[SoulinEther]

I think these sounds work. Everything feels a little understated as the mixing seems to be a little quiet, but it might work better this way. Maybe leads could be boosted?

I'm getting a real sort of funky, pensive, sim city vibe from this, which is not at all what i'd expect with a castlevania source, but I'm really enjoying it. The second half carries over ideas from the first half but I found the motifs and variations to be natural and fitting with what the source offers.

Thought: the little riff at 2:08 is really amazing. I think it deserves more of a highlight in this mix than it gets presently. How would it sound if those 7 notes were played solo, and you reintroduce your backing after it, as a sort of mini-breakdown/build?

[evktalo]

Thanks for the comments, EBison and SoulinEther. It's very satisfying to hear that some of those things worked for you. Good ideas, too! I certainly like the idea of adding more textural detail, and also the idea of giving that 2nd half lead figure a bit more space. Cool to hear you liked it so much, SoulinEther.

I haven't yet worked on the piece, but from my last listening I felt the overall sound was flimsier than I'd like - and that seems to line up nicely with all the comments I've received. I have a lot to learn when it comes to production, so I'll be spending a lot of time trying to beef this one up. Any hints what I could do would be greatly appreciated!

--Eino

[evktalo]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2o1p8cqux...2020120707.mp3

Comments from last time pretty good, and I actually can and should still apply them. I've tweaked the sound since last time and felt like I'd post this for some more comments. I do have things in mind to work on this, but not sure when I will, so I'll put this here for the time being.

--Eino

[evktalo]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/15lm1nfpuv...e-20120724.mp3

More tweaks to the sound & mixing. I really should do that texture-adding that has been suggested so many times.

--Eino

[evktalo]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wkc8uppxe9...e-20120725.mp3

Textures added. Just started trying out stuff with the idea of adding little synth loop sort of thing to the background (kind of drawing inspiration from Brian Eno on David Bowie's "Heroes") and it turned out to be lots of fun. To me it seems it changed the piece quite a bit, but it was good to take that leap.

The intro, while better, probably needs something to be done with the volume levels/fadeins, maybe. Also the main lead probably needs mixing tweaks, it's kind of overpowering/uneven. Turned down the bass a bit and I think that was good.

Comments reaaaally appreciated.

--Eino

[evktalo]

Final candidate 1: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrh4kknr8i...e-20120820.mp3

Finished! Well, final candidate 1 mixdown. Not quite sure about the overall EQ, seemed quite bright compared to some reference ReMixes, and I tried to tone it down, but these other headphones are quite shitty, either I succeeded or I can't tell the difference. For finalizing the mix, apart from a bit of master EQ to done the bass down just a little bit, I just used Renoise's stock Maximizer that I suppose must act as a limitter as well, got a good boost and can't hear any clipping (myself).

(Other changes since the last version: shortened the intro a bit, tweaked levels/eqs of particular sounds, that's it.)

Source

Source breakdown:

The vocal melody, used without the drone note and canon/delay: used mainly with the "organ stab note" instrument. Introduced in full 00:07-00:19. Used almost throughout: 00:21-00:47, 01:06-01:08, 01:14-02:08. More sparsely during the last minute: 02:11-02:13, 02:17-02:27, 02:30-02:31, 02:35-02:36, 02:40-02:47, 02:52-02:56. Starts to vary the original melody by following the chord changes from the bass line around 01:57.

The lead is also based on the vocal melody line, most clearly 01:02-01:25-ish. Rest of the lead writing is "inspired by" rather than clearly referencing the original.

Panned bell from the source used as a panned atmospheric noise, introduced at 00:04, used 00:04-00:48, 01:30-01:44, with about half-speed rhythm during 01:45-02:05, and towards the outro again fading in from 02:48-3:00.

[Magellanic]

Sounds great. Production sounds nice, clean and clear. I love the dynamic start but think its possibly a little too quiet compared to when it kicks in at 00:23. Its a nitpick though.
The source is easily recogniseable and there's really nice expansion of it. It sounds even more like Castlevania than the original

I think the arrangement/instrumentation remains a little too static by half way through. The pipe/accompaniment thing could perhaps take a break earlier on the arrangement before returning than it already does. Perhaps mess around with some extra grooves? There's plenty of interest but once it gets going, but I think you milk the breakdown more and build to an even more energetic climax. You can squeeze some more excitement out of this. Harmonically, it seems to be the same progression throughout. Having a little bit of exploration with some new chords or moving to some new keys would also provide nice contrast to keep the initial excitement/interest going.

But yeah, seriously, these are just some thoughts. The mix is well produced and crafted. You incorporate the source well with your own touches and expansions. I enjoyed listening to it, more people need to

[evktalo]

Many many thanks for excellent feedback, it's clear you took an insightful listen!

Originally Posted by Magellanic

Sounds great. Production sounds nice, clean and clear. I love the dynamic start but think its possibly a little too quiet compared to when it kicks in at 00:23. Its a nitpick though.
The source is easily recogniseable and there's really nice expansion of it. It sounds even more like Castlevania than the original

Haha, that's a nice compliment :D

The intro is indeed a bit quiet, but I'm drawing a blank what to do about it. So it'll do for now. Thanks for pointing it out, it confirms my suspicion about it. If I get an idea between here and submitting, I'll fix it.

Thanks for the production compliments too. I did try to adjust the overly bright EQ in this new revision (below), and now I think it sounds ok - a bit bright, but ok.

Originally Posted by Magellanic

I think the arrangement/instrumentation remains a little too static by half way through. The pipe/accompaniment thing could perhaps take a break earlier on the arrangement before returning than it already does. Perhaps mess around with some extra grooves? There's plenty of interest but once it gets going, but I think you milk the breakdown more and build to an even more energetic climax. You can squeeze some more excitement out of this. Harmonically, it seems to be the same progression throughout. Having a little bit of exploration with some new chords or moving to some new keys would also provide nice contrast to keep the initial excitement/interest going.

But yeah, seriously, these are just some thoughts. The mix is well produced and crafted. You incorporate the source well with your own touches and expansions. I enjoyed listening to it, more people need to

I can't disagree with those points. The chord structure does change halfway, but only slightly, and overall it's a pretty static piece indeed. The idea to emphasize the breakdown more is a good one. However, I think I'll stick with this (unless it gets NO'd because of that) since I'm reasonably happy with the arrangement and I'm looking to move on. I did mix the pipe/stabby thing a little lower here and there (I tried to mute it occasionally, but the mix felt empty), and added one fill somewhere. I'll keep your feedback in mind for future stuff though!

Final candidate 2: here

• adjusted EQ to be less overly bright
• mix the pipe/organ/thing a little lower in places to reduce monotony
• one additional drum fill

Workshop mod time yo.

--Eino

[Rozovian]

Sorry, no review yet. Bumping this for the other mods (or for myself, but still don't have time for a rev) so it doesn't get forgotten.

[evktalo]

So I got all excited and anxious seeing this thread come up in the front page for no reason at all? You devious thread-bumper you. (Appreciated.)

--Eino