hewhoisiam

To me there is just not enough energy to really get what I want out of it. There is the nice slow legato build up. But the rest of the piece is one big build to the almost frantic sound at the end. I think the legato should immediately go to the more frantic sound giving you time to do something with it. Adding instruments 1sie 2sie makes for a very slow progression to the frantic pace that I feel you really want in this. Also, if you're lengthening, you'll want a nice slow down to be able to build back up. You don't full panic mode in your first 2 minutes. You might be able to do something cool by getting to a point like at 1:31, and then bringing it back down. These were my first thought while half fhit saced. Hope you get something out of it. -G

Update: http://www.mediafire.com/?kwmww5ngynz

I'm kinda torn on what to do with the marching snares honestly. The marching snares are like, Kevlar heads, very tight snares, and it's really just a pop sound, much less of like a drum set snare. This was kinda something I did, I didn't figure without some expansion of the actual theme it's make submission standards anywhere. So, now I gotta ask: What's OLR? As for instrumentation and humanizing. I'm just lazy. And I mean lazy. I have 2 trombones, 2 trumpets, french horns, flutes, claranets, alto and tenor saxes, baratones, and tuba parts. And I hasn't gotten around to humanizing all of them. The original robo tune had what almost amounts to triplets that I reworked due to the rigidity of the thing that I wanted to keep. The same with humanizing of the bass drum and tuba parts. I'll be brining up individual notes (when I get off my lazy @$$ and work on this again Thanks again, I'll try to hammer out somefig by the end of the week.

I'm not the best at mastering, but I'll see if I can't come up with something here. I want to hear more pop on your Latin percussion, it'll help if you bring out some dynamic contrast too. (just don't overdo it) I really can't hardly hear any kick on your drum set. When I can pick it out it doesn't have any body to it. Bass drums on a set (usually) sound almost like a very low tom when they're played quietly. (depending on how it's muffled) Jazz or easy listening kits have very little muffling so you get a longer sound with more tone and less thump.

Okay, found it in time. I should get something together for this one. Gario, you have to heckle me if I don't...

Hm. I'm having a hard time coming up with things to complain about... It gets a touch repetitive. I'm not a huge fan of that 'stutter' effect you use at 2:45 aanndd I'm spent. That's all I got.

Update: http://www.mediafire.com/?tqemdmzm0uo EDIT: Oh yeah, YT link to source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOWf_T0jdgQ I did want this to be a sort of march, mostly because I wanted to play with sequencing a drum line. This is still early in this thing and it's not very complex, so it's pretty repetitive. Questions, comments, hate mail, trolling, all welcome. More or less. -H

I don't know that I'd call it a march, but the groove is pretty solid. It has a real blue man group feel for me. I love a mellow kinda groove like this. I could see some dynamics helping especially in the intro and percussion. Since I'm comparing it to BMG; I love when a slow theme like this really builds into something powerful. I look forward to see what you do with the last 10 seconds of this sample.

I like ett. Short - but you knew that already. The main synth that you've got doing melody seems kinda out of place to me. It's got this really gritty dirty feeling bass and drums. Then that sort of sweet high melody. I see like a Genesis subtractive-esque synth sounding better there. If course it could just be me since everyone else likes it, plus the more I listen to it, the more I talk myself into liking it... Still think something could improve it though... Not sure in what direction you wanna take this. I alwalys picture the high energy stuff having something in there to really give it a lot of contrast. A really slow intro or something; but can't really comment on that 'cause this is so short. Hope this helps -H

... *wank*

Time to sing the you are an idiot hewhoisiam song! - I did a bunch of listening to the wrong versions... 12-10-2008 last post before today Today 07:57 AM Willrock, I'm going to update this shortly mmhokey, anyways. As far as drums go. If I'm using heavy hats, I also like a stacker cymbal (2 splash cyms hooked together as closed hats, or a small Chinese and a splash for a more open sound) there to hit for my accents. You have something like this on 2 and 4 a lot (sounds like an open hat), but it could stand to be different. I like a stacker because it gives you a different sound than the hats alone. Not sure where you'd get one synthed though, maybe a hi-hat effected from another kit? The volume of your drums is all the same. It needs a combination of humanizing and dynamics. Especally in the bass drum part. I'm seeing 1:40 as the same volume as earlier, but everything else went quieter, drums should too. As well as have the beat change to something more mellow. Meyheps just the 16th notes with little or no open hat and a quieter bass drum there. Then bring back the energy as you go into your solo. Add a few accents or fills before you get back into the thick of it. I'm pretty sure it's mostly your supporting stuff thats are being talked about in the judges forum. I really hear the slap bass and leads, with the drums; but everything else is meh-tastic. I'm not really sure what you can do about it though I know that trance stuff will detune things and layer them, then uses echos and stuffs like taht. That might fatten up some of your background sounds here. Also, you have realistic sounding guitar with fakie sounding leads. I think for this you gotta go one way or another. They really seem to fight with me on this. I like both of the parts, just not together in the same song or at least as it is now. I dunno really, it might be able to work if you really focus on it, but the guitar doesn't start till halfway through and the leads are already established pretty good. Anyways, hope that helps -H

I started something for this a few days ago, and this was finals week. I erhm, did not finish either. Next time!

I remember this! I enjoyed the first attempt. Which I took out of my 'creepy collector' folder to listen to when I saw this topic. Whip that head boi! The repetition in the piano part at 1:07-1:42 gets a old. One part is moving, one is static. Consider moving the static part to another instrument as well as changing it a bit. First thing that comes to my mind is moving it octaves up or down in places (as far as adding a harmony part. So that the sound fills out every 3rd and/or 4th repetition. I want a more powerful, harder hitting bass. This is just my preference, but this is really really a bass song to me, and the bass gets lost in there. I think more panning could add a lot to the beginning of this. The sustained synth you use doesn't mesh well with the other sounds to me. At the beginning I was 50/50, but hearing it at the slow break, I don't like it. I might like it layered with a stronger sound, or some oscillation (wahwah? hope I got that right:oops:) The at the slow down, the drum part seems to me like it could really benefit from some ghost type notes on the hats, and a stick across snare (click) rather than hit, again just my preference that it feels like it's dragging. I am normally not a big tambourine fan, but it really works well in this, kudos there. Hope this helps -H

Okay, The first thing that sticks out to me is the bass drums at 3:43 don't seem right to me. When they go with that powerful bass, they sound great, but out there on their own, it's a bit, I don't know how to say. Very punchy and sharp and doesn't seem mix well with the soundscape. In the first version I think it was better because it sounded like it had a note, rather than just a bass hit. Now, since ambiance isn't really my thing, for some reason, the more I listen to this, the more I want to hear some sort of echo (more toward the middle, after the initial ambiance) of the sparse melody type sounds. There is a slight echo, but I picture a very very delayed, very quiet but long (length) echo. Or even used more as a sound effect... Course, I could also be crazy. It's one of those things I say, but I know that I'd have to really hear it to make up my mind, so, yeah, don't worry much about this one, just my ramblingnesses As far as where the sound is coming from. One of the things I read about doing along with adding different reverb, is to use the track panned one way, then add a send of that track panned the other way. I think it's a mastering technique; and I haven't really played with it much, but it essentially gives you 2 things to play with to fatten up the sound or w/e depending on how much you change each thing. The 20 seconds of silence on the end is very reminiscent of another remix work in progress that I can't put my finger on it... (did that on my last one, had one track envelope hanging over) -H

I'm loving the tension at the beginning. Ehm. This is sort of a matter of personal taste. I like where the song goes, and I like the ideas; but the changes to get there takes place too slowly for me. It seems to me like about a 3 minute song drawn out longer. That being said, liking all the parts its kinda hard to really settle on saying what I think should move over and shorten to let the song change more quickly. Also, I selfishly want to hear suspended cymbal rolls and snare in this to help offset the hi hat type sounds. Less hats and more varied orchestral type stuff. Not for any good reason mind you, just because it's what I want. This sort of reminds me of blue man group type PVC instruments. I wonder if there is a PVC instrument synth... Anyways, hope this helps -H

A whole month? But I want it now...

Weather Report, good stuff! It's a bit too airy at the very beginning for me anyway. But that is very weather report so if that's what you're going for, it works well. I have certain biases I like in a drum part. I'm not sure how you'd get it in sequenced drums, but the loose open hi hats get lots of different sounds based on velocity and foot pressure. In my playing I like a very open sort of accent swish, but then a tighter sound for any fast work. There are a few places in here where I think that tighter, shorter sound hat would be better. Though I'm not sure which of the like a bajillion drummers you're really looking at when you did it, I'm most familiar with Chester Thompson. Can't seem to come up with any nits to pick about stuff like levels and balance, other than the airy bits that I discussed. Maybe it's a bit lacking in the bassy sounds also, oh and I do wanna hear more of that Latin at the end. You know, longer moar etc etc etc. Keep up the good werk boss, -H

Hm. I say time. I get to a point in my work where I come to the inevitable conclusion that I'm as far as I can go on my own; and I poke around for help. Right now I'm working out chord progression and learning, erhm, stuff. I've bumped my own thread 3 times, and got maybe 1 good viable response. The forums here don't seem to offer life changing advice or anything. More few and far between. I have gotten feedback on the IRC chat (which helped, so I recommended it to you) My advice to you is to take it easy for a while, sit this up on a shelf somewhere and learn new stuff or whatever to improve. Then pick it up again later. Good luck all the same -H

Nice, new toy coming! I tried talking in counting before, I have this tendency to not be very clear; so I've been telling people how to do it in a step sequencer too. I think in counting though, so It's easier for me and I'm lazy. I am glad to see I was close to your beat when I broke it down. I saw it was a 2 measure pattern, I just said that because (at first glance) it's the only spot in the song where a 2 measure pattern repeats. (techno type repetitive drums) Just a tidbit more also, It seems I forgot the main thing I was going to talk about The song is mostly downbeats, cept for a few places; but they're done in such a way to keep the emphasis on the beat. I think that's why it sounds off to me. The better part of that entire bass drum part was up beats and off beats, with that powerful sample (me like much more than the old one) Now you've got me picturing it all up and going...'I wonder...' -H

This is getting good to the point where I'm really almost out my league to criticize it much. This had already made it into my creepy collector folder... At 4:31 is okay, with the snare. I picture that as a base drum thing, it could use some work and be smoothed out. If you want to use a roll type sound, it works better at the beginning of a fill like here, rather than at the end. 3 ti ta & a 4 e & a with a bass or accent on 4. Shortly after that, the bass drum goes crazy. This seems like a neat rock/poly thing from the beginning at 0:31, 1 e& a 2e & a3e&a 4. How very trip-poly of you:-P If you want to mix up the bass part there, try something like a 2 measure pattern. Adding notes in addition to the 4 on the floor beat you have now, you can leave off a note from the beat maybe once or twice and get away with it, but that sort of trip-poly thing just isn't working right there. I picture something like... 1 e&a 2e& a3 e & a 4 e&a|1e& a2 e& a3 e&a 4 e&a maybe? I'd have to hear it in context, but I think it meyheps could use some work right there. I think that's it for now. -H

MMhokay. Lets see here. My first thought was ratchet and clank, robot and lombax, but I couldn't remember a bully boss. Or a bully stage, or a bully powerup or weapon... Then it occurred to me there was also a bully game. This is a very percussion heavy piece. I hear the majority of your sounds being something that clicks, clanks, or is hit with a stick or mallet. It can get a little repetitive. (I hear bell kits, a xylophone, wind chimes, snare stick hits on rim, triangle, suspended cymbal, 2 pitch clapper thing I can't remember the name of) Anyways, my point is, it's lots of instruments that can't really change their pitch, so if you wanna vary things, it's gotta be in rhythm. I like poly rhythms if they work in a piece. I always think of crazy upbeat Latin stuff when I think of auxiliary percussion, which is what those 2 tone clappers remind me of. You'd be surprised how well some subtle poly rhythms add to something as long as it fits into the grand scheme of things. Another neat thing to do is to write your parts broken down into odd times. (if you have 3 bars of 4/4, write it showing all 12 beats, and give it the feel of a bar of 3, then a bar of 4, then a bar of 5. Very progressive stuff, Dream Theater does this all the time.) EDIT: I'm realizing looking back at it that I may not have been very clear on how to break that down. If you picture all 12 beats to break it down into a bar of 3/4 4/4 5/4 with a hit on ever beat would sound like (S snare B bass drum) B S S | B S B S | B S B S S. Then when it repeats, even though it's all in bars of 4, and is the right length, it doesn't sound like it quite fits. Anyways, sorry for the babbling, carry on. When the standard drum kit comes in, it's a very DnB type beat, which works pretty well. If you're worried about it getting old, substitute some of your auxilary parts in on top of a more basic beat. I'm a percussion nut, so don't mind me picking nits and drooling... Good stuff overall, hope that gives you something to think about. I'll be keeping my eye out of this thing coming along. -He

UPDATE: April 5, 2009 Newest: http://www.mediafire.com/?gliywfjmznk 1) Changed trumpet solo and major chords around. Kept having to remind myself 'don't think in flats, stop thinking in flats' 2) Boosted piano volume and dynamics 3) Bumped my own thread. Again. 6 days with no replies makes He sad 4) Got rid of the 30 second silence at the end. It was rendering nodes on my volume envelopes. 5) This still seems rough around the edges for some reason, but I can't put my finger on it...

Newest: http://www.mediafire.com/?j1djyzdjmwy I'm hoping this is close to what Gario was talking about. But I had some interesting junk happen. This plays in Em triads i, VI, III, VII. I changed part to EM, but the diminished vii sounded wrong, so It's a minor 7, which gives A# I, vi, iii, vii. It really puts it more in B there then E. Anyways, big headache figuring that out. I'm much better at something I can hit with a stick... Added french horn part to help out the trombone in the middle. I added an automation to the strings to play with different values. Right now it's adding a weird effect to the beginning, but I'm considering using it to go between soft and hard attacks in places as well. Various little transition fixes and volume changes. I put a tag and name in the MP3, but it's still 4:35 seconds long and ends at about 4:00. I must have done something to make it think there's more at the end -H

You might try the live chat from time to time, or IRC or whatever it is. I do better with the chance to beg and plea in real time... pwetty pweese! :puppyeyes: