Blur

Thanks! Seriously, all the help and what not was great. I'd add more to it (probably some no guitar parts or something), but the guitars were recorded over a year ago, and I doubt I'd be able to get the sound exactly right again for making transitions and whatnot to the newer sections.

Yeah maybe these are a bit on the bassy side, since it sounds just right to me. I'm using Gear One G40DX btw, just some headphones that came with my MicroKorg last year. Either way, I put even more low end up on the bass, and (I think) did what you suggested with the guitars and stuff to make the other synths come through a bit more. I'm just trying not to make those background synths the main point of the song so I guess finding that balance XD. https://www.box.com/s/sku7qconzdrijnqkilxk As for you helping out, I really do appreciate it and honestly all the input you've given me so far has been for the better so I trust your judgement, so thanks.

Thanks! And yeah since I posted someone else told me pretty much the same on the bass. I mean I have a lot of the low end brought up on it in the EQ. I just turned it up a bit here and widened the stereo from it originally being center to now 30% each side (the other synths are 50% and the rhythm guitars are full on each side). In my headphones it sounds more audible now, but I'm starting not to trust these 30 dollar cheapys haha. https://www.box.com/s/cggkk19w8ps511uc6pm9 Oh right, badass song btw. I listened to it last night on your topic, but I didn't have anything really constructive to say since it sounded perfect to me LOL

So I tried out that s(M)exoscope and that thing is rad XD. Takes out a bunch of guess work and makes it super easy to see what's going on atm. So after putting it on, I got some more stuff level a bit so it wasn't having so many random jump ups from various things. Honestly, I'm still not sure if it's up to what you'd like. https://www.box.com/s/h7fcwau4nbze2e165z65

So yeah, this is about as balanced as I could get it I believe. Personally I feel like it's too loud and cutting a lot of transients, but tried getting it up there like you said. As for the bass, I'm having an issue where it seems just right in my headphones, but I unplug them and I can hardly hear it lawl. Maybe it's just the shitty speakers on this Mac, but who knows. https://www.box.com/s/pjg47qxpt9gqvox6c1ng

Thanks for the feedback man. There's a synth bass going on, but I guess I should pump some more out of it. I trimmed down a lot of the lower freq. since it was too much but I guess I went over board XD. As for the drums I'll try that, but they keep peaking out on me even though it's like heavily compressed already. I tried compressing it a tad more now and with more gain this time, but it still is jumping up there. I mean I got rid of some super low end to try to fix this a bit but still no dice. Any suggestions? EDIT: Well here's what I got anyways (I feel like it's almost too much now, but whatever I'll let you say what you think XD): https://www.box.com/s/1gimecbfrpwp0t8ogvz3

First time submitting something here, but I figured it'd be worth a shot haha. So this is a remix of the game gear version of "Scrap Brain Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog that I did last year for the Sonic Stadium's 2011 album. It includes some "cameos" like Never Let It Go from Sonic the Fighters, Sonic 3's Boss theme, and a tiny bit of Mad Gear Act 3 from Sonic 4: Episode 1. I touched up the mix a bit since it's release, but I guess this is where I see if it's up to snuff or not XD. EDIT: (Current/Final version here) Building the Empire - Wolfblur https://www.box.com/s/sku7qconzdrijnqkilxk And the original source if anyone is rusty on what the song is:

Yeah, =/. I usually just have to stick to staccato trumpets and stuff for the fast attack and just sharp and punchy horn sound. Even then though, there's always that problem of wanting the complicated horn sounds like fluttering and growling and junk. I can kinda get by with these trumpets, but I usually can't even approach saxes. Too bad the actual instruments are expensive, let alone buying great mics to capture them.

Heyo everyone (first off, I hope this is the right place for this, sorry if not) Anyways, for quite some time I've been looking for some awesome ska horn vst. Usually all the trumpets/trombone/sax I find seems geared toward orchestral...and that's kinda it. The big issue for me is that I'm extremely limited for what I can get, since I honestly only have Garageband on Mac until I bum up enough money for something better. That all said, does anyone have any pointers or know of anything great to get? Maybe a way to make orchestral horns more ska oriented?

Oh my, it did get posted here too, =O! I'm Wolfblur from the album and glad a few people from here liked it, like it really means a lot to me at least. I was really tempted to maybe post a few of mine here, but honestly was a bit intimidated, since rejection can be a norm around here due to the strive for best-of-the-best kinda work. So yeah! Awesome! We'll have another one out next year as well, and hopefully even bigger.

Thanks, and can do, =3. This probably means I should change up my double basses and cello progressions, since most of the time they are at 8ths as well. -Blur

Hey thar. Once in a blue moon I'll post something I made here just to see a different level of feedback, =3. This piece belongs to my wolf concept album, obviously inspired from Star Fox's character: Wolf. It's not a remix of the same old tune everyone knows, but something completely different (thus posted in original works). http://soundclick.com/share?songid=9325269 I understand it's probably a little repetitive, but I under estimated the amount of work it takes to leash an entire orchestra, yikes. First time at it too, so I've probably facked up somewhere down the road, XD. Thanks for listening, <3. -Blur

It's funny that I just read zircon's tutorials about a half hour after I posted that question. Thanks either way though, I'll try to get a new version of this out soon, =D. -Blur

Alright, makes sense, . So... (Left) Acoustic guitar - Flute - Drums (in center) - Strings - Acoustic guitar (Right) And I hate to keep bugging you, but do you have any suggestions with the percussion by any chance? Thanks for all the help though. -Blur EDIT: Oh, and when you say to pan the acoustic hard right, does that mean all the way, or just very noticeably to one side?

Thanks. I do have things panned, but I guess not far enough, ^^". As for the double-record, will it be just as effective to copy the already recorded one on a new track and then do what you said with the panning? Or is that not good? The drum kit is what ever the basic EZDrummer drum kit uses. I'm not that great with percussion to be honest, so I really don't know much on how to vary it up. I guess that's something to play at then. And I'm glad the flute thing works in your opinion, but it's really the best sounding flute that I could get my hands on that works for GarageBand. GarageBand really sucks when it comes to letting other outside instruments come in, >=/. I'm trying to save some money up for something more respectable for my Mac like Logic Pro or Logic Studio. All in all though, thanks for the suggestions, =D. Being a OCRemix, you obiously know your shizz, =D. -Blur

Awesome, another Toneport user, =D! Yeah, I usually use my electric Gibson SG through it. It does sound really nice though, I'm glad I picked one up, ^^. And yeah, that flute was just some panflute I picked up some where on the internet awhile ago. Thanks for the critique though, I'm glad you said something to help. I think I had one of my friends say the same thing about the drums a while back, but I really should probably beef those up a bit. But thanks for the complement on the acoustic guitar playing though. I actually hardly play the 12 string electric/acoustic I have, so it's a little different from the standard 6 string electric. Thanks though dude, I greatly appreciate your comment! -Blur

Hello OCR, ^^. Well, I wrote this song in just inspiration of wolves really (lamely, I'm a big fan, XD). Anyways, I've always been real nervous to post my stuff up here since I'm usually floored by your guys' work, but I wanted to see what you guys thought of this piece. I can't really afford any music programs for my iMac, so I've been making everything with GarageBand, some software instruments I've found on the internet, recordings of my guitar through a Line 6 Tone Port UX2, and EZdrummer drumming software. Wolf's Instinct Thanks a ton for taking the time to listen; I really appreciate it! -Blur

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but does anyone know where I can get some orchestral percussion? I'm using Garageband, and a lot of the stuff I find doesn't even work. all I've been able to find were some timpani's and a triangle sadly. I'm really wanting some bass, tenor, and snare drums. Thanks a ton everyone, =D. -Blur

I know I'm not nearly as good as most of the people here, but I figured that if I want to get any better, the people at OCR could really help. I know this isn't "OCRemixer" quality, but hopefully I can get my stuff to that level someday, =D. Anyways, this song, Extreme Network, is actually apart of my high school project. For my project, I chose to compose a 12-track album as if it were for some hypothetical game production, as lamely as that sounds, XD. This is my 5th song so far, and it's supposed to act as if it were a BGM for an internet/ cyberspace level. I made this in standard video game music format (at least fo Sonic games, ^^"), were it loops twice and then fades out (loops again around 1:38 I believe). Also, just for fun, I usually add this atmospheric setting thing to all my songs in this project, so you can probably ignore all that random beeping, >_<. http://www.tindeck.com/audio/filestore/n/nyub-Extreme%20Network.mp3 Once again, I know this isn't comparable to anything on this site, but I hope you guys can help point me towards that direction. Thanks to anyone who listens to this, or even bothers to read what I have to say; I in all honesty really appriciate it, =D! -Blur

That's for the help Lie Mf B, =D. I appreciate it greatly, ^^. Well, since I've asked the question about what does performance actually mean, the term performance has stuck out everywhere like a sore thumb for some reason. With your explanation and what I've kind of gathered elsewhere, it makes much more sense now. Hmm, I'm not sure if it'd be right of me to post a song I've done, just to see if someone could point out my performance flaws, but over all, I think I have a better idea about it. And I guess your points make sense about the first thing you said. I really do have a great interest in 3D modeling and animation, it's just I think skill wise, I could be more successful as a game musician. As for composing/performing certain styles of music, I really try cover as many areas as I can. I'm greatly inspired from Sonic the Hedgehog music, and I've always loved the idea that each stage kinda has it's own genre in a way. Like how Oil Ocean sounds like Egyptian hip-hop or something similar while the 2-player Emerald Hill Zone sounds like a ska song, =3. I try to base my attitude of the level or situation like that. I think everyone does though, so I might just be wasting my breath, ^^. -Blur

Wow, thanks for all the input everyone, =D. It's really opened my eyes to all the stuff I'm going to need to think about before devoting my whole life to this. It makes me very nervous that it's hard to make a comfortable living off of this kind of job. I still would really like to get into the video game career, but it seems like one slip up and you could be working the rest of your life at McDonalds as a basic employee, D=. After reading all these comments though, I'm a little embarrassed to ask, but what exactly do you guys mean about performance of the song? I have a general idea of what it could mean, but I better know what the definition is in full. Is it things like volume adjustments and panning and whatnot? Or am I completely missing the point here? Also, for the past month or so, I've been looking at this college near by where I live called DigiPen in Redmond, Washington. I went to this college fair awhile ago and asked the representative if they teach any game music and he said no. However, he did say that they were in dire need of people who could do both music and make things like models, art, animation, or engines. Do you think I'll have better chances if I can get good at, let's say 3D modeling and animation, along with having good musical knowledge and so forth? It seems like a no-brainer "duh", but I'm not sure in the video game business if they like to have just one guy do one thing. Thanks again everyone for helping me out, ^^. -Blur

Hmm, I always thought I should know a lot more at the point, D=. I mean, I don't every little thing about multiple programs, but I know a fair amount at this point I think. Thanks for the support though, I didn't realize that a lot of you guys were older. I always figured a large majority was around 15-21 actually, ^^". And another thing, does it really matter what kind of music composing you do? It seems like a large majority of the internet does all their stuff digitally on programs like Cubase or Fruity Loops, however, I make most of my music with instruments like the electric guitar, electric bass, and keyboards. I do use Garageband to put all my stuff together, along with this plug-in called EZdrummer for a realistic drum kit, but it seems like GarageBand is a begginers' tool. I used to use Fruity Loops 7 before I switched to my new Mac, but GarageBand is my only option at the moment now. I wish I could afford Logic Studio, ^^". And I'll check out that youngcomposers.com site tomorrow, since I need to be getting to bed right now, but thanks for sharing that, =D. I'm more than positive it'll help me, ^^.

Hey everyone, I just had a question that has been bugging me for quite sometime now, and I figured the OCRemix could answer it, ^^. Just as the title says, how does someone prepare or train or whatever to try to get a career as a video game music composer? I understand the given like always trying to compose better things, learn many instruments as well as software; but I really don't get what else to do. Should you go get a degree in music and try to apply to many different companies? Should you go get a degree in something video game specific like 3D modeling or animation, then get a job in a video game company, and finally try to get into music at the industry? I always have little questions like these, but I'm never really sure which is the right answer, or the best way to go. I've read that article about the composer for the Banjo Kazooie and Viva Pinata! games, and he stated he got in by chance really. I understand that it was probably easier back then getting into the gaming industry like that, but today is a totally different story. Another thing that concerns me is that I don't even think I can live up to you guys here, D=. I'm already 17 years old, and I can't even work my way near the top of the fan music tower. The only place I have some recognition is at the Sonic Stadium. However, I don't really think that complaining about my current standing is going to get me anywhere, ^^". So, to the point, can anyone please help me out here? Even if no one is quite sure, I'm possitive anything would help me better myself for my goal in life. Thanks for taking the time to read this and help me out, =D. -Blur

Awesome, I was planning on buying the DFH Expansion pack to my EZDrummer software, and Zzounds.com does offer it at a pretty low price. Thanks for the heads up, and I'm glad that I can finally contribute something to OCR, =D. -Blur