YoungProdigy

Yes I agree with you that some samples just have their limits. In cases like those; should I even shoot for realism or just try to make the instrument 80-90% realistic?

Well to answer the question of "Are we trying to use instruments in our music that are performed acoustically?" the answer would be yes. But in my experience; I've come to realize that without a dedicated VST for certain instruments, that realism can be very hard to achieve. For instance; a realistic jazzy smooth saxophone like in the song in that youtube link, would be almost impossible with just one multivelocity sample. Making realistic guitar parts from just one sample is also difficult. And I agree with you that super realistic samples are expensive. I could probably get a realistic sax sound from "Mr Sax T", but that's around $164. I would say my current samples do resemble the instruments; but you can still tell they're fake. Especially when it comes to guitars and saxes. It's less of a problem with multi-articulation instruments though. But I have another question. Could I truly make something similar to the sax in that video, with just programming? And could I truly make a convincing guitar solo with a single articulation sample?

Hey, Young Prodigy here. One of the biggest critiques I get is that my songs lack realism. . I use Sampletank 3 SE and most of the samples are of acceptable quality. But even with decent samples; it's still hard to make certain instruments sound realistic. Take the saxophone for example. Even if I add a lot of velocity variation, portamento, vibrato and expression; it still ends up sounding fake. It's the same situation with guitars too. Take something like this: I could never achieve a sax sound anywhere near that with Sampletank 3 SE. I realize there are realistic vsts dedicated to saxophone and guitar; but they are expensive and I can't afford them right now. So back to my original question; are super realistic samples really necessary for video game music?

Thanks I'll try to make the rhythm more in sync.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I recently started working on a remix of "Miracola" from Startropics. It's in it's WIP stages. The guitar and bass are real; the other instruments are sampled. Here's the source material: You can listen to the remix here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/startropics-miracola-remix-wip

Hey, YoungProdigy here. Just finished Funky Groove. It's a song that combines jazzy piano chords, with a funky beat and a funky bassline. You can listen to and download it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-funky-groove As always critique is welcome.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I just finished "Sorrow", a piece that combines acoustic guitars with pianos. It was inspired by "Departure" from Rurouni Kenshin. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-sorrow As always critique is welcome.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. Here's "The Bossa Nova Rhythm", a new Latin-inspired track I wrote. You can listen to it and download it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-the-bossa-nova-rhythm As always; critique is welcome.

Just completed the Wild West, a theme inspired by the Wild Arms games. Listen to it and download it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-the-wild-west Critique is welcome as always.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I recently wrote an intro song for a game called "Octoforce". I would describe it as EDM with a piano lead. Listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/octoforce-intro As always, critique is welcome.

Thanks for the critique. I agree with you that the synth and piano melodies could probably use more reverb. I'll also try to add some variation to the bassline and fills to the drums to make them less stiff.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I'm working on a remix of Burn Roosters stage from Mega Man X8 called "Jazzy Rooster". You can listen to the source material here: You can listen to my remix here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-jazzy-roosterwip It's only a WIP now; but critique is welcome.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I just finished a song called "Groovin'". It could best be described as a fusion of old school soul music and hip hop. Listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-groovin As always, critique is welcome.

Hey guys. I just uploaded "Farewell"; a jazzy techno track. I wrote it a couple weeks ago but this is the first time I've publicly released it. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-farewell As always critique is welcome.

On the subject of listening to professional tracks; the problem is that I just don't know how to achieve the same sound. If I listen to a professional track; I don't know how to achieve the clarity of the drums, the low, but not muddy bass, ect. As for my composition skills; I think they're pretty good. The main problem I face is mixing. And it seems no matter how much I practice; I just can't figure out how to get that perfect mix. Hmm, I might try that; mixing and then coming back to it later. But I think my main flaw is when I have a bad mix; I just don't know how to fix it. Thanks I might try to look at my mixes and see if I'm making any of those mistakes. Well I've tried filtering out at 250hz but my mixes still seem to be a little muddy. But listen to this mix guys: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/title-music In this mix; I picked decent samples, I tried to balance the volume levels and I tried to EQ it. But to me; it just doesn't sound good. The drums are buried and not in your face. The bass is also a bit muddy. Overall it's too boomy. It's just missing something that I can't put my finger on.

Hey guys, I just composed "Retro Brawl", my attempt at a chiptune. Listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-retro-brawl

Pretty nice theme. I liked the guitar; it was very realistic. However; I have to admit that the drums sounds kind of fake. Particularly the hi-hat; it has that machine gun effect. I think varying up the velocities on the drum samples will help them sound more realistic. Other than that; the piano samples are a bit dry and could benefit from some reverb. But composition-wise; this song is pretty great. Keep it up.

Hey guys, composed a new orchestral track called "Mystical Journey". I tried to improve on the critique others have given me. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-mystical-journey As always critique is welcome.

Well yes the lead guitar was made by putting a dry Sampletank 3 guitar sample through the free version of Amplitube 3. Should I perhaps try a different amp simulator to get a less nasally tone? Or maybe I should try to mess around with EQ until I get a realistic tone? I've also heard RealStrat is pretty good; but as of now, I don't have the money for it. But thanks for the critique I appreciate it. I'll definitely try to focus on improving on those points you made. Thanks for the critique man. What I did to get the tone of that lead was I put a clean guitar sample from Sampletank 3 through Amplitube 3. I may try to use a different clean guitar sample and see if I get better results.

Hey guys, I wrote a new song "Time to Rock". It could probably be described as either hard rock or heavy metal. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-time-to-rock As always critique is welcome. I'd especially like to know if the mixing can be improved.

True there are a lot of good tracks on this site. But there are a lot of songs so it takes me a while to find the perfect reference. But I'll probably check Amazon Music and Google play too. I do pretty much all genres by the way.

I've read a lot of articles on mixing and most of them recommend the use of reference tracks. I believe using reference tracks will also improve my mixing. But I can't seem to find any sites with free high quality music; that I can use to reference my mixes.

Hey, YoungProdigy here. I'm looking for critique on my orchestral piece. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/youngprodigymusic/young-prodigy-epic-theme I'm mainly looking for critique on my mixing and how I can improve it.

I've been trying to improve my mixing skills lately. I've read almost every guide on EQ, compression, panning, frequencies and the like. But in FL Studio my mixes still don't sound that professional. Am I missing something? Or is there something I'm doing wrong? I use Sampletank 3 which has effects on the instrument already. Would mixing with those effects off improve my mixes?

Very creative man. I like how you combined a drum and bass with an orchestra. The samples are pretty good; they sound very close to a real orchestra. Keep up the good work!