timaeus222

I always recommend cutting rather than boosting, if possible. Boosting tends to lead to clutter if you don't really know where you actually want to boost and are just spitballing. If a sound becomes too hollow by cutting, slightly undo what you just did (with your mouse, not Ctrl+Z) until you find a balance. The point is to make room for other instruments, in the context of the mix. It doesn't matter what they sound like by themselves, because instruments in a song are generally playing with other instruments. The harp does sound rather dull. I don't think EQ would fix that (unless for some reason you gave it a low pass or a 10 dB cut in the midrange or something... THAT can be undone), though a small dip in the low-midrange (2-4 dB) would help reduce its resonance. Or try a different soundfont. If you can find FluidR3 GM out there, that harp actually comes through mixes quite well.

You would add your external hard drive as another directory for FL to search when you want to install a new plugin. When it finds the plugin, checkmark it and it should show up.

I don't have much to say, actually. Sounds pretty darn good; I would just check the last notes, and make sure they don't end as abruptly, as the whistle stops early.

If you want the most "honest" sound, try first plugging it in directly. You don't strictly need an audio interface if you know the headphones should be good already. Mainly what those provide is further fine-tunability for the frequency distribution you get, as well as giving you an additional volume control (more precise than your computer gives you, probably). Having an audio interface, however, does give you more flexibility, so it could help. [What I would do if you do want to use an audio interface is to try to match what you get when you plug in the headphones directly with what you get when the interface is in between the headphones and the PC (then adjust from there).]

I had the 250-ohm version, which did need a headphone amp to get up to normal listening volumes. Lower impedance values means it is easier to get up to normal volumes. So, no, the 32-ohm version won't require an amp.

This is what I mean; after you drag an image file in (where the paper clip is), simply click the image and it'll go into the post.

@Silverpool You can drag images from your computer onto "Drag files here to attach, or choose files..." in the posting box.

Well, in general, you should check the impedance on the headphones you choose to buy. If it's large, like 250 ohms, then you would need a headphone amp to get the volume to a normal level. As always, I would actually recommend you save up for the Beyerdynamic DT-880, 32-ohm version if possible. I've been using them for about 5 years now (got them on sale for 51% off), and they have been working especially well. They really helped with mixing bass and upper treble with relative ease; they are semi-closed back, so they don't leak too much bass (unlike open-back), but also don't make it too muffled (unlike closed-back). Something that I couldn't mix properly on my previous headphones (Grado SR-60i) in less than 6 hours, I managed to mix on these in 30 minutes. They give an honest stereo field. Some headphones spread things out too wide... They give an honest representation of the amount of reverb that is actually going on. All of the other headphones I have tried previously exaggerate the reverb to some extent. So those are some of the things you could consider. Here's an example of something I've written using those headphones. I haven't tried the Sony MDR-7506 before, but I would suppose that they are alright. Here's a frequency distribution for three headphones to compare: For a cheaper option than the Beyers, I also recommend checking out the Grado SR60i (open-back); those are sadly discontinued, but you may find them on amazon for roughly $80, or the SR-60e edition should also be as good. You can see from the graph that they are definitely fuller than the MDR-7506, particularly below the midrange and in the upper treble region. I still have them today. Note: yeah, they can get kinda itchy, but once I took the time to break them in, they did help with bass and treble mixing. I used them to write this at one point.

I think I've done a polyrhythm before; an example is at 1:59 - 2:15 in this mix, I have triplet eighths (on the arpeggio) against regular eighth notes (the piano). Hope it helps!

The arrangement was super innovative! I loved how all the different contours made the same melody sound new, and ilp0's performances were on point.

This is a kickin' arrangement! I agree that the drums lack a bit of production punch, but mainly the arrangement flowed pretty well and I never felt the need to skip around. The drum fills were also a great addition.

Wow, excellent work! Really nails the mountainous vibe you were going for! If I had to nitpick, it felt a bit muddy. I liked how the oud (pretty sure it's an oud) fit in though.

Merry Christmas guys, here is a Mega Man Zero 2 Greatest Memories video, showcasing my favorite moments in the Mega Man Zero 2 speedrun I did a few years ago! Features music from @zircon and @WillRock: Mega Man 9 / Mega Man & Bass - 'Charge My Shot Up' (Tornado Man vs. Ground Man) by zircon ~ The Grand Robot Master ReMix Battle 2011 (OC ReMix) Mega Man 2 / Mega Man 9 - 'Showdown' (Flash Man vs. Tornado Man) by WillRock ~ OC ReMix Check out the original speedrun here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIg2ln-_MI8&list=PLDE15AB88E2FF4902

It was quite full, and memorable!

No problem; actually, that's what has been giving me trouble too for most of when I've been writing music. I write linearly from beginning to end. Sometimes I would have months of breaks between writing a particular remix because I just wait for the inspiration to continue it (but that's just because those didn't have deadlines). Nowadays---and this is an ongoing effort---if I am, say, 90% there on the sound design, I put on hold the hunt for the perfect sounds and just write, knowing that my future self will be able to polish the sounds further later on. The composition, however, is not something I trust my future self to be able to remember, so that's why I would want to get as much of it written out in one session.

I mean, I get the intent of the whispered vocals, but I would rather they were simply sung, y'know? Kinda awkward that they were whispered loudly. Otherwise I think the vocals actually make sense here and DO aid the soundscape.

Sweet! I love how the melody is broken up like that. Most people don't change the melodic contour that much for classics.

I didn't realize it before, but what I've been working on actually works out pretty well for OCCv11. I'll send mine in now!

I would say mostly yes; although I am also very much a sound design guy, these days I am OK with using placeholder sounds that are almost what I hear in my head, and I'll just, for instance, leave a note to myself in the DAW to polish the sound further later on. The more important thing is to get the idea down as much as possible, in such a way that you can visualize what you meant to write, in terms of (mainly) composition and (in part) the feel of the soundscape. Generally, being able to visualize the final result is easier when you have more of the actual composition done than if you have more of the sound design parts done.

That's fair. Yeah, I usually realize what I learned after-the-fact, and so, writing that down, or associating it with a particular piece of music (by reflecting on what I learned from writing that piece of music), helps me remember that technique. Even though I don't necessarily have a clear path on what I mean to learn, it tells me what my progress has been. As for being able to write music with "zero theory knowledge", I know what you mean, but it's probably ambiguous wording there. Even though I have no advanced formal theory knowledge (I had basic theory knowledge from my piano teacher and 6 years of choir), I've actually learned in practice what I have never formally learned in advanced theory classes. In other words, I don't know enough advanced theory to express formally the most advanced things I intuitively construct in my head. That's probably what you mean---I wouldn't be able to write what I can write now, if I had literally no theory knowledge in any way whatsoever, formal or intuitive.

Are you keeping yourself active with making music, or have there been long breaks where you haven't been able to do any music? Each day I try to do at least a little with something musical, whether it's sound design or actual composition, to keep my brain music-oriented. That might also help if there were times where you were forgetting some things you've learned before.

Maybe you could make a list of what you've learned, and brainstorm what you can work on. I did that back in the day. I kinda stopped doing it because I don't feel I've learned much new stuff lately, but here it is: http://tproductions.comeze.com/educationallog.php

Is it any surprise that I still give my consent explicitly?

Hey man, Fortunately, my dad happened to set up a brand new laptop from work with Windows 10, so I now have a new laptop, OMG. I still can't provide vocal/choir stuff though since that stuff is at home within Omnisphere.

Update: I finally purchased a 3DS XL (old model), and a copy of Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, and I am LOVING every minute of it!