Inv1ctus

i like the loose translation in the intro. it invokes a feeling of lighthearted mischief or something. However, I have to agree with tensei in that there seems to be a loss of logical gear shift in musical thought processes. Each sounds beautiful in its own right, but they do seem different. By the way may i just say that your samples are effing amazing?!?! if that is reason your working in id love to know the sample libraries. I think one way to vindicate the trouble here is to bring in the flute somewhere further into the piece. I find that if theres no other way to make things cohesive, use the instrument textures to do it. Arrangement and eq'ing are brilliant. If your trying to submit this though, you might run into the problem of track "ownership" in that variation in melody is limited. I think the judges would want to see more in that direction. EDITED: You know, on second run of the song there does seem to be good variation, but as xtreemak said it is essentially the same progression, so not sure how to help you there, since thats the essence of the song. I think your going to have to pull in some completely original ideas into this mix. The best advice i can offer is to come up with a story in your head that you could think of happening in zelda, and then use the song as a tool to build that story. I would suggest running more with the direction of light playful airy mishief that you introduced with the piece. Its a stylistic variation on the piece that is relevant to zelda imagery (i.e. i can imagine navi up to tricks or something) good work

well i think this is a good start on a pretty cool track. Too add to xtreemak, i agree with that synth. its just a little too blaring in contrast to the smoothness of the piano and synths, but i do think it should stay in there. What i would do is lower the volum on it a bit, and maybe think about using a phaser or flanger to make it a bit more airy. Also, the beat progression changes 3 times throughout the mix. I dunno if i would do that, as it kinda makes the emphasis of the whole song on the beat; in a distracting way. It goes from breakbeat to techno to like a triplet beat. What i would suggest is maybe only having 2 beats. Essentially, pick either the triplet or breakbeat as the secondary style and switch back and forth from that. That will give it a little conformity. other than that good job so far

ok well ill just list the set of updates: Alternative Bass Drum Sample Lower hz peak for snare less muddled soundscape If anyone out there has additional recommendations, they would be much appreciated. Rozovian, Skrypnyk, prometheus, sephire, tensei and hoboka have all been really helpful in the past. I think this piece has come a long way, but i need someone to tell me if it needs more work, because im still learning to not call an end to a project prematurely. More than anything, tell me if i should submit it or not. Anyhow here is Gut Instinct (The Instinct Remix v1.

thanks tensei ill get working on that stuff. I like my snare, so i think ill keep that sample, but i think its the filtering thats killing it. I have it isolated to a specific frequency. Your right tho. i see what you mean about the clicky bass and too many leads. I think im gonna have to pick and choose the most important ones and figure out which ones are being drowned out. I think in this case, less will be more.

you know i think you could directly put what is love by haddaway right over this song and they wouldnt clash! lol good piece so far. The synth brought halfway into the piece sounds really familiar from another song though i cant quite put my finger on it. oh well. No mastering qualms except maybe with bringing the bass out more.

sup dude I like the direction so far. The 2 different snares works IMO. Lol that scream made me laugh. i dunno if you should keep it or not. i liked it but its kinda distracting. So far i think its getting to a strong piece. Now that i think about the intro, i like the transition a lot. I would keep that timpani beat for a couple more notes to help transition to that techno beat. good work

I think the guitar timing is slightly off in a few places in the intro. other than that im liking everything about the piece. I think the organ could come down slightly as it seems to overpower on the top end too much. Definitely a fine production of ass-kickery as it stands.

nice tone on the guitarage. im not familiar with the source, is it the battle music for ff8?

I think the only thing i dont like is the snare sample at 1:07. I would find a more clear crisp sample for that, or just use the same one you did in the beginning. Also, that cool bass line disapeared at 1:07 i think theres another one but i like the first one better. That might just be a taste issue, but regardless the bass needs to come out after 1:07. Its back at 2:09 tho which i like. nice effects usage at 3:17 and 3:24.

link aint workin dude

i agree with roz and skry, but i think what needs to be observed most is the drum sequencing. It pretty much stays the same throughout the entire piece, and i actually like it, even though its a little confusing to the ear the first time through. I would recommend bringing in another supportive drum sequence to enhance the feel of the swing step. Also, the another thing missing from this piece is a bass line of some sort. Something needs to be backing that synth on the lower frequencies. Personally i like the phasing, but maybe just turn it down a bit. I wouldnt say completely lose it altogether, because it does make the piece light and airy, which i think is what your going for.

well everyone pretty much already touched on the important stuff. I would just like to say that the guitar lick is catchy as hell. lol im wondering where your gonna go with this song, because i cant think of a good breakdown or anything to follow the intro. Good piece overall and i wish you luck with the rest of it. lol

ok guys i havent been around lately but i decided i wanted to work on this song because it keeps growing on me. Ive done a lot of work on this song and id really like some serious critiquing because im considering submitting this one now. I think its reached a ripe, mature sound environment an im interested if others agree. The biggest improvement comes with the upgrade to Reason 4.0. Tell me what you think!! Gut Instinct (The Instinct Remix) v1.6 edited 1/18/ 5:00pm i actually just remembered a couple big problems with the piece so i changed them really quick. download this one instead. Gut Instinct (The Instinct Remix) v1.7

Ok so picture this: Sitting outside of a lovely hole-in-the-wall cafe right on the corner of a cobblestone italian street, you glance down at your Bulgari watch and realize that your pick-up is late. You take a sip of your morning expresso and glance your eyes over the characters surrounding you. Anyone of them could be him. Your pocket rumbles as you suavely pull out a brand new cell phone. you read a text message you get from an unavailable number: "James ive got a bad feeling about this" tells you moneypenney was too late, as you see two burly men get out of a BMW across the street. Taking one last sip of coffee you mutter to yourself "time to go to work i suppose" and out flashes your fully silenced jet black pistol. No its not the james bond theme but i wanted it to have the same feel. I got the idea for this song sitting at a starbucks sipping coffee with my laptop. Needless to say this song is all about espionage, so i hope i brought the feeling home. Obviously its a WIP, so needs some work, but i wouldnt mind some advice on specific things as usual. Enjoy Cafe Pompei v1.3

First of all, nice choice of source, FF IX is one of my all time favorite games. Ive got a lot of input, and i hope you dont find it discouraging. Honestly, I'm really just going to reciprocate some remixing wisdom passed down to me from others on this site. well im not sure what program your using to create this mix, but i might suggest balancing the percussion a little bit more with the track. Also, EVERYTHING needs reverb. You dont need to go overkill, but definitely at least a little is called for here. It helps the instruments blend together a lot and makes everything sound more authentic to give that feel of a grand orchestra hall. The brass samples are actually pretty good, which is ironic, because those are the ones that usually suffer the most in orchestral pieces. However, the naked clarinet and flute parts in the beginning show themselves to be pretty synthetic. Thats not necessarily something you can improve on unless you find a better sound sample library, but if you can, definitely change them out. That is something reverb will help a lot with too. Lastly, the violins in the beginning might have more punch if they were staccato. Pretty harp and cello part btw. Although i really dont see a problem with it, some people on this site would probably critique this piece as suffering from a little bit of "medleyitis"; meaning that the song shifts gears a little bit and moves onward to another song. I'm pretty sure that happens with the middle viola/cello? solo. From there on it feels somewhat like a different piece. Finally, i think maybe a little more could be done in the realm of dynamics. Some crescendo and decrescendo would animate this piece a lot, and give it that rushing sweeping movement that i can feel you going for. All in all, great piece and REALLY not bad for your first mix. Make sure that it is different enough form the original before you think about submitting it, because as you said, its really similar to the source still. I hope you dont think i ripped on you, because I honestly like it a lot now just try and "own" the piece so-to-speak.

I must agree. There really isn't that much to analyze here. I like the drum track and the interesting effect, but its really only composed of four notes, which repeat in the same progression. Im not really sure what you dont like about it, because theres a million different things that can be layered on top of this progression. Although above all else, if you dont like it i would say move on lol. I actually like it a lot, its mesmerizing in a silent hill kind of way. Im actually not familiar with the source but i could see a lot of different types of progression spawning from it.

Well if this is a rough cut, I'm sure you're already aware, but audio comes in 10 seconds into the song. Unless you plan to move up the score a few measures, an introductory chord should be added. The build is really clean and moving at 1:14. In the split second to where it hits 1:15, I might add some type of reverse cymbal to help build the crescendo. Unless you're going for an all orchestral piece (which i don't think you are given the monderesque percussion) it would be a perfect fit IMO. Derrit is right though, the drums are alone in their nature. The percussion does not complement the movement of the instruments. It would by nice to hear some instruments...say staccato strings or trumpets in rhythm with the drums to help connect the thought processes. All in all, the drums are very well put together; almost reminiscent of that one "Resident Evil 2" Movie score. Stereo Imaging is pretty good, but i would like to hear a bit more treble come out on the higher end instruments. I know it is an orchestral piece, but i would especially love to hear the percussion come out a bit.Very epic score though. I'm interested to see the next direction the piece goes.

yea i would agree with derritt, just seems to need more to it. It would make great meditation music i think but im having a hard time connecting it compositionally. I would say expand more on the theme and integrate more ethereal sounds in the mix. I.E. or maybe soft percussion/mallets. Just needs something authentic and real to bring it to life and enrich the ethereal feeling it has.

Ok one problem i notice in this mix is that the beat should be enforcing the synths, which are not very emphasized in that the attack is mushy. This is ok if you dont have a beat, but theres nothing for the beat to enforce since the synth attack is set to fade in, even if slightly. Instead i would recommend them having a more stabby effect, at least when the drum beat is there. Also, that piano part needs to come way out, and probably with a little more reverb. Also, i would develop what people here at ocr have coined as "left hand" syndrome. Basically, the left hand of the piano should be doing more. IE the melody the piano is playing is not supported by piano chords or underlying melody. For the most part, the drums seem put well together. I might introduce some of those drum parts by subtle percussion that builds into it, because it kind of suprises the listener, and i dont think thats what you were trying to do. Also, the intro needs something else going on. Not sure what, but maybe bring in elements of the melody in hints there. Also, dynamics stay about the same throughout the song. IE Theres no crescendo or decrescendo. I do like the theme a lot. Polish it some more and i think you can make a really good song. Keep it up!

well just find another instrument that sounds good to you and experiment with note usage. Just be wary of wrong notes in a chord progression, if your going to improvise a melody, spend a lot of time on it to be on the safe side is what i would suggest. I wouldnt use an instrument you already have, since it does seem to be already set up as a background. I think the biggest issue is the drums. I would suggest taking a step back and listening to them in the track. Doesnt it seem kinda ridgid? The drums are awkwardly staggered and it detracts from the great synths youve got going on. I really like those synths. Quite simply the drums are all over the place. Heres what i mean. You have 4 (noticeable) drum beats going on at different parts of the song. To make it easier to understand (and i dont know how much you know about music theory), I set this up to show where your bass beat hits within the 4 beats of a measure ( And im pretty sure your in 4/4 time). IE the possible beats you can pick in a measure are usually in 1-e-&-a 2-e-&-a 3-e-&-a 4-e-&-a So heres where your beats seem to fall: 1st progression: & 2 & 2nd progression: 1 2 3rd:progression 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a 4th progression: & 2 & I could be wrong, but thats what i can hear. Anyways, it just doesnt seem fluid, or like you intentionally staggered them to have the effect they do. A lot can be done by ear to make them smooth but its a good idea to have a general understanding of drum rhythm usage styles as well, and how one should use them to ones advantage. Ok so talk is cheap, and any one can critique you. So, to demonstrate to you what i mean, i actually made you a drum loop wav. What i suggest is just muting ure drum tracks and playing this alongside your track to get a feel for what i mean. Im not saying it should be this style, but just to find one that emphasizes the track it enforces. The tempo is already queued, all you have to do is play it. Im pretty sure your song is at 140 bpms and thats what this track is set to. Drum example As a side note, i hope you realize that although this may not be a post-worthy mix yet, you have come a hell of a long way my friend. To help boost your encouragement, im gonna link one of the fuckin shittiest songs i ever made (also one of the first) when i was about 16. Lemme put it this way: Your stuff has miles on mine when i first started. Behold my craptacularness! Anyhow, Wip it, wip it good.

well im not sure how to give advice on this, since you havent really picked a direction. Very nice interpretation though. Looking forward to more

pfft i thought it was fucking fantastic. lol!

hehe i love this piece. I feel like i should be dining in paris with my girlfriend. My only suggestion would be maybe some more reverb, because it seems rather exposed, and would make it much richer in depth. Its got the orchestra hall instruments, now just put it in an orchestra hall. Very grand and beautiful composition, I hope it gets accepted

ok laguna, since everyone else seems to have covered the rest, im gonna throw in some technical advice. in the beginning, either turn up the violins or turn down the piano, the volumes are too different to create a feasible soundscape. If you are attempting to have soft strings, at least build them with some kind of velocity to match the piano by the time it comes in. Also, the samples being used across the board are kind of dry. Heres a list of things i would do: Piano: definitely reverb of some kind, definitely moderate the velocity of the key strokes i.e. not constant stabbing. More developed Melody (though its a good start) Brass: Ok, unless the program your using is EWQL gold, id either say dont bother using brass or find another sample. Even if you were to tweak that sample to the best of your abilities, its still not going to be authentic sounding. Having played trumpet for 5 or more years, theres nothing worse sounding than fake brass. Believe me, i wish software could replicate them better, but thats just the way it is (Anybody using reason knows what i mean). I would use them a lot more if that werent so. What to do about this? I suggest either picking a different instrument or finding a better sample. Strings: Too much high end going on, treble is overpowering the feel. Also they arent doing much. Mostly just background noise that should be emphasizing the piano and other parts. Near the middle of the song you start to do it more, but it still feels like there is something more they should be doing. Also they are too light, not enough presence. One last thing, make sure you dont have a pitch moderation wheel or something similar tuning the strings ( they seem out of tune) Flute: The flute sample actually sounds pretty good for the most part, just needs some more reverb, and DEFINITELY make it softer, as it has way too much presence. Again, let me emphasize how important velocity is of all the notes for all instruments. Percussion: More reverb, and needs more boing on. The build is good, but develop some kind of drum track that will support the bulk of the song. As a suggestion i could really see some sort of tengo or salsa beat (might work, might not), but overall there needs to be something. Play mario kart 64 and listen to some of those beats or something. The biggest point though is that you have barely any cymbals or other treble cymbals going on. It needs some kind of treble percussion going on. In the words of Christopher Walken, more cowbell ! melody: good composition and key changes, but the song seems to really just repeat the same melody with different instruments. I like the piano variation 1/4 the way through though. Even though the different instruments picking up the same rhythm can be useful, dont over use the technique. Im not familiar with the source tune, but make sure its different enough from the source material to constitute an OCR "remix". As final note, you will difinitely take some fire for having that pause 2/3 the way through your song. Also make sure you cut out that empty audio space at the end of the song. I know its a lot, but the more you keep at it, the better your chances are of becoming a posted remixer. Overall i enjoyed the piece, so i hope you dont think i thought it sucked. It doesnt. EVERY mix starts out crude. Refining sound is an artform. Its almost like additive sculpture, except your sculpting sound. anyway good job!

sounds good tensei, hope they approve it