Modus
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Posts posted by Modus
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Well, 'Beyond Velocity' is pretty powerful to me as well as 'Eat Your Own Dust'. Actually, so is 'Eye of the Storm' because I'm pretty sure I've heard a hardcore dance track named similarly. The others not so much, I guess.
Just a matter of perspective, I s'pose.
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OK, yeah. The clouds are starting to part and the lights slipping through now.
I listened to the sources and mixes side by side for each example. You seem very consistent with the mood of your mixes... you can make things catchy without driving the tempo up the wall or distorting the samples, which is something I wasn't too familiar with about 10 minutes ago. I feel like I know you a little better now... you are famous for your egg shakers, no?
I also noticed you like to give your tracks intimidating names despite your calmer style.. not a criticism at all, just an observation of a nifty little quirk.I don't really know if I'd like to make such chill tracks myself, but the idea was to figure out the relationship between sources and remixes and that's been done. Thanks, Rozo!
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Almost any song is doable, but some require a lot more work to dig up the essence of a source. There's the occasional except which is more sound design/ambience than music but for most part any song will do. That doesn't mean it's easy. The underground bgm from Super Mario Bros is short and a bit irregular, so it's gonna take some serious reworking to get it on the site.
I'd say it's all about how accessible the melodies are. Brinstar Red Soil from Super Metroid is an easy source, it has several easily accessible melodies. Get the chiptune for the game, it's got examples of both easily remixes sources and ambient stuff you can't really do much with.
(and of course, if it wasn't written for the game, it's not a valid source for ocremix - but fans of the game can of course still enjoy it, so don't let that stop you)
Also, there is no 50% rule, that's just a minimum requirement that Liontamer likes to go by when he judges. There certainly is no rule for there to be 50% original material in a remix here. OCR isn't about original material mixed with vgm, it's about interpreting vgm. Sometimes you need original stuff for that. Most of the time you can do it by adapting the melodies to new rhythms, modes, or chords, and using them in new creative ways (like using an expressive bassline for lead or something).
OK, that was helpful but also brought up some more questions for me.. the big roadblock for me is that I'm not quite 'getting' the idea of re-interpretation. Today I listened to Guifrog's "Shiva Nataraja", and I really enjoyed it, but it seemed very close to the original to me. The only considerable differences to my ears were the samples and the Shiva dancing section. So if I would have heard that in WIP, my first thought would be 'oh, they're gonna tell him that's too close to the source.' Obviously, I'm wrong because it was posted, and any complaints were production-related, not about source usage. So the nagging question is this: what about re-interpretation am I not understanding?
Now.. if I may backtrack to the original question as well.. maybe it would be easier if I linked you guys to just one of the songs that I like but has no melody to play with at all. My guess before I get an answer is that this would NOT be ideal for a remix:
I'm sorry I'm getting all naggy about this. It's just hard for me to work toward any goal without fully grasping all aspects of what it takes to achieve that goal. I've posted here a couple 'songs' and got all the technical feedback I could ever want. Even though I know they were trainwrecks in terms of production, I felt OK because I knew what I was doing wrong technically but I still couldn't grasp my mind around what I did wrong in terms of re-interpretation.
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Or is any song do-able?
I'm asking because when I look around for songs I think I'd enjoy remixing I always find myself bookmarking ambient-esque tracks. Is it bad to try and get a remix accepted that has no prominent lead or does that just provide opportunity to make up your own lead work to meet the 50% source, 50% original general rule?
If this has been asked before, I'm sorry
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After some discussion with neblix, I think we've come to agree that the mix needs either a fresh start or dropped completely. I'm leaning toward the latter as I'm realizing more and more that I'm interested in doing actual OCR-style remixes anyway.
I might be here 6 months or 10 years, but I'm pretty determined to have one song posted
So not too many originals or 'loose' remixes from me from now on. Thanks for offering to help, Chris, and I'll definitely keep you in mind for the future. -
Well.. the lines in the string pattern were already stretched to overlap, but I made them overlap even more. This didn't seem to fix the problem, though. There must be something I'm not understanding because no matter how I overlap them it doesn't sound legato. It seems like this sample insists on fading in and out.
I scrapped the guitar completely and gave up on the idea of an edgy, sinister mood for that middle section. I tried replacing it with more sweeping strings to have it fit the mood, but now it feels like the piece just meanders now.. not really developing into anything.
I'm starting to get the feeling I'm spinning my wheels with this piece. The lesson I might take from this experience is to not make symphonic, orchestral things at all and stick to the genre that interests me most: electronic. I just have the feeling I'm the only guy around here who thought I made something emotional, and I need to figure out why this feeling isn't reflected in my listeners. I dunno, I'm just not excited about this anymore, but I know for a fact I've learned a lot by making it and posting it here and this new knowledge will help me down the road.
However, I've made it a policy to ALWAYS follow through on things I've started so I'm going to revise it until it's acceptable and find a use for it, but I'm not going to place any bets on this arrangement.
Also, regarding the 32GB drive issue.. see, I have 1.5TB of storage on 4 internal drives but for some reason programs DEMAND to be self-extracted onto the C: drive for installation even when I tell it to install on a separate drive. It won't be an issue for long, though. I'm making some upgrades and clean installing the OS.. this time I'm going into the registry and telling it to put the User directories on a separate drive to save me tons of space on the C: drive. My point is.. there's nothing wrong with a 32GB system drive, there's something wrong with how some installers are made. I blame Gore.
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Wow, that was a heck of a fast reply. I'll definitely send you a MIDI once I.. you ready for this?.. learn how to make MIDIs. Lol. I'm sure I'll have it by the end of the day if not tomorrow, though. If there's one thing I know about me.. it's that I can figure stuff out.. as long as it's not math-related. Anyway, I'll send it through PM. Hopefully that's OK.
I think I'm gonna start a little trend here... you start by saying "I'm so new at OCR..." and end up with something like "I'm so new at OCR that I don't know how to make a MIDI!".. or "I'm so new at OCR that I put me some reverbs on my Slayer solo!"
Or I could just shut up now
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OK, I took the advice I got and implemented it the best I could so far. The only things I didn't do was replace the drums because I can't install the Kore Player files to get that sample I was recommended. My C: drive is a 32GB solid state and doesn't have enough space for the installer, so I'll have to find another way to get hold of that sample. I also didn't replace the violin because I'm waiting for responses in the recruitment thread. In the meantime, I'd like to have the track as 'finished' as possible by the time I have a real violinist. Anyway, here's what I DID do:
* Lowered the balance on the reverb-y synth at the beginning so it wouldn't be so loud and crackly.
* Replaced the SNES sounding synth with another sample (those ARE some pretty cool strings!) Also lowered it a couple octaves throughout.
* Replaced the piano sample with a grand piano one that is slightly more bright
* Raised the chamber chorus an octave throughout.
* Removed the laughing, the solo Slayer, and an extra chorus sample.. and replaced the rhythm guitar with another from the middle section to make it less busy and... well, crappy
* Changed the ending to something less cheesy and more boring because I like boring endings
* Lots of re-balancing, hopefully for the better
Link: http://soundcloud.com/exobyte/hero-of-wind-of-time-wip-revision-1
Hopefully that solves some issues. If I'm going down the right road, hold your peace. If not, please save me before I get too lost
EDIT: Oh.. also did not change up the arrangement as suggested. As much as I want to optimize the work I do, I think since this is a practice piece I'll keep it as is and make a mental note on that for future mixes.
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Hey, I'm very new here, but I've been starting to get involved in OCR's great (albeit a little quiet) community. I whipped up my second track and posted it in the workshop for feedback. One of the suggestions was to replace my violin sample with a real violin. I know the track is rough because I'm new, but the idea of having a real violinist truly humanize the violin part I wrote excites me to no end, so I hope someone can eventually help me
This is a song inspired by elements from the Song of Time and very, very loosely the Wind Waker title theme. I wanted the violin part to sound similar to Makar's in WW.. not sure if it turned out that way, but I think a violinist will be able to see the direction I was taking with it.
This is the newest revision I have: http://soundcloud.com/exobyte/hero-of-wind-of-time-wip-revision-1
I'll check back here once a day or so for any replies. If you need a specialized export of the song to work with, let me know. You can also e-mail me at zeelong@att.net . I really, really, REALLY appreciate any help. I would totally offer pay if I could, but that's just not possible at this time in college. Hopefully a huge e-hug will do :]
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0:23 high strings are waay too high. Just turns into some shrill noise. Then comes something that sounds like a whiny electric violin, not the best sound for this soundscape, at least the whining part. Agree about the cymbals at 1:45, sounds terrible. The same sample over and over becomes grating, and while it might work compositionally it doesn't work sonically. Same with the fake guitar. Better distortion/amp sim might improve it but it's clearly not the real thing. Some choir parts go way too low to sound good with those samples.
That's some technical nitpicks. It's an interesting dynamic arrangement, and you should improve its sound. Not ocr material, but it's a good track to improve your production on. Good luck with it.
OK, thanks
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Trust me listen to enough people whine about Slayer and compare it to enough real guitar leads and you start to understand what I'm talking about when I say don't use it.
As for the piano, try replacing it. In my opinion it would do better with a more grand piano sound. Something brighter, less soft, and more plucky.
Alright, I'll try that out too.
So I showed my brother the song and all his compliments were stuff I was told to take out XD I definitely agree with you more and trust you more, rest assured. He's only 15 so he doesn't really know what 'production value' even means.
Anyway, any second opinions before I get started on the fixes? Oh, I actually I have a question.. it's THAT question, yes. I'm sorry
If I fix this up enough, is there any hope in submitting it to judges? I'm fixing it up no matter but I'm not gonna second guess how far behind in the game I am.EDIT: Well.. actually I don't even think the arrangement is close enough to any source to even begin thinking about that. I think I can answer my own question here
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Just stick to not attacking the critics and you'll be fine.
FEEDBACK:
:10 That piano/synth/whatever is a little too loud and is crackley. I'd replace it or lower it down.
Your first comment is the only one I'm having trouble seeing for myself. Of course, I'm completely new but it sounds normal to me. Not trying to argue, just trying to figure out how I should go about fixing it.
:23 Those strings are way too high and sound like they are from the SNES. Try lowering them an octave or two and replace the sample (Squidfont Orchestral Soundfont is good, you can find it online)
Exact instructions! Nice. I'll definitely try that out.
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Well.. I've posted two songs here before and never got any feedback
Just so you know.. I'm not going to get upset if you tell me it's awful. I have no ego, no experience to warrant such a thing. I've read the threads where people are ripped to shreds and I'm ok with it. I just want to improve.This is my second song, borrowing elements from the Song of Time and the Wind Waker title screen. Was a lot of fun to make though I'm sure there's plenty of problems to discuss. Thanks for any feedback.
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Hey, I'm posting this as finished even though I'm sure it has a lot of kinks due to this being my first attempt. But I basically want it treated as a WIP because I want all the help I can get. Was a lot of fun to make! I hope to use original samples in my next song.. no loops here but it is heavy on default FL samples. Here goes:
http://soundcloud.com/exobyte/work-in-progress-001-ver-2
EDIT: Around 1:30 I noticed some popping.. how can I get rid of that?
Exobyte - First song
in Post Your Original Music!
Posted
Ah.. pleasant surprise. Thank you.
There's actually a lot of problems I'm realizing now that it's been a while since I made it and ones that some pro's are pointing out to me, but I'm glad it's still enjoyable to some