Flexstyle

This is probably my biggest "surprise" mix from the batch. While I was mastering, I heard this one, and it kinda caught me off-guard. Since it doesn't have a bassline to speak of, I was a bit suspicious of the hole in the spectrum, but somehow it manages to make for a fantastic listen anyways. Love the perky mallet work throughout, and that percussion is just funky.

Why d'ya think I chose Ice Cap? That sucker blends with literally EVERYTHING! I, for one, am relieved to hear this.

Me, while mixing this week's track:

Things are going about as well as they could be with the limited amount of time I'm working with. Should have something really cool ready by the time I turn it in!

I think I side with the YES-ers on this one in that I do hear the sources being there in sufficient quantity. It's close--borderline, even--but it's obviously a remix of Sheldon at least, with Catfish being mostly a suggestion inside the mix. I'm not sold on the horns, strings, or the piano, but the fact that it's a very synthetic mix kinda allows them to get away with the un-realism. The piano, in particular, lends itself well to the more processed sound of an electronic cinematic piece. I don't take any issue with the mixing--it's clean and I can hear everything plenty fine. I especially dig the electronic percussion stabs, as they're well-placed and hit good and hard. This one was tough, and I had to think for a while, but I think I'll go with.... YES (borderline)

EVERY week is classic hardware synth appreciation week.

So, I've gotten started on my second track...and this is gonna be GOOD. Get ready for possibly the funkiest, grooviest, head-bobbin'est, foot-tappin'est mix I've ever done.

If you two were a band, this would be the demo version track that's released on the "Rarities and B-Sides" album. As in, it lacks the massive polish that the hit record had and the pure energy that the live performances give off, but the listener can still tell that there was something special in the first version as well. Yeah, the drums aren't as huge as they could be, but that adds to the charm in my opinion. The guitars? Also not massive, but instead they've got much more of a close, intimate feel that works nicely with the dry drums. I can almost smell the stale coffee in the small-room studio. The synthesizers and keys all sound like they came from one of those big all-in-one workstation keyboards that may not necessarily have all the best possible sounds, but it has a LOT to choose from--you know the ones--all the keyboardists drool over them, but then it turns out some freebie VSTs and a bit of studio magic can make something that's a bit better. Great "sketchpad" though, since everything's there. Could it be better? Sure! It could be freaking massive with maybe some more polish, better drum tracking/sequencing, some orchestral backing, and bits like that. Is it good enough for the site as-is? Absolutely. Basically what I'm saying is that I dig it, it's got a lot of character, and I think it's easily over the bar, equally in terms of arrangement, instrumentation, and production quality. YES

I think for me, this is a case of a bunch of little things combining to push it in the wrong direction. I'm hearing a lot of crowding in the midrange, as that's where the meat of the bass lives, it's where the snare lives, and it's where most of the melodics live as well. This is exacerbated by the fact that the track is highly compressed, so everything kinda mushes together even more and becomes a bit fatiguing to hear after a while. I'm also not a fan of the drums, or rather the hat pattern repetitiveness. The hats are loud, they have little in the way of dynamics, and it sounds like the same 16th note pattern the entire time, punctuated only by a couple 32nd note fills once in a while. I do dig the arrangement, and I would love to see this on the front page, but at least one of these issues would have to be fixed for me to sign off: - Overcompression - Midrange crowding (piano + lead + snare + bass + hat + kick = mess) - Hat patterns Let's see this back soon! NO (resub!)

Where dose reviews at, dawg?

I've finally got my own 3DS! 0963-1012-2958

Old McDonald had a farm E-mu E-mu oh! And on that farm he had a bird E-mu E-mu oh! With a Yes vote here and a No vote there Here a yes, there a no, everywhere a yes/no Old McDonald had a farm E-mu E-mu oh!

I found one for Frozen Factory. EDIT: And is it just me, or does Eino's track kinda remind anyone else of Money for Nothing by Dire Straits?

Just sent my mix in. Get ready for your feels to be punched by sappy '90s-esque vocal pop. Definitely gonna polish this one up with Jason after the compo is over!

Best birthday thread ever. Thanks everyone! <3

The bones of my arrangement are finished, and the drums are pretty much set in stone. Got a lot of instrumentation done, but need some variations done. Need to finish writing the bridge, but it's bare-bonesed, at least. Basically, I'm right where I expected to be right now. Jason Covenant is also working on contributing some vocals--the return of the Concrete Men is imminent, y'all!

Pretty sure Bruno Mars was sponsored by Pepsi for the show, so even if he wasn't paid by the NFL, he assuredly got paid by someone.

Started work tonight. I'm finally getting to break a soundset out of the ol' deep freeze (har har), as it's from a never-released WIP that happened back in the DKC3 days. I think I know exactly how I'm going to work these two sources together, and I'm super-excited!

I'm starting to sense some of this: If we're going to post recommended modern OSTs, here are a few that I highly recommend as memorable: - Bastion - Starcraft II - Rayman Origins - Rayman Legends - Shatter - Shoot Many Robots Also I kinda made a soundtrack recently so maybe see what you think?

Origins was spectacular, too, although I think a case could be made for Legends being the better soundtrack.

I cannot wait to see the matchups! :-D

Major titles may be declining in musical quality, but I don't think the same can be said for video game music as a whole. I mean, have you heard some of the stuff coming out of indie gaming these days?

I am super ready to start remixing. LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD.

If you don't want to open up your computer (although I guarantee there's an iFixit guide somewhere), then this external Thunderbolt to SATA adapter might just do the trick.