HenkkaStorm

I made a short-but-sweet arrangement of the main theme from Luigi's Mansion in the style of Finnish tango music. I felt that melodically and harmonically it was already pretty close to what that music sounds like so most work came from the instrumentation and playing everything. Here's the original Luigis_Mansion_Tango.mp3

Nice energetic track and I really liked how you blended different themes and variations together. The solo part was also well done. Production is punchy and clean, though the hi-hat sound sticked out a bit too much for my taste and started to get irritating. I'd cut out some of the top end or choose a different sample to make it bit less sharp. Good work!

EDIT: Added SoundCloud link to the finished version. I've been on a Italo Disco binge and wanted to interpret a video game tune in that style. I chose Never More from Persona 4 because it's one of my favourite tracks ever. Basically I took the tune as is, rearranged it in Italo Disco style and used sounds from the 80's era: LinnDrum, Roland Juno, DX7 etc. It's still missing the outro and some production elements but as far as the arrangement and instrumentation goes I'm happy with it. I tried to steal as much inspiration as I could from classic tunes from bands like Modern Talking. Here's the original

Melody sounds and synth fill sounds are pretty good and I liked how you changed the sounds in the melody at 1:03. The overall groove is also nice to listen to. The drums sound really messy though. I would push them a bit more to the front in the mix and try get more bottom end together with the bass. The snare especially gets tiring after a while, maybe try a different sample? Arrangement-wise I feel like it stopped evolving and moving forward after the second A-section. I don't know if it was on purpose but I really couldn't hear the melody that starts at 0:45 in the original, which is the one the tune builds up to. To me it's a climactic moment, so I'd really like to hear it more clearly. Good job overall, jatka samaan malliin!

It's been a while since I last posted but now that school's out of the way I've had time to make more music. This time it's a pretty straightforward cover of Mega Man 7 Intro Stage. Drums are made with Logic X's Drum Kit Designer and Superior Drummer, bass and rhythm guitars are recorded with a Kemper profiler, synth lead and organ are Logic plugins. Guitar solo was played by a friend of mine. Mixing and mastering is done ITB in Logic using only stock plugins. Enjoy! https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/90363377/MM7_1.3.wav Here's a link to the original:

I'd also suggest getting a real book for learning tunes along with the Levine books already mentioned. Also, listen to tons of different jazz albums from different eras; 30's swing, 40's bebop etc. No book isn't going to teach you jazz so better get your Spotify fired up . I think there's an "essential listening" at the end of the Jazz Theory Book so that's a good way to start.

I prefer writing and reading notation while composing. I never have gotten comfortable with piano roll in any DAW. It's also easier and faster if I want to write ideas down while I'm away from my computer. Only exception when I'm not notating the music is when I'm writing guitar/riff-based music, then I'm recording everything to the DAW along with a scratch drum track.

I believe that age and talent do matter to some degree, especially when we're talking about the masters and virtuosos of music (or any other art). To say that everyone could be as great as composer as Mozart is simply not true because then we enter the world of psychophysics. All the greatest performers and composers are unique in the way their brain and bodies are constructed. Their potential has been cultivated through their living environments and hours upon hours of hard work. Of course, the world has seen many fantastic people who have got to their goals through sheer hard work and that is also what I believe in. However, natural talent is usually what sets the greatest apart from others. What I'm trying to say is don't let things like not being talented enough hold you from doing the things you love. Just enjoy the ride and strive to be best you can be, even when you can't be the greatest.

I love this blog! As a theory nerd, I'm always analyzing the heck out all music that I listen to and to me it's the best way to learn music. Your transcriptions are really accurate and the way you explain what's happening is really insightful.

Alright, my first remix project! I've had plans for this track for a long time as it's probably my favorite in the game. Here's a link to the original and here's a link to my remix https://www.dropbox.com/s/bdc9qan56xkfzbw/WaltzOfTheDroplets.wavWhat I've done here is turned the dark, brooding atmosphere on the original to a kind of melancholic waltz. The four-note motif in the beginning has been turned to harp accompaniment with delay on it and plays throughout the track in the background. The first melody you hear is the chromatically descending melody from 0.31 from the original, played with a flutish sound. Then we get to the first verse, where I flute plays the main melody (the one starting at 0.10 in the original), first alone then with harmony in fourths. The second section features the melody from 0.50 in the original and serves as a little break before I get to the main theme again with trombones and trumpets. After the second verse I have a breakdown with just violins and harp with staccato string section coming in the middle. I also modulate here from C minor to D minor. After the breakdown the string section continues pizzicato with the harp. In the end we hear again the melody from the beginning played in the new key. I haven't started to mix this yet, because I wanted to get material complete before starting mixing seriously. Because of that everything's kinda in the middle and cluttered. I'd like to hear people's opinions on the track so far and how I could improve the material still.

Hiya everyone! I wanted to join in after a few years of lurking around. I actually registered back in February but never properly introduced myself here . Better late than never, I guess! About me: My name is HenkkaStorm. I've been playing and making music since I was twelve years old (I'm 23 now). I started on the electric guitar because I was a huge fan of Finnish heavy metal bands. I played guitar for about 8 years and then switched to bass, mainly because every band I played needed a bass player and I was having a serious lack of motivation towards guitar. Nowadays I'm studying music and music technology in the city of Pori in western Finland. I aim to be a working musician and I'm interested in many areas in the professional field. Currently I play in several bands, spanning from progressive metal to Top40-pop covers, and give bass lessons. I have played video games since I was 5 and it's pretty much been my only hobby ever since. I am mainly a Nintendo guy through and through but I do own a PS2 along with game series like Final Fantasy, Spyro etc. I hope that someday I could work in the video game industry as a part of my professional career, preferably as a composer/sound designer.