Master Mi

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. =))

Excellent work, dude - love it! \m/

I just want to know if you have the same problem with your DAWs. The master volume of my DAW rises with adding more layers to the track (even if they're at the at the same volume level in the mixer the master volume goes up) and goes faster close to the clipping point without being loud (loud = good volume level). So I'm obviously some kind of limited with a certain number of layers (and settings) per soundtrack if I want to have a good/high volume without clipping in the exported version - although my DAW is designed to have an unlimited amout of layers. What's the background behind this phenomenon? Is this some kind of a limitation to prevent the normal users with the standard versions of DAWs from creating professionell soundtracks with more layers or is this quite normal? ---------------------- PS: I could solve the problem via "Normalizing" in the export options.

Just downloaded this one - cause the soundcloud file came without any sound. The remix contains some pretty nice elements and variations of the lead. Totally like the beginning (maybe a lil bit too much volume and distortion). The lead seems to be the problem in the track. Concerning to the really powerful bass the flute-like lead is a bit too weak, bugging and gets lost in the track. Maybe try a more powerfull lead (maybe with an additional bass tone row within at the same lead synthesizer) together with somethin' panning/pad-like. You can also try to make the remix faster and use some more percussion - for example right after 0:23. This would be really nice for such a massive fighter remix.

Yep, I have already listen to this guitar setting in the whole song - sounds pretty nice - will upload a new version soon. Unfortunately my DAW is not in the list - maybe you can add some more for the choice of DAWs. For my remixes and Soundtracks I work with following DAWs: - Magix Music Maker - Magix Music Studio (Both are from the DAW Makers who made Samplitude Music Studio and Sequoia - some pretty expensive, professional German products with a large basis of high quality instruments, synthesizers, fx & music production tools etc. - pretty nice all-in-one-solutions.)

Yaaay, I 've got it & have solved the problem with the guitar, dude! I had thought that the problem with the guitar sound has to do with the Release of my basic electric guitar or the Overdrive of my Vandal SE Guitar Amplifier. But the real problem was the delay of the electric guitar - so just have cut the delay out and got a pretty nice clean rock guitar sound. I guess that's what you mean with the distortion and the instability in tone. Have an ear on this, man: https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/lufia-2-tyrant-breaker-clean-e-guitar-without-delay-testwav Guess I can go on with this amazin' shit without buying Shreddage (I'm still not sure if works as an vst plugin with my DAW - they say it only works with Kontakt/Kontakt Player).

Yeah - of course you have shown me those amazing remixes with Shreddage/Shreddage 2 - I'm sure the Chrono Trigger Remix was one of those. Besides do you have you listened to my other guitar at the critical part of my remix? https://soundcloud.com/master-mi What do you think would be the better choice? My E-Guitar oder my Acoustic Guitar (exept the one high messed up note at the beginning? Which one sounds better?

My DAW could'nt find (or implement) the dlls in the programm data, program files or document files of the Kontakt 5 or Native Instrument Stuff. Besides Kontakt 5 Player ist just Demo-Content and is temporally limited per Session. Even Indepence didn't seem to work although it's from the same Producers of my Software. I've tested this out with Freeware-VST and most of them worked absolutely well, others completely not and some not quite right. But I won't bother with that Demo & Freeware-Stuff too much and will rather save for Shreddage - it sounds absolutely amazing - just have listened to this amazing Chrono Trigger remix made with Shreddage. https://soundcloud.com/isworks/shreddage-2-corridors-of-time Meanwhile I will try to get a good sound with my vst guitars and other settings or I'll make some progress on my other 2 remixes I'm working at the moment. One's a soothing remix with Piano, Drums that give a nice underwater feelin' and Pads that underline this atmosphere (it's called "Donkey Kong Country - Aquatic Anthem" - will upload a working title version of this soon) - so I don't have to bother with the guitars in this case. =))

I had installed Kontakt 5 and the free instrument library today but I couldn't do anything with it - and there seemed to be no possibility to put the instruments via vst in my DAW. So I deleted Kontakt 5 and this stuff later on. But I have uploaded another one of this critical part - but this time with an acoustic guitar of my DAW as a basis. It fucks up that one single high not in the beginning - but the rest of the part sounds not really bad. https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/tyrant-breaker-acoustic-guitar-testwav Have an ear at it - tomorrow maybe. :DD

Yeah, but the problem is, that I don't own Kontakt 5 Player or Native Instruments. (or is Kontakt 5 completely free without being just shareware and already contains some nice electric guitars?) For the short guitar part... could be that you can't listen to it 'cause I've "just" uploaded the extracted electric guitar part. Maybe in some hours it's possible. Can you listen to the other versions at my Soundcloud profile - both, WAVs and MP3s? https://soundcloud.com/master-mi

Yeah, so I guess I will save some Buckazoids for Shreddage 2 if I don't get any good results with my electric guitars and Vandals - but I'll try a lil bit before I give up with those. Do you know ift Shreddage can be used as stand alone program if it doesn't work with my DAW? Besides I've extracted the layer of the electric guitars in the end - it begins with a single high tone series and gets an additional bass line with a similar electric guitar setting after the first seconds leading into a long main part with a high tone series and a bass tone series of the same electric guitar, ending with an additional electric guitar the pops in with a slightly higher volume (which I will fix later, maybe). https://soundcloud.com/master-mi/lufia-2-tyrant-breaker-e-guitar-testwav (will delete this after a few days/weeks) The beginning sounds pretty scratchy and awful high - but the following main part isn't too bad I think and has at least some glide effects cause of the minimal delay and hall reverb settings I guess. How would you change this to make this sound better? (I've also tried some acoustic & lead guitars instead of the electric guitar as a basis - but these totally peg up at the highest note in the beginning - unfortunately.)

Have some self-made presets for my guitar amplifier but I still can't get right into these sounds - maybe I have to try some other settings in there - or maybe I have to buy some guitar VSTs with higher quality like Ministry Of Rock. For the guitar playing styles... What do you think? Do these obvious pros do those guitar effects just within the choice of notes in the midi editor or do they do it rather with the special functions like pitch bending etc.?

Guile Theme goes with everything. So for me I totally like this short one. I think a calm orchestral version also fits Guile as well as a pretty heavy beat. I've thought about making a theme like Guiles with a smooth flute like in this Remix of Star Tropics - I guess it would totally make this theme. =))

@ Neblix: I use Magix Music Maker - it's the lil bit lower priced version of Sequoia/Samplitude (which is pretty tough with about 2500 bucks (Euro)). It guess it's not so famous at the global market (maybe) but I decided to take this one which has much more solid basis of functions and a lot more instruments and synthesizers compared to the standard version of Fruity Loops oder Cubase Elements which are nearly the same price section. Just bought some of the extra instruments here (which are actually pretty good stuff) - but at the third of the download price by buying some very cheap previous versions of the Music Maker where these instruments have been already included. http://www.magix.com/de/hidden-extras/zusatzinstrumente/

You mean the FX/Equalizer panel up there in the mixer? (audio next to it is just the recording function for the live input of real instruments and voices) http://magazine.magix.com/de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/04/open-vst-via-mixer.jpg No I haven't done this yet in my newest uploads - but i've tried it once and it makes the master volume about 30 dB louder without FX/EQ settings - but the same goes for the exported version.

So, Pitch Bending is actually the Midi Editor Controller Function for the bendings and vibratos you do with guitars? =)) Thanks for the LFO hint - have some other synthesizers that work with that stuff, too.

Do you how I can do this in Midi-Editors or DAWs in general? I'm not quite sure if this is the pitch bend function of the controller in the midi editor or sumthin' else.

Maybe I should have mentioned that the volume that I hear in my DAW project is far louder than the maximal volume I can hear in the Windows Media Player and after the upload on Youtube/Soundcloud after the exported version. So the maximal volume level sinks a lot after exporting. So I have to make the Master Volume a bit louder (about 30 dB) than my ears like - to achieve the same loudness in the exported version of my composition.

Nice EQ guide - thx. I guess with the RMS thing and the crest factor I would handle it more practical to get the right loudness of the song. Since I have another stereo headphone without an extra volume control (so a fixed volume of the hardware)- and after I have finished my first remix at the right volume level - I will remember the exactly level of the master volume where it sounds just right and full in things like loudness - and add a fixed size of dB in the master volume afterwards to get the right volume for the export version. =)) Monkey tactics I guess - sometimes old but gold.

Not bad - kinda like the Corneria Theme. =)) Maybe try to underline the power chords with a more powerful extra bass line and it will be quite perfect.

I' ve just checked out the EQ thing. It lowers the at most possible master volume (right below clipping) a lot - just by ear I would says it makes a difference up to 30 % of loudness (if you put an EQ over every instrument or not). That's the gain I would need to make it sound like the other songs. @timaeus222: So you would everything try to do to avoid equalizers (or just the EQ presets?) in general and make the whole sound just by the instruments and synthesizers?

I 've just found a nice video in which Ron Gilbert, the producer of the game called Maniac Mansion, is talking about the background and the sources of the ideas that were put right into the game. It's really interesting - especially if you're a fan of those oldschool games that were pretty famous in those days (and still nowadays ).

Man, this could be the reason! I remember that I have configured every instrument layer in the mixer with an EQ preset (Hi-Fi-Sound with raised volume of basses/low frequencies and high frequencies). I will try to remove these settings and put this EQ preset maybe better over the whole track afterwards.