Solacitude's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Life Anew [NGADM]]

Very nice!
I'm not a big fan of cabaret music in general, but you master it in a beautiful enough fashion to hold my attention until the end. You have a voice that fits magically well with it! The effects also add this typical flavor we find in many songs in this genre. What you did here is on par with what I would expect from a professional musical production. Hats off to you!

trixelbit responds:

You know, I really struggled with assigning a genre to my songs. This one especially. I never heard of cabaret music till your comment but searching either gives me clips from a movie or a playlist with Frank Sinatra, and im not sure which is defining of the genre.

If you got a song from that genre, please send a link, I'm curious!

I'm really glad you enjoyed the song though! I will certainly be taking that hat since I've lost hair from completing this lol

[Untinted]

Nice job! I like the thematic you associate with it. It often only takes a little bit of perspective, and the darkness can turn into light.

There's a funny vibe to it, I would see this in a cartoon, alternating between different scenes to fit the flavor of the current mode.

Everratic responds:

Thank you! Yeah it has a whimsical, cartoony vibe.

[There's a Battle in the Owl Forest]

Very well done! Quite unique, lots of originality, it often lacks in cinematic music.
It sounds good all the way, everything merge well, that's a high potential for NGUAC top placements for sure!

etherealwinds responds:

Wow, what a kind comment. That means a lot, especially coming from you, so thank you! Your track this round was definitely one of the standouts for me, personally. <3

[Crystallis Ultima]

Very nice ambiance moving along very well through the different passages.
Your passion for music can be heard in every single note. Very good job!

HollandAlbright responds:

Thank you! ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬

[Just something chill]

Cool loop! Nice groove going on. Unquantized is so much better to give a human feel.
It's all the little imperfections that makes the music sound human.
I think there is a huge advantage to explore outside of quantization for any style of music.
For me it's pretty much a given that I never use it, with piano style with lots of freedom regarding tempo :) But for you I hope it unlocks a world of new possibilities! I'm sure it will!

OVERSCORE responds:

Unquantization does give things a more human feel, but I probably don’t need as much in the future (this was just an excessive hard swing vibe that I wanted).
With my future music setup I plan to do some tracks where I just play the whole thing on my keyboard, and I really look forward to doing some ad lib

[High Desert]

Hey this one is pretty cool!
A nice little vibe, I get the desert feel with the choice of instrument, and space between notes. It gives a little bit of a post apocalyptical impression.

[After The Rain]

It's hard to do something coherent in odd time signatures, but you got that!

I think you could improve by experimenting with lots of different effects and automation.
You could try composing lots of different variations of your actual theme, rather than repeating the same group of notes from different starting points, try to add complexity different ways to the theme. It will help develop something more complex while keeping it coherent with the original idea, make you think of new ways to present it, then it can be used to add variety throughout your piece.

If I could suggest one thing that really can make a big difference, if you don't already have one : A midi controller, so then you can humanize the input. Inspiration flows a lot more easily with a tactile mean of expression rather than drawing notes in the DAW. So then you can apply music theory to the keyboard, it's easier to control each note's dynamic, to get an inspired result this way.

No matter what, continue crafting music, experimenting, seeking for better results, and you will only get better and better! I hear potential in what you create, but I think it lacks a bit of development. Keep the love for music and you will get there! What matters is the passion for music, nothing else. Music is a friend that stays with you all your life. No matter what people think of your music, doesn't really matter in the end. You have to do it for yourself first. The more you are passionate about your music, the more you will put time into it, the more you will improve, the more you will create quality, and at some point, but with thousands and thousands of hours of dedication, you will get all the tools to express your ideas in a more complex and meaningful way.

Peace
Solacitude

[Because We Miss You]

One of the most difficult things in life, letting go of people we love. Sorry for your loss.

This is my favorite of all the piano pieces I listened from you. I truly love each one of them, it feels authentic, it's not just notes, to me it's phrases that express your mind in a meaningful way. I feel the sadness of the event, but also cheerful memories of a wonderful, loving and delicate person. Very beautiful and touching piece.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

<3 <3 <3

Sorry, I never ended up responding to this earlier! I really appreciate your kind words. I intend to reply to your messages soon; I've just been super busy lately, but I know you already understand :p

Either way, congratulations on passing through to the next round! I am looking forward to seeing what you create next :3

I feel like you've really understood this piece! It's a sure sign of great musical empathy. It's a very important piece to me.

[Abandoned Shrine (432hz, modified Zarlino)]

It sounds very interesting! melancholic and nostalgic, with touches of discord, unresolved conflicts, unanswered questions, or something along those lines. It sounds beautiful throughout, it flows marvelously, extremely pleasant to the ears! I don't know what is Zarlino, but I'm on my way no to discover it! I also like this slightly pitched down tuning, I use it as well. I don't know why but I find it helps connect with music on a deeper level.

anthonyragus responds:

Thank you for the kind words! Temperament refers to the intervals (pitch relationship between notes) in a scale (e.g. the vast majority of music is 12-Tone Equal Temperament), and tuning is the overall pitch center of the whole temperament (e.g. the vast majority of music is tuned to A4 equals 440 hertz). I agree with you that tuning can be an important part of the piece's quality.

I updated the description to include temperament details, which you can use, play, and export (as well as any tuning and temperament you want) via Sevish's Scale Workshop. If you're interested in microtonal / non-12TET music, I highly recommend his Scale Workshop (and his music).

[Happy Days!]

You make awesome music! This one gave me smile so mission accomplished for giving happy days vibe! Really enjoyed the whole thing, I can hear that you put lots of efforts into your songs.
I don't know if you ever played The Sims, but this music made me think of it, some of the background music, but in a boosted, better way.

Tangerine responds:

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it