Rozovian
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Posts posted by Rozovian
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Welcome to ocr. I was expecting something terrible from a "my first remix", youtube link, and stars in the name. I was pleasantly surprised.
It might work better at half the length, tho, cuz the drum rhythms are pretty repetitive, as is the simple synth stuff. It's not that they don't work, it's just that they get old fast. Can't say for sure on my laptop speakers, but there seems to be some compression problems here. Some repetition, compression and basic synth sound concerns aside, this is a cool track.
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Dunno how much I can help with performance since I'm barely at a one-handed level of piano proficiency.
I've worked with this source before, so I know it well enough. Source and arrangement stuff is fine imo. Sticking to the chord structure of the original is conservative, but there's plenty of interpretation in the performance and rhythms. I like it.
Not being on my regular setup, I don't dare make any definitive statements about the production, but it seems like the main thing would be to make sure the dynamics are under control, possibly add lows (but I'm on laptop speakers so I have no clue about the lows). For a track to stack up well against tracks on ocr you should probably compare its levels and dynamics to recent piano tracks on ocr and make sure yours doesn't get much softer or much louder. Here's one.
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This is still on mod review. Are you considering subbing this version?* If not, change it back to wip or finished.
*) I suggest you don't, imo it's an easy no for repetition, basic synths, conservative-ness and lack of direction.
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I just keep hearing
over those examples.I'm on the wrong side of the pond and don't have live shows, but I think it's an interesting opportunity. Why not just do what this guy did and dance, tape it, put it on the net, and see what that'll lead to? It'll at least let ppl see what you can actually do, and you'll have to dance eventually if you wanna collab.
(btw, this is technically a "skill x available" thread, but it's a far cry from the "hai guys composur availablz" so idc)
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Can't say without testing and not gonna to that at 2 am, but here's a thought on adding punch:
Compressor. Set threshold and ratio so you compress the bass at least 4dB. Set attack to 200ms or so, release to 10ms or something else short. Depending on how your compressor behaves, you may have to specify that it should track peak level, not rms. Logic's built-in standard mode let me select which of these it tracks. Its other modes includes Opto, which would be my second choice - tho I'm not an expert on compressor modes and types and whatnot.
This will remodel the dynamics of the sound, making sure each separate enough note has a 200ms decay to 4dB (or whatever you set) below its max level.
Dunno whether it'll go better before or after the other two effects. I don't think it's position in regards to the EQ matters much, but it should be more dynamic after the overdrive (its amplitude/volume changing more between attack and sustain), and provide a brighter attack if placed before the overdrive (louder attack sent into the overdrive, which means more distortion on the attack, which means more harmonics, which means brighter and more clear attack).
And nothing says you can't use two compressors.
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I need to brush up on my CT sources before giving this a closer listen. There's stuff I recognize as being CT, stuff I recognize as being familiar and... stuff I have no idea what they are.
My first impression of this track is that it's a bit bright... except the muffled kick. I'll give you a mod review later, unless someone beats me to it (and perhaps even then).
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Nah, I think all you need is some more varied drum writing and some length cut out. If you were going for a hard-hitting sound, you were really doing it wrong
, but what you've got here is far from bad. If you're gonna work on other stuff, you might as well sub this to get the judges' feedback on it. 
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Here's my process... I think.
Solo the kick and bass and make them work together. Figure out whether the kick or the bass should be the lowest of the two, and give that one a bit of a boost around 80Hz and a cut around 160Hz, do the opposite to the other.
Use compression and sidechaining to get more impact or whatever else. Get the kick and bass to play well together.
Then start bringing in the other tracks, cutting out the lows they don't need, and sidechaining those that do need lows (like low riffs or pads). The snare might be the trickiest here, as it'll either need to dodge the kick or to have an impact of its own. It will have lows you can safely cut, but it'll lose impact if you take out too much.
If you have a good waveform viewer to keep track of peaks, use it early in this process to know how your instruments interact. Seeing how loud the transient is, how much the sidechaining actually pushes the bass out of the way etc helps a lot.
I often use some light multiband compression on my tracks, something I usually add fairly late in the process just to keep each band from getting too loud on its own. It also serves as an output EQ, for some final balancing of the track. While the other bands are typically only gently compressed, the lows often have a much higher compression ratio. This lets me have a lot more bass without worrying about the really bassy parts getting too loud. This might not be the wisest approach, so use with caution.
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As for your example, I'd sweep around in the lows, trying to find a good frequency range to boost... and boost that. With a bass this low, I'd probably use overdrive or something to make sure the low notes have some loud harmonics to work with. Overdrive before EQ, here. I'd also give it a boost somewhere further up, in some empty niche in the mix, just to make sure there's some higher harmonics there for ppl to hear what note the bass actually plays.
It's not a great bass sound, I don't know if I'd use this sample/synth patch. I typically use synths where Ive got more control over their sound. That way, I can make it really velocity-sensitive, eg so the filter opens more on loud notes but the amplitude (volume) is the same... if I want it to be.
Again, that attack ADSR thing I mentioned in the other thread could come in useful here. That, plus overdrive, plus EQ, plus compression is what I think I'd do if I had to work with this sound.
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That's fine. If you change your mind, grab something.
Decision Bell is a great source, but if you're not feeling it, it'll be tricky to work with. Tried to come up with something for it myself, didn't. Any takers?Rozo... did you get my last email about the WIP for Frenzy? Just curious what your thoughts were.
Sorry, I've just been busy, I got it. -
You can't.
When you're a posted remixer, you can request one. Until then, you'll have to get by using one in the gallery.
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That's mostly Greek to me, but it gives me some stuff to look up and figure out and play around with -- I've been scared to touch compression and EQ because I haven't had a good introduction to using them, but I guess it's about time to grow up and jump in, right?
I'm amazed by how quickly you were able to figure all that out -- thanks so much!
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I should've specified: it's all MIDI; there are no mics involved. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.
Yeah, doing stuff means you'll have to put whatever notions of what to do with stuff into practice. My process for teaching/learning/whatever is to alternate between studying and experimenting. What I wrote serves as study, now experiment with those things. The go back to studying. Then back to experimenting. This means you'll be more familiar with the theory when you enter the practical stuff, and likewise when you return to theory. When there's something you don't get, google it, read about it. When there's something you don't know what it does - do something with it.
Thank me later, if any of that actually helps.
Stuff goes fast when you've done it a few times in a few different ways. I've failed my way into knowing this stuff. So will you, if you try. With midi you're limited to the samples you've got (can't change mic position, type etc), but you've also got more control over them in ways you don't with a real instrument. You can apply filters to boost specific parts of each note's spectrum (each note is made up of a lot of frequencies). For example, you could put a light bandpass filter over the notes and make the harmonics (higher frequencies in sync with the fundamental) a few octaves above the note you press stand out - making those frequencies clearer and making it easier to distinguish what notes are actually played. That can also help with mud.
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Already emailed k, and I don't really think either of you need any further direction with the wips you've got. Just do your stuff.
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It's not that quiet, and you really don't wanna destroy the dynamics of solo piano piece. That said:
You can roll off some of the low end. I did a 24dB/octave high pass at 50Hz. That'll keep any low lows from pushing peaks.
To counter the mud, I did a -2dB low shelf from 500Hz and a +2dB boost around 5kHz. Some EQ surgery can get you more exact numbers, but those two seem to work.
Some gentle compression can boost the softer parts. I had the compressor right after the EQ, with a threshold of -8dB, ratio of 1.5:1, 2ms attack, 600ms release. Seems to work ok.
That gave me about 6db of headroom to work with, but as it peaks above 0dB you should use a limiter to prevent clipping. Screwing with the compressor more can probably get you a dB or two more to work with without messing up the dynamics too much.
You can test how loud you want this to be by boosting it disregarding clipping and compression problems just to see how loud you want it to not sound out of place next to pro-recorded and pro-mixed piano tracks.
There's tricks like multiband compression and parallel compression that might get you a little more loudness if you need it, and beyond that you'd probably have to mess with the mic setup to get it any louder, but that's something I don't have any experience in. I hope this stuff helps.
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If the reverb is delayed far enough, it'll be distinct from the dry sound, thus not dragging it into the background. It may also need to be EQd out of the way of the dry sound, and a widened stereo reverb would separate them further.
Attack helps. If the attack is loud and clear, it'll clue ppl in on what frequencies to expect. It's like the arrow in the FedEx logo - once you know where it is, you can't help but see it. Something as simple as settings the volume envelope (ADSR) to D200ms S75% can make your lead stand out more than playing at 100% all the time (remember to adjust track level). Additional oscillators, filters, fm or whatever can also be used to make the attack stand out more.
What you want in a lead is a strong fundamental and some interesting harmonics. In simple terms, the fundamental is the lowest frequency in a sound, and the harmonics are frequencies that add up to the same length - making it a clear waveform rather than a wobbling mess. You get some control over this by using parallel filters and/or multiple oscillators tuned to different harmonics (+12, +19, +24 above the fundamental) to make the harmonics more interesting. Nothing says you can't tune them down, either, tho that effectively just shifts the fundamental. Different waveforms contain different amounts of different harmonics, sometimes a triangle works better than a saw, and vice versa.
A static (non-changing waveform) lead often works in chiptune-y tracks, but in other soundscapes you'll probably want to use multiple, slightly (or significantly) detuned oscillators, filter modulations and other motion in the sound.
Then there's a range of effects that can be used for a more interesting sound. Overdrive works well on filtered or triangle/sine-based sounds and brings out their harmonics (and interference from polyphony, which can be used to good effect). I'm not as fond of amp sims and/or regular distortion just to create leads, it mostly just muddies up the sound rather than make a clear, strong lead. Delay works well, as does the aforementioned reverb - when used to give it a stadium rock sound rather than a back-of-the-orchestra sound.
Stereo effects can do a lot, too. If you can pan your oscillators (or use layers), try making (slight detuning) two slightly different sounds and hardpanning them opposite each other. This is used to make electric guitars big and wide, but the principle works the same with synths and sampled instruments. You can even use a third, center-panned one, as long as the three are all different. If they're not different, there won't be any wide stereo effect, just a louder center-panned thing.
There's some thoughts worth trying out.
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Starts off nice, if a bit empty. The lite drum kit has a nice sound and a good groove, but the drum writing could use some spicing up. There's some variation later on, but I think some more fills and subtle changes to the drum patterns as the track develops would improve the track.
Breakdown at around 1:00 feels weak. Once the drums come back, it holds on the same level until around 2:00, which is a much better breakdown. Might be a good idea to have something bridge the 3:16 gap between the break and the subsequent start to a buildup. It makes it sound like two separate tracks, either of which, btw, is long enough to stand on its own. There's some length you could cut down on, tho I'm not sure where. not a big deal, but a long track with a fairly same-y sound can get old before it's over.
Halftempo drums. Was gonna suggest that. Seems we share an ear for what works. Cuz it works. Transition to the regular beat is a bit abrupt, keeping the halftempo stuff until the 4:34 part might flow better, as might a fill or something to draw attention to the drums as they change.
The new harmonies are a bit Willrock-y, dunno how much of that is yours and how much is DKCR. I had a lot of trouble actually getting to the melodies of the DKCR source, since so much just seems to be variations on the tried and true melodies from the original DKC track, of which I think there's plenty here.
The main problem I think this track suffers from is the minimal sound. Some soft supplemental writing, be it rhythm or pads or whatever, could fill out the track some without ruining the minimalism that works quite well here.
As for Skryp's crits... While it didn't bother me much, the 3:50 lead isn't that great. I'd suggest a gliding lead instead, but you've got one of those already, and the difference between the leads is a good contrast. You should also consider shortening that part, there's a whole minute with that same lead. While it does develop from the minimal DKC melody to some more interpretive soloing, you might not need _that_ much of it.
I think the basic drum machine sound you've got works, but there's parts where it could be supplemented by a breakbeat or some other percussion stuff. I'd keep any additional drum elements in the background, but you do whatever you feel works best for the track, even if it means not doing anything.
STRUCTURE
- Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough) - it's fairly varied in chord structure and sound, but it's so long that the overall sound gets old
- Too repetitive - it's not terribly loop-y, but the drums could use some more fills and subtle changes
I like it.
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I'm already deterred from submitting anything to the judges — as much as I want to, one, I know for sure they're going to turn round and say something is wrong. Two, I have the best of ideas but with all the limitations that I have, I CANNOT express them. Three, I can't even afford a studio mic. What I have now is from two years of continuous improvement — I started by recording my vocals with a phone mic. Yes, you read correctly. A phone mic. All the talent and ideas in the world are not going to help me until I'm somewhat better equipped, which I will not be in the near future.
I know this isn't taking me anywhere, but this has added to my frustration. I'm sorry.
Of course they'll say something is wrong - it's what they're there for. And it's helpful. The first few times it stings, because you thought you had a great mix and hate having them poke holes in it. Once you know better, getting rejected is frustrating for a different reason: because you know you could have done better.
Use your limitations as direction. Crappy mic? Make distorted, industrial, post-apocalyptic music, or apply synth-y effects and make android music.
We all have ideas, and most of us fall short of realizing them the way they are in our heads. What's the best idea you have that you can actually make something of? Do that one. If it doesn't turn out as awesome as it is in your head, do another one. Learn something new from each attempt.
I've started over 2000 tracks. Many have great ideas in them. How many actually sound good in the state I left them in? Not many. Be less frustrated, make more music.
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I've already signed the consent form... like twice already. Also, I'll just le someone else do my bio, or just put, "He makes music."
Well something was missing. Shows how well I run this ship.
I can write your bio. How do you feel about the name Shirley?
And track notes? Send by pm or email or something non-public plz.
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Updated. I've probably missed something or someone, but this should be a lot closer to reality.
Whatever. Not much left, and then we can F I N A L L Y release this thing.
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Bear in mind that the people in Newgrounds have been harsh to me, even rejecting my Newgrounds CD submission despite giving it a sound 8 out of 10, and it's only after my six months there, uploading and commenting on stuff, that I decided to try OCR. But hey, I'll get active here more.
I don't want to be judged by my cover as much as anyone wants to. Yet I know I have a lot to learn, and I'll gladly do so.
There's a difference between someone being harsh to you and someone actually giving constructive criticism. The latter is more common here.
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SuperiorX has wip, beckett007 has track, Mokram has extension, Rexy has everything. I'm looking at opening Usa's, k-wix' and pu's unfinished tracks. And... doing something... else. More. Something.
We need consent from ilp0, the Dual Dragons, Jokey, and one or two names for 107.
I need to take time and get this tracklist update done. What moron decided to do deadlines every month?
Gonna take some proper sd3 time tomorrow, get through all the sd3 stuff that's been piling up. Progress has actually been piling up. It's both awesome and frustrating at the same time.
PS. Rexy clean up your PMs.
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Troix, you've been registered here for a couple of months, you've posted two remixes and one original, commented on four remix wips by other ppl... that's not a lot. You'll learn more by doing more, listening more.
There's also a whole lot of other stuff you can do. Read whatever music-making-related articles and Q&A you can find, talk to ppl who make music, set limitations and work within them, experiment, make use of free plugins...
Most importantly, learn to listen critically. That you can tell your stuff isn't up to par means you can tell there's a difference. Now figure out what the difference is, one thing at a time, and learn how to fix it. It'll take time to learn, but it doesn't have to take 5 years. I got posted in two years. Others have in less.
Also, Modus wins this thread.
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Yeah, I got your email, keiiii, I'm just slow to reply this time. (just ask MangaMan about our potential non-sd3 collab)
While on the topic of being slow, tracklist cleanup time is apparently tomorrow, not today.
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Cleanup time tomorrow afternoon, my time zone*. If you haven't already, make sure I know you're actually working on stuff.
* "My time zone" doesn't necessarily correspond to the time zone I'm in. Just saying.
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My sd3 track has been yes'd
Cool.
Speaking of which, where the other one?
Stickerbrush Symphony (Any Key Liquid DnB Remix)
in Post Your Game ReMixes!
Posted
Nice bg stuff in the intro.
Repetition is a problem tho, there's a lot that can be done, both with the drums and with the other elements, to alleviate that. Nothing says you need all 5 minutes, either, you could easily chop out stuff around the 2-minute mark, also in the last minute.
Why does the 3:00 part seem overcompressed when the rest doesn't?
That fake guitar thing sounds terrible. It's mixed in ok, but it's sound and writing just doesn't sound like a guitar. Ending of the mix seems to be just dropping one track after another. Seems lazy, but it'd be more tolerable if the track had a good finale, a good final high point after which stuff could start dropping out. Now you've only got that terrible fake guitar there.
Good first post. Welcome to ocr.