamesHeart, what are some of the VSTs you used for your song?

JamesHeart responds:

Thank you mate ^^ .. yeah its always free use with me .. just don't advertise it for reasons to my detriment

VSTs? Mostly NI Massive
I make custom patches for every song and this one has a lot of them
i have an Omnisphere piano as well and a custom Omnisphere patch I've made with loads of FX

every channel has EQing on it to shape the sound more ..
I use Raum reverb and play with its engine to alter and modulate as we as add reverb
I added distortion and phasers as well to make the sound crunchy and move .. but this is mostly me using my knowledge of NI Massive to create sound

[Future Shine: PacedUp [Full EP]]

You are awesome! Excellent songs with high energy!

Dieswyx responds:

always happy to see you commenting here. glad you liked it 🥺

[Born from an A.I.]

💙💙💙

Powerful energy with great drums, and the way you've mixed it is excellent. The attention to detail and the pacing are phenomenal, complemented by great synth melodies!

Dieswyx responds:

Glad you liked it, thank you very much Aaly 💜
I'm starting to get wild with the sound design now~

[Robot Manufacturing]

Good melody with well-paced drums, and the atmosphere is cool. Excellent job—Happy Robot Day!

Dynamic0 responds:

Thanks for review! Happy late robot day too!

[We are the Robots! (From the Newgrounds Robot Day Collab)]

Absolutely amazing song! It has a great composition with a unique atmosphere and is very creative. Drawing inspiration from the retro style of Kraftwerk was a great decision. I remember listening to the band a lot—they are truly unique. I'm happy to hear that they could be an influence on your incredible music. Happy Robot Day!

xanxoepico responds:

Thanks Aalasteir! I feel the song came out kinda cheesy, but I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless!

[Keep Them Coming! (NGUAC Knockout Round)]

The atmosphere is so fun, with great energy! You did an excellent job on composing a great composition with many complimentary parts!

01:07 - Amazing breakdown.

Interloping responds:

I honestly dont think I would be this far if not for your personal efforts to motivate me to keep going with my compositions. To this day Im still convinced that youre the one who scouted me on the portal <3