timaeus222

Since BadAss 3 is finalizing stuff now, I'd like to offer my mixing/mastering services for this album, as well as the following: Electric and synth bass (especially dark bass wobbles) Electric guitar (rhythm, maybe lead, depending on the track) Countermelodic elements, or ear candy filler Cinematic textures, impacts, sweeps, risers, etc. Standard orchestral strings stuff (staccato, legato, pizzi, etc)

Yeah, but you could have done it with a cleaner way. Retuning that percussion in that way sounded like if the same thing were done to vocals, you would get that "slow motion" feel that hip hop producers have used so much. It may appear to sound like a comment based on taste, but I'm not making it based on taste; I'm considering how artificial the tuning is and how it could have been more gracefully accomplished, volume-wise (no offense to you, of course). As it is, the dynamics jumped up from a low point to a high point, and after the transition lowered a little bit from that high point, which seems strange since I would expect it to go from low (previous section) to high (the fill) to higher (next section). I think a smoother way to transition would be to use the hi hats to foreshadow it, and then a snare fill.

HOLA! I took a request from a guy on twitter (DeucesWildMedia) to remix Kirby's Dreamland 3. This is what I came up with so far in a Jazz Fusion style, with some hefty influence from (with supah bass playa Jaco Pastorius) while combining the style I used in a previously posted OC ReMix belonging to Chimpazilla and I. Apparently "Flower Garden" from Yoshi Touch & Go fit rather well so I put it in too. Thought I'd let you guys take a look rather than work on it in private =P Feel free to chime in with any suggestions. I'm thinking of incorporating a drum solo after this, then maybe I'll taper off the dynamics and slowly build it back up, using some notes and ideas from the first breakdown section. Grass Land 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLnqF9KKvTA (main) Sand Canyon 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt5arkk5lVo (cameo) Ripple Field 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub0iWyJYLko (main-ish) Flower Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=refalB4VM6o (cameo) V1: https://app.box.com/s/jxs7p28ff4cimzvc58fdwf442ctomk9g Final Version: https://app.box.com/s/50yyxi6hzdwsjqzg9d44bfudh424ebd5 Source Breakdown: 0:03.28 - 0:08.95, 0:09.77 - 0:13.84, 0:16.26 - 0:21.83 = Grass Land 2 (0:00.00 - 0:06.47) [bass and piano] 0:22.75 - 0:27.61 = Grass Land 2 (0:06.47 - 0:12.88) 0:29.24 - 0:38.96, 0:42.21 - 0:53.76 = Ripple Field 3 (0:00.00 - 0:25.36) 0:42.21 - 0:48.69 = Flower Garden (Yoshi) (0:00.00 - 0:26.70) [background sine wave] 1:04.90 - 1:06.91 = Sand Canyon 3 (0:00.00 - 0:02.45) [Different "mood"] 1:08.15 - 1:15.58 = Grass Land 2 (0:00.00 - 0:06.47) 1:17.88 - 1:19.91 = Sand Canyon 3 (0:00.00 - 0:02.45) [Different "mood"; bass] 1:21.13 - 1:32.68, 1:34.10 - 1:45.04 = Ripple Field 3 (0:00.00 - 0:25.36) [Mostly retained bass, with solos + interpretation] 1:47.07 - 2:13.01 = Wild solos! 2:00.05 - 2:01.66, 2:06.52 - 2:13.01 = Grass Land 2 (0:00.00 - 0:06.47) 2:13.01 - 2:22.34 = Grass Land 2 (0:12.88 - 0:24.09) [bass solo] 2:25.99 - 2:31.87 = Grass Land 2 (0:12.88 - 0:24.09) 2:35.71 - 2:37.75 = Sand Canyon 3 (0:00.00 - 0:02.45) [Different "mood"] 2:42.21 - 2:47.07, 2:48.70 - 2:52.75, 2:55.17 - 3:00.74 = Grass Land 2 (0:00.00 - 0:06.47) [bass and piano] 3:01.66 - 3:06.50 = Grass Land 2 (0:00.00 - 0:06.47) 3:06.50 - 3:32.09 = Havona-style ending Grass Land 2: 5.67 + 4.07 + 5.57 + 4.86 + 7.43 + 1.61 + 6.49 + 9.33 + 5.88 + 4.86 + 4.05 + 5.57 + 4.84 = 70.23 70.23/212.09 = 33.11% Ripple Field 3: 9.72 + 11.55 + 11.55 + 10.94 = 43.76 43.76/212.09 = 20.63% Sand Canyon 3: 2.01 + 2.03 + 2.04 = 6.08 6.08/212.09 = 2.87% Flower Garden: = 6.48 6.48/212.09 = 3.06% Total (note the Flower Garden overlap): 120.07/212.09 = 56.61%

Well, okay. Honestly, I don't think it's bad at all. I also don't think it's "generic 'epic music' shit" or anything that inconsiderate guy in a youtube comment said. 100 hours of effort doesn't seem enough for music of this kind, though. I think you could have spent more time to refine it, because there are some realism issues that brought it down from "awesome" to "good". For example, I might spend about 50-70 hours on a song if I want it to be absolutely spot-on with no issues whatsoever, so if it was something like this album I would have spent about 250~350 hours. Just something to consider. What I thought could have used improvement was the musical development of each track (too static to maintain interest for long enough), the orchestral sequencing (detached notes when connected notes would work better, too many emphases making all the emphases moot, etc.), and each track's overall mixing (too reserved, could be more bombastic and big). "Edge of Freedom" sounded a little repetitive and its dynamics didn't seem to change that much, but in general the notes clicked well and the samples were good quality at the outset, but the strings sounded too detached in some parts that breaks the realism. It reminds me of this track though, which I think is a success on your part. You might have the same strings library he does. Nice usage of Damage, seems like. "The Last Battalion" had the same realism issues. Specifically, the strings' phrasing sounded unrealistic in the way the legato articulations were connected, and generally sounded detached and weak when more defined notes could have been accomplished by layering articulations with stronger attacks. "Seismic Shift" didn't quite reel me in until about 0:50, though at that point I was hoping for a heavier, fuller soundscape but didn't get more than a plodding soundscape that felt like it had too many emphases. As a result none of the emphases sounded like emphases. "Aeon Phobia" was pretty cool. The intro pad was a nice lead-in, and made for a good atmosphere. This might be my favorite track on this album. Unfortunately it was the shortest. I think you could have made it longer, though it felt like the length wasn't too short based on the development overall. "Maximus Victorious" had the same strings articulations issues; the staccato notes are all so similar and as a result, no emphases really were that evident. The bass mixing could also be cleaner; the piano kinda clashes with the bassy drums (I can't tell if you have timpani in there or not). The drumwriting itself is pretty good here. So, overall, few parts of this actually stood out to me, but it's definitely better than you think it is. You might want to take a listen to these for reference tracks: https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/inspired-guns-credits-music https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/the-black-flag https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/orc-wars-opening-sequence https://soundcloud.com/stephen-anderson/i-am-the-sentinel-credits https://soundcloud.com/isworks/juggernaut-fates-reckoning https://soundcloud.com/isworks/juggernaut-darkness-ft-shreddage2

Okay, now I'm actually listening to it (looks like it's an old one you've done before). Yeah, the flute is indeed mechanical, because the notes are detached. Whether you recorded it for real or not, it sounds too stilted as I mentioned earlier, and it's just how you chose to play it that makes it sound stiff. As for the bass, I do agree with Skrypnyk, it doesn't sound like it's contributing much to the soundscape, and it sounds plain with no distinct articulations. It's as if it's a sine wave, but not quite. At 0:40, I agree again with Skrypnyk that too many things are going on at once. I hear the piano on the right, the flute on the left, the piano on the left, the bass in the center, the metal percussion on the left, the hi hats, snare, kick... wow, that's a lot. I think the pianos need more rhythmic synergy in the partwriting to sound more cohesive and in agreement with each other, and the flute can be more centered at that point (automation?) to let the left piano come through more. At 1:36, by "sloppy" transition he probably meant the retuned metal percussion; it sounds too artificial. Also, I see what Skrypnyk means by breakbeat. The drum pattern at 1:39, for example, has a lot of snare fills in a row, and is in the style of breakbeat (not to mention it raises the energy of the track, even though there's ambience at that time as well). If you took those snare fills out and made it more plain, it could sound more downtempo and less conflicting in the amount of energy conveyed.

Though I can't listen to this right now, I think I can figure out what he meant, and maybe you can take another listen and see if you notice these issues this time. - I'm guessing the flute playing itself was just stiff, as in, it was stilted, or it could use more natural phrasing. If in fact it's actually a real recording, it's already realistic, but the performance was probably just too lacking in natural flow. Maybe find a youtube video of a solo flute performance and listen to how it sounds, paying close attention to slurs, pitch bends, hard/soft blowing, long phrases, etc. - I'll look into this some more later, but I'm guessing the dynamics didn't portray what you intended up until 0:40 and there is midrange clutter or something at 0:40. - As for the mix not knowing what it wants to be, that just means the remix is combining incompatible genres, or the structure is strange in that it shifts between an unexpected sequence of genres. Skrypnyk did mention a lack of direction in the arrangement flow.

I'll check this out later, but I think you should give yourself more credit. Seeing as how this is apparently cinematic in nature and I've been getting into that a lot lately, I think I can find for you what really stood out for me.

It's great and all, but can you just post a thumbnail that links to the full version? That's stretching the page.

How's this doing? My track's done, by the way. I'm just stashing it away for now. =P

This is pretty neat. I think it could have used a stronger melodic focus (maybe a little sparse here and there on the higher energy parts) and more of a low-mids presence in the bass, but otherwise this is really fun work here. We should collab sometime.

I mainly agree that this sounds texturally sparse, still, and incomplete. Timestamps: - 0:32 - 0:48 could use something to emphasize the chord play, like a pad or something. - 1:04 - 1:36 could use a more evident countermelody, since the arp that's there feels like it's playing too much of a backseat while the melody is carrying the track at that point. - 1:36 - 2:13 has the same problem as 0:32 - 0:48. I would try a very full pad. The one you have now isn't filling out the soundscape nearly as much as it could. - 2:09 - 2:17 is nice, but I think it could use three whole notes and two half notes to keep a melody going until the transition. - The kick at 2:51 still feels out of place. - The rising saw at 3:09 - 3:24 conflicts with the atmosphere the piano creates. I think it just feels too different to work as you may have imagined. - I agree, 4:00 felt like you just ran out of ideas. A club ending can work, if it's more gradual than this. I think you omitted too many elements too early. Also, there's a weird click on the cymbal at the end.

I thought it was pretty good and there were some good solos. I guess I would have liked more of a reprieve from just rocking out. Also, at 1:33 and similar spots onwards, the low bass hit was too loud and flooded the sound field, creating loads of overcompression.

Sorry, but the violin clearly sounds detached, too dry, and unrealistic. The low bassy drum is hard to hear. It just doesn't feel like the combination of instruments sounds cohesive in the stereo field here. It's too texturally sparse, too dry (too little reverb), too disjointed (incompatible note choices, unrelated melodic contours), and too unfocused (unclear arrangement direction) overall. This would need a lot of work to get to OCR standards. Being the type of person you are, I would suggest making a plan first by writing it out with sheet music so you can hear it before you try emulating real instruments at all.

After working extensively with vocals on a different album, I realized... I'm gonna go back and refine the mixing on my track.

http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1200140 Huge free orchestral soundfont pack. I tried it. It's pretty good, actually.

Anyways, you might wanna check out Syllix's ambient music. It's not really VGM, but it's soothing, not busy or attention-grabbing (usually), and BGM-worthy. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPZamkASI4EUiFcLZKxxAKQ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/syllix

In my experience, my high school AP english teacher was who taught me (out of an MLA formatting textbook) to use 's for proper nouns ending in s if they're not plural. So, Joneses' or Jones's would be how I would do it. I guess it depends on the format of choice (i.e. MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.)

Fixed in the sense that it doesn't sound muddy, but it's still too fake. The bagpipe-like keyed instrument just makes the arrangement feel dragged on, and this doesn't sound like it has a structure. It feels directionless. When you do play around with the source, the main motif seems repeated quite a bit.

Sorry that I can't be of more help, but I have some very dry-sounding headphones, and I can't understand the vocals either from 1:12 and on. That's just a problem with how they're mixed. I think they're either nonsensical, latin, or african, based on the atmosphere, but oh well.

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's this:

Hell yeah.

This was one of my favorites mix on the albums. Oh gosh, it's starting to make me pluralize the wrongs word. :v)