jnWake

You always pick cool sources! This one has a lot of solo stuff that makes remixing a bit harder though, but the progressions are so cool. Your WIP is slightly short so it's hard to say if the track has future, but it seems pretty nice to me. Doesn't feel medley-ish at all. You keep the feeling of the source pretty much intact while adding some cool guitar licks and stuff. Despite how short it is right now, I think you can make a nice song out of it. You could add some jazzy solos and maybe a calmer chill-piano section, stuff like that. It has potential!

Woops, sorry for that! Included WAV and MP3 in the OP for anybody interested in having a WAV! I see what you mean. It has to do with a boost I made when mastering, but I fixed it now! You're right, I analyzed various metal tracks from different bands and noticed drums are usually much more present in the mix than what I had. Guess I knew that but I didn't see it as a problem until you pointed it out. I upped the volumes of the higher frequencies quite a bit and gave the snare a different EQ, I think it sounds a lot better now. Glad you liked the rest! I like the strings in the end but they may go on for a bit too long... I uploaded a new version to Dropbox (both MP3 and WAV, even though the WAV may take a while to upload), so check it out!

I think what strikes me a bit from the intro is that on the first section (until 0:13) you explored some interesting harmonies and then, when the main melody kicks in, all the interesting harmonies kind of a disappear for a while. I really like the slow paced parts of the mix, they sound very chill. Very nice!

I use Reaper and mix with headphones. Guess I'm really doing it wrong

Your comments are pretty much the issues I had with the mix, so that's cool! I uploaded a new version where I mainly tried to pump the kick and snare more. I also raised the "lower end" of the guitar and lowered it's mid. Raised the guitar volume and took a little off the bass too. Glady you liked the rest of it.

I think Soundcloud derped... I can't even access my Stream. EDIT: Fixed the link. Also, Dropbox link since Soundcloud is kind of slow: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0p41c182j6itpa/jnWake%20-%20Into%20the%20Sandstorm.wav .

Mega Bump! I finished this with better samples and mixing and stuff. Also, Argle played the violin. Feedback is very appreciated.

To me, it depends on the objectives I have with the songs and my level of skill. Since I'm pretty new at producing I can use every advice that people give me so I try to post a decent amount of WIPs (I've posted like 4-5 on the forums since I joined). If I was more skilled, I'd probably post finished songs or just submit them without posting them here, since it adds to the surprise! If I was working on a solo album or something I probably wouldn't share WIPs or, at least, don't show many of them. I'm mainly talking about remixes here, I wouldn't share many WIPs of original songs since I do them for a band and that implies different rules for sharing music EDIT: Oh, and also, I don't really fear stealing since there isn't much that somebody can make with stolen tracks.

I mainly have music goals for this year: - Become good at producing. - Get at least 1 mix posted on OCR. - Start working on my personal VGM projects (remixes for some underremixed, imo, games). - Manage to record/produce songs with my band. - Learn more music theory (been working at it!).

Pretty mix! At 0:23 there seems to be a note with wrong timing on the piano. You could add more delay to the synth at 0:36, it feels a bit thin. I like the violin line that begins at 0:41. Only gripe that I have with it is that many notes are too short, making the violin sound a bit more agressive than it should. I don't really have many more comments. The arrangement is very pretty, stays quite true to the source and stays interesting the whole way!

I think this sounds pretty nice. A bit quiet like you said but I like it. The mau5cave influence is pretty evident

This is like Okami meets Mega Man The Recorder on the intro sounds a bit off, try to check that if possible. I agree with Emunator about the drums, they sound a bit too loud when they enter. They're more balanced later. The percussion instruments are too low in most of the song, same than the distortion guitar and recorder. At times, the percussion instruments feel a bit sloppy too. Bass and synth sound great in the mix. Nice song!

The piano sounds nice, maybe more reverb like timaeus said. Don't overdo it though. Regarding the arrangement, it feels a bit disconnected since all main sections are pretty different style wise. On the first section I feel that the chord progression could me much more interesting. I'm not sure what the chord progression is on the original, but the one you used is a tad boring, repeating the base chord way too much. The part with the left hand playing the melody sounds better. The minor section is very cool and shows much more interesting arrangement ideas. However, it feels a bit disconnected with the previous section. Second version of the main melody sounds a lot better, the octaves are a nice touch. Ending is pretty.

I like the percussions in the intro. It's a shame you drop them when the hip hop drums kick in, I think that if you kept both (or at least some elements of the first one) it'd sound so cool. All the first section is lacking bass imo. It is your call, but almost always I feel lack of bass makes thing sound so empty... Also, about the choir sample, if you want to keep the cheesy sound it's fine, but I feel it'd sound better with some vibratto or something like that. Just a slight vibratto though. Neat transition at 1:07. The 1:25 drum fill is pretty cool too. The random bass sounds are very meh though in my opinion. You did a nice job in the variety of the sounds but until the change at 2:23, the main Aztec melody is almost unchanged. I think you should do something there to make it sound more creative. In general, I feel you're very conservative in how approach the arrangement since the source notes are almost untouched (except the bass of course). Anyway, it's still a pretty cool arrangement!

The intro reminds me of Secret of Mana, maybe there's a similar melody in that OST. I think it sounds pretty good so far, though I have no idea how you plan to continue the song. The source is pretty short... I also agree with Kanohi. I have no idea what IDM is but some of those drum patterns feel very unfitting considering how "calm" the rest of the song sounds. Also, I feel the bass could be played an octave lower, it sounds a bit empty there.

I'm a bit torn right now. I want to buy a piano VST but there are so many good options (and I'd really like to limit myself to only one piano library for now). On here and other forums I've seen people comparing The Giant, Alicia's Keys, Vintage D and Addictive Keys. All are somewhat similar in price, but I can't seem to choose one of them... Which one is the most versatile? I usually make rock-ish mixes so the sound I'm looking for has to match that too.

Took it. Question 23 felt a bit odd, maybe I didn't understand it

The source you chose is an amazing source. Well done on that! Now, about your remix, I think it is fine so far but it feels like it's all over the place. I mean, the intro is a calm harpsichord + chorus, then you follow with a sort of rock orchestra (that sounds very cool!), then a part with only rhytm guitar (that sounds very empty), then a part with a techno-ish synth pad and then back to the orchestra rock. I think it'd be better if it was more focused on one style instead of what you have now, especially considering this WIP is less than 2 minutes and already has a shaky structure. I feel that a rock + orchestra mix is very fitting with the source. You just have to be clever with how you do the arrangement, since it doesn't have that much material you can use IMO. You can isolate some of the lines (piano line, violin line) to create new sections or stuff like that. EDIT: Maybe you can try with a longer build-up? Instead of going directly from orchestra to fast rock, you can make a section with slow drums and guitar + orchestra.

Galaxy Vintage sounds pretty cool, thanks for that tip! It's a bit more expensive than Alicia's Keys though... XPRTNovice: Cool, I don't own Komplete yet but I may buy it and that's nice to hear. The Vienna piano also sounded good on the demos.

Do you have any restrictions regarding style or how close the remix has to be in terms of mood/arrangement?

What is a good piano library? The ones that come with Komplete are good? Alicia's Keys seems nice too.

Anybody has good tips on creating a cool lead? The ReValve presets are cool but I want a lead that sounds clearer and not that distorted. I'm using the Power Metal preset but I want to know if anybody has built a cool lead...

Whenever I'm really out of ideas I find inspiration in other music. Listening to music you really enjoy and analyzing the musical ideas they use is great for inspiration. Or, listening to styles that you don't usually listen to is also a good way to get inspired. However, I agree with Rozovian. Making music is more about ideas and discipline than inspiration, since you never know when you'll get inspired!

Excellent album! I love how emotional the songs are. "Terrible Fate" in particular is very tragic. "Clocktown" has a source I can't recognize (second half of the song). Mixing Final Hours and the Fairy Theme in "Healing the Great Fairy" is a pretty risky move, but it sounds nice. "Moon's Tear" is pretty. "Lovers Mask" is a very interesting take on the Zelda Lullaby.

Lots of clipping on this one. The idea is very interesting though. I like what I can hear of the mood under the heavy distorted sound... The kick of the drums could use some reverb in the intro section, I think it would sound cool.