Chimpazilla

Now THAT'S what I'M talkin' about!!!!! Those echoes just make that transition utterly perfect. I think it's ready. I'm not a mod though... maybe you could ping a mod, just for the final blessing and throwing of holy water on this? I'm really wishing you luck with this but wow, I think it'll pass. edit: I see you did get a mod review. Do fix the velocities if you can, it can certainly be done, if I can do it, certainly you can!

That reverb is perfect, wow... pianos coming from every which where... gosh... lovely... I have only one crit now. In the middle, no wait, about 1/3 of the way through just as the fast part ends (sorry no time marker), right before the *gorgeous* slow part begins, it feels a bit like an ending! I'm guessing the judges won't care for that... I suggest making those last 10 (I think) forte staccato notes trail off into continuing echoes instead of ending abruptly with just reverb. The keyword here is "continuing." I think that would fix it, and connect it, and make it sound like there is more to come which there definitely is. Ending = perfect. Love love love this track. Best of luck with the judges!

Well I like the whistle! Let's see if others do too. If the concensus is that it just sucks, I'll delete it. As for the "grotesque" strings, you mean the detache strings, before the oboe begins? Do you just not care for the sample? We can switch that out. edit: I'm having a friend record wavs of those strings using EWQL Hollywood Strings. (the string pad that follows is already recorded in Hollywood Strings) Should be good! another edit: I appreciate these crits! But please be specific. "The snare could use some tweaking" means, what? Is it too woody? Too thick, thin? Pitchy? Tail too long/short? What tweaking do you mean? Also, "instruments too low" is probably a valid crit... but specifically which ones? I agree the piano is low and I love it so I'll bring it up some. I've been very careful to make sure the leads have their space... but if something is really too low, I'd love to know what exactly so I can fix it. Specifics are always more helpful than generalities! Thanks so much.

Thanks very much! That "bird" tweeting at exactly 2:19 is not a bird at all, but Link's " ," followed at 2:24 by Epona's whinny reply. I always like to add some sounds right from the game (although I made the Epona whistle myself, couldn't find a wav anywhere)I can certainly add some hat fills, I'll look into that. Thanks for the kind words!

Forest of Purple Mist - Jordanrooben / Chimpazilla collab version 1 I am very pleased to unveil this new version of Jordan's Faron Woods remix. I have loved this song since he first posted it here. Jordan has been kind enough to allow me to take the reins on this song for awhile. Quite a bit of loving care has been put into it. As you can tell, I did a little more than just drumming! Jordan and I are both very pleased with this version and would like very much to submit it. Constructive criticism is requested and appreciated. We will leave it in a "wip" status for awhile before bumping to mod review. Please tell us your thoughts! And enjoy!

But that is an easy fix! Just select a complimentary theme, and write a bridge or interlude using that theme, then back to the original theme and voila, instant remix! (with some personal interpretation, of course) Please keep going, this really sounds terrific.

Wow, cool and cute!!! Yes it does have an intimate "crazy orchestra" feel. I like the purposeful "mistakes." I didn't find the bass too loud on my monitors. Very nicely produced. The choir however seems better suited for a darker piece, even with the staccato phrases, it is reminding me of the Even the attack is wrong on the choir, too slow, not keeping up with the super upbeat instruments. Hhhmmm, something is needed there, but maybe something more lighthearted. Nice track! But probably too coverish if you are planning to submit it... can you add some original stuff, or throw in parts of a second melody?

I believe that reverb, panning, and volume are all taken care of naturally by the amount and positioning of the different performers within a given space. The performers can vary their playing style and velocity throughout the performance to let leads have their space at the right times (which is what we are attemtping to emulate using eq to avoid the frequency clashing that happens in computer compositions). When you are using a computer to try to replicate this situation, you have to do it using effects and automations. It is never going to sound as natural, and it does take more effort and knowlege (and plugins). It may not be perfect but I think it can sound pretty good. It does take some practice to learn how to use the tools of eq, reverb, compression, and other things to get these effects, but with time you learn to do it faster and more effectively. (if there was a "make this sound realistic button" no one would need to learn the skillzzz) I know nothing about Sibelius or Audacity so I can't comment on them at all. I use FL Studio and I have all the necessary plugins and the ability to do automation clips. So I'm not sure how to advise you to do this using your software, maybe someone else can jump in here and help you with this. You can also pose the question in the "music composition and production" forum here. If you want to learn more about making music on the computer, a great book to start with is the Dance Music Manual. You will learn all the basics of synthesis (and dance music genres which you may not care about), but also how/when to use eq, reverb, compression and the like. It has been like a music production bible to me. Clearly you have excellent writing skills. Your challenge now will be applying those skills into a computer environment. You've come to the right place, you'll get lots of help and advice here! Oh, one more thing, please do a proper ending! Fade outs are a cop out!

I agree with this mostly. I don't know the source, but the remix sounds awesome. (I don't have time to listen to the original and comment on coverishness, but more interpretation can never hurt) Needs note velocity variation. Maybe instead of slowing the whole thing down, just drop some of the quick parts out here and there, or make some of them half-time. Since those quick notes play through the entire song, it feels very fast, and causes the track to lack some dynamics. So do some quick and some slow parts. Piano tone sounds great, and each part is coming through clearly, nice job there. So adjust velocities, vary the speed, and I'm happy. Nice work!

The melodies are really, really nice. The arrangement as well, is very pleasing. Good job on those! I like this song very much. But the biggest things I hear in this track are: 1. You need to eq those sounds apart and/or do more aggressive panning so the instruments aren't fighting for frequency range. Here is a thread I started a couple of weeks ago about this issue, it is full of golden advice. I am still working through this issue myself. 2. The drums are very dry, very far in the background, and lack energy. It sounds like the drum track is being played through a thick layer of insulation, no clarity. That early ride cymbal is playing too often, it messes up the laid back vibe... and later you have a stick (or hat or something) that is playing too upbeat a pattern when it should really have slowed down. You could add a gentle shaker here for fill instead. If there is a kick drum there I cannot hear it. The kick needs some oomph, and the higher elements (hat, stick, cymbals) need to come out more... eq them so they only play in the higher frequencies, and for something like a hat, you could use a stereo separator so they stick out of the left and right instead of getting drowned out in the middle. And Dafydd is right about the toms messing up the lower regions... make sure you high pass them so they aren't interfering with kick and bass (no less than about 200Hz) (and for kick and bass, make sure they aren't playing anything below 30Hz and not much should be going on above 250Hz unless it's "click" related) 3. The samples do in fact sound quite fake... not so much because they are, but because they aren't humanized. Vary the note velocities first, then for the longer sustained notes, use a volume automation to "swell" the note: start at one volume, raise slightly toward the middle, then have it gently decline to a much lower volume before ending, then start the next note at a normal volume, rinse and repeat. Your volume auto clip should look like a bunch of roundish bumps. This applies to nearly every instrument you have used, except for maybe the piano, you can do most of the piano humanization within the patterns. 4. The track is lacking in lower frequencies. I hear a bass, but it is nondistinct. I want to feel it. Make sure it is playing just in the middle (no panning or stereo separation), and again, be sure to eq out most of the energy above 250Hz (except "click" frequencies) And no reverb on bass. 5. You can also use reverb to set the soundstage, more reverb for background instruments (and minimal predelay), less reverb (and/or longer predelay) for foreground leads. Your leads are getting mashed in with everything else. The soundstage should be sort of three dimensional, and just now yours is very flat and one dimensional. Reverb is a great tool. Set up some sends (main and lead), and apply some to each instrument, for better cohesion. 6. Wow that ending is abrupt! How about one more *brief* slow passage with a soft final repetition of the main melody, played on a high instrument like the flute? I think this song could be great if you sort out these issues! Keep at it.

Yes I agree. I got more out of this response (Vinnie's and yours) than even the answer to my original question. Thanks guys, I feel enlightened and empowered.

Awesome, awesome, awesome advice. Thanks for that. I have in fact sent this particular song to three friends whom I trust immensely... one said there was some masking at the climactic portion (although he said he was admittedly tired when he listened), another said (without being asked about this) that he was impressed at how I had gotten each sound to be distinct. So two completely different opinions. I have totally lost objectivity! I am waiting for the third "expert" opinion, and then I will post this in the wip forum for even more "expert" opinions, haha! Thanks again, this was especially good advice.

That's some really great advice. Actually it is the piano that gets a bit buried under everything else... the oboe is fairly clear... I'll have to play around to try to bring it out somehow, just enough. Yeah, it will be easier to judge within the mix... it's not up to par for me to post it yet in the wip forum, but soon. Thanks, guys.

Yes, I was referring to separating the frequencies... but thanks anyway, great info!

Hi all! I'm hoping to hear some great words of wisdom on this. I have a remix nearly done, and I'm trying to really separate the sounds during the busiest part of the mix. I've looped the section and opened all eqs, making cuts and boosts such that each instrument can play in it's own strongest frequency range. I try to cut no more than 4db at any point, and boost no more than 2db, fairly wide q. I've also got things panned to different places, gently (not overpanned). I've done this so carefully but it still sounds a bit cluttered. The two sounds I'm having the worst time with are my lead which is an oboe that plays around 800Hz, and the piano which seems to live primarily at 600Hz. The other elements are either much higher (bells, plucky things) or lower (bass), and for pads I have scooped out much of the midrange to accomodate the leads. Still fighting for presence. Any advice is appreciated, what are your strategies for this?

---not a mod---- The good: Sounds are gorgeous. Piano is sexy. No crits on that at all! Nice ambient feel. Doesn't seem too repetitive. Drum sounds are pleasing. I like it a lot! The crits: Song has no intro? I just... starts. Hmph. Song has no lead at all for first full minute... needs something, at least to hint at things to come. When lead guitar first comes in, it is a bit buried. Snare is a tad loud. Drums need some more writing variation and fills. Snare fill at 0:38 sounds machine gun-ish, vary velocity low to high. Same with other snare fills. (low > high, high > low, up-down-up, etc) Guitar has a few too-loud notes starting at 1:40ish. Tone those down for better smoothness. Electric guitar is way too loud!!! And too dry, doesn't seem to fit well in the mix, easy fix though. Very, very nice overall. Just a few fixes and it's good to go, if you ask me. But again, I'm ---not a mod---

Hey Pix, yeah it sounded an awful lot like manual gating. For gating to work and be cool, it has to be precisely timed. You can do it manually but you'll have to be sooo careful and precise and who has that kind of time? I recommend Grossbeat highly, it is very easy to use and also does glitching stuff. You can pick a gating or glitching (or combo) pattern you like, then automate it to go on and off (hence only gating/glitching bits and pieces of the pattern, as you are attempting to do). You can also do gating using Fruity Love Philter, but it isn't as easy or intuitive as GB, but . Or search the web for a freebie. Good luck and have fun!

It's a bit more interesting soundwise... but still dry and repetitive! You need to add a main reverb send and give every instrument some except bass and kick. The arrangement needs some variation, too many of the same (or very similar) pattern. I think the drums are ok, just too loud... turn down that snare (and you could eq out some woodiness)! Try adding something else besides kick/snare/hats like a shaker or something else (cowbell?). Whatever instruments you've got gated are off their timing (like at 0:55). What are you gating with? Doing it manually, or using something like Grossbeat?

Nice!!! Oops... PP... I've just hijacked your thread... so very sorry! Back to you!

I tell him that every day! I'm sure he wouldn't mind a comment on his soundcloud if you'd like to do that.

So my dear friend Anterroir (forum member) gave me permission to post some of his chippy work here in this thread for you. What he does is "postmodern chiptune," a mixture of chip and non/chip instruments. I think his stuff is amazing. Maybe it will be inspiring for you! chip wip jumpdudes

J- This is what I meant about "knowing what you are doing" with a library like this one. There is a lot to it, getting these instruments to behave! There is a lot to know and learn. Hopefully someone with EWQL will jump in with a good place to start learning this.

Got it to work! Love the source tune, love the game sounds. (and I just love that game.) Hats are too loud and unvaried. I like the direction until about 0:40, then it just seems random and directionless... I can hear the source tune but it's not doing much for me. Then at 1:14, the new melody (part b of the source) doesn't go with the backing you've got there, it needs some different chord progressions. Good start, great source selection, keep at it.

But not impossible. Use Google... often the remixer has his song somewhere on the webz. At least half the time.

It's a really short sample, difficult to get a feel for what is happening before the clip ends. That said, I think it could be humanized even more. I wish I had great advice... I'm working very hard on this issue myself. I believe it is more than just random velocity edits... you also have to consider the finger positions, which finger of which hand is playing that note, which fingers are generally stronger, etc. Dang... why didn't I take piano lessons...