Just a hopefully quick update for users on my profile for the first time, or people I used to know coming to check on what's up with me these days.

I don't really use Newgrounds anymore, it's been quiet and I hate my old music so don't even like to be near it. The traffic isn't even that bad, I like that people will just randomly show up on a track that would be buried and deserted on any other site but on NG people still find it. Although, that's also an issue because when someone reviews something I made in 2014 I literally can't do anything with the feedback because 2014 was barely even "me" as far as my worldview is concerned, and I'll never open those project files again anyway.

Anyway so, update on me and my life. I'm still going, I'm just not very recogniseable as 'FortressLord'. I do music, but it's slowed down and become way more serious. Some of my latest unshared WIPs are pretty good, but it's not like 2014 where I made what was crap in retrospect and uploaded every audio file like "hm yes this is good". I even delete tracks I'm not happy with sometimes. I'm growing creatively, even if my upload count is at a bottleneck.

I still use FL Studio, even still do Drum and Bass, but my view of music has changed and what it all means to me is different.

When I started here I was basically a kid. Still in school, and by that I don't even mean college. Without giving my life story, I am now a graduate adulting and living pretty normally. I changed from wanting to be a musician to wanting to do audio for videogames, but I've never given up on my goal of making spacey DnB, though that won't be in the form of regular Newgrounds uploads, it'll be in the form of rare Bandcamp albums.

All of this is quite bittersweet. On one hand that old childlike wonder is pretty much gone and the person I was in old posts is practically dead and replaced with someone with a similar name, with no interest in the old files, old musical style and comments.

But on the other hand, I am much better at music and my new life is honestly pretty happy, it's not like I threw my hands up and dropped music. My increased skill and social confidence has even gotten me some interesting memories and some chats with my admittedly indie musical inspirations.

Is this getting too textwall and introspective? I think it is.

I will be cleaning up my Newgrounds just like I purged my Soundcloud. A lot of social posts have to go because they're a bit cringe or had personally identifying information.

Thank you for reading this.

Hey anyone reading!

I know Newgrounds is a bit slow, and only a fraction of a fraction of its users come to my page, but hey, I admit that and it's still worth an update after how long it's been.

It's been almost TWO YEARS since I last gave updates on Newgrounds, so it's at the very least time to show I'm alive. I'll try to format readably.

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Happy New Year!

To welcome the inescapable and oppressive passage of time, I'm giving you another drumloop pack!

This one is called 'Intense Drums' and is basically original and remixed Hycas loops, that have been processed until they sound unique and harsh. BPM tagged, semi-dry sounds.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/27fcaj3bt992d1t/Intense%20Drums.zip

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Update On Me

I'm basically in a musical coccoon phase. My popularity is stagnant; I've barely made any game soundtracks; I rarely even show my friends what I make. But! I'm fully aware of the situation. There's no shame because I want this ascetic period. I'm going through heavy experimenting and practicing, and at the point I feel confident I will start trying *properly* to break out.

Oh yeah, you can follow me on Twitter early if you want. I wouldn't have made it yet but it's for my careers module.

I once said I plan to make professional-quality music by 2020, and I think that's going to happen! I can master drums to a pro standard, my basses are pretty thick, and I'm slowly gaining the ability to write with real chords.

I'm still in university. I don't like the studio as much as doing solo production work but that's nothing new or cool.

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Future Plans

I will be going forward on my Hycas alias and vvav. vvav is my synthwave thing - it's technically not just me, but the other half is busy. Also dubstep is more Hycas than vvav now.

More interestingly, I have a new music concept! I want to make an electronic-emo project some time soon. Only time will tell how exactly I do this... Maybe I'll take guitar back up and record it all alone, like Celldweller does metal.

If you didn't know, IRL I already look and behave like an emo, so I was like "fuck it" and I may as well get the music aspect too! I have to record a band for uni this year, perhaps I'll make some instrumentalist contacts...

We'll see what actually becomes of my rock idea in time!

I think that's everything! I think a few people read these, but it just felt weird not changing my profile in 2 years.

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If you're reading this, I want to thank Lockyn. Seriously dude, you scouted some shitty thing I made a few years ago, and instead of quitting music, being an approved NG submitter made me keep on going. So thank you and good luck.

Hey anyone who reads these, it's been a while!

Here's the agenda of what I'm going to explain:

1. Hycas samples + Free download links
2. Where you'll find my old albums
3. Update on myself

Some of you may know that with music I'm less melodic and more technical. I master well and make WAY more samples and patches than I could match with song releases. Now is your chance to get some free, usable samples for yourself! No stealing credit though please :p

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My current set of custom drum hits that I use in my own productions!

http://www.mediafire.com/download/6nykovjak84i4xw/Drum+Hits+Sept+2016.zip

'LegacyLoops', aka a bunch of FotressLord and Hycas samples that are now dated but still very diverse.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/zplnjrlrrakv0sc/LegacyLoops.zip

Old Track Pieces and Stems

http://www.mediafire.com/download/44s4qt55s1fmbr9/Old+Track+Pieces+%26+Stems.zip

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Some of my old albums are being archived. The entire 'Change of Fate' series will be on I guess Mediafire, whilst you can get the 'Out The Way EP' set from my Bandcamp here: https://hycas.bandcamp.com

'Starcast EP' is coming soon, suffering some setbacks due to tracks not meeting my quality standard, then I will release some Drum & Bass singles as they get completed for a bit.

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Update on me:

I'm getting into university at the moment, I already live somewhere pretty comfortable for a musician's setup, so that's why I actually went into overdrive at a time when most people would be too busy.

My ability in music has been increasing exponentially recently, with my drums and mastering ability just short of professional quality while my leads and melodies have been my main concern as of late.

No part of what I do is perfect, but I've got time to practice and now a course to learn.

Also the vvav project is still going, it makes Synthwave, Dubstep and other lower tempo stuff while the main Hycas alias is still the direct descendant of FortressLord, and it is comprised of me and me alone, making DnB.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the samples if you want any!

Hey again anyone reading!

I'll be answering more questions in this post. Also I realise for actual Newgrounds followers this may seem sudden, but actually I'm not relying on NG comments because I would get maybe 1 reply if I offered to collect questions here. I have gotten a few via PM over the last few months though. Most questions were just things I remembered from friends and family.

Most my traffic is people checking out my profile in curiosity, and NG still seems like a place to put this so here goes:

Q. What is your musical purpose? Why produce and keep trying to gain experience?

A. I have emotions I wish to express in sound, and other people have emotions that can be brought out by sound. Money and fame can wait, the part that excites me the most is making a difference to people's mindsets and moods.

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Q. Any collabs on the way? Soundtracks?

A. No to both! I almost had a few collabs but generally I subtly back out of them after not liking what I see. (I use Nexus, so if I think YOUR technique is lazy there is a problem :P)

I actually nearly did some soundtracks to games too, but they never really finished. Projects included a solo creation of a side-scroller, and an indie horror game. Pssst... Someone take me on, for mutual exposure!

My last *successful* collab was with Rainheart, he's a little like me but obviously all about rock and game soundtracks, so if he ever wants to collab openly, some of you may want to take the chance too.

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Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A. Producing music for a secondary source of income, likely working with computing with a possible part-time DJ job. That's just my estimation though, not something I aim to have.

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Q. Have you ever made a sample?

A. I'm making a full samplepack actually, and a smaller version can be found on my Bandcamp. An awesome friend has actually made a short track out of my sounds, but I don't have a link for it.

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Q. What is your goal? [They didn't mean purpose this time, more like direction]

A. Well I wanted 'professional sounds by 2020', actual quote from myself, but honestly I'm pretty much there now. Some of my WIP's would work in games and not quite on their own yet.

I'm planning to submit a demo to Liquicity by 2018, because my rate of improvement since just 2015 has been mental and I think I could reach more minds by pushing myself out there.

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Q. What synths do you use?

A. In order of use as of 19th March 2016 - Nexus2, Harmor, Sytrus.  I know Nexus is 'lazy' but I don't claim to be a bass wizard, and the variety of pad and FX sounds makes it useful to me. I prefer to use Harmor for sub and reese sounds though!

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Q. Any samples you would recommend?

A. I actually don't use too many samples. I have the rare pad .wav under my own music to flesh it out, and make an active point of disliking people who just piece together entire sections of music and call it original. HOWEVER I don't own a drumkit, so it is useful to have packs to hand. For that I would reccomend the site/company BHK Samples. I got some of my favourite drum hits from them! Also one of the few sample publishers to include Liquid DnB sounds.

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Q. What do you think about people who have overtaken you?

A. I assume you mean gotten labels, money, or 'fans' (whereas most of my followers are friends, especially the early ones) faster than I did.

Well, that varies! Some I'm salty about. I know/knew people who took the 'easy' genres, spending more money than I have available and getting egos so big it's no wonder I no longer talk to them.

Then there are the actual musicians. People even younger than me, with less money spent on it, who have an actual knack for a genre I don't look down on. These can either inspire me or make me feel useless, but as long as the person behind the music is nice, I will be very happy for them growing faster!

Finally there are those inbetween, and I know a few, who took a little from both. Sure they're genuinely skilled, but they put those skills into... Let's say the 'common' genres, for a cheap ride up. Next thing you know they've gone corporate, and you know what that means.

Of course I'm musically distant. I released something like 9 tracks and WIPs in 2015, but hell if I didn't improve. I'm in a cocoon phase for my creativity right now.

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If you have any questions yourself, feel free to ask in a comment or PM! I like to think I'm generally quite open.

Hope this was factual, cool, or whatever. Whether you're a Newgrounds user looking around or a friend who found out I have an account here, have a good day! :D

~ JP

I'm going to keep this short because I'm annoyed at discovering that like a whole section of my tracks, including work like LookingGlass, are basically gone to me. Massive is causing FL to crash, FL can't find samples I used to use, and so on.

This is annoying because as I speak I'm putting together a music portfolio and I have to miss months of work out because I don't have a working copy of my OWN MUSIC.

So that's two pieces of news out the way!

Also, I am sorry for anyone who has commented I can't get back to. Newgrounds keeps saying "You're not from Newgrounds, are you?" when I try. Technology seems to hate me right now.

Aside that, life - I've been trying to get into a really cool Uni as suggested, and I've generally been busy and also improving with music a LOT. I can only get better, but I can still be... Let's say genre elitist. Of course I'm not becoming that teen music idiot kinda guy - I'm still quite anti-corporate, and I'm as personal as someone with like 4 followers can be :D

Not sure what else to say. When my portfolio goes up I'll release some sample teasers, might link here.

In a sentence: It's going good, but stressful.

I'll get this update quickly. Besides, I realise nobody reads these so it's basically for the few people who stumble here, and wonder what happened to a guy who used to finish a song every few days and comment far more than that.

I'm not feeling too hot with music at the moment. The thing is I'm actually better than before, and I keep running into the feeling like I make sample-quality sounds and do compositions my own inspirations mirror themselves.

However, I get very stressed at ambiguity and uncertainty, and I just can't describe that entirely... When things get unclear it feels like a consistent, silent nail down a blackboard. Unfortunetely this is how I feel with music at the moment. My life is busy already, but now every time I feel creative I have to trudge through folders full of absoluetely terrible noise. I delete what I can but no amount of practice can make it easier to finish a track. The clutter freaks me out...

A large part of me wishes my files would get corrupted because I don't have the strength to wipe them and move on. I don't think I'll ever get something done while my old stuff stares me in the face. It's bad enough the best only synths I really use are GMS and Sytrus. That literally gives me a choice between ugly pads and sparkly pads.

I want to get stuff done, but I can't. Maybe I'll spend a day just being tough on myself, and delete (or at least hide away) the annoying tracks - The old, the desperate, the forever unfinished.

I couldn't possibly go to another hobby, that much is certain. If it was time to drop music, I wouldn't be so annoyed at not making the stuff I want. Plus I'm looking to do music and university, and hopefully as a job. (Now THAT is an update.)

Anyway, for the 2 or so people ever to read this, I'm going to get some inspiration somehow, start afresh a little, and when I do you're going to hear some of the things I'm capable of - Neuro basses, compressed beats and soothing pads. All I want is to hear them in a finished liquid piece...

Peace, H.

[snipped in 2021 due to personal information]

Hey guys, I know I've been super reclusive for a while so I just want to do my usual update sort of thing. I'm not under the impression that everything I do, or don't do, sends ripples on this site or Soundcloud, but there's still like half a dozen people who closely relate or affiliate with me who might be a little confused.

I'm still going. Still doing music.

Both can be a little hard to keep up to be honest. I'm at that stage of a musician's career (either literal or hobbyist) where I'm past that new, wide-eyed stage of wanting to do my best, and believing everything I do is breaking new ground.

Yet I'm early enough in my creative path that my music isn't recognised by many people, and the things I used to call upon for inspiration sound so out of my league that I just give up trying.

______________________________________

Anyway, that's a textwall and you probably expected my usual bullet points. Here:

• Lots of practice
• Making a free drumloop pack
• I was the sound engineer on a scrapped horror game, and I intend to do more like that except on FINISHED projects. And more often too.
• I'm doing a lot of new music behind the scenes...
• Including happy DnB, ambient, trap and a whole heap of stuff inspired by Rameses B and Rchetype.
• I paid for a VST called Wobbleboss which is awful, it came with freebies better than the 'synth' itself. 3/10
• BUT I got Massive and a lot more experience with GMS and mastering. Compressed drums, more refined stereo seperation, and basses that cause my subwoofer to rumble around.
• My vocals are coming along a little
• I'm trying to make an album. Unfortunately I'm improving too fast to finish tracks on a consistent standard, but it will be very atmospheric and probably include backstory and some sort of artbook or whatever.
• I'm looking into both jobs and university... Starting to gravitate towards a musical path for life, but I know what I'm doing, at least better than the education system usually imparts.

That's all I have to say. I did NOT keep it short, but the only thing you've heard of me was some atmos-neuro dit that within hours of 'finishing' it.

Peace out, feel free to say anything or nothing at all.

If you need me to make music, sound effects or dank memes, I'll do the occasional (always-)free commision or permission for existing work.

|-|

[snipped in 2021 due to personally identifying information]

Newgrounds had that silly update where getting news on blogs is no longer a thing, but I better blow the dust off my page. I actually talk and act very differently, but I'm going to make a bullet point list lke the good old times!

• Music alias is now Hycas! I wanted something that sounded Latin/Roman, and contracted one of my possible names, 'Hybrid Canines' to make this. ALSO, it has the cool feature of multiple pronounciations. LOVE my new name!
• College stuff. More freedom more work.
• Music practice like crazy!
• I'm quite thoughtful and reflective... Even coming back to Newgrounds makes me feel weird.
• [Edit] Waiting on a good mic. If I've exercised and my voice is also good on top of that, I can SING! I hate my voice but there's no denying I can do something with it all.

Something something outtro, Hycas wishing you all a cool day! (Well, year, since I don't update often)

<3

[snipped in 2021 to remove personal info]

Hi all, FortressLord, or whatever name else you know me by, here! 

I didn't plan this new post, but whether you're here from curiosity, from actual interest in me or you want to see how music's going, I am going to bullet point anything worth mentioning in a nicely readable way... 

• My voice training is going OK - My voice is less monotone and rarely breaks at pitches, the problem is dynamically expanding to low or high pitches. The upcoming album should have one or two tracks with vocals, and I have some modulated or hidden stuff in tracks.
• I have been practicing music A LOT. Better mixing and production and even some half decent melodies coming your way, but the REALLY unique stuff is still deep in the works.
• I meet new artists and stuff, which means possible collabs e.t.c. I have talked to one or two people here, but more so creative minds from online. A notable part I'm excited for is I'm helping a good friend back into FL Studio, and I hope to at least have him do some lyric or sound design for me, so some cool tracks will be had.
• I'm doing lots of awesome percussion. I feel proud. Now I need some really effective melodies and some greater effects on tracks.
• I'm still something of a dreamer, but I'm aiming to have hidden or suggested personal meanings in song titles, emotional styles and so on. I can't wait for some of the more effective stuff!
• I can't remember much else.

Peace out everyone! Look out for my new stuff that is going to get really nice in just weeks time!

~Fortress

[Pretend there's a cool pic here]

[snipped in 2021 due to personally identifying information]

Greetings, fans, friends and people here accidentally.

I have been busy... Like, really busy. I have had a total reinvention of myself.

I have a new style, that binds everything I've done before and combines with some new tricks.

So what's the reinvention?

• A lot of things really. The main is I've had a Change of Fate (it's capitalised hint hint) and I want to be a DJ and independent artist.
• So now I put pretty much all my spare time into music, which is why my unreleased stuff is harder, more professional and more serious than tracks just days ago. I am a fast learner.
• I've gotten VAST amounts of new ideas, and inspirations and plans I never had before. Don't be annoyed if my titles and backstories have less sci-fi cheese to them.
• I am going to be less random, but also funnier if I see the opportunity.
• BULLET POINTS! YEAH!
• I'm trying vocals. I have some songs with unfitting vocals taken from a scrapped vocal project set, but I mean at some point in the future, I will put meaning to songs beyond the synth melodies.
• I have some more practice with gating and percussion mastering, which basically means tracks with more bounce.

I am now out of things to say, OH WAIT, no, I'm going to have an album soon, but like, a real one. A cover that looks like my new profile banner, a decent number of songs, high-quality, and the very best tracks so far.

 I say 'peace' too often, so just thanks for reading,

~FortressLord