timaeus222

Malcos!! I love it. Exudes DnB all over with them hot drum loops, but maintains an engaging structure and an evolving atmosphere.

This is the first of this jazzier side of Deedubs I've heard, but I like it! It's very impressive that you put this together in a few days. It sounds more like it actually took you a few weeks.

Incredible, reminds me of Snarky Puppy almost. I will definitely be song requesting this on twitch streams

This is one of your best works yet! Let's go!

Yeah, I think you should just use Shreddage then. I was guessing Shreddage because you own it. The synth sounds like it wants to be a guitar, and is playing the role of one. Might as well give that a go! Oh, you have sidechaining on almost all instruments? In a metal-sounding ReMix, it should just be between the kick and the bass, and really shouldn't be between anything else because the more you do it, the more pumping it creates (some sounding unintentional). Sidechaining is really just to help the kick come through because it conflicts with the bass's frequencies. Even in more typical EDM, you'd mainly hear subtle sidechaining between kick and bass so the kick can come through, and otherwise, kick and pads for noticeable pumping effects. The kick missing low end is the one that sounds more acoustic, so yeah, the one you're sequencing like a drum kit kick.

Happy new year! Gonna take a listen. My first impression is that the arrangement is really solid. There isn't really much I would change in terms of the notes written or the structure. The mixing is definitely where I would take another look. Some mixing references I would be comparing this to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjIbPJ_dt0 (overall) https://soundcloud.com/isworks/shreddage-2-some-other-song-by (the kick doesn't have to be as strong as here though) What comes to mind: Minor nitpick, maybe the bit reduction went a tad far around 1:36. Not a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it, slightly bothers me because in general it generates harsh upper frequencies. I'm guessing you're actually using Shreddage, but (like at 1:48) the guitar seems to be very thin, lacking frequencies below around 300 Hz (to the point where it sounds like FL Slayer?). Also, it appears to be sequenced with fairly unchanging, high velocities so that you're mainly getting the hammer-ons/pull-offs instead of palm mutes. I get that it's playing fast, but it's sounding more like a distorted electronic arpeggio than an actual electric guitar. At the very least, I would not high pass the guitar nearly that much (if you are), and I would also try using MIDI CC automation to turn on Tapping Mode so that it's hopefully more smooth playing that fast. The kick drum is clicky enough, but I'm missing that low end thump (around 40~80 Hz). Try layering on another kick sample that has those frequencies. (I'd recommend using the Layer tool for that.) If you're worried about the kick clashing with the bass, that's where sidechaining comes in. I think you know how to do that, but in this case just a little bit is fine, just so that the kick and bass can play at the same time but the kick still can be fully heard. (Maybe you're already doing it, if it's as subtle as I'm suggesting.) At 2:57 - 4:14, you have a very busy, cluttered soundscape, definitely overcompressed. I think compared to version 1, you did improve this aspect, but the issue still remains. As far as the instruments go, the bass, guitar, and kick drum interaction with the Limiter is the main culprit. The default Fruity Limiter, if that's what you're using, is hard to work with if you want to write music where you could end up with a waveform sausage. I think you have two major options. 1. If you want to keep using it, I'd recommend lowering the Release a bit so that the compression doesn't stay too long, and maybe raising the Ceiling a bit so that you aren't running into overcompression as much. In this case, consider checking the sidechaining of the kick with the bass to adjust for this change in the Limiter settings. 2. Or... I don't know how much this will make you go back to check the mixing, but I've been using TLs-Pocket Limiter for years, and it's a free soft-knee limiter which has not given me any overcompression issues since I first used it back in 2012-2013. You would have to be careful about clipping, but it will let you basically hear what you give it at face value. I think that about covers it. The guitar is missing low end frequencies, and has fairly unchanging, high velocities, making it sound more electronic than electric (if that makes sense), and would benefit from Tapping Mode over just playing the notes without prior UI tweaks, just so it has smoother note transitions. The kick is also missing low end thump. And then at 2:57 - 4:14 the soundscape is super cluttered because of the kick and bass competing. The arrangement itself sounds good to me, and I'm behind that. End of Mod Review

You mark it how you want... but I'll give my remarks now that winter break is here and I'm at home with my proper headphones. Looking back up at Rozovian's review earlier, I have to say, I still hear what he heard way back then. - There are some weird volume jumps, sometimes rhythmic skips, and sometimes just sharp cutoffs to the starts or the ends of notes (which cut off important transients that actually represent someone placing the finger on the piano key). Some of these are at 0:00, 1:27, 1:31, 3:02, 3:05, 3:10, 3:32, and 3:38 (subtle), to name a few. The one at 3:38 was like a compressor was being applied to the note. - Some melodic runs also sound too detached (not overlapping enough), such as 2:38 - 2:47 (among others), while also having too-similar, and high, velocities. As a result, those runs still lack realism. - Something else he maybe didn't point out was that the panning felt a bit odd to me from a first impression. I've never really heard a piano so wide before (it's like I'm sticking my head right above middle C). If you want to continue with this, you may want to see if you can have some sheet music put together for someone to perform. You seem to have been at this for a long time, as revision(s) have still left more or less the same issues that were spotted about 8 months ago. Hope this pushes you forward in a good direction somehow.

This felt like a pretty large undertaking, and I was just on the mixing and mastering end of things. Great job everyone!

This is absolutely phenomenal. I have no other words.

I'm not sure which version of Windows you're using, but I'd try checking your Speakers properties (click the Speaker icon on the taskbar, then click the Speaker if Windows 7, for example. Then click the Enhancements tab and click Disable all enhancements). That's what comes to mind for me.

This is phenomenal! So many twists and turns! It emanates the skillset of Jake Kaufman while bringing together styles not unlike Sam Dillard's and Schnabubula!

Leave it to PROTODOME to be this slick!

This is the OA content I came here for!

I really like the spacious vibe here. I think you nailed the style you were going for. Maybe the ending could have been more than just a fade-out. It could even have been one final hit at 3:24 that you let die out normally.

A very refreshing Chrono Cross ReMix! Fittingly puts me in a good mood.

I instantly hear the GLASYS style in this. Very consistent sound from him! #Keyscape #Omnisphere

I was jamming the whole time, major props! Definitely up to your usual standards, maybe even one of your best works yet.

I'm really digging this! The switch between what sounds like 12/8 and 4/4 is pretty smooth, and the usual chugs from PirateCrab are more than worthy of a good head-banging! My favorite part has to be the syncopation starting at 1:34. Also, LOL, Deltarune is an anagram of Undertale.

Vocals done right! The celtic instruments also evoke a sense of nostalgia for me, considering I sang a lot of irish music in high school.

Finally, this sees the light of day! One of my favorites from this remix compo, and it exemplifies your jazz theory background (iirc).

That was Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for me. I had some gift card money on Amazon, so I was able to grab that, along with a 3DS. It's one of my favorite series of all time, and I hope that more in the series comes out! More recently, I just bought my copy of Pokemon Ultra Sun and am really enjoying it!

[This is an automatically generated message] I've reviewed your remix and have returned it to Work-in-Progress status, indicating that I think there are some things you still need to work on. After you work on your track and feel that you'd like some more feedback, please change the prefix back to Ready for Review and I'll review it again! Good luck!

Hey @Somewareman, sorry I didn't notice this sooner. Please, if I forget, just tell me again. I won't be mad if you pester me. Here's what I'm hearing. MOD REVIEW Summary tldr; the textures have significant clutter because the reverb on the drums affects too large a range of frequencies in the low end. there's a bit too many instruments playing at the same time sometimes, while also being similar textures in similar frequency ranges. the drums have isolated variation that doesn't seem natural compared to the main rhythm you've been using. the bass sticks out. The best way I can describe it is that it's... too funky. Some good things though, are that you definitely thought about and implemented melodic variation, there's a clear and satisfying ending, and there are distinct sections in the remix that keep it from sounding too repetitive. Right now it would likely be a NO, but this has potential, and I think you can improve this further in the textural clarity and arrangement progression department. Arrangement / Sequencing In general, I think the arrangement definitely has melodic and harmonic variation going on, but what I would do is compare similar segments, such as 0:23 - 1:07 and 1:14 - 1:58, and really consider if the variation in general feels natural or forced, and if there's too much going on. As an example, the most obvious difference I hear between those two time stamps is that you have more right-panned buzzy saw waves stacked on top at 1:14 - 1:58, but I can't distinguish those notes because there's already a similar soft 80s stab from 0:23 - 1:07 playing at the same time (as a rule of thumb, if I can't transcribe most of the notes by ear, it's not clear enough). What I would do instead, since the soundscape is already quite full, is take out those right-panned saw waves, then focus on changing the notes on the instruments that are already there. This is a concept you can apply elsewhere as well---think about when adding another sound adds too much to what's going on, and simply consider changing the melodic notes, rhythm, and/or harmonies. ----- As for the drums, I think you could go back and add a little more variation. To me, it sounds like a few patterns were copy/pasted, and then a bit of isolated variation was added just to where you were going to transition to something new (such as at 1:41 - 1:45), making those transitions sound a bit sudden. It may take some time to figure out. What I usually do is "beat box" the variations while listening back to the non-drum textures in the remix with the drums turned off, and that helps me think of ideas for changing up the rhythm. ----- You might find it helpful to check out this livestream (22:55 - 30:21) for an idea of how you might go about writing drum parts and layering textures. Production / Mixing The main 2 instrument-based things that stand out for me to address are the drums and the bass. I get that you're going for distant drums. They make sense here. Some concerns I have though, are that the reverb on the kick and snare have too much low end going on. I don't know if you are sidechaining the bass to the kick (sometimes hard to tell), but a bit of that should help subtly push down the bass and reduce muddiness. Also, if your reverb has a setting to adjust the "Low Cut" frequency that it takes in, try raising it to around 200 - 300 Hz so that it generates less reverb for frequencies below that (I did make a tutorial on reverb a while back). Once you try that, you may find yourself having more breathing room in the low end. ----- Based on the old-school, nostalgic atmosphere you seem to be going for, I would say that a slap/funky bass kinda feels out of place (for example, it sticks out at 1:10 - 1:14 and when it first comes in). Something lighter, softer, and less resonant might do the trick; maybe try something like a fretless bass as a starting point, and it should blend in a little more. ----- Regarding the mix as a whole, it actually looks like some significant compression was put on it. Compare it without and with the compression; it sounded cleaner before, but the waveform looks like a "sausage", so it doesn't hurt to check (months later) whether it helped or not. It may or may not be contributing to how the drums (especially kick) are competing with the bass. If you happen to be applying this on the master track, instead try compression on the individual channel(s) that you think needs it.

Wow, this may be a new favorite of mine from your collection!

This is an incredible demonstration of metal that actually makes you headbang in different rhythms. These guys definitely know how to shred!