Scrap McNapps

Minor update -The section after the first verse and before the second chorus is quieter. -Threw some bells in the second half of the second chours.

The arrangement in itself is too conservative. You can definately identify the source which is good, but there isn't enough of your own spin in this. Structure wise it is gets repetitive. It took me about two or three listens, but it seems that the majority of the song is 0:44-1:27 being looped. I know it is hard stretching out a 44 second song into remix that lasts longer than 2 minutes but it is doable as long as there is variation, which the lack of it is one of the things holding this song back. Play with some of the notes to see what you can come up with. Who knows, it might sound nice. I do like the type of sound you are going for.

This was amazing.

I loved the middle of the song, it felt so relaxing and calm. Nice and chill. The sound effects you added in the beginning were a nice touch. I really enjoyed the mix.

I have 2 other WIPs of this, but this is one I submitted first. My first version I did render it, but I didn't want to submit it knowing I could do more with it already. The second one the same reason, but moreso on the mixing side of things and I wanted to try and implement the tips I got when I did one of my other side projects This resulted in my third one which I thought was the most polished. Still had some other ideas though. Anyways, here is my 4th work in progress. -I used a different reverb preset for my instruments and I gave the drums their own reverb preset... and I even gave the hi-hat and cymbols their own preset. lol. It should sound less dry hopefully. -I adjusted the tune of the Toms and tried a different compression setting for them. They should pop out a bit more. I also increased the volume of the snare. -I made two attempts at dynamic contrast in two areas of the song. -I added a bit more melody to the song and as a result it is longer. Well... enjoy and critique away!

The guitar sounds MUCH better in this version. The panning is a nice touch. I like the other techniques you added to this. I agree with Neblix with the about the :27 related parts. Of the two, I think the decay would fit better IMO.

Thanks for the feedback. =) - I used these drums in my last WIP and they were fine from what I read. I think the problem in this case might be that I tuned the toms and the snare to a sound reference for them for this project. I'll tune them again though to see how it works out. -Dynamic contrast I looked up just now. lol. I plan on extending the song a bit more so I'll try and give that a go too. -For the low end I am using a lead. I made it low. It's not a typical sound but I felt it helped with the mood so I just rolled with it. -Reverb... I actually used quite a bit. I guess the reverb preset I used didn't cut it. And soloing the drums, it really didn't cut it. I'll experiment with with different types. Thanks again.

Seeing that college folk are broke most of the time, a free one is in order. DSK Brass I hear is pretty decent.

As a person who is new himself and begging for feedback, I should also give input, but I kinda have a rock bias for this song. That said I'll try and give my opinion. -The cymbal roll in the beginning is fine. -I don't like the guitar either. It is too clean for me. Experiment with some distortion in there to give it a Les Paul Gibson type of sound. If you don't like it you can always go back to how it was. -the part with the piano around the 1:30 mark, I noticed you got some type of stab there (assuming) brass. try doing them at either a higher velocity or octave (the same octave you have the horns at 1:39).

The choir library is nice. Besides the oohs and ahhs it has uuuuuus, mmmmms, and iiiiiiiiiiis. The variety is welcome.

Copped mine today. Can't wait to install.

Yeah you did... my bad You think the OP should implement that synth bass he has been using in the track would fill that low a bit more or use a different quality one for certain parts?

I would use a different guitar. An electric guitar would work better. I like the drum pattern you got. Otherwise, I like what you got so far.

I enjoyed listening to this piece. The samples used were good. But like it was mentioned, it does feel like an upgraded version of the song and OCR wants a touch more originality from the remixer. Work on the arrangement a bit more.

I bumped this thread rather than make a new once since I am working on the same song. Main source Mini-sources http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgrC1CFOJKg&feature=related Update as of Dec.11/2011 -I junked the synths and the cabasa and replaced them with orchestral instrument samples. -I used drums that sounded a bit more epic. -Rather than layering bells, I have like two different types of bells in total. -Made some minor changes to the arrangement. Still some mixing issues I need to work on (I did this on headphones), but this one sounds closer to how I had originally envisioned it. Has a bit more "power" to it you could say. Feedback is appreciated. Update as of Sept.9 My submission got rejected. The issues were -It was too sparse (some of it due to instrument levels and writing) -The beat lacked power. -Lack of bass to fill the low-end. -It was too simple (not a lot going on a most times). -Rigid drum sequencing. So on this 9th WIP is an attempt to fix those issues. I also trimmed off a minute to reduce the fat and remastered it. Feedback is welcome.

I agree. I would also like to add if you find that all your stuff is clipping prior to limiting, you are running a few of your tracks too hot and you need to turn down the volume of a couple of your tracks (at your discretion). Limiting of course raises the volume of your music, but it can also affect your dynamic range as certain sounds and frequencies are cut while the lower sounds get louder. It's very noticable when you play with the limiter.

This is an AWESOME track. I really enjoyed listening to this. Gonna give it a couple of more listens.

He makes a good point. The worst case scenario is that doesn't come out the way you want it (Which is VERY common so don't worry, it doesn't only happen to you). In that case you learn from it, and make the necessary changes.

I don't know about the hi-hat, perhaps a clap, but DEFINATELY a tambourine or some finger cymbals would be nice, who knows maybe both at different parts. EDIT: Actually... a hit-hat could work depending on the quality of it.

I agree. The guitar work was really well done.

Added some more. If that one doesn't work I will use a different one. Done Yeah, I don't use FL Studio. I use Ableton Suite 8 so I can only export Live Sets, wavs, and MIDI files. Here is the updated ones with your suggestions.

I missed out on the Komplete 5 deal... I won't miss out on this. So gonna get it.

In mainstream music you can get away with having a drum loop on repeat, notably in rap music and different variety of electronica music. Most of the people don't really care nowadays. That said, OCR demands a bit more out of a remixer.I learned that the hard way and I am still learning. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it forces you to get more creative and become better at your craft. Anyways, I pretty much agree with a lot of people on here about the drums. There isn't enough variation of drum patterns for a song like this. If there was some music that inspired you to take the song in this direction then listen carefully to the drum patterns to give you some ideas.

I like this. Well done!

Thanks for the feedback. I took out the drum kit not because I thought there was something wrong with them but because I was going through a destroy and rebuild type of thing and I normally add them last whenever I make something. I also wasn't going to bother putting them in if the melody was still crappy. I was just waiting for an okay. Well I put them back in and varied the patterns a bit more so it sounds even less boring than before (I hope I didn't overdo it though). I tried to get the Kore Player from NI but I am not able to download it from IE. I'll try using Firefox. I found another bass. I think it is an upright one from the sound. So this newer one I am posting is using a different bass. I adjusted the reverbs and levels so the horns should sound closer. The drums I added are the same ones I used in the past, but I varied the patterns a bit more in certain areas. I took out the chords in the guitar and put it back the way it was originally. Still working on an ending. And here is one without the bass. Supernova WIP5 no bass.mp3 - 4.27MB