Argle

I started with weighted pullups this week, only 5 lbs to start with. This is one of the things that did me in last year and set me way back, but I feel stronger and more conditioned this time around, with a steady progressive routine that I didn't have last time.

I get sore when I start a completely new movement, but adding weights or reps from week to week usually doesn't make me sore.

Well at least you're half honest.

yeah this is definitely going on my OCR playlist. Can never have too much Dark World, and this one is nicely done.

Of course, you have freedom and liberty to criticize her views any way you want. I happen to think that her bringing this issue into the public debate has a net positive effect, even if her motives or methods are suspect.

If the raving nutbags in the gaming community hadn't made Anita an international name she would be making kickstarter-funded videos for her core audience, would be unknown to the population at large and we wouldn't have a 153 page thread. And you know what, social progress is extremely messy and sometimes we don't always like the advocates for it.

I never do it very often, tbh. Once in awhile I'll repitch a snare or hi-hat, but not to get it in tune with the song.

Haha.

I think Zircon started the musics a little before I did, and even back in the day I could tell he was very talented and VERY ambitious. That's a winning combination if you want to work in this field, and he's seen plenty of success for it.

Oooh, I have loved the Oud in EastWest Ra for years, ever since I got that library. One of my favorite plucked instruments to use. I... I feel the need to give you more of my money.

Sorry to hear that. I'm like 90% better from mine, finally getting to the point where I feel like I'm not going to fuck up my shoulder by doing dips and pullups and weighty stuff. My ankles are still problematic, I think twisting them last year gave me arthritis or summit.

But... wouldn't 2 weeks put us almost at Halloween? So the next one will mostly go past Halloween. This would've been the one to make a Halloween theme.

I wasn't really sold for the first 1:30, but when the bassline comes in I think you have a good idea happening. You have to find a way to break out of the repetitive loop structure by writing new parts, changing up the instrumentation, adding more automation and flourishes... stuff like that.

I wasn't sure if I should do this, given that two other mod d00ds posted first.

I am definitely sore from deadlifts on Monday. particularly in my legs which I usually neglect, but also in the back. that's ok with me, means it's working a lot of things that I usually don't.

If you need to crank out score for some paid project, probably the more of those loop and phrase libraries you have the better.

I love the FTL soundtrack. I can definitely hear some of that here. Nice.

Jeez, making other people post your sources. Thanks though T. Source usage seems alright. There are a number of reasons that would almost certainly cause this track to be rejected, namely lo-fi production, highly repetitive looping structure, static arrangement, stiff and stilted parts, and a general lack of groove. Let's dive in. Starting with production, everything sounds wrapped in a blanket.... dull and muffled. Particularly the drums and marimba. Not sure if it just the soundfonts you're using, but yeah, the current production isn't cutting it. Everything could benefit from EQ to sharpen things up, and some more reverb to add space. The string pad panned rightward is distracting to me, it should be centered. Definitely a lot of things to practice your production chops on here. Sequencing-wise things are very stilted, particularly the marimba and orchestral chimes. This has to do with the part-writing... the parts are staccato and don't really gel with anything. Along these lines, the drum part doesn't really contribute anything meaningful to the groove, and the bassline is just a low-end sustained mass sitting there, not working with the drums to create a groove. Arrangement-wise the entire track is just a loop that has some parts dropping in and out. You definitely need to break out of that. Scrap the 2nd half of the track and write something different yet complimentary, and then you can return to the original feel. It will probably be challenging at this point because you have been building up a loop mindset on this track for awhile. So overall there are many issues, but I feel the most important ones are the composition and arrangement... turning the track from an extended loop into an actual song with groove and feels. I actually think it might be beneficial to send someone your project file and let them go crazy with it. A collab could inject some new ideas and take the track in a new direction, as well as give you new inspiration. Hope this helps! /mod review

First of all thanks for the breakdown, it was very helpful. This isn't a very straightforward interpretation so it would have been quite a chore to stopwatch this. So thanks! I can hear all the usage, so that's cool. Truth be told it is actually a bit hard to review this track since it's so niche and specific. You definitely got the C64 thing going on. The chip parts all sound good. The kick though is kinda monotonous, it just thuds its way from start to finish. I feel you could break up the four on the floor occasionally, give a break in the action or put some kinda automation on it. Not sure how closely you're trying to hew to the C64 standard. I don't feel much of a backbeat either. I can hear the tom fill parts, so that's something. There are some areas that I think are too crowded from an arrangement standpoint, particularly start at 1:57-2:12 and 3:00-3:30. Because you're using such simple sounds when you pile 3 counter melodies on top of each other they all kind of get in each others way. It's fairly hard to pick out the focal melody. You may want to designate the primary melody in these dense sections and lower the other parts. Yeah, I think there are just too many parts all trying to fight for your attention. Overall it's fairly hard to criticize the production values because they are what they are. My favorite sound was the thin guitarrish part starting at 0:10 because it added some nice ambiance. I would humbly suggest some automation on tracks to increase interest, even if it takes you out of a strict C64 feel. I also think attention paid to the cluttered parts will definitely help the track. Hope this helps! /mod review

Come to think of it. I think the few experimental lifts I did yesterday made me kinda sore. This morning I thought it was from sleeping badly, but maybe not.

I don't mind being muscle sore, in fact strengthening my lower back muscles would probably be desirable. I just don't want to be out of commission for days from lifting heavy shit badly, which is how it always happens. So yea, I definitely want to get the form correct.

I finally got a barbell. I've been doing dumbbell bench presses but have maxed out the weight I have. I am not comfortable trying a barbell bench press without a rack to hold it, though. So in the meantime I think I'm going to try deadlifts. I'm a little concerned though because I have a 10-year history of bad backs. Is a properly done deadlift hard on the lower back?

You have saved Christmas.

Somebody tell me what song to remix. It worked last year.

I could always do a Christmas track on my own, but I honestly would work better knowing there was a deadline and stuff. so yeah, hope someone can pick this up.