Flexstyle

Oh man, Studio Devil is the bomb. If I wasn't completely broke right now, I'd probably snap that one up.

Happy birthday, Jordan-sensei!

Ended up finding a friend from MAG who wanted it, so we're all good. And yeah, Anorax, it wouldn't have worked on Verizon unfortunately, since they're still using the outdated CDMA-type network.

So, I'm holding onto a OnePlus One phone invite (if you don't know what it is, go here), but this is the one week where I can't afford to buy it. It's a one-day only thing, so I figured I'd come over here. Anyone on OCR want the invite? I already took to Twitter a bit but everyone's just some random schlub without any better reason than "hey I want one!" for me to share it, haha. Figured I'd come over here for people I actually care about.

This will likely hinge on whether or not I'm performing. If I am, then I get a comped room and ticket, and will be able to afford the (stupidly-expensive) flight from Phoenix to DCA.

This one is tough to judge, in some ways. It's catchy, energetic, and those sampled robot voices keep everything interesting. Here are my main gripes: - Mix is a bit muddy. Part of this could be solved easily by simply rolling off the EQ on everything but the kick and bass below about 100-200 hz. This is something you should get in a habit of doing in pretty much everything you do, actually, as it's general best practice. I also think that there are some parts where the kick and snare get buried (mostly when the bass synth starts getting really busy), which is a bit of a shame because they're almost all the song really has to carry it, percussion-wise. This is a very simple track, instrumentation-wise, and while that's not a dealbreaker, it does mean you have to make every single part shine properly. This brings me on to my second point, which is this: - It's really--REALLY--sparse, with very little sonic variation. In an electronic song like this, you're not limited to what a three- or four-piece band can play. You've got an entire computer with as many tracks as you want at your disposal! Don't be afraid to let sounds make cameos, be background instrumentation, and generally fill the soundscape in ways that a regular band could never do. Specifically, like Chimpazilla said in her vote, there are some sections that just don't feel like they've got enough in them. Finally, I have one more gripe, although again, it's not necessarily a dealbreaker by itself; your inspiration for the song seems to come entirely from the source itself. That is to say, all the sonic textures you're using are there because they sound like the original source. Don't be afraid to bring some more spice to the mix, rather than relying on the sounds that were already there. Give it some personality of its own! Hopefully that's some good material to work with. Looking forward to hearing this back! NO (resub!)

I hear the source throughout. Solos are groovy. The production is drop-dead sexy. What more needs to be said? YES

So much of this. Anything by Humongous Entertainment--Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, Putt Putt, Fatty Bear, Freddi Fish, etc., are pure gold. Plus, you can get 'em on Steam or the iOS store! I think Steam even has a deal where you buy the Humongous Pack, and even though not all the games are re-released on Steam yet, you'll get them when they do come out. No-brainer for me, at least. And I can't tell you how many hours I spent playing HE sports games like Backyard Baseball/Football/Soccer/Basketball when I was a kid, too. So much fun.

Reminds me strongly of some of the stuff that's getting put out by some of the more forward-thinking post-EDM people right now, e.g. Porter Robinson. Oh jeez...that was such a hipster sentence. I'm sorry. Anyways, it's soothing in its own way, even if it's a bit more driving than not. Good production from what I can hear on these headphones, and I dig the way you've kept the melody fresh throughout. Not much else to say--clearly over the bar! YES

Recruitment is going quite well thus far.

To me as an indie music fan, I definitely trust Bandcamp more than CDBaby, mostly because Bandcamp is so stinkin' easy to work with both as a listener and an artist. They're very upfront about what they're doing, and how much you get, and how you can download your music (hello, Apple Lossless!). Plus, Bandcamp has a stellar system in which artists can recommend music they like, which is actually how I've gotten most of my Eye of the Storm downloads (thanks, zircon!). tl;dr Bandcamp has better download options and is easier for artists and listeners. Also it has massive indie cred. Bought the album, and I'm looking forward to listening to it!

Why not? Literally the best deal you're gonna find on the internet for payments, aside from building your own site. Guarantee you're not making much off of iTunes sales in terms of percentages. Also, I'm not buying it unless it's on Bandcamp.

No BandCamp?

I too enjoy Liquid DnB quite a lot, so I'm looking forward to this one. Alright, here's the thing--this is going to be a case of several small things combining to push this in the wrong direction. My main nitpicks are as follows: - The kick drum is too damn high--in the mix, that is. Doesn't need to be QUITE that in-your-face, and it becomes a bit distracting, especially when compared to the smoothness of the rest of the track. - The track is a little sparse in places where it really begs for a fuller sound. The intro had me thinking it'd be all atmospheric and cool when the beat dropped, but there wasn't so much as a pad to be found, just a short stab bass and some other little arpeggios. I love the processing on what's there, but I think it could use some more to it. Add a bit of drum breaks in and out, get some more synths going so that the song keeps moving well. - Repetition. I got to about 2/3rds of the way through the song and I was like, "hey, we're done now, right?" Nope! Still going! Wiiiiith little to no variation, musically. The drums, too, are roughly the same the entire time, without so much as some fills to keep it interesting. It's *ALMOST* there. Just needs a touch more TLC before I'm okay signing off on it. What's there is delicious, and I can see why it's gotten some love already. To get this to a passing level in my book, this shouldn't really take you more than an hour or two in your DAW to finish off. I look forward to seeing it back soon! NO (please please PLEASE resub!)

I nominate the for best, most expressive single theme of all time. Goes through several movements, hits you with a WIDE range of emotions, incredibly well-orchestrated.

Aww yeah, One Hour Conquistadors, baby! This is probably one of the very best songs to come out of that competition.

OMG Chimpazilla dropped an F-bomb! What is this world coming to? Anyways, yeah, I'm gonna concur with the above--this is a very well-done mix. Never gets boring, even with the length and sparse source. I think, if vocals were to be added, they'd have to be some sort of impassioned spoken-word-ish version of some of the internet creepypasta that's floating around. As it stands, though, the music tells a good story without a single vocal note in there. Production is clean and instrumental parts are good--my only nitpick is that the drums are occasionally a bit unrealistic in terms of timing (there's a spot around the 2-minute mark where several hats of the same velocity hit at EXACTLY the same time as the kick does), but that's minor. Nicely done with this source, Brandon. YES

Alright folks, this is officially underway. KingTiger and Timaeus222 are my co-directors, and I'll be contacting my first list of mixers within a week, I think. The way recruitment for this project is going to work is I've got a list of mixers in a document, and I'm going to rank them based on my own private criteria (mostly consisting of skill and availability). I'll go down the list as I get confirmation or declines from people. If we end up with open tracks after everyone's been contacted, I'll open 'em up for claims, but remember--I'm really picky. Stay tuned!

Do Shreddage X owners get any sort of additional discount, perchance? I mean, it's a good deal either way, but figured I'd ask.

@ Bejack: You mentioned that maybe the journey is more important than the destination, and I think that's why I still enjoy so much of my own music from even so many years ago. See, I can still listen to it, warts and all, and know that I learned something from it. There's something in that song that made it better than the last one, either because I tried something new, or because I polished an already-in-use technique. Occasionally I have a pleasant surprise, too, and hear a song that I go "wow, I made that? Really?"

I make music that I like. What's the point of making it, otherwise?

I just plain like this track. Yeah, it's not the most extravagant or polished remix ever, but it just works for me. I'm not even sure if I can really vocalize why that is, but here we are. I love it! Passable production? Check. Passable arrangement? Check. Greater than the sum of its parts, as stated above? Definitely check. YES

I think it's kinda a national holiday here in the US, so I somehow doubt there's actually going to be a Talkback....

I'm gonna cast my vote alongside Larry and Shariq. Those drums definitely need some TLC. While you're at it, there's a harsh high-mid frequency in the guitar tones that I'm hearing, which could definitely stand to be toned down. The arrangement and playing chops are definitely all there, though, so this should be a pretty easy fix. If you need help with getting those drums down pat, the Workshop forum can probably help you out quite a bit! Looking forward to seeing this back soon! NO (resub!)

Psychonauts. The Meat Circus can go boil itself.