[pokemoneinstein]

Great, can't wait to hear what you say! :D

[Rozovian]

Eww, horrible choice of source vid. Good thing I've heard more than enough of the original. :P Source is obviously there, and it's a cool take on it. I like it.

I like the choice of background sounds. I like them more than the piano, actually. :P

The piano's loud notes are a bit too loud. You might wanna even out the velocities / compress the audio a bit to get it under control. The worst offenders are the ones that jump out, like at 0:35.

Really, the piano is the only problem I have with it. The low range is robotic and controlled, while the upper range is too dynamic. The piano could use some brightening too, whether a subtle touch of EQ or through controlled multiband compression. In any case, I'd want the piano under control before I'd pass this.

[pokemoneinstein]

Believe me, I've looked for a better one. It's not a big deal, though, since this theme is so well-known.

Alright, I brightened the piano a teensy bit and evened out the louder notes (all of them I could find, anyway). And can you clarify what you mean by "too dynamic"? I'd argue that if there were any major problem, it'd be that it repeats itself with no variation form the first time around at the very end.

And the velocities of the low notes are pretty varying, so I assume you meant that they were mostly eighth notes. I humanized the timing, but I think it actually sounds much worse. You're the expert here, so maybe I'm just misunderstanding you. Regardless, here's the new version:

With bass timing altered: https://www.box.com/s/33dbd30c79f7fa53c70e
Without bass timing altered: https://www.box.com/s/411cf44d7481a7aeedb5

[Jean Of mArc]

Hey pokemoneinstein,

Sorry it's taken me so long to get to this; was on a trip to see the family.

I'm glad to see someone else give feedback about this piece besides me.

First, it's really nice to hear it all in a completed form. The length feels about right, it has both source and original material, and it develops well, so good job on getting all that just right.

My only complaints would actually be the same as Rozo's. When he is saying it's "too dynamic" I think he means there is too big of a difference between the soft notes and the loud notes. This has less to do with volume than it has to do with pressure, I think. It sounds like the piano player is slamming finger down on certain notes, especially compared to the other notes. It's not too "loud", just a bit too "hard", if that makes any sense. Not sure how much control you have over that with the software you use. A note that I noticed as an example is the "hard" note at 0:22.

Because the piano is so prominent, even small variations in strength have a big effect, it doesn't need to have a big difference to be noticed, so don't think that narrowing the difference between the two will make your piece less dynamic than before.

I really like all the little embellishments you've got in there, with the strings and bells. They are all well-placed and suit the piece wonderfully. Actually, I wouldn't be afraid to add a bit more of it, if you're up to the task. Not necessary though.

Either way, you've got a pretty solid, relaxing, enjoyable mix here, and I'm adding it to my library whether it makes it on OCR or not. :D

[pokemoneinstein]

Well thanks very much for that! It makes total sense. What do you think of the different bass line versions I posted?

[pokemoneinstein]

Anybody? Bass note feedback? Please?

[ambient]

Originally Posted by Rozovian

Eww, horrible choice of source vid. Good thing I've heard more than enough of the original. :P Source is obviously there, and it's a cool take on it. I like it.

I like the choice of background sounds. I like them more than the piano, actually. :P

The piano's loud notes are a bit too loud. You might wanna even out the velocities / compress the audio a bit to get it under control. The worst offenders are the ones that jump out, like at 0:35.

Really, the piano is the only problem I have with it. The low range is robotic and controlled, while the upper range is too dynamic. The piano could use some brightening too, whether a subtle touch of EQ or through controlled multiband compression. In any case, I'd want the piano under control before I'd pass this.

I was about to write up my assessment and then saw one written up by Rozo - and he pretty much covered all of the points I wanted to raise in this mix. Left hand part of the piano definitely sounds robotic, and it becomes more and more apparent as it goes on, as it repeats pretty much through the entire mix. I also didn't quite love the piano sound, and I would try all of the production tweaks that Rozo recommends.

I also felt that while there are parts that are just piano, and parts where you have strings, there was little in terms of intensity changing, the mix feels like it has the same level of intensity throughout. I think you can definitely make the mix a bit more dramatic and emotional. Right now the mix sounds somewhat repetitive and you could definitely change that by making the parts where strings come in more dramatic. Don't be afraid to bring some bass in on those strings either, even layer it with a synth bass so that they have more of an impact. While I understand that you are going for a mellow arrangement, my opinion is that right now it is a little too subdued and could use some tweaking.

I really like where you are going with this, reminds me of The Fountain soundtrack, which is a good thing!

EDIT: Listened to the version where you changed timing on the bass note - that's a bit too much. It needs to be more subtle. I am far from being the top authority on sequencing piano parts in a humanized fashion, but it not only timing, it is also velocities, samples, and EQ.

[pokemoneinstein]

New version: https://www.box.com/s/878392f48680e0edc6fb

Critiques, please?