TheReverend

Thanks Emunator. I've tried to bring the sample I have as far as I can, but it seems like a consensus that it's the main drag on the mix. I don't play guitar, nor do I have the adequate recording equipment to record someone. I did, however, solicit a guitar player in the collab section of the forums 3 weeks ago, but I have gotten no response. If all else fails and that sample really makes the whole mix a hard sell, I might opt to replace it with another instrument. I'm really just out of options other than some additional tweaking, so if you have suggestions or know someone who would play/record it for me, please let me know!

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I changed up a lot at once in this last update, and I haven't settled entirely on the new rhythms for the guitar part. It's a little rushed/clumsy sounding, so I'm still working to make it fit. Keep it coming. I appreciate it.

Oh man, oh man, OH MAN! There's so much more cool stuff happening in this iteration. I'm still feeling the chills. Anyways, here's your Reverend's canonical and sanctified critique: The Good: It's just flat grooving all the way through the new section you wrote at 3:34. This new key change is incredibly refreshing, and a fantastic addition! I like the brief break from the synths. You good a good job at showcasing the strings and piano here, and it is sounding great. And man, oh MAN, that wailing synth you bring in is just perfect. I can practically hear someone crying this out into a microphone. It's so lush with emotion and color. You set the mood here perfectly, and the creative license you have taken here is monumentally fantastic. You do a great job giving it that extra oomph and life, and now I think you're to a point where you can write up an ending. Good work man. The Bad: There's still some overcompression/pumping at 3:06 on until the new section at 3:34 , and I'm willing to bet it's because that boomy kick drum is fighting all the other instruments for room in the master audio channel. This section still needs some attention to the production. The content and arrangement are great (as previously stated), but you gotta get rid of that pumping. If you're side-chaining the kick, make it not so prevalent. If it's just too much stuff crammed into the sound channel, you'll have to balance that out, or at least EQ the parts with the highest signal down a little bit. It could also be as I suggested earlier in this threat; the low end cutoff of the reverb might be doing it. I'm not sure without actually seeing the raw playback in your DAW. In reference to the above critique, if you're having issues locating where and/or what is causing the pumping/compression, you can watch the master waveform from 3:00 to 3:45 and see if it flattens out. If/when it does, that's a good indicator that the waveform has too much signal sent to it, and it is being compressed (if you have a compressor on it) or volume limited. It sounds like the very first note at 3:34 following the run up in the piano is out of the key. You quickly remedy this immediately afterwards. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but you ought to look at it. Man, you got me goin' with that new stuff all the way until 5:00, but then it just stops....I know it's because you're not finished, but I was super bummed to hear it just end! You already know this, but you'll need an appropriate ending. Other Thoughts: Holy flaming litterboxes, Batman! This mix went from awesome to epic for me. The new additions are musical genius. This has earned "embedded" status in my library, even if you quit now (and you had better not!). Excellent work, friend. I am glad to hear you are still working on this mix. It has unbelievable potential, and you are beginning to fulfill that. With the holiday season over, I expect a new version on my desk at 8:00 am Monday with a fully completed TPS report as the cover page.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your critiques. I genuinely appreciate it. I took many of your suggestions to heart in this next iteration. The update is, again, in the original post. Some of the changes include the following (spoiler warning!!): 1) I attempted more humanization of all the lead parts in an effort to give it more depth. 2) I adjusted some volume levels to achieve a better balance. 3) Changed the reverb effects on the percussion. After listening to it a few times, I definitely found myself agreeing that the percussion was way amped up on the reverb compared to everything else. 4) Added a small leadin to the first buildup. 5) Added a new part to aid in the big crescendo to the main motif.

This might (again) be shameless, but I'm bumping this in the hopes for feedback on my newest update. Please let me know what you think before I submit this as Mod Review, and hopefully an official submission by the end of the month. Thanks everyone.

Hey all. I'm currently working on a remix of Super Mario 64: File Select. It's decent sounding, but I'm still not really satisfied with the guitar sound I have. I am curious to see if anyone is willing to help me out and play some melodic acoustic guitar for me in this mix. Here's the link to my thread and the source/remix: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=730744 If you're interested, please post here or PM me and let me know. You can also email me at: amdgeek@gmail.com Thanks, all!

I think I just creamed my pants. This is a beautiful piece of music you have put together here. And if it only took you three hours to do this, then you have my undying loathing. Just kidding. But seriously, that's some wicked talent. I really have nothing to offer in constructive critique. The original melody is preserved quite well, but you add some very colorful and tasteful variation that just draws us listeners in even more than the source track. This is beauty if I've ever heard it. I better hear more songs like this from you. No pressure of course. I think this should be "finished", if not "mod review".

The Bad: The sax at 3:04 isn't very convincing. That sound would do VERY WELL in this mix, but what you've got isn't up to par with the rest of your mix. I'm sure you could tweak it to fit better, or I'm sure there's collab artists who would gladly wail on a sax for you. Sometimes I feel like the drums get a tad boring, but just when I get that feeling, you change it up. I'm not really sure if I'd mess with the drums a bunch, because the groove is awesome. Every once in a while it feels flat. I think I'm being overly critical though, so take this piece of critique lightly. *EDIT* Actually, I changed my mind after the second listen. Listening to the effects and the subtle rhythmic changes more closely definitely changed my mind. Sweet work man. The Good: Dude, that intro is slick. I *love love LOVE* that electric piano sound. The buildup from the intro is so smooth I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. You know, all the headbobbing and psychedelic lightshow stuff. 1:59 was a nice changeup. I like that the kick drum has a lot of depth, but it's not overly boomy. This part rocks my socks. The only complaint is that you build up such an awesome beat and groove here, but I don't feel like you really punch it with a sick lead line. The ambient groove works, but I think you could really make this section shine and hit hard with a sharp sax or some other hard edged instrument. The syncopated synth pops at 2:26 are a very nice touch and the bassline here is well preserved yet nicely customized. Aaaaaand you brought that sexy piano back. The production and filtering of the drum parts is enough to keep it lively and entertaining. Good job! Other Thoughts: Dude seriously, I could grove to this all day. You have some excellent stuff going on here. There are a few production details to attend to, mainly the sax sound, but overall the sound is good. It definitely feels funky. Great work man. Can't wait to hear your next update.

So I just realized that you've given me plenty of feedback on my mix, and I have yet to comment on yours! So, here goes: The Bad: The sound is a little muddy at 1:18. Perhaps it's a little overcompression or too much reverb. I hear some pumping while the kick drum is more prominent. The soundscape is squished here. It's not overwhelming, but you might take a look at it. I'm having a hard time picking out "bad" things, which is good! One thing you might look at doing with your bassline: make it do something other than octaves in the active parts. It fits the song and is a throwback to the old 8-bit and 16-bit days of Mario, but perhaps as the song progresses, maybe change it up some? That's really a minor qualm, because the overall construction of the song is quite solid. The Good: The beginning of the song from 0:00 to 0:39 does a very good job at leading us into the Dire Dire Docks theme. The theme itself has some very nice variation in the piano. Also, at 0:58 the melody is thrown around between the piano, strings, and brass. Excellent! The panning is a nice touch too. Nice change of pace at 2:10. I like the choir here as well. The synth at 2:22 is a wonderful touch. The chimes at 2:29 are fantastic! (um, share those please. ) The ambient effect of the percussion in the piece is awesome. That ending is sweet man. I love the trilling marimba sound. Other Thoughts: The overall sound of your instruments is superb and very convincing. The finesse of your application of effects is apparent, and this piece is a very interesting take on a theme that is commonly remixed (not that that is bad in any way). This has been very easy and pleasurable to listen to. There's really not much "bad" that stood out to me. I think you've got a solid mix here, and if you haven't submitted it for mod review yet, you might consider doing so soon. Best of luck!

New update! I have done some additional tweaking to some of the parts and made subtle changes to rhythm to try to humanize the song. I'm also changing this to Finished, and I welcome everyone's additional critique. Thanks everyone, and Happy New Year! (new update is in the original post)

This is dirty, nasty, disgusting, gritty, outright murderous, tangibly upsetting, facemelting, unadulterated genius. I'm listening to this in the shower and I still don't feel clean. Seriously man, this is epic, well produced, perfectly in the style of dubstep, and could probably be an outright and direct post if you sub it as is. Props, Kudos, whatever other digital prizes you can be wished. This is golden.

Has this seen a full release already, or is it being released as tracks become available?

I just about fell out of my damn chair. Goosebumps down the spine are definitely indicative of a stellar composition and rock solid performance. There is so much good going on here, my senses are overloaded. I don't really think I can offer much in the form of constructive critique. This is so well produced, tastefully arranged, creatively manipulated, and deftly performed. I was incredibly sad to hear it end. This should be in Mod Review, not WIP. This is far beyond the clunky, coarse mold of a WIP. This is distinctly polished to a unblemished shine. This is gold. Bravo, and I look forward to seeing this on the ACCEPTED list soon.

This might be shameless, but I'm bumping this thread in the hopes of receiving more feedback. I really appreciate what I have gotten, but I'd like more of your thoughts WIP prowlers if you would indulge me. @M249-M4A1 - I have done some slight adjusting to individual sound levels, and I agreed about the Dire Dire Docks theme starting right away, so I nixed that in the intro. Thanks! -Rev

^^^^^^^^^^^^ - What they said!

Thanks for the feedback guys. I really appreciate it. At this point, I just wanted to be sure I was headed in the right direction. I literally wrote and rendered this piece last night in just a few hours, so there is a ton of work to be done with the sound samples; I'll concede that. I just didn't want to waste time on a mix if it didn't get a good vibe. I'm going to extend this out and add more original and unique parts to adapt it more as a Remix. My goal is to see at least one of my songs through to being posted. Keep an eye out for another update on this one sometime during the next week or so. Any additional feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening, everyone! -Rev

Okay, WIP forum prowlers, I know I have an active thread already for my Super Mario 64 File Select remix, but in a spurt of creativity this evening, I ended up with something really cool, and I wanted you all to hear it and tell me what you think. It's a remix of the Legend of Zelda Overworld theme (like THAT'S never been done before.) You can find the source I used here: Additionally (and most importantly for this post) you can find my new WIP mix of this song here:

The Good: Dude, that synth in the beginning (0:20) is SOOOOO much better sounding. Whatever you did to replace the instrument or heavily modify it worked, and it worked damn well, and you NEED to keep this sound. It's perfect. I dig the nuances you have here too. Little pitch slides and flams here and there. This is a world different, and sounds great. The new drum pattern variations sprinkled around the song are a welcome addition. Sometimes the ride cymbal is a tad harsh, but that's a minor and easy fix. Dude, the synth sample and sequencing you have at 1:32 is just golden. I love the breakdown here. You get really gritty and slide that melody around like it's no one's business. 2:03 is pretty psychedelic with that vibrating effect. The ascension at the very end of the song is sweet too (if that happens to be Slayer doing that, so be it. KEEP THAT PART) Like I said before, the ending section at 2:12 is a slow, heavy rocker, and the only thing holding you back is Slayer. The soundscape is much less squished and pumped sounding. There are still some sections that need attention, but overall the mix sounds 100% better. The Bad: My headbanging and foot stomping came to an abrupt halt a minute into the song. I was disappointed to hear that screeching, cutting Slayer lead still playing at 0:59. The sound you had going on already with that synth was great (though it isn't a bad idea at all to pass the melody off to a new instrument at this point). This part in particular is the weakest part of your mix when it comes to the mix. You have got to replace this instrument with something new, or find a creative way to keep the first lead instrument you have in the mix. 1:24-1:30 has that double kickdrum the entire 6 seconds. Instead of being a neat little effect to add oomph to the song, it gets old, distracting, and ugly. Maybe just one or two measures of that would be good. Too much just sounds unimaginative. Other Thoughts: You'll probably need more variation and unique material for this to be OCR quality, but you have a solid start. The grunge rock feel you have is totally sweet, and those synths are just smooth and raunchy all at once. Work on finding a new instrument for those Slayer lead/rhythm parts, and then you're down to the nitty gritty of tweaking the small things. This version has seen a ton of improvement. Keep it up man! This is sounding better and better with every version you've posted.

There's a lot to cover here, so I'll do my best to address the biggest parts. The Bad: The guitar samples just don't cut it at all. The first one that enters at 0:20 is tolerable. You might be able to pull this off as a synth type guitar with enough effects, but that's a far shot. Oh, no, no, no! I gotta be brutally honest. 0:59-1:15 just makes me cringe. Slayer is a terrible guitar sample, and you have it as your lead instrument here. Fortunately, it leaves the scene quickly. You need a new sound here, whether it's a new guitar or a new instrument entirely. If you change nothing else at all, make sure you change this. 1:24 That double kick isn't working at all. There's so much low end noise that it makes it difficult to listen to. The compression also diminishes this effect. If you insist on keeping this double kick drum you need to find a way to fix the production of it. A cool idea, so I would like to see you fix it rather than scrap it. The drums in general need some attention. They are quite dry, which could be a benefit to the sound you are going for, but they need to be balanced. The ride cymbal in the beginning is particularly loud, I think. The overall sound is good for this sort of raunchy, grizzled, rock sound. It just needs touch ups. The sequencing rocks! The bass line is pretty much a copy from the source. You'll need some variation on this part. You don't have to make it crazy, but a few changes to the source here or there will keep it from getting bland and vanilla sounding. There's a bunch of compression pumping on this track. It might boost the low end (which I think is what you may have been going for) but it causes the rest of the parts to suffer. The mix is a decent arrangement. I like the heavy rock feel you are going for, but it's too conservative. You do a great job at 1:32 on switching things up melodically, but I think you ought to do more in the beginning to make it a mix unique to you, rather than a cover of Big Blue. Biggest complaints: (1) The production on this track is holding you back tremendously. If you can get a handle on how to properly morph and manipulate your sounds, the quality of this mix will increase dramatically. (2) The quality of the instrument samples, particularly the guitars, are just no good. I would strongly encourage you to find more believable, realistic samples, or use another instrument in your library that is more believable and easier on the ears. The Good: The drum sequencing is actually quite good. There's some great variation that compliments the different sections of your mix quite well. With a small bit of attention to detail and sound processing, the drum track will sound truly fantastic. I like the synth sounds you use, especially at 1:24. They add an edge to the song that wasn't previously there, and it adds flavor to the overall mix as it transforms. The sequencing that follows at 1:32 is freakin' awesome. This is the part that really drew me in. You've got some really sweet stuff going on here from 1:32 all the way to 2:12. Epic. The double time at the end of the mix is a nice changeup from the balls-to-the-wall tempo in the beginning. The jury is still out on the ending though. It works, but at the same time I want more. The overall arrangement is alive and kickin'. This is a high energy piece of music you have here with a ton of potential. You've got a fantastic start. Other Thoughts: This has got a lot of good and a lot of not so good in it. I think once you address the overall production issues and instrument samples, you will have a formidable mix here. Keep at it. I'd like to hear a new version.

Just making a quick update. I fixed the download link (it was broken for some reason. My song got deleted after a day.) Please please, give me a critique on this if you would. I think it might be close to Mod Review, so if there's anything you think I ought to change, please tell me soon!

Duuuuuuuude this is mellow and slick. The Good: You set a fantastic mood. I can practically see myself ambling down an urban street with rain pouring down everywhere. There is a relaxed pulse to the atmosphere. I think it really pulls the listener in. I love the intro. It gets right down to business with just how dark this mix is gonna sound. The rain? Oh yeah. Friggin' sweet. The arrangement thus far isn't too bad. You have a lot of little original parts that add your own flavor on the source, and it has that slow jam groove. The Bad: Get rid of that bell sound. It's a little bright for the rest of the instrumentation for my tastes. You have a warm, jazzy sounding guitar, a mellow upright bass, a minimal drum kit, and a bell sound that cuts like a knife. Now, you can make this sound work if you really want it, but I think you can find something to fill these shoes better. Piano would be a good sound. Saxophone would also be an excellent choice (I can practically hear someone wailing out some major improv later on). Even a brass instrument would do well. Just my personal taste, however. I know you said this is a rough mix, but there are some technical issues that need attention. The drums aren't very solid rhythmically. I know you'll probably lay another track down with a metronome or whatnot, but don't get robotic. I think keeping the rhythm loose adds that human element and can accentuate the emotion in the music. While I'm on the drum kit............BRUSHES man. You can really jazz this up with some solid brush work on those cymbals. I would love to hear that sound, and it would fill up the holes in the drum work with a bit of sound. I think this would be a perfect idea for the intro, if not the whole mix. I do, however, like that the drums try to stay light and don't really get very busy. Other Thoughts: The actual sound you have is just awesome. It sounds like you're playing here in my room. It's so organic. I love it. You have incredible potential with this remix, and I want want WANT to hear your next iteration. I look forward to seeing an update, and hopefully soon!

I have always loved and cherished this song from Chrono Trigger, and as such I am excited to hear and review this remix. Down to business: The Bad: The choir samples are lackluster, but I do understand how difficult it can be to acquire good samples that aren't obnoxiously expensive or proprietary. You might see if you can use the ADSR envelops to manipulate the base, organic sound a bit. After that, you are going to have to find a clever way to process them. EQs, compressors, reverb; it's gonna be a tad difficult, but definitely within reach. The lack of quality is only really apparent on the higher registers. The running piano arpeggio in the song, while quite indicative of the original source, tends to get a little old over time (though this complaint may end up rather small, seeing as the mix is only a short 1:19 ATM). As you lengthen this mix, you may want to consider passing it to another instrument, fading it for a bit, or adding some variation if you linger on the source much longer. I do notice that at 1:01 you do switch up the mix entirely, which is definitely welcome. I think this is a too conservative in its current form, but I see that you mentioned that in your original post. Here's what I think anyway: I think the tempo is pretty close to the original (not necessarily bad). In addition, You have done a great job creating the atmosphere and capturing the heart of the original source, but I think you need to take more creative license in morphing this into your own mix. I think you have already begun to do this, however, because at 1:01 you begin to deviate from the original a bit, which is a welcome change. I think this will be the biggest issue for this mix, as there are very few production issues. The Good: I think the arrangement overall is quite good, albeit short. While the original theme is obviously present, there are plenty of original parts you have written in to give it your own flavor. It just needs much more of this to showcase your own unique take on the source. The production of many of the instruments and samples is already quite good and pleasing to the ears. I particularly like the piano and cello/contrabass samples. The oboe is pretty decent as well. The tubular bells may need a tad bit of tweaking to sound more realistic and organic (a tad more reverb and a little EQing?). As I mentioned earlier, the choir samples do need attention, but as for sound creation/quality, the choir sounds are my only big complaint. Kudos for quality of your other instruments, though. The choir sounds might be lacking, but the manner in which you use them and the sequencing/arrangement is quite good, in my opinion. It's not a direct copy from the source, and they support the melodic motif of the song. Other Suggestions: The percussion is somewhat minimalistic and calm, which I think is good for the character of this mix. The sound quality is believable, but could benefit from a bit more production. It's a tad too similar to the source, in my opinion (again, this is also something you mentioned, so I'm sure you already have an idea of how you want to change it up). I think you can add a tremendous amount of bravado and thunder to this mix with some quality timpani rolls and hits. There's also a lot of cymbal work you can do as well that would only intensify the mood and do even more to grab the listener and bring them close. I know you have more writing/composing to do, so I'm not really holding that against you. This mix has great potential, and it's obvious that you are already quite talented and knowledgeable about writing and producing music. Some more variation and original writing, in addition to lengthening the song will do wonders for this mix. You have a solid start and good material/production, and I look forward to your next update!

Whooooooooaaaaaaaa! There's so much improvement in this update that I just gotta start with The Good first! The Good: The addition of the piano adds an incredible amount of atmosphere to the beginning of the mix, and it's just enough to tease us. A little lick here, a little tad there. The harmonies and counter melodies are quite complimentary to the main motif. You get mega kudos for this. Spot on man! I can tell you've spent a good bit of time tweaking that piano, and my friend, it has paid off in great dividends. It sounds so much more believable, and it now adds a whole new layer of mystery to the mix, and gives it more of a drive. Excellent. The issues with the squished sound seem to be resolved. Great job! This mix gets more and more epic as the days go by! The Bad: This section is getting shorter and more nitpicky. This is good, because it shows you have made tremendous progress. Here goes: You do such a GREAT job at building this up. It's as if you are quietly telling an engrossing story, and the listener has to lean in to hear you tell it. It could be personal preference, but the lead line seems to lose a little bit of that. The melody/sequencing is great, but the sound just isn't quite cutting it for me. The synth backdrop with a synth lead gets a little stale. You have created an atmosphere that lends so so well to all kinds of instruments, so perhaps you might play around with some wilder synths or maybe another organic instrument? I can hear a sitar or other oriental instrument doing well. Perhaps a mandolin sound? Whether you choose a new instrument at all doesn't matter so much as focusing on coloring your lead instrument so that it stands out a little more and says "I'm here, and I'm beautiful. Listen to me!" There's a tad bit of compression/clipping issues at 3:00 when the strings come in, lasting throughout the ending, though it is most evident at the loudest part/climax. It could be overcompression, or there could be a mixer track that is clipping like crazy or being severely volume limited. If the latter is the case, decreasing the gain would likely fix that problem right up. This is a tiny, tiny, tiny complaint. I like the boomy sound of the kick, but when it becomes more active, there's a lot of low end noise. (I'm only listening on headphones, so I don't know what it sounds like on a speaker setup) You might consider having a slightly higher low-end cutoff on the reverb, though not but a whole lot, as you don't want to lose the effect of this boomy sound. Mainly, you want to get it out of the 30hz-70hz range. Like I said, small complaint here. I think the only big compositional issue left is finding a way to end this song. I know I commented on this last time, but I'll expound a little bit on what I mean. You do a fantastic job bringing it to a climax and it rides out for a while, but at the end of your current iteration, it literally just stops. I would guess it's because you actually haven't written the part yet, so if I am correct, here is my advice: I would slowly fade out the piano, and perhaps make it less busy (but don't change what you already have!) as you head towards the end of the song. I'd do the same for the bass and supporting pads. You can do a lot to bring the song down by using the strings. They built up to an epic high, but now you can slowly take those block chords and moving parts from 3, 4, or 5 different notes to just 1 or 2 with some slight movement. Also, I would LOVE to hear this song end with the synth you came in with. Have it die almost completely out, and then "duh do do do doo!", a little space, then once more, and die out to silence. Those are my only critiques at this time. You are making some solid, definite progress on this mix, and quickly. I've listened to this every day since I first found it on here, and every update you have made has only gotten better and better. I look forward to seeing where you are going to take this mix next, because every time I listen, I am pleasantly surprised. Kudos.

New update! Made some tweaks to the guitar sound and timings. Also tweaked some of the arrangement/composition in the mid section. Also tweaked some sound levels here and there to bring some instruments out or suppress others. Let me know what you think! -Rev

Okay! New version! There's good things happening, and a few not so good things. The Bad: The samples are still pretty weak for the piano and the newly added strings (look for some comments in the Good section though!). I surmise you may be struggling to find an organic, unchanged or manipulated sample that has a strong sound. Admittedly, finding a solid piano sample can be tough if you aren't trying to spend a lot of cash, but it can be done. It's going to be a tough sell on that piano (though it does sound a bit better with the tweaks you have made). The strings don't really sound much like strings. This could be because they are masked in the rest of the soundscape (see below section). However, I believe this too is from the lack of a decent sample. If you can't find a solid sample, a decent pad (Sytrus has many good ones if you're using FL Studio, which I think you are) and there are plenty of free VSTs you can acquire to beef up your sample library. (As a side note, you can peruse the forums here for free samples. One I found myself that was particularly useful was an entire library of orchestral instruments, which had many useful strings and other tidbits hidden in the soundfont libraries.) I'm not sure if you increased the reverb on the individual tracks or if you have a new compressor on the track as a whole, but when it gets busier, the soundscape starts to sound muddy and squished. This is especially apparent at 2:43 and even more so at 2:55 when the new strings come in. You either need to cut that compression quite a bit, EQ out some overlapping frequencies, cut the reverb volume, remove some instruments from that part of the song, or drop the compression altogether and balance the effects to clean it up some. You're heading in the right direction, but just took an off step. EDIT: After listening to your previous version, I can tell you really ratcheted up the reverb on the shaker. I think a tad bit more was a good idea, but I think it's too much and might be what is contributing to the muddy sound. Too much reverb has that effect, so you can cut the delay time or cut how much reverb is actually on the shaker. I think a little of both might help. The end leaves me wanting more. It's rather abrupt (though it sounds like you aren't quite finished with the composition yet, so I don't really hold this again you). Easing the listener out of the song after such a massive buildup would be a good way to end this song. The Good: I like to see that you're doing more with that piano line. Like I said in earlier posts, it adds some life to the mix. You might want to sprinkle bits and pieces (even if they are silly 5 note runs) into the piece earlier on so we (the listeners) don't have to wait til 2:43 for a new instrument. The composition of the parts so far are good. The strings add even more depth to the song, and help give it an 'epic' feel. I think once you find a sample more befitting of your song, this will be superb. The new parts you've added in the strings and the piano at the end really set the song up for a huge climax. Huge huge huge. Right when the piano starts the rhythmic arpeggiating is when you can lay it on thick. The strings are just drawing out every ounce of music they can and the piano is rushing up and down. This is where you can make it count, even for just 4 or 8 bars, and then let the storm you've worked up die out into the gentle soundscape you slowly pulled your listeners in with. Well, it's getting late and my brain is mush. I hope this is helpful to you. You are making great progress. Keep it up!