ExperimentalSoundLab

Okay, I don't know about you guys, but Gravity actually really bothered me. Specifically, physics doesn't work that way and for a movie that goes that far in terms of realism, that's really disappointing to me. Idk, maybe it's just the engineer/science nerd in me, but there was at least one moment that was extremely crucial to the plot of the movie where they just forgot how physics works for a bit. I was sitting in the theater laughing at that scene which from the music cues I think was supposed to be really dramatic. $0.02 Gravity spoilers: I'm talking about the scene where George Clooney dies in case anyone is wondering. They're in zero gravity and yet some magical unseen force acts on him, causing him to need to let go of the cable and float away to his death.

In response to your question about the kick, yeah, it was a synth kick. A very low sine wave with some pitch modulation and a tiny bit of white noise in the beginning to give it a sharper attack. Yes, haha, I'm definitely creating a backup before trying out all the new things. Which is quite a lot in the new version. Changelog: -Added a decent amount of additional source in the second half (see source breakdown for details). -Added fills in all the transition points (lots of fun with Ableton's Beat Repeat effect) -Replaced the kick with one that possibly fits better? Actually it's three different kicks, two are layered together for the section at around 2:00 -Dialed back the leads volume-wise -The organ-sounding pad is still there, but just barely. At this point it's adding a bit of color to the... -Choir and whirly synth pad, which have taken over the organ sound's role in that section -Another lead type synth added to that same section, doing a kind of countermelody thing taken from the source -Fixed the crash cymbal sound timing, added some reverb to hopefully help it blend better (I figure since the track is swimming in reverb that more reverb is the way to go ) -The break at 3:16 has been replaced by a shameless pull directly from the source in an attempt to use more source more conservatively. This was also partly done because of the new chords in the 2:00 section which don't transition well if I go straight back to the reprise chords. -Got rid of the arpeggios that started around 2:56 because it was fighting with the new countermelody lead for space and anyway I was too lazy to change the arpeggios so that they followed the new chords -Threw in an additional white noise thingy right at the end because I was feelin it Aaaaaaaand questions: -Do the fills work to signal transitions? Are they too weak or boring? -Do the various kick sounds work better with the mix? I didn't make these kick sounds, but I selected them with this mix in mind because I think it's a little closer to the feel that my mix aims for and also it's one of my favorite mixes. I know that it's a little more energetic than my mix, but I think it's within the same ballpark. I completely understand if the kicks are still too aggressive to fit in with the mix, though. -For the chord change at 2:46, is that transition from original to source writing smooth enough? I tried to be a bit sneaky with adding the extra source. -For the verbatim source part at 3:16, does this work to ease the transition into the reprise? -Does the countermelody synth get buried in the mix or stand out too much? -Do the choir and synth pad sounds that essentially replaced the organ sound fit better in the mix? -Are the leads still too loud and/or repetitive? -Most importantly, do the added source parts make source usage in this piece less ambiguous?

Wow, thank you so much for your feedback! Thanks especially for the comments about the source usage; I think I have a better idea of what the judges might say about it now, even if I'm not sure what they will ultimately decide. I may try to add in some more source, but I'll have to see if that makes things too cluttered. As it stands, I'll consider this mix a success if the judges are only concerned with source usage and not about production or arrangement, even if it doesn't get posted. To that end, I have some more questions What would help this section? I'm definitely adding a fill to transition into it, but is there anything else that could help improve the execution? Also, this is kind of a long shot, but do you know of any tracks that do this kind of transition particularly well? It's totally okay if you don't want to go hunting for something that weirdly specific, just wondering if there were any examples that came to mind off the top of your head. Thank you so much for mentioning the timing issue with the cymbal, that's something I noticed and then promptly forgot about and apparently never noticed again The sample just has a bit of a delay in it, so it's been moved to sound right on the downbeat now. I'm working on making the cymbal blend in better as well. That's one of the few sounds in the mix that I didn't make myself (aside from drums and samples); it's an Absynth preset. I liked it because it sounded to me like a cross between a big creepy church organ and a kinda fake sounding choir. I can see that not fitting with the mix though. I guess I'd like to hear your opinion on the specific timbre of the sound. Is it too bright? Does it sound hollow? Is there something that could help it blend better, either a completely different sound playing those notes or something layered or added to the sound as it is to give it a different quality? And the kick is the one drum sound I attempted to program myself! This is my first time making any kind of drum sound, so I guess you could say the kickback was expected (sorry, terrible pun). More seriously, though, I'm not exactly sure what to do to fix this. I could swap out for a different kick sample and start fresh, but I guess I'm not sure what you mean by "the wrong parts of the sound." Would layering another kick with more of a high end improve the sound? Is it just eq'd poorly? There's no overdrive on it, btw, it's all eq and compression. Are there any particular example tracks you recommend listening to where the kick is layered/mixed especially well? As I remember, I was using this mix as a reference when I was making the kick. Once again, thank you so much for the feedback!

Okay, so I've been tweaking this on and off for the past few months (sorry for bringing back an old thread, I spent too long trying to get "distance" from the piece and ended up forgetting about it) Here's the latest version: https://soundcloud.com/experimentalsoundlab/dance-of-the-cyborgs-3 Hoookay, let's see if I can remember all the changes: -Brought down the kick drum a wee bit -Pitch-shifted the snare in the second half to give a more "boomy" sound, some compression, eq, and reverb for maximum boom without losing the punch -Some more glitches in the super airy synth -Added some drum glitches, wooo glitches! I have been listening to a lot of edIT and Skrypnyk to build on my glitchyness in this piece -Brought down the repetitive sine lead, also added some modulation and growliness so that it's not as stagnant, even if it is just looping the same melody over and over again -Put that crash cymbal on its own track, did some eq and brought it waaaaay down -Added in a quiet little triangle lead for the reprise at the end -I tried to make the beepy white noise sound in the outro a little more randomized (you can tell it's a repeated pattern in the old versions), ended up using ableton's auto filter instead of the onboard Massive filter and bouncing to an audio track for consistency. It's less beepy, but it's more randomized now, which I like, I think. -Some added variety to the drum patterns in addition to the glitching -Minor tweaks to balance, eq, and compression There may be more, but I can't remember at the moment. On to questions! -How's my source usage? I'm realizing that the second half is almost entirely original material. The repeated sine loop is the only part that I'm using in the buildup section (starting at 1:51), and I'm worried that it might be too liberal to qualify as "source." That particular idea is taken from 2:37 of the track "Opening". Is it too liberal? I'm including a source breakdown in the main post so that hopefully it's easier to tell what's source and what's not. -Is the kick drum still too obtrusive? I was worried about bringing it down too much and ending up with a weak kick sound, but it's possible that I didn't bring it back enough because of that concern. -Is the big boomy snare sound too much? I think may have kinda gone overboard on the reverb, but I'm not sure. -Do the crash and suspended cymbals sound more balanced and fit in the mix better? -This is not super important, but any opinions on the white noise effect at the end? I was kinda going for something like the intro to this. Does the old version sound like it's obviously a pattern and does this detract from the "randomising" effect? Is the new version not beepy enough? I know that's kinda relative and depends on the listener's preference; I'm just trying to get a second opinion. -Is the overall mix drowning in too much reverb? -Are my lead sounds too basic? The saw one in particular is two basic saw voices in unison with some filtering, and the sine lead is literally just a mono sine wave until the buildup part where it gets some modulation. Should I be doing more or do those sounds hold your interest? Thanks!

Oh no! I missed out on a Kamelot discussion! Okay it's like two months too late, but check out Tommy Karevik's other band, Seventh Wonder: He's actually a very versatile singer. The reason he sounds so much like Kahn in Kamelot is because Kamelot writes the vocal parts the same way they always have with no regard for what he's actually capable of. And speaking of more proggy stuff involving that Tommy Karevik has been involved in: Any Ayreon fans in here? I've discovered a lot of music just from exploring the bands of singers Arjen gets on his albums.

Hey, this is really cool! I like the peaceful atmosphere you made. A couple comments: Is that an oboe about nine seconds in? I can't really tell because it's blended nicely in the mix, which works production-wise but it makes it hard for me to tell. Anyway, my point is that if it is an oboe, you are using the lowest of low notes that an oboe can play (speaking as an oboe player ). My suggestion would be to either use english horn samples instead since that's in a pretty comfortable register for english horn and it sounds similar to an oboe, or to keep the same instrument samples and transpose the part an octave up. If it's not an oboe, ignore all this I have no idea what I'm talking about haha I hear what you're talking about with the drums. They definitely sound very up front. Perhaps adding more reverb so that the drums are farther back in the mix? I think you could also get away with reducing their volume without losing too much definition. They're very nice drum samples, they just need some production tweaks to fit into the mix better. I think the crash cymbal in particular could be brought way down in volume and possibly use some extra reverb. Other than that, all of your sounds are used very tastefully and fit in well as far as I can tell.

http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02099/and http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01722/. I got into ocr from Extra Credits

Okay, I did some messing with the mix, cut one of the bass tracks to give the other more room, upped the compression on the orchestral percussion to give the bass drum more volume and punch, and added some glitchy stuff with the echoing pads. I think there are some clipping issues now which I will probably work on later today, but here's version 3! https://soundcloud.com/experimentalsoundlab/dance-of-the-cyborgs-2

Wow, this is really cool! I think people might not be giving feedback because the feedback you're looking for is beyond people's abilities to give good advice on. At least, that's what's going on with me. The only thing I can think that might need improving is adding some interest to the beginning. I think it's possible to add some awesome sound effects like you use later in the piece without taking too much attention away from those beautiful chords at the beginning. I can understand going for a more minimalist vibe though. I really like the groove at 1:52, it reminds me of Boards of Canada

It's funny you should mention reverb on the bass drum; what you hear is actually as dry as I can get that sample! I'm messing a bit with the attack right now to see if I can make it sound more crisp, but it might be time to give up and look for a different bass drum sample...

Okay, it's been a while, so bump! I made a newer version with less compression, some different EQ on the bass drum in the beginning, and a couple of other things that I've added and modified. I'm putting it up for mod review since I would really like feedback and it's basically at a stage where I might submit it (minus any critiques people might have!). https://soundcloud.com/experimentalsoundlab/dance-of-the-cyborgs-1

Ah ok no worries! Thanks for clarifying.

Is it too late to jump in on this? I only recently started checking these forums again and I have some ideas for a Spyro 2 mix which I would love to contribute and could hammer out into a WiP pretty quickly.

Hey everyone, It has been about three or four years since I've been on here. I'm thinking about submitting this track and would love some feedback on it! This is a remix of the first Xenosaga with a couple of different sources. It's a very classical soundtrack (even in the more electronic parts) and I've always thought it would be cool to hear some of the themes done with synthesizers. At this point, I'm worried about my fledgling skills as a producer. It sounds a little murky to me. Also, that bass drum in the beginning isn't as powerful as I would like, and I'm not sure what to do about it other than look at other samples to use. As I said, feedback is appreciated. Update 9/14/2015: New version posted, basically I have been tweaking this for the past few months based on the mod review feedback and have a few more questions at this point. Update 9/25/2015: A somewhat different version with more source and some sound design changes. Source breakdown: 0:00-0:15 -- Original 0:15-0:37 -- Insecurity theme (the harp at 2:26 in the source) 0:44-0:59 -- Opening theme passed around between the sine and saw leads (2:37 in source) 1:00-1:22 -- Insecurity theme again 1:22-1:51 -- Omega chord progression played by the airy sound (heard at 2:23 in the source) 1:43-3:16 -- Opening theme again, looped over and over with a few octave changes and some modulation 1:49-1:52 -- Short reference to the motif played by the strings in Omega (1:43 in source) 2:31-3:16 -- String countermelody from Opening (0:53 in source) 2:46-3:16 -- Recurring chord progression from Opening (0:37 in source) 3:16-3:30 -- Choir from 0:00 in Opening, direct transcription 3:30-3:45 -- Reprise of the Insecurity theme, melody in the triangle lead with a flourish at the end 3:45-end -- Original Remix Remix v2 Remix v3 Remix v4 Latest version Sources: Insecurity Opening Omega

Alright, I took much of the feedback into consideration and did my best to fix things. I found that a combination of eqing, moving things around in the mix, and some different sound choices did a lot to help the issue of too much being too forward (I hope; please tell me if there are still issues). I also did a lot of messing with the sound to try to get rid of the "grating" sound you talked about in the synth lead and guitar. It really hasn't bothered me, but that might be my headphones or the fact that I haven't been away from this mix long enough to notice. Once again, please let me know if it still bothers you. I haven't been doing production for long enough to hear it for myself yet. I decided to leave the "wall of sound" section the same because I really do like it the way it is, and I would like to hear another mod's thoughts on it before I start making drastic changes. I did change it so that the sound is completely cut off at the end, but I'm leaving it untouched beyond that. EDIT: Oh, and I almost forgot. Thank you Emunator for your encouragement! I am relatively new to this, and it really helps to know that I'm on the right track in some respects.

Alright, thank you dj monkay for all of your help and advice. I'm changing it to mod review and posting a new version with some more work on the production and re-recorded drums. After the mod review, I'm going to make any last changes and submit it!

Alrighty! Just uploaded my first completed version! (and I figured out how to link to it with the fancy picture ) What do you guys think? I'm not sure the scary part has enough of the source track for it to be recognizable. I was also pretty hasty in terms of slapping a compressor on and fiddling with eq. For reference, here's the source track the scary part uses again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05-Hn6v8Zc

Yay! Comments! Thank you so much for your encouraging words, although judging by the viewcount on this thread, it isn't that it's being overlooked, it just isn't getting a whole lot of comments. In answer to your question, I use Cubase LE 4. It came free with my mixer, which is an Alesis 8 USB. My synths primarily come from Komplete 6 by Native Instruments and my own programming handiwork on my Korg microKorg. Not the most expensive setup, but it's what I'm familiar with, and I hope this track proves that I can make it sound nice. Somewhat. Once it's finished.

Apologies to anyone who was interested in hearing an updated version. My computer died on me and left me without Cubase or internet for about a week. I would have liked to do more before posting another version, but here's my latest one: http://tindeck.com/listen/ksxz Changes: -Extended intro -The melody is a touch louder in the begining -Got rid of the crappy part of the drum track -Redid the guitar parts -Changed the bass synth in the metal portion -Began segue into the scary ending The scary part is going to draw heavily from this track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05-Hn6v8Zc

Thank you! I tried turning the drums down and bringing out the melody synths a little more, and I think it sounds a little better. I'm going to hold off on posting an updated version until I've made more major changes like rerecording the acoustic drums, which I'm too tired to do right now. School work 'n stuff.

Source: My take: http://tindeck.com/listen/twgi Hello Everyone, I'm new here. Last Sunday I found out about this place and started obsessively listening to all of the remixes I could find. During the time I spent looking around, I realized that one of my favorite games, Disgaea 2, had received no love and no requests. I must have been in a problem-solving kind of mood, because after some research as to the expectations for a remix, I immediately started cranking this track out. The reason I chose this particular piece to remix is because anyone who has played Disgaea 2 as long as I have knows that to get to level 9999 (yes, it's possible and AMAZINGLY rewarding), it takes a lot of time in the Item World. I basically know the tune by heart from all of the hours I've poured into it, and it's a fairly good track to remix, so why not? I called the track "No Fear" because the item world seems very simple and easy at first--you breeze right through it--but when you get to level 100 and you're staring a level 2 Item God in the face, it's pretty darn scary. I'm already very proud of it. However, I'm also very critical of it, so I'm just going to mention some of the things that I don't like. What I know how to fix: -It's too short. The ending is lame anyway,so I'm planning to add another part, possibly spiraling out a little more from the source material to make some scary soundscapes, a la Devlab by Devin Townsend. It's called No Fear, after all. One idea I had was to use some material from other tracks from Disgaea for the ending. -The guitar work is sloppy and the doubled octave part is out of tune. I'm not the most competent guitar player, but I'm slowly getting better. Most likely I'm going to redo the guitar parts for that middle section altogether. -The drum beat at the beginning of the "metal section" is lame. I was thinking I would try out a different type of beat, maybe on the toms instead of the more straight ahead rock beat with the hi-hat that I have now. Any suggestions for alternative rhythm section endeavors I could try would be appreciated. -The arpeggiated bass sounds ugly. I'm currently tweaking it every chance I get to see if I can make it sound any better. That's more that I'm struggling to gain a mastery over Massive than a serious issue, I think. What I need help with: -The big thing that comes to mind is production on the drums. I know that my acoustic drum set sounds amazing when you're in the room with it. I just can't seem to get the eq levels right. The bass drum in particular sounds too "thumpy" to me, and I wish I knew how to give it more punch without overpowering the mix. Also, the snare sounds just a little bit dull compared to how colorful and powerful it sounds in real life. Once again, all of the eqing I tried just resulted in clipping or overpowering the mix. I really could use some advice in this area. -Any other production suggestions would be nice as well. I'm new to a lot of the concepts involved in production. I did some EQ and panning work on the rest of the tracks, but I have done no compression and I think it sounds fine. Who knows? I might be wrong. That's all I can think of at the moment. Enjoy! EDIT: Latest version: