Quarl's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shining Star ✨]

I mean, I'd toss this into cinematic or video game. Those genres tend to blend styles and ideas freely as both a movie or a video game needs music that evolves with the action. Also, VG producers tend to be super chill and experimental. Nice people. Either genre fits this just fine.

I'd give this some bigger constructive crits but I'm not an FL user. Instruments all sound hella nice, those FL presets? Kids these days get the best preset synths and drum loops, in my day we had to scrape drums off of youtube <3

EDIT/RE: it's all good love. I was actually mostly curious about that drum loop. I started in GarageBand back in 2006/2007, used only preset instruments and drum samples. Everyone starts somewhere but it looks like you've been at it a few years now. You're age excites me, you're at a great place for 16, prodigy <3

CJspellsfish responds:

aight, I change that genre to a videogame. didn't wanna mark it vgm because I dont wanna put all my songs in one genre.
the instruments used:
FLEX/Essential Strings/Violins Staccato
FLEX/General Midi Library/Timpani
GMS/Leads & Synths/Drivepass
NES VST/Triangle
FLEX/General Midi Library/Synthbass 101
FLEX/Essential Strings/Cellos Sustain
FPC/Electronic/707
Sytrus/Arp/303ish 4
FLEX/Essential Pianos/Electric Piano
GMS/Classic Detune TE
LABS/Percussion/Percussion
Boobass
FLEX/Histebe Electronica/Between Voices
samples used:
drum loop (idk where its from)
a very short static sound

[SHE CAN]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, damn. Smooth perc, beautiful voice, love that chorus. Perfect funky, melodic hip-hop. Lol, hitting the filter on that drum loop, love it. This is really nice Caleb, I'm slapping that heart shaped love button <3

[loll idk how to delete old songs]

Thank you for sharing. Knowing these things will help me see you in a better light, more human, layered. Your an amazing person. You've recently accomplished a lot to be proud of. Your killing it with your music, keep killing it girl.

Writing things is therapeutic, music happens to have massive returns the more you explore it. You explored a lot with this song. It's both playful and scary. Wonderful patches, bubbles, incredible orchestration, children laughing... those creeping bass tones... OHHHH SHIIITTTT sorry 2:29 just hit. I'm getting Burnham levels of introspection and existential dread. Like, should I be laughing right now or am I in legit danger? Nope, I'm in danger. This is incredible Milk. Only problem, I can't listen to the music while reading the story and vice versa, stimuli overload. Very intense piece of work worth returning to. These melodies can become soul melodies that you can lean into for years, perfect, play forwards and backwards, and they will always mean something to you. The perfect melody gets better every time you hear it or every time you play it.

I turned 33 on the 9th, recently loaded a GBA emulator to my tablet to play Ruby and FF Tactics. Screens are like pacifiers, you can unhealthily cope inside of them as much as you can with alcohol or drugs, but at least it won't kill you. Depression on the other hand can kill you, sorry that's a morbid fact. I love hearing your music because making things is a healthier side of screens. You make very healthy music.

*starts rubbing hands together while staring at your music*

You should go write some more music. I swear this is not manipulation, go write some music for the people but also remember to write music for yourself. You deserve to write whatever you want. You are a golden god. You are an ox. You are a bloody mastodon. Tanks look at you and say "oh my god, we're doomed." Chuck Norris is a very old man, you could probably kick his ass now but you could also probably kick his ass when he was in his prime. You are a warrior. You are unstoppable.

*...rubs hands again...*

[She Makes You Feel Like You're Alone]

As a bad bitch, I take offense to this song but also... I don't care because I'M BAD YO. I LOVE MYSELF, you just sads.

That wah'd up guitar solo was perfect. Damn Joe-Mega, calm down. That guitar solo takes a goofy song and makes it actually legit good. Blues/Hip-hop/Synthwave/Indy rock sandwich xD

Vocals are channeling some Faith No More... and now I'm listening to Epic... HOW DOES THAT SONG ALWAYS GET BACK INTO MY EAR??? D:<

Joe-Mega responds:

Damn, too kind truly.

[goofy little song]

Piano melodies were beast, loved those funky riffs. Drums were well programmed too, rhythm was tight. I'd recommend adding some dynamic changes in velocity data. It would help put some life into the drums by emulating the velocity switch ups from hit to hit that a live drummer would have. It's amazing how much that one trick will add life to your drums. Since I play, I'll mention that I put a lot of emphasis on whole notes like one and three, then use softer hits every where else. Percussion can crescendo and decrescendo to emulate the physical actions an actual drummer plays with. Drummers don't necessarily have a lot to be "emotive" with so dynamics is key. Volume is one of the few tools a drummer has to convey emotion. Play around with making notes louder and quieter :3

The hi-hats are a great thing to point to, you can slap on an automation lane for hi-hat volume and draw some fake dynamics rather quickly. Draw some peaks and valleys on the automation lane, copy and paste the automation when you have some dynamics that sound alive. I'm actually not sure what program your using or if it has a tool like this but it would be faster than selecting and fixing each individual note.

I really do love this song. I just want a little extra babe. You'll find out rather quickly what that volume control does for drums. Think of an object being far away. By playing quietly, then slowly getting louder the drums create the illusion that they are moving around in space, AND THAT IS INSNANE. drums are far away AND NOW THEY ARE RIGHT HERE. ARE THEY ON WHEELS???

[Wobble Rhymes]

Amazing, love the collab. Rapper has a good recording set up, his voice came in sounding nice and warm. The back track is everything I'd expect from Casper, tight perc samples, soulful rhythms, melodies and instruments are all gorgeous. I love how contemporary rap can sound the way it does. The lyrics aren't anything I'd give a Pulitzer prize to but it jives so well with the groove. The lyrics come across like they were written by a kid but Grant delivers the goofy lines like a pro. The message is relatable and I love it. This is powerful <3

[Welcome to Ram Ranch - Cloppin' Clyde]

I'm not too proud to admit that I shook my ass to this honkey-tonk without thinking. Yee-haw, and all that stuff.

[The catalyst [ambient djent 2]]

Wow, wrapped up in an almost two hour jam? Love it when creative projects happen like that. Nice guitar patches, I'm guessing it's all in DAW? I only recently patched up some guitars for a project, never liked digital sounding guitars but digital instruments have gotten better every year :D

SchattenDnB responds:

Yes, the idea was to create a short metal demo just for the sake of it, I used to make a lot of my older music in this way since I really didn't have much of a choice. Getting the full version of my DAW really changed that in a way. Everything is all in the DAW, I understand the issue behind digital guitars, i just use them in between demos and also for aesthetic purposes as well since i can't get the same result out of my current guitar. I still fiddle around with it nonetheless and can even play some of the riffs I've wrote.

[Barren]

All feelings relevant and present dearest <3

[just a little vibe check]

"Vibe check" is one of those youth slang terms, yes? I think I saw a meme or two vibe checking at the academy awards recently but I try not to know what humans are doing at all times. Loved the arpeggio. Honestly this track is so much more than I was expecting. That jazzy brass patch leads perfectly. Or I think that's a brass sound? It's way high pitch... I really can't identify it, I love it. That modest percussion let's the harmonic instruments do their thing. Harmonies are center stage here. Jeez, I love it when that plucky synth line decides to join the arps in the beginning. I wish I had some headphones on right now to see if there's any panning data but I'll do that laturz...

This is a really tasty music sandwich Mr. Death. I'd mosh to this <3

Father-of-Death responds:

thank you Quarl!!! <3 You are the best! :)