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Ok, so I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY to announce some very important updates!! I've finally found a co-director! Welcome, Jorito I've found an appropriate title for this project! We'll also have a finished track with the same title soon And I'm proud to announce that now there's a visual artist on board! Odai agreed to create artwork for this album So, that's it

Ditto the Neblix & Garpocalypse posts. I think that the digital and information age, with regards to music, is both a blessing and a curse. A wealth of information and tutorials are readily available to us, but so too is bad information and if you're not very experienced with something, bad advice with artistic word-choice can sound like really good advice. I can honestly say, this is what held me back with mixing for so long until recently. I think my more recent mixes are turning out way better than before and exactly as I imagine them. The key really was not thinking about EQs and all of that stuff so much, it was in making the best arrangement and composition decisions I can. The reason for this is because when you see "mixing tutorials" or read in a magazine some sort of interview or tips, they never talk about this kind of thing. It's assumed for them and it doesn't make a good article or video. They're always talking about cutting/boosting frequencies, compressing this or that and that one, super-duper secret plugin that just adds "something" (nothing) to the mix! If they just told you "make sure your arrangement and composition are really good and you won't have to do too much else", they wouldn't have a whole lot to talk about. It makes it sound like any collection of sounds, arranged any way you want, will sound good if you just use the right settings. Sadly, it just doesn't work like that as I've come to learn the hard way. To the starry-eyed beginner or a listener, great music seems to happen as if by magic and the keys beneath your fingers or the software on your computer are the tomes that cast the spell. It'd be terribly boring and break the illusion if they told you about all the theory they know, ear-training they've done, studying music by long-dead guys with funny white wigs and made that mix sound better by just changing the voicing of that Cm7 chord.

Wes, I have a confirmed collab with Jeff Ball (violin), Abi Coffer (flute/piccolo), Doug Perry (marimba) and Wilbert Roget (recorder) for "Little Sprite".

OCR got me into doing music, so it changed, yeah.

Just chiming in to say that we're actively working on getting the SMRPG album ready for release, and we're getting *very* close to have all the required assets!

echoing for truth. I support the way you think as long as you keep in mind that music's digital revolution dramatically upped the standards that people expect from the art. You can either make an effort to do it right and learn from it or ignore the warnings and end up wasting your time. On the other hand if you make an effort to demonstrate your interest in composition and use it to get to know your teachers better it WILL most likely benefit you academically and socially as well as give you access to experience you would have to painfully learn yourself. Not saying that you can't learn it all yourself but if you choose to go that route it will take more time to learn the same things. Mixing comes last after correct calls have been made earlier in the chain. It's called post-production for a reason. It doesn't fix anything but it does make an arrangement more of what it already is. To "practice" mixing with incomplete poorly recorded music that's missing parts of the spectrum is not really going to benefit you in any way. Just to talk about your bass concerns, we're not talking about changing the instrumentation you have. Just adding what is obviously missing. A bass part doesn't have to be an independent part. It can be used to give depth to the instruments that you designate to dominate the lower mid range such as a piano or guitar. The way you are going you are neglecting a solid 1/5th of the audible sound spectrum(and the glue between rhythm and harmony) which is not a great call arrangement wise. Also note that 80hz-280hz is the BASS range. It's called the Bass range and not the CELLO range for a reason. Bass frequencies are filled by bass lines. Bass lines are played by basses, not cellos. Cellos play lines but they are called cello lines. Don't make the same mistake that many do. have fun while being a music major and use the time well!

I can tell you from experience, you are chasing a methodology that doesn't work. If you can not employ good composition, the mix will not sound good. An unbalanced and/or empty composition is an unbalanced and/or empty production. Trying to mix a poor composition is an ineffective way to learn how to mix. You can not just put effects on things and expect them to fill the gaps the composition left open. If you omit bass, you are omitting the rhythmic harmonic foundation of the composition. You're also leaving an entire flank of the frequency spectrum empty. Furthermore, an ideally recorded performance doesn't actually need any mixing, just some touching up and enhancements to taste. The recording quality of your parts is very, very messy. As others have noted, there are a lot of room reflections and there's no clarity. You don't have to have other people play your parts, but you do need to record the parts properly. Minimize reflections, and place the mics where the tone of the instrument is maximized. You can look up tips for each instrument online. If you want to just improve your mixing without worrying about composition, you should use pre-existing recordings. You can download unmixed, multi-track sessions (zip with wave files) from here. There are many genres to choose from.

i don't know how to music and i have no idea what anybody's talking about what's ocr?

Larry is to blame.

**INCOMING UPDATE** Hi all. The project seems to be picking up steam now. We now have well over a third of the tracks claimed, people are chipping away at their claimed WIPs and things are running smoothly. At the moment anyway . Some people are already well on the way to completing their tracks, it seems... Remember, just because you've claimed a track, doesn't mean you can't claim another. Welcome to @Jorito @Supercoolmike and @jnWake who've jumped in since the last update. The next WIP deadline is May 1st. Put it in your calendars, looking forward to hearing what you guys have. In the next week or so I'll be working on the artwork for the album. So that'll be nice. A bit of visual reference to add to the clout of what is already, if cautiously, shaping up to be a nice album. Keep at it folks. As ever, if you want to claim a track, type here, or PM me or @HoboKa. Cheers!

If I remember correctly, project directors have to offer a remixer as a human sacrifice to DJP and the judges. There's this whole elaborate ceremony with cloaks and goat heads, chanting and some minor blood-letting. It's an old formality, but it does speed up the process a lot. I'm going to recommend... oh, let's saaaaaay... Tuberz McGee. He should be good enough.

Some advice. First and foremost, I am not some Tumblr/SJW/prudish cliche. I am also not the polar opposite (not sure what to call that? Shitlord?). What I am is someone that has watched anime since the mid 1980. And no, I don't mean Robotech. We had access to Japanese Macross. Lots of stuff from various sources over the years. That guy down the street how had fifth generation bootleg tapes from his cousin in Japan, some video stores with a very limited selection, right up to the 90s and 2000s with local anime conventions and dedicated stores. And now we have stuff like Crunchyroll, Netflix and all those torrents and streaming sites. My god, you kids have it so easy now. Seriously, you can not comprehend how different things were twenty years ago, let along thirty or more. Fuck yeah, future! Any way, you're aiming at teens, aged 12 to 16. OK, cool. Lots of people got into anime about that age. Anime can be funny, even mind-blowing, at that age. Like, "holy shit, that was a crazy story!" Or, "holy shit, did you see that fight scene? It went on for twenty minutes!" Good times can, and will, be had. Open up interests in other countries and cultures, history, art and music, all kinds of stuff. Buuuuut... there is something that this vast access to anime has brought with it. A lot of anime simply isn't appropriate for teens. And I don't mean "time to show a little skin!" inappropriate. I mean stuff ranging from under-age sexualization (seems to be popular these last few... decades) to straight-up sexual assault. Case in point: Nanatsu No Taizai. Early in the series, the male lead character brings the unconscious lead female character to a safe place after a minor battle. Once in bed, he looks over, places his hand on her breasts, gives them a big ol' squeezin', and when she wakes up, says he was just checking her pulse. No. No, that is not right. You pull that shit in real life, you get arrested. But in anime, it's OK because... ANIME!! It's fine in Japan! (No it isn't, it's a crime and the penalty is quite severe. Like the police. Seriously, don't get arrested in Japan). So not all shows, regardless of suggestions or recommendations, are going to appropriate for 12 to 16 year old kids. Watch the shows. Not one or two episodes, watch at least five of them (if not more) to make sure. Think about what kind of scenarios these kids are going to be watching over the weeks or months, and what kind of impressions and messages these shows are going to make. And for the love of Arceus, legally cover you ass. Make sure everything you do is on the up-and-up. Work with the staff to make sure there are no laws or regulations in your town/state/province/territory/etc about shows and ratings. None of us want to hear about some guy in a small town library getting arrested for accidentally showing "that there Jap cartoon porn" to some 12 year-olds, even when we all know that is not the case. Once you clear those two concerns, go for it. Invite the parents to watch with their kids, maybe get a small article in the local paper or something to get more members (and also solidify your good standing in the community), have a small local convention if there aren't any in your region. There are so many ways this could turn out good, and most of them you won't even have to work hard at. Small clubs can be a wellspring of friendships and good memories that will be around for years after the club could fold up. It's worth the time and effort, even if it's only in a small town library. Good luck!

Awesome Trailer! So excited for this album xD

Amazing source! Had so much fun with this one!

To hype myself for BadAss Volume 3, I revisited the first two volumes and thought I'd give them both a "small" review And now for the second: BadAss Volume 2: Electric BadAss The BadAss takes its second form, and its stronger, more intimidating, and more….um….BadAss than the previous form. Seriously, the quality of tracks increased, the sources used combined both popular games and lesser known/underrated games. This may very well be, currently, the best compilation of boss battle arrangements you will find. The one thing I will criticize, and this is a tiny one, is that this album might intimidate those who don’t like hard rock as much. But, there seems to be slightly more representation of other genres than just hard rock in this album. Before I go to my personal favorites, I want to make an honorable mention to the track “Broken Dreams.” The main body of the track struck me as repetitive and generic, but I absolutely loved how it sampled the best of the 90s Sonic cartoons. Personal Favorites: Track 1: Baby Bowser (Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island) - Bowzilla [Lashmush] God damn does Baby Bowser need a diaper change. This track is very angry, and very intense. The intro is outstanding, and I loved how the synth work in this track didn’t take away from the VERYANGRYANDINTENSEGOINGTOKILLYOU riffs. And way to make Baby Bowser seem more intimidating with those roars. Track 2: Robot Bosses (Sonic & Knuckles) - Hedgehog Fodder [Devastus] This track tricks you into thinking you’ll get a nice sounding track (just like Gilgamesh did in volume 1), and then BAM. The sirens go off, and the robots are out to kill you with more intense riffs. I love the liberal risks taken in this track as well. The original riffs really added to the track. And the subtle choirs and chanting really made it seem like this theme was fit for an army, rather than a single entity. Track 3: Teddy Bear (Splatterhouse 3) - Hunger [Mak Eightman] *From my original review of the track* I like how the distortion blends with the music. It makes Genesis music, or Genesis inspired music sound that much more hardcore than it already was. It’s very intense, insane, and those build ups are so solid. Track 4: The Combine (Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 - Episode Two) - Mister Freeman [Justin Lassen] I mostly appreciate this track for how different it sounds compared to most of the other, rock heavy tracks. It’s slower, more synth reliant, with a dash of a haunting orchestra bridge. Reminds me of something Trent Reznor would do. Track 8: Dr. Wily (Mega Man 1, 3) - Top This [Flexstyle] *From my original review of the track* I can just see a DJ coming out to stage making a grand entrance at the very start of this track, and then saying into a mic “top this” right at the 0:29 mark. The percussion and bass work is outstanding. I want to dance to this, I want to jam to this, I want to rock out to this. The production here is……ahem…..top notch. Track 12: Ultimate Phalanx (Demon's Crest) - Red Retaliation [Torzelan] I love Demon’s Crest, and its soundtrack. I would have loved the final battle theme, if it didn’t last 16 seconds before looping again. That’s what makes this track so brilliant. These guys found a way to take a 16 second track, make it their own, add awesome lyrics to it, and stretch it out into 4 and a half amazing minutes. Whether you like this genre or not, anyone who aspires to arrange video game tracks should listen to this. Mainly to see that yes, it IS possible to make creative arrangements from original sources, no matter how short the source material is. Track 13: The Great Mighty Poo (Conker's Bad Fur Day) - Poop [Brandon Strader] Man, I don’t even know if anything I could say about this track would do it justice. The Great Mighty Poo theme was already an excellent track, and Brandon Strader somehow made it even better by making it a dark comedic rock opera. Track 14: Dr. Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) - Egg-Shaped Prison [David L. Puga] At first I thought this album should have ended with the previous track, but by the end of the track, I was content with this being a good track to end the album on. It’s a nice take on the Sonic 2 battle theme, and whether intentional or not, the distorted ending does a good job making you think “is the BadAss onslaught REALLY over with?” Spoiler alert: It’s not

To hype myself for BadAss Volume 3, I revisited the first two volumes and thought I'd give them both a "small" review First, BadAss Volume 1: The BadAss Menace. Some of the best boss theme arrangements can be found in this album. I'm not surprised by the heavy amount of hard rock represented in this album. But some of the tracks in this album do an excellent job in their performances, creating performances that scream "THIS ENEMY WILL KILL YOU" rather than just creating a hard rock remaster with the loudest and fastest riffs. But not all of it is rock, there are orchestrated arrangements as well. Hell, there's even rock AND orchestrated arrangements. This album is more than just artists making their interpretations of random boss battle themes (and stage themes). These artists really thought outside the box with these arrangements. Personal Favorites: Track 1: Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy V) - Master of the Blades [pu_freak] This is such a misleading track. And I mean that in a good way of course. It tempts you into thinking this will be a peaceful, serene sounding experience, before blasting you with all the BadAss themes that await listeners of this album. But what I actually love about this album is how an originally fast paced battle theme like Gilgamesh’s can sound so haunting and so soothing. Track 3: Laughing Octopus (Metal Gear Solid 4) - Routine of War [The Dual Dragons] Man I wish the battle themes in Guns of the Patriots sounded half as good as this track. I don’t know if this was intentional, but I love how the artists used the guitars to create an experience as if Laughing Octopus was actually inside your ears taunting you. Track 8: Dr. Wily (Mega Man 3) - A Daring Escape [Jago] I've heard orchestrated arrangements of this particular stage theme before, but this one knocked it out of the park for me. It adds a sense of urgency to make an otherwise exciting track more dramatic. Track 10: Astaroth (Shadow Hearts - Covenant) - Astaroth's Awakening [The Dual Dragons] I have to confess, I added this track to the custom soundtrack of my copy of Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Specifically the stage where you fight True Ogre. But besides that, Astaroth's battle theme is one of my all time favorite Yasunori Mitsuda tracks. I love that the Dual Dragons didn't try to be Yasunori Mitsuda, and crafted their own mood based on the original melody of the Astaroth battle theme. Track 11: Cobra (G.I. Joe) - Real American Hero [Nutritious] I mostly love how this track combines the drama of an 80s action flick to a modern day battle track. It’s not really intense, but it’s more of an encouraging battle theme. And sometimes, encouraging battle themes are the best. Track 15: Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV) - The Shredder [Sixto Sounds] The beginning made me think that this would be more of an oriental style remix with slower, more ominous tones. But then the track just surges out right in your face, and belts you with the fastest, exciting, most intense riffs you’ll ever hear in an arrangement of a boss battle theme.