Should this criticism be considered constructive? Thread

I have been working with Servadac on the music for Mega Man 42 which is set to release on the 31st. The music is styled after that of the 8-bit era of gaming and was composed in a DAW using VSTs through a piano roll style interface. The following demo reel was posted recently to showcase some of the music prior to the game's release:

As one can observe in the comments, one user states that "as nice as these compositions are, they do not at all even come close to a megaman style song." Another simply says: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" with no information following or preceding. My initial inclination is to take offense, but I don't want to close myself off from potentially helpful criticism. What should I make of it? Could I be missing the point by misreading the comments (or at least the one which constitutes an entire sentence) as cynical? Or are these just the snobby retorts or chiptune composers with ineffably elitist opinions?

I would see that as a good memory personally but that's probably because im impossible to offend. The trick is not to "listen" to it,there is always useful stuff to come from it. My motivation is I dont know how to get better if i dont know where i failed. Try blanc out comments that are there to put you down and always take feedback where possible, its a hard skill that helps alot

Of course. I never want to close myself off from something that could help me to grow as a composer. It was just unexpected. On my soundcloud, my work rarely receives comments from those outside my personal acquaintance so it's surprising to hear from others.

I know how you feel personally not from a musical point but having criticism you don't expect is scary you don't know what they are like or how they mean it. But I always see people as me (sounds self centred I know)how would you mean it if it was you

How many comments complimenting the song are there? I can't read any of the comments.

Edited by: TheHappyFriar

The shorter the comment the less to potentially learn about it. This goes for good and bad comments. Just ignore them.

This might be a short advice but I don't think it really doesn't need much explaining. People who don't justify their words in any way often realize it's just their personal opinion or at least can be considered that.

If you want to improve as composer you need to find peer support and submit your work to professionals, not soundcloud and internet where most people are amateurs at best but most still think their opinion counts for anything.

I would ignore those comments if I were you. There's nothing constructive in the two you listed and the only thing you could potentially glean from it is personal opinion and taste. Speaking of which, personally I don't find anything wrong with your composition. I think it sounds great and it reminds me very much of the original soundtrack from the original Mega man on the NES

Edited by: DragonNOR

Thanks for the honest, straightforward replies everyone. It's much appreciated to hear from an experienced community of people who have probably been through it all and then some. Especially you, shadowflar3. In my short time on these forums, I've come to recognize you as someone who tells it like it is--something which I very much appreciate.

The comments were deleted recently as it was pointed out to me that both users are fanatic, overzealous participants in a different Mega Man fan game who supposedly feel threatened by the impending release of our game. Perhaps why this shocks me is that I am surprised to find such shining examples of juvenile behavior in a professional industry like this.

Thanks.

I don't get much love around here for being frank with people. But I still think there's not much point in lying to people when they decide to share something for feedback. It's not about bullying but getting the other person to make an objective observation on himself or his work which is really just the first step towards improvement. I think a more horrifying thing to do is to join the lie and not say how things look to you or explain why.

I bet lots of people hate Simon Cowell for what he has said to people that are poor singers. But I also bet many people wonder why hasn't anybody told him/her he is a terrible singer before he performs in front of the entire America.

^ Sorry about the rant.

I had time to listen to your sample and I don't really know what these insults are about. In musical terms your compositions might have more classical ideas and chord progression whereas Megaman was based on diatonic and pentatonic scale with some spot-on scale shifts but I don't see that as a problem or even a real mismatch. The tones seem to be spot on match to what Megaman had. Though I don't claim to be an expert on Megaman music, I've only mostly played Megaman II which is awesome of course.

Also one thing I hope is clear to everyone. People grow to like the music they hear when they play almost regardless on how good or poor it is. You might even call it love and anyway it is a matter of passion. That passion often presents itself in situations like these when you set your work in direct comparison with something they love. But since you do original compositions people are never initially attached to them and they fail to realize this difference. It still doesn't mean even the very same individuals wouldn't grow to love it if they heard it in a compelling game. This is all I see in comments like "as nice as these compositions are, they do not at all even come close to a megaman style song".

Pfff those guys are silly. I don't think there was anything wrong with these tracks besides the fact that they're super super loud haha! Did you make this using the Magical 8 Bit Plugin by chance?

I'm not so familiar with Megaman music, just listened to some Megaman stuff on youtube, and I would say these are in the style of Megaman for sure. It's hard to even peg "Megaman Music" from a stylistic perspective because all these songs are very different. You did your own thing and that's what's most important!

Really encouraging stuff, guys. I couldn't voice my gratitude enough.

@shardowflar3:
Provided the feedback is rooted in either concrete information or well-informed opinion, I would take sincerity over flattery any day. When that sincerity also happens to include praise or positive feedback, it's an added bonus And you're right, there are plenty of variations throughout my work from a compositional standpoint that vary wildly from that of the classic Mega Man, but to an extent, I can't avoid infusing my compositions with my own taste. Part of those differences also come from a limited, formal music background. Much of what I have learned has been self-taught through observation and trial-and-error. Positive feedback like that which you all of given so far is therefore extremely encouraging. But I completely understand what you mean about people being unwilling to accept works inspired by something classic or highly-regarded. It's as timeless as the phrase: "the book was better." Naturally, I value the input of those able to overcome such biases.

@Floaty:
Yeah, they are pretty loud. It's most likely a result of my approach to audio production in general. I take mixing and mastering quite seriously and in most cases, I try to get the most level without sacrificing tonal qualities or robbing the song of all its dynamic range. Good call, though--I did, in fact, use Magical 8-Bit Plugin. It's sort of my go-to VST when it comes to chiptunes since I'm not very experienced with trackers. I'm really pleased that you were able to connect to my work on some level. It's always nice to hear from someone who can appreciate my flavor of composition.

Additionally, Mega Man 42 released yesterday! For any interested, you can check it out here.
I did about 60% of the music, ripped all the SFX, and did lots of variations on classic Mega Man fanfares/jingles. For a more detailed breakdown of how I contributed to the game, you can check out my blog.