timaeus222

Yeah, the choir sounds like the sample is fine, but the handling of the sample makes it sound fake. I wouldn't say it's the sample quality, but the notes you chose to write and the rhythm and length for those notes. 0:08 is cut out unnaturally. 0:21 has a note that overwrites the release envelope of the previous note and makes it sound choppy. Same at 0:29, 1:07, 1:22, 1:26, 1:28, 1:30, 1:31 (first one), 1:31 (second one), and 1:32. You should be able to fix it by either increasing the release time enough or overlapping those note lengths. Other than that, this sounds great. Just the choir stuff.

You creative SOB

Depends on what limiter you're using, but I use TLs-Pocket Limiter, which is pretty lenient on the compression. (The more lenient the compression, the more overcrowding can occur instead, but at least it doesn't sound pumpy!) I'm not actually implying that I thought those two sections (2:20 and 3:05) were supposed to be similar in arrangement, but I meant those as the two sections I compared in production that caused me to hear the odd, slight "deficiency" in treble. In that case, it feels like what you intended to be the leads aren't sounding like leads to me. Might be because of their (reverb-based) positioning in the mix, but to me they don't feel as upfront as the brass. As a result, I'm perceiving the backup brass to be subdued, which is fine since you wanted the legato mid strings to be the focus, but I'm also perceiving the leads to be subdued. These are minor things though, and this actually is sounding very cool. Technically, I think you have the chops to get posted by now.

Yeah, come to think of it, this does have the potential to be mastered louder, but I'm not gonna press you on that. However, I *will* refer you to a few references that I consider at a loudness I really like. When I listened to this, and then tried re-listening to my own stuff, suddenly it felt louder, maaaaybe by about 2 dB, so there's that for a very minor FYI. https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/i-am-the-sentinel-credits https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/orc-wars-opening-sequence https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/the-black-flag Things sound more balanced now. The melody at 2:48 - 2:52 sounds a tad strange to me though. I dunno if it's just because it's a little sparse at that textural level or if the notes are just weird. Maybe both. Though this isn't a big deal. Hm. The mix at 3:05 immediately sounds different from previous sections. If you A/B 2:20 and 3:05, 3:05 sounds like the instrument balance is shifted towards the legato instruments, at least until 3:16. 3:16 sounds more normal to me, but 3:05 sounds odd---something's off. The dynamics there feel flatter than at 3:16, maybe due to the sequencing of the staccato articulations, or maybe due to the timing of the legato articulations. I don't think this is that big a deal, but maybe one or two judges might point it out. That aside, I think this sounds post-able. =)

okay man.

Yeah, I was just pointing something out. =p Guess the 2D just meant "normal" rather than "DPPt-level" 3D. This is why I should get a 3DS already.

Fine print: So then less effort put in, or wat? o.o

I can confirm that I got that randomly with a different normal-lengthed post earlier today (which I emailed to Larry).

Seriously, why has no one made a hip hop theme song for dropbox?

lolmeme sounds like a Gematria high

Yeah, that does sound like a theremin more than a pure sine wave, though I still stick by that portamento suggestion. It's a little minor, but the bell-like polyphonic sound at 2:20 seems a tad imbalanced with the right side (500~800Hz). At 2:43, I think the contrabasses are supposed to be doing something, but it's hard to hear (200~500Hz). Could be because you meant them to be quieter than the mallet instrument. Lastly, at 3:17, if you turn up the volume enough (though not much more than 'normal'), stuff below about 300Hz seems slightly subdued and could use more clarity, but I don't think it's technically problematic to the point where the clarity actually obscures instruments too much, IMO. I wasn't really on my good headphones until now, though I still hear about the same things as I did earlier today. So, I guess it's more like bass and low-mids.

Man, this sounds like it could really shine as a downtempo track rather than a dance track. For the most part, I thought everything before 1:22 was pretty cool. On to the rest, 'cause so far it seems quite good. The C64 arps really work in this. Ignoring the drums for now, will get to them later in this post. 1:22 - 1:54 has some rather bland sounds like jnWake suggested. The soundscape also sounds bare at 1:22 - 1:38, despite the reverb+delay. The bass at 1:38 - 1:54 also sounds a bit mechanical (wut, a mechanical synth bass? Yeah, I did mean it =P); maybe a filter LFO on it can add some motion to the timbre. I like the lead at 2:04. Get that level of expression in your bass! =) 2:05 sounds like a climax to me, just FYI. 2:25 - 2:36 sounds vaguely pop-like in the breakdown section style. Not that it's a bad thing. 3:02 - 3:12 could use some less rigid sequencing; maybe some syncopation can add interest. 3:32 - 3:48 does that well, IMO. (Notice the cut-out ending though) As for the drums, I think they could punch through more. To me, they sound most polished at 1:02 - 1:21 and 1:38 - 2:24. The ride also sounds kind of "unfitting" (it's kinda acoustic rather than electronic). Sounds good so far! It has potential to become really cool, so keep working on this!

I like 3:22 better now. I don't know if it's because I've gotten more appreciative of harmonies lately, but I don't think it sounds badly dissonant anymore.

Hm. I think you can heighten the creepiness of the sine wave by adding a little resonance and increasing the glide time a little. Might just be me, but I think having staccato strings at 2:08 - 2:20 would heighten the energy more for me. To me the strings feel kind of flat playing legato behind the sine wave. I also think the drums (kick+snare+hi hats) could be stronger. They get especially buried at 3:05 - 3:39 and undermine the intended energy there. Perhaps you wanted to stick to an orchestral instrument positioning, but this feels more electronic-orchestral than orchestral to me. Overall, I think the mixing could be cleaner in the midrange as well. I think the arrangement is great though. Interesting, not plodding, little unnecessary repetition, and great mood changes. Not too conservative.

Hm. Well, the girls in the Lorde cover didn't really show enthusiasm (unless it was purposeful to emphasize Puddles' role?). Part of enjoyment for me in a human performance are smiles and enthusiasm. Puddles was good though.

Yeah, I felt like RSE implemented a lot of substantially new stuff; contests (I miss those), secret bases, Acro Bike (Bike tricks! ), diving, etc. I think it was also a point where the music became substantially more interesting in arrangement. Whenever I listen to the RSE soundtrack these days, I hear a lot of cool chord progressions. Might even be one of my favorite Pokemon soundtracks thus far.

Well, yeah, but if it's registered with NI for Kontakt Player, then that's all fine and dandy and you can just use it for completely free on a free sampler—and this library isn't available for Player. Haven't had issues with a "DEMO" message in a good long while, but yeah, that was in the back of my mind. Been using Kontakt for about a year now, so it's not new info; just wanna make sure there isn't some other piece of information that was missing. If I don't know something with certainty, I try not to say it like I do. I'm no expert on Kontakt, but no newbie either. =P

Yes. Secret bases all the way. I loved those.

Strange. I just now got to downloading and trying it, and it works. I went through the Files menu and navigated to where it was, and I could load it. Maybe you went to the Libraries tab? It's not registered to run fully on Kontakt Player, and IIRC, it shows up there if it is. Might just be because it's for a full version of Kontakt, buuuuut it's still free. http://oi57.tinypic.com/4q615j.jpg

Sounds nice and full, man! The production hits it right in that there sweet spot. I do believe the low end was much improved since the last version too.

Here's a free Kontakt 3+ piano library that's actually pretty good. And it's free. Wait, I said that already. Did I mention it's free? Oh yeah, and this one too (second link).

I haven't gotten to that point. I thought this sax solo at 3:43 was really good.

No one mentioned these guys? ~ Jazz FusionJoshua Morse ~ Jazz Fusion (Neo-Soul Keys demos ~ Soul/Jazz) zircon: https://soundcloud.com/zircon-1/sunshower ~ Funk/Glitch Hop https://soundcloud.com/zircon-1/level-bounce ~ Jazzy Funkstep http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01849 ~ Jazz Fusion http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/fusion-master ~ Chiptune Jazz http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/morsecode ~ Disco Funk/Jazz

Happy birthday dude.

It's good, but there's a lot of copy+paste. 2:41 - 4:38 is pretty much the same as 1:06 - 2:41. You can even hear a click at 3:03. So this is really just 3:26 long to me.