subversiveasset

Thanks so much for all the detailed commentary! The main things in your commentary that struck me in particular were your thoughts about the piano chords -- when I was arranging, I felt that there was something off about them, but I just decreased the velocity to kind of put them aside...but what I was really "feeling" was that they were mushy, as you said. So I'll definitely have to play around with more open chords. And with respect to variations from the original, now that you mention it, it really does feel that the bass and vibes part from 1:19 - 1:33 sticks out as a sore thumb. As I listen to it again, it feels like the part that's more accurate is the sax part from 2:04 to 2:18...so I thought: "why did I put that after the 1:34 - 2:03 part???" And then from listening to the original again, I realized that thematically, 0:21 - 0:32 is supposed to be pretty much the same as 0:53 to 1:03...I probably heard that and subconsicously thought that I needed to make it more varied. So I'll definitely have to work on reining that back in.

The original version of this song, as you may be aware is very uptempo. Does it work as a slower, "jazz lounge" sort of piece? Realistically, I'm probably done with this piece in particular, but I am looking to hear what people think the major flaws are, and what sorts of things should I be thinking about to improve in future works. I know music theory is a weakness -- I mostly go with what sounds good to me (but I guess I don't have a perfect ear?). Also, I only actually play sax, so I think that I'm probably doing all sorts of incorrect/odd things with the VSTis for piano, drums, vibraphones, or bass. Remix: https://soundcloud.com/andrewspriggs/mega-man-2-dr-wilys-jazz-lounge-sax-cover Original:

Thanks SO much for providing additional explanation. In terms of your comments on soundscape and voicing, I can see that my problem (and limitation) is a lot worse. I actually only have one instrument (an alto), but I write multiple parts based on to recreate some of the other sounds. For the bari sound, that's really just the alto shifted down an octave in my DAW. (In some of my earliest covers, I would try to do something similar to simulate a soprano sax, but going up in tone in a DAW sounds far worse than going down.) The tenor sound is just an alto part playing lower notes. In general, when I arrange, I try to arrange any bari parts as if it can take the lowest parts from any original (e.g., bass). But that's apparently not working out so well, since as you say, I'm just missing bass tones. Yet, that was originally my plan -- to use sax for as much as possible (excluding drums). Would you say that is just unworkable in the long term, and I should arrange to have bass (even if I have to get a VSTi for that)? I also got a clarinet to maybe add something different to the higher end, but learning how to play clarinet is a lot more difficult than I planned (haha). I can hear the tuning problems now for the bari, so I can work on that. I'm going to think and study really hard on your middle paragraph here for the specifics as to harmonic context, since I know that's stuff I need to know, but it's still all a foreign language to me now.

Thanks for the comments and the criticisms! Unfortunately, I fear that I won't be able to get the most use out of it, since I guess I don't have the ear to hear it? (that's probably not really a good thing for a performer.) What are some times I should be looking at specifically for the harmonic clashes or the awkward melodies? Is it on all parts, or just some? (I just looked up voicing and wow, there's a lot I have to learn!)

Even though I have marked this as "finished," please feel free to provide suggestions or review comments. This is a cover of Katrina's Theme from Romancing Saga 3...I added a part that's original at the beginning (and then I brought it back midway in the song)...does it "work" or no? My remix: https://soundcloud.com/andrewspriggs/romancing-saga-3-katrinas-theme Original:

Oh, I didn't mean to imply taking it out of the mix. I actually like it more during the second half of the flute-ish section. But when it first plays (before flute), it could probably just be mixed to be a little quieter -- or if there is a distortion effect, that can be reined in a little bit.

This is my first time doing a review (and I'm not anyone "official" or whatever), so I guess take it with a grain of salt, but ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION Although the original piece is very minimalist, I thought that everything added to this went well with it. I can definitely hear the original here. PRODUCTION My impressions are that the mix is TOO loud. I don't know if that's just a tindeck thing, but I had to put everything much lower...the distorted guitar/distorted bass that comes in midway are a little too much; it makes the mix somewhat muddy to me. When those instruments come in again near the end is a better feel for me. There could be more dynamic range throughout, as well. For example, when the flute-like synth comes in, I feel like the entire piece would be more interesting if it were quieter. (But since you say you haven't touched anything as far as mixing, then there you go.) PERFORMANCE (live recorded audio/MIDI parts) No problem with performance. STRUCTURE Since the original melody is very short, it's very easy for this to become repetitive. I think that there's enough done with the introduction of new instruments, new parts, etc., that there is not so much fatigue when it comes to repetition. There probably does need to be something more done with the ending. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE TRACK I love what you've done with the source. This would definitely be fitting for a secret boss battle (alas....we may never see such.) I love the integration of dialup sounds.

Hi, everyone! I have been trying to do a few video game covers/remixes, but I have to say that I have been going through things mostly blind (or maybe deaf is the term?) Anyway, I am aware that this community has a reputation for offering great constructive criticism, so I wanted to submit something I did relatively recently. In terms of arranging, I usually err on the side of going too conservative with the original piece. For this one, I did a couple of things...I tried to swing the piece (whereas in the original, the notes are straight). Additionally, since in the game, there is another song that plays in close proximity to this one, I tried to integrate motifs from that song (the second youtube link below) in the latter half of the piece. I'm wondering if you would judge that it came out well? My cover: http://tindeck.com/listen/uaofc Original (main song): Original (spliced in song during the latter half of the cover/remix):

Hello, everyone! I am probably coming here as a glutton for punishment...I mean...to improve my music, of course! I play sax (although I am now flailing to learn how to play clarinet).