timaeus222

Actually, I really like it. Keep going with it!

If we suppose that you had a 3/4 piece at some quarter-note-based tempo and a 3/8 piece at the same quarter-note-based tempo, the 3/8 piece would feel twice as fast because you're "subdividing" the way you count the beats into 8th-note counts, essentially (therefore playing twice as many notes), under the same tempo. If I were to notate a song and I wanted to decide between 3/4 and 6/8, I would consider which one makes the sheet music look nicer. If you have a bunch of recurring tied 8th notes in spots where the first 8th note is hardly ever carried onto the next measure or hardly ever lands on an upbeat (which could produce syncopation), it's worth considering changing those tied 8th-note pairs to single quarter notes. Then, if you have resultant sheet music with many more quarter notes than 8th notes, I think it would make more sense to change the time signature to 3/4 rather than 6/8. To me, 6/8 implies that you are supposed to count in terms of 8th note divisions, but IMO, there would be less practical reason to if there are not that many 8th notes. Let's say we looked at this example: You can see a tied 8th-note pair in the first measure. If you look at the second measure, you may realize that both measures are played the same way. However, the first measure emphasizes the syncopated feel more because it explicitly shows the full length of the note-hold, whereas a quarter note would ask you to recall how long a quarter note is. If you count out the first measure, you get 1 +2 +3+ 4+, but on the second measure, you count it out as 1 +2 +3 + 4+. Does that make sense?

With regards to the production, yeah, the electric rhythm guitar could have been heavier, but the tone was still full *enough* IMO. The 8/4+7/4 section was the highlight for me. Although I didn't think the wobbles fit that section, I liked the intent---I would have made the wobble tone thicker, removed the rhythmic LFO, and just drawn a cutoff automation curve that was adapted to fit the dynamics along the way. I thought the folk outtro was an unusual contrast in mood with the more chaotic sections that came before, but ultimately I'm OK with it. The arrangement is quite elaborate, yet cohesive, and the overall track was fairly well-executed. Great work!

timaeus222 Madness, Exploration, and Pointed Beaks (Storm Eagle in Sigma Stage 2 [X3]) Splash Supafly (Splash Warfly in Sigma Stage 2 [X3]) Temporal Bliss (Magna Centipede in Sigma Stage 2 [X3]) Zero Tolerance

Fixed.

Of course, but let's give multiple artists a shot.

I would say that's normal. I think you should give an artist a shot, and compare the results based on what you get, not whether you think it might match your (undetermined) vision or not. I would still recommend either Jessie Lam or rnn, but I'm more leaning towards Jessie Lam. I'm just blown away by the amount of detail and finesse in these.

At 0:32, the ascension that comes in sounds like it's in a clashing key. I think it would help to take out the internal harmonies in the first synth you use. It sounds as if you have a patch that is already pre-harmonized into major thirds, which doesn't help if you want to use minor thirds every now and then. Until 1:04, it doesn't sound to me like the track really develops a soundscape that isn't empty. Before then, it is literally drums + two synths. I'm surprised that you have no padding elements. At 1:04, the high passed lead sounds a bit weird and a bit painful. Why is so much low end cut out? It's as if it isn't supposed to be a lead and the bass is the focus. You seem to have changed key at 1:36 without realizing it. You went up a perfect fourth into a new key. Just thought I'd let you know. Then at 1:47, the bass that comes in also feels like it's in another key. It makes more sense once it fully comes in, but initially it didn't feel right. Finally, at 2:10, you have a substantial soundscape. The lead could be louder, but this is a good spot to build up to. At 2:47, it's a bit crowded, so consider rebalancing the bass and lead. And uh... fadeout? I think there could be some sort of ending near 3:35, or at least a more creative way to fade. Overall, not too bad. A bit meandering, and sometimes empty-sounding (one of the major issues). You have multiple keys overlayed here sometimes, which is strange and is another major issue here. But it's a fun listen.

What did you think about Jessie Lam? Or are you still looking for an artist?

Yeah, the algorithm for fret choice is pretty good, and that's one of the bigger challenges of scripting a good lead guitar library. One of the things I really appreciate about IBZ though is that it shows the hand reach, and allows for a fret-span limitation. Realism down to the particular person!

I haven't heard a better lead guitar, honestly. Second to Shreddage AFAIK and IMO is Evolution Electric Guitar Strawberry, and I think Shreddage trumps it on rock leads. Perhaps a really diverse demo on the flexibility of Shreddage 2X (which is very similar at least in the capability to play lead and obviously made by the same people) would be this.

Yeah, I'm not getting "town theme" from this. To me it seems like it could function as a theme of reminiscence, being fairly sad, or a love theme, suggestive of remembrance. When I think "town theme", I imagine something that evokes the idea that it's supposed to be memorable---chimes, flutes, guitar(?), a catchy melody (I know, catchiness might be subjective), etc.---because you'll be coming back to or going through the town pretty often. Another way to say it is that perhaps, you would want to keep coming back to the town in-game just to listen to it. Some of the people above have said that it "makes you feel at home," which, yeah, it should IMO, if it's specifically a "home town" theme. If it feels too "lovey-dovey" though, like what I think this is, it almost but doesn't quite register for me as a town theme, but rather, as a piece about someone missing a loved one or something like that.

I like The Window of the Stars.

What about Jessie Lam? https://www.behance.net/jessielam She did various art for zircon's Identity Sequence album.

Hm...

In general I just mean the way you added motion to the e. piano tone, whether it was wah or phaser.

The mixing here feels a tad lossy, but it's not a big deal. The problem with PS1-like samples such as these is that you have to learn the realistic pitch ranges of each instrument, and you don't have access to the articulations that would enhance the variety of techniques you utilize. However, it's not so much about the samples you use as the mixing you do with them. The hard part is adapting to your samples and making the most out of them. A more dynamic arrangement is really called for here though, in terms of layering and the underlying "music theory" in the arrangement. Maybe watching some of these livestreams can help you layer and develop the dynamics further, learn how to automate volumes to imitate expression, or figure out what's missing in your workflow, since zircon is using very similar samples: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV2SGKS2vgMxy17FkfX3w6LndaOfkgq89

Do you have a stereo separation plugin? You could probably do the reverse of its function and narrow the stereo width of the leslie slightly. Personally I don't find it necessary, but if you wanted to do it, and there's no option you can find in the leslie itself, there's a workaround. Yeah, the chords sound better! Hm... what if you tried experimenting with the mix level on the wah for the e. piano? Maybe decrease it a bit to get more body into the tone and fill in the soundscape some more? Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WniU8SAgLs&t=6m4s

Maybe you could slightly decrease the rotor width in the leslie and find middle ground between headphones, speakers, and earbuds? Earbuds tend to send sound more directly into your ears due to their small output radii, making the perceived stereo width a bit wider than regular headphones. Or at least, that's how my earbuds feel in comparison to my Beyerdynamic DT-880s.

That sounds convincing to me! Maybe ask for a mod review later? Other than that, I think this is like 99% done.

Well, it depends on the person, but for me personally, I don't think it translates into a better or worse track; rather, I might make a track that is imbalanced in favor of a source tune I find fits better into my approach at the time. I actually haven't played any Mega Man X series games, so I have literally no attachment to any particular source tune other than what I hear right as I pick each one. I pick it based on how I think I can transform it and adapt it to multiple different genres---that is, what parts of it I can alter the rhythm of, or use a new tempo for, or change the mood of, etc (in fact, throughout this compo, I did all three at some point). The important thing for me is that I pick something that doesn't make me think of only adapting it to one type of feel, like only funky remixes, or only dark remixes, or only fast remixes, etc. Whether or not it appeals to me though, is kind of a matter of both musical use and personal likes/dislikes, IMO. Honestly, at first it appealed to me only out of its flexibility for interpretation. I initially did not like Cyber Peacock, but I came to love it by Round 4 and then really got something I loved in Round 7. At that point it appealed to me both musically and personally. So, perhaps try to figure out your skills in terms of what you can do well and what you have trouble with. If the track you pick is something that you think fits you well, then give the track some time. Work with it for a while, get it in your head, and maybe you'll progressively figure out a way to transform it more creatively than the previous times you work with it. Maybe it isn't a fit. It happens. No risk, no reward, I suppose. For reference, what I think is that from my Round 2, to Round 4, to Round 7 entries, my arrangements were improving in terms of incorporating both sources in a suitable way. I took a risk, and liked the reward. I didn't think it fit my interests at first, but it grew on me. Like a good fungus.

"Psytrance" is basically a form of dance music that emphasizes a certain kind of bass (an ostinato TB-303 bass, to be specific) and uses layered melodies, and "EDM" is just an umbrella term for dance music that might be hard to classify under a more specific genre. I picked 'Time to Oil Up' and 'Let's Bust Some Viruses!' because those basically boil down to a form of electronic dance music, without adding in too much complex bass work (like in 'Tears of Blood'), while you said you didn't want a "heavy beat" to take away from the original.

This was a pretty fun compo. I got to try styles that I either hadn't done before or hadn't done in a long time. Surprisingly enough, 'Flight of the Peacock' was the track that took me the least time to write and finish (less than 20 hours???), and given that it's orchestral, it somehow took less effort than 'Mind Flip~', the metal/dubstep track I did, which took the most time (~36 hours) out of all three entries. By the way, I've since then updated 'Mind Flip~' (improved mixing, added variations after 2:30) and will definitely submit all three tracks to OCR. =D