Clem

I think the bass is fine for what it is. It's a little thin I suppose. I love the nice and fat kick drum. The guitars seem a little odd for some reason. I think the tone is alright, but for some reason they sound a bit muddy and tend to vanish under the busy parts of the mix. Not sure what's causing this. Synth work has a nice industrial vibe. I like it. 1:20 is pretty sweet I have a couple issues with this part, though. one problem is that the synth right at 1:24 doesn't seem to be playing nice with the lead. It kinda sounds like they are trampling over each other here. You could probably fix this pretty easily with some EQ cuts. The other problem is those rhythm guitars. It's actually not too bad, but they just sound a little off to me. Kinda like they're being buried again. Also, you may have noticed this, but the ending cuts off too abruptly. Let those last notes right out! The main problem with this track is probably that the rhythm guitars just lack presence for some reason. Other than that it's mostly nitpicks, and I really like what you've done. Also, is it just me, or does the addictive drums snare always sound over-compressed? To my ear it lacks that nice crack I've come to love in a snare. I do kinda like the industrial sound of it though. I have mixed feelings about it I guess.

I gotta agree that this mix needs quite a bit of work. I'll try to be specific here... The nice atmospheric intro is not a bad idea at all, but right away it becomes apparent that the samples are a bit lo-fi. I'm not sure that it's a deal breaker just yet because in general I do like the sound of it. There are issues beside the sample quality, however. It sounds like this whole section is largely shoved into the midrange. I can't hear much in the highs really at all, almost like there is a lowpass filter over the whole section. This has a tendency to make things sound cheap and dead. It also may be a problem that it lasts so long. That whole section clocks in at over a minute, which isn't unheard of for this kind of track, but it does feel like it's dragging after a little while. At about 1:06 the bass comes in playing that familiar melody... There is a definitely audible static sound going on here in the bass recording. Sometimes this can make things sound grungy in a good way, but here I think it just makes it sound lo-fi. The drums sound ok right off the bat, but the kick seems a little cheap especially around 1:34 where it becomes clear that it doesn't have velocity layering or round robin sampling. (correct me if I'm wrong) Now the most important part. at 1:45 the metal guitars come in, and simply put: they are underwhelming. You said that you panned the guitars, but I'm almost certain there is no proper panned double tracking going on here. The bass becomes an issue here as well, because it doesn't have the desired effect of fattening up the guitars and it seems to only contribute to the mud. This is not just a matter of opinion. It is simply the case that the sound you have here just can't compare to a well produced metal or hard rock track. You don't have to take my word for it. Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3fZd5qZje0 Compared to this track, yours just seriously lacks power and punch. I'm not trying to be a dick. You should hear some of my earlier tracks. I had exactly the same problem. You just need to work at it. Moving on... I like the sound at 1:54, but i think it should be pushed back with some reverb or a lower level or something because it doesn't sit well in the mix as is. at 2:15, this sound here is very cool. I definitely like this. I'm noticing that the drum sequencing is pretty decent overall, it's just that the relatively low quality samples bring down the power a bit. 2:26 The switch to halftime here is a good way to keep the repetitive source interesting. This whole section in general sounds pretty decent and is a pretty good idea I think. It just has the aforementioned production issues on the guitar track. The effect at 3:32 is pretty cool, but I think the switch is way too abrupt. Maybe do something with the drums to lead into it? At 3:42 the guitar comes to lead into the next section and it's really not a bad idea at all. It just sounds lo-fi. There's something about the way that little lead is recorded that makes it sound bad. The recording just seems a bit too dark and muddy. The section at 3:42 is a good idea on paper. I love really aggressive sounding industrial rock, but it's really very difficult to execute. I think you did a pretty decent job, though. 0:34 on this NIN track as a superb example of muddy nastiness executed well: I think the main issue with this part on your track is that the combined low quality of all the samples and recordings makes it sound a bit weaker than it should. The strings that come in at 4:22 sound a little bit unrealistic, but I do like when the reversed samples come in and finally add some interesting harmony to this fairly uninteresting source tune. Which leads me to my next point. I think this source is a bit boring. It's just a single melodic line doubled with perfect unisons on all the instruments, but you did a pretty good breaking the monotony with effects and timing change ups so it's probably ok on that front. i agree with you that the source is different enough from the black sabbath track to warrant a remix. The line in the black sabbath track starts out the same but then it goes completely different, so I see your point there... Anyway, this track isn't too bad IMO. What it really needs are some serious production revisions. A great starting point would be to properly double track the guitars. I think you'll be surprised at how much that alone will improve the sound.

I was worried about this I might give it a bit of an overhaul to make it less background music and more something you would rock in your car.

Sources: (Back Hall) Remix (old version): http://tindeck.com/listen/hwzt Latest version (Amnesia: The Dark Descent spoilers!): http://tindeck.com/listen/otrg This one is a little different from the mixes I've done in the past. It's very ambient, and I made a point to build most of the synth patches from scratch. I think it turned out quite well. I've never done anything like this so all crits are welcome. Also, to anyone reading, if you haven't played Amnesia you probably should because it's pretty awesome. (just make sure you have spare undies on hand) EDIT: Source Breakdown 0:00-1:07 Main Theme 1:07-1:55 Original 1:55-2:19 Back Hall 2:19-3:13 Main Theme (reinterpreted quite a bit, but still there pretty clearly, I think) 3:13-4:01 Original 4:01-End Back Hall

Good luck with this one, I really like it Just tighten up that first lead and I think you have a really good chance of passing.

I'm assuming the repetition you're referring to is at 2:44? That never occurred to me, but now that you mentioned it I agree. I'll probably do something about that before I sub. I intended to make the ending sound kind of dissonant because it fits with the sad and hopeless theme of the lyrics. I might mess around with it. (You are talking about the ending, right?) I wouldn't be able to play descent online, though, because I don't own the game. I played the trial versions of I and II a really long time ago, and I remembered playing the credits sequence just so I could listen to the music. Very nostalgic. Thanks for your thoughts.

I'll agree that the lead playing should be tighter, but I think you did a really solid job on everything else. Just keep practicing, I guess

I'm bumping this just so it doesn't get forgotten. Let me know if I'm not supposed to do this....

duuude this is fucking badass. I think we may have a winner on our hands here. I only had a couple of issues with it. One is that the first synth lead may be a little too uninteresting. It's not a deal breaker for me, but maybe you could do something to spice it up a bit. Also in the guitar solo, I notice you don't do very much vibrato on held notes. You should! It makes leads sound a lot more alive. aside from that I really liked the solos. Nice shredding I really liked the bit at 2:16, but I'm thinking it's getting a bit over compressed or something because it just doesn't feel like it has the same power as the rest of the track, which isn't right because it's clearly written to be very intense. This is a kind of minor issue because It does sound pretty good as is, but it just feels a little off. Production in general is really solid. Everything is sounding nice and big. Good stuff.

That'll do it You should fix it some time, I think this track has real potential!

This is good. A couple of things, though: It sounds like you have a harmonizer or pitch shifter on the first guitar lead and it's causing a little bit of dissonance. Nothing really serious, but it's definitely there, and it's a bit distracting. Listen closely around 1:55 in particular to hear it. I'm also noticing it gets a little muddy around :51 when the rhythm guitars come in. You might want to look at that. Pretty solid overall, though. I like the ending

If those guitars at the beginning are the swelled ones you're talking about, I think they sound good. The lead I think has some really good note choices. The tone on it seems a little thin, though. It's hard to say...maybe tweak the EQ a little bit.

I don't notice much difference from the last version I did notice there is a bum note in the guitar solo at 1:20, though (no big deal!) It's kind of a matter of opinion I guess, but I liked the old ending a little better. This one sounds fine, though. Ultimately, this is a good track. It's marred mainly by some really hard to pin down production issues, which I think you've largely addressed with your revisions. I hope to see it on the front page some day Also, the intro to this one sounds exactly like the intro to my old halflife mix: http://tindeck.com/listen/ykbc I guess it's a common effect

This is a really good source track. I really like the mellow and gloomy sound on this one. I think overall this is a really solid track...I'm kinda having trouble coming up with anything that really bothers me. I suppose the lead synth that comes in at 0:53 has a tendency to muddle the high end a little bit, but it's really nothing too serious. The drum build at 1:37 sounds pretty cool. There are a lot of really cool dynamic shifts throughout the track that keep it pretty interesting. I also think the guitar solo is pretty solid You may be right about the guitar tone, it kinda has a synthetic sound to it. I don't really know how to address that without micing a real amp, though. Anyway...I like it. I'm sure someone else could come up with some more useful crits though

I'm gonna make a source breakdown to make this a little easier whenever you look at it again. 0:00-0:41 Pretty overt use of the intro to the Descent II track 0:41-0:48 This synth riff sounds a lot like the bassline to the Descent II track, not sure if it's close enough to count. 0:48-2:16 This whole section is pretty overt. First, that melody from Descent II reenters, then the main verse melody comes in on the lead guitar. There is a little break playing that other melody for a few seconds, then the vocals come in with the verse melody once again. 2:16-2:44 The vocals are singing the chorus from the Descent II track. 2:44-3:25 Here you can hear the main melody to the Descent I track on the plucked synth, as well as a bit of the Descent II track's chorus on the vox. 3:25-5:29 This is where there may be a problem. The chord progression on the clean guitar sounds kind of like the one at the end of the Descent I track, but the connection is pretty loose. I'm pretty sure that the synth solo uses the chord progression from the beginning of the Descent I track, but since the solo is original it's kinda hard to hear any connection. 5:29-end Back to overt usage of the Descent II track's chorus. Ultimately it seems that the only problem would be that there is such a dearth of source usage from 3:25-5:29. The track as a whole has well over 50% source usage, but I'm not sure how the judges would feel about the long stretch of essentially original material.

Awesome. Really clean production overall. I really like that cool industrial sounding sound you have right at the intro and in the verses. Drums cut through and pack a really nice punch throughout the track, guitars are crisp and tight, and the synths are tasteful. This track doesn't run into the problem of muddiness that I've heard in some of your other stuff. Overall the mastering seems pretty solid to me. It all is at a satisfyingly loud volume level. Get some vocals for this great track, man!

Thanks a lot for the review, man! Sorry about not editing that first post, I won't do it again

I'm not sure I agree about the drums. Hear me out: The kit I'm using is the fairly popular "Drumkit from Hell". I've heard these drum samples used in a few different contexts (including on the front page here on OCR) and I really think they're solid; however, I fully accept that maybe I'm not mixing them to their greatest potential. Do you really think they are unsalvageable, or is there anything in particular about them that you think I could address? These are easily the highest quality rock drum samples I have access to, and I don't think I can upgrade without dropping something like 400 dollars. In short, what specifically do you not like about these samples? I really want to make them work. of course, I'll look into all the other stuff you mentioned as well, and I might try to make some electronic percussion for the rock parts....I'm not sure. I'll have to mess with it a bit. Anyway, thanks for listening and sharing, as always!

thanks for the feedback. The kick does have the highs boosted quite a lot to help it cut. A trick I stole from Lamb of God. I guess I didn't quite pull it off. I'll tweak that and the delay on the leads to make it sound a bit cleaner before I sub.

It's with amplitube 3. I don't have the ability to mic a really nice amp, unfortunately.

I made this remix over the past couple days. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Does anyone think that perhaps the sound I am using for the main melody is too grating? http://tindeck.com/listen/ptpb Source:

This kicks ass. Great playing!

Ok, I made a couple quick changes in the balancing and mastering before switching to mod review: http://tindeck.com/listen/jyyl Edit: forgot to repost sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSmp2Q_gPks&feature=related Edit 2: Ok, for some reason that second link doesn't seem to work... Just search on youtube for "Descent OST Credits" and it's the first result.

Heres another one: http://tindeck.com/listen/jfum I took cut the rhythm synth from the guitar part a few versions back. I found that it cleaned the mix up quite a bit. The only time you will hear the rhythm synth is right when it first comes in, and then later just before the vocals come in. I want it to sound fat for these sections since it is one of the only instruments playing. I thought the new bass-line sounded a bit dissonant...I put it back like it was in version 8. I turned the rhythm guitars down a little bit too. I dunno, I feel like I'm going in circles. I'm really stuck

Here we go again! http://tindeck.com/listen/rmvt I tried panning the harpsichord thing, added some harmony in the lead, messed with the bass line in the main riff, panned the rhythm synth, and did a bunch of other stuff.