Clem

No metal this time, but I have been working on my rhythm guitar chops. We'll see what the future holds . . .

Really clean sound design and production. I like the simple but effective intro idea. The switch-up around 1:50 is probably my favorite part. For some reason I hear a subtle sine-wave effect on the dynamics over most of track? Maybe it's just in my head. It's kinda cool Nitpick: Only three minutes long. It has a good flow and logical arc but a few sections could have been easily extended and developed in subtle ways. There were moments where a cool patch would show up very briefly and I wondered, "why not develop that a little more?"

Cool intro. I agree with the other votes on the piercing/dry quality of your samples. I'm feeling too much compression. The guitar stuff is well done, but it tends to overtake the mix, especially in the lo freqs. Not a huge fan of the kick, but the snare has a nice crack. The mix gets crowded. Busy sections like 1:30 could use some EQ. The arrangement is cool. Unique production focused transitions and some wack harmonic sense. The piano sounds off but ultimately works. YES

The intro strings are fakey, but the drum/bass/guitar blend is well done. Way overcompressed, but the mix has a deep warmth. Gives me a good doom metal vibe, reminding me of Daylight Dies. Arrangement wise, the orchestral parts are tripping points. I'm hearing the other judges on blend issues, but I gotta say that a little cheese in samples doesn't bother me much in a heavy metal Pokemon mix. Clean instrumental performances are a plus. The switch into palm tremolo is tight. The hard hitting metal angle isn't the most original way you could go with this source, but I think the execution is too good to pass up. YES

Bold sound choices here. Mixing retro game synths with heavy guitars and screamed vocals is tricky. You've got solid djent riffs and good vox. There is overcompression, guitars overtaking the mix. Sometimes, the dry synth patches clash with recorded elements. Just takes a little EQ. I like the simple approach to synth design. The melodic/harmonic stuff from the sources comes across with the heavy style. Fans will dig it . . . I would have extended the outro. YES

Cool mix. Love the intro. I hear murky mids in the busy sections. Your distorted tones are a bit dry and up-front, but overall, the production quality is good. The arrangement is straight in the middle, with expansive intro and outro sections keeping things fresh. Cool harmonic development in the extended solo section nicely rolling back into the familiar Kraid riff. YES

sorry bout missing the june 1st update. forgot to mention ive been traveling overseas for the last month. on my way back home now. ill send you something soon.

new version: http://tindeck.com/listen/zaiuk at 1:27, i added a synth that highlights the melody

the shifting themes sound natural. yor transitions are well done, and the many variations in melody keep the piece sounding fresh. i can feel what some are saying about sample quality, but I’m cool with it. some instruments sound more unconvincing and stiffly sequenced, but there’s a lot of attention to detail and texture. well done. YES

I agree that the balance is off on this. dynamics are good, but they sound quite artificial here. also, the sequencing in the wind voices that play the melody around 1:53 is stiff and fake sounding. other than that, the production is good. u achieve a hard edged darkness. the arrangement is effective, plenty of reharmonization and original exploration, I can see why u got a yes. The wacked out dynamics are my primary criticism. could be fixed with velocity edits or mixdown tweaks. NO (borderline)

sample quality is ok, but not produced with quite enough tlc. especially the percussion. i’m agreeing with what’s been said. this is a straight forward symphonic embellishment. it’s well done overall, but the lack of uniqueness left me feeling underwhelmed. stiff sequencing doesnt help. there are cool moments here but its just below the bar for me. NO (borderline)

crisp, open production style. could be fuller/more saturated, but I think it’s effective. the instruments sound cool and come together well despite the unusual combination. live recorded feel gives the track a nice organic vibe and the dynamic switches are tight. I disagree with Gario on the wind @ :46 and 1:32. those sections work well to my ear. YES

just to put in my 2c: i figured the jaggedness would be off-putting to some, but i didnt expect this to get held up for source. i felt that the chord progression, which is dominant thruout, was connected to the source. even tho the original is a simple two chord deal, it has a clear musical identity which i establish in the intro. anyway, it is what it is, no hard feelings

new version

im with you on the messy sound of that section. its an old project that doesnt open right anymore, so my means of editing are limited. here's another version with cut lo-mids. good call, i think it sounds much cleaner With Indifference_NewMaster.wav

Very nice. Good ear on the production. Reharmonization in the theme is cool. Percussion timbres are fresh and punchy. Really raw distortion jumps in on the chorus, yes. The synth layers building the harmony got soul. Stirring interlude into beat development is sick. Outro is sick. YES

A standard symphonic metal arrangement. Your playing is good, but the guitar tone is too dry. Percussion is ok, the kick doesn’t blend very well. The orchestral elements are all really washed out and the mix is crammed and loud. The dry kick and guitars often sound cheap. The low end lacks definition. Bass, kick and guitar los all messy. Still well done overall. My favorite part is the end where the percussion drops out and dancing mad abides. NO (production)

Despite dry production, this arrangement is compelling. I agree that the production is bare-bones, but I think everything comes across. I can tell you listened closely to the samples. You used layers plus varied instrumentation to smooth the stiffness, and it works. Fluttering lines interposed with pained stabs, all very chill, well capturing the vampire vibe. YES

sup man. sorry for the delay. mid-april sounds good

Good source choice. The upfront dryness of the cymbal swell at :31 along with the swelling synth waves into percussion hits are spatially weird - just don't quite convince me. The hits are muddy. Bass and lo mids could be fatter in general. feeling an absence. Mix gets competitive in the hi mids ‘round 1:30 when things are taking off. Instrument articulation is often vanilla. But these are subtle criticisms. Ultimately, your production is solid. Source use is straight, but the soundscape is very different and the ethereal changeup Kris mentioned is a nice exploration. YES (borderline)

Mix is on the flat side to start, and then piercing hi freqs and abrupt percussion don’t quite blend. You can probably bring levels up on harmony elements. Use compression/faders/distortion to saturate the mix a bit more. Orchestral samples are well used but pretty obvious. @ 1:25 things get better. Percussion hits mesh and the fast string part is cool. Kind of a 1-2 punch approach to source arrangement. There are lengthily sections without source but I’m pretty sure it’s a decisive 50%+ with source thx to the long intro featuring Final Hours. I get a film score vibe. Imagining a brief but critical confrontation... YES (borderline)

There’s a lot to like here. Your synth design is exceptional. Source connection is obvious but thoroughly explored. I heard the piano intro as underwhelming, but the synths come in strong and impress immediately. very cool aggro build from :45 into the main melody. This is good. This is overcompressed. Comparing to even the heaviest hitters around (Noisia, Skrillex, etc) your track is burning on all cylinders. You are able to keep dynamics alive across the spectrum, but you push the master too far. Your mix doesn’t get to breathe like a pro mix does and your spatial illusion falters. YES

I’m not hearing problems with the bass level here. In general I would say the production is well done, expansive and dynamic across the freq spectrum. The drums are crunched and stifly sequenced, and the overall volume is tweaked a little too heavy, but these significant details don’t quite break the deal for me. The organic blend of orchestral and rock elements is ultimately convincing. YES

Mix definitely has a lot of dirty and over compressed parts. Other Js criticisms ring true. These production crits are subtle, but significant. There are many well done stylistic flourishes and synth tones that open up the conservative arrangement, but production in particular pulls this one down for me. NO

adding to OP: this piece is an exploration of the ridley character. i was thinking about his various appearances throughout the metroid canon . . . a space-faring pirate repeatedly resurrecting. living and dying on intergalactic corruption. the silence represents shame of defeat (samus whups him every time) Edit: (start-0:51) source (0:51-1:12) no source (1:12-1:37) source (arp fig) (1:37-1:55) no source (1:55-2:44) source (arp again) (2:44-end) no source thus 2 minutes of 3:16 feature source usage