Master Mi   Members

@pixelseph

Yo, dude, I finally finished the guitar part and the whole remix project.

Gave some of my best shots in terms of my momentary composing, instrumental and mixing skills.
So I'm really lookin' forward to your critical opinion of a professional guitarist. ))

I posted the full version of my remix in the forum "Post Your Game ReMixes!".
The remix is called "Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 - Wings Of Freedom (Master Mi Remix)".

It's been closed and archived. We don't get enough discussion related traffic on the forums anymore to warrant a separate section for "off-topic" discussion.

Congratulations! 
I missed an epochal event( 
I joined OCR sometime in 2010. It was an unexpected discovery!
In fact, I got access to the Internet at the end of 2009 (I live in a village).
The first thing I started looking for on the Internet was music.. I came across this place through tindeck when I was looking for something like covers for Contra Hard Corps. And Google gave me an artist like "Death by spoon" (AMT).
My search led me here. What I found here blew my mind. I didn't even imagine that such a place was possible. Ironically, at that time I didn't find any CHC remixes on OCR, but I did find Sixto sounds, goat, Snappleman, lvl 99 and many others (sorry if I didn't mention you).
I've learned a lot here. I'm thankful to this place and people who helped me in advice and direction(Rozovian is the best BOSS ever!)
Of course, I had some complaints. Something I still don't understand here) But I liked this place and I hope to come back to this stream..
Thank YOU OCR PEOPLE!
 

Enhanced sound experiment with mono/stereo signal sources and mono/stereo reverb effects
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I've probably taken my time with this, although this undesirable lobbyist government in my country is also producing a lot of problems these days (to cut a long story short: neoliberal bullshit politics >>> approval of a really hefty 500 billion euros primarily for arms companies, the military and war >>> in return, massive austerity measures for public and municipal budgets as well as a considerable reduction in public contracts mostly for critical infrastructure and the most existentially necessary things >>> mass redundancies at companies, including mine, which had primarily specialized in public construction, planting and vegetation maintenance contracts >>> I was also laid off after no major construction contracts had been recorded since the beginning of the year and my company had only been able to pay wages in chunks for the last few months >>> yeah, it radically sucks... once again).

But apart from the not entirely voluntary job search, I can at least take all my remaining vacation these days and, after creating 4 different versions of my Crisis Core remix and doing the final checks of the audio samples on various audio playback systems, I was also able to complete my long-announced sound experiment and present it to you now.

…

With this sound experiment, I wanted to investigate the extent to which mono and stereo signal sources as well as mono and stereo reverb effects can be used in different combinations in order to primarily improve the clarity and spatiality in the mix and thus further increase the mixing quality.

I have examined four main variants and compared them in detail:

1) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
2) Mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
3) Mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
4) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends

I tried to reproduce the four versions as faithfully as possible, taking particular care to ensure that the positioning of the signal sources (i.e. the instruments in this case) and aux reverb effects in the panorama were all correct and that the loudness ratios between the signal sources and the aux reverb effects were maintained without significant changes.

This was quite time-consuming precision work with extremely fine, often multiple loudness measurements for each track within each of these four versions.

The final listening tests of the audio samples (four full-length soundtrack versions + the soundtrack excerpts presented here, as well as further mono compatibility checks of the four complete soundtrack versions + mono compatibility checks of the four soundtrack excerpts) on a variety of tested audio playback systems (Yamaha MSP3 studio monitors, Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro studio headphones, Presonus Eris E4.5 studio monitors, a somewhat larger stereo system as well as a somewhat smaller, kitchen-radio-like stereo system or my HD MP3 player, for example) also really took a lot of time.

But these detailed comparisons, for which I also made a few notes on clarity and spatiality in the mix as well as on special things with regard to the overall sound impression, have provided me with some really important insights that I will take into account in the future application of my dynamic mixing concept “Life Force” and which have given me further certainty that I am probably on the right path in this respect.

…

And so let's start right away with the first version:


1) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
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The track mainly contains signal sources or instruments in the stereo version (playing only on the outermost sides without further center participation in the panorama).
I reduced a few signal sources (electric bass and kick drum) to centered mono signal sources to further improve clarity in the mix, while some other signal sources (all other drum elements) are present with a stereo width reduced to approx. 50% (playing between the outermost sides and the center in the stereo panorama, so to speak).

All aux reverb effects are stereo in this version (but they only play on the outer sides without center participation).

In the following audio sample, you can also hear the third and final electric guitar track for the previously mentioned part for the first time, which I wanted to compose in addition as part of my prior considerations (new electric guitar begins around minute 0:39 and plays on the left side in the stereo panorama) and which has really enhanced the electric guitar part and the overall sound ambience at this point:

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Stereo And Mono Source Signals + Stereo Reverb Version.mp3

As I had already used an electric lead guitar and a clean electric guitar for the big guitar part, I also wanted to use another individual setting for the third electric guitar.

I decided on a crunch setting, for which I first experimented a little with a “Funk Frog” wah-wah effect.

However, as this sounded far too playful in the context of the serious background of the soundtrack, I later deactivated this effect and instead used some really nice chorus and flanger effects in combination with the crunch setting, which made this electric guitar sound a bit more out of this world and also blended in really well with the soundscape of the other electric guitars.

Here is a screenshot of this new electric guitar setting in my Vandal guitar amp plugin:




After careful consideration, I also decided to use this first version of my mix as the new version for my remix, as I still find it to be the best overall package in terms of clarity, spatiality and the general sound quality of the mix, even after my extensive listening tests on various audio playback systems.

Nevertheless, the following versions also have a few outstanding features that could be useful in certain mixing situations.


2) Mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
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In this version, I used only mono signal sources (with a comparable positioning in the panorama as the previous stereo signal sources) and added an individual stereo reverb to each of them via aux sends in order to achieve a corresponding spatial effect, while at the same time trying to significantly increase the clarity of the mix:

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Source Signals + Stereo Reverb Version.mp3

When listening on some audio playback systems, I actually had the feeling that this mixing approach was able to slightly increase the clarity in the mix in comparison to the first version.
But on the other hand, this seemed to be at the expense of the spatial effect in the mix, whereby the connection between the playing instruments also seemed to get lost a little.


3) Mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
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After the seemingly minor improvements in clarity to the detriment of the spatial effect in the mix with the previous mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb send version, I naturally wanted to find out whether the clarity in the mix could be increased even further if you combine the existing mono signal sources with mono aux reverb instead of stereo aux reverb sends:

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Source Signals + Mono Reverb Version.mp3

And indeed, I had the impression that at some points in the remix (especially in the large part with the three electric guitars) this increased the clarity in the mix a little bit and you could hear the individual instruments even more clearly.

But on the flip side, the whole thing seemed to worsen the spatial effect of the mix even further, while the individual instruments seemed even more detached from each other and somehow disjointed.
On some audio playback systems, the spatiality and reverb in the mix even seemed downright strange.

I sometimes even had the impression that this mixing approach tore some holes in the stereo panorama and that the mix sounded very thin at some points (especially at the beginning of the audio sample, when there weren't quite as many instruments playing).

Nevertheless, such a mixing approach with well-placed mono signal sources and mono aux effects could perhaps come into play if you are confronted with such a complex and extremely extensive mix, whose stereo panorama is already fully utilized or even radically overstuffed, for example in such a remix here, in which a large number of instruments and other signal sources play simultaneously at various points in the soundtrack:
 


4) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
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For the sake of completeness, I still wanted to find out how the mix behaves if I simply combine stereo and mono signal sources with mono aux reverb sends, which then sounds like this:

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Stereo And Mono Source Signals + Mono Reverb Version.mp3

This doesn't sound bad either, but here too the spatial effect seems to suffer considerable losses, while the reverb also seems to sound somehow strange and to be downright dominated and drowned out in the interplay with the predominant stereo signal sources of the instruments.


…

So much for that.

However, as promised, I also wanted to carry out a further mono compatibility check for these four different mixing versions as part of a more detailed examination.

This can be done quite easily with a DAW by simply switching the master track (this contains all the individual tracks in the music project) to mono in the mixer view at the touch of a button in this master track, of course only temporarily for control purposes.

This not only sets all tracks in the mix to mono sources, they are also centered in the stereo panorama, which means that a stereo width is non-existent, so to say.

And this also means that all signal sources and effects are virtually superimposed and squashed in a centered point in the panorama.

On the one hand, some sound engineers do this test to get a vague idea of how well the mix translates or reproduces on a mono audio playback device.

On the other hand, by centering all available signal sources and tracks with the master track mono button, you can find out whether there are any gross frequency overlaps between the various signal sources and effects (can be fixed by the precise use of EQ plug-ins, for example) or even serious phase cancellations (which can cause some sound elements to literally drown out in the mix).


But let's start right away with the mono compatibility control tests of the four tracks.


M1) Mono compatibility check - a mix of stereo and mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
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CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Compatibility Check - Stereo And Mono Source Signals + Stereo Reverb Version.mp3

M2) Mono compatibility check - mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
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CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Compatibility Check - Mono Source Signals + Stereo Reverb Version.mp3

M3) Mono compatibility check - mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Compatibility Check - Mono Source Signals + Mono Reverb Version.mp3

M4) Mono compatibility check - a mix of stereo and mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

CC - FF7 Remix (Excerpt) - Mono Compatibility Check - Stereo And Mono Source Signals + Mono Reverb Version.mp3

…

To summarize, I would say that even in the mono compatibility checks of the 4 versions, the first version with the well thought-out mix of stereo and mono signal sources and the stereo reverb aux sends performs best as an overall package.

The first version not only convinces with a really good clarity and perceptibility of all instruments and effects in the mix, but also with a really good representation of the spatial depth and the spatial coherence of the sound sources.

Once again, the second version with the mono signal sources and stereo aux reverb sends as well as the third version with the mono signal sources and mono aux reverb sends seem to perform slightly better in terms of clarity in the mix.
Nevertheless, the instruments in these versions sound a little more static, a little less spatial and less coherent than in the first version, while the reverb also sounds a little strange in some places or even seems to overlay and dominate some instruments.

The fourth version with the combined stereo and mono signal sources and mono reverb aux sends comes off worst here in my opinion, because this somehow strange and sometimes stalled-sounding reverb does least justice to my actual intention as a composer and sound designer.

…

Certainly, the differences between the four versions here are more in the range of nuances, since I was able to achieve the far more resounding improvements in the mix with some of the previous mixing approaches and sound experiments.

But I believe that with this second major stereo and mono sound experiment and with the previous first stereo width sound experiment from December 20, 2024 (with the title: "Using specific stereo widths for instrument and direct signal tracks for more clarity and assertiveness in the mix and for a more impressive representation of panorama and spatiality in the soundtrack"), I was able to demonstrate quite well that you can not only clean up a mix in terms of frequency.

You can also clean up a mix by making more efficient use of the panorama or by using different stereo widths for signal sources and aux effect sends in the mix, whether you turn critical stereo sources completely into mono sources or simply reduce the stereo width of some stereo sources so that other signal sources have more space in the stereo panorama in order to be better perceived in the mix.

…

But I'm still curious to hear your opinions on the subject and very interested to hear your listening impressions of the four different mixing approaches. ))

…

In my next and possibly last post on this topic within this thread for now (I want to throw myself back into the passion of composing), I will show you the full version of my new Crisis Core remix and, as a comparison, upload the previous version of this remix from about 8 years ago as an audio streaming file.

Because that was about the time when I started to deal much more profoundly with the topics of composition, mixing and sound design in many smaller and larger steps, while about 12 years ago (around 2013), through a few lucky coincidences (one of which was the OCRemix community) and without any previous musical knowledge, I stumbled into the topic of DAWs & remixes and some time later took the first awkward but joyful and curious steps in this direction with my first version of a DAW. ))

We removed this entire Review system from the PYGR forum years ago. It was not really used, placed a lot of stress and pressure on a small number of staff  members, and just added a second, completely extraneous layer of bureaucracy to OCR's pipeline.
Overall we're de-emphasizing tags across the forum. Most people did not use them in any meaningful way.

Hey all, I've updated our default theme to the new dark mode theme. This new theme reflects some of the style changes that have been made up front on the main site. If you notice any glaring issues with the new theme, please make a thread for the specific problem you notice in our Site Issues & Feedback forum so that I can address it specifically.
Our old theme is still available in the theme selector at the bottom of the forum page if you prefer the light version.
ENJOY!
-- DarkeSword

Well it's been about a week or two, so as the new guy in charge, I figure I ought to say something, right?
When djpretzel started the process of handing over the keys to the family car, I have to admit I was pretty overwhelmed. OCR is one of the oldest and most rock-solid sites on the internet; I've often said that we're older than YouTube, older than smartphones, and older than a lot of things on the internet that, by virtue of their ubiquity, feel like institutions. OCR is an institution. There's a lot of weight in those keys.
So what am I going to do with OCR now that I'm in the driver's seat? In the short term: keep driving. Our main goal is going to be continuity; that is to say, keep posting ReMixes on a regular basis. We've got a pretty big backlog of ReMixes that are ready for the spotlight, and our excellent and talented community continues to send us new music all the time, so we're not worried about running out. But there sure is a lot of behind-the-scenes process involved with getting these tracks in your ears, so bear with us while the staff--with djpretzel's help--figures all of this out.
I still believe that there's a case to be made for the curation model that we've developed and adhered to for 20+ years, so we're still going to have a Judges Panel that's going to evaluate submissions, and the bar for quality that the judges look for isn't shifting in any direction.
One of our goals in this changeover is to decentralize a lot of process off of one person. djpretzel did a lot on his own, and as we look at some things behind-the-scenes, maybe he didn't have to. I want OCR to be a place that can be run by a trusted group of people without a single point-of-failure. Case-in-point: literally one week after I take on leadership at OCR, my 8-month-old son brings home COVID from somewhere and gets the whole house sick, and we're having OCR staff meetings and figuring out how to post ReMixes while I'm coughing up a lung. Unbelievable. So I'm also hoping to bring more people onto the OCR staff. I've already pulled in some folks from the community, and we're going to figure out how to provide avenues for more people to help out if they're interested. Keep an eye out.
Beyond that though, I've got a couple of ideas for improvements and features that have been brewing for a while that I'm going to start to pursue, leveraging some existing tech we already have and also exploring some new tech. For those that are unaware, my day job is working as a web and application developer at a major university. It's something I've been doing for 15 years and I have a pretty solid handle on building database-driven web applications. I'm going to bring a little of that experience to OCR, and hopefully we can eventually have some cool toys and tools in place to help move the site forward. Some things to look forward to:
I've already put together a Currently in the Judging Process dashboard for ReMixers and hopefuls to keep an eye on. It's a live view of the judging process without having to wait for a Judge to update a forum thread. We're actively developing and testing a proper Submission form for ReMixers and hopefuls to use when sending us music. We've been asking you to send us an email for far too long. That's going to change. We've put together a "stream team" to evaluate how we can do more with our YouTube channel and even get things going on Twitch in some capacity. There are a lot more things we're talking about internally as well, but I don't want to over-promise anything right now.
If you have ideas for OCR, feel free to share them in our Site Issues & Feedback forum. I'd also love for folks to come by and join our OC ReMix Discord server. I know the forums have been pretty sleepy for a few years now, but the chat server is lively and active. Hope to see you there.

Found myself with a hankering to listen to some of that cool, mellow guitar goodness from Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.  But rather than listening to the soundtrack on Youtube, I figured I would look it up on here and see what people have made.
I didn't find a single song.  Like, I'm doing the search thing correctly, right?  There are ZERO Crisis Core remixes listed here?  Right?
Weird, man.  Weird.
Alan

I tried to keep this brief, but as you might know, that's not my forte.
FIRST, the facts...
On October 28th I informed staff that I was stepping down from my role as president/admin/owner/etc. of OverClocked ReMix, and on November 1st I also stepped down from the board of Game Music Initiative, the 501c3 non-profit organization that funds OCR. In short, I no longer feel I have the bandwidth to do these roles justice and to not only maintain, but advance, the missions of both projects. I will be working with Shariq Ansari (DarkeSword) to transition my responsibilities and ensure continuity of operations. The (excellent!) mix posted on Halloween was published without my direct involvement, subsequent posts up to the milestone #OCR04500 have been superbly executed, and I am confident that staff will continue the work necessary to operate - and evolve - OCR in my absence. I will be even less available than I have been, lately, so I apologize in advance for any lack of responsiveness.
THEN, the feels...
Where to even begin?
It's hard to encapsulate over two decades of history; omissions are inevitable. What began as a neat side project I started in my parents' basement in 1999 snowballed into something far beyond my wildest expectations, due to the blood, sweat, tears, and unbridled, rampant creativity that thousands of you have contributed. Much of this happened before social media was even a thing and before the platforms/services we now heavily associate with the modern internet had come into being; it was a frontier, and we were on it, and we took it pretty seriously because we knew how amazing VGM is, how creative arrangements could effectively convey and explore that vast musical landscape, and how a small fandom communicating via email, IRC, & forums could collaborate to build mighty, new things. We took it seriously, often too seriously, but we ALSO played more than a few rounds of Shaq-Fu at conventions, made some truly ridiculous (but always musical!) joke mixes, and developed internal circles of lore with our own memes & jargon.
NOT in strictly chronological order: there was some drama with now-legendary composer Jake Kaufman; VGMix entered the fray; we added a judges panel so it wasn't just me making stuff up; we released our first community album; the unmoderated forum birthed its own sort of... subculture; the site itself evolved to be database-driven and not just two giant dropdowns sorted by game/date; we posted mixes submitted by composers George "The Fat Man" Sanger and Jeremy Soule; we met/interviewed Hiroki Kikuta and Nobuo Uematsu; our album trailers by the incomparable José the Bronx Rican started blowing minds; we started appearing in person at Otakon, PAX, MAG, others - much love to all for having us; we bumped into Leeroy Jenkins at ROFLcon and gave him a hoodie; we started hosting from our own server and managing the technical side of things ourselves; thanks to Mr. Shael Riley (among others!), we got to remix the music for an actual Street Fighter game (!!); we released fifteen more albums...
...and then we turned ten, on December 11th of 2009.
Quite a first decade, and I missed hundreds of things I shouldn't have. Hundreds of firsts, some tragic lasts, and millions of memories that can't quite be conjured by words.
In 2011, we stood up for Fair Use at World’s Fair Use Day, an event organized by the non-profit Public Knowledge.
In 2012, we launched our kickstarter for Final Fantasy VI: Balance and Ruin, it was taken down, we talked with Square lawyers directly for a couple hours and made the non-profit project structure clear & contractual, and we relaunched a successful kickstarter. That's not always how those things go!
We launched Game Music Initiative in 2016, creating an official 501c3 charity to formalize the finances around OCR and potentially support other VGM-related projects, too. On a related note, I’ve absolutely loved seeing OC ReMixes featured by charity speedrunners Games Done Quick (GDQ) - it’s exactly the type of thing I always wanted to see, that synergy.
Things do start getting a little quieter from then on out, and I think there are a ton of reasons for that, but it has been an incredible and improbable journey that I wouldn't have missed for the world. Thank you ALL for making it possible; OCR was always yours, I aspired only to stewardship of something I wanted to exist for everyone.
FINALLY, the future…
It's time - some would say past time - for OverClocked ReMix itself to be ReMixed.
That's the point, right?
Infinite permutation; endless possibility.
You don't always know the day, month, or even year when your influence on something starts holding it back, or when the waning amount of time and energy you can dedicate becomes a liability. That type of certainty is often elusive; it can be a difficult diagnosis to even contemplate, and you need to look for & listen to signs. In addition to just being too much of a single point of failure for OCR (sorry, engineering mindset), the last year I've been asking myself whether it was time to let go, and I think the answer is sometimes in the asking. I have been stretched thin, like butter scraped over too much bread, and that's when you leave the Shire.
Beyond representing what I genuinely believe is best for the future of OCR, I absolutely confess a personal wish to redirect reclaimed time & energy to my family and my own music. Being a husband to my wife Anna and being a father to our daughters Esther and Sarah is my meaning; I have always put them first, but now I can put them even MORE first. Esther just started learning trombone, so in a few years, expect a collab! Sarah is building her confidence learning piano & makes me proud every day. I want to write new music for them, and with them, and that requires more time than I've had.
I believe the principles that have driven us - embracing all games & all styles of music, emphasizing interpretation & creativity, offering both curation and critique, and providing a non-commercial platform for those who seek it - are truly timeless, but there are many ways to honor them.
I look to the new leadership/staff to galvanize, streamline, diversify, and re-imagine, within that immense space.
I'll be leaving them with some ideas of my own; please let them know yours. I ask the community to support them, embrace change, provide guidance, and be patient; I believe it will be worth it!
Thanks,
- djpretzel
 

@AshleyXR
Yeah, pretty much the perfect beat to knock the teeth out of drunken hooligans, fascists, their greedy capitalist sponsors and merchants of war.
Though their connections are not limited to a few countries, it rather seems to be a global phenomenon, depending on where the big money of the rich 'n' greedy people flows - quite similar to the Shadaloo organization, which also spins their webs or "fasciae" secretly around the globe.

I'm really not happy to have to live in an era of continuous downfall again, especially when I think that my birthright to grow up in a socialist society was literally taken away from me by some greedy sons of bitches.

But as a martial artist who grew up with Japanese full-contact karate, I somehow still have hope that, in the worst case scenario, I won't have to stand completely alone with such often cowardly, opportunistic followers of Western German and European beer and schnitzel patriots.

Since many Arabs, especially devout Muslims, have come here, I have the feeling that the tide has turned somewhat, that fascists will no longer have such an easy time terrorizing people here and that the newer generation of neo-Nazis in particular are really getting knocked out in the respective neighbourhoods.

For me, it was really impressive to experience the down-to-earth, straightforward, virtuous and warm-hearted nature of the Muslim people on the one hand - and on the other, the impetuous fighting spirit, pride and sense of justice when they encounter disrespectful, unjust and malicious people.

Sometimes just one of them can be some sort of a Saiyan-like one-man invasion or a small Saladin army in itself.

I followed some media reports where, for example, an Arab teenager was racially insulted by an adult German, who then even wanted to get violent, but the Arab teenager only gave him about three punches, the consequences of which killed the adult within a short time.

Certainly questionable from a moral point of view, but truly impressive in terms of fighting force.

You will rarely see hardcore hooligans and neo-Nazis fool around in a Muslim hood, and they won't even dare to terrorize the people there for too long.
Because they'll easily get engulfed in the flames of the battle they tried to start there, learning the hard way through massive pain, loss and humiliation as a just punishment for disrespectful behavior.

As I have occasionally dealt with Muslims and refugees from the Arab world in my job and have often talked to them, I have noticed that some of them are also active in martial arts and often have a really good education, not to mention the many natural beauties among the really cute oriental ladies.

...

Kinda chaotic but interesting times and strokes of fate these days.

...

But back to the "real" (digital) Street Fighter series.

I also think that Street Fighter 6 doesn't have too many memorable soundtracks besides Ed's theme "König oder Feigling".

But I strongly believe that it's quite hard and annoying for the composers to make new remixes of the iconic character themes one after another for every new Street Fighter game.
Sometimes you really have to try out new soundtracks, new styles and music genres to evolve as a composer and enjoy the variety of new attempts.

This doesn't always meet the taste of most fans.
But sometimes it works out quite well.

I remember that the developers of the Street Fighter series had a similar approach with completely new character themes in Street Fighter Alpha 3 for Playstation (still own this game).

And this game had at least a few pretty nice new tunes, for example Ryu's theme "The Road":
 
 

no yeah this theme rocks actually!
i didnt bother listening to much of sf6's ost since it didnt interest me that much but this theme stands out compared to the others in my opinion from what i've heard. maybe i should go back and listen again. i think music wise my favourite part would have to be the rhythm guitar. the groove for it works really well in hand with the song!
i think its also neat how the song really does act as a theme for Ed as a character, like you said since even the beginning kind of wraps back to when he was abducted when it says "as if the core had been taken out of me at some point", unless thats just me looking into it too much lol

I just came across it recently when a good friend told me that the Street Fighter series now also has a German character called Ed (who's been around since at least Street Fighter 5, though).
And when I recently happened to listen to Ed's soundtrack theme with the real title "König oder Feigling" (it means "King or Coward") you will hear directly in the fight, it really knocked my socks off a bit, as it reached my expectant bunny knight ears in the form of a really stylish German rap track (a genre that is enjoying great popularity in this country these days).

Here's a version of the soundtrack with English subtitles:
 


Really charming groove, good messages, snappy rhymes and lush punchlines that keep building up, especially after the first part - plus the excellent electric guitar lines in the background.
The skillful mix of rap and rock has a bit of a pretty cool Run-D.M.C. vibe.

Basically a really good soundtrack that literally invites you to a workout, a spontaneous street fight or a more metaphorical battle against the adversities of life.

The soundtrack was sung by Blumio, a Japanese rapper who grew up in Germany.

The content of the soundtrack seems to be about both the life of the rapper and the life of the German character Ed.
According to the story, Ed was abducted as a child or teenager by the criminal organization Shadaloo (or "Shadowlaw"), which deals in biochemical psycho-drugs and recruits many of the strongest fighters in the world, and was brought on the organization's course with these psycho-drugs and experiments, which apparently took away part of his soul in exchange for special powers based on "Psycho Power".

He was prophesied that he would lose his ego or soul when he reached adulthood.
And due to his superior fighting skills, he was destined to become the new heir to the throne of this organization, or at least his physical shell.

Yet...
The small spark of soul and willpower he still has left seems to be fighting back and fighting a completely new battle, the fate of which is still written in the stars.

...

It is also interesting in this context that the Shadaloo organization was modelled on the Nazis or the fascist movement in general.

Apart from a siegrune or a lightning bolt that appears in the skull logo of the Shadaloo organization, which is decorated with eagle wings, the Nazis also used various psychedelic drugs such as Pervitin (see "Panzerschokolade" or "tank chocolate") or methamphetamine to break people's wills and souls and turn them into performance-enhanced, disinhibited, but nevertheless obedient, brainwashed, unresisting fighting machines always ready for action (in the long term at the expense of their health and ultimately their lives) in line with their much more champagne-sipping and less combative leaders.

Presumably the higher-ranking or "chosen" Nazis saw themselves as the leaders of an elite Roman state with a few leashed Celtic berserk warriors in the front row, who could be put into a fighting frenzy at the push of a button through appropriate propaganda, fear, hard punishments and psychedelic drugs and sent into any war without any bigger restance to be able to make use of the treasures and resources of other countries in a completely imperialistic manner.

However, these elitist wannabes, many of whom came from high society or were at least their bootlickers, have probably forgotten something important that characterized the culture of the Celts and indigenous peoples in general.

After all, a bioelectric form of energy called life force, which has many different names depending on the culture, can also - or in particular - put people into a state of ecstasy, bliss, joy and raging fighting spirit in a completely natural way.

And apart from these artificial drugs, to which rather weak and small-minded people are susceptible, life force is also able to unleash one's own soul, which literally invites one to follow one's true nature or natural instincts against all odds ...
... perhaps remotely comparable to an untamed wild animal that also bites the hands of those who try to control it and keep it on a short leash for their own purposes.

...

I have no idea whether, according to the Japanese game developers, this might also be a subliminal plot motif for the character Ed (who is perhaps trying to break out of the organization's control and go his own way), precisely because many Japanese developers of video games, films and anime often make such subliminal 'n' pretty witty allusions.

But apart from the really good and meaningful message of always going your own way despite all adversity and following your true convictions, the soundtrack, especially in terms of composition ideas, is quite the banger. ))

I might try a slightly more philosophical approach.

A critical person might generally find it difficult to place 100% trust in a technology that they did not develop themselves, in the midst of a universe that they did not create (or at least not completely on their own).

Based on the law of cause and effect, every life, every deed, every thought, every emotion, every energy and cause presumably leaves some kind of smaller or larger traces in the world - whether online or offline.

The crucial question is rather how much trust or caution (both are justified) you put into your life and the things around you.
Sometimes a little more courage pays off, sometimes caution is the better decision in terms of life.

If you are afraid of data leaks or the loss of sensitive data, but still want to take advantage of the internet, I would simply not use any or as little sensitive data as possible on the computer or technological device you use to access the internet, or maybe change the way how you use the internet.

Cell phones were once used to be reachable in emergencies (I still use them in this way - although I could easily live without a cell phone away from work) and not to immortalize almost your entire life on them, which could cause some serious problems in terms of data security and privacy in the event of loss.

Nor do I have to use every convenience of modern civilization.
I still get along really well without online banking and other such conveniences.

...

I don't want to spill out any excessive campfire stories about the good old days.

But according to my memory, there was a time of the Internet before the age of complex browsers and search engines, when kids used to hammer some weird terms directly into the URL line and, with a bit of luck, ended up on really bizarre websites (and that was probably only a quarter of a century ago).

I wouldn't be at all surprised if even nowadays some people still occasionally end up on OC Remix in exactly the same way - like a few happily stranded Argonians, who were able to hide from Zoda and his space pirates just because they didn't use any modern browsers and search engines, or because they didn't put any selfies with their magic cubes on the already alien-slime-infested platform X.

Hey just so you know, this whole "they don't care about privacy anymore" is 100% fucking nonsense. Mozilla does not say that they can use your data however they want. This is also part of the terms of literally any site you upload anything to; the service needs to say "you grant us the right to do things with your work so that our service can actually function." For example: uploading a picture to Bluesky? Bluesky asserts the right to transform your work so that they can generate a thumbnail of the picture you uploaded.
That's what these terms always mean. It's never about a service or a piece of software asserting ownership of your data. It's about you granting them a baseline level of permissions so that they can actually do the things you need them to do with the data you give them. This type of "company is stealing your work" scaremongering makes the rounds every few months in art communities and every single time someone has to clarify that companies are not stealing your work.
Mozilla is not claiming ownership of your work. Mozilla is not throwing privacy to the winds.
Instead of watching a clickbait video that perpetuates the same stupid misunderstandings, maybe go directly to the source and actually read what Mozilla has to say about it?
Also, Brave is the second-to-last browser you should be using (behind Chrome). Brave has engaged with scummy shit such as:
Replacing ads on pages with its own ads and taking a cut Putting their own affiliate links in search suggestions Installing a VPN on Windows without notifying users Numerous partnerships with cryptocurrency firms If you want a reliable browser that's not Firefox, there are plenty of options like Orion, Waterfox, Ungoogled Chromium, Arc, etc.
Brave is not it.
EDIT: But also just keep using Firefox.

Tips for the final checks of a mix and a better use of delay effects for more clarity in the mix
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Good news.

My Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 remix is finally finished.
In terms of composition and mixing, I had already finished the remix according to my plan shortly after Christmas.

I've also uploaded the finished remix to various streaming platforms a few weeks ago.
But before I share it with you here on OC Remix, I would like to spread the following information and tips on the subject of final checks of a mix and setting delay parameters for a cleaner mix in addition to a further, somewhat more in-depth sound experiment on working with mono and stereo sound sources for the sake of cleaner mixing (this will be in my next post within this mixing thread, because this already quite long, comprehensive post would otherwise go massively beyond the scope here).

I also found a really good solution for the remaining electric guitar track I wanted to compose in line with my vision of the soundscape and the mixing in the song "Everytime We Touch" sung by Maggie Reilly.
This one got an incredible vibe and radically elevates the entire electric guitar section in my Crisis Core remix once again.

I have also greatly increased the MIDI velocity dynamics at suitable points in the soundtrack once more.

The whole composition and mix is really good now and I'm absolutely satisfied and confident with it.
Even a friend of mine, who is by far the most critical listener of my tracks in my circle of friends, told me that he now likes my new remix version even better than the original track "The Price of Freedom" - and that really says a lot, especially for someone who nearly always finds original soundtracks better than most remixes of them.

...

The bad news is that the final checks, where I actually checked each of the 45 tracks (23 instrument tracks and 22 aux send tracks) in detail and sometimes changed and adjusted minor things until I was absolutely satisfied, took much longer than expected (ranging from a few minutes to over an hour per track).

Then, after Christmas, I also met up again with a good friend, gamer buddy and passionate fan of the Japanese culture from my student days, who I hadn't met for a good 2 years because he had quit his really good job in the civil service due to some serious upheavals with a superior, moved back near his relaxed home village and this year, after several applications, found a job in the civil service again with apparently much more pleasant and far-sighted superiors.
I was really looking forward to finally continuing to watch the legendary martial arts anime "Fist of the North Star" with him after all this time.

In addition, another friend asked me the days after Christmas if it would be possible to have a few gaming days.
And together we played through Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 Reunion right into the new year and, after several attempts, even managed to defeat the hardest secret boss in the whole game.

The really funny thing after waking up on the first day of the new year was that my mailbox showed exactly 777 unread emails (mostly DAW, VSTi and synthesizer news, which I often skip because I'm pretty happy with the stuff I own, want to use it better before buying new stuff and prefer to radically improve my composing skills these days).
When the number 777 shows up during the modulation phase in Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 (Reunion), it means a level-up for the main character Zack.

But I've really gotten used to such mystical numbers in my life.
There have been far more gnarly cases, starting with some rather trivial-looking shopping receipts with a bill of exactly 7.77 euros, plus the number 777, which I once drew at the citizens' office for the waiting list, then when I googled the world population in 2020 and it was apparently exactly 7,77 billion people or when I was on the search engine Ecosia (a rather idealistic company that uses most of its income for ecological projects such as tree planting and growing organic food in the world) and this page showed exactly 7777777 planted trees that had been planted with the help of Ecosia.

Maybe I'll start a special thread someday, a thread with the title "Haunted by numbers" (especially since I've collected the relevant papers, receipts, movie tickets with such numbers or made screenshots of the relevant numbers over the years).

If I wasn't so happy with my working income and down-to-earth lifestyle (I don't even bother with tax refunds - but more because I don't want all this paperwork and prefer to spend my free time doing more joyful things like making music), I could really go to the casino and try to hit a few jackpots with my Lucky 7 mode activated.

...

In the last few days of my vacation, I also wanted to finish the final checks of my Crisis Core remix to make a fitting transition with some finished content for the start of the new year.

But just then winter set in and I had to do winter maintenance on both weekend days, followed by the working week and then winter maintenance again on the following weekend (similar to these days, where I was supposed to chop up frozen earth and gravel with a pickaxe or do a lot of earthworks with a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake this week due to an official ban on the use of certain machines, I was eagerly looking forward to a quiet weekend and was then greeted with a full onset of winter and 2 large winter service missions just in time for the end of the week - not exactly the most favorable conditions to focus my thoughts on creative, time-consuming music projects).

After that, things slowly calmed down again.
When the order situation at my company slowed down a bit, I was finally able to take off a lot of accumulated overtime and take a few days off to do the final checks on my remix during this time.

...

Since the final checks of a mix can be very time-consuming, but definitely worthwhile, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a small checklist with useful tips on what you should pay particular attention to in the final production phase of the mix, including exporting the final audio file.

So, let's start right away with...


The final checks:
-----------------------------

1) I assume that you already have a reasonable folder structure for your music projects, something like this:
>>> "Folder for music projects"
>>>>>> "Subfolder for a specific music project"
>>>>>>>>> all music project files, audio files, text files (for a description of the remix, soundtrack or audio program or for a description of all the changes made in the latest updates of the work) as well as image, video and video project files (if you want to add some atmospheric visual content to your audio work and upload it as a video file) that belong to this specific music project...

If not, I would go for it in this or a similar way in the long term.

...

2) Before you start the final checks, open the most advanced version of the music project file for your DAW in which you have already finished the composition and mixing.

Save this version as another version of the music project file under a different name (perhaps something like "Your Music Project File - Final Checks").

If any serious mistakes happen in this new music project file during the final checks (e.g. unintentional, irreversible deletion of objects or MIDI data), then you still have at least one or more back-up versions of your music project.

...

3) Check all the details in a track according to a defined scheme with a corresponding sequence that seems reasonable to you.

In my case, the order of the final checks was something like this:

A) source signal track (track 1 with the piano intro, for example):
panning >>> VSTi settings >>> settings of the direct plugin insert effects including settings of the EQ plugin >>> aux send feedback

B) aux send track related to the source signal track (track 24 with the reverb for the piano in this case):
panning >>> settings of the plugin effects including settings of the EQ plugin

C) checking the audio and MIDI objects in the source signal track (especially position and content) as well as the automations (especially position and intensity) in the source signal track and its associated aux send tracks

D) final listening (both of the individual track with all effects in solo mode and then again as a complete soundtrack from beginning to end with a good focus on the individual source signal track)

The procedure is then repeated with the following source signal track (track 2 with the acoustic guitar chords in my case) and all the associated things mentioned - and so on until you have checked all the tracks in detail at the end.

When I had finished checking a source signal track and the associated effects, the audio and MIDI data as well as the final listening of a specific track, I used to mark the next source signal track with the solo button for orientation and saved the project again (especially after minor or major changes and adjustments).

This way, when I continued the final checks at a later point in time, I always knew which track I had stopped at last and that I had really saved again before starting the next track.

...

4) Yeah, you should really save your music project regularly during the final checks, perhaps also on another project file for the final checks ( "Your Music Project File - Final Checks 2", for example), and then always save your progress on both final check project files alternately, so that the loss of time in the event of possible errors or unintentional deletion of audio or MIDI data during the final checks is always kept to a minimum.

...

5) When checking the panning of a source signal track, also make sure that the panning of the track is in the correct or desired relationship with the corresponding aux effect sends (same panning or rather opposite panning, for example).

For the sake of a clean mix and with the help of your DAW's display and metering functions, make sure that only a few source signals with the instruments, synths, etc. (especially bass, kick drum, snare drum, toms and cymbals) affect the center area in the mix, while the other source signals (guitars, pianos, lead synths, chords and pad sounds, for example) completely ignore the center area in the mix and only play on the sides (for example, a piano that plays with -15 dB on the left side and with -20 dB on the right side without any center involvement).

To ensure a clean mix, also make sure that all aux reverb sends are always panned to the sides and never involve the center area (regardless of whether this is the reverb of a violin or the reverb of a kick drum), as reverb in the center area can quickly make the soundtrack sound muddy and washed out.

...

6) When you check the VSTi settings, the plugin effects and aux send feeds of the source signal tracks as well as the plugin effects of the aux tracks, not only make sure that they are all set correctly, but above all that they are activated at all (in the arranger matrix as well as in all subordinate settings).

If you still have deactivated plugins and effects in a track that you may have used to experiment with sound design, I would delete them completely at this point - not primarily for the sake of better computing power in your DAW, but above all for more clarity in your mixer and arranger view and a better overview in your music project.

In this step, make sure that the plugin effects are arranged in the correct or desired order along the signal processing chain.

...

7) When you examine the audio and MIDI objects within a track, check the position of the start and end points of all objects within a track with maximum zoom to make sure that they are correctly positioned in time and that you have not inadvertently moved an object slightly.
Ideally, you should make sure right from the start that objects are only moved to the defined points in a timing pattern (and not at arbitrary small intervals) - there should be a special function for this in every common DAW.

Once this has been done, you can take another look at the content of the objects, especially the content of the MIDI objects.
For example, it may be the case that a starting note is displayed but not played if the MIDI object is subsequently edited and the note would actually start before the MIDI object.
The last note in the object should also be checked again to ensure that it is still safely within the MIDI object and will not be chopped off prematurely.
In such cases, you can also extend the MIDI object by one bar forwards or backwards.

Also make sure that there is no unwanted overlapping of consecutive MIDI notes of the same pitch or even accidental doubling of MIDI notes (especially if you draw the MIDI notes with the mouse).

I would also pay particular attention to any keyswitch notes, which are used to change the way the instruments are played.
It can happen that you accidentally set a keyswitch note outside the available keyswitch "pitch" and therefore either no change in the playing style is triggered at all or, in the worst case, an unwanted noise is heard, which may be somewhat lost in the overall soundtrack, but is still audible.

Again, make sure that the keyswitch notes are also in the correct position in terms of time so that always the right notes are triggered by a change in playing style (place the keyswitch notes temporally slightly before the actual notes with the desired playing style).
This is why, when composing via MIDI, you should always completely quantize and humanize the notes before placing the keyswitch notes, so that there are no subsequent shifts with undesired articulations or strangely played notes.

In this step of the final checks, it also makes sense to double-check all automations in the source signal track and its associated aux send tracks, in particular whether the exact time position and intensity of the automations are still correct.

To avoid unnecessary confusion or unwanted shifts between objects (audio or MIDI objects) and automations, I would recommend object automations rather than track automations, for example via object fade-ins and fade-outs, or in a more detailed way by using the MIDI Control Change parameters (such as "Volume" - or "MIDI CC 7" in this case) and the MIDI Learn function of your DAW, which can also be used to implement automations in real time via the buttons, switches, knobs and sliders of your MIDI keyboard or other MIDI controllers.
With object automations, you can move all objects anywhere in the music project (even between different tracks or between different music projects) and the automations within the object always remain at the specified position in the object, whereas with track automations, the automations always remain at the specified position within a track and the automation does not move with the objects when objects are moved within this track.

...

8) At the end of the final checks of a single track, listen to this track again - first in solo mode including all objects within this track and then again from beginning to end as an entire soundtrack with a precise focus on the individual track.

If it is a pure MIDI track, I would also run the MIDI editor again while playing all MIDI objects and check whether any missing or incorrect notes and inappropriate articulations can be identified, whether the MIDI velocity dynamics should perhaps be reduced or increased in suitable places or whether the MIDI velocity, loudness and articulation of the virtual instruments and synths should generally be varied a little more.

...

9) When you have finished all this, check all tracks and the master track again to make sure that the volume is still correct everywhere and that the level peaks do not exceed the 0 dB mark at any point in the soundtrack, someting that would lead to unwanted clipping or a technically unclean production.

With my own mixing system, I always mix the individual tracks in a very relaxed and forward-looking way, whereby even the level peaks of the loudest track in the entire soundtrack often just level out at around -10 dB.

This means you don't always have to keep such an anxious eye on the level peaks in the tracks, because you always have enough headroom for subsequent dynamic changes in the composition or mix, which can be accompanied by a change in loudness and level peaks, without having to completely reset the mix and readjust the volume of each track in a time-consuming manner after every major change.

The loudness and level peaks of the individual tracks in the mixer should mainly describe a relation between these tracks and not primarily generate a final volume for the soundtrack.
You rather set the final volume or the target loudness of the whole soundtrack via the master track, for which I usually add a volume helper plugin to the master track in order to be able to set the desired target loudness in dB precisely to the first decimal place.

If you check the level peaks of the individual tracks again, pay attention not only to the values displayed by your arranger or mixer, but also to what the integrated metering functions in the used samplers, amplifiers and other sound design plugins show you.

Even if a completely safe level peak value is displayed in the arranger or mixer, it is quite possible that the peaks of the input level in the sampler plugin or guitar amplifier plugin in this track is sometimes slightly exceeded at some points in the soundtrack, which can already happen if you have only switched a signal source from stereo to mono in between (despite subsequently adjusting the loudness), which I experienced once during my final sound experiment that I am still preparing these days.

When checking the level peaks, it's also worth taking another look at the spectroscope or the spectrum analyzer tool in your DAW to find any excessive level peaks that might be only in certain frequency areas (mostly in the lower frequency area).

With many remixes on OC Remix, but also with numerous remasters of official soundtracks and modern audio productions, I accidentally noticed that there is often blatant clipping in the bass range (in some cases around 10 dB above the 0 dB limit!) or in the lower mid-range.
Even if slight clipping in the bass range should hardly have any effect on the sound, it is still somehow a technical flaw in the mix.
However, this phenomenon is most likely a direct consequence of the decades-long loudness war in the era of digital music production, in which the increasing use of compressors and limiters led to soundtracks being mastered closer and closer to the 0 dB limit with ever decreasing signal peaks, causing certain frequency ranges to exceed the limit - all because of a trend that was once set in motion to surpass the musical "competitors" in terms of loudness, according to the unwritten, pretty small-minded and tone-deaf adman motto: "Whoever is louder gets more attention, more listeners and more record sales."

But it may also have been partly due to the fact that appropriate loudness measurement methods, metering instruments as well as pioneering loudness guidelines were only developed and increasingly established many years or several decades after the beginning of the digital music production era.

...

10) Before you export your music project as a final audio file, restart your computer again (preferably offline) to clear your RAM and have the maximum system resources available for exporting the audio file, whereby no other programs that are not relevant to the system should be opened or started after the restart.

This reduces the likelihood of any unwanted sound artefacts (such as small crackling sounds, individual, slightly blurred sound events or other errors) creeping into the exported audio file.

After exporting the audio file, I would listen to it at least twice from start to finish with good studio headphones before processing it further or uploading it directly to an appropriate platform.

The same goes for exporting videos with appropriate video editing software (whereby you should not only pay attention to the sound in the exported video file, but also in particular to the transition animations between images and video material).

...

11) After you have exported your final audio file, listen to it again on as many different audio playback systems as possible for comparison (for example on different studio monitor speakers of different sizes, via different studio headphones as well as via less professional headphones, on ordinary hi-fi systems, kitchen radio, TV speakers, car radio, smartphone speakers or via the in-ear headphones of your HD MP3 player).

If the audio file sounds really good on all systems, you have obviously made really good mixing decisions, so you can upload the file to a streaming platform or process it in another way with an easy conscience (in both cases, make sure to use an uncompressed audio format such as WAV, AIFF or FLAC in order to preserve as much audio quality as possible in subsequent conversions).

If the audio file doesn't sound really good on any or hardly any systems, you obviously have a lot of work to do in terms of mixing, or you might want to consider changing your primary studio monitor speakers or studio headphones for your studio environment if your sense of hearing and room acoustics are okay so far.

If, on the other hand, the audio file does not come across perfectly on just a few audio playback systems, it may also be due to the playback system itself (for example, if it generally reproduces the bass in a somewhat muffled and less defined way).
In such a case, you should definitely also listen to a professionally mixed official soundtrack on such audio devices to check whether this soundtrack shows similar weaknesses in sound reproduction on the respective audio playback device as your mix.

...

12) Always keep your music project files and generally save all your important data every year on an external hard disk or comparable data carrier!

In particular, this also includes all your custom presets for software instruments, synths, plugins and DAW settings.

Especially with music project files, you never quite know whether you might need them again in the future, even if it's just to export an additional version of the track in a certain audio bitrate or because you might have noticed an unwanted sound artefact in the exported MP3 years later.
But if you need all those music project files and presets and still have them, it can save a lot of time and maybe even lives.

I usually keep several music project files for each soundtrack or remix project (the current and best version as well as various alternative versions that went in a different musical direction or that I simply used for saving and overwriting).

My Crisis Core remix resulted in around 15 music project files (might be reduced to around 7 or 8 music project files afterwards), which contain a few versions at different stages of development of the remix (I usually keep all those), several project files for saving and overwriting the current remix project version and a few other music project files for a stereo width experiment that I will be presenting soon.

As I can also open several music project files simultaneously in my DAW, I like to use this feature to directly compare different mixing and composition ideas in a remix or soundtrack project and to see which approach I will pursue in the further course of the music project.

…

The last thing I want to mention in this almost book-length text is an experience I had some time ago with stereo delay in the context of better clarity in the mix, and I'll directly copy some of the text from my post within another thread where I recently wrote on this topic.


Better use of delay effects for more clarity in the mix:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I came across a very interesting thing with the delay effect that could be more relevant for mixing and clarity in the mix.

I found this out the other days during the rather lengthy final checks of my Crisis Core remix.

For example, in certain parts of the soundtrack there were tracks with instruments that were opposite each other in the panorama and both had a delay effect.

And I tweaked the delay parameters until I found the best possible settings in terms of clarity in the mix in line with my sound design intentions, which resulted in a primarily more mirror-symmetrical arrangement of the delay parameters and another specific setting for delay times of the left and right side in a stereo delay plugin.


In this experiment I found out that I achieved the best clarity in the mix if I make the delay settings like this:

1) For the instrument that is panned more to the right side:
- put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms) on the right side (so you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal)
- put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms) on the opposing left side (so you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side)

2) For the instrument that is panned more to the left side:
- put the longer delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 310 ms, or maybe 330 ms this time) on the left side (same purpose like in the first example above - you won't clutter the side of the instrument with too many echos or too fast repetitions of the source signal)
- put the shorter delay time of the stereo delay (let's say 200 ms, or maybe only 190 ms this time) on the opposing right side (same purpose like in the first example above - you also get some sort of a more frequented impression of the instrument's delay on the opposing side)


Here is a small picture to give you a better idea of delay settings like these:




On the left side of the picture you can see the stereo delay settings of an electric guitar that is panned hard to the left side (stereo delay left side: 253 ms, stereo delay right side: 203 ms) - and on the right side of the picture you can see the stereo delay settings of an electric guitar that is panned hard to the right side (stereo delay left side: 203 ms, stereo delay right side: 253 ms).

...

Nevertheless, if you really want to have a rather chorus-like short delay with only 50 ms on the right side where also the instrument is located in the panorama (and with the longer delay time on the other side) according to your own sound design vision, then you should rather go for this setting (maybe you can turn down the feedback of the delay for the other side a bit or reduce the delay time for this side in this case).

But if some delay effects don't follow a more specific purpose in your sound design vision and are only supposed to add a greater feeling of distance for your instrument, voice, synth or other audio sources, then try at least to balance out delay effects against each other in the panorama if at least two instruments with delay effects play simultaneously at some points in your soundtrack.

And sometimes, a little bit less of overwhelming effects can be the greater blessing for the clarity in the mix.
Especially in terms of a clean mix, it is crucial to know exactly what a certain plugin effect does to the output signal, how it affects the panning or depth gradation and how it interacts with the whole soundscape of the mix.

...

Take special care with delay effects that they are not active during tempo automation, as this can lead to unpleasant clicking and crackling noises - because this would obviously create a kind of digital time paradox if the spreading sound wave, which later becomes the echo of a preceding signal source, were subjected to a tempo change in the middle of its sound path.

Since the signal source takes place before the echo, the temporal relationship between the signal source and the echo is likely to become inconsistent during tempo automation, which would then seem to produce such strange sound artefacts.

...

That's it for now with the rather comprehensive content on the topic of this post.

In my next post, I will present a more in-depth sound experiment on the extended use of the stereo width of the tracks for the sake of a cleaner mix.
I will also include numerous audio samples in this sound experiment.

It will mainly focus on four roughly categorized variants for a specific and meaningful part in my Crisis Core remix, which contain stereo and mono sources in different combinations, in order to then examine the effect on the clarity and spatiality of the mix.
I also want to compare the different versions on as many different playback systems as possible.

The four versions will contain:

1) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends (my preferred option so far)
2) Mono signal sources + stereo aux reverb sends
3) Mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends
4) A mix of stereo and mono signal sources + mono aux reverb sends

The sound experiment will also include a mono compatibility check of the master track for each version with additional audio samples.

To do this, I have to set up the entire remix four times, realigning the panning and readjusting the loudness of the individual tracks to each other, in order to create the corresponding, hopefully significant audio material for a comprehensive comparison.

But don't worry.
After many hours and really tedious days, I have already put a good 75% of it into practice.

However, as I don't know what's coming up soon in terms of work, winter maintenance or private stuff, I can't say exactly how many days, weeks or months it will take before I can present the sound experiment.

However, I'll keep at it and try to make the best possible use of free hours. ))

Essentially you want something that combines either in parallel or in sequence the delay -> reverb so mimic various rooms.  Using a tool to get the correct bouncing and frequency range after the sound bounces off different walls will give you the ability to program each of these effectively mimicking a room.  There are several VSTs and tools that do this and you can create your own fx chains to do something similar.
Running them in parallel is a quick way to trick the ear to think it's in a room - however, the correct way would be to set up several to mimic each surface in the room or to use the profile tool I mentioned - which will take in the initial delay and the spread after the first bounce/reflection.  Either way, it's really using both delay and reverb to mimic the physics of how sound bounces off (delay) and spreads/decays (reverb) off each surface in your room.  I understand that the tooling is different, but to science, it's the same, we're just mimicking the behavior with something that decays and something that repeats with less volume (and other effects).
I hope this helps!

I was watching a tutorial on how to profile a reverb in a specific place using some tools.  Like, I think you use some kind of beep or tap and record it using this device, and then it comes up with the reverb profile (or something like that?).  I can dig through my sources, but I thought it was related to this topic and definitely interesting.

This is what appears to be almost entirely AI. There are a lot of typical tells regarding awkward animations and weird hand stuff (not to mention that the neural network voiceover is trying its best, but it's still pretty obvious). 
However, it's some of the best AI I have seen yet. The artwork is primarily consistent; most hands are delicate unless gripping something. This makes me feel several ways. On the one hand, it's pretty well done, and I'm confident it wouldn't exist at all without an individual user and some AI assistance unless you had some really, really talented artists working overtime. On the other hand, this only exists because of straight-up stolen art. They're still monetizing someone else's work. An argument could be made that it's not too dissimilar to machinima using the original models of a game, but generally, those game students consent to that. No one can consent to this.
I don't know...I want to like it because it is an excellent lore recap, but at the same time, I always feel dirty with this AI stuff...

This is awesome! I'm sure it took a long time to put together. 

Using specific stereo widths for instrument and direct signal tracks for more clarity and assertiveness in the mix and for a more impressive representation of panorama and spatiality in the soundtrack
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ready for another round of text, visuals and audio samples to show how I've improved my mix?
Well then, let's go.

...

Recently, I finally got round to working on the remaining drum tracks in my almost finished Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 remix.
In contrast to the previous drum kit reverb (one aux reverb send for all individual drum elements), I created separate aux reverb sends for each drum element so that I could finally process the reverb for all drum elements individually and place it more precisely in the panorama.

I experimented a lot with this (including counter-panning the instrument and the corresponding aux reverb send), but in this specific case I came to the conclusion that the mix sounded best and most credible when I panned the reverb for the cymbals, snare and toms in a similar way to the individual drum components.

I only made a small exception with the centered kick drum and panned its reverb a little more to the right side (approx. 5 dB more than on the left side - as usual, I panned the aux reverb send hard to the sides without involving the centre) in order to be able to balance the slightly leftward position of the snare and snare reverb with the reverb of the bass and its slightly rightward position in the mix a little better.

That alone made it sound a little bit cleaner and kinda sorted.

…

But thanks to my curiosity and love of experimentation, I immediately pursued another question with the drums, namely whether I could achieve a further improvement in the mixing if I also reduced the stereo width of the drum elements in the direct signal even more or even set them to mono (and only used the reverb of the drum elements on the sides to give the respective drum element in the overall signal with reverb the spatial width in the mix) - similar to what I had already done with the bass in the previous audio samples in the last post.

I had already reduced all the drum elements to a stereo width of around 50% for some time.
In previous posts I've written about how the direct signal from the bass should only play in the centre of the mix if possible and can be widened through its reverb at the sides (and made into a clear, un-muddied stereo signal), while most drum elements come across fully well in the mix in their direct signals, if they are located somewhere between the sides (with the majority of the instruments and the aux reverb sends) and the centre of the mix (with the dry bass direct signal) - in case of doubt, it is better to move the dry drum signals a little more towards the centre than too far to the sides, because in the latter case the drum elements would lose a lot of their punch in the mix.

Of course, you can also place all drum elements in the direct signal completely mono in the centre (this could be a consideration if the other instruments and signals are already playing very lively in the mix and are already making generous use of the stereo width).
However, even with a well-designed stereo reverb for the individual drum elements, you won't be able to get much sum signal stereo width and a significant representation of spatiality for the respective drum element with its reverb in the mix in this case.

…

As I wrote earlier, I didn't notice any real sound improvements in the drum elements such as snare, toms and cymbals after I further reduced the stereo width of the respective direct signal without reverb, starting from an existing stereo width of approximately 50%, or even set it completely to mono.

As a result, the spatial effect of these drum elements suffered rather than giving them noticeably more assertiveness in the mix.


But the kick drum was a little different.

During my experiments, I even came to the conclusion that the mix (in this particular soundtrack) is best enhanced if I set the kick drum in the direct signal to mono in the centre and achieve the spatial effect solely via the reverb of the kick drum on the sides.

This gives you plenty of power and assertiveness in the centre of the mix and also provides really good clarity, a better fine resolution in the sound and a more finely staggered panorama with a more impressive spatiality in the mix.

...

I'll demonstrate it for you in the following audio recording excerpts in a direct comparison between the previous version and the new version of the soundtrack.

The old version is mainly defined by:
- a kick drum with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signal
- remaining drum elements with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signals
- one single aux reverb send for all drum elements of the whole drum kit

The new version is mainly defined by:
- a kick drum set fully to mono within the center of the mix in the direct kick drum signal
- remaining drum elements with a stereo width of around 50% in the direct signals (like in the old version)
- 4 individual aux reverb sends for 4 different drum elements

…

So, let's start with the audio samples.


1) Comparison of the direct signals of the kick drums (kick drums without reverb)
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Old version:

 

Kick Drum Direct Signal - Old Version.mp3

For a kick drum, the sound seems pretty bold, stable and...
... dry like a huge sand desert.


In the section with the metering devices on the picture down below you can see how the kick drum behaves in the stereo field:




The vectorscope on the far left and the directional indicator to the right of the vectorscope show how much of the total stereo field is taken up by the kick drum - pretty much exactly as I set it, about 50% of the full stereo width.

…

New version:

 

Kick Drum Direct Signal - New Version.mp3

Doesn't seem to sound so much differently compared to the old version of the kickdrum without the reverb.
Maybe, with some decent studio headphones you can already hear the new kick drum sounds a little bit less blocky and more centered.


Just the digital metering devices provide really good information about the considerable change in the signal of the new kick drum:




Here you can see that the new kick drum is really in the centre of the mix as a mono signal, without making any effort to break out into the stereo field to the left or right.

…

Next, let's take a look and listen to how the two kick drum versions behave in combination with their reverb.


2) Comparison of the kick drums in combination with their aux reverb sends
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Old version:

 

Kick Drum With Reverb - Old Version.mp3

Yeah, finally some reverb.
Sounds a lot less dry, but I'm still thirsty.


The digital metering devices don't show anything too exciting here, except that a medium-width direct signal merges with a really wide reverb signal and the two signals almost reach full stereo width as a sum signal:



…

New version:

 

Kick Drum With Reverb - New Version.mp3

Well, now this sounds really wet, spacious but still clean and punchy.
Could it be that the huge difference between the fully centered mono direct kick drum signal and its aux reverb send, which is fully panned to the sides, creates this crisp 'n' assertive kick drum sound and the imagination of this huge space?

Because apart from changing the direct signal of the kick drum to a completely centred mono signal and a few minimal adjustments to the reverb signal in the stereo field, I haven't changed anything else here.

The convolution reverb has the same settings in both versions, the EQ filters have almost the same settings, the proportion of the aux reverb sends that go into the dry signals is the same (-2dB in both versions).

And the loudness meter also shows a similar loudness level, whereby the kick drum with reverb in the new version is displayed slightly quieter by 0.2 dB than the kick drum with reverb in the old version, but still sounds somehow more powerful and louder.


The measuring instruments also show some quite interesting things here:




You can clearly see here that the centred mono signal does not blend and blur so easily with the wide reverb signal.

From the image, you could almost think that Odin's Gunge Lance attack is piercing a flabby Hungry (an enemy in Crisis Core and the Final Fantasy 7 universe).

Perhaps in the end, this is exactly what gives the mix more audio definition and better clarity.

…

But let's listen to how the entire drum kit sounds with reverb in both versions.


3) Comparison of the whole drum kits with reverb
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Old version:

 

Whole Drum Kit With Reverb - Old Version.mp3

Sounds really good, doesn't it?

At least the coarseness of the slightly wider, somewhat blocky kick drum is not quite as noticeable here in the complete drum kit, because you are distracted a little more by the other drum elements and their reverb effects.

…

New version:

 

Whole Drum Kit With Reverb - New Version.mp3

Well, that sounds like a really good delivery.
Punchy, assertive drum sound that still impresses with a proper reverb ambience in a clear mix.

I also like the fact that I panned the kick drum reverb slightly more to the right to balance out the reverb of the snare drum, which is panned slightly to the left like the snare drum, in the panorama of the mix.

Apart from a little more clarity, this creates a really cool drum ambience.

…

But now the crucial question...

How do both versions of kick drums and drum kits behave in the overall mix when all the other instruments are added?


4) Comparison of the old mix with the new mix
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Old version:

 

All Instruments With Reverb - Old Version.mp3

Sounds really good at first listen.

Only when you listen more closely with good studio headphones do you perhaps realise that the kick drum intervenes in the mix in a somewhat cumbersome, dominant and conquering manner and takes up quite a lot of space in the mix, somewhat overshadowing or pushing aside other instruments such as the bass or even low-frequency areas of the harp.

...

New version:

 

All Instruments With Reverb - New Version.mp3

Sounds much better straight away.

The kick drum comes through much more relaxed in the mix without overlaying the bass or robbing the harp of its stereo field or slightly displacing it from the stereo field.

…

And this is exactly what I wanted to emphasise and make clear with the experiences I made some time ago.

Not every question about more clarity and assertiveness in the mix must, can and should always be answered or solved immediately with the use of an EQ or EQ filter plug-in.

Sometimes it can be better to reduce the stereo width in the direct source signal of one or two instruments so that other instruments have more room to "breathe" or play in the freed up stereo field.

Just make sure to not overdo it.
So, don't tear any black holes in the stereo field so that the spatial coherence of the instruments and signals in the mix is preserved and the mix doesn't end up coming across like a solar system full of distant planets and some kind of dead silence in between.

As a little bonus, I'll give you an insight into the latest remix version with a few recently composed bells (at least a small excerpt from it, so as not to reveal too many new features and highlights from the soon-to-be-released Crisis Core remix), which came to my mind after I got the strong feeling that the initial part of the continuously building mix could still get some smooth and gentle additional ambience:


5) New mix with bells
-------------------------------------

 

All Instruments With Reverb And Bells - New Version.mp3

In the initial rough version, I recorded the bells with my MIDI keyboard, in a way that makes it easier to feel the sad certainty of the imminent death of the main character Zack Fair after his last heroic battle against the sheer endless Soldier forces from Shinra, which his girlfriend Aerith probably received via the life stream or by the voice of the planet.

Depending on the culture, bells often symbolize death, mourning, but also resurrection, return, a new beginning, moments of peace, the element of air or harmony between the earthly and heavenly worlds.

This fitted in really well with my plan to finally try out this really interesting "Vita Handchimes Bells and Glass" VSTi in my DAW Samplitude, after other instruments such as sansula, vibraphone, electric piano or pan flute, which were also under consideration, didn't quite meet my expectations in this context and were ultimately ruled out when it came to choosing the best possible instrument for this part.

…

Then there's probably only one major thing left to do - finalising the electric guitar part mentioned in the previous post and composing a third electric guitar track for this part.

So far I'm on schedule, so my Crisis Core remix "Wings Of Freedom" could easily be finished by the end of the year. ))
 
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
OC ReMix = 25 YEARS OLD!
4,500 ReMixes later, video game music is STILL an art form!
We've got a celebratory Zeal mix by JSABlixer from the upcoming anniversary album TimeShift, and we'll be doing lots more over the course of the next year to celebrate the creativity and impact of this powerful community!
Thank you to everyone -- past, present, and future -- who have made OverClocked ReMix what it is.
Please share some positive memories on how you discovered OCR, artists and tracks you love (original VGM OR ReMixes), let's go! :-D

I just randomly was thinking that OCremix was started in December, and checking online, see that it says December 11, 1999.  For me right now, thats an hour and half away.
Myself finding this awesome place in 2003.  Not knowing how to make music, but as a lover of listening to it, I don't post much....but, I didn't see anywhere on here it being mentioned about the 25th anniversary.  (maybe I just missed it)
So anyways....
Just wishing this place a HUGE HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY.
And of course a huge thanks to everyone who has contributed and kept this place alive for so long.
Heres to 25 more years....

Thanks for the recommendation.  I’ve been using digital audio workstation software for quite some time (since the days when it was “cakewalk or bust” on windows and then sonar shortly afterwards).  I am quite happy with Ableton Live.  I am an IT professional as well and have concerns with using windows as a platform with which to run it on.  Companies such as adobe state that your consent is implied for their usage of your intellectual property and creative projects for the purposes of training machine learning models.  Copilot may follow suit with an “opt out” model very shortly.
Combined with Microsoft’s failure to gain any traction for the WASAPI driver model, and the inherent issues with closed source software operating on such a fundamental layer of computing with no way of keeping its privileges check and no way to understand the full scope of telemetry and any changes made to those practices (see: recall, a new windows feature involving screen capture)
 
the list of reasons why I’d like to switch to an open source operating system are endless.  Live does not support Linux officially.  Bitwig has an almost identical workflow and ergonomic philosophy, and integrates the modular MSP philosophy of “Max” much more seamlessly into the UX.
 
if after reading this you still think I would benefit by giving the DAW you mentioned a go I certainly will.  I want to say I have a license from a humble bundle or something?

Got some smaller (but still kinda interesting) news on the progress of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy:
https://www.gamesradar.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-director-says-the-jrpg-sequel-will-be-one-of-the-most-loved-most-popular-games-in-the-whole-history-of-video-games/

As I had already suspected, the developers want to create a real milestone in the RPG sector or one of the best RPGs of all time with the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, especially with the 3rd and final part, in a similar way to what they already did with the original Final Fantasy 7.

...
But since we are a video game remix community, I wanted to talk about a few soundtracks for the current 2nd remake part Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which has some very interesting new musical compositions and remixes to offer.
Here's a small selection:


1) Jungles of Gongaga
-----------------------------
 

This soundtrack has some really exotic flair with some kind of an indigenous children's choir.
It somehow fits in with Zack Fair's laid-back mentality by representing his home region.


2) Battle on the Big Bridge - Rebirth
---------------------------------------------
 

No joke - apparently this really is an official remix version of the corresponding soundtrack from Final Fantasy 5 for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
That's a really interesting feature as a connecting element in the big Final Fantasy universe.


3) Midgarsormr
-------------------
 

This is a fairly long, versatile and continuously building remix version of the Final Fantasy 7 battle theme Those Who Fight, in a not entirely dissimilar vein to what I once had in mind with my own remix version of the battle theme.
I haven't worked on it for many years now - but I would have a few ideas to give this long track a proper makeover in terms of composition and mixing if I could find the time.

And I was really blown away when I heard a similar melody in this Rebirth remix (from minute 3:26 - the powerful brass instrument) as in my remix Fighting Fantasies (from minute 7:58 - the lead with the electric guitar):
 

...

But then I realized that a similar line has already been in the original battle theme Those Who Fight (from minute 0:55 - the brass):
 

...

Beyond that, however, I'm totally hyped about a completely different thing.

My first electric guitar (Ibanez GRG 140) finally arrived at my home around two weeks ago.
But I'll talk about this in a much more fitting thread as soon as I find the time. ))

Ibanez Gio GRG140-WH - finest Japanese electric guitar technology with flawless sound, solid build quality, nice features and a really stylish design
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I kept putting it off, but in August 2024 I finally got down to business, ordered the long-awaited electric guitar from a well-known music store in my hometown - and in the last days of August this year, the extremely hot Japanese baby finally arrived at my home.

Of course, my eyes lit up like those of a child who gets to celebrate his birthday, Christmas and New Year's Eve in one go.



...

The Ibanez Gio GRG140 offers the following core features:
- volume pot (to control the volume or to create volume-based effects such as tremolos or swells)
- tone pot (for controlling the tone color from icy cutting to comfortably warm, full sounds or for creating wah-wah effects based on them)
- T102 tremolo system with tremolo lever (should actually be called a vibrato or pitch system or lever, as this allows you to influence the pitch of a played string by changing the string tension and to create really cool electric guitar effects)
- 2 Infinity single-coil pickups (for cutting, treble-heavy sounds)
- 1 Infinity humbucker pickup (for powerful, warm and voluminous sounds)
- 5-way pickup switch for controlling individual and combined pickups according to the following switching behavior from neck to bridge pickup:
1st stage >>> 1st single coil
2nd stage >>> 1st + 2nd single coil
3rd stage >>> 2nd single coil
4th stage >>> 2nd single coil + upper coil of the humbucker pickup
5th stage >>> both coils of the humbucker pickup

Further features of this electric guitar can be found here under this link:
https://www.thomann.co.uk/ibanez_grg140_wh.htm

...

If you're interested in the background and history of Ibanez guitars, or if you're wondering why a Japanese company chose this rather Spanish-sounding name for its world-famous acoustic and electric guitars, you can take a look at this Wikipedia link here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibanez

…

As this is my first electric guitar, I naturally read through the instructions and notes on operation, care etc. first.

And since I had already practiced using my Rode NT1 studio microphone via my audio interface and my DAW, connecting the electric guitar (which can be connected to the audio interface via the Hi-Z input with the higher electrical resistance) was no big deal.

I made a few settings in the DAW and added my guitar amp plug-in Vandal to the corresponding track and after a few more settings I was able to get some nice 'n' smooth clean electric guitar sounds as well as heavier leads out of it, depending on the settings in the amp plug-in.

Tuning the guitar using the integrated tuner in my DAW Samplitude Pro X4 Suite was also completely uncomplicated, quick and precise.

Nevertheless, I still have to learn how to play and master such a stringed instrument properly over the years.

However, as I already had some previous knowledge of electric guitars and had also written the one or other remix composition with electric guitar VSTis over many years, after a few hours I was already able to play my first small melody with various playing techniques such as legato, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides, alternating between the index and ring fingers on the fretboard and using my right hand to strum the strings.

However, I was still unable to play a beautifully shaped vibrato in the first few hours of playing with my raw beginner skills.

But maybe I'll let you hear something from my first beginner lessons in a while.

…

The most difficult task so far in dealing with my first electric guitar was - no kidding - removing the protective adhesive foil from the pickguard without leaving pieces of foil sticking under the pots, which then make such annoying rustling and crackling noises when turned.

I hadn't expected such obstacles - it's probably like the idiot test for electric guitar beginners.

I watched a few tutorials on how to remove the foil as completely as possible, with the useful advice that you can sometimes unscrew the pots or, in the case of my guitar model, remove them straight away.

Fortunately, I had bought some electric guitar accessories some time beforehand (see utensils in the small box on the right), including various picks of different shapes and degrees of hardness, guitar sliders made of different materials with different sound characteristics and some fingerpicks, which all can be used to implement additional playing techniques and create versatile sounds.

I then used the finger picks to carefully lever up and remove the pots all the way around, remove the last remnants of the foil and replace the pots in a uniform position.

…

However, I haven't yet built the planned guitar holder construction for the door in front of my home studio at my new home, which in retrospect I'm actually quite happy about, as I can now take proper measurements with the electric guitar on site.

That will certainly take a few more weeks before I even get around to it.
But when it does, it should be good.

I had an extremely suitable electric guitar holder with movable brackets and integrated stoppers at the ends (see right-hand side of the picture) to prevent the electric guitar from accidentally slipping out, which I would like to install in the planned wooden construction for the door, delivered directly to my home together with the electric guitar.
The local music store Musikhaus Korn in Dresden's Neustadt district also made the delivery of the goods very easy, quick and relaxed.

In addition to the original manufacturer's product packaging, the delivery also arrived in additional, very robust packaging made of fairly thick cardboard.

…

Now I basically just have to learn to play the electric guitar professionally.

And somehow I'm really looking forward to it, especially as the next short vacation is just around the corner.

But first comes the work and then the pleasure (or maybe a healthy mix of both).

...

If everything goes well and I practise diligently, there could be another little rock star here in 5 years' time. ))