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I recently listened to a really beautiful remix of the NES game The Guardian Legend: I think I've seen one of the remixers, Souperion, here on OC Remix somewhere before.

Take your time, dude (I personally wouldn't redo the whole soundtrack because it already sounds like a really good approach - rather fix the bigger "problems" and then extend 'n' expand the core version with some unique composition elements and passages). But no matter what you do, I'm lookin' forward to the results someday. ))

At first, the composition sounds really interesting - it reminds me somehow of atmospheric NES game soundtracks from video games like Shadowgate in a more modern version. )) When listening less intently, nothing stands out negatively, either rhythmically or tonally. When listening very intently, I noticed a passage that sounds slightly strange, namely the transition from minute 0:29 to 0:30 (actually almost exactly at minute 0:30). There seems to be a dissonant note in the chord that either doesn't belong to the key or where the notes within the key form a less harmonious chord that doesn't seem to be the best choice at this point, or the notes in the chord are even neighboring notes in the key (and therefore clash tonally with each other). Just try increasing the interval in the chord a little according to the key, or perhaps try octavating the disturbing note.

The somewhat monotonous sound of the strings will hardly be noticeable to ordinary listeners. The creative expansion of the remix composition is particularly relevant if you want to submit the remix to the jury at OC Remix for evaluation. But the really disturbing thing about the remix, the thing that really grates on the ear, is currently the stiff, undynamic, and artificial-sounding piano intro. Even for a piano-like synth, it really doesn't sound good, and you would hardly play it in this machine-gun-like way. Play it rhythmically in the form of smaller waves with different, more harmonious-sounding note lengths and shorter pauses in between - so not so much like “bam dam bam dam bam dam bam dam,” but perhaps more like “ba-da-ram bamm... ba-da damm... ... ba-da ram ba-damm.” ... Use different velocities of the piano VSTi by adjusting the MIDI velocity dynamics settings, as this sounds more lively and varied than if a piano key is played continuously with the same volume and timbre. And it's best to stay away from the quantization function, especially since it can cause individual notes to be quantized incorrectly or far from the actual intention. If some notes played on a MIDI keyboard are not quite in time with the rhythm, it's better to move them individually in the MIDI editor as needed if they stand out negatively in terms of timing. When I use the quantization function in my DAW, it's really only when I'm using a MIDI file as the basis for a remix, in order to “de-quantize” the beat-perfect notes in the MIDI file with a randomization feature in the quantization function to loosen them up and make them sound more human and natural, because the notes then deviate slightly from the beat. In my DAW, I also have a similar feature for randomizing MIDI velocity dynamics, so that I can make everything sound more dynamic, lively, and varied in advance, before I actually start composing and developing the remix piece by piece. … Take a look, for example, at (the final part of) the piano intro I wrote for my Crisis Core remix, which I recorded on a MIDI keyboard and then edited in places using the MIDI editor: There you can see just a few notes that fall exactly on the downbeat of the bar. The timing is pretty good - but not perfect. The note lengths and rests also vary in a way that I absolutely wanted to play this piece. Sometimes the playing style is a little faster in certain places, and then a little slower again, sometimes a little harder and louder, then a little softer and quieter again - like successive waves of varying strength and intensity. And so you can hear how it sounds, here's a link to the audio source: ... I also spontaneously wrote a little alternative piano intro for your soundtrack, based on how I imagine it could sound much better, so that it doesn't sound so synth-like and it might sound a little more natural for piano playing: Sonic The Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone - Piano Intro Idea.mp3 Of course, in that case, you would have to adjust the synth bass and drums accordingly to the alternative playing style. But it could sound quite reasonable if the actual part of the song starts immediately after the final broken piano chord is played. Instead of a fast introductory piano melody, it would also be conceivable to use, for example, 4 increasingly powerful chord sequences as a piano intro. But feel free to try out different approaches that suit your taste and style. ))

I only recently started playing the electric guitar more intensively and currently only practice a few hours a month. But I already feel that I am making slight progress, becoming more confident in grabbing and strumming the strings, and, at least on the high E string, I can play my first melodies reasonably confidently after some practice and by using specific techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and bends. I still find it most difficult to play chords with at least three fretted strings, and I have particular problems with the alignment or optimal angle of my hand and fingers because I usually end up accidentally muting some strings. ... After about 50 attempts at recording these days, I finally managed to get a really good take where, according to my beginner's expectations, everything really worked out. I'll definitely upload something soon and share it in my Ibanez electric guitar thread here on OC Remix. ))

The overall soundscape is really beautiful, except some few things I would change: 1) The little piano intro sounds like a pretty stiff 'n' static lead-in, especially concerning rhythm and tonality. Maybe compose a different piano intro with some nice chords, vary the rhythm, let it breathe a bit and change MIDI velocity that it will sound more natural - or use a fitting synth instead (but the piano can fit really well for the little intro if you make some nice changes). 2) Strings sound kinda solid most of the time, but especially the repeating part from 0:40 to 0:52 could need much more dynamics and bit compositional variety to sound less annoying. 3) Work a little more on compositional variety, feel free to incorporate a little break, and for compositional enhancement and elevation, feel free to fall back on the cool lead sound from the original for a certain period of time. But apart from that, pretty cool 'n' fresh approach. ))

Awesome guitar cover - didn't know that there were other cool themes in the game besides Gambit's Theme. )) The humbucker configuration for the rich, thick lead sound of the electric guitar fits really well into this soundtrack, like a fat lead synth. Pretty nice guitar skills. I just started learning to play electric guitar recently (Ibanez Gio GRG-140-WH with 1 humbucker and 2 single coils), largely under the guidance of a reference book, but also by using my own methods (for example, by learning and playing a fairly uniform scale system that takes the individual octaves into account and allows you to climb up and down relatively easily). How many years did it take you (and how long did you practice on average each week) to get to this level?

Magix pro audio division, including Samplitude and Sequoia, was recently sold to an American investor - and I'm anything but happy about it ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on my current knowledge of the approach taken by the new investor behind the former Magix DAWs Samplitude Music Studio (the semi-professional entry-level version of the DAW), Samlitude Pro X and Samplitude Pro X Suite (the professional DAW versions) and Sequoia (the professional DAW version with advanced broadcasting features), I wanted to advise against using these DAWs for the time being (unless you can still get an older version such as Samplitude Pro X8 Suite). This is because Magix has sold its gifted pro audio section to the American video and audio editing developer Boris FX, which I was not familiar with until these days, and I will probably stick with my good old DAW version Samplitude Pro X4 Suite for the time being. But take a look for yourself: https://borisfx.com/products/samplitude/ While the familiar DAWs are certainly not going to undergo any major changes, a few not entirely irrelevant things have already come to my attention, giving me the well-founded impression that the American investor is threatening to rip new customers off and downgrade or slim down the product. Here are a few examples: 1) The really good Independence Pro sampler, with its approximately 70 GB of high-quality VSTi sample content, plugins, and sound design tools, has been completely eliminated from the expanded Samplitude Pro X Suite - allegedly for licensing reasons associated with the takeover. Strangely enough, the Independence Pro sampler still seems to be included in the really expensive Sequoia, according to the total installation size of approx. 90 GB. https://borisfx.com/products/sequoia/ Since Independence was one of the core features of Samplitude Pro X Suite, which allowed you to do a lot in terms of composition and sound design, this is all the more sad. Those who already had the Independence Pro sampler in earlier versions of the DAW will still be able to use it in future upgrades. But for all new customers, this would be a real disadvantage. You would then have to purchase Independence Pro Premium Suite for around 300 euros on top of that in order to get the full range of features you were used to from previous versions of Samplitude Pro Suite: https://producerplanet.com/de/article/independence-pro-premium-suite-3121/ … 2) Problems may arise with some of the collected VST instruments that are exclusively owned by Magix and whose licensing rights are therefore not held by the new investor. This could lead to problems, especially with older music projects that use some of the affected Magix VSTis, at least as soon as you upgrade to a current version of Samplitude or Sequoia. ... 3) In this context, it is also not yet entirely clear how the old DAW licenses and a possible reactivation (for example, after installing a new operating system) will be handled, as these licenses were always managed by the parent company Magix. As a precaution, I am expecting the worst in the long term, but I am still hoping for the best. … 4) The new advertising intro for the DAW with AI language tools worries me a little in terms of the usual professionalism of the product. Presumably, one of the reasons for this is to save on personnel costs for voice actors and translators in typical American fashion, thereby maximizing profits. But when these AI voices, which already sound inhuman and incredibly stupid, can't even pronounce the DAW's product name correctly, and apparently no one even noticed this during testing, I can't help but wonder how future versions of the DAW will perform and what the once-excellent support for queries and bug fixes will look like. ... I will definitely keep you up to date as soon as there are any new developments regarding the DAW in the wake of the new investor - maybe I'm just being too pessimistic and should give the new company some time and space to restructure. Nevertheless, it will probably remain a mystery to me how an innovative, passionate DAW developer like Magix could come up with the unforgivable idea of selling off its legendary pro audio DAW series to an American investor (I would have had far fewer concerns, and even some hope for progress, if it had been a forward-thinking Japanese company in this field)... ... while the parent company Magix stubbornly clings to its immature, crash-prone toy DAW Magix Music Maker. As I recall, I once wrote to the company to the effect that they should completely scrap this buggy product (if only for marketing reasons) and instead promote the well-functioning and stable semi-professional Samplitude Music Studio as the new entry-level product into the DAW world of Magix (because Music Maker is basically the ultimate anti-advertisement for the company, which at the time almost dissuaded me from upgrading to Magix's professional product line, which, in stark contrast to Music Maker, offers some of the best DAWs on the global market). But if I remember correctly, the company really wanted to convince me that Samplitude Music Studio was too complex for many beginners and that Music Maker was very popular. Does Samplitude Music Studio seem overly complex to you? https://borisfx.com/products/music-studio/ I find it really hard to believe that, with such excellent products in Magix's pro audio division, the company's management consists of complete idiots who have no idea about the product or things like sales. To me, it feels more like this takeover had been planned for a long time without many people knowing about it. Sometimes a large sum of money simply flows behind the scenes, one hand washes the other, and suddenly a high-quality product that far-sighted developers and passionate people have worked on for many decades, or maybe even half the company, changes hands (or even continents) to the highest bidder. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened, and money might rule the world even in such matters (once again to the detriment of true progress and higher human ambitions). … Perhaps music, composition, mixing, mastering, and sound design need to be used much more like a powerful form of magic that fills people with such pleasure, lively intensity, and an engrossing otherworldly attitude to life when they listen to it that greed, selfishness, opportunism, and thoughts of status and luxury seem like tiny, completely insignificant things in comparison.

I assume you mean the subtle ringing of the piano. But I think that's just part of the piano sound, or rather the effects (reverb, delay, or chorus) used for this piano preset (if possible, try playing this piano VSTi without effects, then add individual effects one by one until you find the one that bothers you). I've checked your audio sample with my studio monitor speakers (Yamaha MSP 3) and with my studio headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro), and I could barely hear the ringing in the sample. I also loaded the audio sample into my DAW and checked for possible clipping artifacts. But even there, at least as far as the output is concerned, no distortion due to overdrive was detectable. However, you might want to check the input value again or try reducing the input volume. Otherwise, I wouldn't let laptop speakers or smartphone speakers deter me in this regard. Integrated laptop speakers in particular tend to massively overemphasize the high frequencies in the sound, which, in combination with reverb and delay effects, can produce a really unpleasant, jingling sound. I think I experienced something similar back then when I listened to the piano intro of my Crisis Core remix on my mother's laptop speakers. It might be a completely different type of piano - but maybe just compare it to your piano sound on your laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjndFXyi2us ... Based on my hearing and the audio playback devices I use, your piano sounds really good. ))

@MystWalker I just read your newbie introduction a few days ago. Man, this sounded quite sad. Did you grow up in a highly abusive environment or surrounded by nuclear physicists and rocket scientists or something? Because I find it hard to believe that a child would describe itself as a “dumb kid” without a correspondingly hostile human environment. If there is such a thing as dumb kids, then they are usually the ones who, as adults, drink away their most basic brain functions, consume harmful drugs, march into the resource wars of high society with the utmost euphoria, madness, and ignorance, or in other small-minded ways throw away the gift of life far too hastily. Sure, intelligent people can also develop suicidal, life-threatening tendencies when their life force is at a critically low level (or let's say, when bioelectric current no longer flows properly through their bodies). But in most cases, it is rather highly intelligent, creative, and passionate people who start doing interesting things like composing soundtracks and then develop such awesome musical abilities that they can create fiery Lufia 2 remixes like these. I had read about this imposter syndrome some time ago. But I always found it hard to imagine that such a thing even existed (since people tend to be happy about their own successes and progress and show off a little ^^), which is why I dismissed it as something belonging to the realm of unicorns, elves, and fairy tales. But you, with your exaggerated modesty in stark contrast to your insane compositional skills, really seem to be such a case. So I'm really glad I literally coerced you into finally joining OC Remix. :D ... Haha, man, that really made me laugh a little, especially when I think about how I pictorally stumbled into OC Remix with full force back then. I guess you could compare it to a radically overexited Golden Retriever turning a professional competition into a feeding frenzy: ... No kidding, man. I joined OC Remix around 2013, had just bought my first DAW, and was full of anticipation and euphoria back then. Even without any significant knowledge of music theory, composition, or mixing, I wanted to make a big splash and create my first remix to share here on OC Remix. The result was an accelerated, hyper-compressed remix loop of the original Battle #3 theme (the Sinistral battle theme) from Lufia 2, which also had massive (clearly audible) clipping in the master. At the time, I was very proud of my first remix and celebrated it enthusiastically (in a certain way, I still find it interesting today) - but of course, this kind of mastering disaster without any compositional effort on my part was completely torn apart by the old-timers at OC Remix (which, however, did not stop me from continuing to radically admire my first sound achievement :DD). I even kept my first shot in the dark 'n' dusty corners of my computer. Here, in case you want to listen to this track I called "Sinistral Salvation" (but be careful that the studio monitor speakers don't experience their own salvation and start to smoke 'n' burn out 'cause of the massive compression and clipping): Lufia 2 - Sinistral Salvation (Master Mi Remix - Short Version).mp3 (For some reason, this audio sample just seems to work if you are logged in.) Over the next few years, I slowly began to focus more and more on music theory, arrangements with my first own compositional ideas, as well as mixing and mastering. And then, after getting to grips with my first professional DAW and some more usable audio equipment, I was able to create my first real remixes a few years later, which, in the case of my old Lufia remix, already sounded something like this (again, a remix of the Battle #3 theme from Lufia 2). You have to turn it up about twice as loud to achieve a comparable loudness, because at this time I have already mastered all my soundtracks uniformly according to the EBU R 128 loudness standard with approx. - 23 dBFS as a target loudness value, in order to ensure a correspondingly high dynamic range and sound quality free from the degrading influence of limiters and compressors on the samples, peaks and transients: The remix already contains some really good compositional ideas, although the mixing/mastering is still kinda messed up here, as my mixing and mastering skills only began to develop about three years later, after I finally got myself some proper professional studio monitors and was able to hear certain things, details and inconsistencies in the mix much better and, based on that, gradually developed my dynamic mixing concept called “Life Force,” which was only really applied for the first time in my last two remixes. I will definitely give this Lufia remix a major update in the future with drastically improved mixing/mastering and certainly some interesting compositional changes. ... But by the time I, as a truly lame composer duck, have finished this, you will probably have released five new and truly overwhelming Lufia 2 remixes, which I will listen to on repeat with greatest enthusiasm. ^_^

Come on, guys - don't leave me hanging here. I really need some feedback on the latest version of my remix, especially from the old-timers and pros here, as I'm considering submitting this remix as my very first soundtrack at OC Remix. But I would basically be happy to receive a massive shitload of different opinions from a few OC Remix members. ))

@MystWalker Nope, I wasn't talking about fade-ins at this point. But even fade-ins should not start at the first bar. They should also start at the second bar (or later). I think that it was really about improving the processing of the music project so that no transients or sound events would be swallowed up or poorly processed by the DAW and no unwanted sound artifacts would occur at the very beginning of the soundtrack. Guess it could have to do with the little time the DAW needs for loading/buffering the project. Incidentally, the short lead-in of a whole bar is also quite good for counting in (when playing live/recording, for grooving, or for better synchronized interaction in bands). ... After you have fixed these little issues, you should really give it a try and submit this track. It's absolutely fire! 🔥

Ya got a very interesting style as a composer. I really dig the immersive soundscape. )) Great stuff! Is this your latest remix you were working on? ... The only thing I would keep in mind in the future is that the first sound signal in the music project probably should not start right on the first bar, but rather you should leave a full bar or so empty before the first note starts with the second bar, so to speak. This can also help to avoid processing errors in the DAW or even the swallowing of the first transients and sound impressions. I think there was a discussion about this in a thread of the forum many years ago, explaining why this is done - maybe someone still has a link to it. I can also hear a slight crackling noise at the end of the song in the last moments of the fade-out around minute 4:25 - maybe check this again.

You're radically welcome, @MystWalker! )) Your Lufia 2 remixes are absolutely dope - didn't took me long to realize that you are a really talented and ambitious composer. You also seem to be quite flexible in your style and music genre rather than limiting yourself too much in such matters (which is great in terms of future musical development potential). I hope that you will make more Lufia 2 remixes in the near (or distant) future, especially some remixes for the original soundtracks I mentioned on YouTube - just to revisit the original themes I already recommended to ya: - "Flute of Sleepwalk" (mystical theme) >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6JgflZYy6k - "The Abysmal Depths of the Ocean" (mystical theme) >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJU83RQZfOM - "The Lost World" (mystical theme) >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk3omXPfuVM - "Final Battle" (heroic/energetic theme) >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fzm2O4Zt-k - "To the Future" (emotional/sad and happy theme) >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5zoFZq3Frw But I'm not here to shit ya you with work right away. ^^ I rather wanted to point out a few things to you in the OC Remix forum, which you may have already taken a quick look at - things like these: 1) Perhaps it's best to start by creating your profile so that others can see what you're generally interested in, which DAW you use for composing, what additional software instruments and plugins you use, or what instruments and musical skills you have mastered or are currently learning. ... 2) There is also a thread for newcomers where you can introduce yourself: https://ocremix.org/community/topic/7744-the-newbie-introduction-thread-come-on-in-and-say-hello/ For example, I would be interested to know how long you have been making music and writing remixes, or what you want to achieve musically in the future - your musical dreams, so to speak (if you have something specific in mind). ... 3) Before you submit your first remix, make sure to read the submission rules: https://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy And then you can basically submit your first remix to the forum right away using this link: https://ocremix.org/community/submissions/ ... 4) You can also just share your own video game remixes (without submitting it to the judges - if you want to get some feedback before) in the thread "Post Your Video Game Remixes!": https://ocremix.org/community/forum/12-post-your-game-remixes/ You can share your own original compositions in the thread "Post Your Original Music!": https://ocremix.org/community/forum/15-post-your-original-music/ ... 5) You can also ask questions or start threads and discussions in the specific sections of the forum. ... Guess that's pretty much everything you need to know to get started, and I'll leave the rest of the journey of discovery in the OC Remix Forum to your own curiosity. )) I hope you'll submit one of your fiery Lufia remixes sometime soon. The listeners at OC Remix and all fans of video game music are guaranteed to go wild for it, and I would definitely submit the awesome Battle #1 remix as a starting point and first musical milestone at OC Remix. As far as my taste is concerned, over the years I've only found one really cool Lufia 2 remix on OC Remix. It was composed by Zircon, one of the early leading members of OC Remix: or (if you want to use the direct OC Remix YouTube link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYZ5suUrN38 I'm not sure how active he still is on the forum these days. But I think he's pretty busy as a developer of VST instruments (Zircon is the CEO of Impact Soundworks and has developed famous VSTis such as Shreddage, which you apparently also use), creating video games and composing his own soundtracks from time to time. I'm just an advanced beginner on my own musical journey, but I hope I've been able to give you at least a little introduction to OC Remix. Have fun, dude. ))

Hell, yeah. 🤘 I know. Got a really good taste when it comes to radically awesome, rare and hard-to-find video game music remixes. *heroic victory fanfare playin'* But I'm just the joyful messenger here - a messenger with the happy-go-lucky golden retriever vibes full of serious excitement, eagerly looking forward to upgrading my large MP3 player and soundtrack collection with a few more killer tracks. The legendary genius and composer behind this Lufia 2 remix masterpieces ist just one comment above yours - yep, the dude with the kinda naughty-looking hentai girl profile picture. ... I will also write back to you in a few days, Mystwalker. Just have to beat a few more rounds against Chaos in my own world like a Warrior of Light (or rather like some sort of a forced hobby paperboy in the secretary office edition). ))