PrototypeRaptor

So I've wanted to remix the halo theme for, well, as long as the first game has been out. So I've finally come back and done a mix of the menu screen - it's a real lo-fi chillin' sorta song. The only other music I can really compare it to is Rob Dougan's - it uses an orchestra and drums, etc. I'm thinking of adding vocals but I sure as hell can't sing. The style would be more like Dougan's - real gritty and harsh. Anyway, let me know what you think about the song in general, if the vocal thing is a good idea, parts to add, etc. -EDIT- Mix is done, from my point of view. Tell me what you think! FINAL VERSION: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/lupz/HUMANITY ------ otherlinks: www.tindeck.com/audio/my/ldcm/halomcnovoc v2: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/bpoi/halomcv2 v3: (vocal test warning! bad singing inside XD): http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/kave/halomcvoc v3: (non vocal): http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/xmdb/halomcv3 v4: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/wegj/halomcv4 oddversion: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/xdhy/halomcfinalfunnyversion regularversion: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/ynbz/halomcfinalnonvocal

wow, that is really catchy. I'd forgotten how fun the soundtrack to adventures was... moving on, it feels like it took way to long for some low freq's to get into the mix. perhaps it's just my speakers, but there was a definite lack of lows until that timpani/bass came in. I'd either eq something or add a bass part. It started grating on my ears after awhile - too much 4000hz with no 300hz to balance it out. It also needs something to fill in the background. Anything, like a synth pad, a string part, a counter melody, you name it, you could use it. I hear a soft string pad part at the beginning - make it a tad louder and add something else! I'm sorry, but I don't think that "empty" sound is good. (unless it's the style you're going for) the synthy guitar is meh. If you like it, by all means keep it, but I'd change it to another instrument or get it played live. one last thing, the timpani in the second part, while a great idea, has one of those issues with samples being played over and over again - the machine gun tendency. Some samples are so bad that nothing can be done to fix this, but you can probably mess with velocities, volume and reverb and fix that. great start - looking forward to hearing more!

wow, for a first mix, this is really good. At least, a hell of a lot better than the crap I made when I first started...bleh... anyway, to the song. The piano is indeed very mechanical - I'd mess with the velocities and change the reverb (if you are using FL's default) to have a room size of 100 and a small % of verb.. As for the drums, I'd throw a compressor on each channel (if you're using more than one channel for the drums) and mess with the different settings for each. Experimentation is a good thing. I'd direct you to zircon's site - he has an amazing tutorial for effects there (http://www.zirconstudios.com/tutorials.html) A good start, seriously. Read those tutorials and keep practicing and you'll be just fine.

So, I've sent in my Corneria mix and am waiting for a decision on the judges - probably will be a while, heh. In the meantime, I've been obsessing over another favorite song of mine: Auron's theme from FFX. Sure, it only plays once in the whole game (I believe), but man I listened to that track a BUNCH in the little "sphere theater" place. So, rambling aside, I've done a little mix - it's not trance (though I've done one of those, too...) If someone could help me out with a name for this genre, it would be useful... I humbly submit 1:30ish seconds of FFX lovin' for you to check out. Tell me what you think - should have more of the song finished soon. LINK: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/iegf/auronbigbeat1

Well, here's the final version. I got rid of the vocals after the intro (decided they were a bit too cheesy) Rearranged the intro vocals - yes, I did add the famous line... XD. Bumped the volume a bit After a few more comments, this goes to the judges! vfinal: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/qkwf/corneriaremix_9

alright, I took some of your advice and I'm back with a new version. There are new vocals at the beginning - I tried to make them "fit," rather than just being little random clips. There is also a new vocal section after the chorus with Andross (I'm thinking of cutting this...he's just too hard to understand) and a short clip of Fox's dad before the final chorus. I also reduced the overall volume because, yes, it was LOUD. So, I'm sorry to keep bugging you all, but, what do you think? Oh, and something messed up when I exported the file - cut off the ending "ring"... don't worry, I'll fix it for the next version. v4: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/nqet/corneriaremix_7

wow, thanks for all the comments! As for your question, I am pretty much finished adding instruments. However, in this new version I added some vocals from the game in the intro -but I'm feeling very uneasy about them. Do you like them? I can't decide whether to keep them or not. Besides that issue, the mix is pretty much done. Next version will be submission ready - hopefully. Let 'er rip! v3: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/eioo/corneriaremix_6

new and improved v2 is out. fixed some issues with sound, added some more synths (especially at the beginning), added more concrete references to the main theme during the "slow section" and brought out the piano at the end. also added a reverse kick during the middle part - I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep it or not. Well, here it is. Tell me what you think! v2: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/nlod/corneriaremix_5

So, I've tried to make several mixes of corneria over the years...and they've all sucked. But I've decided to change that. This is a new round with the song - and I'm going to do it right. This is a tranceish take on the tune - and I need help. EDIT: nearly complete but not quite there test version is done - what do you think of the vocals? Also, I turned the overall volume down. It WAS really loud...XD. Added a new, different, better second chorus... it doesn't loop! (kinda) v1: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/edbp/corneriaremix_42 v2: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/nlod/corneriaremix_5 v3: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/eioo/corneriaremix_6 v4: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/nqet/corneriaremix_7 vfinal: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/qkwf/corneriaremix_9

So, I've completely switched styles from my last work (which I'm going to submit sometime). This is a trance remix of Auron's theme in FFX, which, in my opinion, is the best track of FFX. Now, this is really a WIP - the mixing/mastering is kinda halfthere, but more importantly, I have a bunch more SFX/Instruments to add to the song. Specifically, the end. (which doesn't exist as of now) Basically, I need an idea about where to take the song - I'm thinking about a short break maybe to some strings or something. Just let me know what you think! v1: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/wgwp/auronremix2--master-

Alright, I've been away from the mix for awhile and now I've come back...and I realized it had to be louder. I know, I know, but it was too soft compared to some of the other songs on here, so I just bumped up the volume knob a bit. I kept everything else the same, except it's now fully compressed and ready to be submitted. Please tell me if it's clipping now (as for some strange reason, my speakers don't register non-extreme clipping.) So, this is it...is it ready?

Haha, I was wondering if anyone would notice that theme... yes, it was intentional, but wow, you get a cookie for catching it. It's my personal favorite theme in the LOTR trilogy - so I just had to use it. Nice to see another Howard Shore fan out there... ...and to stay on topic, I'm trying to think of a name - any ideas? I don't want to submit "Red Alert 2 Intro Theme Mix" So far I've been thinking: The Red March A Red Sun Rises (my fav) Combustible Colors (lame) Hell's Deep (haha lotr) The Red Scourge ...and that's it. I'm not feeling very creative. Oh well... post any names/ideas that you think would go well with the song. Please.

Well...here it is! The final version is up, compressed, and ready to roll! Fixed several issues this round and added a new and improved bridge section. Also removed that god awful annoying bell toll at the end. Now the chord just rings... So, tell me what you think! Is it ready? v FINAL: http://media.putfile.com/Redalert2Mix-vFINAL

Woot! v3 is up! Subtle things have been changed: The overall volume has been increased, the big percussion beats have been lowered (they were obnoxiously loud), and I've added a guitar to the ending. (It's more for color than a solo or anything) Lowered the volume in the softer parts, kicked the strings up a notch as well as the brass. Worked some more on the mastering. So, tell me what you think! I've really hit a brick wall on what to do... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. v3: http://media.putfile.com/RedAlert2Mix-v3

Ok, new version is up. This one goes all the way to the end, lemme know what you think. v2: http://media.putfile.com/RedAlert-2-Intro-Mix-v2 I'm pretty sure I fixed a bunch of mastering problems - lowered the overall volume, made the drums have more kick, checked out the clipping. I added a TON more tracks. Maybe it's not as obvious as I'd like, but the song now doesn't just repeat the whole time. (Ususally) There's a nifty little break down - then it speeds up to the climax. Questions: Does it end too abruptly? Is it too repetitive? Is it still clipping? Or just too loud overall? Most importantly, does it GO somewhere? I mean, is the climax fulfilling? (not a dirty joke) There's nothing worse than 5 min that goes nowhere.... Thanks for your replies, I think I'm going to actually submit this one...RA2 needs some lovin'!

Alright, so Frank Klepacki is a god among men... his work in the Red Alert series has inspired me so many times that it isn't even funny. So, I've decided to remix probably his most famous song, the "Hell March" from RA2. *EDIT* So, this song is about as done as I think it can be... the final version is up! This version has been compressed to be under 6mb, so there's some nice sound loss there.. I fixed that weird master issue that Nutritious pointed out and finished mastering it. It's about as loud as I can get it without clipping...unless there's some secret trick that I don't know about. The question is... is it ready for submission? I think I'll pm a judge about the possibility of passing; I'd hate to waste forever and a day only to find out that it's not quite "ready" yet. So, what do you all think? v FINAL (not streaming): http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/xzow/thebattlecontinuesvFINAL2--master- v3: http://media.putfile.com/RedAlert2Mix-v3 v2: http://media.putfile.com/RedAlert-2-Intro-Mix-v2 v1: http://media.putfile.com/RedAlert2-intro-wip

Alright, here's a new remix of a very under-appreciated theme in my opinion: the pokemon battle theme (red/blue)! I'm not really sure what the style is, it's kinda a DnB/Trance thing. I'm trying to not make it too repetitive - that's a big problem with this genre. So I added some voice clips, although there's a few times where they sound...not right. (Working on that) Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated; I'm outta ideas. LINK: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/truo/thebattlecontinues

So I've been working on some college audition materials for composition majors, and I've been having some problems. Basically, this is the theme for the supreme "general" of some unknown enemy force. It's really big and heavy; the up/down beats are supposed to be his "footsteps." There's a short break in the middle where we see the last resistance against this general, then he's back. In the end, he crushes the resistance himself, but I haven't finished that part yet. In a nutshell, I need advice. What does the piece need? I suck at mastering, so it doesn't sound very "professional" yet, but what are some composition things I could add? (Other than an ending... >_>) Thanks for any tips you can give... Link: http://www.escariot.net/ProtoR/generalstheme.mp3

Alrighty, I'm back with an update. It's pretty extensive... I'm thinking of submitting this one. Any thoughts before I take the plunge? --PrototypeRaptor

Hey, some good stuff you got there. I really liked the beginning, with the strings and the oboe. But when the drums came in they seemed really flat, I'd spend a little more time with the effects for them. (Or it's just my speakers) The oboe seemed to go really out of tune in the first minute of playing, but when the flute came in, everything was better. I liked the transition around 1:01, but it might seem too abrupt to some people. Around 1:48-ish there's a cool horn counter melody, I'd bring that out a bit more. Actually, the whole piece could use some liberal use of brass. (but hey, as a brass player, that's just what I want to hear. ) I like it. Can't wait to hear the final thing.

Hey, thanks for the suggestions. So if it's a bit distorted I should just back down on the master, correct? And the vocal section is not staying...it's more of a placeholder until I can come up with something better. (I like 6/8 time though) Perhaps that can turn into the solo section... The ending needs something more as well. But, well, I'm stumped as to what. hmm, I guess I'll make a couple new versions and see what seems to be liked. Keep the suggestions comin'!

----UPDATE---- v2: Removed almost a minute of playing time by changing up the ending to a more unorthodox setting. Removed the awful vocal section, replaced with a solo section in 6/8. Changed the middle section to be a bit more slower and "different". Added a cool arpish solo near the end. Also, increased the general audio quality via RazorLame. Hm, that's about it. Lemme know what you think! Corneria mix v2: http://www.escariot.net/ProtoR/corneria_20update.mp3 (v1: http://s1.quicksharing.com/v/8480110/corneria_15.mp3.html) -------------- So, I love the source to this mix. Starfox (original, not 64) has one of the best OSTs IMO. I'm a big fan of futurepop (VNV Nation, etc) and I thought that the source tune could be easily converted to that genre. (Alas, I was incorrect) After many laborious hours of work, I submit this for help. I'm looking for production tips - I still don't quite have the whole sound engineer thing goin' on. Also, if you have any advice at all... don't hesitate to pick me apart. I'm not happy with the ending and some of the transitions. (working on it) (Also, there are voice clips from Starfox 64 used... I know, I know... I can't stand the voices from the original...)

Well, I probably win the award for "longest lurker ever"... I've been here since AE was around. (and I still wish he'd submit more mixes - his Mega Man stuff is amazing) I have no idea why I haven't made an account until now, just lazy I guess... *sheepish grin* I'm into mixing now myself, use FL 6.4 (yeah! beta!) and a bunch of VSTs. What else... well, I play trombone. I'm a Texan. I like Monty Python. I believe that FFVII wasn't the greatest game ever made. (oh noez!!11!) I don't find Dane Cook funny. I prefer Pepsi. My favorite TV show is Metalocalypse... Basically, I'm an odd one. And I do firmly believe in the pudding snacks.