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No problem! I like that you have a strong sense of identity: minimalism and melancholy. Stay true to what you like :). Though definitely don't be afraid to venture out and try new things too! My identity used to be "odd time signatures", but only after I strayed away from that path did my music really shine through. And since music jams have random themes which may not always align with 'minimalism' or 'melancholy', it may be a great time to try out something new :)

This feels very explorative! The orchestration is well-executed and it is nice to listen to. It feels like I am running off into the wilds! The part at 0:56 is my favorite - the chords are so nice there - but honestly, the whole piece sounds great. I don't find it fitting the Gnome theme as well as some other songs, but the woodwinds and strings help reinforce that aspect too. Loved to listen to it, well done :D

Your song fits very well! The woodwinds, wood-blocks, delay, magical wind-chimes; it all plays well into the magical forest atmosphere. At first I was confused about the bubble-sounds, but after reading you talk about the bubbles in the image, I could only find it a funny and nice touch ;). It is well orchestrated, you seem like you know what you're doing for someone who "could only dedicate a day as I was very busy, so it's nothing special." Nice entry :D

I love this combination of woodwinds! Not only do woodwinds feel nice forest-like, but it is also nice and upbeat which fits the dancing, silly nature of the gnomes. It is a nice composition and feels quite "full" for only three instruments. It feels quite "classical", and I like it. I see you also really use those 'dynamics' well, which is something I've gotten a bit scared of and should really try more often. Great inspiration to give it a try again! Nice entry :D

I like the upbeat sound of this. I do agree that the high-pitched instruments are a bit painful on the ear. I also had quite a hard time following the pulse, and sometimes it feels like there is no real meter at all. Reminds me a bit of Lethal Lava Land in M64, which also is more of a collection of sound-snippets that doesn't fully follow a meter. I am not really sure what your Pandora's Music Box is and how these "incremental recordings" contribute to them, but I am quite intrigued :)

It is definitely interesting! It often feels like there are multiple patterns overlayed with different tempo's or rhythms, making it a quite chaotic song. The instrumentations strengthen this feeling, lending it a robotic, machine-like vibe. I don't find it quite fitting to the theme, but I do love that it is played on physical hardware! Cool entry :D

I like the clarity of this song compared to the last song I rated from you :). It has a clear triple meter which slows down and speeds up yet always stays clear. It got one theme and sticks to it, instead of layering multiple inconsistent themes on top of one another. I dig that! Your chords and melodies are also nice and you seem to have an endless amount of inspiration in your head, which is awesome. The ending also has a very nice cadence to finish it off with.

I do have to admit, I am not a fan of the SFX sounds. The sounds are very glitchy and loud, and they seem more like unintended side-effects (e.g. clipping noise) rather than SFX. Also, I feel like you're totally ready to add more instruments and elaborate on your theme! I used to be a "piano-only" composer at first - for quite some years, actually - but I only really flourished when I started experimenting with whole compositions. And I feel like your compositions can really benefit from some extra instrumentation.

Overall though, I like what you've got here, well done :)

I am always fond of composers daring to venture into odd meters. And I can genuinely say that I've never heard a song in 19/8 before (4.5+5 = 9.5 = 19)! It fits well for a "curious woodland", but even better for some "dark confusing woodland"! It reminds me a bit of Zelda's Lost Forest songs (especially in Spirit Tracks, which also uses odd meters).

It is very good that you repeat the main theme a lot of times, as it can be quite hard to grasp an odd meter well if not done carefully. This made it easy for me to grasp the underlying pulse. The song itself feels a bit shallow, and I feel like the addition of more instruments could work wonders here! I love the violin from 0:09 to 0:15: it feels it's just doing its own thing, yet it doesn't feel out-of-place to me. I got a bit weirded out when this violin started going against the pulse at 0:24, playing the off-beats; since you already had an odd meter, going off-beat here didn't confuse me, but felt a bit out-of-place. The addition of the drums is great, and it fits the vibe too. I could see more instruments join in, perhaps playing some simple repeated themes too.

Overall, I dig this! It doesn't sound fully fleshed out yet, and it can be quite hard for people to get into given the odd meter; but for someone who is very used to odd meters like me, this was decent to follow. And the instrumentation fits the theme fine as well. Nice entry :D

Wow, does this song only use 2 instruments throughout the whole song? I have always been called out (in a positive way) for being able to make a lot happen with little instrumentation, and I see you're fond of it as well :). You got the base down pretty solid, and I would encourage you to now build on top of this though. Perhaps add some extra layers (an extra melody, other instruments reinforcing the chords, etc.). I feel like this can be taken to the next level!

Also, I like the focus on the "dancing" aspect of the Gnome by making a fun drum-centered dance-beat. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but the theme seems to be mostly a bit dark (using a lot of minor chords), which I wouldn't expect for a happily dancing gnome. I am curious as to the reason behind this :)

Nice song, well done :D

Thank you for your feedback, especially on my mixing! I am very new to the whole 'mixing' thing as I come from Musescore where mixing used to be quite difficult. That transition from mysterious to joyous (a "tritone modulation" to be precise) was quite hard to get right, but I am very happy how it turned out! Thanks again for your encouraging as well as constructive criticism :D

Thanks, that means a lot! That transition at 1:35 is a wild one, but one I've always wanted to try: a tritone modulation! I was afraid it would fail terribly, but I am personally quite glad how it worked out :D

I get what you're saying, yeah. And I love triple meters (or any meter other than the standard 4/4)! Glad you like it :)

Ah yes, that's right! I read up about dropping some notes when extending chords, but then forgot about it completely. I'll try it sometime, thanks again :D

That's nice, everyone has their own personal 'flavor', and if dark energy is your thing, keep at it! Your song fits a "creepy type of shopkeeper" perfectly, so well done :D

Thanks a lot! I totally agree with your points too.

- They are indeed seventh chords and are not spaced as optimal as they can. I am still getting used to seventh chords, as this is  my second time using them, so I appreciate the feedback!

- And about the distortion, now that I focus on it, I think I found what you mean. It's definitely not clipping, so don't worry about that, as I always have a limiter on my tracks and the "distortion" also happens when I lower the gain. I am actually not sure what causes that little clicking noise... I appreciate the mention though! Maybe I'll look into it some more :)

Thanks a lot :D

Thanks a lot! I purposely used the most "jazzy" instruments I could think of, to really sell the "shop" aspect.

How sweet :D. For a self-proclaimed "beginner", you got a good grasp for melody and chords. This classical waltz fits well for a 'nobles' song, and I could see it fit a shop theme too. It's short and sweet, and I can definitely see many opportunities for expanding it. Nice one!

Oh, and btw, your soundcloud link doesn't work. It's almost at the end of the rating period, but it might be worth looking into :)

Very nice! This really fits perfectly. It has that simple shop-theme vibe, and it even has those classical speaking sound effects! And haha, the transition the moment you destroy something is absolutely perfect! This is an absolute treasure, this goes into my personal album! Great example of a well-deserved 5-star rating in pretty much all categories :D

I actually feel like this fits the casino vibe of the 15th Weekly Note Composing Jam well too! But then again, shops and casino's have kinda similar vibes, so that means you're doing well ;). I like the little cash register sound effect and the sax, and the electric bass together with the - I guess - rock organ works well too. It indeed does end a bit abruptly, which can easily be fixed with a bit of fade-out or an ending cadence or something. The song has a nice vibe though, well done :). 

The song is simple, fitting the shop theme well. I actually find the theme a bit... dark-ish, fitting something like an underground night-shop. It is not a song I would want to have on repeat for too long (too sharp seventh chords to linger on are my guess), but if just for a bit it's nice. Cool entry :)

How lovely! It fits wonderfully in a shop setting, and is great to listen to :D. I could listen to this on repeat. It is quite simple in concept and number of instruments, but really captures that intended vibe. Great inspiration, I'm saving this one :)

It is definitely... interesting. It's not really my cup of tea, such a chaotic rampage, but I can dig the intent. It is very dissonant, and never seems to stay on rhythm, tempo, or key. And so you probably understand that it is quite hard for me to listen to. But I still find it decently fitting for a shop theme, and I like the idea :)

Hi there :)

The instruments and vibe work great! Casual and uplifting, perfect for a shop theme. Though, it feels as if either the reverb is a bit strong, or a particular sound is annoying me, as it sound like lots of notes are constantly clashing; I am not sure if that is the right analysis, but that's how it sounds to me. From 1:00, that is mostly gone luckily :). The song has a nice feel to it, and the jazzy instruments work great. I like it :D

Hi there :)

I love the instrumentation! It fits well for an underwater theme. The theme is a bit too minor for me to imagine a shop theme though; I had expected something a bit more uplifting and casual. The current song feels more explorative to me, and for such a theme this would work wonders! The melody at the start was a bit awkward for me to get into with the weird note-rhythm, but after 0:16 it worked out great for me. The ending reverb fade-out was interesting too, in a good way! Nice song :D

Oh, and small reminder: your "link to streaming service" doesn't work as intended, as this song is not on your streaming service ;)

Thank you so much :D

Thanks a lot for still taking the time to listen to my music, even when the jam is already over. I appreciate it :)
A friend of mine referred to it as classical too, so you're definitely not wrong there! I'm glad you find the composition nice and relaxing; that was the vibe I was going for (at least the first half) :D

Thanks again!

Great to see you making music again :). You know I can't miss the opportunity to listen this, even if I can't rate the music.

1. Prelude of Pines. A piano with long reverb combined with strings and some female ensemble just makes everything sound amazing, doesn't it! I already love the recorded bird sounds you used too.
2. Gladewing - Main Theme. Great use of similar instruments as your previous song. Your "pedal" vocals remind me so much of 'Snowpeak' from Zelda TP. When I look at your editor, I'm always overwhelmed by the amount of instruments used, but I am starting to see the groupings. You're just way better at exploiting the subtle differences between different sounds! I would have dumped nearly every string on the same track hihi. Beautiful chords used, really cinematic as you claim. Just lovely :D
3. Cascade Forest Floor. Love the pizzicato strings, they bring just the right amount of playfulness to the song. The chords are way less intense than in the previous song and - I think at least - bring a constant alternation between a minor vibe and a major one, as if the bird is careful and looking out but also can enjoy a bit. I love this constant alternation; it gives it a calm feeling yet not completely at ease.
4. The Swift Go Softly. I've gotten to expect piano for your credit themes ;). And again, a beautiful piano piece to end it off with. I love how the bird sounds continue on a bit longer. I cannot distinguish chords by ear, but I have a feeling that you use a lot of major chords with some beautifully timed minor chords and a nice cadence to finish it off with.

Your ability to use just the right instruments, effects, and chords to give the perfect setting is astounding to me. I like that these songs are not too long, about 1 and sometimes 2 minutes long, such that I can hear (read: enjoy) each track a number of times to really analyze it well. Really beautiful, as always. You never disappoint! :D

That said, it's been a while, hasn't it. I still look back at the times when I could hear your and Selkione's tracks at monthly Redline's jams or Town Music jams. I am using Logic Pro now too - in part because of your recommendation - and have learned a ton about it. And I learned a lot about music theory as well. Your songs were a bit inspiration for me when I first started making songs for music jams on Itch. I've been inspired by them, I've analyzed them, and some of them I've listened to over 100 times!

In other words, I can't wait to see what you'll make next, buddy :)

You can't fool me, that's a clear 7/8 time signature ;)

I love those arpeggio's (is that the noise?), it really sounds like rain! And the strong drum-noise is great for thunder too. That pulsating bass vibe (square wave?) in the background really helps too. I think this is a great track for some "QUICK, GET OUT OF THE RAIN" vibe! Really love this :D

Really cool track!

I loved the intro, that "Sweet" instrument! I was hoping you'd rest on those first three chords for a bit, going for some chill lofi-vibe. It made me confused when I heard the "ByeBye" instrument, which didn't fit the expected vibe to me. The "Synth piano" also fit the lofi-vibe I was expecting, especially since that instruments gets a solo for a bit. It seemed to have a bit of an identity-crisis.

Soon enough, I was realizing this was not your normal lofi-track. It started feeling more like a level of a game; a platformer perhaps? The "LB302" instrument helped too (it always sounds so funny to me xD). In the middle we have some buildup, getting harder and harder at 2:57. Intensity rising! I liked where this was going :). At 3:17, the vibe was undeniable. And 3:59 was a great ending. You used those drums really nice to build the intensity!

It's quite a long track, but in a good way! A lot is happening throughout the song. I would never have thought any of this was horror-genre though, even if you moved away from that ;)

Really nice, great song :D

Thank you :D! Thats my favorite part as well, that progression is just so sweet. Most of the time when I hear thunder I am inside, chilling out, so I'm glad you find my peaceful portrayal interesting :)

Thank you! I loved to try out some cool seventh chords for the first time, and I included some deceptive cadences and secondary dominants for fun as well. Glad you like it :D

Wow, thank you! 'Wonderfully composed' is a great compliment, and I'm very grateful for it :)

And indeed, this is my first time using seventh chords. I used to think that they didn't have a purpose other than to make a song sound more "dissonant and ugly". I do not agree with my old self anymore: I think it depends a lot on the type of seventh chords, how they are voiced, and how harsh the instrument playing it is! In the past month I've read a ton about the different types of seventh chords and I am just starting to find out how to use them all :D

Thanks a lot! "Watching the rainstorm safe behind the window" was exactly the vibe I was going for, so I am happy it worked out! Glad you liked the balance between the two pieces :D

Wow, you're early, the rating period hasn't even started! Either way, thanks a lot :D! Though it ain't perfect, I am personally also happy how it turned out :)

Thanks a lot :D

I completely agree that I did not focus a lot on the 'crystal' vibe. I just wanted to make a cool pipe organ castle theme. That's my bad.

The 'sonar-type sound' you describe indeed does not fit too well. It is actually just the same piano playing a single note. I was originally intending to move towards a different theme, one more marching-band-and-trumpets-like, and those notes would be part of the transition. I ended up not making that, but the sound had stuck with me.

Thank you so much! :D

Glad you like my piece! :D

The voices are the Chamber Female/Male Ensemble in the Sampler, which you can also get by selecting Female/Male Chamber Choir in the Library. The sounds themselves don't sound too awesome, until you add a bit of reverb and it magically works :). You can also select an 'Aa', 'Uu', 'Oo', and 'Mm' articulation to make them sound differently.

I am indeed not too great at working with voices/strings. A softer attack was something I also found out recently and totally forgot until you reminded me of it just now! Not sure if I can add portamento to these voices, but I'll look into it. Thanks again!

Thank you, I am glad my intention worked out :D

Thank you! I was focusing mostly on the 'castle' aspect and found a piano with delay and reverb fitting the 'crystal' aspect at least a tad bit :)