jnWake

I don't know if it's just me, but the drums are ridiculously loud, especially the kick. The synth bass (or whatever it is, begins at 0:50) sounds a bit weird IMO, maybe drop it one octave. The part with the strings sounds pretty, even though the whistle sounding sample is a bit quiet. Pizzicato is an interesting choice, but the drums and bass become repetitive by now. The harmonies in the next section are interesting and give the arrangement a new feeling, but then the drums, bass and guitar kick in doing the exact same thing they've done during all the song... Overall, the song does what you intended it to do, it is funky! However, at least to me, it feels repetitive and has some balancing issues.

Male, 23, 30 minutes to 1 hour (unless I just got a new game ).

Epic Win was an amazing track. I can't wait for Galactus Win. I hope that someday I'll be considered for cool projects like this one

Libraries come in a disc or are downloadable?

Intro is interesting. I thought you'd go for some sort of arabic remix... I don't really like the drums there though, the pattern doesn't really seem to fit the rest of the instruments and it is pretty dull. The chiptune section isn't very interesting in my opinion. It seems you just added it there because you like chiptunes. It does become a bit better around the 1:05 mark though. The ending section still suffers from lackluster drums, and doesn't offer many novelties. The samples you used are a bit weak too, but that's easily fixable. I'd work more on the arrangement. The intro seemed very promising but then it kind of loses it charms. Drums need a lot of work too, you need more than kick at every beat and the hi-hat sound. I hope it doesn't sound too harsh

The toy box idea is fun, works amazing for this remix. When you change the tone at 0:21, I feel that you're missing a low note that makes the change more subtle. Second section seems to be in a very rough form. Not much to say about it honestly. It makes me sad that you dropped the toy box sounds though, it'd be a fun remix if it was mainly toy box based. P.D. Project tracks are usually not revealed until the project is released. I think you should try to get feedback from the people that are participating on the project...

Mix is a bit conservative, but cool. The piano solo section is pretty nicely arranged, but the sequencing is a bit weak imo. It sounds a bit mechanical, and you could maybe experiment with a sustain pedal.

This is my take on the Cleyra Trunk theme from FFIX. The original theme is slow and creepy. My mix is essentially a "progressive metal" take on the song. It keeps some of the creepiness but it is faster. Links: Dropbox: - MP3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0z418eanpp6gzub/jnWake%20-%20Into%20the%20Sandstorm.mp3 . - WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0p41c182j6itpa/jnWake%20-%20Into%20the%20Sandstorm.wav . Soundcloud (older version... Can't update tracks on SC. At least it's useful to make comparisons): https://soundcloud.com/jnwake/final-fantasy-ix-into-the . Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XacP6hf29UA . The source doesn't have easily recognizable melodies or stuff like that, so the mix is a bit liberal. Comments and feedback are very appreciated! FINAL EDIT (12/2013): The final version of this song can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/jnwake/final-fantasy-ix-into-the .

I write MIDI files in Guitar Pro. It does the job...

I had never thought about it this way. It has never intimidated me to write music, probably because most of my composing comes from improvising and trying new chords, tone changes and chord progressions. I don't know much formal theory, so I experiment a lot!

Thanks for the comment. Is this an official Mod Review? I get confused because mods often say it is a mod review when they do one Anyway, I had not thought of lowering the tempo. I'll see if it works! I need to play a bit more with the volume envelopes for the dynamics. The envelopes I used here were made for the tracks before I played them on a MIDI keyboard. I recorded the piano track with a MIDI keyboard now too, so there's some volume tweaking pending... I'll check the lower frequencies thing. I probably didn't erase that many lower frequencies due to my headphones. I actually like the 2:25 transition but I see why it can be a bit hard, since the tempo changes a bit harshly. I'm glad you liked the rest of the track! That sounds quite interesting, but I'm afraid that recording only the violin would be a bit odd. Do you have access to more than a violin? The song has a violin, viola (that could be easily replaced by a violin), cello (or contrabass) and a "ensemble" track I use for rhytm sections. If you have any sample of your recording it'd be quite nice too. If somebody else plays any of the instruments on the track (flute and horn are the wind instruments present) and wants to record, PM me! If I can get a full set, I'd attempt a recorded version of this! EDIT: Also thanks to oldellonoya for the comment. It's always nice getting them!

I use Reaper... At least it's free!

The arrangement is nice, but the mixing isn't too good. Most of the instruments need to stand out more, they are like way in the back. Only the drums and bass are easy to listen, all the rest is quite muddy.

This is a very interesting idea. Is this sequenced or did you play it? Some ornaments sound odd due to all the notes having similar (or the same) velocities. Other than that small detail, I think this is quite nice, but I feel you'll have a hard time expanding on it. The source is pretty limited so unless you really change it up, the arrangement will start becoming stale. The best suggestion I can give you is to experiment with a different chord progression after the cameo of the star theme (don't know its real name). You can also try playing with the melody by changing it, maybe on a different key, or with different notes. P.D. I didn't think the original source was as bad as you say. It managed to be somewhat interesting during the game, maybe because it uses many different sounds. You can't do that on a piano solo rendition sadly.

Megabump! I've reworked the mix, tweaking old elements and adding new stuff. I added more instruments (winds) and changed some parts of the mix. I think it's sounding much better now! Link: http://soundcloud.com/jnwake/royal-coin-v6 . EDIT: Got a MIDI cable so I reworked some sections with it. Hopefully it sounds better now. Also, changing to Mod Review again. I feel this is close to being done!

I think this is fine on source usage. The Requiem of Spirit melody is sang by the low voices for almost half of the song. The Song of Time makes a very brief cameo near the end too. There is only one section (lasting about 30-45 seconds) that use doesn't any source I believe, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Well the $50 reward does include 3 digital albums which I guess aren't free, so it isn't just the FFVI album for $50.

Nice mix! The first lead is good but I feel you could add more vibrato or effects on the long notes. Also, they kind of fade away too fast. Maybe add a little delay? There is a bass note at about 3:15 that irks me a bit. I think it is intentional though. Tbh I think the bass line could be slightly better. The octave at 3:23 sounds a bit odd, I would make it return to the low note. Some bass notes are cut a bit too early too. I like the lead in this section, and the drums changing is also cool. I'm just being nitpicky on my comments though, since I really like how this sounds!

This is very very cool, I love it. Dat tuning.

"Pairings: I'm going to assume that the Novices will outnumber the Stars. I'll determine who gets a slot based on the following criteria, in decreasing order: Put their name up in the original thread and does not express a preference for a Star. After establishing the list of participants, each Novice will be paired with their first choice Star." This is quite odd, how are you assigning the Star for Novices with no preference?

This is a nice idea! I think the tempo is fine. Making it slower would probably make it a bit dull. My biggest complain is the lack of high notes, but you explain that on your post. If you manage to get female voices in the arrangement, it'd be very interesting. Some harmonies sound weird, but I guess (hope) they are because of the performance. I like how you sing the low notes. I have a bit of a hard time hearing the sources around the middle of the song too, but I'm not sure if that part is the Requiem or the Serenade. Anyway, this is cool and I'll be waiting for a second version!

I'd have never expected to find something like this here lol. Sinergia is actually a pretty popular rock band here in Chile. They call their style "Metal Pajarito", which literally translates to "Birdie Metal". It's quite unlikely that the band themselves uploaded this song here though, but you never know. P.D. If you liked this song, check other songs by these guys (you can find more in Youtube): - .- .- .They are a fun band, with quite an interesing take on metal music. Drums and bass are amazing in most of their songs.

Ignoring the orchestal passages, this song has quite an Alejandro Silva feel to it. Especially the beautiful section at 5:40. Amazing song!

That's the closest thing we have to an objective measure of the musical expertise of the users... I think.

I wonder why everyone takes the time to respond to people that are clearly trying to start a flame war. The situation is quite sad. The guy that tried to get on the stage was clearly wrong but some people try to make it like he deserved to die in order to defend the musician. I'm not familiar with the name of law charges in english so I hope the guy isn't punished harshly.