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Eino Keskitalo

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Posts posted by Eino Keskitalo

    Artist Appreciation Competition 2015

    in Competitions

    Posted

    The orchestra sucks.

    I need to buy better samples. Edirol is so eughwinegon

    I would think you could improve the current samples a lot with attention to timing, attack of the instruments and EQ (and maybe layering for thicker textures). Not sure if there's a orchestral sample library especially built to be combined with rock anyway. ;) Not that I knew what I was talking about here though, since I haven't tried combining these sorts of instrumentations myself.

    ohh wow, thx for showing me this link. listened (and downloaded) a lot of his songs so far and i can totally see the resemblence ur talking about.

    I'm glad to hear that you checked them out & liked them! I think that music is very good and I'm happy to hear it gets appreciated.

    Artist Appreciation Competition 2015

    in Competitions

    Posted

    Some reviews for the first two rounds.

    Round 1 Alpha:

    Lost in a Dream Ocean

    Loved the mood, and liked the combination of sounds quite a lot.

    Been listening to Shovel Knight OST a ton and I really couldn't recognize it before looking at breakdown & comparing with the source. I went to detail because the source usage bothered me a lot and I like to think I'm familiar with the original.

    I really like the mood set in the first minute. The second part (0:50-1:30ish) feels fairly noodlery/meandering in the synth string writing and hard to grasp and also sparse. The addition of the harp in the background in the next part gives it a lot better form, and I like how the structure goes back to beginning in the end.

    By listening to the main melody played by the bell instrument in the beginning, shifted down to start at D# from F#. You're using just the first four notes. The notes in the original are F# F# B E, you're using D# D# A# D2#(octave higher) D# D# G# D2# alternately. Additionally the rhythm of the melody is syncopated in the original but even in your rhythm. There are too many changes for me to consider the melody from being from The Lost City. Shifting the melody around is not a problem, just using four notes is fine, changing the rhythm is ok, using A# and G# alternately is all right as well - these do add up though and I think the clinch is the final note being an octave of the starting note instead like it is in the source. (Didn't compare the bell at 0:53-0:58.)

    0:22-0:28 from source at 1:02-1:14 is clearly heard. There's a note change in the melody towards the end which is a good adaptation to the different backing and feel. The sequencing is rough since the "swell" of the strings cuts out when the new note is played and it doesn't sound like it's completely in time. Similarly problematic sequencing 1-:17-1:36. I like how you've appropriated the source to the strings genre and feel wise, though in writing it's again altered so much that I'm not sure I'd count it as source usage. Also it doesn't quite mesh with the backing harmony I feel.

    1:30-2:00, the source from 0:14-0:18 is B A B C# F# C# and your version is A# G# A# B E D#(octave higher) + a repeat without the D# in the end. Again there are too many changes for it to feel like source usage to me.

    I didn't look at the bass particularly.

    Overall, though there's a lot to improve in source usage, sequencing and harmony writing, I really like the structure and mood. I also appreciate the way you've taken parts of the source and used them as components, stretched them out and so. There's a lot of material in the source so it works very well for a simplifying/minimalistic approach.

    Shantae's (not so) Curs'd Journey

    Quite enjoyed the hard-hitting chippy grit here. The lush strings towards the beginning really complement the sound well. The strings at 1:46-1:56 didn't sound quite as tightly woven into the mix, probably because the timing was a little off (a bit behind perhaps).

    'Vators Gonna Bait

    Groovy chippy goodness, not unexpectedly. The lead at the beginning immediately reminded me of Shining Force 2 so bonus points for that. The epiano on the left is a little loud in the mix I think.

    Brevon's World

    The mix was very quiet yeah, and when I finally turned it up I started to get this piece.

    I generally like the sombre feel, though somehow the "playing" of the instruments - and perhaps tempo - is not quite "lamenting", but kind of rigid. This strikes a strange middle ground, which isn't bad at all. This actually reminds me of these arrangements of Erik Satie's music (downloads to the left) - they have a cool hybrid synth/mellotron instrumentation, and the same hybrid style is going here.

    I'm thinking a little bit of humanization (without loosing the strange/rigid feel), maybe some higher quality sample replacements and a more careful mixing would do a lot to this piece. I really like it, if I was voting today I might put it on first place.

    Round 1 Bravo:

    Stricken Earth

    This is a fun & refreshing arrangement, I like the approach. It sounds like the harmony has been somewhat simplified in the arrangement. I think it mostly works quite well.

    Synths and orchestral instruments sound a bit soft, quiet and behind the beat.. kind of being a little too "polite" for the tempo and energy of the piece. They're also somewhat drowned behind the guitar.

    There's some funny chords at 1:11 & 1:23. Some of the timing is loose, say around 0:23-0:26.

    Love the bass! Effective & enjoyable original solo as well, and the proggy bits towards the end I appreciate quite a bit.

    The Fate of My Crew

    Big fan of FTL and its music here. Somehow, just the reinstrumentation is exciting to hear. I especially liked the lamenting intro, the transition to synth/guitar trance metal was actually a bit unexpected, but I definitely like how the acoustic feel is reiterated in the break late in the track.

    Some of the sounds are quite plain (harps and stuff) and the sound overall doesn't have a lot of "wow" or quite the punch it feels like it should. I felt like some creative use of panning could have given a nice sense of space. That said, everything in the mix is clear and balanced very well.

    Some weird harmony & off time notes 1:57 and 2:08 on the bell and again 2:29.

    Aventura Inesperada

    I'm not familiar with the OST and don't have the time to check it out unfortunately, so I can't comment on source usage.

    The intro is very nice, I think the mood set for the first half is quite chilling. The tune has grown on me during repeated listenings.

    Some conflicting lead/backing in the first half (0:48, 0:56-0:59). There seemed to be an iffy bit around 3:00 too. The fadeout felt like the track was running out prematurely.

    The sound/mixing and playing are a bit rough, but I like the style and ideas and energy quite a lot. Having heard a lot of your PRC entries, I think you're progressing a lot.

    Dig Deep

    Overall a very nice take on the menu version of the main theme, which is a theme I really like in-game/on the OST. Reminds me of the main theme of Final Fantasy 4 actually.

    The mix seems slightly shrill in the highs, had to turn it down a couple of notches eventually. 2:40 has an interesting tense harmony to it, though I think at 2:46 it feels off. 3:03 is again like 2:40 and 3:10 works this time.

    The style was really good for the theme and brought something new to it. I also like how the intro took its time to develop itself.

    Eastern Mavericks

    Again, I'm not familiar with the source material and don't have the time to compare, unfortunately.

    The instrumentation sounds pretty great. It feels a bit like BGM in the sense that it doesn't quite capture my attention, feeling a bit repetitive and loopy. The mix sounds a little dry somehow, like the instruments were isolated - some sort of background atmospherics would contribute a lot I feel..

    The loudest percussion seems a bit loud in the mix, and some of the leads seem quite far in the background, although I think that mostly works - nothing seems to quite rise to the very front of the music - percussion is closest, but is not quite written that way. Overall this feels like it's very well done, but leaving me a little cold.

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