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Xarnax42

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Posts posted by Xarnax42

    Looking for a male singer

    in Recruit & Collaborate!

    Posted

    I'm working on a cover version of the song Misty Mountains (Cold) from The Hobbit. I've got most of the arrangement in place, but I'm suffering from a lack of microphones and a deep voice.

    If you don't know the source,

    's the original song. I need someone who can match this somehow, it would be much appreciated.

    This is what the arrangement sounds like so far.

    I can take a look at it if you'd like. I typically don't have a low range, but I know a couple tricks to get there if I'm recording. However, I'm traveling through 7 January, so I may not have a chance to do much for a while. I absolutely LOVE that song, though, and encourage anything inspired by it.

    Here's the best example of something I've done similar to that style. http://soundcloud.com/xarnax42/o-domine-jesu-christi

    Thoughts on Future Compos?

    in Competitions

    Posted

    I've had ideas for a few different compos, and I'm throwing out some feelers for which ones would garner any interest, or whether, with the size of the community, we're approaching compo saturation. Below are some outlines; feel free to suggest ways to improve them (some good names would be nice), or pitch any other ideas you might have.

    Expanding Your Comfort Zone

    Compo Format: Each remixer picks a source tune, game, or series. Each round, a genre is chosen, and the mixer has 1 month to produce a remix of their selection to fit that genre. The number of rounds is up for debate, but I'm thinking somewhere in the 6-12 range. A remixer does not need to participate every month, but probably a minimum of 3 entries would be required to be eligible for the final rankings.

    Judging: Voters would consider several factors, such as how well the source fits the assigned genre, production, arrangement, enjoyability, and give each factor a score on a scale of 1 to 5, for a total of 20 possible points. Total points for one track is divided by the number of votes for that track. Aggregate score throughout the competition is an average of scores for all tracks.

    This model allows mixers of varying skill to participate at their convenience, and, in the event of high participation, frees the voters from the stress of listening to and ordering all the entries. Better known submissions will obviously get more attention, but averaging scores will prevent this from skewing the votes exponentially in their favor.

    The main goal is for remixers to familiarize themselves with a variety of genres and to gain experience in the production techniques required to pull them off.

    Production Compo

    Compo Format: Each round begins with a given source tune. The objective is simply to recreate the given tune as authentically as possible without live instruments. Occasionally, if the source has vocals, collaborations may include vocalists who want to attempt to match the style of the original singer.

    Judging: Voters should consider primarily how closely entries match the original track. Particular considerations would include sound design/instrument tone and humanization. Still up for opinions on the best format for voting.

    The main goal is for mixers to hone their production chops to recreate exactly what they're hearing in their heads. It is also an excellent opportunity for vocalists without any production experience (or interest) to show off their talent.

    More Mash-Up Remix Compos!

    We've done lots of Mega Man, and now the Street Fighter and Sonic series have gotten some love. It helps that so many source tunes in each of those series have a lot stylistic similarities. But there are plenty of others that could make for equally compelling competitions. Which other series would you like to see the community tackle? (Or, how do people feel about a compo in the same format where contestants can pick ANY source from ANY game?)

    How do I listen to classical music?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I find this to be a good starting point for choral/opera:

    http://youtu.be/1S2NI0AIP3E <--- go through all of Requiem

    Oh, man. I have had the pleasure to perform this Mass twice. It's so incredible. The last time we performed it, our soprano on the Pie Jesu was incredible. I don't get goosebumps, but I did that day.

    As for you, Avatar of Justice, Palestrina's

    was one of the choir's favorite and never rotated out of our repertoire. This video may help if you read music, so you can see how it breaks down. Not sure if it's exactly this kind of polyphony that you're struggling with, but here are a couple things that might help you appreciate it:

    It's incredible how much harmonic movement these composers could achieve while EVERY VOICE is singing melodic lines (although the less talented composers generally screw the altos).

    Listen for call and response. Often transposed a fifth, lines are often highlighted by rythmic repetition coming a few beats/measures after the initial variation.

    Some composers like Palestrina and Victoria really stuck to consonant, harmonious tones, whereas

    and
    play more with resolving dissonance. The former are easier to get lost in, and will probably be more rewarding for you if you listen to individual parts and how they play off each other. The latter really will be more likely to be able to capture your attention as a unified piece.

    It's also possible that the song selection just isn't very good. Any examples on what you've been sitting through?

    What are you listening to?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I had not. Thanks!

    And, yeah, he has the smoothest voice I've ever heard. And Dean Dinning is an incredible back-up singer; I saw them live, and his harmonization was consistently spot on in pitch, volume, and color. And all their stuff is just so chill. Still probably my favorite group ever.

    RWS 1-2 - ReMixing With the Stars: Season 1 Episode 2: Origins of Home Gaming

    in Competitions

    Posted

    Just a question - about the lead synth, are you talking about the chippy pulse wave or the obnoxious saw-ish thing halfway through?

    The one that plays the melody at 0:29 - I just figured out why, too: it's that same off-putting color as when a singer sounds too nasal.

    D'awww :3

    But really, all the props go to you. All I did was provide comments on each section of the song. You're the one with the cool ideas. Plus, your track makes me really want to compose a purely 8bit track.

    Dooooo iiiiiitttttt.

    RWS 1-2 - ReMixing With the Stars: Season 1 Episode 2: Origins of Home Gaming

    in Competitions

    Posted

    Because of the upcoming holiday week, I'll also be announcing the next episode tomorrow and extending the voting period to 2 weeks.

    Well, crud. I somehow interpreted that to refer to the voting period that just ended. Sorry, I missed that. :/

    At least reviews can never be late!

    2 Sizes, 4 Swords, 8 Bits - I really love the high-energy melodies, and the way you layered different wave types gives a really rich texture to your mix. A few of the transitions are a little awkward, and some of the parts with either a slower tempo or minimal instrumentation don't quite work as well -- the nuances that carry the energy of such a section in a live piece are much harder to pull off with these sounds. Overall, super catchy and a fun listen.

    A Passing Dream - Had to look up the source on this, and props for such an ambitious effort. In addition to some of the smoother parts, the source bounces a lot between aggressive and just chaotic in a way I can't appreciate so well on first listen. Anyway, you've done a lot of great things with it. I don't know why it's taken so long for guitar[or other live instrument]/chip

    fusion to become a thing, but it works so well. Really love all of the chip arps throughout, and the soloing is great too. Triangle was a bit different choice for the lead at 1:32, but works over the rhythm guitar. The section starting at 2:00 gets pretty muddy. Like Kuolema, I really need a break from that syncopated background that goes from 2:40 basically to the end. It's both loud and really repetitive. Other than that, though, I like the energy and the vision to really do justice to the source. Good stuff.

    Cool Side of the Mountain - Originally a pretty bluesy arrangement, now a bit more of a lounge jazz. With familiar sources, not surprisingly, I almost always prefer more conservative arrangements, and I think there's definitely room to appreciate the same restraint when dealing with genre. I'm on board with the organ, and there are a lot of great arrangement ideas here. The reverb makes things pretty muddy, and an EQ that favors the lower frequencies doesn't help with that. I'm not sure if you chose any of your sounds to fit the theme, but if this entire arrangement were redone with live instruments (or realistic samples), it would have a ton of potential.

    Remembering the Storm - You and your sound effects :P The flourishes supporting the original melody are the standout of this mix. I don't really love the lead synth. The countermelody at 0:54 is really nice. Overall, I think the production could be quite a bit crisper and the arrangement could be longer and maybe if when I played this song my speakers could erupt with cookies and glitter rainbows and then we can talk postability.

    Originally the track was going to start out 8-bit and then morph into something else

    This is exactly what I had planned to do. Since I was also inexperienced with chiptunes, the first thing I did was just recreate my

    with the basic square, square, triangle, and noise tracks. I've started going back to toy with the melodies to make it an actual mix, but here's my unpolished 8-bit cover: http://www.jessedeacon.com/music/asgard8bit.mp3

    Also, on the offchance anyone was interested, you can check out the gingerbread displays that were basically the reason I didn't get a track done here.

    RWS 1-2 - ReMixing With the Stars: Season 1 Episode 2: Origins of Home Gaming

    in Competitions

    Posted

    Well, I had been told this past weekend was supposed to be of the 4-day variety. Instead, we worked 8- to 10-hour days all weekend. So the bad news is that I haven't gotten my ideas even coherent enough yet to submit a WIP. :/

    The good news is that the meager work I've done is still more than I've accomplished in about a year, and I have a clear enough idea of what I want to do with it that I won't be dropping the project altogether. Also, the work I did have to do could pay some dividends shortly. I was on the group helping prepare decorations for our dining facility for Thanksgiving. I helped design and build a pretty sweet (pun intended) gingerbread village that could get me selected onto a competitive culinary team, which would just be awesome. (And get me out of Alaska for a while.) Fingers crossed!

    Best of luck to the rest of you, and I'll be sure to keep the thread posted when my remix actually gets somewhere.

    Score of "The Hobbit" Available to Stream

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I started listening to this, but then I realised that I wanted to hear it in the context of the movie first, and get the whole experience all at once.

    I figure this is the majority opinion, but I also expect there is a handful out there who won't consider it a spoiler or just don't care.

    The only song I sorta want to preview in full is the vocal song from the trailer, with the dwarves singing...

    If you're really interested, it starts at 21:58.

    OCR02528 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Royal Treasure"

    in ReMix Reviews & Comments

    Posted

    I actually am rather taken aback that so many people are as surprised as they are. We've seen some of expertly crafted chiptune arrangements from the likes of virt and Shnabubula that almost have a symphonic quality to them. Sam's "NES Jams" has been heavily praised. halc just introduced 9-bit records -- granted, the synths on the debut album were a bit more advanced than what Bobby uses here, but they still show off their versatility. I'd have thunk the members of this community would almost think it obvious that chips can function as an instrument in a vast array of ensembles. As a novice mixer still looking for my own style, I've often considered that symphonic chiptunes have been woefully unexplored and could very likely be a direction I end up focusing toward. So I'm not surprised at all how well this works, but I'm thrilled to see it getting out there. I love the timing of this release, too; I just bought the Wreck-It Ralph soundtrack a few days ago, and while the score is primarily straight orchestra, there are handful of cues that fuse chiptunes into the mix.

    About the piece: gorgeous.

    RWS 1-2 - ReMixing With the Stars: Season 1 Episode 2: Origins of Home Gaming

    in Competitions

    Posted

    I've been needing a push to get back in the game. This should be just the ticket! Sign me up as a novice, please. :)

    If the Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet was any indication, I like playing with a variety of styles, but haven't really found a voice in any...

    http://soundcloud.com/xarnax42/power-outage-spark-man-in-wily

    http://soundcloud.com/xarnax42/electrostatic-spark-man-in-mr

    http://soundcloud.com/xarnax42/tower-power-boogie-spark-man

    EDIT: Not sure if it's pertinent, but Reason is my DAW of choice.

    FF6 Remix Project -- 2 Week Extension

    in Recruit & Collaborate!

    Posted

    I wouldn't count this one out just yet. However, with the announcement of Balance and Ruin, the aggressive timeline just isn't necessary. I'm pretty sure a good chunk of claims are still being held sincerely. Of course, rabid fans of the game's music will always want as many mixes as they can get, and the sooner the better, but it does make sense, if this project is going to continue, to push it back maybe even a couple years.

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