Final Kingdom

Congrats on the win, @Zorrakh! I'm glad I stumbled upon this compo. I hope to do more now that I've found my way back to this community

What Garpocalypse said. Another thing to remember is that you can't compare yourself to others all the time. If you are a beginner comparing yourself to a pro who's put in countless hours to be good at their craft, you're only setting yourself up for failure. Comparisons are useful if you're looking at someone else's music thinking "What are they doing that I'm not? How did they achieve that sound?" Look at the art critically, don't just bash yourself. I used to feel the same way when hearing other people's music, to the point where I felt too intimidated to even start producing music. The only way I'll get good enough to remix songs as small as The World's Smallest Violin is if I keep making music, learn my software, and push my creative to the limit. Use the experience with your DAW to make cool remixes like the one you just linked!

@HoboKa Sorry I didn't send you the MP3 or respond to the thread, I've been away from home the past few days. This is why I made it downloadable in case I wasn't around lol. I'm assuming my track isn't a bonus though by the looks of your post and the compo page on thasauce. In the process of getting my vote it and I'll be all set Edit: just saw your PM, my b lol thanks so much!

https://soundcloud.com/final-kingdom/buttered-up Here's my track!

I saw how many hours were left last night, and I figured out that Eastern is 4pm. So you're correct about Central, Esperado!

Heavy Rain started off super slow, and I was disinterested in most of the characters until their stories intertwined and the mystery developed.

Fang's Theme from Vanille's perspective perhaps? Love the sounds and how you found a softer, polar opposite feel for the source. Perhaps a little more variation when you repeat sections may help the overall mix (A A' B B' or something along those lines).

Don't know if reddit is your thing, but there's a subreddit for music theory that you can try checking out. I'm sure if you don't learn much from the posts, you'll find the resources useful.

Did you learn these songs by ear, or did you learn from sheet music? Either way, your playing is great! Although only your hands can be seen, you look like you're having fun

So far, I've only played the first game and part of the second, so I'll have to go with Phoenix. The dialogue in the game is so hilarious that I like just about anyone, good or bad.

You should definitely learn basic theory (how to read music, playing scales, what makes a melody/harmony, etc). While it's not "required" if you're making music for fun, it will make the music-making process a lot easier. This link pretty much encompasses what you need to know aside from reading music. (Found this here on the forums and it's pretty awesome.) Apply the knowledge that you gain by dissecting songs you like/want to remix. (Hell, maybe even add stuff you learn to make the mix more stylish.) The more you make the music, the easier it'll the creating process will be. Theory will simply help guide you in the direction you'd want to take.

When it comes to changing tempo, volume and things of that nature, simply start recording and turn the knob (or for tempo, hit the up/down arrow). During the recording, a track will appear for the mixer. You can further edit the track when you're done recording. Hope that helps!

I have a lot of hopes for the year, but I know myself and I probably won't see all my resolutions through lol So here are the main goals that I'm shooting for this year: -Becoming more flexible and getting back into parkour -Developing my arranging skills and start composing seriously -Playing all my instruments more (mostly piano) My goals are more music-oriented, but I want to get more active like I was before I started college.

I'm hella excited for KHIII but a little nervous for the direction that the series is going after it. I'm ready for the Xehanort saga to come to a conclusion (I think we all are quite frankly), but what more could possibly come out of the series? I've forged so many relationships with these characters that a whole new batch of them would probably feel like a completely different game. I hope those feelings are unfounded Birth By Sleep is also my favorite. Before that game, KHII was the only game I really loved in the series, but nothing hyped me up and made me fall in love with the series' overall story like Birth By Sleep.

http://www.musictheory.net/ Maybe you'll find this site useful.

The first VG song I ever played was probably Saria's Theme from OoT on piano. I only played the melody though since I wasn't that good at the time. The first VG song I played when I could actually use both hands was the Special Stage from Sonic the Hedgehog 1.

I'm in the Boston, MA area 02136

I don't know if you have a little knowledge of guitar or music theory but if so, use scales. Most, if not all, solos come from scales except there's obvious variation. If you don't know much theory, I would suggest that you at least get to know scales so that you can explore making solos. Eventually you'll end up something that works for the song you're working on. I definitely agree with Jonathon. You'll find loads of inspiration listening to solos you like. Imitating your favorite artists will help you find your own style for creating solos (and your overall music style).

I would have figured that more people from the Boston area would be on the forum considering how it's a very artsy (read: musical) city. At least out of all the musicians I know, none of them have really connected music to video games, so I suppose it's not very surprising.

Oh okay, that was simply enough. And thanks for the list. You raise a really good question.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what does CC stand for?

(This question goes for any genre that's strings-heavy, but I figured focusing on orchestral makes it a bit more specific.) How does one generally go about makes a piece that sounds full, as if it was done by an actual orchestra? I don't know much about other DAWs but I know that in Reason, there are a lot of orchestral sounds to choose from. There are lot of them that have certain sections (such as an entire brass section) contained all in one; and there are others that are individual instruments. Would it make sense to simply use the sounds that have whole sections together and simply mix them to sound fuller, or would layering individual instruments and then mixing them be the way to go? I've been hesitant to use strings because I feel the final result won't have much depth to it. Hopefully what I'm asking makes sense, haha. If not, I'll try my best to further explain.

Have you tried arranging? I find that arranging strengthens your ear (if you learn the song by ear) and gets you used to song structure and other elements that can be applied to your own compositions. When you get used to arranging songs, I would also suggest doing compos. Doing compos ensures that your arrangement gets done, and pushes you to do better each time. I'm also trying to learn more about production, so I'm stuck in the same boat as you. However, listening to music you like in a more active manner will help you understand more about it -- how the guitar is panned slightly to the right or how some beats from the kick will have reverb but others sound more compressed. When you get used to your DAW, definitely play around with mixing tools. Sometimes I watch videos of mixing/mastering, but they bore me to tears lol. It's more fun to hear what you're doing than having someone explain it to you in a monotone voice. Before anything though, start with arranging. You'll flow into composition easily once you can break down what happening in a song. I'm sure you'll learn more production the more you arrange/compose with your DAW, so have no fear!

In terms of making my own music, anywhere ranging from a few months to a year. I made a goal/New Years resolution to make a certain amount of songs by the end of the year. That's the most consistent I've ever been with my musical journey, considering that I'm still not that great/don't have a lot of confidence in my skills and knowledge. In terms of other music stuff, I would anywhere ranging from a few weeks to a month. I like to play other people's arrangements to get better at the instruments I play as well as to have fun. I'm a music minor at my college and I'm the director for both the gospel and a capella sides of the singing club there (which involves arranging all the songs for the year), so I'm constantly doing music related stuff year-round.

Korra is def worth watching. The second season is way better than the first imo, and there are just too many cool things that you learn about the Avatar universe that will surprise you. My friend and I literally had a spiritual experience with the second season. The third season is already off to a cool start. I know Nickelodeon has full eps on their website, but I doubt they have every episode starting at season 1 ): Since the plot follows the manga more closely, the series is going to be radically different from the original anime. Example: There were a few filler eps in between Usagi discovering Sailor Mercury in the original; in the new anime, Sailor Mercury is discovered in next week's episode. So there's no need to fear when it comes to being too close to the original.