Master Mi

That's a catchy one for real, dude. Like the cautious part as well as the parts where the electric guitar gets in the lead. Metal Gear Fantasy - The Tactical Espionage RPG. Nah, no half-assed crossovers - this theme would totally fit with the orginal game FF7 - for example at the point when the new Avalanche group infiltrates the Shin-Ra HQ building.

I'm steadily working on a remix of the Battle Theme ("Those Who Fight") from Final Fantasy 7. It's my ambition to create a modern version of this theme - but without leaving those elements which make this track so interesting and memorable. So, I decided to keep those orchestral elements from the original theme of the game Final Fantasy 7 and combine it with the punchier and more powerful electronic elements of this theme in the amazing spin-off Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 and add some driving rock elements. Original game track: >>> ------------------------------------------------------- Newest version of my remix >>> 1.6 Preview >>> >>> https://clyp.it/fgslop4q

Guess, it will take some time for me to go on with this track. Since I changed my DAW (from Magix Music Maker to Magix Samplitude Music Studio) I have to make this remix again with all the midis and the settings - lowers my motivation a lil bit (but only just a little). But I tell ya, it'll be good in the end. I'm working at a remix of Final Fantasy 7 at the same time to keep myself up and to get some variation.

So, have bought Samplitude Music Studio - and it seems to work with all the pads which didn't work really good in Music Maker. I guess it's because of the much better audio engine in Samplitude. It also supports 64 bit systems and has a multicore support (have 4 cores). Just have an ear on it - just have exported a lil track with a Revolta²-Pad Sound. https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/samplitude-music-studio-demonstration Sounds pretty clean with Samplitude Music Studio, aye? I guess (and many people say this who work with Samplitude now) that the Musik Maker is more for Working with Loops and less with the midi stuff - so more for the mainstream guys who want to make music but who don't have a clue when it comes to notes, midis and the real tough stuff in music production. So I've just bought the Bid Daddy it seems - yesss.

I've tried this sound from Magix Maker in Magix Music Studio and exported then - with the best results (as I hear the pad in the DAWs). Maybe I have to get the Music Studio 'cause of its better Hybrid Audio Engine (although it doesn't make real sense cause Music Maker and Music Studio cost the same). It's really annoying, cause I have to buy at least 2 Versions of the Music Studio to have the same amount of Synthesizers and Instruments I had in the Music Maker - around 150 - 200 bucks at all - poor Mi (feel milked like a cow). ( But make sense to try those plugins in other DAWs - but some plugins like Revolta² and DN-e1 (which are really great in my opinion) only work with the engine of Magix - unfortunately.

So you would say that this DAW wasn't created with the ability to use it's own synthesizers? Come on, don't troll me - I'm in a bad mood about this - just planned to eat the sound drivers and play the synthesizers by myself.

My DAWs are Magix Music Maker 2014 Premium (and previous Versions) and Samplitude Music Studio 2 (this one just for dividing midis into the several layers as a preparation of a remix).

Yeah, it's an onboard sound card I unfortunately use - it's a VIA HD Audio Soundcard. @Neblix: No, the crackling sound is not okay - sound's totally different than in my DAW. In my DAW (before exporting) it sounds like this - much cleaner - less crackling: https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/revolta-synthesizer-how-it-sounds-within-my-daw The community of my DAW gave me a hint that I should save for an external soundcard or even better an audio interface and they told me that there should be not even this little crackling sound with this synthesizer in my DAW - it should be totally clear, this sound. So it's the question which external soundcard or audio interface is a good choice. MOTU seems to be pretty expensive with over 300/400 bucks. That one from Steinberg is about 100 - that would be still in my financial range. There's just the question if it is enough to play all synthesizers correctly. Are there other special things I have to look for when buying an external soundcard or an audio interface? (Thanks for the hint with the bus noises - didn't know about this phenomenon.) (And no, it's not a trial version of my DAW - just have the full premium versions installed I have bought in a store and some of the older versions via online store.)

Yeah, but do I have to set the volume so that it doesn't get in the red area over 0 or is it just for the volume difference between left and right or is it some kind of a master volume although the master volume in the mixer is far below 0?

It looks like this (and yeah, it's flashing temporary a bit red like in this picture - I guess it's not okay, if it's the volume). http://www.cornbay.info/images/meine_bilder/magix/music_maker_2013/grafik-490-zora-mastering-suite-4-int_118.jpg

I guess, my soundcard is too lame for some synthesizers in my DAW. Got this one after exporting a piece of music with a critical pad of my revolta² synthesizer. Although I tried many sound drivers in different setting I got always the same painful results: https://soundcloud.com/master-mi So I think about buying an external audio interface (guess it's better than another soundcard). Do you think that one from Steinberg would make it? http://www.amazon.de/Steinberg-502004313-Audio-Interface-inklusive/dp/B00B19JBW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406474147&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+interface Or which one would ya prefer?

Couldn't even find a chapter of the Mastering Suite in the manual - just an explanation of the mixing & editing tools. If if the level in the stereo enhancer is really the volume - it shouldn't go into the red area (over 0) in the whole track, right?

Nah, not bad - but comparing to the size of my hard disk (about 1 TB) it's pretty much - and I guess the piano VSTI is not the only instrument/synthesizer you have in your DAW. So the size would really freak me out. And if I compare the sound of my over 200 MB Vita Century Keys and the high end grand piano VSTI there is not such a big difference I can hear by ear which would justify this large size in my opinion. But you're the pros (hope you have some kind of a military high end computer network to deal with your DAW and Godzilla like VSTIs ). Maybe try to make a remix with the grand piano and a not so large-size piano VSTI like the Century Keys and let the community decide if they can hear such a big difference within a whole track.

Man, that's really expensive and hard disk eatin' stuff, dudes. I use this one - sounds pretty nice as well, the price is around 30 Euro and it eat not much more hard disk space than 269 MB. And this has also a very nice sound with good bunch of settings in the VST editor. =))

Heya, there is a stereo enhancer in the mastering suite of my DAW and I have some questions about that tool. In the standard settings for example it sometimes flashing in the red area (area over 0 dB) but doesn't seem to influence the quality of the track. So what does it mean when it flashes red a couple of times - do I have to put the faders of the stereo enhancer a lil bit down on the right and left side until it doesn't flash up during the whole song anymore or can I keep this as it is? Furthermore the level of the stereo enhancer doesn't seem to interact with the master volume/master fader - but with the volume of the frequencies in the equalizer. What's the reason for this - what does the "loudness" or the level of the stereo enhancer stand for?

Thx for the info. So I will keep the 320 kbits/s and give the retrograde MP3 player to some only retro gaming & NES OST listening retrocore nerds.

So the 192 kbits/s in the submission rules are just the minimum requirement - can be always higher - but never below that rate? And you remixer guys always use the highest possible bitare for your tracks/submissions? I wonder 'cause I have a lot of remixes (some of them are from OCRemix) which have a bit rate far below 320 kbits/s (most of them are 192 or 128 kbits/s). And a higher bit rate means a higher density of information, so a higher size (and perhaps a higher quality) of the file, right?

Just have found out that the limiter of my DAW works pretty well - maybe I forgot to stop and play the song again after activating the limiter the first time. According to the screen in my Mastering Suite of my DAW it seems that the limiter can handle signals which are up to 15 dB over 0. My remix starts with 4 Layers (Electric Bass, 2 Power Chord guitars, percussion) which should actually start at the highest possible volume. Within the whole track there will lead in 2 further main layers (one after about 1/3 of the track and the other one after about 2/3 of the track) which make the master volume a bit higher (about 3 further dB for each further layer). So, what should I do if I want to turn up the volume of this track (it's a rock/ metal track) everytime it plays right after (for example) an orchestral & peaceful track but blessed with a much more decent volume? Shall I keep the starting master volume of the metal track really 6 dB below the 0 mark to end right about there at the points with the highest volume in the track? Or does it make more sense in this case to begin the track at master volume level +/- 0 and leave the rest of the track (and higher volume levels during the rest of the track, so at least 6 further dB) to the limiter? Or would you rather begin a bit below 0 try to keep the master volume at the same level during the whole track by lowering the volume of each layer for about 0,5 to 1 dB at the points where the additional layers lead into the track?

Just have found out something really important when it comes to the exporting of soundtracks at different bit rates. I had a big problem that I could solve some days ago. I had exported a remix of myself at the highest bit rate in my DAW (320 kbits/s). In the Windows Media Player there was no problem - played the file properly - the same with 2 MP3-Players - played the file without problems, too. But another MP3-Player totally fucked up the song with loads of scratching noises. No matter which sound drivers I had used for exporting it was always quite the same mess - except of different noises at different points of the track. Tried a lot of different thing to find out the reasons of this problem - in the end I had thought that the MP3 player and its software had some problems to read this MP3 file correctly - as it seemed I haven't been that wrong with this. As it seems this MP3 player was not able to read and handle the dense of informations at such a high bit rate which must have caused the scratching noises among the whole track. I exported the same track with the same settings at a lower bit rate (192 kbits/s) - and this time it totally worked on this MP3 player - no strange noises and absolutely clear sound like in the WMP and my DAW. Took some time for me to find out, that the highest bit rate don't have to be the best bit rate - but perhaps this information can help somebody. If there's something more to know about this topic please share your experiences and informations.

Can somebody help me? I'm looking for the posting in which the rules of submitting a song are explained.

So - I've uploaded the new version with the clean electric guitar and some insignificant changes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyGxxLrkKiY https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/lufia-2-tyrant-breaker-master-mi-remix-working-title-version-12wav @ timaeus222: Don't worry - I'm pretty happy with Magix Music Maker (cause I haven't worked with too many other DAWs yet) - but there were still a few bugs in there that fucked me totally up. @ MindWanderer: I already have an (electronic) instrument with an "essential flavor" (of an electric guitar in this case) in this track - for example the high lead at point 2:36 - sounds a bit like an electric guitar but it's a modified electric piano with a guitar amplifier - sounds pretty well at this point of the track but it was not the right choice at the point where the "real" electric guitar (that I was trying to improve all the time) leads in at 3:19 @ Jonathan!: Thanks for your offer to help me. But for my first own remix project I want to do it by own so far. Maybe in future when my DAW & music production skills are at a higher level I will be more openminded relating to some teamwork I think. The idea with the organ isn't too bad - but not for this remix. There is another remix of the Sinistral Battle theme I've made last year which had not the best sound quality (just used remastering tools on this cause I hadn't had the biggest DAW and music production skills at this time) - but with my new instrument collections and my acquired knowledge I think I will overwork it someday. And I think an organ (and the new lead synths) could fit in there pretty well. What do you mean with "In my opinion, you basically need a guitar sound for rhythm." I already have 2 power chord guitars for the bass line.

So, I guess I'll have to work with those old fossils without touching the rusty levers. ;D But just another question - just imagine you habe 2 layers in your track - both at volume 100 % (optimal loudness) - and at a certain point of the track a 3rd layer should lead into the mix (same volume/loudness). How would you lower the volume of these 3 layers in this case - is there a special rule like 100% * 2/3 = 66,66 % of loudness for each layer to keep the loudness at the part the 3rd layer begins at 100 % without reaching clipping? Or is it just less 10 % for each layer at this point where the 3rd layer leads in by the rule of thumb?

Yep, I guess my limiter is not the best - actually I haven't had the feeling that my limiter even tries to make slightly clipping layers at least a bit more smoothed. :DD But if we shouldn't move the fader for remixing then what's the purpose of this tool?

Thanks for the info. If I use the master fader then just the master fader - and in a decent way - so if one single instrument makes the overall loudness of the track a bit over the bar (clipping) I don't want to configure alle the instrument settings/volume again - I just put down the master volume some dB down - I guess this shouldn't be the problem. Isn't it like turning just the normal volume up and down just by using the master fader - or is it more like a compression? @timaeus222: I don't like to use a limiter 'cause it would change the dynamics of the song (especially the single notes which get too loud and the limiter modifies). To keep about 10 dB below 0 during the whole track and do the normalizing stuff afterwards seems to much more efficient to me that prevents also clipping in a perfect way. And you can work much faster - don't have to change every single setting all the time - and in the end you know, that every song has the same loudness (could be quite hard the fight for the last dB if you do this just by ear).

Hahaha, don't troll me, dude. :DD No, it was just this one remix I'm currently working at which is (at the highest possible master volume) far too silent (after exporting) compared to other remixes (my own as well as others). I'm still not really sure what's the real reason for this phenomenon - but I 've got at least a solution for this. In the export settings I used the option "Normalizing" - and I got a file which had the perfect loudness - no matter how high or low the master volume setting of the track was. Even if it was at - 40 dB or - 3 dB - with Normalizing the whole track gets always the same optimal loudness - and after using the normalizing option the volume was quite perfect compared to the volume of other tracks. And some people say that the normalizing doesn't effect the dynamics of the soundtrack - so it might be indeed perfect to get the best volume for a track. =))