timaeus222

I would go for it. I think the workflow enhancements are well worth the upgrade, but you'll want to read through the updates to see roughly what of the new stuff is useful for you. https://www.image-line.com/flstudio/history.php Or the quick version: FL 20 in 4 minutes / in 15 minutes FL 12.5 in a minute / in 21 minutes FL 12.4 in 11 minutes I don't know where you paused, but in particular I found these notable improvements (and this covers pre-FL-20 to some extent): Per-bar time signature change (you know why!) Live preview of recordings, and ability to consolidate MIDI into bounced WAVs with undo Stretch/compress entire groups of notes using right-Shift and click-dragging from the right-hand side. This can be useful for generating polyrhythms. Mini-playlist preview above piano roll, so you know where you are New Fruity Delay 3 VST (you'll love it!) Link a bunch of channels one each to sequential mixer tracks using Ctrl+Shift+L! Really helps when mixing with stems. Ghost notes (maybe new to you?), great for writing complex harmonies. Vectorial interfaces for certain VSTs etc.

Super Audio Cart has replicated SNES sounds (as well as exact samples from Famicom, C64, GB, SMS, 2600, GEN, NES), with an extensive 4-layer synthesis engine, mod matrix, fx rack, etc. Comes with over 1000 presets. May be worth looking at! https://impactsoundworks.com/product/super-audio-cart/

I'm ecstatic, for literally all of the updates in the video, especially the track bouncing, time sig change, return of the graph editor, and pre-computed effects.

MOD REVIEW Hey, good to see this going again! Alright, let's take a fresh look at this. It looks the judges' main concerns were the lack of clarity in the lead work, the amount of distortion going on, the lack of a justified ending (whether it's a fade-out or not), and the overcompression. I do hear that there is less reverb on the lead and an improved amount of clarity. I might experiment some more by lowering the amount of delay on the lead a bit, as the lead work is still somewhat blurry. Is there something accompanying the lead at 0:23 - 0:45, 0:56 - 1:19, and 2:07 - 2:28? I think I might be hearing something with a similar timbre competing with the lead, but it's hard to tell. For another reference on the amount of reverb and delay for lead accompaniment on a DnB track, perhaps consider this. As a note, I would suggest experimenting at 1:45 with a different and more upfront lead to see what you think. You might want that lead to come out more there because it's relief from the energetic main sections. The previous version had a pretty high amount of distortion, and I think it's more balanced this time around (but I can't be too sure because soundcloud doesn't properly encode high treble on playback). I think at least that the overcompression is decreased, because for example, at 1:07 the crash did pump the track in the previous version. It doesn't do that nearly as much now, but instead some sounds like the crash are more distant. Do be careful and keep watching out for overcompression. I think it's a good idea to work on that ending, because listening through it, there isn't that much of a timbral variety going on; what I hear is mainly saws and other abrasive sounds that have lots of high harmonics. (As a note, whenever I write mixes, the breakdown section and outtro are typically moments where I introduce more diverse sounds in and let them shine.) Regarding the ending, I might have started the outtro at 2:32, with no energetic drums, and perhaps made another iteration of the melody you showed in the breakdown at 1:44, maybe with a piano lead instead (something calm with some body, mainly). If you do that, I might also suggest adjusting the arp surrounding it to support the calm lead and be less energetic. By having the drums keep going at 2:32 so far, the track wants to keep going, but if you remove the drums at 2:32, then you can let it start to cool down. I don't think this is quite ready for submission yet, but it's mainly because (1) you're still working on an ending (which would be quite important), and (2) there could be more clarity between the lead and the accompaniment by toying with the delay and/or reverb on the lead and/or accompaniment. But keep at it! You're almost there.

I've usually known pu_freak for his piano arrangements, such as the one wayyy back in The Missingno Tracks. This is a calm + moving rendition that showcases the development in his longer pieces; the tempo changes worked pretty well, I thought, and despite how there are occasional spots where the flow seems to stop, I think it just feels more spontaneous/in-the-moment/live that way.

I think Callum put up a particularly solid vocal performance---with good clarity/enunciation, and the mixing by Jorito is overall fairly clean. I also like how the lyrics contain to-be-expected rickrolling references, but not in a forced way. I really dig the intentionally crunchy production, and I appreciate the dedication to fine-tuning this packed soundscape. Eino kinda has a thing for controlled chaos, it seems! Plus, who can deny the swagger in the half-time rhythm?

(His link was to the HS8.) Point is, different models with the same brand name, and @Master Mi should not mix them up.

Just wanted to point out, @Jorito seemed to be talking about the HS5, and @Neifion was referring to the HS8.

In the future, you could also post the audio file; it would be easier to help if we can hear it, not just inspect the piano roll.

Damn son, where'd you get this? Sick beat, yo!

Thanks, I appreciate it! No word back yet, but I would give it another month before asking; I would check the Judges Decisions page to see where they are.

That's a fantastic deal! Most other suppliers are saying >$400. I actually haven't ever used the A20 amplifier, but it looks good; I like the 0.01% total harmonic distortion, since you'll hear a more accurate playback. I tend to enjoy products made in Germany (NI is centered in Germany), and it will work for up to 600 ohm resistance.

I use mine with a headphone amp, and they ARE the 250 ohm version (btw, I got them for 51% off at Sweetwater iirc). It's nice to have, but I don't think you need the headphone amp for the loudness. I would still suggest getting one sometime though, so that you can re-balance the low-end and high-end to reference tracks (I calibrated my low-end with "Vessel of the Void" by zircon, my high-end with "Go Ninja Go" by bLiNd, and my loudness with "Level Bounce" by zircon on soundcloud). Without an amp, it still feels bass-light.

Here's my perspective (btw, I'm using the latest FL 12, fyi). tldr; I prefer to do certain things to the mix for reasons that I'm aware of. If there's no perceivable difference in the context of the mix, then what's the point? ---- 1. Sure, I've heard @WillRock say it to me before. It makes sense; you should be able to hear roughly the same balance at quiet or loud listening volumes. 2. Yeah, sometimes that helps. But for synths you could simply adjust the ADSR envelope and that would probably be easier. For real instruments, yes, I would consider automating volumes. 3. Yep. 4. Probably placebo... I never use Fruity Limiter anymore (because the default setting overcompresses more easily than other limiters I've used), except for sidechaining (where the effects of overcompression are negligible). I don't just stick it on a mixer track without doing anything with it. 5. But why? What's the purpose? To add brightness? Why do it when you can leave room for brightness on your hi hats, for instance? 6. I really don't hear much difference. I prefer to leave the original stereo image how it is, and use that as a starting point, because I know exactly how it started as the original sound source. 7. Yeah, I also use multiple EQ instances to do small edits. That's normal for me. 8. So the purpose is to slightly blend? Can you hear the difference except by turning on/off on bounced WAVs? If not, then why? 9. I suppose... what you're doing is phase inversion to make the net result sound more mono, so it should feel "smaller" horizontally. Reducing the brightness dulls the sound, which should make it feel "smaller" vertically. 10. That just seems to be boosting the volume... and not doing anything else. Notice how all three bands are bypassed. Couldn't you just NOT do this and then just boost the volume using Fruity Balance? 11. As in 10, does it actually do anything more than raise the volume? I would stick to using Density MKIII, and learning to use it (without relying on presets) if you are trying to do soft knee compression to keep peaks in check. I get that presets are meant to be used, but "set and forget" isn't exactly the best motto. 12. ...Why? I always like to know what's going on in all parts of the mix. This just adds a random factor out of my control, and it doesn't make sense to me. It's just going to get drowned out anyway once you add in all the elements of your mix, so it likely just adds clutter. 13. I suppose you could do that, or you could determine what instrument is capable of doing that within its own UI (such as Serum or Zebra) and add that layer within that plugin. That way, you don't have to write a whole separate pattern and you already would have synchronized ADSR envelopes, i.e. it'd be taken care of already. 14. Uh, I suppose you could, but I just listen to the mix fresh. That to me is the most honest listening perspective, not colored by previous songs. 15. That really applies to everyone, but it depends on what headphones you use. I can go for 2 - 3 hours of writing and mixing at a time and not lose track of what's off, because my headphones (Beyerdynamic DT-880) are comfortable and semi-open, so my ears don't hurt by the time I'm done.

Are you okay? @ShadowRaz

For sure, this is your best work! Loved it You seem to love the harp as much as I do.

Thank you, I really appreciate that! Actually, a Shantae remix ("On Fire") already went through the queue!

Depends on how long you say you have waited... I'm assuming it's a few days, and not a few years. That does happen to me, where I think I have something going, and a few days later I listen to it and think "nah, scrap it". I think it's natural, because a few days later, you SHOULD have a fresh perspective on what you wrote, and if you don't like it, then I would believe it. A fresher perspective would be more realistic as to what a general audience would think than right in the moment of when you wrote the WIP. If you are concerned about that, ask a friend to listen to see what he/she thinks. If you think it is because you listen to too much of the same music, then I'll suggest to you a few playlists of music I like to see if it helps; I play it for my chemistry students each week, and maybe it'll help inspire you (by that I mean that you presumably will not have heard it before). Let me know if something changes for you. Joshua Morse's Greatest Hits (imo) - https://soundcloud.com/timaeus222/sets/joshua-morse-greatest-hits Exciting Music - https://soundcloud.com/timaeus222/sets/exciting-music Energetic/Smooth Music - https://soundcloud.com/timaeus222/sets/energetic-smooth-music It happens. It happens to me as well, and I have plenty of resources that would satisfy my visions. To resolve that, I would examine another song that is similar to yours. There is no harm in imitating the style of ending of someone else. For example, I wrote this remix that was inspired by Weather Report's "Birdland", and the ending was based on the ending of "Havona". I'm not embarrassed about imitating someone else, because so many other people do as well. I think you shouldn't restrict yourself to free material. I'm not saying splurge yourself on expensive stuff, but don't limit yourself to free stuff. Look for relatively inexpensive libraries, and definitely consider Native Instruments' Kontakt ($400) as a sampler engine---I know it's expensive, but if you want to expand your resources, that's the most flexible one you can get, because most of the sample libraries out there are made for Kontakt. Or, if you want to start out slower, try to find libraries that run on the free Kontakt Player, such as Super Audio Cart PC, or Leonid Bass. Or, if you want to continue using free stuff, I might suggest FluidR3 (especially the harp [see sfArk decompressor]), Squidfont Orchestral (see sfpack decompressor), and jRhodes3. DarkeSword has some other good suggestions here. I did write a learning log of what I worked on over the years. Maybe it can help give you some direction. But you'll have to decide what you want to work on next.

Um Yes

Very true to the original, but I liked how personalized the rhythm guitar was. I think the performance is what sold it.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from with your vision. At this point I think we've addressed major non-mixing concerns. Now I wonder, did you use a limiter? Any EQ? (When I first started... get this... I did not use a mixer.) There are a lot of bass sounds going on, and their frequency ranges are clashing (for most people this occurs around 300 - 500 Hz, the "low midrange"). What I would do is isolate out groups of instruments that should have similar frequency ranges and examine those. Solo each instrument in that group and look on your EQ plugin to see where the frequency range tapers off. It will depend on each sound, but here are common ranges to look for: Then, try cutting down (usually 2 - 5 dB is fine) at a frequency range for one instrument that is in common between two instruments, so that the feature in the tone of that instrument that you actually want to hear is more distinct. Another thing that helps is that after you identify the frequency range spanned by an instrument, try using a high pass filter (HPF) to cut out the frequencies below the bottom of the range. [You can control the slope so that it doesn't cut frequencies too sharply.] Sometimes, a low shelf filter would be a good alternative if you don't want to make something sound too thin.

Yeah, the re-panning is definitely helping! I know I haven't really given much mixing advice yet, but mixing really accompanies arrangement and composition, so we should be addressing all three. The next thing I'm hearing is that there are some harmony clashings going on; mainly, it's coming from what the woody plucked instrument (first heard at 0:14; is it a cello pizzicato?) is playing compared to the lead. It seems to be playing in a different key sometimes, and landing a major 2nd or minor 2nd interval away from the main scale. To try to make this relatable, look for spots like those where you have simultaneous notes that sound kinda like you played the chord [C C# F G# A]; an example is at 1:30 - 1:37. I don't usually say this, but try figuring out what key you are in and what notes are in that scale so that you use mainly the notes that should harmonize with the rest of your instrumentation. Then, if you get stuck, highlight the text below this to find what key you are in. For the most part, you are in D minor, which has the notes D, E, F, G, A, A#, C, . . . in each octave (except for the few times you play D, A, G#, A, G#, D; that G# is out of the key). On another note, you might like this walkthrough video of a Vampire Killer remix; maybe it'll help you expand your creativity. In particular, I think the 10:53 and 16:00 marks really apply to you, but if you get the time I think the whole thing is worth watching.

Welcome to OCR! Something to get you started is instrument roles; what instrument do you want to play what? At 0:24, you have a low bass and a phase-y synth playing the melody in octaves. Try to imagine what possible instruments can suit the melody sequence you want to write, and where it lies in the frequency spectrum. For instance, you generally don't want a bass playing lead, or a lead playing bass. You also seem to have most tonal instruments panned either left or right 'just because'. Typically, chordal instruments might be panned wide, while leads and basses would be front and center. Something to think about.

It's a good thing we did an album on it then... http://soniccd.ocremix.org/