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Flexstyle

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  • Real Name
    Michael Birch
  • Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
  • Occupation
    Freelance media person

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  • Collaboration Status
    3. Very Interested
  • Software - Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
    FL Studio
    Logic
  • Composition & Production Skills
    Arrangement & Orchestration
    Drum Programming
    Mixing & Mastering
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    Synthesis & Sound Design
  • Instrumental & Vocal Skills (List)
    Drums
    Vocals: Male
  • Instrumental & Vocal Skills (Other)
    Hand Percussion

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  1. Master Mi is on a good track with the 4-input Steinberg unit. I will caution that the Steinberg units have been iffy under Windows, with weird dropouts (I own a UR12 and a friend owns a UR22 and we've both had issues). That Mackie unit has a knob on the front that will let you either monitor exactly what's going into the unit, or will let you hear what's coming from your DAW, or a mix of both. That's the MIX knob. Most interfaces have them, just under different names sometimes. From the description of how you're using your mixer, I really don't think you need it. You can get an audio interface that will let you track three individual lines quite easily instead. Here's a Behringer unit that allows for up to four separate inputs and it's under your budget constraint: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC404HD--behringer-u-phoria-umc404hd-usb-audio-interface Best of luck!
  2. Yup. It's called an audio interface, and you have a whole lot of options: https://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces?sb=popular&params=eyJmYWNldCI6eyJQcmljZSBSYW5nZSI6WyIkMTAwIHRvICQyMDAiXX19 How many instruments and mics you trying to record at once? Depending on your needs, you may even be able to just ditch your mixer entirely, since most of these have separate outputs and volume knobs for both headphones and speakers.
  3. TBH I'd still NO-RESUB anything that was this blatant of a copy-paste. Gotta show some effort for arrangement, can't just make half a song and then double it up!
  4. My interested is piqued, and my available time to accomplish this is unknown.
  5. Ahhhh Jordan, you're better than this. Gimme some kind of variation that isn't just a bass patch swap at the end -- do something with the lead melody notes to make it spicier, play the melody on a different instrument halfway through the drop, drop into a different bass-heavy genre the second time around, or SOMETHING. You can follow an EDM playbook and still get something interesting if you just do those things. It'd be even better if you were to take that melody and really do some variation: swap instruments, iterate on where it's going, whatever. This song is copy-paste from one half to the other with just a couple loops swapped out or added, and you use the same lead instrument throughout the entirety of both drops -- something I'd bust a newbie's chops for, let alone a veteran! Plus, that first drop's bass sounds are just grating. Second drop's bass tones are better and less piercing. So, here's what I'd LOVE to see, and this is gonna be hella specific to exactly what I know you're able to do: take your bass loops from the second drop and replace the ones in the first drop with them. Use a different instrument for the lead (and make a variation of your arpeggio of the source tune) halfway through that first drop. Get rid of your second half of the song, and rebuild it: do something similar enough to what you did already for the build, but then modulate to a new key (?) and drop into a psytrance (or trap or something) drop that then integrates the source in a fresh way. Let the instruments from the first drop make a cameo part way, but don't rely on them. End the song from there. It would be SO SICK. C'mon, I know you've got it in you! NO (resubmit) (in case anyone reading this in the decisions forum doesn't know: bLiNd and I have collaborated a LOT over the years, and I consider him a good friend and an inspiration over the course of decades -- this isn't me just bullying someone!)
  6. I think this would have made it through to the front page a long yesteryear ago as-is. It's fairly cleanly done, the source is clearly there, the groove makes my head do that head-nodding thing, and there's nothing egregious about it that hurts it. It's the sum total of all the little issues -- the very sparse part writing can work in the right context, but in this one, it sounds like it needs more call and response, ESPECIALLY in that bass solo section. The timing of some things are a liiiiiiiiiittle bit off, almost like you played it in by hand, quantized, and then didn't check the quantize job all the way throughout. The sounds themselves could just use a teeny bit more oomf to them, and then little details like DarkSim mentioned about your hi-hats could help too. To make this one pass, I'd personally want to hear a few more tasteful parts added in -- some call and response, something to make it a musical conversation throughout instead of each instrument just standing up and saying their piece and then sitting down. I know it's discouraging to be rejected twice on the same song, but please don't give up! Whether it's this song you resubmit again, or just another arrangement that takes this feedback and incorporates it during the actual building process, I think you're really on the right track here. NO (resub)
  7. Ah, a "source tune with drums over it" submission -- haven't seen one of those for a while! OK, that's a little bit unfair of me. The drums are chopped up in interesting ways, and it's not a straight audio rip, but it sounds very much like mostly a MIDI rip for the most part. With a source tune like this that's so simple (just a lead and some long bass notes), I'd expect to hear some reharmonization, perhaps some embellishment and variation on the melody, stuff like that, but there's hardly anything here to differentiate from the simplicity of the original. Let's talk a bit about the audio engineering side of this, too: most of the elements are loud, midrange-heavy, and distorted. That makes them hard to differentiate from each other, and fatiguing to hear for a long time. You've got some cool individual sounds that might work well in other contexts, but combined together, it's struggling to work. The beat fights for space with the lead synths which fight for space against the gated chords, etc. Each sound needs to have its own place in the frequency spectrum, at least to a degree, and with these, everything's in the same place. So what does all that mean? Here's some takeaways: - You'll need to probably do more arrangement of the source, not just play it back while adding layers on top. - You'll need to improve your sound design and mixing so that sounds aren't fighting for space in your mix. - I recommend spending some time in the workshop forums and maybe in a competition or two so you can get feedback from other folks at OCR and hone your craft further! NO
  8. I'll keep this one short: I agree that this track isn't transformative enough. If the instruments were arranged to be a significant embellishment of the original melodies, if there was variation and playing with different presentations of the motifs, if there was a significant change in instrument choice...all of those would help this on the way to being a OC ReMix. As it is, it's a really beautiful cover, but not substantially transformative for this site. I'd love to hear this back with a new, fresh approach to the tune, because this is certainly well-done -- the mix is clean, the sounds work well in their context, and that MIDI string lead is sequenced quite well. Can't wait to hear a new approach to this one soon, I hope! NO (resubmit)
  9. I'm hearing what everyone else is hearing -- I can definitely see why the NO votes exist, and I can definitely see why the YES votes exist. I believe this is just barely over the bar as-is, because of this: it's mixed well enough, it's a FUN arrangement, it's got very clear source connection, and it's a pretty good genre execution. Energy flows well enough, even with the repetitiveness. Like Emu said, the "vibe check" is there. This wouldn't be out of place in our catalog, IMO. If it gets rejected, I'd really love to see a bit more variation and embellishment on the repetitive sections -- give them each their own personality so the track moves along better -- and maybe some risers to help transition through certain sections (although probably with the mid frequencies cut out pretty aggressively so as to not overwhelm the already-busy midrange). Heck, if you want to REALLY turbocharge this one, I could see a collab working out...this is pretty solidly in my wheelhouse of sound profile.... ...anyways. All that to say: YES
  10. Easy vote for me -- the stylistic choices don't bother me one bit, and this is a creative, well-executed arrangement. Now, I'm a sucker for the oldschool tracker/keygen sound (cTrix, Fearofdark, etc. are some of my favorite artists), so you're getting a bit of personal bias here, but regardless, I think it's easily within boundaries for a post-able arrangement. Overall sound is clean, the link to the source is there, love the concept. Far more enjoyable than the original, for sure. No need to expound further -- we've gotten good pushback from MW and good counterpoints from other Js, so no need to drag it out IMO. YUSSSS
  11. Aww man. This track is rad as heck. Love the sound design, love the sectional approach, love how it's never boring as the song progresses, even with the short little licks and riffs. My studio subwoofer is very happy with all the bass and my feet were tapping along the entire time! (Also, Acid was my first DAW. Glad to see it's still getting some love!) Here's the thing. This has a very clear SPIRITUAL connection to the original -- that is, I can hear where the influences are. This is not an ARRANGEMENT of that source tune(s), though. It's INSPIRED by the original. That's great if you're trying to release this -- I'm pretty sure even Robin Thicke's jury wouldn't hold the way this sounds against you compared to the original -- but it's a problem here at OC ReMix. No blurred lines, there are very clear lines that this doesn't cross over. I'd expect to hear the main bass riff from the original repeated clearly throughout, since that's the meat of the source tune. I'd expect to hear the octave-jumping acid line played with in some way. Those don't show up, at least not clearly enough to make this obvious to an average listener, IMO. If I were this ReMixer and I really wanted to see this posted, I'd find ANOTHER source tune with a really obvious melody to pull from and incorporate that as well. Have a lead line that plays over the top of what's here in some way. That way, you can keep the spiritual connection to the Remy track, but then also present a discernible melody line from another tune as the source tune. For now, very sadly, I must vote... NO
  12. Woof. All down to me now, eh? What a first day back on the job! After listening through this one carefully, here's where I'm going to land: this is not different enough from the source tune to make a difference to the average listener. It's a sound upgrade, as some have stated, and while it's an enjoyable one (my AirPods Pros didn't show the frequency issues some were pointing out), it's not DOING anything other than what the source tune did: be minimal, foreboding, and ominous. OCR, as I understand it, requires a level of interpretation and embellishment that isn't obvious enough in this case for me to want to pass it through. I'd love to hear someone take a crack at this source tune with, say, using those dueling arpeggios as part of a build to an industrial-dubstep-metal song, or something along those lines. Or, y'know, whatever. What do I know, I'm just the basshead around here . If Rebecca (or another artist in the future) were to handle the source in a way where you can separate out the various musical elements and then rebuild them, and do it in a way that allows for a discernible ebb and flow of musical energy, that would be wonderful to see. For now, my verdict on this one is.... NO
  13. Finally! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to see this site align with my values as a professional musician. Looking forward to my payouts in that sweet, sweet bitcoin.
  14. just gonna chime in here and list what I use: MAIN RIG: Neumann KH120 + KRK Rokit 10s sub (medium sized room with a bit of treatment and a lot of odd angles) SECONDARY RIG: Kali Audio LP-6 (small, boxy bedroom, but lots of furniture so is reasonably dead) The Kali Audio LP-6 set is some of the VERY BEST bang-for-buck I've heard, at least from my initial listens. Super clean for the price. I love my Neumanns, and I plan on never getting rid of them. I've been able to mix some great stuff on em. My Kali set is brand-new and I'm still evaluating them, but the sales rep who steered me away from Genelec and into the Neumann set -- who has turned out to be completely correct -- was singing the praises of these Kalis quite effusively, and thus far I'm finding that they sound great. Have yet to do a proper mix, so I'll report back on that whenever that happens. Here's some example tracks from my Neumann+KRK setup:
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