Pyro Paper Planes
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Posts posted by Pyro Paper Planes
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The tracks are definitely brighter with Cubic Interpolation vs Gaussian Interpolation. I keep flipping back and forth between the two settings. It reminds me about the debate of whether scan lines contribute to older games; They technically provide an inferior picture, but the pixel art was often designed with the limitation in mind. While the Cubic Interpolation provides a more clarified sound, I have a feeling some of the blemishes were supposed to be hidden.
To go into specifics, I'm using JCOM SPC to isolate the individual channels. I'm trying to get the most authentic sound out of the tracks. So you would suggest 32000Hz with Gaussian Interpolation for something like Super Metroid?
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When listening to SNES-SPC files, what settings do you prefer? If I'm not mistaken, the original SPC700 soundchip on the SNES was (usually) limited to a sample rate of 32000Hz, and utilized a gaussian interpolation technique. However, most SPC players allow you to select higher sample rates and implement different types of interpolation (None, Linear, Cubic, Gaussian). At higher sample rates, is the SPC file simply being upscaled, or is the data actually preserved? Do you prefer trying to emulate the Super Nintendo's limitations, or prefer the higher sample rates and different (if any) interpolation techniques?
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Public domain if possible. I thought I had a loop of it in Logic, but I can't seem to find it.
Here's an example, right at the start:
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Waves is having some insane deals right now:
http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=351&ref=nl
Three of their plug-ins that are usually $100 are only $9 at the moment. Anyone have any experience with them?
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I love this mix. Planet Wisp is one of my favourite tracks from Sonic Colours. You have good production values, its original, and very catchy. A few things could do with brightening (mainly the piano as stated, but the overall mix might benefit from a little brightening).
If you implement those changes, you'll have a stellar track on your hand. Going to play the track again...
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I highly recommend uploading your work to something other than YouTube, due to their compression algorithm. Parts I'm criticizing might simply be due to YouTube, and not your mixing.
It sounds good so far. As mentioned above, the bass does become a little too obnoxious at times, and the temp does jump a little too much near the end. My other problem with the track is it feels a little empty. I think this is more an issue with the source track. It's very ambient. You might wish to include elements from the other chozo tracks, or even one of the boss themes (like
).Regardless, I'll try and cite my issues with the track itself. The build up to 1:15 sounds nice, if a little slow. The bass, drums, pad, and square lead leads a little more to be desired though. Plus, they lack a dynamic range.
Otherwise, keep up the good work!
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This is a very unconventional remix. The SFX bring a nice touch to the overall mix. The synthesizers sound... odd. I think they work for the track, but it does give an eery tone. A good example is the high-pitched pad/noise around 2:30.
The guitar and drums sound very MIDI like. I'm not there's much you can do about the guitar - It kind of fits in a way. I think my issue with the percussion is the lack of dynamic range and the snare drum. Unfortunately, percussion is my weakness, so I'm not too sure what to recommend.
I suppose my gripe with the track is that there are so many elements that shouldn't work, yet they do in a very off-putting way. And it kind of works.
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I really like what's going on here. It gives of a floating vibe, like the original track. After a while, I think the track feels a little bare, dare I say, repetitive. I think if the pad could be slightly changed up it might help things. Alternatively, an additional pad or effects might be able to spice things up.
Sorry if my advice isn't very helpful, I'm a little tired at the moment. Perhaps someone else could provide some proper feedback?
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I love this track. The atmosphere is really interesting. All the quirky frequencies littered throughout the track just give it an original flair, and works well with the source material. Only criticism is the piano sounds a little bare at times.
Just a random idea, but a little bit of a high-pass filter on the piano up to 1:15 might work really well. Otherwise, Amphibious pretty much summed up my suggestions.
Great work though. I can totally see this being accepted by OverClocked ReMix right now, especially if you were to fix those minor issues (if you wish to call them that).
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I like the style you've got here, it's very groovy. There's a few minor mixing problems around the 2:30 mark. I'm not sure if it's clipping, or taps from one of the instruments. It doesn't sound very pleasant though.
Otherwise, I like this piece. It's very upbeat, as the original was too. Good work.
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How's the track coming along?
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I've recently challenged myself to arrange several different kinds of remixes. I've finished two piano solos, and an electronica chill-out piece (the former of which have been submitted and accepted by the OverClocked ReMix Judging Panel). One particular genre of music I would like to mix is trance (or, to be more specific, something in the style of bLiNd's work). I already have the MIDI framework from working on the track previously (
).I'm mostly having trouble with the percussion. I don't know what to look for in a kick, snare, clap, hi-hat, etc. I definitely have the software to do it now (Komplete Ultimate 8 + Omnisphere + Logic Studio). Does anyone have any advice in what library I should use, presets, instruments, or general settings?
Also, any suggestions in what to look for in particular instruments too would be useful. I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the options.
Thank you for your time.
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I'm interested in other people's opinions on EWQL Pianos. Nearly every other pack has been discussed here.
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The mix has a nice atmosphere so far. Kind of like a Mass Effect/Space Mountain feeling to it. You've got quite a bit of panning. It's good for the style you're going for, but I think there are times where it sounds odd. For example, the lead bells being panned left, the bass being panned right... that can work, but you need more layers to fill in the music.
The mix is feeling rather hollow overall. As mentioned, the synthesizer pads aren't really filling up the space. The bells are a good texture (especially around the 1:00 mark). I can see the reasoning behind the "MIDI" complaints. Certain instruments seem out of place, such as the strings at 2:15 as a lead instrument. It might work as something else, or with a different set of instruments, but right now it doesn't. There's a lack of dynamicness to the velocity of instruments (the end and introduction sound identical).
You might want to increase the overall volume slightly. The levels on my audio interface don't touch the yellow, never mind the red. The percussion also lacks punch (eg at 1:27). Try experimenting with different samples. I feel the whole mix could use a little spice up with the transition/ambient FX throughout the mix. The bass drum sounds nice, but comes a little repetitive over time. I think the FX can make or break tracks like these. You should try adding... well, I'm forgetting what it's called right now. White-noise transition? Someone help me out here.
Your mix actually represents what my original goal for my SR388 mix. I decided to go with something more upbeat in the end, but I think keeping it chill will make it its own track.
I wouldn't give up hope just yet. I believe the deadline was extended by a month. I think the Mass Effect series has some great examples of chill music. You should definitely check out the track Vigil and perhaps Uncharted Worlds too. Vigil has an example of a white noise transition around 0:19. Oh, and check out
while you're at it. The overall atmosphere works really well for the track (MIDI brass, the electric-keyboard-lead-synth, the transition sound at 0:05 that plays consistently through the mix... it's one of my favourite childhood tracks, and I take inspiration from it for most of my work).Best of luck!
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I don't know if I'm just not using the library properly, but I've never been too satisfied with the EWQL bundle. I purchased the following:
EWQL Symphonic Choirs
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum
QL Gypsy
QL Ministry of Rock
QL Pianos
QL SILK
QL Stormdrum 2
I can't really judge EWQL Symphonic Choirs. The main feature that's advertised is the Wordbuilder (programming the choir to sing something specific). Unfortunately, that feature is rather intensive on the average computer. My 2008 machine can't keep up, though it will be interesting to hear it once I have a new machine. Keep in mind, there have been other other choir packs out there that have been recently released that include their own syllabus builders. One pack my friend suggested was Requiem Pro.
EWQL Symphony Orchestra is probably my most used pack. I'm still getting used to it, but it's got some decent instruments in there. I believe Sam Dillared used this pack for his remix "The Crimson Depths" and it sounds fantastic.
I rarely use QL Gypsy. The acoustic guitars were rather stingy, but worked for one of my mixes. There's not much else to the pack though.
QL Ministry of Rock was probably the most disappointing pack of the bundle. The guitars just sound awful. I didn't even like their Bass or Drum instruments. The one bass guitar I DID like is a demo for another pack!
QL Pianos is an iffy one. Firstly, you're going to need a very fast machine. It has so many different samples. It takes my machine about a minute to load an individual piano. Even when everything is setup, I'm not convinced it's sounding as good as it should. I have used the pack for a piano solo project though, and I have fooled a few people into believing it's a real piano. I can't really judge until I get my hands on some other piano libraries. I should be receiving Komplete Ultimate 8 sometime this weekend, so that should make things interesting.
QL SILK has some very unique instruments. I can't say much about it, but I do like it. I'm experimenting with the pack in one of my current WIP. I'm interested to see how it turns out.
QL Stormdrum 2 has a great variety of percussive sounds. They sound very good, and I tend to use something from them in most of my mixes.
Something to keep in mind is everything runs on the PLAY engine. The UI looks nice (and has a lair of complexity underneath). The knobs are very sensitive but not very precise. To explain, if you move a knob from its default position at 0.00dB, it's almost impossible to return it to its same value. The biggest issues I had with the engine was the lack of 64-bit support and white-noise explosions. On the Mac side, they took a long time for them to update their engine, but it's all smooth sailing now.
So, with all that said and done, is it worth it? I'm not sure if I'm the best person to judge this pack, as I have little experience with other libraries (as I've said, I've just purchased Komplete and Omnisphere). On the whole, EWQL products are very intensive on the computer. The PLAY engine used to be terrible, but it has become much more stable over time. The included WD Caviar Black HDD is a very nice bonus. Keep in mind, it's a good idea to have a backup for it. Also, you might desire to have a faster configuration - say, a RAID setup (or even SSD, if you have the money).
If you have a killer machine, willing to take the time, and are looking for a decent real-sample library (specifically the orchestra), the Complete Composer's Collection is a good buy. Otherwise, I think you might be better spending a little more to get a premium instrument library that focuses on a specific instrument set (for example, LASS), or go with something with a broader range (Komplete Ultimate 8 ).
Please keep in mind, this is from experience with CCC and analysis of fellow friends. I'm not sure if I'm the best person to judge all of this... I still have a lot to learn. But then again, that might be perfect for someone else who is new to all of this. If anyone has anything to add to my comment, please do.
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Thank you for the advice. Well, the 4dB sounds fine. It seems like an odd number, but I'm guessing there's a reason it clicks there. I just find it puzzling that Yamaha never bothered to give advice on this issue, when they go into such detail with the other settings.
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I'm just in need of a portable MIDI controller. I already have a premium workstation (Korg-M3 88), but I'm in need of something portable (for band practice, school, etc).
The things I am looking for:
- Needs to be as portable as possible (25 keys, definitely no more than 49 keys).
- Should have a modulation and pitch wheel.
- Would be nice to have one or two knobs for modulation.
One thing that's stood out for me is the Line 6 Mobile Keys. It doesn't have many knobs, but I can reassign the pan knob to something else (and it seems portable).
The 19" 25 keys is $145 (with $10 gift voucher) and the 32" 49 keys is $199 (with $25 gift voucher). On one hand, the more keys the better...but there's the possibility of fitting the 19" in a backpack (which could be really handy). The prices are almost identical.
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Edit: After looking for answers elsewhere, I found a very helpful website that gives a description of almost every audio cable out there. To sum it up, I should stick with TRS or XLR. So that leaves one last question: What is the optimal volume level for my Yamaha HSM50s? It seems to click at 4dB. Here's a picture. The knob is at the top right corner.
Link to the helpful website: http://tweakheadz.com/all_about_cables.htm
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Give Nova Musik a looksee
Wowzers, they have some INSANE deals going on right now. Shipping isn't too pretty, but I think I'm actually saving more if I purchase through them. Thank you for that.
If you can afford the processing power and $ for Omnisphere, GET IT. It's well known to be one of the most powerful VSTs ever made and it's used in a lot of games and professional sound productions.In that case, I'll see if I can get ahold of it as well. My Mac Pro (2008 model) is a bit long in the tooth, but I plan on purchasing a MacBook Pro sometime this summer (something with good specs, of course). If they have anything like the CPUs they have now, they should be more than sufficient.
Pretty sure you can only get Emotional Piano through the vendor's website.As for the other music gear: Check out Kelly's Music And Computers for music gear. I've bought from them a few times (I'm in Toronto), and the prices are reasonable. Shipping is free if you spend $200, and cheap if you don't order a lot of heavy stuff (eg. try to buy stuff like keyboards locally).
For general computer hardware, try Canada Computers or Tiger Direct. There's a few Canada Computers locations in Ottawa; you could try shipping from Tiger Direct (I've never done this, though; my work is 5 minutes away from one).
Omnisphere is great; beyond Kontakt and some samples from Komplete, it's the best part of my live keyboard rig, and I'm not even using a lot of sampled stuff. It can do some very unique things that other synths don't get close to.
For an audio interface, might you be interested in a Native Instruments' Audio Kontrol 1? I've got one that I've been trying to sell on craigslist; there's nothing wrong with it, and I love it, but I needed something with a second mic input, so I upgraded to the Komplete Audio 6 when NI had a deal for people who owned Komplete 8. Shipping wouldn't be that bad from Toronto to Ottawa; alternately, I have cousins and an aunt and uncle who live in Nepean; if you don't mind waiting until just after July 8th at the latest (my cousins will be out then; my aunt and uncle may be out before then, but I'm not sure), then I could get it your way without the shipping. PM me if you're at all interested.
I think you're right about Emotional Piano. Thanks for the confirmation.
I'll definitely check out Kelly's Music. I've heard of them before. Humorously enough, I worked at Canada Computers at one point. Unfortunately, it was during the HDD crisis, so I never did find a good price on the HDD I was looking for.
I'll get back to you on Kontrol.
EDIT: I think I'm going to stick with my guns and go with the Duet 2. From what I've read, the driver support and sound quality can't be matched. Thank you for the offer though!
On a side note, does anyone know of any good, portable keyboards? I already have a decent one, but I'll be moving around quite a bit next year. Something that would fit in a laptop bag would be very helpful. That, or easy enough to carry on its own. It would be handy if it had a few MIDI buttons, and modulation and pitch wheels.
EDIT EDIT: So it turns out my local Long & McQuade is having a sale! We calculated that after shipping costs and customs, everything would be more expensive online (even with the sales). I've already deposited the cash for Omnisphere ($475 + $50 Gift Voucher), Komplete Ultimate 8, and I have the Duet 2 in my hands! Thank you everyone for your help.
All I need now is a very portable keyboard. Unless anyone has suggestions, I'll get something on my own accord. It's time to crank out some music. :3
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I'll make sure to send him a PM. Thanks.
Also, has anyone had any experience with Omnisphere? I think I'm going to try out Kontakt first. It does seem wicked though.
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The first few seconds, I was expecting your typical electric-keyboard sounding cover of this track. In short, nothing worth mentioning. Then you started playing.
I really like it. Your technique is fantastic, and keeps the track very interesting. It's got a very air-light presence to the track. The minor echo and reverb works very well with the overall atmosphere. In fact, the overall mixing is very good. I'm curious to know what piano library you're using. It becomes a little hard to hear the source tune at certain points, but its memorizing, and contributes to the overall track (I'm guessing they're influences by your own composition, Supersonic).
Overall, I think you should submit this to OverClocked ReMix, or at the very least offer a link to download the track (YouTube's compression algorithms are horrible for sound). Thank you for the listen.
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I'm about to give my music studio a boost. Things I plan on purchasing include Kontakt Ultimate 8, Emotional Piano, and a WD Cavier Black 1TB (for a RAID setup). The tricky part is that I live in Ottawa, Canada. Most American websites tend to mark up their prices for their Canadian representative, include insane shipping prices, or simply don't ship here. Does anyone know of any good places to purchase such things?
I'm also in need of advice for an enclosure, (external) soundcard, and Dreamweaver...
- I'm looking for an external RAID enclosure to help with my music library. I already have a spare WD Caviar Black 1TB, so I think pairing it up with an additional WD Caviar Black 1TB and RAID enclosure would be the best option. Does anyone have a recommendation on what enclosure to purchase?
- I think it would be a good idea to purchase an external soundcard. It will be for a MacBook Pro, and I will probably record music on occasion. Otherwise, it would be simply for the extra amplitude. What are people's opinions on the Duet 2? Does anyone have any recommendations for a different soundcard?
- On a slightly unrelated note, what are the general opinions on Dreamweaver? I have a minor understanding of how HTML code works, and am in need of designing a website. I've also been asked to design a website for a family friend's business (among other minor things), so this could be very useful.
I think that covers about everything. Thanks for reading all of that. I really appreciate all the help I can get.
- I'm looking for an external RAID enclosure to help with my music library. I already have a spare WD Caviar Black 1TB, so I think pairing it up with an additional WD Caviar Black 1TB and RAID enclosure would be the best option. Does anyone have a recommendation on what enclosure to purchase?
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I'm back from my mini-vacation! Sorry for the lack of responses, and thanks for all of your tips.
So, to summarize what I will change for V1.1:
- Decrease bass to pads.
- Replace the saxophone with a synthesizer of some sorts.
- Decrease the introduction static volume. Perhaps experiment with other effects, and shortening break?
- Change up the piano for another instrument on occasion. Perhaps in the chorus? (AKA 2:07, maybe 4:02).
- Change up the drums (AKA at the second part).
- Add a little more presence to the EWQL Choir.
- Add presence to the guitar.
- Improve transition at 4:21.
- Reduce overall gain on mix (give it a little more breathing room, fix minor clipping issues, etc).
I'll see if I can do that all for tonight.
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The pops before the piano comes in really bug my ears and make me cringe.
The minor-clicking is from the vinyl-hiss effect. While I think this is a great texture to fill in the void there, it is possible to replace it... not sure what with though.
Great groove going on when things get going, and the interpretation on the theme is cool, even though it's just one note for a while, it engages my brain because it's different. The first time that one altered note played I was like "whoa, wut!?" and then the second time it settled, but I was still really listening for it, which is a great sign of a captivating piece.
Thank you. I was trying to vary up the percussion a little. I was thinking about adding a few extra FXs throughout, but decided to add them to the end of the piece instead.
Toward the last third or so when you've got the guitar playing, the pads kind of block it out; I'd recommend bringing the guitar forward and pushing the pads back a bit. Or maybe gating the pads instead of an awkward volume reduction so the guitar cuts through a bit more. Still bring the guitar out more though.
Yes, I agree. I think overall I should remove some of the bass from some of the pads once everything starts to come in, especially for the guitar. Maybe add a little presence to the guitars, etc.
Here's the biggie: personally, I'd bring the sax back for some of the tunnel theme to give the instrumentation a bit of a change up. Even though you've got the piano doing all kinds of great interpretation, the arrangement gets a bit stagnant because the piano's trying to carry the piece too much, which is a bad thing unless you're doing a piano solo arrangement. The sax could give you that same expressive element, but keep people engaged; it could actually be really cool, I'm hearing quite a few possibilities in my head (for instance, right after the Phendrana sax break in the middle, have the piano play like it does with the sax doing some screaming lead work and interp on the tunnel theme). Also, I'd recommend some live recording for the sax, sounds like MIDI right now, correct?
I agree, the piano needs to be changed up for something else there. At the same time, I like the different line that the piano plays there, and I don't want to change too many things at once for the listener. A real saxophone player might be able to work there though, or a heavily stylized saxophone... something like Stardust Beat.*
Hope all this is helpful
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It's very helpful. Thank you for your comments. So, to sum up everything that needs to be done...
- Cut down the bass EQ for the Synthesizer Pads.
- EQ the bass ever so slightly to add presence.
- Find a real saxophone player to fill in the MIDI saxophone, or heavily stylize it.
- Lower mix gain ever so slightly, to help remove distortion from the drums.
*Stardust Beat:
SNES SPC - What settings do you use when listening? (Sample Rate + Interpolation techniques)
in Music Composition & Production
Posted
This might sound ignorant of me, but I've never really considered interpolation in a mix until now. While I've noticed the sound difference in the past, I always assumed it boiled down to a quality issue or side effect of the ripped files vs. playing off the soundchip itself.
Thanks for your advice on this lazygecko. I'm pretty sure you've helped me out in the past too.