Master Mi

Yo, dudes. I already have some good studio headphones (Sony MDR 7506 as well as the legendary Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro, already connected to a Lake People G109-P headphone amp - I'll definitely keep up with those!) and I had at least a not too bad multimedia desktop speaker system (Logitech Z533) some time ago. But then I was lookin' for a nice studio monitor speaker system, because it can be still a big difference concerning accurate listening experience and improving my mixing skills. I've tested some studio monitors in a store before, but I wasn't really that satisfied with lots of studio monitors because the bass was often far to heavy or not defined enough. And in general, a lot of them didn't have the crystal clear sound quality I was expecting, with the exception of some really big and expensive concert speakers that I couldn't afford and didn't have enough room for (not to mention the potential electricity bill if I used those things :D). I really had my eye on Yamaha NS-10-like studio monitors - because some top producers would probably say that a mix that sounds good on these speakers would also sound good on any other speaker system. Ultimately, I was looking for a speaker system with the following characteristics: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) truthful and crystal clear high-definition sound with a a frequency response that is as flat as possible 2) want to trust my ears and hear all the little details you don't hear on every speaker system or with most headphones exactly (like if there's too much or too less reverb, if the bass is tight enough or if similar frequencies or their reverb effects bleed into each other) 3) should play a decently deep bass level where you don't miss relevant low frequencies 4) not too big in size - should fit on my desk, so a fitting size would be around >>> 20 cm * 25 cm * 20 cm (width/height/depth) at the maximum size 5) should be energy-saving speakers (around 100 to 150 W for the whole pair of speakers) 6) should have something like front bass ports ('cause the rear of the speakers would be directly at the wall or maybe a few centimeters away from the wall) 7) should have a stylish design and the colour should be a mostly dark/black ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Perhaps you have extensive experience with this topic and have some good advice for me and all the others who are dealing with the topic of studio monitors or speaker systems. ... With my current level of knowledge and experience with studio monitors, I would choose between the following if you have a larger or specially treated producer room for room acoustics: ------------------------------------------- 1) Neumann KH 120 II ---------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.co.uk/neumann_kh_120_ii.htm - successor to the Neumann KH 120 - high-end German quality with one of the best sound quality you might get at this size and in this price range - has one of the highest audio definitions in the world of studio monitors - extremely clean, truthful and natural sound - really flat and accurate frequency response - good frequency range of 44 to 21000 Hz - faithful impulse fidelity as well as excellent reproduction of stereo panorama, depth and spatiality - DSP-controlled electronics - room-adaptive calibration (via optional Neumann Automatic Monitor Alignment MA 1) - front bass ports - very energy-wasting with an excessively high power consumption of around 245 W per speaker - very expensive with around 700 euros per speaker 2) Yamaha MSP5 Studio ------------------------------- >>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/proaudio/speakers/msp_studio_series/index.html - amazing successor series of the legendary Yamaha NS-10 and professional studio version of the Yamaha HS studio monitors - top Japanese quality - pretty solid 'n' heavy stuff - one of the best, most detailed and well-defined high-definition audio in the world of studio monitors including really tight, well-defined bass (no muddy, roaring or room-flooding bass - might be very useful for medium-sized, untreated rooms as well) - entire Yamaha MSP series has a crystal clear sound as long as you're listening to professional mixes - but on the other hand, these professional studio tools will show you right in the face if even the smallest detail in your mix isn't right - one of the quietest studio monitor series, which does not cause annoying tweeter hissing or woofer hum even at close range (a serious problem with many studio monitor speakers, which should not actually occur in the professional audio sector, but which I have unfortunately noticed quite often) - really flat and accurate frequency response - great frequency range of 50 to 40000 Hz for their compact size - faithful impulse fidelity and excellent stereo panorama reproduction - front bass ports - kinda stylish black design - pretty energy-saving devices with only around 40 to 70 W per speaker Unfortunately, the production of the legendary MSP series, at least the larger MSP10, MSP7, MSP5 and now also the smaller MSP3 models, has been discontinued for the time being (I read somewhere that this was probably due to the departure of the retired designer of the MSP series, Akira Nakamura), although the successors to the smaller MSP3, the MSP3A, are still being produced. 3) Genelec 8020 DPM ---------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/genelec_8020_dpm.htm - well-known high-end studio monitors made in Finland - highly impressing sound quality, accuracy und frequency range for its small size - sufficient frequency range of 62 to 20000 Hz - kinda unstylish design for my taste, but this rounded design might be really good for room acoustics - rear bass ports - around 100 W per speaker - kinda expensive with around 440 euros per speaker 4) Adam A4V ----------------- >>> https://www.thomann.co.uk/adam_a4v.htm - successor to the Adam A5X - also high-end German quality - kinda accurate flat frequency response (seems to be slightly boosted at bass frequencies and might have some harsher high frequencies) - unique, but more machine-like than natural sound - one of the widest frequency ranges of 52 to 45000 Hz - pretty stylish design (although they often remind me of a tank or war machine instead of studio monitors) - real-time control of DSP-based functions via Ethernet - front bass ports - 130 W per speaker (30 W more than the former Adam A5X) - kinda expensive with around 430 euros per speaker 5) Presonus Eris E5 ------------------------- >>> http://digitalstereophony.blogspot.com/2017/02/presonus-eris-e5-review-eris-e5-fights.html - pretty solid newcomer from USA - really good sound quality (nevertheless, there were comments from users about hissing tweeter noise - something I didn't experience with the smaller Presonus E4.5 and Presonus E3.5 models) - kinda flat frequency response - great frequency range of 53 to 22000 Hz - probably one of the most stylish designs among studio monitors - very compact size - front bass ports - around 80 W per speaker - a really unbeatable price of around 220 bucks for a whole pair With the new Presonus Eris Studio 5, there is already a successor to the Presonus Eris E5 model (which is apparently no longer produced and can only be purchased occasionally in specialist music stores or online): https://www.thomann.co.uk/presonus_eris_studio_5.htm But for mixing, I would rather recommend the old Presonus Eris E5 in this case because it apparently has a more neutral frequency response and a larger frequency range than the new Presonus Eris Studio 5 version. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem to have any serious effects on the mixing result, as you can hear in this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRWVZemyKPo 6) JBL LSR 305 MKII -------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/jbl_lsr_305p_mkii.htm - decent studio monitors with a good sound quality (however, some users complain about minimal hissing noise and that you have to turn the volume up a bit to hear everything you need to hear) - nice frequency range of 43 to 24000 Hz - solid design and acceptable size - rear bass ports - around 82 W per speaker - really nice price (already seen an offer of a speaker pair bundle with 2 stands for only 249 euros) 7) Adam T5V or T7V -------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_t5v.htm >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_t7v.htm - were actually some of my favorite studio monitors back then 'cause of the good German quality - very good sound quality (however, I experienced kinda annoying tweeter hissing sounds at a close range and a distance of less than 1 meter) - might sound a little bit harsh, bass-heavy and machine-like, pretty hard to listen to at lower volumes as the powerful bass causes strong room modes - huge frequency range that goes into the lower bass sections down to 45 Hz (T5V) or 39 Hz (T7V) and into to the higher frequencies up to 25000 Hz - awesome design - but the size (depth around 30 cm!!!) and the rear bass ports could be a problem - kinda low wattage with around 70 W per speaker (both models) - very affordable price (around 160 euros for one studio monitor) ... If you have a smaller music production room and/or don't want to treat your studio environment specifically for room acoustics, I would definitely go for a smaller set of studio monitors, because larger studio monitors in too small, acoustically untreated rooms can cause lots of room modes (where the room can literally drown in bass waves) and make the perceived sound experience worse (and kind of useless for mixing) than some of the better PC desktop speakers. In this case, you should take a look at these smaller studio monitors: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Yamaha MSP3 or the newer model Yamaha MSP3A -------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_msp3.htm >>> https://www.thomann.co.uk/yamaha_msp3_a.htm - typical Japanese high-end studio monitors in their smallest version within the Yamaha MSP series - heavy and solid building quality - amazing, really outstanding audio definition (one of the best in the world of studio monitors) - crystal clear and natural sound (really love the well presented and very detailed mid and high frequencies with the very pleasant, smooth and airy sound feeling - really made for listening to atmospheric and complex soundscapes) - but don't be fooled by the excellent sound of these studio monitors just because a professional mix on them sounds really good and extremely detailed, because even the smallest weaknesses in your own mix will show up right in your face with these little professional audio tools - really nice to listen to and mixing with even on lower volumes - MSP series won't annoy you with any kind of strange inherent noises, not even at close range (not only in this respect the perfect near-field monitors) - for lacking lower bass a proper subwoofer might be added - kinda useful frequency response for its highly compact size - kinda outstanding frequency range of 65 to 22000 Hz (MSP3) or 67 to 22000 Hz (MSP3A) for this small size - faithful impulse fidelity as well as really good spaciousness and stereo panorama reproduction for this size - front bass ports (MSP3) or rear bass ports (MSP3A) - some of the most energy-efficient studio monitors with only around 20 to 30 W per speaker The production of the Yamaha MSP3 model has been discontinued (might still be available on the global market) in favor of the new Yamaha MSP3A model with an enhanced twisted flare port design. 2) Genelec 8010 AP ------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/genelec_8010_ap.htm - perhaps some of the most space-saving high-end studio monitors in the world, made in Finland - very clear, detailed and accurate sound - sound much bigger than these small studio monitors are - decent frequency range from 74 to 20000 Hz, although this is unlikely to be suitable for critical mixing - for this small set of studio monitors the design seems much more agreeable than the similar design of the much bigger brothers from Genelec - rear bass ports - about 50 W per speaker 3) Adam A3X ----------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_a3x.htm - solid high-end studio monitors made in Germany - typical sound of Adam studio monitors - a somewhat machine-like sound with kinda harsh higher frequencies and tight, pumping bass frequencies - by far the largest frequency range among the smaller studio monitors with an incredible range of 60 to 50000 Hz - pretty futuristic design (but still look a bit like war machines) - front bass ports - about 50 W per speaker 4) Presonus Eris E3.5 or E4.5 -------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e3.5.htm >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e45.htm - pretty good and well-defined sound quality for these 2 pairs of studio monitors - not too heavy, both with sizes that might fit on nearly every desk - good audio definition and sound quality (might sound a bit too good and polished for professional mixing purposes) - Presonus Eris E3.5 have a brighter and more crystal-clear sound with more higher frequencies and less low-end bass, while Presonus Eris E4.5 have a fuller, more truthful sound and a flatter frequency response - frequency range of around 80 to 20000 Hz (Presonus Eris E3.5) or 70 to 20000 Hz (Presonus Eris E4.5), which, however, is no longer really suitable for critical mixing (especially the Presonus Eris E3.5, while the Presonus Eris E4.5 might be still good for creating critical mixes) - only a very low level of inherent noises on moderate volumes if you get with your ears close to the tweeters - pleasant to listen to and mixing with even on lower volumes - both versions have different kinds of acoustic tuning devices - unfortunately not biamped - very stylish design - rear bass ports - also some of the most energy-saving studio monitors with only about 25 W per speaker - unbeatable price with only around 100 bucks for the whole pair of Presonus Eris E3.5 or around 200 bucks for the whole pair of Presonus Eris E4.5 If you are going to buy some of those smaller studio monitors, I would recommend to buy an additional smaller subwoofer which can generate a really clean, accurate, highly defined, tight and dry bass and sub-bass down to 40 Hz. If you add a subwoofer and set it up carefully (better a little more restrained setting with less bass, but deeper bass), you also get a pretty decent 3-way speaker system with fairly clean and very well separated bass, mids and treble. In this case, I would definitely recommend the smaller but quite powerful Japanese subwoofer Fostex PM-SUBmini 2, which is very energy-efficient with an output of only 50 W: >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_pm_submini_2.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to compare the sound and frequency response of different studio monitors with your own ears and eyes even far away from music stores, there is also a very useful YouTube channel where the uploader with the channel name "Digital Stereophony" (or "DSAUDIO.review" these days) does kinda professional or at least useful comparisons between many studio monitors and/or hi-fi speakers within a number of different soundtracks. In his more recent uploads, he has also added the original sound of the soundtracks to better compare the speakers. He has also added the frequency response diagrams of the speakers at the end of his more recent videos. According to him, these are apparently the frequency response curves of the speakers in a semi-treated room. So if you are still looking for studio monitors, you should take a close look at his speaker sound comparisons: >>> https://www.youtube.com/user/skubny/videos -------------------------------------------------------------- ... My own speakers and studio monitor equipment over the years ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To conclude, I would like to briefly describe how my speaker and studio monitor equipment has changed and developed over the years, from my very early days in sound engineering and music production to the present day. And it started around 2013/2014, when I finally bought my first DAW full of curiosity and anticipation, but had practically no relevant knowledge about DAWs, music theory, composition, mixing, mastering, sound design or audio engineering. At that time, I didn't even know that there was such a thing as "studio monitor speakers" - it was a completely new world for me, a completely unknown universe. Accordingly, I began my musical journey at that time with the simplest desktop speakers for the PC, which I gradually replaced over the years with reliable studio monitors as professional tools for sound engineers. Here's a brief timeline of my speaker equipment since 2013: I) Fujitsu Siemens Soundsystem DS 2100 - a rather ordinary desktop speaker system with subwoofer, which was apparently so irrelevant that I could hardly find it again even in the depths of the internet - can't even really remember the sound, but I don't think you could even create a usable rough mix with it (in principle, you didn't really know what you were doing in your mix with this speaker system - a kind of paper sword for the adventurous hobby composer) II) Logitech Z533 Multimedia Speaker System - definitely one of my best desktop speaker systems with integrated subwoofer, volume control and separate bass control, a quite impressive sound for the time and charming satellite speakers with a really cool retro look - was able to create reasonably usable rough mixes with it, even without in-depth mixing knowledge and, according to my memory, I even mixed an early version of my Star Tropics remix "The Fire Of The Southern Cross" with it, which didn't sound bad at all (Logitech Z533 speaker system was quite the sound engineering yoyo among the early weapons on the great South Sea island adventure trip) III) Adam T5V - my first real studio monitors, whose impressive, powerful and extremely beautiful sound I fell in love with during a demonstration in a music store - however, joy only lasted a short time after I realized that they didn't sound so nice at home and, in addition to a really annoying tweeter hiss that could be heard even a few meters away, they had such a powerful bass that it literally drowned my acoustically untreated room in bass reflections, making neither proper mixing nor relaxed music enjoyment possible - as a result, oversized studio monitors babies went back to the music store a few days later IV) Presonus Eris E3.5 + Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 - decided to try out a few smaller studio monitors after this experience and a lot of research on the Internet and bought the Presonus Eris E3.5 soon after, which were quite new on the market at the time - were my first studio monitors that really impressed me with their sound and at the same time harmonized well with my acoustically untreated room - additional extension of the low bass range down to 40 Hz via a small, extremely compact Japanese subwoofer called Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 (although I only turned it up subliminally at a low volume in relation to the volume of the studio monitors and with the lowest crossover frequency setting) - mixings of my soundtracks and remixes subsequently experienced a significant improvement, although the mixes still didn't always sound as good and impressive as they could have on other audio playback systems (mainly because the Presonus Eris E3.5 tended to cover up some relevant weaknesses in the mix and always made the mix sound a little nicer and more impressive than it actually was) - have used this studio monitor system to mix almost all the soundtracks and remixes I've made and uploaded up until about 2020 (until at some point I felt the desire to buy some really professional sound equipment in the form of studio monitor speakers of a similar size that would harmonize just as well with my room conditions) V) Yamaha MSP3 + Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 - insider tip from an employee in a music store and further in-depth research led me to the legendary Japanese Yamaha MSP studio monitor series (the professional version of the much better known Yamaha HS series), which fortunately also included a smaller size with a nearly 4-inch woofer, the Yamaha MSP3 - together with Japanese Fostex PM-SUBmini2 subwoofer, it became a kind of studio monitor system of two rising suns for me, the Niten Ichiryū of future sound engineering sword fights, so to speak - didn't really like the MSP3 at first, despite the incomparably high sound definition (because my previous mixes, which I had created on my previous speakers, suddenly didn't sound so good on the Yamaha MSP3), but when I mixed my first remix on the MSP3 until it sounded halfway acceptable, it suddenly sounded worlds better, sharper, crisper and much more defined than my previous mixes on all other audio playback systems - MSP3 as professional sound engineering tools really taught me how to hear and subsequently how to mix properly with much more precision, sensitivity and a healthy trust in my sense of hearing, which was a fundamental building block and a necessary prerequisite for the development of my dynamic mixing concept called "Life Force" during the last years Yeah, and since I've been working with the Yamaha MSP3, I've had no real interest in looking around for more studio monitors for my small, cozy and fairly well-equipped home studio. When I moved into my new apartment, I bought a set of Presonus Eris E4.5 studio monitors, but I primarily use them for my gamer and movie corner or as secondary control studio monitors for final listening to my mixes. Now that my studio equipment and my mixing concept have finally been satisfactorily completed and implemented, I can put a lot more of my time, energy and creativity into developing my compositional skills in the coming years, which I'm really looking forward to. ))

Thanks for the feedback. )) And yeah, the guitar articulations of the clean electric guitar I still have to program for each note (they 're only step-sequenced for this review, so some notes might sound a bit off - but I'm glad I removed the slides before :DD). The length of this part could be fitting - 'cause the whole track might go about 7 minutes and the rest of the track will contain some heavy rock/metal stuff. So this calm, mystical part could be an adequate break before the heavy musical final with the battle against Daos kicks in. I'm still unsure if I add some drums in this melodic section of the preview - but I feel that this part without drums and with lots of melodic synths and VSTIs instead has its own charme somehow.

As far as I'm not ready with the track yet I still wanted to show ya a small preview of the coming version. The track is already completely overworked compared to the last version (1.5) and this preview contains a little deep melodious break apart from the heavy rock/metal tunes within the rest of the track that will go something over 7 minutes. I'm still working on this part as well - but tell me how you like the rough conception of the calm break (before it will go in the heavy final part with the battle against Daos afterwards).

I prefer Youtube because of the better audio streaming quality (audio streaming bitrate of 128 kbit/s at Soundcloud vs 192 kbit/s at Youtube can make a noticeable difference in sound quality) and the possibility of underlining the audio material with some fitting video material (own gameplay scenes of video games for video game remixes, for example).

Haha, Americans can't get surprised that easily. They're already used to false flag attacks. ;D

C 'mon, guys - really nobody any kind of an idea? Maybe some further informations about my loudness metering unit and why I guess that method 2) is the right one. If I would start to messure the loudness right within a track for example it would show me a pretty higher max. loudness than if I messure the loudness of a track or another audio program right from the beginning to the end. And that's why I guess that I have to messure the loudness of a whole CD right from the beginning to the end, too. But I'm not quite sure if there might be another measuring technique for CD loudness mastering as well.

I've got a question concerning the right use of the loudness metering unit in my DAW (Samplitude Pro X3 Suite) for CD mastering. All soundtracks for my CD are already loaded into the music project file on track 1 one after another. The loudness ratio between all tracks is already set via object volume editing (couldn't build just on loudness metering there - had to do this by ear because of different music genres and different dynamic ranges of the soundtracks). And now I want to bring the loudest part of this CD mix at around - 23 dB. For this purpose do I have to: 1) ...check the loudness metering for each track anew from each track start to rise or lower the volume of all tracks together until the loudest part of the loudest track reaches -23 dB? or 2) ... let the loudness metering do its job by playing the whole CD (all soundtracks in a row) without pausing while checking the loudest part, memorize the highest loudness and rise or lower the volume of all tracks together until the loudest point of the whole CD loudness metering is set at -23 dB? It's really strange that it can make differences up to 2 dB of loudness in LUFS between these 2 methods. At method 2) the loudness differences according to the loudness metering unit seem to get smaller and nearly stable/unchanged after the first few tracks. If you meter each soundtrack track just from the beginning (method 1)) the loudness differences according to the loudness metering unit are much bigger and the loudness metering seems to react much more sensitive. Although I'm pretty sure method 2) is the right one for mastering the loudness of a CD I want to ask the OCRemix community about this phenomenon and the correct use of the loudness metering for this purpose.

Hm, thx for the hint. They must have changed it recently - some time before it was 320kbit/s and some time before this you could upload and stream wave data content... with a free account. But seems to be a general problem in the last years of western capitalism. Lots of those halfhearted businessmen and private investors obviously try to buy up good content platforms (like formerly free music platforms, mail providers etc.) and want to drag max. profits outta this and every poop that accidentally sniffs its first fresh air... from the "Fresh Air Company". So, I guess one of the best free audiovisual content platforms that doesn't change its essential rules for a very long time is still Youtube. There seems to be still a good audio bitrate of about 192 kbit/s, you can implement (for example) gameplay videos into your musical videogame remix content and its always nice to get some feedback there (compared to simpler, more unknown and now pretty expensive platforms like Clyp).

Besides, I've also found 2 other great remixes of this theme some time ago. The first one was made by Joyfuldreamer: The second one was made by Lame Genie:

Hey, thanks for the offer. And yeah - I've made a little classic remix of Dave 's Theme (one of my favourite theme) from Maniac Mansion some time ago that goes over into a driving rock remix. Guess you mean this one here >>> Therefore I combined a short self-written piano intro with an arrangement which is pretty close to the original. I guess I used the Ngmmdave.mid file from above as a base for creating the remix. Hope you enjoy this one as fans of the game. I'll probably keep working on this track in the future.

Yeah - the bass with reverb (plugins) topic makes a good point. In a less technological world of an ancient orchestra you would - if the sound is halling so much that you can't hear single sound events clearly anymore - probably change the surroundings until you have found an opera house or open air location where the hall/echo reflexions won't blend the frequencies of the individual instruments into sound mud anymore. What I wanted to say is that: 1) Natural beings have often sharper senses than beings that lost their connection to nature over generations. It's mostly a matter of species-appropriate nutrition, natural and healthy development (or degradation at the non-natural way) of the body and vital life force that makes the big difference. And the more people (or even animals) get restrained from vital nature the more they' ll lose their potencial, vitality, their fine senses (neurological development) and their health. And lots of humans of the modern age got very far away from nature with all the painful consequences. 2) Lots of essential knowledge of former times died literally out in the core of the society and has been replaced by mere (commercial) informations of big companies and profit-over-life structures that often dumb down the people's minds and bend truth into lies for their financial sake. You can say that - for example the pretty wise Greek doctor Hippokrates of Cos - had more essential knowledge about health than most pharma-schooled doctors - guided by pharma-sponsored universities - have nowadays. That's something like a wisdom-versus between "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." (in this case a pretty grounded old school teaching) and "Just take these pills to win the war against those dangerous enemies in your body" (in this case a pretty contrary, small-minded new school teaching). It's not always like this. But it's an example that new teachings don't have to be always better than old teachings - especially if mindless greed becomes more important than the devout quest for truth. 3) It can be really fatal if technological advancement & possibilities surpass the knowledge und sanity of the users. And not every trend or technological achievement is a good one. Just to come back to the music stuff... Let's face what dynamic compression in the age of loudness war has done to the sound quality of modern music. It might not blow your head off if you listen to the soundtracks with the mastering standards of today. I kinda like lots of modern tracks - but mostly because of the composition & interesting sound design, not because of the unnecessary dynamic compression and kinda deadly sound surgery (nah, no bad jokes about surgeons and the quest for the lost limbs, livers or lives at this point). If you compare the music standards of the 80s with the music industry standards of today you might hear a perceptible decrease at the hi-fi sound quality over the years. ...just because the salesmen, marketing agents and even some producers in the music industry started the unhealthy, mindless trend of competing in loudness instead of competing in musical content, interesting compositions and sound quality. >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcKDMBuGodU

But the orchestra exists much longer than microphones, EQs or digital music production. So they had to solve the frequency issue with the things they had there (right choice of instruments, fitting octaves/pitch, fitting articulations, greater use of volume and timing of each sound event, right "panning"/deployment of the musicians/players of the instruments) if they played the orchestra live for the public. I don't think that those ancient orchestras and ensemble sounded bad without this high tech stuff - maybe rather the opposite. But I think that the people in those days could have had sharper senses, sharper minds and probably a greater knowledge of acoustic sound design within the technological possibilities the had in those days.

I think there are much better alternatives than just cutting off frequencies - for example... 1) reducing just the volume of the less important track. 2) reducing the velocity of the VSTI samples or synthesizers at the less important track. 3) using a wider stereo panorama distance or surround field distance to hear both competing tracks clearly or by putting the less important one far to the side or in the background. 4) changing the color/timbre of instruments - might be similar to cutting or adding frequencies but it 's a more natural, realistic variation you can perform with many instruments. 5) Sometimes it's not even necessary to cut off or add any frequencies because the blending frequencies of the different tracks make a really good new soundscape together. When it comes to things like this I always ask myself how I would set up a track like it was an orchestra where you don't have those possibilities to cut off frequencies (except with some special playing techniques with which you can influence the frequencies a little bit) - even if I use synthesizers instead of acoustic instruments.

Hey, thanks for the feedback. )) I'm not a big fan of cutting off frequencies of instruments (because this can make the sound really dull) - but I could add some higher frequencies to the harp at the point where the harp goes wistfully up into the bit emotional part at 0:43. I guess this would make totally sense - because I did some high band pass filter automations of the digital voice synth at this point (added some higher frequencies there). An early thought was that the synth at this point should go a bit higher and melt with the harp. But now I think it's better if the harp goes higher there as well - as you mentioned it - "to shine". (I already recognized that the synth - before I did the high bandpass filter automations - stuck out at this point much more. And it sounded pretty well.)

This might be the beginning of my first little own soundtrack I've composed within a few days. Actually this track is based on an exercise I did for myself to imrove in writing notes for chord progressions and where I tried to find out which chords and chord sequences harmonize well with each other. But then I was really in the mood to compose some additional melodies and it resulted in this little soundtrack. And of course I wanted to work with my brand-new great synthesizer collection Titan 2 which I really cherish. It contains over 12500 unique synthesizer presets of famous synthesizers from the 70s, 80s, 90s and the modern digital times. So, you can say I've bought a pretty melodic part of the human history in the form of a large, creative software. Although I haven't had listened to all synthesizer presets in Titan 2 (the package also contains all the synthesizers from Titan 1) I've already used two synthesizers from Titan 1 for this little composition. These are the really atmospheric digital voice pads and the pretty realistic sounding steel drums (was deeply impressed that it almost sounds like the acoustic version of some steel drums - was looking for such kind of stuff for estimated ages). For the voice pads I've also created some volume, panorama and high bandpass filter automations. The Celtic harp you can hear towards the end is a VSTI from my professional DAW software Samplitude Pro X3 Suite in which I have implemented the nice Titan 2 stuff. Hope you like my first try of creating my first very own composition far away from any kind of video game remixes. I guess I'll make a much bigger and longer soundtrack out of this one in the future. Feel free to tell me how you like this one. )) --------------------------------------- Newest version of my track: 1.0 >>> >>> https://clyp.it/pct2dsny

Yo, thanks for the feedback, dudes. )) For a comparison to the previous version, I've reuploaded this one into Clyp (I'll leave it there for a few weeks or so) - so you can directly listen to the changes I've made. >>> old Version 1.4 >>> https://clyp.it/sanzigqc And - of course - I didn't work 2 years on this version xD (about 2 weeks at all - maybe 20 hours in total) - was busy with other tracks and other stuff. But since I really like the new changes I wanted to share it with you. I didn't like the really outdated old version anymore and I wanted to create a much greater update with much more changes - but I need more time than I've planned. So, after 2 years I simply just wanted to replace the old version I don't want to listen to anymore with the much newer version that really sends me some chillz through ma bones - no shit. )) But yeah, you're right. There's a lot to do - especially in things like variation (primarily drums, basses, transitions) and much more new melodies that go on some very own pathes, changing rhythms, more alternations in speed maybe and a really completed, fading away ending. When I began with the track some years ago I really started with creating the whole track with a slightly alternated loop sequence (yeah, I was a big fan of the original theme and I had not the composing skills & knowhow I have today) - and now It's my mission to break free from this fixed structure more and more. But I don't want to cut the length of the track because I really want to have this one as a rare long Battle theme remix. It's not impossible to create a lively and varied track at this length and I'll make it someday as I progress with my composition skills (It's my 4th year now since I started with making music out of completely nothing - and it takes still a long time for me to write new stuff). Besides - there's already a FF7 battle theme remix on Youtube with a pretty great length (8 mins) and it seems to be possible to keep the listeners interested over such a long time >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl3DZfPR9oM Although it's pretty much loop-based as well - but the alternative transitions and the lively, dynamic orchestration makes it really interesting over this long time. I'm not a too big fan of this "orchestrated-elements-only style" for a battle theme with such a great potencial for various music genres - so, I have to create a version in my own style. But it gives me an idea of what is possible there.

Since the big update of my remix will take much more time than expected and cause I haven't updated the track for about 2 years (but I have composed lots of new stuff since then) I want to share a little preview of the current state of my music project with ya. I haven't even done the ingame video for this one - but at least I've created a little slideshow with some fitting pics of the FF7 series. I know it's still a lot to do in things like variety in a track with this length - but I think there's already some really nice stuff in there and I kinda like to hear the track over and over again. Maybe give me a little feedback how you like the new stuff and the improved sound design in general. You can find some additional information for this new version in the upload description of the Youtube link. So, here's version 1.5 of my remix: >>> >>> https://clyp.it/0wbdm03p (Because of the extreme length of the track I could "only" upload a 256 kbit/s file at my free Clyp account instead of my usual 320 kbit/s audio material there.)

Thanks for the feedback, dude. )) Really nice to get the opinion of a real drummer in this case.

Thanks for the nice hints and information. )) In the end I've chosen the Sony MDR-7506 and I'm really satisfied with those headphones. They've got a really natural sound - no overpowered, but really crisp and highly defined basses (probably one of the biggest issue with most studio headphones), pretty decent, clean and neutral mids and really defined high frequencies (although they might be a bit standing out and sharp at "sss" sounds like hi-hats - I tried to change this with an equalizer plugin but no matter where I reduced or raised frequencies I couldn't get significantly better results which might be a sign that these headphones make a really clean, authentic, neutral and natural sound). In the beginning it might be a bit unusual to listen to soundtracks with such a reduced, neutral bass - but it's really good for the mixing process (as well as for watching movies etc.). Your sense of hearing wil get used to the neutral sound within a few days/weeks. The stereophonic/ surround sound is also pretty awesome (and really precise), too. Related to this it can really keep up with the big room sound of my new stereo speaker system (Logitech Z533). A bit annoying during the first days was the slightly noticeable pressure on the head around the ears (my ears got pretty warm at the first day after wearing the headphones over a longer time). But this vanished after a couple of days and they now fit really well without boiling my ears. If you have larger ears you should look for another model of headphones maybe (they're really made for smaller and normal ears) - such like Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 Pro headphones which are really big compared to my Sony headphones. So, altogether you can hardly do anything wrong with buying the Sony MDR-7506 as professional studio headphones. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PS: Since a friend of mine wants to buy some Beyerdynamic headphones (770 DT Pro or 880 DT Pro) for gaming soon I might have a chance to compare those ones with my Sony MDR-7506.

Heya, guys. I'm looking for some professional studio headphones with natural high definition sound (without significant bass boost, treble boost or midrange cut), ... ... so, just some affordable high-end headphones with the flattest possible frequency response that allows me to perceive crystal clear, natural sound and listen to the true musical intentions of a composer or a professional developer of VSTi sample libraries in every little detail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit: My big choice is actually between those headphones: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (5 - 35000 Hz, 250 ohms, semi-open) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/beyerdynamic_dt880_pro.htm (also available as a slightly cheaper Black Edition) >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/beyerdynamic_dt_880_pro_black_edition.htm frequency response graph >>> https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/beyerdynamic-dt-880-pro.php 2) Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (15 - 28000 Hz, 38 ohms, closed-back, replaceable jack cable) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/audio_technica_ath_m50_x.htm frequency response graph >>> https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-6/graph/21550/frequency-response/audio-technica-ath-m50x/295 3) AKG K-702 (10 - 39800 Hz, 62 ohms, open-back, replaceable jack cable) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k702.htm frequency response graph >>> https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-5/graph/7903/frequency-response/akg-k702/332 4) Sony MDR-7506 (10 - 20000 Hz, 63 ohms, closed-back) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/sony_mdr7506_kopfhoerer.htm frequency response graph >>> https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/sony-mdr-7506.php#gsc.tab=0 5) Beyerdynamic Custom Studio (5 - 35000 Hz, 80 ohms, closed-back, replaceable jack cable, headset customization options and 4 adjustable bass levels) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/beyerdynamic_custom_studio.htm frequency response graph (depends on bass slider settings) >>> https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RugbixtitO8/X34p9pXMlRI/AAAAAAAABeA/m29TVSU-qEwzGQ8U4GiMEuqJxE1dLCNbwCPcBGAsYHg/s1200/Beyerdynamic%2BCustom%2BStudio.jpg ... I already have the Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones, which are really good (apart from the slightly narrow soundstage or the slightly overemphasized frequency range between 2500 Hz and 7500 Hz, which can make the sound a bit harsh). They have a high sound resolution and are not too uncomfortable to wear (I wouldn't recommend them for people with larger ears). A big problem could be that the frequency response drops off dramatically above 12000 Hz - but I don't think that will be decisive for the listening experience and accurate mixing. Some time later, I got the semi-open Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro Black Edition (be sure to use the silver earcups instead of the black ones - it makes a huge difference, for example, in terms of a smoother frequency response) and a high-end headphone amplifier, the Lake People G109-P (to better drive and get the most out of these high-impedance studio headphones). And the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro is still my absolute favorite when it comes to important points like: - a natural, faithful and very analytical sound - a very even frequency response - a wide frequency range (5-35000 Hz) - really accurate stereo and depth imaging (when I watch movies with these headphones, I feel like I'm in a small modern Dolby Surround cinema and get sucked right into the action) - a really pleasant wearing comfort And - what's really important with studio headphones - they gave me the best mixing results after listening to my mixes on other monitoring devices like other studio monitors, stereos, car stereos, MP3 players, etc.... They may even be among the best studio headphones for mixing in the world. And they also seem to be much better than the closed-back Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro and the open-back Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (I also own the DT 990 Pro, which is supposed to be better than the DT 770 Pro, but I don't like the really annoying harsh highs and the little bass boost - may be useful for watching movies and figuring out what a mix would sound like on a lot of customer hi-fi systems, but for mixing I don't really like using them). So, I think I'll definitely stick with the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro. ... But I still try to be open to other current and future developments of studio headphones. So, I really like to check out some professional Japanese studio headphones like the ATH-M50X from Audio-Technica in the future. There are also some new developments at the Beyerdynamic DT professional studio headphones are going, such as the DT Pro X series (the DT Pro 900 X might be interesting, as it seems to be very similar to the DT Pro 880, but still has the next generation Stellar.45 neodymium drivers, an open rather than semi-open design, a similar frequency response like the frequency response of the DT 880 Pro, even thicker ear cups, and a replaceable jack cable). ... As soon as I get a chance to try out or even mix with new models of studio headphones, I'll let you know, of course. ))

I don't know which DAW you actually use besides Ableton. But try following things before installing another Windows version. 1. Deactivate and deinstall all external firewalls and anti-virus softwares (especially those with their so-called "real-time protection") >>> just use Windows Firewall (make sure to fully allow your DAW) and Windows Defender. 2. Delete the drivers of your audio interface and download and install the latest drivers of your audio interface from its support website. 3. Use the latest drivers of your audio interface in your DAW settings. 4. Check the settings of your driver system in your DAW if there are options like a hybrid engine for low-latency program use, put the ASIO buffer around 512 ms/32 Bit (latency is mostly defined and fixed by this value ) and the VIP object buffer at around 8192 ms if you want to play a track with the MIDI keyboard. 5. Check in Task Manager if your DAW activities already consume most of your RAM - in this case 16 GB RAM would be useful for larger music projects (I'm pretty much in the safe zone with 32 GB RAM). 6. Try to run your DAW in Windows 10 Compatibility Mode for Windows 7. 7. Try another DAW in its free text version and if the DAW could make some kind of problems or incompatibilities (would be strange if this might be the case - but at least you have certitude then). 8. Try to work with your DAW without your audio interface and its drivers (deinstall and use some recommended drivers in your DAW - or ASIO4all) to exclude incompatibilities with your audio interface. 9. Just order a MIDI-Keyboard from a newer series (like M-Audio Oxygen 61 Mk4) and send it back if it didn't solve the bit strange latency issue (or buy it when it works). 10. Pray to the universe or the gods of modern technology to get a direct 1-point-program answer.

So, Drum Grooves Lvl. 2 is finally finished. You can read in the Youtube upload description about all the changes I've made in this version. Here's version 1.1 of my drum composition: >>> >>> https://clyp.it/dqb5rrty

Good to see someone is trying to remix a soundtrack of the Soul series. From time to time I also work on a remix for the famous soundtrack "The Edge Of Soul" from Soul Blade - the very first installment of the series - pretty awesome tune already in the original version. So, your track has definitely soulful stuff. Besides the bit lifeless synth guitar stuff that deserves much more articulations (even some better VSTI- based guitar stuff and a bigger compository development of the monotone synth guitar melody could bring about some satisfiying results there) I really like the pretty clean and organic sound of the track, the nice use of the stereo panorama and the really cool synthesizer that kicks in at 0:52.

For the ambition to keep my content unmonetarized and ad-free I've deleted my former Baywatch remix with the video scenes and reuploaded it with a simple slideshow created with pictures of the Baywatch series from the 90s. I hope you enjoy it, too. I've already changed the links for the newest youtube upload in the comments before. But it's still really annoying to see that some of those copyright owners/companies try to make money out of every content (that's not even fully theirs) and bomb some passionate content with their soulless ad stuff. If you as a Youtuber had at least a choice which commercials you allow on your video it wouldn't be a big problem for me to accept commercials for the few companies that really push something forward for humankind and a better, more livable future - such as organic food producers, passionate bike stores, developers of sustainable and creative technology, social housing associations and good social projects. But to be the advertising pillar of large profit-over-life corporations can't be the way of a youtuber that wants to create some soulful content.

Although the story of the movie sounds a bit conventionell and boring to me the soundtrack has some nice potencial. Some of the tracks have some nice elements of former Alone In The Dark and Resident Evil games. )) And of course it's no crime to use synths and digital effects instead of realistic orchestrations for horror soundtracks. It's mostly about the atmosphere you can create - and in the case of horror soundtracks you can really sow your wild oats as a passionate and creative sound designer. Just do your best to keep your listeners poopin' unbearable bricks of fear 'n' despair. ;D