Master Mi

I recently finished my Crisis Core remix “Wings Of Freedom” and uploaded it on several platforms: You'll just have to turn up the volume quite a bit, as I master all my soundtracks at EBU R 128 loudness standards to around -23 dBFS in favor of dynamics, sound quality and to avoid loudness differences between my soundtracks and remixes (quite a similar level of loudness as lots of the original mixes of soundtracks from the early 80s and thus about half as loud as many modern mixes). Maybe I'll present it in more detail in the remix thread sometime soon and submit it to the judging panel. But before that, I still wanted to finish and present a small, quite interesting mixing sound experiment with mono and stereo signal sources.

Over the last few days and weeks, I have made a major update to my main post for this thread. Since some interesting new studio monitors have come onto the market or some studio monitor speaker series have been given the latest generation of studio monitor models, while the production of some older models has been discontinued and these are often no longer available at all, I have finally made this way overdue update. The update in my initial thread post contains the following main points: 1) newly released as well as time-tested studio monitor speakers made for accurate mixing in home studio conditions as well as for professional endeavors in audio engineering 2) new models within a studio monitor series (whereby I generally only took the new models as a basis for a more detailed description if they were actually better than the older models - if the old models were obviously better than the newer versions, on the other hand, I took the older models as a basis for a more detailed description and rather mentioned the newer models only in passing) 3) have slightly expanded the information in the descriptions of the studio monitor models, categorized it accordingly and standardized it (so that the frequency range, sound impression and build quality are rather high up in the description of the respective studio monitor speakers and somewhat less important aspects such as design, power consumption, price and further information can be found at the bottom of the description) 4) updated links with the currently available studio monitor models as well as additional helpful information on older studio monitor models (which are sometimes even still available on the market) 5) a slightly adjusted personal rating for the larger and the smaller studio monitor speakers, which is primarily based on my personal sound impressions of the speakers in the music store as well as through comparative sound test videos, personal mixing experiences with some of these speakers, certain product characteristics such as build quality, frequency range, linearity of the frequency response or at least a frequency response that is advantageous for mixing, intensity of inherent noise, various buyer and user feedbacks, power consumption, price-benefit ratio as well as current availability on the market (whereby the sound characteristics and mixing suitability are the most important factors for my rating - although this should only be a rough assessment and I am not yet completely sure about some of the sometimes pretty close positions of my personal ranking) 6) a link to a YouTube channel where you can roughly compare the sound of a large number of studio monitor models even far away from specialist music shops (whereby the sound impression of the studio monitor speakers in the specialist music shop and even more so in the corresponding rooms at home should be the final factor, without prioritizing the first sound impression over the much more crucial mixing suitability - because what ultimately counts for composers and sound engineers is not the pleasant sound of these speakers, but the impressing sound of the final mix which you have created with the speakers and which should also sound really nice on all other playback systems) 7) a brief summery of my personal speaker search over many years (from the simplest desktop speakers to professional studio monitors with corresponding background information to better understand why I have taken certain steps in my home studio planning and why I do not always find larger studio monitors necessarily better and more suitable in terms of mixing suitability than slightly smaller models) Maybe this can help some people in their search for suitable studio monitor speakers for their room conditions. ... In addition, I wish you a happy Easter. Don't forget to bring rich offerings of natural, organic stuff (food) for the fluffy hares and bunnies to the radically sacred Long 'n' Floppy Ears Shrine to appease the gentle and wise rabbit gods. (\_/)

Must have radically missed this thread. Really amazing mindset and work. )) ... In today's world, unfortunately, far too much revolves around profits, mindless competition (competition for the sake of profits instead of real improvements and better quality standards), exploitation and the resulting conflicts in the world. That's why I'm really grateful that some people are still really concerned about the cause itself (in this case music and creative remixes of video game soundtracks), community endeavors as well as essential improvements, real progress and new opportunities for all people to participate. Since free time is often a precious and rare good, you certainly give up a lot for such a project. But on the other hand, you are creating something beautiful, valuable and perhaps even permanent - like freshly harvested, delicious fruits from the trees you planted many years ago. Just reminds me that about 10 years ago, I myself planted a variety of different fruit trees and bushes - from apples, cherries, plums, sea buckthorn, hazelnuts and others - in an open, secluded meadow area in my home town, mowed the meadow around the planted trees and bushes with a classic scythe and watered it the first time with the water of a nearby river. After three or four years, the trees and bushes yielded their first fruits and the people who came by could harvest some fresh 'n' tasty fruits. But I've also seen lots of birds coming by or even somebody who enjoyed reading something in the quiet, idyllic area of the lil' fruit tree paradise. Against all gardening knowledge and recommendations (I'm a landscape gardener myself), I never pruned one of those trees. And they grew up beautifully in their own unique and the most natural way they could grow. Didn't have to put any further work in these trees and bushes since then, only a few trees died within the first years, but the remaining ones grew really strong and vital. The only thing that can be a bigger threat to them now, are the greedy property sharks and rent roaches that literally infested my home town years ago. These kind of "people" mostly have eyes for easy money and huge profits - they don't care about natural beauty, community standards, good structures, social peace or creating something really useful (and affordable) most humans would benefit from. People like those would even sell paradise for the latest luxury resort or sell a good community for the newest sports car in their garage. It would be even a compliment for them to be called just "useless" because their greed and selfishness make them rather harmful for society, especially for the workers and common people. They piss off workers with ridiculously high (simply not affordable) rents, and then - without workers - these Trumpish Muskuitos and all the elitist, capitalist or even fascist money sniffers even dare to borrow eggs 'n food from other countries where workers don't have to live in tents yet. In this really batshit crazy world, I'm really glad I live in a social housing associating that even existed after the former socialist times of my country and still offers very stylish flats with really affordable rents, a good neighborhood, a rather rural silence and lots of trees 'n' natural green places around. Still no car (just the good ol' bike + trailer and a local public transport "gold ticket"), no expensive holidays and no luxury on my wish list - but at least plenty of good organic food in the fridge, a little home studio, a much more pleasant 4-days working week (around 30 hours a week on average) in my job life, a bit longer 3-days weekends - and much more time for recovery, for the things that need to be done and the things I really want to do. ... So if you are fine with a modest, more active and more healthy lifestyle, I'd radically recommend to shift down (especially in your working life) a bit - for the sake of the things you are really passionate about. Money is mostly for living in modern societies (and for saving a little bit), but not for hoarding meaningless luxuries and status symbols. Hoarding bananas, sashimi, good literature, video games and music as sources of life force, knowledge and joy is totally fine, of course. The higher currencies in the universe are still (life force) energy and time, with which you can really unleash your creative potential, create synergies, new possibilities and experience joy, intensity and really inspiring natural highs. ))

@AshleyXR Yeah, pretty much the perfect beat to knock the teeth out of drunken hooligans, fascists, their greedy capitalist sponsors and merchants of war. Though their connections are not limited to a few countries, it rather seems to be a global phenomenon, depending on where the big money of the rich 'n' greedy people flows - quite similar to the Shadaloo organization, which also spins their webs or "fasciae" secretly around the globe. I'm really not happy to have to live in an era of continuous downfall again, especially when I think that my birthright to grow up in a socialist society was literally taken away from me by some greedy sons of bitches. But as a martial artist who grew up with Japanese full-contact karate, I somehow still have hope that, in the worst case scenario, I won't have to stand completely alone with such often cowardly, opportunistic followers of Western German and European beer and schnitzel patriots. Since many Arabs, especially devout Muslims, have come here, I have the feeling that the tide has turned somewhat, that fascists will no longer have such an easy time terrorizing people here and that the newer generation of neo-Nazis in particular are really getting knocked out in the respective neighbourhoods. For me, it was really impressive to experience the down-to-earth, straightforward, virtuous and warm-hearted nature of the Muslim people on the one hand - and on the other, the impetuous fighting spirit, pride and sense of justice when they encounter disrespectful, unjust and malicious people. Sometimes just one of them can be some sort of a Saiyan-like one-man invasion or a small Saladin army in itself. I followed some media reports where, for example, an Arab teenager was racially insulted by an adult German, who then even wanted to get violent, but the Arab teenager only gave him about three punches, the consequences of which killed the adult within a short time. Certainly questionable from a moral point of view, but truly impressive in terms of fighting force. You will rarely see hardcore hooligans and neo-Nazis fool around in a Muslim hood, and they won't even dare to terrorize the people there for too long. Because they'll easily get engulfed in the flames of the battle they tried to start there, learning the hard way through massive pain, loss and humiliation as a just punishment for disrespectful behavior. As I have occasionally dealt with Muslims and refugees from the Arab world in my job and have often talked to them, I have noticed that some of them are also active in martial arts and often have a really good education, not to mention the many natural beauties among the really cute oriental ladies. ... Kinda chaotic but interesting times and strokes of fate these days. ... But back to the "real" (digital) Street Fighter series. I also think that Street Fighter 6 doesn't have too many memorable soundtracks besides Ed's theme "König oder Feigling". But I strongly believe that it's quite hard and annoying for the composers to make new remixes of the iconic character themes one after another for every new Street Fighter game. Sometimes you really have to try out new soundtracks, new styles and music genres to evolve as a composer and enjoy the variety of new attempts. This doesn't always meet the taste of most fans. But sometimes it works out quite well. I remember that the developers of the Street Fighter series had a similar approach with completely new character themes in Street Fighter Alpha 3 for Playstation (still own this game). And this game had at least a few pretty nice new tunes, for example Ryu's theme "The Road":

I might try a slightly more philosophical approach. A critical person might generally find it difficult to place 100% trust in a technology that they did not develop themselves, in the midst of a universe that they did not create (or at least not completely on their own). Based on the law of cause and effect, every life, every deed, every thought, every emotion, every energy and cause presumably leaves some kind of smaller or larger traces in the world - whether online or offline. The crucial question is rather how much trust or caution (both are justified) you put into your life and the things around you. Sometimes a little more courage pays off, sometimes caution is the better decision in terms of life. If you are afraid of data leaks or the loss of sensitive data, but still want to take advantage of the internet, I would simply not use any or as little sensitive data as possible on the computer or technological device you use to access the internet, or maybe change the way how you use the internet. Cell phones were once used to be reachable in emergencies (I still use them in this way - although I could easily live without a cell phone away from work) and not to immortalize almost your entire life on them, which could cause some serious problems in terms of data security and privacy in the event of loss. Nor do I have to use every convenience of modern civilization. I still get along really well without online banking and other such conveniences. ... I don't want to spill out any excessive campfire stories about the good old days. But according to my memory, there was a time of the Internet before the age of complex browsers and search engines, when kids used to hammer some weird terms directly into the URL line and, with a bit of luck, ended up on really bizarre websites (and that was probably only a quarter of a century ago). I wouldn't be at all surprised if even nowadays some people still occasionally end up on OC Remix in exactly the same way - like a few happily stranded Argonians, who were able to hide from Zoda and his space pirates just because they didn't use any modern browsers and search engines, or because they didn't put any selfies with their magic cubes on the already alien-slime-infested platform X.

I just came across it recently when a good friend told me that the Street Fighter series now also has a German character called Ed (who's been around since at least Street Fighter 5, though). And when I recently happened to listen to Ed's soundtrack theme with the real title "König oder Feigling" (it means "King or Coward") you will hear directly in the fight, it really knocked my socks off a bit, as it reached my expectant bunny knight ears in the form of a really stylish German rap track (a genre that is enjoying great popularity in this country these days). Here's a version of the soundtrack with English subtitles: Really charming groove, good messages, snappy rhymes and lush punchlines that keep building up, especially after the first part - plus the excellent electric guitar lines in the background. The skillful mix of rap and rock has a bit of a pretty cool Run-D.M.C. vibe. Basically a really good soundtrack that literally invites you to a workout, a spontaneous street fight or a more metaphorical battle against the adversities of life. The soundtrack was sung by Blumio, a Japanese rapper who grew up in Germany. The content of the soundtrack seems to be about both the life of the rapper and the life of the German character Ed. According to the story, Ed was abducted as a child or teenager by the criminal organization Shadaloo (or "Shadowlaw"), which deals in biochemical psycho-drugs and recruits many of the strongest fighters in the world, and was brought on the organization's course with these psycho-drugs and experiments, which apparently took away part of his soul in exchange for special powers based on "Psycho Power". He was prophesied that he would lose his ego or soul when he reached adulthood. And due to his superior fighting skills, he was destined to become the new heir to the throne of this organization, or at least his physical shell. Yet... The small spark of soul and willpower he still has left seems to be fighting back and fighting a completely new battle, the fate of which is still written in the stars. ... It is also interesting in this context that the Shadaloo organization was modelled on the Nazis or the fascist movement in general. Apart from a siegrune or a lightning bolt that appears in the skull logo of the Shadaloo organization, which is decorated with eagle wings, the Nazis also used various psychedelic drugs such as Pervitin (see "Panzerschokolade" or "tank chocolate") or methamphetamine to break people's wills and souls and turn them into performance-enhanced, disinhibited, but nevertheless obedient, brainwashed, unresisting fighting machines always ready for action (in the long term at the expense of their health and ultimately their lives) in line with their much more champagne-sipping and less combative leaders. Presumably the higher-ranking or "chosen" Nazis saw themselves as the leaders of an elite Roman state with a few leashed Celtic berserk warriors in the front row, who could be put into a fighting frenzy at the push of a button through appropriate propaganda, fear, hard punishments and psychedelic drugs and sent into any war without any bigger restance to be able to make use of the treasures and resources of other countries in a completely imperialistic manner. However, these elitist wannabes, many of whom came from high society or were at least their bootlickers, have probably forgotten something important that characterized the culture of the Celts and indigenous peoples in general. After all, a bioelectric form of energy called life force, which has many different names depending on the culture, can also - or in particular - put people into a state of ecstasy, bliss, joy and raging fighting spirit in a completely natural way. And apart from these artificial drugs, to which rather weak and small-minded people are susceptible, life force is also able to unleash one's own soul, which literally invites one to follow one's true nature or natural instincts against all odds ... ... perhaps remotely comparable to an untamed wild animal that also bites the hands of those who try to control it and keep it on a short leash for their own purposes. ... I have no idea whether, according to the Japanese game developers, this might also be a subliminal plot motif for the character Ed (who is perhaps trying to break out of the organization's control and go his own way), precisely because many Japanese developers of video games, films and anime often make such subliminal 'n' pretty witty allusions. But apart from the really good and meaningful message of always going your own way despite all adversity and following your true convictions, the soundtrack, especially in terms of composition ideas, is quite the banger. ))

Tips for the final checks of a mix and a better use of delay effects for more clarity in the mix ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good news. My Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 remix is finally finished. In terms of composition and mixing, I had already finished the remix according to my plan shortly after Christmas. I've also uploaded the finished remix to various streaming platforms a few weeks ago. But before I share it with you here on OC Remix, I would like to spread the following information and tips on the subject of final checks of a mix and setting delay parameters for a cleaner mix in addition to a further, somewhat more in-depth sound experiment on working with mono and stereo sound sources for the sake of cleaner mixing (this will be in my next post within this mixing thread, because this already quite long, comprehensive post would otherwise go massively beyond the scope here). I also found a really good solution for the remaining electric guitar track I wanted to compose in line with my vision of the soundscape and the mixing in the song "Everytime We Touch" sung by Maggie Reilly. This one got an incredible vibe and radically elevates the entire electric guitar section in my Crisis Core remix once again. I have also greatly increased the MIDI velocity dynamics at suitable points in the soundtrack once more. The whole composition and mix is really good now and I'm absolutely satisfied and confident with it. Even a friend of mine, who is by far the most critical listener of my tracks in my circle of friends, told me that he now likes my new remix version even better than the original track "The Price of Freedom" - and that really says a lot, especially for someone who nearly always finds original soundtracks better than most remixes of them. ... The bad news is that the final checks, where I actually checked each of the 45 tracks (23 instrument tracks and 22 aux send tracks) in detail and sometimes changed and adjusted minor things until I was absolutely satisfied, took much longer than expected (ranging from a few minutes to over an hour per track). Then, after Christmas, I also met up again with a good friend, gamer buddy and passionate fan of the Japanese culture from my student days, who I hadn't met for a good 2 years because he had quit his really good job in the civil service due to some serious upheavals with a superior, moved back near his relaxed home village and this year, after several applications, found a job in the civil service again with apparently much more pleasant and far-sighted superiors. I was really looking forward to finally continuing to watch the legendary martial arts anime "Fist of the North Star" with him after all this time. In addition, another friend asked me the days after Christmas if it would be possible to have a few gaming days. And together we played through Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 Reunion right into the new year and, after several attempts, even managed to defeat the hardest secret boss in the whole game. The really funny thing after waking up on the first day of the new year was that my mailbox showed exactly 777 unread emails (mostly DAW, VSTi and synthesizer news, which I often skip because I'm pretty happy with the stuff I own, want to use it better before buying new stuff and prefer to radically improve my composing skills these days). When the number 777 shows up during the modulation phase in Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 (Reunion), it means a level-up for the main character Zack. But I've really gotten used to such mystical numbers in my life. There have been far more gnarly cases, starting with some rather trivial-looking shopping receipts with a bill of exactly 7.77 euros, plus the number 777, which I once drew at the citizens' office for the waiting list, then when I googled the world population in 2020 and it was apparently exactly 7,77 billion people or when I was on the search engine Ecosia (a rather idealistic company that uses most of its income for ecological projects such as tree planting and growing organic food in the world) and this page showed exactly 7777777 planted trees that had been planted with the help of Ecosia. Maybe I'll start a special thread someday, a thread with the title "Haunted by numbers" (especially since I've collected the relevant papers, receipts, movie tickets with such numbers or made screenshots of the relevant numbers over the years). If I wasn't so happy with my working income and down-to-earth lifestyle (I don't even bother with tax refunds - but more because I don't want all this paperwork and prefer to spend my free time doing more joyful things like making music), I could really go to the casino and try to hit a few jackpots with my Lucky 7 mode activated. ... In the last few days of my vacation, I also wanted to finish the final checks of my Crisis Core remix to make a fitting transition with some finished content for the start of the new year. But just then winter set in and I had to do winter maintenance on both weekend days, followed by the working week and then winter maintenance again on the following weekend (similar to these days, where I was supposed to chop up frozen earth and gravel with a pickaxe or do a lot of earthworks with a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake this week due to an official ban on the use of certain machines, I was eagerly looking forward to a quiet weekend and was then greeted with a full onset of winter and 2 large winter service missions just in time for the end of the week - not exactly the most favorable conditions to focus my thoughts on creative, time-consuming music projects). After that, things slowly calmed down again. When the order situation at my company slowed down a bit, I was finally able to take off a lot of accumulated overtime and take a few days off to do the final checks on my remix during this time. ... Since the final checks of a mix can be very time-consuming, but definitely worthwhile, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a small checklist with useful tips on what you should pay particular attention to in the final production phase of the mix, including exporting the final audio file. So, let's start right away with... The final checks: --------------------- 1) I assume that you already have a reasonable folder structure for your music projects, something like this: >>> "Folder for music projects" >>>>>> "Subfolder for a specific music project" >>>>>>>>> all music project files, audio files, text files (for a description of the remix, soundtrack or audio program or for a descrpition of all the changes made in the latest updates of the work) as well as image, video and video project files (if you want to add some atmospheric visual content to your audio work and upload it as a video file) that belong to this specific music project... If not, I would go for it in this or a similar way in the long term. ... 2) Before you start the final checks, open the most advanced version of the music project file for your DAW in which you have already finished the composition and mixing. Save this version as another version of the music project file under a different name (perhaps something like "Your Music Project File - Final Checks"). If any serious mistakes happen in this new music project file during the final checks (e.g. unintentional, irreversible deletion of objects or MIDI data), then you still have at least one or more back-up versions of your music project. ... 3) Check all the details in a track according to a defined scheme with a corresponding sequence that seems reasonable to you. In my case, the order of the final checks was something like this: A) source signal track (track 1 with the piano intro, for example): panning >>> VSTi settings >>> settings of the direct plugin insert effects including settings of the EQ plugin >>> aux send feedback B) aux send track related to the source signal track (track 24 with the reverb for the piano in this case): panning >>> settings of the plugin effects including settings of the EQ plugin C) checking the audio and MIDI objects in the source signal track (especially position and content) as well as the automations (especially position and intensity) in the source signal track and its associated aux send tracks D) final listening (both of the individual track with all effects in solo mode and then again as a complete soundtrack from beginning to end with a good focus on the individual source signal track) The procedure is then repeated with the following source signal track (track 2 with the acoustic guitar chords in my case) and all the associated things mentioned - and so on until you have checked all the tracks in detail at the end. When I had finished checking a source signal track and the associated effects, the audio and MIDI data as well as the final listening of a specific track, I used to mark the next source signal track with the solo button for orientation and saved the project again (especially after minor or major changes and adjustments). This way, when I continued the final checks at a later point in time, I always knew which track I had stopped at last and that I had really saved again before starting the next track. ... 4) Yeah, you should really save your music project regularly during the final checks, perhaps also on another project file for the final checks ( "Your Music Project File - Final Checks 2", for example), and then always save your progress on both final check project files alternately, so that the loss of time in the event of possible errors or unintentional deletion of audio or MIDI data during the final checks is always kept to a minimum. ... 5) When checking the panning of a source signal track, also make sure that the panning of the track is in the correct or desired relationship with the corresponding aux effect sends (same panning or rather opposite panning, for example). For the sake of clean mix and with the help of your DAW's display and metering functions, make sure that only a few source signals with the instruments, synths, etc. (especially bass, kick drum, snare drum, toms and cymbals) affect the center area in the mix, while the other source signals (guitars, pianos, lead synths, chords and pad sounds, for example) completely ignore the center area in the mix and only play on the sides (for example, a piano that plays with -15 dB on the left side and with -20 dB on the right side without any center involvement). To ensure a clean mix, also make sure that all aux reverb sends are always panned to the sides and never involve the center area (regardless of whether this is the reverb of a violin or the reverb of a kick drum), as reverb in the center area can quickly make the soundtrack sound muddy and washed out. ... 6) When you check the VSTi settings, the plugin effects and aux send feeds of the source signal tracks as well as the plugin effects of the aux tracks, not only make sure that they are all set correctly, but above all that they are activated at all (in the arranger matrix as well as in all subordinate settings). If you still have deactivated plugins and effects in a track that you may have used to experiment with sound design, I would delete them completely at this point - not primarily for the sake of better computing power in your DAW, but above all for more clarity and a better overview in your music project. In this step, make sure that the plugin effects are arranged in the correct or desired order along the signal processing chain. ... 7) When you check the audio and MIDI objects within a track, check the position of the start and end points of all objects within a track with maximum zoom to make sure that they are correctly positioned in time and that you have not inadvertently moved an object slightly. Ideally, you should make sure right from the start that objects are only moved to the defined points in a timing pattern (and not at arbitrary small intervals) - there should be a special function for this in every common DAW. Once this has been done, you can take another look at the content of the objects, especially the content of the MIDI objects. For example, it may be the case that a starting note is displayed but not played if the MIDI object is subsequently edited and the note would actually start before the MIDI object. The last note in the object should also be checked again to ensure that it is still safely within the MIDI object and will not be chopped off prematurely. In such cases, you can also extend the MIDI object by one bar forwards or backwards. Also make sure that there is no unwanted overlapping of consecutive MIDI notes of the same pitch or even accidental doubling of MIDI notes (especially if you draw the MIDI notes with the mouse). I would also pay particular attention to any keyswitch notes, which are used to change the way the instruments are played. It can happen that you accidentally set a keyswitch note outside the available keyswitch "pitch" and therefore either no change in the playing style is triggered at all or, in the worst case, an unwanted noise is heard, which may be somewhat lost in the overall soundtrack, but is still audible. Again, make sure that the keyswitch notes are also in the correct position in terms of time so that always the right notes are triggered by a change in playing style (place the keyswitch notes temporally slightly before the actual notes with the desired playing style). This is why, when composing via MIDI, you should always completely quantize and humanize the notes before placing the keyswitch notes, so that there are no subsequent shifts with undesired articulations or strangely played notes. In this step of the final checks, it also makes sense to double-check all automations in the source signal track and its associated aux send tracks, in particular whether the exact time position and intensity of the automations are still correct. To avoid unnecessary confusion or unwanted shifts between objects (audio or MIDI objects) and automations, I would recommend object automations rather than track automations, for example via object fade-ins and fade-outs, or in a more detailed way by using the MIDI Control Change parameters (such as "Volume" - or "MIDI CC 7" in this case) and the MIDI Learn function of your DAW, which can also be used to implement automations in real time via the buttons, switches, knobs and sliders of your MIDI keyboard or other MIDI controllers. With object automations, you can move all objects anywhere in the music project (even between different tracks or between different music projects) and the automations within the object always remain at the specified position in the object, whereas with track automations, the automations always remain at the specified position within a track and the automation does not move with the objects when objects are moved within this track. ... 8) At the end of the final checks of a single track, listen to this track again - first in solo mode including all objects within this track and then again from beginning to end as an entire soundtrack with a precise focus on the individual track. If it is a pure MIDI track, I would also run the MIDI editor again while playing all MIDI objects and check whether any missing or incorrect notes and inappropriate articulations can be identified, whether the MIDI velocity dynamics should perhaps be reduced or increased in suitable places or whether the velocity, loudness and articulation of the virtual instruments and synthesizers should generally be varied a little more. ... 9) When you have finished all this, check all tracks and the master track again to make sure that the volume is still correct everywhere and that the level peaks do not exceed the 0 dB mark at any point in the soundtrack, someting that would lead to unwanted clipping or a technically unclean production. With my own mixing system, I always mix the individual tracks in a very relaxed and forward-looking way, whereby even the level peaks of the loudest track in the entire soundtrack often just level out at around -10 dB. This means you don't always have to keep such an anxious eye on the level peaks in the tracks, because you always have enough headroom for subsequent dynamic changes in the composition or mix, which can be accompanied by a change in loudness and level peaks, without having to completely reset the mix and readjust the volume of each track in a time-consuming manner after every major change. The loudness and level peaks of the individual tracks in the mixer should mainly describe a relation between these tracks and not primarily generate a final volume for the soundtrack. You rather set the final volume or the target loudness of the whole soundtrack via the master track, for which I usually add a volume helper plugin to the master track in order to be able to set the desired target loudness in dB precisely to the first decimal place. If you check the level peaks of the individual tracks again, pay attention not only to the values displayed by your arranger or mixer, but also to what the integrated metering functions in the used samplers, amplifiers and other sound design plugins show you. Even if a completely safe level peak value is displayed in the arranger or mixer, it is quite possible that the peaks of the input level in the sampler plugin or guitar amplifier plugin in this track is sometimes slightly exceeded at some points in the soundtrack, which can already happen if you have only switched a signal source from stereo to mono in between (despite subsequently adjusting the loudness), which I experienced once during my final sound experiment that I am still preparing these days. When checking the level peaks, it's also worth taking another look at the spetroscope or the spectrum analyzer tool in your DAW to find any excessive level peaks that might be only in certain frequency ranges (mostly in the lower frequency range). With many remixes on OC Remix, but also with numerous remasters of official soundtracks and modern audio productions, I accidentally noticed that there is often blatant clipping in the bass range (in some cases around 10 dB above the 0 dB limit!) or in the lower mid-range. Even if slight clipping in the bass range should hardly have any effect on the sound, it is still somehow a technical flaw in the mix. However, this phenomenon is most likely a direct consequence of the decades-long loudness war in the era of digital music production, in which the increasing use of compressors and limiters led to soundtracks being mastered closer and closer to the 0 dB limit with ever decreasing level peaks, causing certain frequency ranges to exceed the limit - all because of a trend that was once set in motion to surpass the musical "competitors" in terms of loudness, according to the unwritten, pretty small-minded and tone-deaf adman motto: "Whoever is louder gets more attention, more listeners and more record sales." But it may also have been partly due to the fact that appropriate loudness measurement methods, metering instruments as well as pioneering loudness guidelines were only developed and increasingly established many years or several decades after the beginning of the digital music production era. ... 10) Before you export your music project as a final audio file, restart your computer again (preferably offline) to clear your RAM and have the maximum system resources available for exporting the audio file, whereby no other programs that are not relevant to the system should be opened or started after the restart. This reduces the likelihood of any unwanted sound artefacts (such as small crackling sounds, individual, slightly blurred sound events or other errors) creeping into the exported audio file. After exporting the audio file, I would listen to it at least twice from start to finish with good studio headphones before processing it further or uploading it directly to an appropriate platform. The same goes for exporting videos with appropriate video editing software (whereby you should not only pay attention to the sound in the exported video file, but also in particular to the transition animations between images and video material). ... 11) After you have exported your final audio file, listen to it again on as many different audio playback systems as possible for comparison (for example on different studio monitor speakers of different sizes, via different studio headphones as well as via less professional headphones, on ordinary hi-fi systems, kitchen radio, TV speakers, car radio, smartphone speakers or via the in-ear headphones of your HD MP3 player). If the audio file sounds really good on all systems, you have obviously made really good mixing decisions, so you can upload the file to a streaming platform or process it in another way with an easy conscience (in both cases, make sure to use an uncompressed audio format such as WAV, AIFF or FLAC in order to preserve as much audio quality as possible in subsequent conversions). If the audio file doesn't sound really good on any or hardly any systems, you obviously have a lot of work to do in terms of mixing, or you might want to consider changing your primary studio monitor speakers or studio headphones for your studio environment if your sense of hearing and room acoustics are okay so far. If, on the other hand, the audio file does not come across perfectly on just a few audio playback systems, it may also be due to the playback system itself (for example, if it generally reproduces the bass in a somewhat muffled and less defined way). In such a case, you should definitely also listen to a professionally mixed official soundtrack on such audio devices to check whether this soundtrack shows similar weaknesses in sound reproduction on the respective audio playback device as your mix. ... 12) Always keep your music project files and generally save all your important data every year on an external hard disk or comparable data carrier! In particular, this also includes all your custom presets for software instruments, synths, plugins and DAW settings. Especially with music project files, you never quite know whether you might need them again in the future, even if it's just to export an additional version of the track in a certain audio bitrate or because you might have noticed an unwanted sound artefact in the exported MP3 years later. But if you need all those music project files and presets and still have them, it can save a lot of time and maybe even lives. I usually keep several music project files for each soundtrack or remix project (the current and best version as well as various alternative versions that went in a different musical direction or that I simply used for saving and overwriting). My Crisis Core remix resulted in around 15 music project files (might be reduced to around 7 or 8 music project files afterwards), which contain a few versions at different stages of development of the remix (I usually keep all those), several project files for saving and overwriting the current remix project version and a few other music project files for a stereo width experiment that I will be presenting soon. As I can also open several music project files simultaneously in my DAW, I like to use this feature to directly compare different mixing and composition ideas in a remix or soundtrack project and to see which approach I will pursue in the further course of the music project. … The last thing I want to mention in this almost book-length text is an experience I had some time ago with stereo delay in the context of better clarity in the mix, and I'll copy some of the text from my post within another thread where I recently wrote on this topic. Better use of delay effects for more clarity in the mix: ------------------------------------------------------------------ I came across a very interesting thing with the delay effect that could be more relevant for mixing and clarity in the mix. I found this out the other days during the rather lengthy final checks of my Crisis Core remix. For example, in certain parts of the soundtrack there were tracks with instruments that were opposite each other in the panorama and both had a delay effect. And I tweaked the delay parameters until I found the best possible settings in terms of clarity in the mix in line with my sound design intentions, which resulted in a primarily more mirror-symmetrical arrangement of the delay parameters and another specific setting for delay times of the left and right side in a stereo delay plugin. In this experiment I found out that I achieved the best clarity in the mix if I make the delay settings like this: 1) For the instrument that is panned more to the right side: - put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms) on the right side (so you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal) - put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms) on the opposing left side (so you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side) 2) For the instrument that is panned more to the left side: - put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms, or maybe 330 ms this time) on the left side (same purpose like in the first example above - you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal) - put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms, or maybe only 190 ms this time) on the opposing right side (same purpose like in the first example above - you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side) Here is a small picture to give you a better idea of delay settings like these: On the left side of the picture you can see the stereo delay settings of an electric guitar that is panned hard to the left side (stereo delay left side: 253 ms, stereo delay right side: 203 ms) - and on the right side of the picture you can see the stereo delay settings of an electric guitar that is panned hard to the right side (stereo delay left side: 203 ms, stereo delay right side: 253 ms). ... Nevertheless, if you really want to have a rather chorus-like short delay with only 50 ms on the right side where also the instrument is located in the panorama (and with the longer delay time on the other side) according to your own sound design vision, then you should rather go for this setting (maybe you can turn down the feedback of the delay for the other side a bit or reduce the delay time for this side in this case). But if some delay effects don't follow a more specific purpose in your sound design vision and are only supposed to add a greater feeling of distance for your instrument, voice, synth or other audio source, then try at least to balance out delay effects against each other in the panorama if at least two instruments with delay effects play simultaneously at some points in your soundtrack. And sometimes, a little bit less of overwhelming effects can be the greater blessing for the clarity in the mix. Especially in terms of a clean mix, it is crucial to know exactly what a certain plugin effect does to the output signal, how it affects the panning or depth gradation and how it interacts with the whole soundscape of the mix. ... Take special care with delay effects that they are not active during tempo automation, as this can lead to unpleasant clicking and crackling noises, because this would obviously create a kind of digital time paradox if the spreading sound wave, which later becomes the echo of a preceding signal source, were subjected to a tempo change in the middle of its sound path. Since the signal source takes place before the echo, the temporal relationship between the signal source and the echo is likely to become inconsistent during tempo automation, which would then seem to produce such strange sound artefacts. ... That's it for now with the rather comprehensive content on the topic of this post. In my next post, I will present a more in-depth sound experiment on the extended use of the stereo width of the tracks for the sake of a cleaner mix. I will also include numerous audio samples in this sound experiment. It will mainly focus on four roughly categorized variants for a specific and meaningful part in my Crisis Core remix, which contain stereo and mono sources in different combinations, in order to then examine the effect on the clarity and spatiality of the mix. I also want to compare the different versions on as many different playback systems as possible. The four versions will contain: 1) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends (my preferred option so far) 2) Mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends 3) Mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends 4) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends The sound experiment will also include a mono compatibility check of the master track for each version with additional audio samples. To do this, I have to set up the entire remix four times, realigning the panning and readjusting the loudness of the individual tracks to each other, in order to create the corresponding, hopefully significant audio material for a comprehensive comparison. But don't worry. After many hours and really tedious days, I have already put a good 75% of it into practice. However, as I don't know what's coming up soon in terms of work and winter maintenance, I can't say exactly how many days or weeks it will take before I can present the sound experiment. However, I'll keep at it and try to make the best possible use of free hours. ))

@Xaleph It seems to be a delay that is directly integrated into the reverb, which merges or can merge directly with the reverb signal if there is also something like a parallel circuit option. In this case, it could even be that the DAW treats the effect as a reverb and not as a time-based effect like a delay at all. This could be interesting to handle a time-based problem that often occurs with separate delay effects in connection with tempo automations and leaves crackling or clicking noises as unwanted sound artifacts in the mix. Have you ever noticed this kind of noise when using this plugin in combination with tempo automations (directly at the positions of tempo change markers) in a mix?

I have a final problem with my newly finished Crisis Core remix, where I added some tempo automations to slow down the final chords gradually from 121 bpm to 115 bmp in 6 fine steps (120 bpm, 119 bpm, 118 bpm, 117 bpm, 116 bpm and 115 bpm). But this caused some sort of subliminal but still noticeable crackling noises (in the project as well as in the exported audio file) at the points with the tempo change markers. I think I've already found the cause behind this problem, but maybe some of you can contribute some further information, experience or maybe even a solution to even circumvent the nasty sound artefacts. The problem sounds like this: Tempo Automations - Crackling Noises.mp3 It's strange that the crackling noises in the exported audio files are always in this little area with the tempo automations, but from export to export or from replay to replay the noises are slightly different (in one exported audio file the crackling noises might be less loud and much more around the first tempo change markers, but in another exported audio file the noises are louder and more around the final tempo markers). There are no hints that it could be due to some hardware issues. And my PC is also pretty powerful (i-6700 processor system - 4 cores with 3,4 GHz base frequency as well as 8 threads in total, 32 GB DDR-4 RAM, still far over 1 TB of free HDD space and a good Steinberg UR44 audio interface). I also checked the settings in my DAW, already used the highest ASIO buffer size and tried out all kinds of settings in the resampling, bouncing and dithering section - but no difference regarding the crackling noises in the area with the tempo change markers. ... The thing is, that these crackling noises seem to be only caused by the source signal. The aux reverb sends played alone didn't contain any unwanted noises, as you can hear in this audio sample: Tempo Automations - No Crackling Noises In The Aux Reverb Send Tracks.mp3 And after focusing more on the source signals of the two instruments (harp playing the melody and acoustic guitar playing the chords), I found out that only one of the two instruments causes this problem with the clicks or crackling noises - the harp: Tempo Automations - Crackling Noises Only In The Harp Track.mp3 The acoustic guitar, on the other hand, is completely free of crackling noises during the final tempo automations, as you can hear in the following audio sample: Tempo Automations - No Crackling Noises In The Acoustic Guitar Track.mp3 ... So could this be a VSTi-based issue (even with a VSTi that was created for this DAW?), or is it rather a problem caused by something completely different? ... As it seems, this phenomenon of crackling noises during tempo automations seems to annoy users of all kinds of DAWs and samplers: https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?t=248259#p1815867 https://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?t=306707 https://harderstate.com/viewtopic.php?t=13757 https://forums.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=174397 https://www.logicprohelp.com/forums/topic/122298-clicks-and-pops-during-tempo-changes/ https://forum.synapse-audio.com/viewtopic.php?p=118754&sid=9f368a4bf687d83282f07bf8d1ff33a1 https://vi-control.net/community/threads/kontakt-delay-clicking-with-tempo-changes.18614/ … And it was right in the latter links that I came across the point that these clicking noises during the tempo automations can be caused by delay effects. Indeed, this makes sense, which is why in the end only the harp is affected by these unwanted sound artifacts. In contrast to the acoustic guitar, I have activated an internal delay directly in the VSTi interface of the harp. I also use a slight delay for the acoustic guitar - but this is added via a separate aux send together with some convolution reverb. And as a separate aux send, the delay effect doesn't seem to cause any problems during the tempo automations, no matter how much I turn up the delay in all its settings. So if I deactivate the internal delay in the harp VSTi interface, the crackling noises are gone as well, as you can hear in the last audio sample: Tempo Automations - No More Crackling Noises In The Harp Track After Deactivating Internal Delay From Harp VSTi Interface.mp3 … Why it is that direct delay effects in the source signal track cause problems or crackling noises with tempo automations, but delay effects that are added via aux sends apparently work without problems at the critical points with tempo change markers, is completely beyond my technical or digital imagination. Perhaps someone can gently explain this to the readers, even if they are not the presidents of the local math and physics clubs or some die-hard computer scientists with a degree in military or space technology. This is a bit frustrating, especially since I can't really reproduce the original delay from the VSTi with a comparable delay as an aux send. It somehow always sounds different (even with similar settings), which could perhaps be due to the signal chain in the digital process sequence, which apparently produces a different sound with the VSTi's internal delay. I have also just found out that even with an aux send delay for the harp, if I turn it up properly, it can also produce crackling noises - much less crackling noises than with the VSTi's internal delay, but still perceivable crackling noises. … So if this ends up in the final question "Rather delay effects or rather tempo automations?", I would tend to go with the delay effects instead of the few unremarkable tempo automations for the final chords in this case. Maybe I find a circumvention to slow down the last chords by shifting and stretching the last MIDI notes a bit out of the timing pattern. But if you have a better solution for this problem, please let me know. ))

I think we should make a better distinction between reverb and delay. Reverb creates impressions of more or less natural reflections in a simulated space or environment with variable parameters such as room size, damping, dryness/wetness (ratio of the loudness of the source signal to the loudness of the reverb) for a specific acoustic source signal, an instrument for example. Delay, on the other hand, is a time-based effect that generates multiplications of the source signal in subsequent intervals according to defined parameters (such as the duration of an interval, feedback or decrease in the loudness of the signal from interval to interval or maybe some special behavior of the delay effects in the stereo image with ping-pong delay, for example). This thread is primarily concerned with the delay effect and its possibilities for simulating specific realistic room conditions. And I may have simply overestimated the potential of a delay effect in this respect, especially when it comes to the exact positioning of a source signal in a defined simulated room. I almost think that a delay effect is more about creating a sense of certain distances to reflective surfaces such as walls, ceilings or, for example, the heavily delayed echo in a valley surrounded by mountains without getting specific information about the position of the signal source and the direction and path of the sound, but only information about the distance that the main part of the sound travels from the signal source via the reflective surfaces back to the source signal). In addition, Delay can perhaps also simulate the characteristics of certain surfaces (for example, very smooth surface structures that emit strong reflections in many subsequent intervals or rather dull, absorbent surfaces that damp sound waves so strongly from the first impact that hardly any audible echos can be perceived afterwards). Furthermore, delay can produce a noticeable broadening of a signal or a kind of chorus effect if the interval time (i.e. the delay time) for the subsequent signals is greatly reduced. But Delay as a stand-alone effect obviously cannot create the impression of complex spatial relationships or even provide concrete indications of the exact positioning of the source signal in a room or other location, which is why delay as a solo effect sounds more artificial than natural. ... On the other hand, I came across a very interesting thing with the delay effect that could be more relevant for mixing and clarity in the mix. I found this out the other days during the rather lengthy final checks of my Crisis Core remix, which included checking all tracks, aux sends, plugins, settings and MIDI objects again and which is now finally complete apart from a small problem (cracking noises in the newly added tempo automations in the final chords). For example, in certain parts of the soundtrack there were tracks with instruments that were opposite each other in the panorama and both had a delay effect. And I changed the delay parameters until I found the best possible settings in terms of clarity in the mix in line with my sound design intentions, which resulted in a primarily more mirror-symmetrical arrangement of the delay parameters and a another specific setting for delay times of the left and right side in a stereo delay plugin. So, in this experiment I found out that I achieved the best clarity in the mix if I make the delay settings like this: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1) For the instrument that is panned more to the right side: - put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms) on the right side (so you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal) - put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms) on the opposing left side (so you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side) 2) For the instrument that is panned more to the left side: - put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms, or maybe 330 ms this time) on the left side (same purpose like in the first example above - you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal) - put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms, or maybe only 190 ms this time) on the opposing right side (same purpose like in the first example above - you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side) ... Nevertheless, if you really want to have a rather chorus-like short delay with only 50 ms on the right side where also the instrument is located in the panorama (and with the longer delay time on the other side) according to your sound design vision, then you should rather go for this setting (but maybe you can turn down the feedback of the delay for the other side a bit or make the delay time even shorter on the left side in this case). But if some delay effects don't follow a more specific purpose in your sound design vision and are only supposed to add a greater feeling of distance for your instrument, voice, synth or other audio source, then try at least to balance out delay effects against each other in the panorama if at least two instruments with delay effects play simultaneously at some points in your soundtrack. And sometimes, a little bit less of overwhelming effects can be the greater blessing for the clarity of the mix. Especially in terms of a clean mix, it is crucial to know exactly what a certain plugin effect is doing in the mix in the context of the source signal and how it's interfering with the whole soundscape. ... This might have literally delayed my ambitions for remixes and mixes a bit, but I hope this can at least help someone figure out how to set good delay parameters for a better mix. ... If it's more about reverb than delay, rather post it in this thread: https://ocremix.org/community/topic/49135-creating-a-realistic-impression-of-depth-in-stereo-mixes/ That could indeed be very interesting. ))

Yeah, I think that there 's quite a lot of passionate effort behind this work. Of course, it doesn't have the quality level of an official work developed by Hideo Kojima and distributed by Konami. But in many respects it's pretty close - especially when it comes to the atmosphere and the excellent storytelling. ... As far as the "stolen art" factor is concerned, I don't have the necessary background knowledge to confirm or refute this. At least I couldn't find any of those drawings and artworks on the internet - and even if the person didn't create it all on their own or with a team involved, you still don't know if they didn't get permission from the possible creators. But if you got some solid hints which prove this, let us know. The only thing I've noticed in this regard is that he or she obviously used some excerpts of the original soundtracks from the Metal Gear game series, which might fall under the "fair use" conditions, at least on YouTube, I guess. ... Nevertheless, the overall work is really impressive and passionate fan service at its best for all those who love to follow the deep and complected story of the Metal Gear universe straight from the very beginning. ))

Sorry for the late response - just recognized some days before that somebody could need some help with professional studio headphones. I'll give you a detailed answer, as I own 3 different studio headphones myself (closed-back model: Sony MDR-7506, semi-open model: Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro, open model: Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro) and have also extensively tested many well-known studio headphones (like AKG/Austrian Audio, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica) in several music and technology stores. For more information and recommendations regarding good studio heaphones, you can also use the search function in the upper right corner of the OC Remix webpage interface, because there are already some threads for this topic. But to make it short. The best studio headphones model I ever experienced, was and still is the >>> Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro <<< (250-ohms model, originally in the silver design - if you go for the black edition of the DT 880 Pro model, just buy and attach the silver velour pads called "EDT 990 V" for a comparable frequency response and sound experience: https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-880-Over-Ear-Studio-Headphone/dp/B001B1QENY https://www.thomann.co.uk/beyerdynamic_dt_880_pro_black_edition.htm The Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro convince with the following features: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - one of the best and finest audio resolution in studio headphones I have ever experienced (really clear bass, mids and highs) - very even, neutral and natural frequency response (no exaggerated bass, treble or reduced mids), which is very beneficial when mixing - organic, dynamic, airy, relaxed and analytical sound image (if a piano is playing softly somewhere in the background slightly right behind the strings, that's pretty much exactly what you'll hear - and sometimes even the touch of various instruments or maybe the thumping of a fierce bunny) - very large, authentic sound stage (also good for watching films - you literally feel like you're right in the middle of the action) - extremely comfortable to wear (really large velour pads that lie relaxed over your ears, almost like pillows from the Cloudland) - I can't say too much about the longevity yet - but after about 5 years they could still be my first ones from this model if I hadn't had the reckless idea of vacuuming the velour pads with a vacuum cleaner (and damaging the membranes in the process)... Other Beyerdynamic headphone models such as the DT 770 Pro (closed-back model) or DT 990 Pro (open model) don't stand much of a chance against the DT 880 Pro because they tend to have exaggerated bass or sharp to piercing highs, which can quickly tire the ears and adversely affect the mixing quality. Even the newer models such as the DT 900 Pro X (with which I immediately had no sure feeling how to mix anything, because - presumably due to the extremely thick velour pads - somehow everything on the sound stage sounded like it was playing far in the background) somehow can't quite keep up with the good old DT 880 Pro model. However, bear in mind (especially if you want to use the DT 880 Pro for online multiplayer games) that these headphones are a semi-open model - this means that a little sound penetrates into the headphones from the outside as well as out of the headphones from the inside (at normal listening volume, however, it only sounds like a soft whisper approx. 50 cm away from the headphones). So if you absolutely insist on buying a well-shielded closed-back headphone model, I could recommend this one as the next best studio headphones model I've experienced over the years, the Japanese Audio-Technica ATH-M50X: https://www.thomann.co.uk/audio_technica_ath_m50_x.htm The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X convince with the following features: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - really good audio resolution and sound stage for a closed-back headphones model - also a very even frequency response - kinda similar sound image like that of the DT 880 Pro - quite comfortable to wear - Thanks to the detachable cable, you can even (especially for online multiplayer games) attach an additional microphone and turn these studio headphones into a little studio headset. If my closed-back studio headphones, the Sony MDR-7506, were to break at some point, I would definitely replace them with the closed-back Audio Technica ATH-M50X. ... I hope I was able to help you a little with this. ))

Using specific stereo widths for instrument and direct signal tracks for more clarity and assertiveness in the mix and for a more impressive representation of panorama and spatiality in the soundtrack -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ready for another round of text, visuals and audio samples to show how I've improved my mix? Well then, let's go. ... Recently, I finally got round to working on the remaining drum tracks in my almost finished Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 remix. In contrast to the previous drum kit reverb (one aux reverb send for all individual drum elements), I created separate aux reverb sends for each drum element so that I could finally process the reverb for all drum elements individually and place it more precisely in the panorama. I experimented a lot with this (including counter-panning the instrument and the corresponding aux reverb send), but in this specific case I came to the conclusion that the mix sounded best and most credible when I panned the reverb for the cymbals, snare and toms in a similar way to the individual drum components. I only made a small exception with the centered kick drum and panned its reverb a little more to the right side (approx. 5 dB more than on the left side - as usual, I panned the aux reverb send hard to the sides without involving the centre) in order to be able to balance the slightly leftward position of the snare and snare reverb with the reverb of the bass and its slightly rightward position in the mix a little better. That alone made it sound a little bit cleaner and kinda sorted. … But thanks to my curiosity and love of experimentation, I immediately pursued another question with the drums, namely whether I could achieve a further improvement in the mixing if I also reduced the stereo width of the drum elements in the direct signal even more or even set them to mono (and only used the reverb of the drum elements on the sides to give the respective drum element in the overall signal with reverb the spatial width in the mix) - similar to what I had already done with the bass in the previous audio samples in the last post. I had already reduced all the drum elements to a stereo width of around 50% for some time. In previous posts I've written about how the direct signal from the bass should only play in the centre of the mix if possible and can be widened through its reverb at the sides (and made into a clear, un-muddied stereo signal), while most drum elements come across fully well in the mix in their direct signals, if they are located somewhere between the sides (with the majority of the instruments and the aux reverb sends) and the centre of the mix (with the dry bass direct signal) - in case of doubt, it is better to move the dry drum signals a little more towards the centre than too far to the sides, because in the latter case the drum elements would lose a lot of their punch in the mix. Of course, you can also place all drum elements in the direct signal completely mono in the centre (this could be a consideration if the other instruments and signals are already playing very lively in the mix and are already making generous use of the stereo width). However, even with a well-designed stereo reverb for the individual drum elements, you won't be able to get much sum signal stereo width and a significant representation of spatiality for the respective drum element with its reverb in the mix in this case. … As I wrote earlier, I didn't notice any real sound improvements in the drum elements such as snare, toms and cymbals after I further reduced the stereo width of the respective direct signal without reverb, starting from an existing stereo width of approximately 50%, or even set it completely to mono. As a result, the spatial effect of these drum elements suffered rather than giving them noticeably more assertiveness in the mix. But the kick drum was a little different. During my experiments, I even came to the conclusion that the mix (in this particular soundtrack) is best enhanced if I set the kick drum in the direct signal to mono in the centre and achieve the spatial effect solely via the reverb of the kick drum on the sides. This gives you plenty of power and assertiveness in the centre of the mix and also provides really good clarity, a better fine resolution in the sound and a more finely staggered panorama with a more impressive spatiality in the mix. ... I'll demonstrate it for you in the following audio recording excerpts in a direct comparison between the previous version and the new version of the soundtrack. The old version is mainly defined by: - a kick drum with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signal - remaining drum elements with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signals - one single aux reverb send for all drum elements of the whole drum kit The new version is mainly defined by: - a kick drum set fully to mono within the center of the mix in the direct kick drum signal - remaining drum elements with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signals (like in the old version) - 4 individual aux reverb sends for 4 different drum elements … So, let's start with the audio samples. 1) Comparison of the direct signals of the kick drums (kick drums without reverb) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Old version: Kick Drum Direct Signal - Old Version.mp3 For a kick drum, the sound seems pretty bold, stable and... ... dry like a huge sand desert. In the section with the metering devices on the picture down below you can see how the kick drum behaves in the stereo field: The vectorscope on the far left and the directional indicator to the right of the vectorscope show how much of the total stereo field is taken up by the kick drum - pretty much exactly as I set it, about 50% of the full stereo width. … New version: Kick Drum Direct Signal - New Version.mp3 Doesn't seem to sound so much differently compared to the old version of the kickdrum without the reverb. Maybe, with some decent studio headphones you can already hear the new kick drum sounds a little bit less blocky and more centered. Just the digital metering devices provide really good information about the considerable change in the signal of the new kick drum: Here you can see that the new kick drum is really in the centre of the mix as a mono signal, without making any effort to break out into the stereo field to the left or right. … Next, let's take a look and listen to how the two kick drum versions behave in combination with their reverb. 2) Comparison of the kick drums in combination with their aux reverb sends ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Old version: Kick Drum With Reverb - Old Version.mp3 Yeah, finally some reverb. Sounds a lot less dry, but I'm still thirsty. The digital metering devices don't show anything too exciting here, except that a medium-width direct signal merges with a really wide reverb signal and the two signals almost reach full stereo width as a sum signal: … New version: Kick Drum With Reverb - New Version.mp3 Well, now this sounds really wet, spacious but still clean and punchy. Could it be that the huge difference between the fully centered mono direct kick drum signal and its aux reverb send, which is fully panned to the sides, creates this crisp 'n' assertive kick drum sound and the imagination of this huge space? Because apart from changing the direct signal of the kick drum to a completely centred mono signal and a few minimal adjustments to the reverb signal in the stereo field, I haven't changed anything else here. The convolution reverb has the same settings in both versions, the EQ filters have almost the same settings, the proportion of the aux reverb sends that go into the dry signals is the same (-2dB in both versions). And the loudness meter also shows a similar loudness level, whereby the kick drum with reverb in the new version is displayed slightly quieter by 0.2 dB than the kick drum with reverb in the old version, but still sounds somehow more powerful and louder. The measuring instruments also show some quite interesting things here: You can clearly see here that the centred mono signal does not blend and blur so easily with the wide reverb signal. From the image, you could almost think that Odin's Gunge Lance attack is piercing a flabby Hungry (an enemy in Crisis Core and the Final Fantasy 7 universe). Perhaps in the end, this is exactly what gives the mix more audio definition and better clarity. … But let's listen to how the entire drum kit sounds with reverb in both versions. 3) Comparison of the whole drum kits with reverb ------------------------------------------------------------- Old version: Whole Drum Kit With Reverb - Old Version.mp3 Sounds really good, doesn't it? At least the coarseness of the slightly wider, somewhat blocky kick drum is not quite as noticeable here in the complete drum kit, because you are distracted a little more by the other drum elements and their reverb effects. … New version: Whole Drum Kit With Reverb - New Version.mp3 Well, that sounds like a really good delivery. Punchy, assertive drum sound that still impresses with a proper reverb ambience in a clear mix. I also like the fact that I panned the kick drum reverb slightly more to the right to balance out the reverb of the snare drum, which is panned slightly to the left like the snare drum, in the panorama of the mix. Apart from a little more clarity, this creates a really cool drum ambience. … But now the crucial question... How do both versions of kick drums and drum kits behave in the overall mix when all the other instruments are added? 4) Comparison of the old mix with the new mix --------------------------------------------------------- Old version: All Instruments With Reverb - Old Version.mp3 Sounds really good at first listen. Only when you listen more closely with good studio headphones do you perhaps realise that the kick drum intervenes in the mix in a somewhat cumbersome, dominant and conquering manner and takes up quite a lot of space in the mix, somewhat overshadowing or pushing aside other instruments such as the bass or even low-frequency areas of the harp. ... New version: All Instruments With Reverb - New Version.mp3 Sounds much better straight away. The kick drum comes through much more relaxed in the mix without overlaying the bass or robbing the harp of its stereo field or slightly displacing it from the stereo field. … And this is exactly what I wanted to emphasise and make clear with the experiences I made some time ago. Not every question about more clarity and assertiveness in the mix must, can and should always be answered or solved immediately with the use of an EQ or EQ filter plug-in. Sometimes it can be better to reduce the stereo width in the direct source signal of one or two instruments so that other instruments have more room to "breathe" or play in the freed up stereo field. Just make sure to not overdo it. So, don't tear any black holes in the stereo field so that the spatial coherence of the instruments and signals in the mix is preserved and the mix doesn't end up coming across like a solar system full of distant planets and some kind of dead silence in between. As a little bonus, I'll give you an insight into the latest remix version with a few recently composed bells (at least a small excerpt from it, so as not to reveal too many new features and highlights from the soon-to-be-released Crisis Core remix), which came to my mind after I got the strong feeling that the initial part of the continuously building mix could still get some smooth and gentle additional ambience: 5) New mix with bells -------------------------- All Instruments With Reverb And Bells - New Version.mp3 In the initial rough version, I recorded the bells with my MIDI keyboard, in a way that makes it easier to feel the sad certainty of the imminent death of the main character Zack Fair after his last heroic battle against the sheer endless Soldier forces from Shinra, which his girlfriend Aerith probably received via the life stream or by the voice of the planet. Depending on the culture, bells often symbolize death, mourning, but also resurrection, return, a new beginning, moments of peace, the element of air or harmony between the earthly and heavenly worlds. This fitted in really well with my plan to finally try out this really interesting "Vita Handchimes Bells and Glass" VSTi in my DAW Samplitude, after other instruments such as sansula, vibraphone, electric piano or pan flute, which were also under consideration, didn't quite meet my expectations in this context and were ultimately ruled out when it came to choosing the best possible instrument for this part. … Then there's probably only one major thing left to do - finalising the electric guitar part mentioned in the previous post and composing a third electric guitar track for this part. So far I'm on schedule, so my Crisis Core remix "Wings Of Freedom" could easily be finished by the end of the year. ))

Normally, I'm not so keen on fan-made projects when it comes to retelling complex Japanese video game stories. But this one really packs a punch: It retells the story of the very first Metal Gear game for the NES in a very detailed and faithful way, apparently also containing a lot of information that was only mentioned in subsequent Metal Gear parts and turned the Metal Gear universe into a dense plot full of twists and turns. The drawings here are also really on a first-class level (there are also some animations as well), so that you could almost believe that Hideo Kojima himself was involved in the project and had also written the script for the latest part of a "Metal Gear (Solid): Digital Graphic Novel". The only thing that tarnishes the professional and passionate realization of the project are a few minor grammatical errors in the subtitles, which, however, do not cause any real problems in understanding the plot. On the other hand, the extremely credible narrator role and really matching voices of the dubbing actors as well as the many atmospheric soundtracks, which apparently consist in part of original soundtracks from the Metal Gear universe as well as extremely successful arrangements (even the captivating intro with the ambient Metal Gear Solid Main Theme should give connoisseurs of the Metal Gear series goosebumps), really bring out the best in this retelling project. And it looks like the creator or creators behind the project are also working on other retellings of subsequent Metal Gear parts (or other projects such as a retelling of the story of Final Fantasy 8): https://www.youtube.com/@TheLoresmith ... I'm almost surprised that Konami and Hideo Kojima haven't yet made any major and solid announcements about making a really epic movie of the Metal Gear series (preferably animated) or perhaps even bringing it to cinemas worldwide in several parts. And before they dare to make a completely new Metal Gear game, I would also be very happy about a sophisticated next-gen remake of the first two (official) Metal Gear games for the NES and MSX2.

In this picture you can see my self-made electric guitar mount construction for the door including my Ibanez GRG140 electric guitar suspended from it. ... As you can see on closer inspection, I have already attached the whammy bar (vibrato lever) here - a part of the T102 vibrato system that also comes with the electric guitar, with which you can influence the sound of the electric guitar in many different ways by changing the string tension at the bridge, regardless of whether you simply want to play exotic-sounding clean electric guitar chords with the typical wah-wah effects or imitate the roaring engine of a racing car. Apart from the really successful paint job on the electric guitar mounting construction in matt white (a big thank you again to the passionate painter and her excellent work), this is pretty much exactly how I imagined it - the electric guitar always within easy reach in the immediate vicinity of my current studio environment and always in my own field of vision, to keep reminding myself to learn to play the electric guitar, to practise regularly and to keep improving so that I might even be able to include the one or another litlle electric guitar part in my compositions and remixes in the next few years. ... ... and finally a picture of the electric guitar holder construction with suspended electric guitar in side view. ... At this point, I'm really glad that I had the brilliant idea during the design phase to extend the over-door guitar mount construction in the lower area so that the electric guitar rests stably on the construction and doesn't start to swing or even bump against the door. This means that my first electric guitar hangs as safe on the electric guitar mount as a freshly hatched, well-protected baby in a stork bag. ... Now that this task has finally been completed satisfactorily, I will soon be able to devote more time to my real concern, namely learning to play the electric guitar professionally step by step. ))