Cyberdevil's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Shadows]

I like the fast bits, and the melody overall, but shadows hmm... not sure I'm feeling the theme!

Feels like suitable VG music though. Ambient but also a bit more ferocious/battle mode/runner/brawler like.

-cd-

8BitAndChill responds:

This one was by request! I tried to blend a spooky, shadowy vibe with chiptune. Listened to some old Castlevania beforehand ~

[Snowfall]

Getting in the holiday spirit for sure with this one, and it just so happens the snow really is falling outside too! :D Happy Belated Holidays again! The warm harmonic little bit around 1:10 in particular was really nice btw.

-cd-

8BitAndChill responds:

I appreciate it! Happy belated holidays!

[Mountain]

Hmm don't really get the muddled impression with this, wonder if it's the higher notes or the more limited selection somehow... really works well here. Clearly chiptune too. Love the melody. Love the solo at the end - for a moment there it almost seemed bagpipe-like. XD Chill, optimistic and a great kind of melodic. Very nice.

-cd-

8BitAndChill responds:

I use a low-bass/high-pass (i.e. lo-fi) filter on a lot of this music to give it that lo-fi vibe. It does mess up the clarity at times.

[It's Ok]

Reassuring. :) Intent does come across. Again I love the vibe, though a little muddled tone...

It's gonna get better for sure! Let's make 2021 that year it all turns around now!

-cd-

8BitAndChill responds:

Here here! 🥂

[Fields]

Gotta love that jazzy vibe. Was expecting a bit more of the jazzy when it started out but it moves onto a bit more melodic/pattern-based ambiance it seems...

Wonder if the tone's maybe a little too muddled somehow? Like the ambiance could come out a bit more with clarity? But good vibes.

-cd-

8BitAndChill responds:

Ah you're right, a little less filtering may have made this one sound better. I will definitely keep that in mind.

[Americano]

Jazzy, classy, slow and relaxing... it works! Perfect elevator or lounge music for sure. Nice one.

If anything to improve maybe just depth/clarity. Sound feels soft but a little boxed in.

-cd-

[American]

So catchy. :) Bit high on the loudness but great stuff. Love the vibe.

-cd-

[F-o-D]

An official F-o-D anthem? :) It's definitely got the right kind of weirdness, and the right kind of build, a consistent flow, tenacious background synth and kick that cartwheels in and starts bringing up expectations... one final stretch of shimmering stalactite-like wonder too, what a strange but awesome sidetrack that bit was. Fades out a bit fast but almost/sort of loops...

I could vibe to this for some time. If it is an anthem: feels suitable. Though feels like it could also be just not all too seriously titled? Good stuff either way!

-cd-

Father-of-Death responds:

Maybe not my anthem lol but I feel like lately I've been needing to represent myself better. I've been having trouble relating myself to my online stuff. I always feel like I don't know who the fuck I even am. I gotta find myself and get motivation to learn more about music, because right now I feel like I could learn so much more than I know now. I keep telling myself to get my life together and feel like I'm not going anywhere. Life has a way of kicking you down a lot and I'm getting tired of it. So hopefully I can take hold and realize the good things I have done in my life and try my best not to beat myself up over dumb ass shit.

[January 16th 2021, audio blog]

A cup of Joe huh, always good tidbits of wisdom and/or know-how in these! Though Wikipedia seems to have alternative theories... would you say they're misled here? https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cup_of_joe

Regarding Flash I wonder how that's working for you now? Depending on OS/update status maybe it never shut down for you? If you've been missing out on fixes: https://sonucais.newgrounds.com/news/post/1137244

In regard to newer games it seems like the majority is, and probably has been the last few years, HTML5. So maybe this change won't have as large an impact on the regular user as we assumed it might. Maybe specifically with certain iconic; classic games, but I feel like a lot of them will probably just fade out of the public eye a bit... for now. Hopefully Ruffle brings them back. Maybe breathes some more life into the community again when/if people start going here in particular to relive those glory days and find some old; familiar nostalgia.

Unfortunately a lot of the new stuff does require webGL support to run properly though, which at least my GPU does not have. Lotsa lag. In contrast Flash games still run flawlessly... except when they now run via Ruffle, since Ruffle in part also requires webGL, which my GPU doesn't have. :/ Alas... though it seems that particular bit might get tweaked in the future. Major issues now and optimizations when everything's working.

Sounds like you're really getting by on scraps lately though, though beverages/nicotine-based relaxants: bound to amount to a fair share of $$$ long-term I guess? Hope things start looking up though. It's cool to hear at least there are friendlies out there; a certain sense of community.

And you really have the perfect voice and competent verbal aptitude for this kind of content! Plus quality recording equipment. Wouldn't mind hearing more. About some of all those as of yet unsaid things mayhaps.

-cd-

VicariousE responds:

Pretty sure it was this Joe - https://twitter.com/martinsoncoffee?lang=en My Ma had gotten a hold of some of their microwavable, single-serve tea-like bags, told me the story about where the term came from.

Yea MS snuck the Flash kill switch on my badly outdated Win 7 OS, I've got the stand-alone player, but I can't play Drawing Grounds or do other Flashy stuff on Newgrounds. Sucks ass. When I get time I'll go thru things, either get webGL on here or updated... wouldn't mind more comprehensive NG Wikis on the subject(s)

Yea IDK, tapered back on the drinking, trying to do the same w/ tobacco, but it's basically scraping by, on my way to the bottom

Thx m8, should've turned the gain up some and put up a pop filter, appreciate the comments! 'Unsaid things' might have to go unsaid for a while longer, as a few IRL ppl know my IRL identity ..present company included lol

[littlMix 01_16_2021]

So much awesome music to discover here. I wonder how you go about making these? Random listening, intentional seeking, favorites a peeping?

Wholesome session here. Closest we've had to a real RadioGrounds alternative in a while now.

-cd-

littlbox responds:

Thanks Cyberdevil! I go through the Audio Portal as often as I can and find what tracks stand out to me, then try to string them together into a somewhat cohesive playlist. I'm glad you enjoy it! :D