Hi guys,

I would be grateful for any comments on my latest track:

 

Very well done. Has such a relaxing effect, good music in stressful times. Content with soul, breadth and depth.

 

its a little generic sounding but it has nice atmosphere and texture

 

A bit Muzak for my tastes. The piano line isn't emotive and seems to hit at the same velocity every note. The background would be a decent bed if the piano spoke.

 

Overall i like it. Nice lil chill tune. I will agree with Lois on the piano though. I can't feel it either. So yeah opinions are like assholes but i just don't feel it, as the bright and loud patch selection, constant timbre and not very intricate playing take away from the otherwise cool background. The chord pads are exactly on the money, pristine sounding. Perhaps a darker piano, like a patch from NI's Noir library could do the trick contradicting the dreamy shiny background, and if possible expand on the melodic and rhythmic phrasing. A like from me mate, keep it up
Cheers

 

Last edited: Dec 6, 2024

Thank you all for your feedback.

@Lois Lane , thanks mate for your remarks.
You are correct regarding the piano. I didn't pay enough attention regarding the velocities: Will have to improve on this for the next one I guess.
BTW what did you mean by "Muzak"?

 

Musak; also more or less derogatory: department store music, elevator music, background music, background music; tinkle music, splashing music, peeing music

Spoiler: Muzak

Muzak

English portmanteau of the underlying music and Kodak (the word's inventor, Squier, greatly admired the company because it had become a global company with the new technologies); in German, in addition to Muzak, also: Musak; also more or less derogatory: department store music, elevator music, background music, background music; tinkle music, splashing music, pee music

Muzak is a term for background music that is used in restaurants, elevators, department stores, hotels and some work environments, but also as a pause signal in telephone systems and the like. It is functional music that is supposed to be perceived unconsciously by the listener in order to put them in a good mood and to create a relaxed atmosphere when shopping or at work. A frequently expressed requirement for Muzak is: heard but not listened, which indicates that the music should not be given any real attention. In order to keep the attention level at a low level, the music is mostly purely instrumental; the sound is indirect, the volume level is only slightly higher than the level of the ambient noise; musically, dissonance is largely avoided, the forms are extremely simple; in restaurants and in shops that can be classified as lifestyle economy, however, hits from the respective contemporary repertoire are often used, tailored to the particular national or subcultural style of the restaurant ("Chinese sound" in the Chinese restaurant, "Italian" in the Italian).

Functionally, it is not just about "watering down" the customer, but about the long-term goal of unconsciously controlling the customer or guest, who can enter a sound design that is familiar to them. On the one hand, the acoustically separated rooms are designated as "familiar rooms" - an audio branding that locates restaurants and shops subculturally; on the other hand, the use speculates that not only the silence, which is perceived as unpleasant, is masked, but also a latent willingness to consume is induced. In this respect, Muzak is one of the "secret seducers" of product advertising, although this effect is disputed today because the shallowness of the music used also causes clearly recognizable defensive reactions. The fact that music from the classical music repertoire (such as Beethoven's Für Elise, Vivaldi's Four Seasons or Orff's Carmina Burana) is increasingly being used in the Muzak context does not change this.

Muzak, the epitome of functional music, is named after the American company Muzak Inc. (now Alcas Muzak), founded in 1934 by retired General George Owen Squier. Squier was head of the American intelligence corps in World War I and was very interested in the possible uses of the then newly emerging means of communication, telephone and radio. In marketing history, Muzak is one of the strategies of social engineering, which was aimed at the methodical control of employees and customers, and at the rationalization of movement and work processes. In keeping with this assumption of effectiveness, Muzak music is still used today as a means of psychoacoustic influence (for example with the aim of inhibiting aggression) - especially in the North American states - in public spaces such as train stations.

Literature: Art. "Muzak". In: Wikipedia. URL: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzak (accessed: 14.12.2008). - Barnes, Stephen H.: Muzak, the hidden messages in music. A social psychology of culture. Lewiston, N.Y.: Mellen 1988 (Studies in the History and Interpretation of Music. 9.). - Haselauer, Elisabeth: Berieselungsmusik. Droge und Terror. Vienna: Böhlau 1986. – Lanza, Joseph: Elevator music. A surreal history of Muzak, easy listening, and other mood songs. Rev. and expanded ed. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press 2004. First 1995.

 

Elevator Music. I liked it, but yes it's very chilled out and well done. I did not listen on repeat, but somewhere it sounds like there are a few notes that are maybe a semitone off. I do not know if it is the intro pad or the chord progression but for some reason it reminded me of this old track (that actually has nothing to do with this one):

 

I actually liked this track and I can easily understand why it would remind you of mine (the pad progression?).

 

sounds like shit

 

jk i love it lol very chill, beautiful piano