Flexstyle
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Posts posted by Flexstyle
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I have no idea if the Concrete Men will end up being able to do an entry into this final round or not. Schedules aren't lining up for us.
This is what happens when there's a month-long break in between rounds, haha. Durn MAGfest, interruptin' stuff an' bein' too far away for me to go to this year....
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I noticed they've got my Eye of the Storm album up there, too. I give that album away for free/pay-what-you-want. People regularly buy it for a solid $5-10, not the measly $1.53 they're charging for it.
I mean seriously, at least charge what it's worth.
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CAVEAT: I may sound harsh, but I mean nothing but the best and I’m trying to help.
<MODREVIEW>
Right, here’s my problem—your sound on this one isn’t all that full. The arrangement is quite conservative, but that might not be a huge problem; let’s address fullness, mixing, and the like—I’ll let someone else deal with arrangement issues.
First, that kick drum is pretty weak. If you’re gonna go rawk/metuhl, you’re gonna want a strong, punchy kick, probably with some “clicky” bits in there for the high end. I suspect some compression on the drums in general may help, especially if you can compress each part of the kit (i.e. kick, snare, overheads, hi/lo toms, etc.). Drums can make or break a track like this, and the weak ones here don’t help your case. Compression will, however, help said case.
While we’re on the subject of drums, I’d also like to mention that the actual programming of them is a bit unrealistic, as well. Go through your sequences and make sure a human could (and would) play them. Remember, a drummer only has two hands and two feet! Things like playing a crash at the same time as a hi-hat, playing a hyperactive fill, anything like that should be watched for. Voicing issues—that is, making sure velocities are varied (and realistic) enough for the genre would help your case.
Guitars: They’re not quite as thick as I’d like to hear, especially the rhythm guitars. Are you recording multiple takes and then layering those takes left and right? It’s hard for me to tell. A bit of compression might do wonders for these, as well. Perhaps even some cutting of the midrange EQ before you compress ‘em.
Finally, that bass guitar or whatever you’re using sounds like something from the Sega Genesis, IMO. Sequenced, I’d assume? Everything sounds so flat and uninspiring with it. You can get away with sequenced bass guitar, but you’re going to need to find a better version of said bass. Unfortunately, I haven’t got any idea where to find something really good aside from maybe one of Impact Soundworks’ libraries, which require Kontakt. EQ-wise, you wanna take out the low-mid and simply boost the lows—that way, the kick and the bass occupy slightly different levels of the bass spectrum.
I dig the song, I do. It’s just not OCR-quality, IMO, especially with the mixing issues and drum sequencing wonkiness. Hope you can improve the issues I’ve listed here and make this a truly worthy mix!
</MODREVIEW>
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famous remixers
Oh, come on, I'm not a famous remixers!
I'd have to, y'know, actually be famous first.
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I listened to this project non-stop on my drive from Mission Viejo, CA to Glendale, AZ (five hours). Hadn't quite finished the bonus disc by the time I pulled into my driveway, and I only skipped a couple of the bonus songs. That's how good this project is.
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I'm gonna have to add another game--Starcraft II. I have the soundtrack in my car right now and it is FREAKING AMAZING. Probably one of my very favorite soundtracks of all time.
Gonna throw in another vote for Deus Ex: Human Revolution (such a good game, the music is quite good, playing through it right now) and Rayman Origins (which I have never played, being a PC-only gamer, but I've listened to lots of it on YouTube).
And, as an added bonus, I'd like to throw in our own zircon's work on the
. I've played this through on repeat several times as well. -
Wow, totally did not realize this was OCR00005. It's been one of my favorites for a long time, ever since I downloaded the "complete" torrent back when there were about 1800 or so mixes on the site. Without having listened to the source, this is the sort of thing I wouldn't mind hearing on the site even today, as long as a bit of production polish was applied. Pretty much nails the "'90s Techno" sound, which, while cheesy, is something I totally have a soft spot for, since I grew up loving that sorta thing.
Props to Instant Remedy for creating such a long-lived ReMix!
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You should post it in the private project forums.
So I can hear it.
I don't actually have access to those forums right now, haha. Since I'm a super-late, just-barely-official add-on to the project 'n all that.
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That's 3 electronica specialists in-a-row for the workshop mod team!
I'm actually first and foremost a production specialist--meaning, I'll be (hopefully) able to give detailed feedback on every aspect of mixing, no matter the genre.
I've been somewhat active over the last week or two, and as soon as this nutty weekend is over (I'm doing tech work for a local music festival for two days), I'm gonna get my butt in gear and throw lots of detailed criticism at y'all!
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I'm pretty much done with Eiko's theme right now. Just adding some finishing touches on the mixdown.
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Yes, quite frequently. I create the music that I want to hear. Why not listen to it?
This is exactly my view. I wouldn't make the music if I didn't enjoy the finished product! I'm trying to please myself first, and then anyone who likes my music is a bonus listener.
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True story: the night before this got posted, I was listening to it in my car, wondering if PR had submitted it.
Guess this answers my question, haha.
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I'd suggest that this track may not quite be ready for mod review, and you might want to try and get some more opinions from folks before you mark it as such. Also, make sure you include a link to your source (even if it's just a MIDI somewhere) so we have something to go off of. Check this post for a bit more info on the mod review process.
A couple of quick things, though--your kick drum seems to be panned to the right, which is really annoying and very contrary to "proper" trance structure (keep kick and bass centered). Also, your supersaws are drenched in some kind of reverb that makes them seem muddy, and by that I mean you should probably cut back on the reverb, as well as possibly cut out some midrange frequencies from the supersaw.
Let's see about a couple more revisions before mod review, eh?
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<MODREVIEW>
Oh dear, you actually want me to mod review this? I’m having a really hard time nitpicking anything here. Drums are nice and punchy, I really dig the arrangement, the guitars are all shining through in their appropriate spots very nicely, and my metal face is in full gear.
Let’s see, I’m gonna dig a little deep here, but here’s what I’ve got for you:
- Drums could stand perhaps just a touch more velocity variation, as a lot of hits sound the same very close together. Kinda depends on the kit you’re using, really.
- Some of the guitar chugs could use tightening, timing-wise (especially at the beginning of the song and at about 0:55 or so)
- Uh…needs moar killer studio chops? Honestly, I got nothing else for you.
I’d recommend you sub this, personally. I’m also going to stick it in my car, because metalface and car goes together quite nicely.
</MODREVIEW>
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OH WAIT...I had an amazing idea for all us bored people! It's totally original and is in no way, shape, or form ripping off DarkeSword.
We should totally take this next week or so and find us each a robot master from the Mega Man series of games, then have each person do a remix with that theme as well as a Wily castle theme. Any takers?
:tomatoface: -
I'm *gulp* cleaning my room. If that isn't boredom, I don't know what is.
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Played this last night at a wedding reception and nobody blinked. Love this song!
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Rexy, how dare you interrupt my MAGFest with incessant bitching.
Shut the hell up, please.
I hope you're being facetious, because that seems kinda rude. Just sayin'.
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I freakin' LOVED Chex Quest as a kid. I may just have to do a remix or two....
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I'm DJing a friend's wedding reception on Friday evening, and I'm definitely going to be slipping a few OCReMixes in during the meal...the only prerequisite I really have to work with is "classy and understated." I think I can get that from a lot of mixes here.
Incidentally, has this been added to the list? I'm planning on playing it alongside Louis Armstrong and Michael Buble during the reception's mealtime.
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I'll second DA. Organization? What organization?
I just throw everything in iTunes and delete any mixes I don't care for. If it's part of an album, however, I'll keep it for continuity's sake.
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You might get away with that on some songs, but I'd be willing to bet money that it wouldn't work for this particular source. This is a source that I bet the judges see in the inbox every day, just because it is THE iconic VGM source. Gotta give 'em something they've never heard before, IMO.
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<MODREVIEW>
Oh boy. This is one of those sources that you gotta really blow out of the water to even come close to having it posted.
Couple of things as I'm listening--that open hi-hat is pretty loud, and tends to grate on my ears as the song goes on.
Intro: the problem you’ve got is that you start off sounding very VERY similar to the source, what with the square wave chippy sounds playing a Mario MIDI. That kinda sets the tone for the rest of the piece
Brass samples are super-cheesy and obviously fake, but in an "I made it this way on purpose" sort of way. I'm still not quite sure on what the judges think of intentional cheese--I like 'em (although they're also a tad harsh in the upper-midrange), but your mileage may vary.
Personally, I don’t think the kick hits quite hard enough. Perhaps a spot of compression might bring it up to club levels of punch? Gotta spike that punch in tha club, ya know.
The stacked chord synth that comes in around 1:32 (a) is too loud, (
has too much reverb, and © sounds really generic. Sounds like a really “stock” unison preset of some sort.Overall thoughts—the drums throughout the song are really quite boring. The straight 4/4 kick groove with not a lot of variation gets really monotonous, unfortunately. If you’re going to go with the “classic ‘90s house” sound, you’re going to need to throw in copious amounts of varied snare drum fills.
This particular arrangement isn’t inventive enough to really hit OCR’s listener base in the face, I’d say. The groove is fun and upbeat, but it’s still stock Mario at its core. The judges may disagree with me, but I need something to totally come out of nowhere to even consider a Mario Theme mix. Again, I think part of your problem lies in the fact that you’re using square wave sounds as part of your lead selection, and square waves are exactly what the original source used. Can’t really be having that.
Not gonna lie, I’m really digging the rad timbale licks you’ve got going during that breakdown at around 2:19. Said breakdown is a welcome and far overdue change in the groove, I’d say. I will, however, second the person who said that the ending motif kinda detracts from the overall song. Nobody needs a downer during the party, maaaaan! Consider adding more such breakdowns during the song; that way, the listener gets a break from the incessant kick-hihat-snare/clap groove.
Closing thoughts: Production is adequate, although you could stand to tighten several things (kick, hi-hats, etc.). Biggest problem for me is that some of the sounds you’ve used just don’t do much for me, and the arrangement is nothing particularly ear-catching.
It is an enjoyable song—please don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to hate on anything here. It’s just not got that “special” to it that an OC ReMix needs to have, especially a Mario remix. Fix up some sound choices, get a little more spice in that arrangement, add some zest to the drums, tighten the production a wee bit, and we could well be on a good road to Mario club-madness.
</MODREVIEW>
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I'm totally gonna visit your studio sometime if I get out that way. Cheers!
Gear “worth” per dollar. Nerd Heaven Thread. Ssds vs gpus vs headphones, vs cpu. You name it!
in Music Composition & Production
Posted
At the current SSD price points, you're really best off spending your money on an SSD big enough for your boot material (OS, important programs, etc.) and going with a decently-fast hard drive for everything else.
I'll slip in and add to the OP that I value my sound card very highly. ASIO4ALL is great, but it doesn't beat having a dedicated sound card (with dedicated drivers and non-CPU-driven audio processing). Plus, I get far higher recording quality, which is important because I tend to record vocals, guitars, and other sorts of things on a regular basis.