Leaderboard

We are imminent. All relevant artists are now confirmed, and we have something resembling an ETA. Other albums have popped up in our queue that need attention (here's one hint: "spoopy"), so there'll be a bit more time 'til release. I will call it "November... high probability". We're taking two weeks to finalize, and if all goes well, we're seeing 10 tracks and major props to Naofumi Hataya!

@Bahamut I've been chipping in on album eval and am through the first two discs - I don't think you'll be disappointed, @Jorito's taken the ball and run with it, sounding great so far!

Submitted!

The arrangement is pretty straightforwards, but it works. I would've liked to hear more variety in the arrangement than just the added solo break, but I think the new layers of melodies work well to make it something more than a cover. The mix is good, with the exception of the lead violin which does feel buried in the mix. This track passes for me, however I would've asked for a conditional on raising the volume on the violin. It is after all, the main focus of the track and is carrying the main melody by itself, to be honest this is one of my favorite mega man tracks of all the classic series and the original really kicks ass but the issues with the violin lead makes it sound a bit meh at some points. So this would be a YES (conditional). I would like to add that mix quality is but one aspect of the evaluation, so pointing out that other mixes have worse mixdown is pointless. We know that, and those other mixes may have other qualities that make up for it. Either way, the attitude of an artist has no bearing on our votes, but it's just nicer if everyone is... nicer, y'know?

Strip I did earlier in the summer. Testing some things out. Made this for the locations page of the website New Hyperdrive Helix art for upcoming stuff in the comic.

@Dextastic With the compressor pretty much, but you'll need to adjust based on taste and even play with different compressors as they're attack and release curves will change the way the sound behaves. Just gotta experiment a bit. I can tell you that for this particular application I really really like vladg's Molot. I know it is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, but there is an English option and I like to do this in the "Alpha" mode because it isn't quite as aggressive. It is preference and I've used different compressors for the application just based on various things from changes to the timbre to fitting better in with the other instruments. Compression in general is quite a complex topic and it'd take me way too long to explain in any reasonable detail about how it works or the various ways to use to manipulate space or even forcing one without a sidechain input to react in an almost dynamic EQ kinda way. But with that being said you've really just gotta experiment with it to find something that really works for you. I can tell you that I have a lot of compressors because I find unlike EQs I can get more color out of them and that is typically what I end up doing on a lot of sounds. Rather than using them strictly for mixing. I say compression on the guitars because even though distorted guitars are already quite compressed it isn't the end all be all to further coloring them with compression Much to learn about that you do! But some things you can try to give the guitars some more weight. Put on a different hat for distortion for a minute. Think of distortion as a way to generate new and extra harmonics that you can then manipulate to your advantage. For example you could try some frequency selective parallel distortion to add in some extra girth that you can then mix in with the original to give them more heft if they're missing it. Kind of like the old trick of gating a tone generator from a kick to make it beefier in the mix. Since you have 4 guitars in this particular case then I would look at doing something a bit different personally. I'd take two of them and hard pan them and leave them mostly alone (EQ, compression, etc.) but pan the other's about midway left and right then play with distortion on them and make those heavier sounding. This would likely widen the mix with two different guitar layers at two different stereo positions, but would also have the effect of making the center seem "heavier" and leaving the sides "lighter" further adding to width without really sacrificing any mono compatibility As for the synths, I mean they kinda work. The brass is actually a pretty good sounding brass stab, but it sounds like it came from a ROMpler of some description. I like the piano quite a bit, and I love the sync lead but it is so buried and overshadowed by everything else in that section that it kind of loses its impact While this may sound kind of biased or such, I really really dislike guitars lol. Not because there is anything wrong with them, but just because I'm not a guitar guy and everyone talking about them makes it sound like there are humongous differences between ancient humbucklers and modern ones. Look Solid body vs Hollow Body? Easily understandable differences in sound. But I feel arguing about a 139048 year old humbuckler is like the synth guys saying that there is a huge difference in the way a 50 year old Minimoog sounds versus a clone from like Studio Electronics. Look is there a difference? Probably, but is it worth all that money for it? Probably not. I'm a synth head and I love synths. It is easier to impress me with guitars than it is with synths. Suuns' 2020 (warning epileptic seizure warning) has a guitar sound that I love because I've never really heard it before and plus it is super creepy and unsettling. The bass is a synth and super dark and brooding. Both of those sounds impress me. Mord Fustang's Lick the Rainbow (terrible name I know), but this has quite a few synth sounds that just impress me. Still trying to figure out that bass sound myself. So much breath and life in that. Your synth sounds aren't bad, but if you want something to really show you what is possible with just one synth, then look no further than KVR's One Synth Challenge (I've entered a few myself) and let me tell you some of the sounds people are able to coax out of these synths is simply astounding.

Might jump in next round, depending on the source. Had a lot personally come up over the summer that prevented me from doing much musically, but I want to start getting back into a flow.

Man, its been a while - first off I'd like to apologize for everyone for dropping the ball on this. I could not give this the attention it deserved ultimately, especially after embarking on my career almost 5 years ago. I'm in a good place now, but way too exhausted & busy to do much except maybe build websites, my domain of expertise. I'm glad to see that it has sped up to completion over the past year! I am excited to see what everyone has whipped up .

@Dextastic It doesn't sound all that bad. In fact I rather like the transients on the drums quite a bit. Though if I may make a couple of suggestions. First, while the transient is important on drums in order to prevent the cymbals and the like from being "too" powerful in the mix you may consider actually toning down the sustain portion. You can achieve this in a few ways. Transient Controller can work well in certain situations. Another way is to use a compressor and just crack down on that transient quite a bit and not really use much makeup gain, then apply some EQ (typically 4-8KHz) to bring the transient back. There is also the gate that opens up on the transient but closes on the sustain. You can also play a bit with multi-band compression or even dynamic EQ. Just depends on your desired end result. Second, with the drums you did a solid job of imprinting their space in the mix along with the guitars. However, when things get "fuller" you basically completely run out sonic space in those sections and don't really have separation nor clarity between the various elements. No real tricks here other than good ol' listening and trying to figure out what needs focus and possibly rebalancing the mix on the fly with automation. Bonus bit, the guitars could do with a bit more weight and get on those guitars with some characterful compression. Otherwise pretty darn solid.

I'm listening to this without hearing the sources first, to see if it sounds cohesive, and to me it does. The transitions don't bother me too much, it is an interesting and varied arrangement. I agree with Jivemaster that the mix is surprisingly clear considering the amount of parts in each section. The master is so loud though, and starting at 0:36 it sounds very overcompressed to me, and that lead is way too loud, especially in the mid-lows. I'm going to ask for one more pass at the mixing/mastering to get it sounding clear without sounding so compressed, otherwise I dig it. NO (resubmit please)