timaeus222

The intro has some notes on the strings that are too long, so it makes the intro feel overly long. I think the snare is a bit buried, and the kick rhythm is a bit erratic. It's okay to be erratic as long as it's consistent, like in here. The drum rhythm there at 0:44 is strange, but it's consistent. Now try being consistent here in your track. The soundscape is pretty bare sometimes. The pad-like backing is too centered and short-lasting, so it doesn't create the ambient soundscape that you seem to be going for here. I think the transition from 3/4 to 4/4 is noticeable, but it could be better. I think at 1:16, it would be better if you didn't use the kicks in the transition, and just used a resonant sweep. There might be slightly too much mid-range in your kick, not much. Needs more ambience and fillers.

Right, I think the game ended up being a PC/MAC game, so it worked out!

I just feel like Amplitube is easier to use, just my opinion.

Actually, sidechaining something "more" wouldn't really fix anything, it would just add a more compressed feel. What I would recommend instead of sidechaining the kick to the bass with a really low threshold and a really high ratio is just working on the timbre of the kick. Layer on some high end thwap samples and do some really mild compression on the low end kick layer with a dual-band stereo compressor like endorphin or something. You want it to come through better, not compress things more.

Maybe people couldn't think of anything and then it got lost. I think the low pads are a little reminiscent of movie soundtracks. 0:08 - the bells are a bit quiet. I didn't notice they were the lead the first time through. As a result, I think the low pads and strings are too loud or the lead is not an excellent choice. The kick overall is too quiet and buried. I'm not sure what's going on at 0:38 or 1:45 in the background. Something sounds like it's wobbling, but it's too muddy. 1:12 - that's probably what I heard wobbling at 0:38-ish and 1:45-ish. 1:26 - where did that piano come from? I didn't hear it anywhere else, I don't think. Mixing overall is really muddy.

Well, to be honest, the recordings you have sound old-timey, like a retro rag-time movie, which isn't quite up to the standards these days. I think the reason I thought the chiptune beeping sounds were off-key and you thought it was okay was because it was supposed to be background FX. However, the way it's playing, it sounds like it's trying to play actual notes, rather than be in the background creating a digital atmosphere. If you can manage to make it sound like those beeping sounds are properly carrying out their purpose, it could work. Have you thought about looking up your speaker and headphone models and checking their frequency ranges? If they have overboosts in the bass, it'll make you think you have more bass, and if they have terrible high passes above the bass frequencies, you shouldn't really hear much bass no matter what you do.

The chiptune stuff seems to be off-key from the other instruments, and is pretty erratically played. The recordings seem to be lacking bass. Is your room full of carpet or something? I also don't really hear the bass you're talking about. I only hear the bass' plucking.

Well, I'm using Shreddage with Guitar Rig, but I do have Amplitube. I just used Guitar Rig for this since it takes up half the memory that Amplitube takes up (100 instead of 200MB). I can't really find a way to replicate what you suggested though, with Amplitube. I can't change the routing. This is with Amplitube on Shreddage: https://soundcloud.com/timaeus222/some-cinematic-metal-stuff

Shreddage automatically strums round-robin. What is with the bandpassed japanese vocals? Sounds like some sort of acapella rip... done badly. Or a radio edit.

I've already done it with my friend's game, and the programmer was able to work with OGG just fine. In fact, OGG was requested because it's way smaller than WAV but acts pretty much the same in terms of silence padding.

...Yeah. Weird hard panning doesn't work. Please fix. Why would the drums be panned so widely? Muddy bubble FX afterwards. 'n stuff.

Yeah, I don't think the drums fit the mood at all. It's like you're trying to match hip hop drums with chill/downtempo. The 808 stuff isn't actually working. Aside from that, repetitive, but decent soundscape going on. Sync lead feels awkward panned left rather than center. I didn't hear anything significant panned right while the sync lead played.

Sounds like it could be funky, but as it is, it's repetitive. Hope to see cool variations coming on later.

Sorry, generic percussion, machine-gun kick, plain sounds, etc. PWM saw lead was okay though. Song sounds loop-like. Good random effort on the arrangement, but I think you should be able to create something better in that 6-7 hours. Keep practicing.

Technically, the sounds are pretty plain even with the modulation, but hey, it's practice. Last few things: - kick is pretty boomy without much punch. I just made this recently, and I happened to find an awesome kick to use after 0:09 (if you try not to think about the insane guitar ;D). Yours doesn't need to be that kind of timbre, but it does need to be louder and more powerful. It should be heard pretty much all the time. - At parts like 1:50 with a lot of layers, see if you can hear every layer by focusing your ear on an individual instrument. If you can't hear a layer very well, then some other layer is too loud, or that layer is too quiet. - You could greatly benefit from a mindset where you can't stand repetition; then you'll want to vary things up more often, even if just by a little.

I can't find Chronicles of Evolution by PeerGynt Lobogris. Maybe it was never actually on OCR? ;( Good thing I found it lying around on YouTube.

Neither Reaper nor any DAW actually "forces" you to a specific velocity on every note. I'm almost certain the first note you put in happened to be at nearly max velocity, because DAWs tend to remember the final velocity for the previous note you put in and apply that to every note thereafter. Or, maybe Reaper... sets a default velocity for every note? That'd be weird. Maybe if you buy a MIDI keyboard and practice playing it, it'll help give you a better sense of velocity-gauging. My playing piano for 8 years has helped with that a lot.

Nice, I like it. You've got a knack for a unique and likable atmosphere.

0:34 & 0:46 - the piano note is a bit late. 1:19 - sounds like you rushed and then slowed down. 1:28 makes it seem like you were falling a bit behind reading sheet music. 2:33 - 2:55 seems a little off on the piano. 3:06 - the piano could be more impactful with a left hand part and a little automation to dip down the lows on the strings there. 3:38 - the piano is a bit late here too. 3:50 - the piano chromatics here are pretty buried.

Change the scripting in MegaMan Battle Network 1, 2, 3, and 4, 5, and 6 so you don't just stop at the final boss and be forced to fight the final boss over and over and over again even after you've beaten it once. The crisis music tends to get pretty bad (like in 6).

Yeah, there you go, the sync lead is sounding really good now. Some small balance issues: - The snare is a bit quiet overall. Most noticeable at 1:43. It could just be because the lead there is too loud. - The saw lead at 0:42 is slightly too quiet. - The white noise sweep at 2:03 is a bit quiet, and could stand for a small amount of resonance (boost at the fundamental) to be heard a bit more. - The lead at 1:50 is slightly too loud. Reduce the volume by about 0.2-0.6dB, since it's blocking out the 3o3 arp a little. Where the sync lead is in its modulation cycle should be its Phase. And then if you had some harmonies in certain spots, it could make the arrangement even more interesting.

Just tried it, and it sure felt like it did something. I can hear the difference, but I'm glad I can't overdo the fatness without hurting my ears, lol.

It shouldn't. A compressor right from the beginning, sure, it'll be confusing. A limiter isn't quite the same as a compressor as it only acts as soon as a track hits the limiter threshold. A limiter CAN act like a compressor, but not by default.