timaeus222

Which "synth thing"? There are three. The percussive bass, the sustained bass (0:47), and the lofi basic waveform (triangle?) coming in at 0:47 - 0:58. The percussive bass is a basic waveform that has an ADSR envelope (with a positive modulation depth) linked to a low pass filter, with no Attack, a short Decay, no Sustain, and a short Release. That makes it sound like... well... percussion. You'll have to experiment to get the right sound, but that's a starting point. It might have some detuning. You may need some distortion modules to get closer to the exact sound. This is what I got, using a square wave, and then a saw wave with the detuning and distortion I mentioned: https://app.box.com/s/4mqhwor0jzpf13epj6ps75hh5kl1482i The sustained bass is basically a multi-voiced saw wave with some detuning (for timbral motion), and some careful distortion; you'd have to experiment with that to get it to sound closer to what you're hearing. It might be pulse-width modulation (basically, altering the wavelengths of the left and right halves of a waveform). This is what I got: https://app.box.com/s/wcua4i80zujydc49ckl2ldwu7xzgieo1 The third synth is, like I had said, a bitcrushed/lofi basic waveform. Bitcrushing essentially reduces either the sample rate or the resolution of the audio. Either way, it's basically a way to make something sound "older". dBlue Glitch v1.3 is one plugin of many that can do that. You'd again, have to experiment with waveforms to figure out which one it is, but it might be a triangle. This is what I got: https://app.box.com/s/ftskhb9a5n4qf3o69iee8p2f8yncrhrx It's probably supposed to be a honky tonk piano, like this one. I'm unsure if the composer had an actual honky tonk piano sample, but one way you can get something similar is by adding a little bit of chorus to the right piano sample. But as you might expect, you'd have to experiment with piano samples and find one that gives you the sound you want. This is what I got after writing something ragtime-like: https://app.box.com/s/cl4sazvjxouho0j7psks7ka989z4kyge And this gets pretty close to an actual honky tonk piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNFeKEDAD_c Or, 4Front Piano is pretty old-sounding, and it's free. But I don't think the composer used an actual honky tonk piano sample; it seems like a regular piano playing a ragtime song.

Maybe straying a little from the original track with some new harmonies, or a marimba improvisation?

Yeah, but how long ago was "the past"? No offense, but you may not have known for sure whether or not they were using a limiter or compressor properly. If it hurted your ears, it isn't necessarily true that using a limiter or compressor is harmful to the result, though it isn't necessarily true that they used limiters/compressors improperly either. What I'm thinking of is more subtle. For example, here's a recording AngelCityOutlaw made for 'Let's Upset a 'Troid!': https://app.box.com/s/li4habfdpexpu83v9eogmo85ond38b8r - No compressor or limiter https://app.box.com/s/mxgcaohx1qrnjj5etc35ihoc6j5e927m - With compressor (The Glue) to control peaks They should sound very similar. But something did happen, and you can tell since their waveforms look like this--- Without compressor: With compressor: And this is helpful because it sounds very similar, yet it is overall more "even", so if you tend to have overcompression problems, this lessens those problems.

If I do use it, it would be to keep the peaks controlled (yet not overcompressed). But if I feel like I have to use a limiter to solve any problems with guitar processing, I probably would go back to the amp sim (pre-limiter) and check the internal EQ there. If your frequency distribution is pretty even, then the waveform should look fairly even as well.

Yeah, I just use one EQ instance (minor high pass near 28 Hz) and a limiter, usually, and occasionally, if I want a punchy final result and a little more cohesiveness ('gluing' together the instruments), a compressor for parallel compression. After I do all my mixing, there's not much I ever need to do on the Master track or post-render. In fact, I program my synth sounds so that they're clean (few overboosts or hollowness, if any) out-of-the-box, to minimize the amount of EQ I need to do to make them sound more "even" across multiple audio systems. These days, much of my EQ is fairly simple (low shelf below 200 Hz, a little mid-scooping, maybe a little low pass near 18000 Hz, etc), and then sometimes I'll take another pass through and do notch EQs and EQ band gain automation. The better the frequency distribution your sounds start out with, the less you need to EQ. I don't remember off the top of my head, but most of my electric guitar processing probably has a limiter or soft-knee compressor somewhere, either in the amp sim or within Shreddage 2X itself, just to keep the peaks controlled.

Yep. The easiest way is to just chop part of the recorded riff, clone it, and reverse it. In FL Studio, just use the Slicer tool at a specific spot (if necessary), and then click the audio clip at the top left corner and select Make unique. Then just open up the Channel settings window (double click the audio clip) and click the Reverse radio button under Precomputed effects. Drag the reversed clip to the spot you want it to be. 1. It's mixed relatively loudly, but with a good amount of warmth to the EQ near the low-mids without clipping, so instead of sounding loud, it sounds full. The sound that seems like something wavering in and out (like at 0:08) could be a guitar from the way the midrange sounds, but the point is that it has a long attack (as in, within the ADSR envelope), and it's somewhat like two FM (frequency modulation) oscillators linked in series with a touch of detune. In other words, its timbre moves in a way that is similar to a tibetan bowl, if that makes sense. 2. It comes in at 0:50, if I'm listening to the right sound. Seems similar to a xylophone or other mallet instrument with some very fast Delay with a low Feedback setting. 3. Yes, it's at 0:16, and it's essentially a basic 8-bit waveform (square wave?) with some fast Delay and a little bit of Reverb. Both hands sound to me like they're in the same room, so no, it sounds like one piano. The previously-discussed piano is just louder with maybe a little more low-mids warmth via EQ, but it's likely the same sample library or piano model.

I asked other people to chime in, as I have not used loudr.fm. I liked Bandcamp because: - I used it first - They have a large comprehensive FAQ should you have any questions, even nerdy ones like "OK, but why would anyone ever buy something they can hear in full for free?" or "Can I upload files with sample rates greater than 44.1 KHz?". - It offers multiple options for downloadable music filetypes, like AIFF, FLAC, MP3 V0, MP3 320, etc. - It streams your music in full, never partially, yet streams it in 128 kbps so that only buying it would give you good fidelity to the music - They make sure to tag your music for you so that even if you don't know how, it's already labeled with a title, artist, album, lyrics, etc. - You can always change your mind if you want and delete your account (some websites in general [not necessarily music related] don't allow you to delete a created account, so it's just stuck like that) But yeah, if anyone wants to vouch for loudr.fm, feel free! (and if you don't, it shouldn't discredit it.)

I just want you to really consider your options before choosing, that's all. It wouldn't be fair if I linked only to Bandcamp's pricing; you'd not have a reference point to compare to.

fyi, I used to be "39971", and now I'm "24526". Pretty sure we didn't lose 15445 members. (right? o.o)

Nice work! I think it'd be cool if you expanded it more with original content.

Nice Damage (?) drums. I'd say that they kind of drew your attention away from fine-tuning instruments other than your drums. Try disabling your drums for a moment and seeing how this sounds without them. Then, try getting the remaining instruments on-par with the drums. At 0:01 - 0:10, if you listen closely, you should be able to tell that the instruments have very similar velocities, so they're lacking the dynamics that would make them more expressive.

Personally I don't really like the chopped guitars at the beginning; practically speaking, it's not realistic, though it's a real guitar. Did you just record multiple separate staccato chords and insert them manually? The production is not too bad; the guitars sound good. I'd say the drums can punch through better; I can't hear the kick, and the snare is barely peeking through the guitars. Did you try adding some parallel compression to strengthen the transients (the drumhead impact in this case)? Try listening to these drums for comparison: Nice guitar arpeggios near the end at 1:55, though it was hard to hear it. Those notes were a good start to differentiating from the original.

I think you can work to improve past simply using two or three synths and a drum loop. Try learning more about what compositional components of the ReMix that you can contribute to in an original manner, and what genre you actually want to go for.

I think this kind of evokes a hometown-like feel (y'know, like the ones discussed in the "town themes" thread) due to the acoustic guitar, flute, and overall 'welcoming' vibe. I didn't find this repetitive at all, actually; just the right length. The production is only mildly problematic (a little midrange-heavy); not enough to really have much to complain about in this context. Congrats on the mixpost! Keep on improving!

The cello at the beginning needed more overlapped notes to make it more realistic, but the compositional aspect of the intro was good. The overall mastering is pretty cramped though; you can tell from how you get mostly that "papery" tone from the kick and mostly the transient from the snare. Still, the way The Great Toymaker was adapted to the performance makes total sense. I can feel the wintry influence here. Sounds almost like Carol of the Bells or something like that, due to the repeated arpeggio that is only slightly different each time it's played (such as 2:07 - 2:24).

The slightly washy, "roomy" feel of the atmosphere almost sounds like a cave. Nice!

Oh, well that would be a soft synth pluck with some ambient reverb and some delay (you can hear the delay at 1:45 - 1:46). You can also hear the same sound exposed at 3:31 - 3:36 (the guitar layers with it at 3:37 - 3:43). As for the "exact" settings, you'd have to experiment with it. I think NastyDLA MKII (which is free, in the Downloads page) can get you partway there in giving you the delay. The synth itself doesn't have to be anything in particular; with enough reverb, you can get a similar sound as long as it sounds like a pluck and it is low-passed.

https://loudr.fm/pricing --> 70~85% revenue (but don't forget to read the web page in full) https://bandcamp.com/pricing --> 85~90% revenue (but don't forget to read the web page in full) You might be hearing a few hits from a ride (drum kit component). The kick drum is also playing a fast rhythm there.

Well, since the Impact Soundworks website is putting everything on sale, the original price doesn't show right now. But if I remember correctly, it was $119. A similar version, Shreddage 2X, is normally $139. As for a free guitar, KVR Audio is a good place to search, as it contains a very large, up to date database on many VSTs, sample libraries, etc. http://www.kvraudio.com/q.php When I simply search for "guitar", with the conditions "Free", "Plugin", and "Released", I get: http://www.kvraudio.com/q.php?search=1&q=guitar&ty[]=i&pr[]=f&av[]=re So you can sift through that if you want. But it's a huge jump down in quality, in addition to many (if not all) samples already with distortion on them, just so you know. For example, I checked out SuperRiffGuitar, and it has vibrato baked right into the already-distorted samples. The recorded samples themselves are also very short, so long held chords aren't possible (for instance, in Shreddage, you can hold sustain chords for almost 30 seconds if you wanted to and it'll fade out naturally; I've tried!). Some of the others are just apps (like WI Guitar), some are functioning as a visual fretboard for MIDI input (like Armchair Guitarist), and some are discontinued (like Milk Guitar). And with the original music, I personally use Bandcamp.com (the site itself makes about 10~15% revenue for digital, for example), though other people like Flexstyle have also suggested loudr.fm. You'd want to get more opinions on that though.

FL Slayer doesn't have the capacity to sound as good as a realistic guitar. It lacks many of the intricate details that you'd find in a realistic guitar emulation, like multiple mute layers, specific string selection, virtual hand reach, the occasional fret noise, chromatic sampling, etc. You'd be better off looking for a guitarist to collaborate with or looking at a sampler like Kontakt 5 and a sample library like Shreddage 2 IBZ to get a realistic electric guitar. Probably the best demo I can find for it is this: In the case of Shreddage 2 IBZ though, Kontakt Player 5 works with it just fine. So really, if you wanted it, while Impact Soundworks is still doing its holiday sale, you can get Shreddage and use it for like, $99. You'd still have to learn how to use it, but it's way more capable right off the bat in emulating a realistic performance and can be much more realistic.

I have both, but I found Shreddage easier to use AND more in-depth in its features. More flexible, more customizable... yeah. All-around, definitely better. Shreddage is more for hardcore rock/metal, but Strawberry is generally for the less-aggressive variations of rock/metal.

Hooray for Christmas musak!

Hm... well the source is pretty simple! So indeed, the challenge is getting mileage out of it. I like what's going on here so far. Cool watery piano, and that helps anchor the creepy mood. The piano is pretty resonant though, at 800 (± 20) Hz, so you can do a notch EQ there to make it easier on the ears. You could also raise the dry mix some more; it's actually pretty distant, and while it's supposed to be distant, it can be a bit less distant. At 0:27, when the choir comes in, it's pretty static; you could automate its volume throughout the rest of the mix as well to humanize it with some swells. Additionally, if it's a soundfont, you can adjust the ADSR envelope on it and increase the attack to make your job a little easier. At 0:55, the snare that comes in, while I get what you're going for with the reverb, it's pretty hissy. You could lower the high cut frequency from within the reverb to decrease the hiss while still maintaining the watery ambience. 1:23 was cool with the low drone, but pretty sudden. Try leading into it earlier on. I'm also not so sure the pulse wave lead really works; it's kinda distracting IMO. At 1:26 - 2:25, am I hearing really quiet pizzicato? If so that can be brought up quite a bit more, because if I can't hear it, it wouldn't count towards source usage. At 2:26, I hear some sort of organ, I think, but it's pretty washed out from the piano reverb, perhaps, and now the pulse wave lead really ends up being a distractor for me. Maybe try a trebly/cosmic "sweep" pad atop the organ and somewhat low-passing the 'organ'. Also, try lowering the wet mix, or the decay time, a tad on the piano. It's a tough mix to do for sure; the biggest struggle I'd say, is to get the pacing right in this atmospheric arrangement, and using just enough reverb. I have no problem with the structure, but some more interesting ear candy littered about can help make the pacing less stagnant. Maybe some sleigh bells and long reversed-"cymbal-like" transitions can help signal different dynamics. How about putting a delay on the piano, muting the dry signal, rendering the delay itself, importing it back in as a WAV, and then reversing it? Then you can automate the volume of that up if you want to use it, and down when you don't want to hear it.

I just pasted a bunch of my reviewed-thread links in a word doc.