Chimpazilla

Wow, I remember this track from nearly two years ago in the wip forum. Such a beautiful arrangement. I loved it immediately, but the samples and sequencing were not up to par. This is a HUGE improvement. The samples sound so much better, and nicely humanized. The drums are still sounding a bit muffled, and the playing style is a bit repetitive and may actually be at times a bit too upbeat for the mood of the track, for example the breakdown from 2:08-3:20 feels to me like it could use a softer drum pattern and/or a bit more variation. Mixing could even be improved further, the bass could use a bit more definition and slight mud cleanup, and I think there is a bit too much reverb overall, most noticeable on the piano. Haha, those brass staccato notes at 4:35 aren't fooling anyone! Leads are clean and clear and nicely placed in the soundstage. I hate fadeout endings. You could easily have ended the song right at 5:00, without going into the extra verse and the fadeout. *sigh* Still, this sounds terrific now, and I'm comfortable passing it. Nice work! YES

Creepy fun!!! I am LOVING the sfx! (big fan of sfx and vocal clips here) Really great arrangement too. Fun panning and effects. Tons of yummy ear candy. I do hear some issues, such as the thin-ish leads. Mixing could be cleaner, with elements separated better and a bit of mud cleared out. Wobbles could have been more epic with more low end added, but the sequencing and automation are really good. Kick could use some more low end beef, it's a touch "clacky." I'm loving this overall and the above issues don't hold it back for me. The arrangement and creativity carries it. Ghoulishly delightful! YES

Andrew and Larry have covered the issues here perfectly. Very nice arrangement, some interesting ideas and writing. Ending is quite abrupt. But yeah, the mixing and balance is seriously off here! I actually had to turn my speakers down when that synth came in at 0:33, wow. While I always think it is fun to combine sound choices, in this case a lot of it doesn't fit together, mainly due to the mixing, but I also think some of the choices just aren't working. For example the synth solo at 1:54, I wonder how that would sound with a synth that compliments the guitar tone just a touch better than this sine lead does. But again, mixed properly, these sound choices may all sound more cohesive. Ethan, if you did the mixing here, I recommend taking the individual stems and starting a re-balance from scratch, one item at a time. I hope you have individual stems for each element, including each drum element separately. Loop the sections of the song one at a time, bring up the kick first, get it nice and beefy, and then bring each element up slowly until it fits into the soundscape nicely without being overpowering. Take your time, get feedback from others on this, and this can sound a whole lot better. NO (resubmit)

Neither the piano nor the lead guitar are blowing me away. The piano is mechanical sounding and a bit too sharp, loud, and up-front, and the guitar just doesn't sound real at all and is often too soft and buried. Bass seems a bit buried as well. But what you've got is used SO WELL here. Drums are very well written and exciting. Wow, what a great arrangement. What the heck is wrong with reverse cymbal transitions, huh? I LOVE those oh well. YES

Have a very happy birthday, Joe!

Whoa, cool time signatures here! So nice to hear the main Mario theme in 3/4! And the switching between time signatures was nearly seamless, kudos. There are some truly dynamite ideas here. I really like the little bit of synth work thrown in, too. The sequencing is in fact quite rigid and un-humanized. I think the worst offenders are the low brass and bass clarinets. Also, the supporting percussion (especially the tambourine) is too loud. Even so I think this might work if the track came across as one cohesive song. Build a bridge between the two parts, do some humanization on those instruments, and it'll get my vote. NO (resubmit)

I've loved this song since I heard the first wip version. Really fun and varied arrangement, smooth transitions, great sound choices and mixing. Loving that Middle Eastern mood. Dat dulcimer, dem drums! YEP

ToB (Theory of Birthday)

Continue please, Markus. Another winner here. You're so talented!

WOW T... I had no idea you could draw like that, those are super awesome!!!!!!!

It is super duper easy to use. You just set up the patterns you want on the front of the interface, and switch between them using key switches. So fun! I love it. As for creating your own, I haven't tried that... I don't think you can do that actually, but there are so many combinations there I don't think you'll need to create anything else!

I'm struggling to hear enough source in this track. The first minute relies entirely on the four notes from 0:06-0:10 in the source. After the 1:00 mark, I'm really struggling to hear any source, I think it is loosely there but after several listens I can't pick it out very well. At 1:58 I hear clearly a few notes of the main Zelda theme, then it sort of loses focus again. At 2:42 the synth bell is playing the Temple Ruin source more clearly, but it seems so marginalized. The sounds are nice, if a little plain. A bit too much reverb and low end on the piano, it gets a bit muddy. That sleigh bell bothers me because it hits a bit behind the beat every single time, making the timing of the track sound off. The sleigh bell feels quite over-used by the end of the track. Some percussion changes would be welcome. This is quite a mellow track, but it feels quite sparse for much of it. I feel like it needs quite a bit more development. NO (resubmit)

The pace of this starts out feeling a bit plodding, after hearing the source, but picks up pretty well after the intro. The sounds are really good, even with the stiff sequencing. The glitching, vocal, and scratch effects are dynamite. Lots of nice little synth fills. Track is mixed quite well. The arrangement is fairly straightforward. Bass has good presence and nice upper-end buzz. Synth strings work well. Fun soloing. Piano is a nice addition at the end. The bridge/breakdown at 1:21 is a bit plainly written, but it'll work. I'm liking this a lot overall. YES

There is so much to like in this mix. Dat kick, first off! The sweeps, risers and filter effects are great. Production is fantastic overall. Andrew is right, a few more drum patterns would be great. He's also right about the dubstep bass parts, it would be better if they had more low end presence, but I think they work well enough in this context, especially when paired with the super low kick. A lot of the synth sounds here are indeed quite generic, the worst offender for me is the saw beginning at 1:32, it has very little character imo. Many of the same synths appear repeatedly throughout the mix, making the arrangement and textures feel unnecessarily repetitive. The ending is really abrupt, but not a dealbreaker. I feel like this is close. A few more drum variations and a few lead synth timbre changeups would make it feel less repetitive, especially since the lead writing is so similar all the way through. But I think in the grand scheme, the track is over the bar, and I personally enjoyed it. YES

I'm loving the sound choices here! The flute, the mallets/bells, the delayed piano, the synths! (I love the synth writing, wish there had been more) A bit heavy on the reverb overall, but I happen to be a huge fan of reverb. I think the instruments are separated quite well, considering you've got lots of elements in the same range, kudos on this. I like how you've used noise and sfx so it almost feels to me like it's raining at times. The transition into the piano break at 1:38 is a bit sudden, the piano could have started a few beats later and it would have made more sense to me. Tiny nitpick, though. The arrangement is quite straightforward, but you've created a terrific mood here. This get my vote! YES

I like this arrangement, it is fun! There is some great writing and ideas here. Ok I have to agree about the lack of low end. Really noticeable. The bass does sound a bit mid-heavy and the guitars are indeed scooped and thin. Drum writing is good but the sounds are a little weak, could be the samples and could be the mixing or both. The mix needs a nice beefy kick and snappy snare. The crashes sound pretty good to me. Lead work could be brought forward more, the lead and mallet-like synth feel buried often. I love the theramin lead starting at 1:41. The leads are loud enough, but could be brought forward more using eq and reverb techniques. (although you may need to rebalance things once you bring more low end into the guitars) In fact most of the sounds could be separated a bit better to give each instrument a place to breathe, you can use eq, reverb and stereo separation techniques for this (important in a place like 3:00-3:33 where the mix is really busy). I'd love to hear one more lead sound to switch things up, say at 2:31. When you re-eq the guitars, be careful when adding low end to them, not to overlap the bass and cause mud. I do feel like this is close to passing, with one more go at the mixing. Hope to hear it back soon, I like it! NO (resubmit)

Dem piercing frequencies! Buzzing and resonance... stylistic choice but needs to be done very carefully to avoid hitting the "ouch" territory. Please tone that down. I like this arrangement, it is an interesting interpretation to be sure. Just as the track is ending, my mind is ready for an epic drop and a long section with intense drums and wild solos. Song could easily be double the length and never lose focus. Wow, would that be cool. This isn't necessary of course, and is just an opinion. Please eq the harshest frequencies down, at least. NO (resubmit)

May all your poops be happy ones today, and everyday, my friend! {{{hugs}}}

I was saying that joke to myself as I climbed the escalator on Wednesday night! For anyone not familiar with Mitch's joke: "An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You should never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience."

That was AWESOME.

Oh no! Need some serious cheering up: "Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?" "Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy, all day. Wearing a backpack and a turtleneck is like a weak midget trying to bring you down." "My belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up. I don't really know what's happening down there. Who is the real hero?"

I'm finding that backing riff a little repetitive, but I know that's what you are going for, and you varied the instrumentation on it so I'm ok with that. I have to agree with Flex about the mechanical sounding drumming, and it is especially apparent against the organic instrumentation (wouldn't stand out as much in an electronic track). The snare is the worst offender since every hit is the same, and the snare is a touch woody for my taste. That choir sounds incredibly fake, which would be ok but it sounds distractingly dissonant to me at some points between about 1:21-1:40, maybe it is the writing, or maybe due to too long a release or too much reverb, or a bit of all of these factors. The piano also sounds a bit mechanical when it begins playing the backing phrase at 1:48-2:00. The velocities are varied enough, but the notes hit right on the grid each time. It is most noticeable there since it is totally exposed. I'm thinking instead of moving notes (which may sound worse), maybe some sort of light drum fill or even some nice cymbal splash would hide that a bit there. And yeah, fadeout ending! Ggggrrr. Not a fan of those at all. Regardless, nice arrangement, great guitar performances, and generally well mixed. Couple of little tweaks and it's there for me. NO (resubmit)

I love this, it's so weird and I'm with that! The dissonance really is working for me, it has a jazzy, mellow, yet nightmarish quality. Super duper cool. So many different elements coming and going... brass, chippies, and the piano. What an amazing and unique take on this source. I think because of all the unique elements, the mixing is extra important so things don't get buried. I'd like for example that little chip lead/arp to really hit me in the face when it comes in. Larry is right, some clarity contrast would be really great. Andrew is right about the kick and bass smothering each other, and it gives a slightly muddy effect. I feel like the brass is a little sharply center-panned. There's a lot of hazy wash going on in this track, and I love the effect, but one more pass at the eq on things would really make this dynamite. Can't wait to hear it again asap. NO (resubmit)

Here are mine.