timaeus222

I actually didn't find this that meandering; I thought it struck a pretty good balance between spontaneous writing, a continuous flow, and a mesmerizing atmosphere. Stayed in one gear, pretty much, but managed well, I thought. Definitely something you should hear at night when you want to relax.

OH yeah, I remember those! Loved that title, "Jin's Tonic".

Yeah, that's no problem; I kept FL Studio 11 installed when I updated to FL 12, and it still works on there.

As a point of emphasis, that limiter is 32-bit, so 32-bit FL should run it in a way that it loads fastest; 64-bit FL, I think, would automatically bridge it (putting it into a process separate from FL Studio), which might make FL take longer to load.

Agreed with Gario; I don't have much else to say, but I'll add a small note to get you to train your ear: I'm not sure if you notice it, but the bass drum you use throughout (not the kick) is a tad narrow compared to the rest of the soundscape (such as the wide pad), so to me it sticks out and doesn't quite fit into the soundscape (it sounds like it's in a different room/space). Usually, you would want instruments in the same song to sound like they're in the same room, so to speak (even if they're not all supposed to be real instruments). Since it also sounds kinda like the same bass drum sample over and over again, it also gets a little repetitive when I focus on the bass drum. You might want to try EQing down its low-midrange (200~500 Hz) a tad, and that might help a little. That said, I think you did a pretty good job; the mixing is reasonably clear. It's definitely better than some of my first ReMixes.

Pretty much agreed with Gario, but here are my main thoughts. Yep, follows the original really closely. Cool cover, but a few crits of interest about it: The accompaniment is louder than the leads, so the accompaniment could be brought down in volume. In general, something consistently playing chords (and not, say, melodies) should not be the loudest if there is also a melody going on. Try setting the accompanying instruments' volumes to 0, and then slowly raising them until they sound like they're backing up the leads, but not overtaking them. The mix overall is a bit crowded (loud/cluttered), but I'm guessing you aren't using a Limiter? A Limiter would catch your loud instruments and keep them from getting too loud. Some, however, could push your instruments down too much, giving you what's called "overcompression". In principle, this video can help you detect that, if you've heard of it. If you use a 32-bit DAW that can run VST plugins, then TLs-Pocket Limiter is a great free limiter that doesn't do that. Just be sure to lower the volume of each individual instrument, rather than simply the Master track's volume slider, as that way, the volume is lowered *before* it gets limited by the Limiter, not *after*. Pretty much after these main points are touched on, I think it'll be even more accessible to the 'casual listener'.

Haha, "OCR" - OC Records

That's not why I'm concerned. Making money as a non-profit entity adds the chance for suspicion. Anyone can wrongly accuse OCR, and that technically can be minimized by limiting money made associated with the OC ReMixes themselves. Anyways, I think the staff made it clear that Spotify probabl won't be on the radar for a while when it comes to licensing thousands of source tunes (less for albums, but still a lot) and streaming the ReMixes. For now, if you really want to share a streaming service that has OC ReMixes, go to http://ocr.rainwave.cc/

I did already read what you had, but I still don't agree with your interpretation of intent. Going out and purposefully placing ads on OC ReMix videos would result in generating revenue off of free music.

Did you read what I quoted? I'll emphasize it: "if OC ReMixes themselves are being monetized, being sold in any context, or you're [someone who is] generating revenue from ads while hosting OC ReMixes, the answer is NO, [you cannot simply use OC ReMixes in that manner.]" (e.g. in a YouTube video) Like I said, if the staff doesn't want random people doing it, why would they themselves do it? It's hypocritical. The staff makes much of its money from selling OC ReMix merchandise. Perhaps @Liontamer or @djpretzel could elaborate.

...Who said OCR makes [ad or other] revenue on youtube? If the staff doesn't allow other people to do it, why would they do it? Straight from the FAQ: Guess what? OCR doesn't have explicit permission from each artist right off-the-bat.

Well, although the "mission" is partly to promote VGM, it doesn't seem worth it to try licensing literally thousands of source tunes to publish OC ReMixes on commercial streaming services. Plus, OCR has been known as a non-profit organization. Even when the money goes towards managing the site and so on, that appears less clear when money is involved.

That's a reaction to remember.

Sounds kinda like a sad flashback moment when that flute comes in. For me the stereo field was a bit odd; maybe it was mixed on speakers, because it's pretty much hard-panned. That aside, pretty solidly executed, and enjoyable as a vintage emulation with an oldies sound.

Y'know, I'm curious: I wonder what @zykO said about it in the DP comments; I remember @Chimpazilla mentioning it

If you wanted to manually fix those loud peaks at 0:57 - 0:58, try looking at your kick and snare, and maybe the toms; I think it's their sum that's getting that loud. ----- Anyways, I agree that the instruments overall sound subdued. I'm not sure how that's happening, but you might want to check these things: Did you lower the Dry Mix on any digitally-applied reverb for any instrument? If so, try resetting the Dry Mix. For example, if it's at 0%, your instruments would sound distant, since only the results of the reverb can then be heard, but not what's going into it. Are you scooping the midrange (specifically, 500~2000 Hz, though the midrange extends higher than that) on the lead and rhythm guitar? It seems like that frequency content is particularly missing. It's what I would call "hollow". If so, try bringing those EQ bands up to 'neutral' and seeing if that makes your leads more upfront than they are now.

I think that means you can stand to practice on more than mostly Serum; I agree that some sounds made in Serum are not quite possible in other synths, but in principle, you can get pretty much the same sound from different approaches, and so, there shouldn't be any reason why you can't get similar sounds on two different synths (besides how certain synths have filter models that others don't, and the different synthesis engines may make tones that inherently sound more "pure" or more "dirty"). For instance, a Reese bass is basically just octave detuned saws with a notch filter LFO; you can technically make a Reese bass, whether it's on Serum, or Massive, or Zebra2. Not to mention, Serum can import Massive's wavetables, so whatever Massive can do, Serum can as well. Meaning, if you make a sound you can make on Massive, it's worth considering whether you should just make that on Massive. Thinking about synthesis when it comes to the basic principles on how to construct a sound, rather than the habits you've formed on how to make the sound, can help you spread your skills across multiple resources. ----- Back to the topic of your EP, it might help you to watch this video, just to see how you can work with Fruity Limiter anyways with little to no overcompression. Basically, with a higher Ceiling (which I did mention earlier was one solution), you can go above 0 dB without overcompression. I did also mention that it was a bit risky, since now you can get clipping if you go too far. That's why I gave you a suggested loudness standard, so that you don't go boosting too loudly.

Being conservative about RAM doesn't necessarily mean you don't use a lot of it. It just means you use it efficiently. If you can use a less RAM-intensive synth to create the same sound, why use a more RAM-intensive synth to make that sound? That's the point.

"10 GB RAM" isn't exactly a "standard minimum". I've never gone over 4 GB (except through occasional bridging), and still manage to get by with music I enjoy. It may just be a problem with the choices of samples; Serum takes up about 200 MB per instance, and you seem to use it a lot; on the other hand, I use Zebra2, which takes maybe 50 MB per instance. As for whether you should use 64-bit or 32-bit FL, I have been using 32-bit FL for years, with mostly 32-bit plugins, and I haven't had any crashing issues unless I open an old project file and the data becomes managed differently in a newer version of FL, causing me to go over 4 GB in that newer version. It may even be a good exercise for you to try using 32-bit FL as a way to force yourself to be conservative on your RAM usage, if you have a lot of 32-bit plugins. If you've somehow came to believe that 10 GB is normal, then that sounds like a problem to me. ----- Yep, the overcompression is fixed; now if a drop isn't as strong as you want it, then it's just due to how you made it and the samples you chose, and not because you pushed against the limiter Ceiling. And right now, I do think that it's just a limitation based on what samples you chose for your drums. As I mentioned before, using the Layer tool is extremely helpful to create strong, punchy drums. zircon made a tutorial on this kind of thing here: ----- As for going above 0 dB, it's as I mentioned earlier; using a tolerant limiter, like TLs-Pocket Limiter, or FabFilter Pro-L, allows you to push against 0 dB more than something like Fruity Limiter does by default. You don't necessarily need post-render master-track compression to get loud, and you don't necessarily need to get loud to make good music. But you do need to be at a good loudness. This would be the loudest song I could listen to for extended periods of time: If something you listen to is louder than this, it's probably too loud.

Added a quick ear training video on detecting overcompression due to Fruity Limiter. Now I can just send this to people who aren't hearing it.

Basically, the issues are: You've raised the Gain within Fruity Limiter, boosting your music against the Ceiling, promoting overcompression. You don't seem to be using Fruity Compressor as a compressor, but as a volume slider, basically, which doesn't make anything better or worse. Maximus has compressor characteristics, so I would avoid using Maximus unless/until you know how to use it. ----- In the image: On the first waveform, yes, your song is past the 0 dB mark, which, without context, could mean a lot of clipping, or a lot of overcompression. On the second waveform, it looks like it went past 0 dB, and then you lowered the volume after-the-fact (retaining the clipped waveform shape), meaning that it's still too loud in terms of dB RMS (average loudness)---the literal volume is just quieter. The third waveform is probably fine, as it isn't hitting 0 dB, and it wasn't lowered in volume after hitting 0 dB either. On the first video: When you raised the Gain on the EQ pre-limiter (0:17), the overcompression became even more apparent, as the volume is raised before it reaches the limiter. Raising the Gain within Fruity Limiter also raises it against the Ceiling, which adds more overcompression. It results in peaks getting squashed in louder parts of the mix whenever they run into the Ceiling (pushing the quieter instruments down a bit as well, as Fruity Limiter has no internal filter). So, if you don't adjust any settings on Fruity Limiter, you should either use a different limiter (like TLs-Pocket Limiter), or finish your mix on low Gain without a limiter and "master" your track with some post-rendering compression (which requires that you know how to do that). Or, if you raise the Ceiling on Fruity Limiter (which is at 0 dB by default), it'll be harder to overcompress (since the Ceiling is higher, assuming the Gain wasn't altered), but you will run into clipping issues near 0 dB more easily, so it's more of a risky fix to do that. It makes Fruity Limiter more transparent, but then depends on you knowing what clipping sounds like. I don't think you need Stereo Enhancer on the Master track. You know what that "STEREO SEP" knob actually does, right? It adjusts the phase of your L/R input, creating phase cancellation that either separates your L/R input (counterclockwise) or merges them into mono (clockwise). You shouldn't need to do much, if any of that; you should have already prepared your stereo field while doing your regular mixing. I sometimes use it to narrow my drums if they are oddly-panned out-of-the-box, but other than that, not much. At 1:04, you do have a volume difference when toggling it on/off, so you should probably turn it off so you know exactly what's boosting/lowering the mix. I like to be able to keep track of what's going on in my music. At 1:54, you shouldn't just check Fruity Limiter. You also have Maximus, which can perform compression, which means it can contribute to your overcompression. At 3:20, Fruity Compressor, Maximus, and Fruity Limiter should be turned off to compare how it sounds with and without them. All three of them are some form of compressor, so they can contribute to overcompression. On the second video: At 0:53, you also have the Gain raised within Fruity Limiter, which again, promotes overcompression by boosting the volume against the Ceiling. At 1:49, while you do have Fruity Compressor lowering the Gain, with those particular settings, that actually doesn't add overcompression; it just lowers the volume going into it. If you reset the Gain to 0 dB and toggle on/off, it shouldn't sound that different either way. There is a slight limiting characteristic to Fruity Compressor that alters the waveform a little (barely), but there isn't usually an audible difference when you load the default configuration of Fruity Compressor. Since you weren't really using Fruity Compressor for compression, you didn't need it. The way you were using it, it pretty much acts as a volume slider. It's not to say compressors are inherently bad, but right now, you should reset their settings (by reloading them) and experiment more with them before you finalize your music.

Interesting, I like that bass ostinato that pervades the track. It allowed you to use the source effectively without making it sound too forced. The last two minutes add more complexity to the wobbles, which definitely helped add dynamic contrast and interest all the way to the end. Not quite as complex as "Saria's Drop", but I can tell that it's "your sound". Great work!

Yes, it takes a while to be able to be objective about your own music, but it's possible - I'm getting there. The important thing is to realize that not everyone "gets" your sound design nearly as much as a memorable composition, so if you have good sound design and good composition, it's probably going to appeal to a greater audience. "Redemption" - seems overcompressed. I like the composition itself as it develops, but the details get a bit lost since the limiter pushes down on the mix almost the whole time. Either that or you have a lot of master-track compression. "Puzzle" - Not exactly overcompressed, but maybe overly-compressed or overly-sidechained. Whenever the drums hit really hard, the everything gets pushed down and it becomes hard to actually hear what notes are going on. "Drums on Fire" - Generally, a percussion-dominant track like this is hard to remember, because you can't hum it. I liked the breakdown, but I do hear a bit of overcompression whenever the drums play. "Restless" - I like the softer parts, as they are relatively clean. By the 1-minute mark, I think this is the best track on this EP. It actually presents good glitching without obscuring the melody or tonal elements in the mix. I also don't hear significant overcompression yet. However, there could be more low-midrange bass motion, instead of just sub bass and midrange, as the bass currently sounds hollow in that respect (resulting in a soundscape that isn't as full as it could be). Also, 3:52 doesn't hit nearly as hard as you made me anticipate, as there is overcompression there, and the drums just don't sound strong. The ending just kinda dies out - it could be extended a bit more. "Salvation" - Similar remarks as with "Drums on Fire"; has some overcompression, and the composition is hard to get attached to. The style kinda reminds me of this. Maybe you'll find some inspiration from it. This is also another interesting dubstep remix that has some orchestral components. You don't have to just use strings.

I don't personally do these "mixtapes", but writing "I don't own . . . " doesn't really help. If you actually want to legitly do this, try reading this: https://www.harryfox.com/license_music/youtube_license.html

Hot damn, this is a work of genius. Loving all the metallic + dark textures.