Phonetic Hero

Hey ever'peoples, I had to keep myself entertained while waiting for feedback on Mayan Malfunction, and here's the (unfinished) product. I wanted to start adding in chip elements to my stuff, and I've been wanting to take a crack at drum n bass styled writing for a while (at least drum-wise). Let me know if I've accomplished what I've set out to! Also, production is about as far from finished from arrangement, but I figured I'd check and see if this thing is headed in the right direction. Source: Wily Tower 1, Wily Tower 2, and a quick Grenade Man/Title melodic mashup. Mix Let me know what you think! pH Edit: Latest

I like a lot of what you've got going, and I really like the source. The gated synth leads are cool. But, I started to hate the part that plays at :20 and about 4 more times throughout the song. It hardly varies each time it's repeated, and it's repeated way too much. Revisiting Black Sun could help out some of the transitions. I also agree with the widening your sound comment from Monobrow, I think a low-end pad or two and a high end screaming synth solo (or two) would really help thing out. I'd also like to see some dynamic variation, because right now the volume of the piece is pretty static. Maybe backing off and hitting the chord progression of the second half of Black Sun at a softer volume with less instruments, then going back into Vampire Killer with that aforementioned screamin' synth would be cool. Idk, I'd like to see something of that variety though; Castlevania sources have too much to have the same part repeated a lot. Good luck with the piece! pH

Welcome, pal GREAT source, although I think people should start taking a look at the MM tunes that don't get as much attention. But I guess Quickman is one of the less posted sources from MM2. Ok, first off, that build was sweet, but dropping for a 20 second fade-in was a bad call imo. If you gave it a bar or a couple beats of silence and then came in strong, I feel like it'd be better suited to the style you're going for. Also, I'm not sure about extending the 2 bar phrasing to 4 bar, it kind of gets boring pretty quickly. Maybe just once through the 4 bar in the beginning would be more appropriate? There're too many lazor sound effects too, and it takes a long time to get to the actual melody. When it does come in, I can appreciate the chilled out vibe you're going for, but it's pretty soft, and it comes off kinda wimpy. You may also want to alter melodies and bass notes, because right now it's pretty conservative. On the up-side, I like your synths, especially the bass and that electric sitar sound around 1:45 for the melody. I can't offer much on the production front; arrangement is more my forte, since I'm pretty new to the production aspect (and the community itself as well). Keep it goin' and I'll crit more then! Welcome aboard! pH Edit: Also, I apologize if this seems pretty negative

I haven't been a member for very long, but I love the community; one of my favorite things about it is that so many of the veterans are surprisingly very willing to interact with the new members. Thanks for being so accessible and inspirational, I plan on joining the ranks soon pH

Wow man, sounds awesome. You're Mother Brain Suite was actually one of the mixes that got me hooked on OCR, so I'd like to take a sec and thank you personally. So, thanks. A lot. I love your arrangements, and I wish I had an audio arsenal half as powerful as yours (and knew how to use it, haha). With any luck, I'll one day break into the business as well! Thanks for sharing, can't wait to hear more!

This totally sounds like something straight out of an over-the-top ludicrous and awesome power metal band like Edguy or Hammerfall or Angra's earlier stuff. Dig it, as I was an avid power metaller back when I was a (younger) chap, and would listen whilst creating far too much mayhem in the far too conservative reaches of my homelands. This would've fit into the rule-breaking ("Don't spank us too hard!") playlist very nicely, with the rich harmonies and powerful chords, choir/pad breaks, running synth lines, and ultra-high guitar leads and harmonixx. The only thing missing is some machine gun drums, but I don't think those were invented till like 2009 or something right?

Pretty cool! I actually saw it and was like "goddamn... another red soil mix... well, better listen!" I don't think I've heard it remixed quite like this before. Then again, there's like, 100 versions or something on the Super Metroid page, and I think I've only listened to about 3 of them. But I liked it nonetheless. There's a spot around 1:01 where I could hear Hyrule Castle (from A Link to the Past) being integrated with unbelievable ease. This whole thing is in the same key, and you've already got the first 2 notes from the melody too. You could do that and flesh it out if you were feeling like it. (Hyrule Castle) The snare works for what you've got going, but I think you could find something that would fit a bit better. And if I'm not mistaken, it's the default FL snare and clap layered, correct? Just check around, even the packs that come with FL have some pretty cool snare sounds, especially when doctored with a bit of reverb etc. This is a pretty minor thing though, and it's pretty subjective. I guess that's it, there's not really a whole lot to crit here, which may be a crit in itself. Dig the robot voice and the gritty bass under the chiptunes. Keep going with it! pH Edit: Also, the low choir around :20 reminds me of upper Norfair, which can easily transit to Lower Norfair... idk man, there's all kinds of directions you can go with this!

Haha, new version is new! And yeah, I don't think it's necessarily the reverb/echo itself that is sort of insulting to the ears so much as the velocity of the solo notes from that synth. Like, the ones that happen after everything else stops and it's literally JUST that synth; the echo is a bit loud and bothersome. I need to lower them farther, which I'll definitely do before submission. Still have yet to hear from Level 99, seems like all the staff are pretty backed up and slightly insane from heavy OCR traffic. Emu dug it I spose (although, he DID say he was listening on some not-so-hot equipment, so hopefully that's not too big of a problem haha) Glad you liked it! pH

This echoes my thoughts pretty much exactly (except maybe "best of good"... not quite sure what that means haha). You got No'd. So what? I've been No'd too. Not a big deal. Learn from it and move on. The most important part of the statement is not being shy or afraid to ask for help, and perhaps even more important is remaining humble in the process. Getting mad at other people isn't going to help the situation, it's only going to make people return the favor. I hope to hear more from you and track some progress, because I'm quickly finding out that there's a LOT to learn. And everyone really is willing to help, as long as you have the right attitude. Best of good pH

Alright, so I THINK this is ready for submission. Let me know what you guys think Yes?

It's SO crunchy and gritty... like I feel like I'm chewing on cement. Which I've been known to do from time to time... anyway, this thing kicks ass. I really enjoy it! I think I need to shower off after 2:17. I will agree about the snare though, at the beginning it's not as big of a deal, but once there's all the beef around it, the reverb that's there gets covered up. But it's also sort of a preference, and if you dig it as is, I don't particularly have a huge problem with it. Keep em comin dude!

Ah, thanks! I'm glad it's a "good weird" haha. I gotta say I'm hearing everything you're hearing now that it's brought to my attention. I'll take a look at the sections you mentioned, and fix 'em up in a jiff, once I get to a break point (which will likely have more than one meaning) on my current mix. Thanks again for the crits, sorry you guys are so busy, and I'll be sure to send you a copy when it's submittable! pH

Agreed. I actually like the bit of variation with the melody that you already have, but it could be expanded a lot. The samples aren't really my bag either, I feel like they could be improved pretty easily. This is a pretty repetitive source to mix, but it's still got some phrases you can play with. I'd recommend listening to some of Mazedude's stuff, he's made entire mixes out of 4 bar phrases (I'm thinking of The Wily Malfunction, specifically). Check him out for some extra inspiration. I'm a big fan of FF8, so I'm quick to be critical of mixes from the game. Don't be discouraged though, keep at it!

DaMonz? Yeah right. More like, DaShit. Seriously, I'm diggin your work dude, Starwolf seems like a shoe-in to me I haven't played Kirby 64 in like, 7 or 8 years. P'raps I should get back in there My only complaint is that it takes a while to get to the meat, but I'm a guy who likes to thrust into action pretty quickly, and I suppose I can be patient once in a while. And I guess the ratio of intro to body will be different once it's finished too. Keep it up! Edit: Actually, I changed my mind. I'd be OK with the minute long build-up if there were some sort of huge orch hit or cymbal crash at the transit at :54. It just needs to be bigger. Like Pecos Pete big. Or LiquidHuK big. I'm sure you get the picture, I'll stop making metaphors. I dunno, maybe even a short solo-ish lead line could help out. Just a suggest pH

I <3 this so hard

I played with a couple more sound effects to check the rendering of the EQ'ing and reverb and stuff on them, and it turns out that I actually really enjoy them in, so they're staying. Pitfall Harry yelling "WHOA!!" really cracks me up too hahaha. I think they all sound a bit better than before too, so good news there. Thanks everyone for all the feedback thus far! Time for some Mod Review, methinks (don't fret mods, I'm reposting the latest version on the OP as well) pH

Ugh, my GrossBeat plug in malfunctioned (ooooh, malfunction, get it? How unfortunately fitting) and I had to redo all the automation clips by hand. Mostly copy and paste from before, but you may notice a few new tasty fills. Added in the enemy kill sound effect in the beginning too, dig the placement, but it needs a bit more production work. I swear it sounded better in FL and the rendering just messed it up, but whatever. Time for a bit of cleaning, then mod review. As always, more crits are welcome! New Version

Sometimes it's not there, sometimes it is, maybe it's just crappy listening equipment. When it IS there, it's mainly :57 till the drums come in, because the soundscape is a little thinner and more exposed I guess. Trying to get set up with a ROM now to rip the sound haha. Thanks dude! Also, I fixed the dry drums in the beginning. Soundin perty gud nao!

Thanks Kuolema Well, it's been a few days. I made more minor changes and uploaded the new version, which was mainly for the section at :57 that sounded a bit out of place reverb-wise and lacking a transition, so I dialed back the reverb and added a bit of a string bend into it so it doesn't feel so out-of-the-blue. Also did a couple more hours of EQ'ing and reverb work. The jungle drums are a tiny bit dry in the beginning now, but I'll fix it later; the combined time for opening the project and re-rendering is more than I want to deal with right now. The only thing I'm really frustrated with now is that the reverb on different instruments seems to be clashing at some points, anyone have any suggestions on that? I guess if no one else has any crits for now, I'll switch to mod review soon. If anyone has anything else, bad or good, let me know, your thoughts are appreciated! pH Edit: Also, if anyone knows where I can get the in-game sound effect for when you defeat an enemy, it'd make the beginning transition like 100x more badass

Goddammit. Haha. After listening a few times I came to the same conclusion though. The synth bass doesn't fit when it tries to carry a section on its own. I brought the pluck back where I felt necessary, but left a lot of the synth stuff and even added a little bit, but the pluck is there to carry sections. And it turns out you were right about the choir too, and I kinda felt some of the same transition weirdness. It's weird though, because she thing that confuses me is that when the sample was worse, it was in the same octave, and it didn't sound as weird. Weird. But it definitely works better in the higher octave, especially with the marimba being pretty high up there and this way the choir is in the same octave as the lead synth. Short version, it just works better. Anyway, I'm leaving the same link, but uploading a new version with minor tweaks before anyone else can comment because I don't actually want to post a trillion versions, even with hyperbole as funny as it is Edit: Also, I beefed up the drums, just for you. It was really difficult, because I hate loud drums (that's a bit o shit. I'm a drumliner. I live for loud drums)

Annnnnd here it is!! Really pleased with this new version, it's still not QUITE 100%, just a tad bit of fine-tuning to do, but I have a deadline set on an original for Friday and I haven't started yet haha. I ended up just cutting the piano in the beginning, and throwing in a marimba, which I like a LOT better. Sounds more jungle-y too, which is good considering the source(s). I also put the marimba in a couple more spots too, just 'cause I lahk it suh dayamn much. Also added a synth bass (!!!!) for lots of it, complete with glitch effects. But as I said, I kept the pluck for certain instances. Be completely honest about what you think of the pluck, if I should keep it as is (or close) or just trash it, because I'm sort of on the fence now myself. There's actually a section (starting at 3:26) where the synth fights the pluck for control, since that's basically what's going on in my head. The synth wins out for the next segment, but the pluck returns after that, and then they join hands and skip together for the pseudo-epic ending. There're also some minor changes elsewhere, such as pizzicato strings replacing piano, and plenty of sample-changes, like the more realistic choir "Aaaah"s in the beginning, and string changes. Sooooo >:B Mayan Malfunction Version1000000000000 (it feels like) I'm beyond appreciative of what everyone's done to spark my imagination and get this thing off the ground. Before it was like a beached whale, whereas now it's about at panicked chicken level. Still gotta transform it to badass albatross (or some shit like that), so keep em comin! pH

No worries on the bass. I'm changing a LOT, I just bought a new soundpack yesterday and a lot is being overhauled, sample-wise. I'm keeping the pluck for certain instances, but adding a synth bass and removing the plucked bass for others. A new version is on the way very soon, and I can't thank everyone enough for all the critiques. But don't stop yet!! pH

Alright, here we go. I tried to bring out the lower register on the piano, and fixed that in the EQ'ing. I did some stereo separation and lots of work with reverb, so I really hope it sounds better. Also, my brain's a bit fried from KU drumline camps, so if it sounds like shit, just say the word haha The thing with the bass is that I'm trying to make it sound similar to how it sounds in the OST, because it was a real tonal hook for me when I listened to it as a kid and listening to it again as a college boy. I kept the same sample as before, but did some work with the lower register so it's not so bright and pangy, and put the ol' soundgoodizer on it to give it some beef. If it's still really a problem, I suppose I can switch it to an electronic bass, but 1. It doesn't seem to cut as well because of the other stuff going on and 2. It saddens me to deviate the bass so far from the original, if only for nostalgia's sake I guess it's not THAT bad, but I do like the real instrument/plucked feel of it. Let me know what you guys think. Aside from that, I added a reversed bell to a transition, and changed some of the chord work and harmonies during the last section to make it more interesting than just 4 times through the exact same phrase. There's also a bit of deviation in the last 8 bars of piano for the same reason of making the piece more interestinger. SO yeah. Cool. Here's the new version: Mayan Malfunction again The piano is most exposed at: :10, 1:10, 2:38, 3:14, and 4:29 The bass is most exposed at: :57 and 3:21 Lastly, I'd like to apologize for the lengthy post to those of you who are too lazy to do some readin'. Looking forward to more crits! Thanks for listening pH

Ah FINALLY. Thanks! I'll take a look at em. I'm also thinking of changing harmonies up at the end, cause even I'M getting a little bored. Also probably going to do more variation with the piano outtro. If anyone else has any more crits, I'd love to hear em. Keep em if you're interested! (No parentheses this time) (Aw balls, nvm) pH