DarkSim   Members

Well spotted!

So I've been listening to loads of electro and trying to emulate the production techniques and learn new tricks to really get the track to sound huge, as well as bounce along with a nice melody and groove. Here's what I came up with: http://soundcloud.com/darksim/rapture Nailed it?

Yeah the transition was defo the best part. Youtube kills the sound quality though - at least I'm blaming youtube Really not feeling that trancey arp either. It feels like this song could use a little less clutter and a bit more phatness from fewer instruments. Maybe hit that transition sooner as well.

I smell a collaboration... make it happen guys!

Stop giving them ideas! And seriously, wtf America?

Never heard of the game before, but I love it when people remix unremixed stuff (as you might be able to tell), and especially when it's a newcomer. This is a great debut, and displays a very impressive level of polish. I really like downbeat style, and the synth choices are perfect to set the mood. I think the beat works well with the piece, and the cymbal break is a really nice way to mix it up on the percussion side, leading into the more groovy solo section, which is my favourite part of the remix. Great stuff, and hopefully you have more in the pipeline!

This right here, this is the shit. Carry on sir!

I love it! Nailed the style completely. Only criticism is that the vocals get a bit lost when the track gets busier, so you might want to bring them up a bit in the mix. Great stuff

This thread is my advent calendar for this year. Amazing stuff! I'm downloading them alllllll

Hi, welcome to OCR! So there are some mixing issues - that piano is nice, but everything else seems a bit low in the mix, especially the drums and that synth right after the piano intro. The main thing I find with this is that all the sounds are a bit generic-sounding. I'd say look into expanding your synth library and experimenting with new sounds. Congrats on the A, though

Yeah that was delightful! Like an old timey jam on the porch. O Cuccos, Where Art Thou?

OK so I gave this a listen or 2 and that is a very nice intro! However after that there are a number of problems that are pretty glaring... the piano is clipping loads (can you hear the distortion? That's clipping) and the soundscape feels very disjointed. The backing is nice and mellow, but the piano is so harsh and the pad is far too quiet. I'd suggest hitting up this section of the forums for some production tutorials, and Rozovian has written this excellent guide for people wanting to get posted on OCR. It's definitely a great starting point, especially if you're stuck in a rut at the moment and need some inspiration, or a new approach. Good luck

Yeeeeey! Stats! I'd like to celebrate by sharing this recent photo of myself:

Every so often a mix comes along that is SO GOOD I just have to link it to people who have no interest in VGM at all, and this is one of them. Every single component of this just blows my mind. To start with, it's a great source, but to do it this well... it's an incredible feat. Everything's so clean, right from the acoustic guitar intro to the live trombone, and even the chiptune section is integrated seamlessly. The electric piano soloing is a glorious way to end it, and yet still leave me wanting more. That's what the replay button is for I guess! Even amongst all this excellence though, there's one part that does stand out further, and that's the percussion. I really appreciate a well thought out drum pattern, and this has such variation and groove that even just listening to the backing is enough to get you dancing. There's so much detail in there, right down to some stick work towards the end in the final breakdown. Marvellous!

OK chums LET'S DO THIS! Castlemania 2010 Voodoo, Roots 'n' Grog Lost In The Mines

For some reason it never occurs to me to start mixes off with the beat in full swing, but whenever I listen to someone else's mix that does it I instantly keep it playing. Maybe I should try that myself. Anyway, I love the groove, the melodies, and the overall style of this track. It's sitting right underneath "Too Soon" from Ben Briggs' Attention Deficit EP and I think it's a great follow-on track to that. The transition to 6/8 I really enjoyed, I think it's really smooth and a nice change to finish. I actually changed to 6/8 for the final 2 bars in my Machinarium remix after listening to this quite a few times, so it's definitely been an influence. My only gripe is that the filter seems to come up a little too quickly after it's swept down, but that's so small I feel a little bad for saying it, but there you go. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR NEXT TIME OK? Cheers

It's a slight improvement, but my worry is that you've worked on it for so long you're only making relatively small changes (I do this all the time). You should try and remove all reverb, and build it back up from the ground. The percussion after the drop is so flimsy it really doesn't bring the song to a satisfying conclusion after that really cool build up. If you haven't already heard it, this is a remix of the same source in a similar style http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02143/ - you should aim for the clarity of production evident in this, as this is what the judges will have in mind when evaluating this mix. Notice how each individual element is clear and has its own space. I don't know if you've EQ'd all your tracks yet, but slice them up so that each one occupies its own range and there is minimal overlap. Once the EQing is done, you'll find you can make out everything more clearly, and up the volume of the mix without it sounding muddy, thus allowing for bigger builds and drops. Thankfully, the arrangement's all there, so just concentrate on production and you should have a really great remix. Good luck!

Oh, very nice first effort! Just want to add that I agree with Monobrow - this mix is sopping wet Also the build and drop before the final chorus, where the "door unlocked" chime comes in could be a little more pronounced - again could be a product of the reverb merging the sections together. Great effort, clean it up and I'd love to hear it again!

I like it as well, could stand to have a bit more of a dynamic arrangement (more breakdowns), and some more original material, but it's a great start. I'd happily play UT to this

DarkSim approves. Totally awesome cover, this is what the original was meant to sound like I think! If you add more original parts then you should submit this to OCR - we need more PD remixes!

I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of The Whelchel, and this mix just blows my mind! Someone was certainly delivering a few odd mushrooms to the potion shop when making this...

He speaks the truth

Wow, today I learned..! Thanks for that info, I'll have to check out those other 2 sources as well.

Ah crap, I can't make it! Would have been cool to meet you lot, maybe next year eh?