WillRock
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Posts posted by WillRock
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22, male, 30 minutes
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Happy Birthday Bro!
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DEATH!
...by exile.
I had a vision... what if Eddie Izzard was in the Dark Knight Rises?
Eddie: Death or exile? That's a pretty easy question. Everyone - Anyone could answer that. Death or Exile?
Stryver: Eh... Exile Pleez.
Eddie: Very well! Give him Exile!
Stryver: Oh, thanks very much. Ur very nice
Eddie: You! Death or Exile?
Criminal: Uh, Exile for me, too, please.
Eddie: Very well! Give him Exile, too! We're gonna run out of Exile at this rate. You! Death or Exile?
C. Gordan: Uh, death, please. No, Exile! Exile! Exile, sorry. Sorry...
Eddie: You said death first, uh-uh, death first! Death... by Exile!!!!
C. Gordan: wait wat
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Ok so as soon as this started, I found myself turning down the volume, its a bit loud! I feel like OA and Deia really summed up this one well. The different synths were all rather similar texturally, I'd try experimenting with some different types of sounds to make your track more interesting. I did like the sounds you used however, even if they are a bit simple. I agree with OA about bringing everything down except the drums, it would sound more balanced that way.
The arrangement was a little close to the source, don't be afraid work some personalization into the track!
This needs quite a bit of work for the pass, but keep at it and you'll get there!
NO
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I'm up for it if things work out. My time zone might make things a bit difficult, but anything to benefit both the site and The Arcade
This basically.
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Not too much to say about this one! I have to say, I was a little unsure about how i'd react to this remix due to the fact you've taken a six second source and turned it into a 4 minute remix. Somehow, you've kept the mix interesting with melodic expansion throughout while keeping the source prominent, and it doesn't even get boring. Bravo. I loved the piano bit at the end.
A few nitpicks include some borderline dissonant writing, particularly with the bass, but I can pass that off as an aesthetic choice. Also, I noticed a pop in the intro, literally the moment it starts, sounds like a note decay issue. Seems to me this is a rendering glitch, rather than intentional but its minor.
A great remix that succeeds on pretty much all levels, the concept and execution is steller. Well done!
YES
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Source tune is awesome, but thats to be expected from gradius music
Arrangement wise, this feels rather conservative, and alot of the compositional complexity of the original is gone. The arrangement could be improved with more variation on the theme, don't be afraid to spice things up a bit! Also, add a proper ending to this, what you've got just doesn't cut the mustard right now
Production is the deal breaker here however. The synths sound generic, and the piano sample is weak, which isn't helped by the unrealistic sequencing.
The drums are also an issue due to overcompression. Bring down some of the compression on the kick and this will sound a lot better imo.
This is an interesting base but it needs more work before this can pass. Keep working at it!
NO
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Cool style adaption! Source is obvious. I agree with deia about that intro, its striking and grabs for your attention. I'm not sure why you decided to open with the guitar like you did, its a bit of a mood killer due to the dissonance. Arrangement wise, it starts off well, but it menders and the core drum pattern gets repetitive fast. There is a lot of room for creative expansion imo, particularly with the drums.
Production is clean enough. It feels like there is a frequency gap in the mids which should really be covered with the instruments you have, due to thin samples. The drums and piano are the worst offenders, the snare needs some beefing up particularly imo. The piano is sequenced mechanically, but i've heard worse. I didn't notice the guitar was too quiet till I read other judge comments, but it could use a small boost.
This is a cool base, but you need to expand your arrangement and fix up the sample and sequencing issues. Do that and i'm sure you'll get the pass
NO (resub)
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The arrangement here is pretty damn cool. Great job picking sources that meld so well together. Agree with the judges on arrangement concerns, but its been covered and it still checks out for me.
The production is decent, but I find it interesting that no one has mentioned what to me are quite obvious production flaws. The rhythm guitars, while punchy, and sounding damn awesome, are far too loud. Everything else gets pushed to the side, minus the drums. Its hard to hear the keyboards, and thus alot of elements are getting buried by the rhythms. Even the solos are hard to hear under the rhythm. Its a small and easy fix that would make this track so much more balanced, and would bring out alot of buried details in your mix. A less pressing issue is the drums, which are rather mechanically sequenced, and have rather iffy sample quality, particularly the kick.
OA's right, this is a close vote, and I'm leaning on conditional based on rhythm volume fix. Thats quite a big issue thats holding this one back from its full potential and its just a fader adjustment away from me signing off on it. Otherwise, this is solid, good work!
YES (conditional on rhythm adjustment)
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Awesome source, and a nice simple take on the theme which stays true to the original while expanding it slightly. I can dig.
Arrangement, while short, is pretty cool, with some nice variations on the theme. I'd argue its a tad too short for OCR standards but we've had mixes passed as short as this. That said, I strongly recommended expanding this.
Texturally, this is slightly plain, you've got a lead playing over drums, bass, and a pad for the first half. Basically there isn't too much to this track considering its length, you could easily give what's here a bit more depth.
Production is a bit of a mixed bag. I will also echo the reverb crits, since this sounds a tad too washed out. Reverb is good, but its powerful, be careful not to overdo it. The panning was also slightly unbalanced, with the strings being panned a little too much to the left, which makes this feel lopsided. The guitar, as mentioned, noticeably fake, you'll need either a much better sample or a real guitarist to help you pull that off.
Overall, this is a good base. That said, you'll need to expand the arrangement and fix the production quirks before this can hit the front page. I think you have a way to go, but with some hard work, you'll get there!
NO(resub)
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Opening piano is a little bit too drowned in reverb, and there is some piercing high mid content in that opening piano. There are other numerous production issues which become apparent past the intro. The kick is too loud, and compression is making leads and pads duck under the kick, which is affecting the mixing further. I didn't think the bass was prominent enough, I would have put something with a little more presence with the bass you have already, because it was inaudible in busier sections. The samples are ok, but nothing amazing, you could probably pass with these samples if the mixing was better. The arrangement had an interesting feel to it, I liked the style adaption, but the structure came off as a bit too consistent texturally and thus seemed repetitive. Some of the variation parts sounded forced as well, but there was some nice change ups to theme theme that ticked boxes for me. The ending was very lazy imo, ending on that sole piano note like that.
Arrangement seemed decent, but production issues means I can't sign off on it. Keep working at it!
NO (resub)
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I really love the source, and this is a great take on it. I really like the feel of this, it stays true to the original and expands on it nicely. Ok so... arrangement is good, got a few production nitpicks tho. First off, I feel like the piano is a little bit on the thin side, and the drums aren't 100% quite fitting imo. Other little nitpicks are the slightly loud pulse wavey lead, it gets piercing at its loudest. On top of that, the piano doesn't quite fit in the soundscape when its not taking the center stage. Its too exposed. I do like that bell like lead however, it gives this whole thing an anime backing music feel. The use of reverb, while at times a little strong, gives this a really nice texture that washes over you. Overall, this is a really nice take on the theme and it works on quite a few levels.
A few little production quirks but this is good stuff. Nice job bro!
YES
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I have to say, I'm digging the style adaption. I like the sequencing, and the production is good, altho I don't like the fact that much of the cymbal work is coming from my left speaker. I wish there was a little more variation, but there was borderline enough, coupled with the style adaption. I will say in this regard, you picked a great source because its difficult not to variate on what is already in the track, due to its complex nature. I wish the vocal melody was slightly more varied however. Where the vocals are concerned, I felt that you tried to go for a pavarotti vocal style - operatic, but it almost came off like a parady in its execution because your voice isn't quite suited to that style of singing imo.
Overall, I like this mix. Its got a few quirks, but it works, and I'm cool passing it.
Good work Brandon!
YES
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Interesting song, but i'm not getting nearly enough source for this to count. Overall I'm getting no more than 1:40 of source roughly, in a nearly 5 minute remix. The actual source usage doesn't have much in the terms of variation but the B section of the source is used quite interestingly, with the chord change up. There are also some mixing problems at the start, the bass synth is too loud, and the vocals open up too loud as well. There are some nice effects, and the textures are decidedly cool. I also enjoyed the "chorus" which I assumed would be source, although I can not find anything relating to source in that, so I can only assume that it is original.
Ultimately, this feels like an original song with mega man elements in it. For this reason, I can't sign up on this remix.
NO
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There were some good ideas present here. The remix overall seemed a little liberal at points, but I found the source easy to recognize, it was used prominently and there was some cool variations on the track. There was some cool sequencing throughout as well.
The production had some issues however. The samples left something to be desired, many of them sounded generic, and there were quite a few sounds which sounded overprocessed. The lead at the opening was far too loud and high in the mids which hurt my ears when the lowpass filter was on it at the intro. It was still a problem without any filters on the lead but was less noticeable at that point. The drums lacked punch, but it seemed to suit the track in this case. I have to say, I enjoyed the sawtooth leads at 1:51, simple sound design like the rest of this, but effective.
The timbre was a little too consistent throughout, but there was some lead and synth change ups when you listened for the details.
I quite liked the arrangement here but you need to work on your sample quality and mixing for this to hit the bar.
NO (resub)
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Well to start off with, the biggest issue, because its such a massive one, is the kick. Its got a pitched tone on it that is dissonant to the key of the track. Since its used so prominently, it sounds like there is a dissonant bass in the mix, which is clipping in its louder velocities. The actual bass is far too quiet. The drums overall lack any sort of presence other than the kick, and the samples in the track generally are fairly low quality. The source is prominent throughout, and there is a style adaption of sorts but there is little in the way of variation from the original track.
You need to do quite a bit to this one to make it reach the bar but if you were feeling like it, I'd tell you to shorten the decay on the kick so you're not getting any of the pitched bass content, either that or just change the sample. I'd also consider working on your mixing, and checking your levels to make sure nothing is clipping in the mix. Also, don't forget to do some variation on your sources, don't be afraid to experiment!
NO
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I have to say, i'm a little more on vig's side of things regarding the arrangement, but I do think that the melding of the themes, when I hear it, deserves credit. I fail to hear much plant man passed the intro, but closer listening revealed plenty of plant man in the backing parts. The arrangement is impressive, plenty of solos and variations on the themes, and I liked the ending. There is definitely a lack of dynamic range throughout tho, and it drags as a result.
The production is generally ok, its reasonably mixed and there are no glaring issues. I did pick up a few nitpicks however. The first problem I noticed production wise, like DA, was the piercing bell, which is a minor issue in the big picture. The synth lead was a little vanilla, but I felt it fit the soundscape, and was sequenced well. I feel like the drums didn't quite fit. The kick was too quiet overall, but it might have helped the drums to fit better ironically, since the drums more suited for a heavier style of music imo.
Alot of nitpicks on my part. I'm not going to give you as much credit as DA, OA or halc, due to the fact I don't feel like the arrangement is quite as good as suggested by the other yes votes. However, I do think that this is pass worthy.
I'd say its a borderline call, but it just gets by for me. Good job rexy!
YES (borderline)
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Gotta say, I like the drums. Hard hitting. Samples feel ever so slightly generic to me, but there is some neat sound design going on. I feel like the arrangement drags on way too long here. There is development of sorts, but its too slow, and the additive structure doesn't lend well to reducing melodic repetition for the most part. This could work if the track was cut down. There is little in the means of variation, which there could have easily been more of at this length. If I was you, i'd cut down the fat of this arrangement, add some more variation to the theme, and then maybe you'd have a better chance of getting posted. Also, the mastering didn't seem to quite jell with me, it lacked a high end crispness that is needed for this sort of track, which made things feel murky.
Its good attempt but I can't sign off on it due to arrangement concerns. Keep working at it!
NO (resub)
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I'm loving the arrangement on this one. Awesome style adaption that I can dig. The performances need alot of work however. Like OA said, things were very shaky overall. This sounded very clean to me, perhaps too much so, to the point of sounding slightly empty. There is room to add some more backing instrumentation without causing muddiness. My one other critique is that the guitar tuning was slightly off at points, but this wasn't a deal breaking issue. That said, the performance is just too sloppy for me to sign off on this one.
Fix up the frequency gap in your mix, tighten up the performance, and fix up that out of tune guitar, and you've got yourself a winner!
NO (resub)
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Tis is going to be completely epic and stuff
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There is a listening party for the edgebee studios collection in 2 hours at http://areciboradio.com/!
BE THERE!!!
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As a composer, i'd be very much against if it people started making money off my music. If they released it for free and credited me (like OCR) no problem with it and more power to them. If they start selling however... I'd be pissed basically
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If it's a personal project with some classmates doing their own thing, sure.
It's a different story if you're hired. You have a contract and actual pressure. I'm not saying Angel can't do it, but if you're someone who can't, you shouldn't say YES, imo.
Angel is a musician. I don't think "not being able to do it" applies if the potential is there. If you're an actor, for example, you should probably say no (lol) but if you are in any stretch capable of doing this, then you should try it. I don't think we're being very constructive right now arguing if "you're qualified for the job". We should be passed that point - do you think they would hire you if they didn't think you were up to the job? Have some faith in angel's musicianship skills and the companies ability to pick out a good composer for their music
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Personally, I go with andy's "always say yes" attitude. If I didn't, I wouldn't have got half the experience I do now. If you say no, you don't get anywhere. Trust me guys, getting gigs like this is hard and you should not turn them down if they come your way. Besides, if the guys don't like your music, they won't use it. NEVER EVER SAY NO. Can't emphasis that point enough.
Say yes, rise to the challenge, and expand your experience first hand
In my experience, its actually very similar to game scoring. I will say however, that in my own experience, with games, you're scoring for a setting alone... with movies, you're writing with cues in mind during the scenes you're scoring and you have to keep that in mind during the process. Yes you do this with games to an extent but with movies its much much more precise. Also, when I did this, the director and music supervisor were much more picky with what I was doing, and took much much longer to reply to me due to very busy schedules, altho I'd assume the same of a more high end gaming company perhaps, like capcom, I haven't scored for a company like that. Remember guys, always say yes. Its the only way forward!
Does writing music scare you?
in Music Composition & Production
Posted
Writing music doesn't scare me. I have alot of ideas and am good at translating them to midi, so its a ver automatic process for me. Production is where I slip up usually
I put it down, listen back, edit... sometimes do pattern improvs (for solos) etc, moan like a bitch when I realize it sounds muddy and too reverbed blablabla