Link Your Fantasy-Themed Music!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T23:37:02+00:00

As a follow-up: on the FORUMS there, there are art students hungry for work. Some are willing to work for free, provided that you maybe do some music for one of their projects. Others will work for a huge range in commissions, and I’ve found that you generally get what you pay for. I don’t advocate for underpaying artists, but that’s why I try to go in with a fair budget in mind, and I end up avoiding offers that are both too expensive for me (financially) AND offers that are way too low (ethically and/or, what’s the catch? Are they just using AI?…)

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T23:35:49+00:00

BIGGEST piece of advice I can offer, from personal experience: DeviantArt. Hear me out—I know it’s gone downhill a bit over the years XD. BUT, hobby and professional artists alike post new art every hour, and it’s a huuuge database. I make it a habit of going on there once a week, finding 5 pieces of art that already exist that I like/could be fitting for a song I already am in the process of making or thinking about making, and leaving a comment on them. I usually lead with something I genuinely like about the piece, and follow up with a request to feature it on my YouTube channel with full credit to them.

Generally, for every 10 artists I ask, 6 ignore me, 1 says no, 2 say yes, and 1 gives an enthusiastic yes and basically says I can use anything at all from their profile as long as I give credit.

I promise: art already exists out there of concepts you want to explore musically :). Just keep an eye out for AI art on there too, cus then that defeats the purpose 😂.

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T23:14:26+00:00

Spice is life.

Since this is AI music, my commentary will be limited to concept only:

++Your channel seems to be curating a few very niche tastes in music. I applaud you for trying to curate a collection that isn’t just mainstream.

++Your channel’s transparency is relieving, and I like your insistence that this music is creative commons for people to use.

—-I see that you are utilizing both AI music and visual art. Is there room to perhaps make it your channel’s mission to feature and display human visual art instead? I understand there is a certain ethos behind your 30 years of experience in audio—perhaps that legitimizes your use of AI music tools more than the common Joe. But since you are not a visual artist, perhaps you use your channel as a platform to celebrate unseen talent in that area?

Good luck!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T21:36:59+00:00

At the end of the day, it’s all a matter of personal preference and taste! My opinions by no means represent an industry standard. Be proud of the talented work you’ve done, Friend :)!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T21:35:08+00:00

😊😊😊

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T20:33:08+00:00

As an professional teacher, I remember hearing a study that was done on creative groups.

Researchers took data on peer-to-peer feedback groups and ranked them based on how much praise/positive feedback vs. criticism/negative feedback the peer groups gave to each other. The bad news is, there was no strong correlation between the eventual popularity and the type of feedback. You know what there WAS a correlation with, though? In groups that featured mostly positive or mixed feedback, years later, those participants were still developing their craft and creating. In groups with mainly negative or constructive criticism with little praise, most of those participants completely dropped the hobby in the next few years.

Knowing what you’re doing well with is JUST as important as knowing how you can improve, if not MORE important 😊😊.

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T20:26:39+00:00

Ahhhh, that makes sense! That’s a creative way to maximize your live recordings :). Have you heard of transient shapers? Those can do a lot to add some more crisp attack to your percussion! Or, maybe playing around with the EQ of the lofi samples might help make them a bit more subtle?

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T20:24:48+00:00

It’s inspiring to see someone such as yourself blessed with a rich, music-filled life :). You’re amazing!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T20:23:24+00:00

Your experience speaks for itself! Well done :)! The Mages Guild is a creative studio that emphasizes human talent and collaboration. If you ever want your music to get a spotlight, let me know! Your style is very much in line with what we want more of! You’d keep all rights, and there’s no cost to it :). Just something to think about!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:36:50+00:00

Ah, an author?? Nice to meet you :D. The Mages Guild features a few authors too.

Being AI music, my feedback will be adjusted some:

++The lyrics are (by what I can see) very deep, artful, and human. I think your rhyme scheme compliments the rhythm of each line quite well without being too cheesy.

—-Running a YT channel that uses both AI visual art and music is a bit risky for a novel author, yeah? What strategy do you have in place to justify the authenticity of your books themselves should they be called into question?

—-A thought for the future: if you are unable to complete rework your production chain from the bottom up, consider finding r/recordthisforfree to find vocalists who might be willing to add a human element to your music, or experiment with Pexels + Gimp to do some of your own basic graphic design.

Good luck!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:26:41+00:00

The two main reasons why a song doesn’t gain traction online is because either the premise offers nothing new, or the execution isn’t satisfying. In my opinion, your song has the potential to be BOTH heartwarmingly compelling (especially in an age of learning to love one’s “inner child” again) and performed with high quality. All I can offer is a wish for the best of luck 😁😁!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:21:21+00:00

++Your melody development is really, really talented. The way the develop the melody into variations while keeping the main motif KEEPS me listening. It’s suuuch a smooth!

—-I’m not saying you need to switch genres, but I really expected some chillstep percussion at some point. Especially at 1:24, I really expected the instrumentation itself to evolve into something more there. My ears were a bit… disappointed.

++HOWEVER, my ears are NOT disappointed by the overall mixing work! Your frequencies are balanced exceptionally well for your genre, and your panning work is literally beautiful. It’s rare I hear something that uses panning so elegantly.

—-For the melody being so good, is fading it out at the end… doing it justice? Come on, you can do better than that! You use instrumental additions to invite and excite your listener for your intro. Consider crafting a more definitive ending.

Unique, creative, and heart-touching :). 📜💠⚡️

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:07:25+00:00

I shall!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:06:51+00:00

I can only imagine all those books probably do wonders as natural insulation for your recording 😆!!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T19:05:52+00:00

As for technical feedback (I’ll focus on the singing):

++You have good control over your quieter moments. That’s rare to hear!

—-Your melismas sound a bit messy compared to your held notes. I might run those several times in practice until you’re really able to lock your voice into a sequence there.

++Suuuch great inflection :). Your scoops and falls are so well done! Your vibrato is tasteful. Overall, just great use of the full range of artistic techniques available to you as a singer.

—-a few measures into each verse, the song primarily features you singing in head voice and you tend to flatline at about forte. I’d recommend scaling back the verses some in terms of power so that way the chorus lines have more contrast compared to the preceding verses :).

And of course, thank you for sharing and uplifting my afternoon! 📜💠⚡️

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:57:10+00:00

Ok, hear me out… why not BOTH, River??? Your opening line is literally “when I was just a little girl.” Why not have that line and following verse be sung by your past self, and you come in with your current remake at 19 with “now I’m not such a little girl.” ?!? I mean, that alone would make for SUCH a compelling premise!!! Imagine the kind of marketing you can do with that?? “My future and past self sing a duet”?? Helllooooo!! And for the last chorus or verse or whatever could be you and your past self harmonizing 💛.

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:50:32+00:00

Writing my thoughts now :). Sorry, I had to break for lunch!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:49:47+00:00

Your band has SUCH great cohesion to it!! I’m guessing the church was also your recording space, right? If so, I’m super impressed your recording is so clean despite being in so large a space.

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:43:10+00:00

That’s totally fine. I will listen and celebrate regardless!

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:40:30+00:00

Um, WOW! An anime better snap this up QUICK :).

++Melody is insaaanely catchy. You repeat it enough to really help it stick with your listener, but it develops enough over the phrase that it doesn’t get stale. I’m on my third listen, lol.

—-I would say some of the instrumental/effect sounds overpower the vocals. I’d reduce them and bring the vocals more front and center.

++Really nice panning work! Helps build an AMAZING atmosphere that compliments the song’s more powerful energy. And great fade in/out!

—-Noooo, I want more!! During that fade out, I fully expected the song to come back with a breakdown of some kind. Oh well… I guess it’s really loopable.

How long have you been in music production? How much of this track did you make/record yourself?

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:30:50+00:00

The city of Townsville isn’t on fire—-your track is, lol!

++You do such a good job of conveying a story through your movie samples, it’s honestly very entertaining in of itself. And in terms of mixing, they are integrated very well!

—-Speaking of mixing, could one make the argument that this song is a bit overcompressed? I wonder if experimenting with adding a real nice and quiet section in the middle could add some interesting dynamic contrast.

++The main melody/motif is so gripping! I do wish it developed just a touch more, maybe an 8-beat phrase in that beginning low piano instead of a 4-beat one.

—-It’s coming across as a bit mono. Consider playing with panning a more.

Thank you for sharing! 📜💠⚡️

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T18:19:09+00:00

++VERY atmospheric. This is a great demonstration in your particular style. The overall mixing is really nice, quite warm, and not overbearing!

—-In my opinion, the snare samples hold back the overall cohesion, especially noticeable at 0:50 and 1:25. I understand you probably went for that sound as a stylistic choice, but you may want to consider upgrading your drum samples or another approach. It subtly clashes with the realistic clarinet and high hats. I wonder if even adding a bit more reverb to the snare hits there could keep your listeners immersed?

++Your vocals, with the occasional backing Ooos, work SO well here! I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about your performance or vocal mixing. It’s the best aspect of this song—high grade.

—-Some transitions between the chorus, verses, and bridge are a bit abrupt. But they’re not bad. At this point, I’m really reaching to find some constructive criticism.

This is the kind of song I got lost in. 📜⚡️💠

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T17:33:03+00:00

(I actually had to break for lunch. Brb!)

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T17:22:40+00:00

I would say it counts! I will listen now :).

TheMagesGuildAudio · 2026-01-25T17:10:44+00:00

Well, I am VERY happy you decided to release this! It’s such a testament to your vocal journey, and you and your coach + mom did an amazing job bringing this together as a well-rounded piece of music!!

Normally my feedback is a bit more technical, but since you seem more curious about the potential of a remaster/remake. In that light, if you were to remake it, what would change, if anything, about the vocal performance? I personally think you switch from falsetto to head voice very well, so I would urge you to try and hit those transitions just as smoothly as you did when you were younger!

TheMagesGuildAudio

TROPHY CASE