rig1015

Sorry for quoting you Harmony but you always know your game and you make good points. 100% on this... If anyone thinks compression messes with a tracks sound (when in regards to loudness) try dithering and making alias freqs *shutters* so I target 44.1 & 16 bits as end result too. 24 bit 96Khz, I hear, is what most AES members are calling "Transparent Tape Analog". I personally stay within the 88.2 as well because of the even sampling break down and lack of odd sampled dithering in the back end. This is how the MP3 revolution CHANGED EVERYTHING. Think of one of your friends who still has a CD player for all of their personal media (besides maybe in the car). iPods and Portable MP3 players are the new standard, and what is wonderful is their only format standard is the codec (which means yes, your MP3 player is only as good as the codec that decodes your MP3 data) So Red Book format doesn't mean shit anymore! Hooray, we can make 32bit MP3 @ 96KHz. But are the samples you are using to make your track. are they 32 bit as well? No, probably 24, at most. Do we even need a dynamic range that big (32bit)? ... If you do you should probably look at your engineering skills and rearrange how you do it. As for 96khz/88kHz... This is a silly point because AD-DA conversion taught us why we need 44.1 (in case you don't know: human ear hears 20Hz to 20kHz; And in digital in order to keep alias frequencies from appearing you have to double the sample rate... so double 20kHz you get 40kHz, then add the Low Pass Filter Roll Off Curve and you get 44.1kHz. So now you know why red book says 44.1kHz). So if we think about it like a movie, in one second you get 44,100 frames shot by your eye / ear (24 fps in film, 29.97 in color TV) so if we up this to 88,200 are you going to notice a difference? If you do I want to know what you are doing on this forum and not working as world famous mastering engineer. But, there is always one. As for the MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, WMA, etc. anyone who records at the resolutions discussed prior, and then formats the end result into this is undoing all the frequency work! So to those I ask WTF!? In the end even lossless encoding is still "Taking data out of the original file" no matter how you cut it! So now you are relying on the codec inside the decoding app to do the just as good a job, the data isn't there but you're hoping that it will be though. If we stay on the path of PCM for our digital audio, resolution is a moot point, unless the player at the consumers end is as resolute as the tools we used to make the audio. DSD baby. DSD. Then encoding won't even matter. As for loudness... *chuckles* bigger bit depth then dither... go 64 if you need it during the mix. But when you master, master for 16. Thats all I got for that.

Yay, for soft synth's, MIDI, VSTi's and DAW's. If your keyboard has a storage drive built into it you might be able to load NEW samples for it like that (some manufacturers make cards and stuff like that). But if you want different sounds what you have is not what you are going to use to make it; unless your keyboard has a sampler tool built into it, then you might be able to rework the sounds / patches. Souliarc has the right idea for the easiest way to expand without really expanding.

Sounds sharp, resonant on the VHF. Smooth the high frequencies. Squash the guitar lead (compressor) that might help.

I've found that most creative entities go through this phase periodically. The best solution I've found is to become distracted with something else, creative or not, and slowly the impulse that has been over worked will rest and your ideas will return.

I was expecting claps cheers and hoots after a certain point. Sample & sequence THAT IN! It is awesome though. Good job.

I liked it. It was fun. Crits. Your kick... harder, bigger, more in my face... you could do this through in mix compression / limiting, post mix mastering, or square saturate your kick so it has more of a "way to distorted" sound. If you go in mix make sure to then mix around the kick; kick fader at 0.0dB, everything mixes under that. Post mix mastering; I've found that I can get a softer kick to sound really hard and in your face post mix down if the kick is left as is now but everything is turn down about -10dB (this is relative, listen to your mix and turn down accordingly). Square saturating... hmm... ever heard the Hardcore DJ Venom Tetris mix from ~1999... the way that kick sounds... more like that. Anyone of those might make your kick more "in my face." Ideas for drums: Stuttering: chopping a drum loop/sample into rolling 16th's, 32nd's, even 64th's Reversing: take the last 2 beat of a measure and reverse a few of the drum layers... maybe even a 4 count. I had some ideas for the sword FX (if you wanted); Just wondering if you've thought of using it (Sword FX) under a bunch of FX (Reverbs, Filters, Delays, etc.) and turning it into a rhythm tool. It might be tricky to nail but if done right could be awesome and "inventive." Like I said this was fun, and I'm a fan of the lead as is, if not a little more wet with FX's.

You gotta nice genesis chill with this track. Crits: Your wind sound FX has hard tailing, touch it with reverb to help decrease this. Bring more in quicker, you totally lost my attention span after a min. If the track isn't moving after a minute you could loose the audience. I understand tribute to source and progressing and all that what not... but still, way too long. Bring your drums up. They sound far thus to quiet in the mix... try turning them up a wee bit. Give an update.

Finished and subbed.

Is the EQ in the car setup any specific way or is it flat too? Also car speakers don't necessarily have the same Freq Range as your home speakers. The more boom in the monitor the harder the highs are to reproduce, so most systems cheap out by using a sub-woofer, thus taking acoustic pressure off the monitor to reproduce the frequency range more accurately. If you got a sub you got a response hole so that can affect reproduction. What I've started to notice I was missing in my mixx (besides talent ) was better Dynamic Compression with a more aggressive ARC setting. You could also try mixing quieter, that way, when you squeeze (Master) later you have a LOT of dynamic range to work with... makes your mixx explode. I guess Rozovian, I'd have to know your production procedure to see where you could do something different that might make it better.

Sounds like sample fatigue. No matter what you do with the sample engineering-wise, it just always sounds the same to you. Phase Transitioning... phase changing... maybe phase changing during a change, or note/pitch change...? What values can you alter with the plug? And does it make any traditional phaser sounds... cause that'll tell us how it is using phase. Topic: So for your orch arr. are you using your reverb as a send or as an insert. Because I've had a lot of success with using both at the same time. My FX chain: Synth (samples) > Reverb > Compressor > EQ > Send (Bus Reverb) > Main Mix Reverb (1st) - is just for warmth... a subtle verb. I just try to put it in a room. Compressor - to squeeze AFTER the 1st reverb. Bring out everything under the dynamics EQ - to clean everything up, "tighten mix." I tend to do this after compressing because 90% of compressors I've ever encountered will give you more in the "power range" (~200Hz -1kHz) of your spectrum and I like to tweek those bumps. Send (Bus Reverb) - to give the polish / "main" reverb. Using it on a send helps because I can route other instruments (samples) to it and they all sound like the are in the same space. Do what you do, but that is how I do. Hope you got some ideas.

Your piano still sounds far away.... but I think you should try and use that to your advantage rather than let it hinder the production quality. If you were to mix in some accompaniment (ie: Upright Bass, splashy "yazz" cymbals) and maybe another instrument to help with the lead; and you could have a cool little lounge performance of this theme, the distant piano giving feeling to a live on stage piano sound. I do love the interpretation that was applied here though. Very Cool.

This is a good trip. I'd love to see where you end up taking us. FB: is there anyway we can get more boom / low out of your kick?

While I was without the internet I worked, mostly for fun, on some Metroid arrangements. Made some mixes mainly for myself but I am kicking around one for possible submission. As-Is probably wouldn't get a yes. Things I would tweek before sub'd: Washes / Transitions, and EQ. I just was wondering if I should take a cue spot and sub this? AmR - 3-88 (Metroid 2- Return of Samus - Tunnel Theme)

Is this what we can expect for our work? To rock out guys like this?

Shrill...? I dunno... but I do know this you mids seemed hallow. Like you got the boom from your kick and all the 5kHz+ from the cymbals but no meat in the middle. I would say mix/EQ those tighter (Hi's and Low's) and bring your Mids forward more in the mix. I can hear your guitar but it doesn't sound "in front" in the mix. Beyond all that this is a awesome mix / arrangement, love the textures and sounds you gave everything.

Another Chrono Mix! Love the approach. Took a long listen; as you are building up into you drums for the first time your kick shuffles seemed over done... too much pressure, maybe sweep a low-cut filter under them as you build. All in all the mix felt dense but you said you were going for that over compressed sound. Hope it does well.

This was definitely a surprise, the drums make the track solid. Hope it passes.

I love this low end. It has a nice crumble in the rumble.

Took a listen... it being a FF mix and all. It was very fun with the rock styled beat. Artistic Crits: Your Rock drums, keep the sound(s) of it but chop the pattern/region up a lot here and there to give it a faster rhythmic sound. This way when you shift into your Trance beat (or loop... I couldn't tell) you can have easier feel shifting. Instrument choices... how synth do you want to be? Right now it sounds MIDI orchestra meets Trance Synths. If you want to keep the instrument synths and patches you have now, work them up more, like maybe add a delay on the clarinet sounding instrument that trills through once the melody picks up. You could also run some of the instruments through distortion plug-ins, like guitar amps, and clip distortion. Engineering Crits: Also with the drums, your clipping. You are actually clipping at various moments throughout. If you are doing it for deliberate distortion, cool, but it doesn't sound like you are. Compressors, Limiters, and MBDC plug-ins can help you with that. Sounds like you are hitting your mix bus' limit just a little to hard and your DAW can't quite hang. I would recommend a MBDC (Multi-Band Dynamic Compressor) on your main out-puts to help with those loud moments. Soft settings, we just want to stop the clipping, not make it loud as hell (yet). Turn your speakers way down and listen to your mix again (don't turn down your main outs just your speakers) see if anything stands out too much to you. Some times we think something needs to be at -3dB do be heard in the mix but it will have the same effect at -9dB and this will free up some harmonic space in the mix thus making it cleaner. After turning the bulk of your mix down try going back and seeing what levels can come back up, meaning what do you want to have stand out. Alright I've crit'd your ear off but it could be a fun mix and with enough work it could be a really awesome track. Ideas for title... ??? Iron it out more and see what starts to happen. Hope it helps.

Update: Added Climax and pretty much locked in arrangement. Still want to diversify drums a bit more, perfect transitions and transition FXs. Enjoy.

AmR - O.D. Alley (NRG Remix) (Pop-up) Back from the death of "lack of interweb." Got a hard dance hall remix of the Oil Drum Alley theme from Donkey Kong Country (SNES). This track doesn't have a climactic moment (yet) like my usual remixes do, I'm still ironing it out. Anyway it is good to see the sight once again, enjoy.

Ha Ha! Listen to my Logic's Mix Bus' SNR! Yeah Sorry... totally didn't set the right bounce values. UPDATE!!! And the interweb is out at my house so, so sorry to anyone trying to hit me up for a collab! Enjoy

2009....The year all the fame died... mwahahaha!

- I'm in the process of two remixes right now; both need choir work. - Choirs hate just singing vowels, plus that is boring and lame. I guess my question is does anyone know if there is any sort of written dialect or words of either the Chozo Language (Metroid) or the Hylian Language (Zelda)? More for Metroid... I would hate to do Latin for the source language and think it would honor the games more if I could get some words from the hypothetical languages, anyone out there able to help with this?

Why should all remixes be named positive titles ... doubt I'll see a title for a Metorid remixe called A Galactic Genocide err something... Anyway- Majora's Mask - Oathbreaker I've been going down this Majora's Mask trip lately. This is a WIP of the Oath to Order song from The Legend Of Zelda - Majora's Mask called Oathbreaker. I was going for an sound with this remix but unfortunately my orchestral abilities are not what they used to be so it slowly turned in an electronical remix... plus I don't really care for synth'd Orch work anyway. The choir part in this song will be recorded when I record the choir work for my Metroid Prime remix, D-Corrupted. Just an FYI. I'm probably looking to collab on this one... anyone interested feel free to PM me.