The Vodoú Queen   Members

I'll try to get mine in on time, but BandLab keeps crashing / lagging with processing the song...

Mine will be in soon... Been extremely busy with project after music project, so apologies if it's a bit meh or whatever. ?

@HarlemHeat360 Hope you'll feel better soon. ♡

Oh, hot damn... Well, admittedly, I haven't (yet) played the definitive edition of the game that came out for free on PSN / PS4+ not that long ago, but I have played and listened to the soundtracks of similar-genre'd games in the same vein as Hollow Knight (e.g. the Souls-Borne games, Code: VEIN, Remnant: From the Ashes, Salt & Sanctuary, Blasphemous, Shovel Knight and, ofc, the Game Boy Advance / DS Castlevania games, to name a few I suppose.) So I'd have to play and/or take a further listen into Hollow Knight itself (and, hell, Hades, for that matter), but I'm practically salivating to try my chops at making something towards this album. I've only really dipped my hands into composing music like...meh, it's about a year anniversary come September, so 10 1/2 months? But I'd want to see this come into fruition either way! Pitch be damned! It should totes get an album. Games like it are wonderful gems and should have that time in the spotlight, IMO.

Muchos gracias

?

Hmm... ...Any idea on how to transpose the piece from 12 bpm to about 140 bpm without it sounding like a crushed mess? 0_o;

Well...mine's in too. ^^; Decided to go for this one. Thoroughly enjoyed doing this, although it was the biggest, most exhausting, and massive music composing headache I've ever had, LOL.

Hey, just an update: Thanks you two so much for your kind words and lots of advice. I had taken the liberty of looking up some general tutorials on YT about it, as well as read that article @Wassup Thunderlinked, and it's been extremely insightful and thought-provoking, and I learned quite a bit just with doing the more basic stuff and trying to re-wrap my head around the theory of it all. It's actually nice to put some of my (probably really old, we're talking 6th - 8th grade...) band experience back into play with the current composition I'm working on which is orchestral and me trying to strengthen melody / harmony. Trying to get used to reading sheet music again...(got all that crap from playing flute, keyboard and guitar lying around...although the latter two was me faffing about and the 1 course of it I took up in undergrad uni, respectively, TBH, so it ain't much.) And yeah, took up your ideas too @HarlemHeat360. Thankfully, I really like old classical music like Mozart and Bach. xD Had to take it up for band class, and it grew on me over time. Just, I always used that stuff to relax to, never really study and take a fine-tooth comb to. Suffice it to say, yeah, listening to some of it really helped to understand what you meant. I also listened to stuff from John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and some other peeps, just big-name epic film scores like "The Theme from Jurassic Park" and "He's A Pirate" (Pirates of the Caribbean) to also get a feel on that from that perspective. Some real good shit. But thanks again. Any more advice or insight is also welcome. ❤️

Cool. ^^ I'll try to have something by the end of this month / beginning of August. Currently trying to make something for the PRC round ATM. ?

Hey guys, Dunno how to go about asking this, but I noticed a few colleagues of mine do this quite readily and frequently in MnP and PRC, and it has been recently brought to my attention in some criticism of my work in recent rounds...and this may sound real stupid or asinine to ask, but what is a good way to write counter-melodies or additional / extra harmony lines to a remix from a VG midi? At the moment I don't have a MIDI controller / keyboard to hand, but I am a bit at a loss for the technique of doing it. Been told with some of my work I don't explore melodies or harmonies enough?--or at the very least, they can be a bit underwhelming because I'm just using what I'm given, pretty straightforwardly. And it's getting to a point where no matter the additional content I slap onto a remix, be it a loop, a unique VST choice, or a sample / SFX, it isn't seemingly...IDK what's the right words...I guess bringing out enough potential in whatever I'm working on. Want to see if anybody has some tips or tricks in making them, like I'm unsure...maybe breaking down whatever melody or harmony is already in the music and rearranging notes and stuff enough for it to go parallel with what's there, and enhance the experience, so to speak. I figure this is the natural next step in trying to learn how to make music, trying to put your unique spin on it... So yeah, if anybody has anything that would be helpful.

@Black Chakram EDM & Synthwave, huh? And an excellent source pick, seeing as that one apparently has never been remixed on the site, (can barely find any online, period)! Alrighty, I'll bite. Wanna see what I can do with this cool bit of music, (I also like the game Adventure of Link despite being the weird red-headed stepchild of the Zelda franchise.)

@Bundeslang Yeah no problem. I'll send the original mp3 file I used as the submission next time I'm on my PC.

That also works lol.

Unsure how mine broke though. ...Guess this PRC especially is super cursed for me. ?

https://www.bandlab.com/vodouqueenxiii/redial-9c12e152 That's a direct link to the song on my Bandlab account, even though it's slightly updated and remastered. Same song basically though. Just was fixing some niggles from the version I submitted to PRC.

I hadn't forgotten, lol... ---- 1) 'Benny Rikashi and the Puffoons' – Souperion Pros: This is a beautiful remix of the source. Everything melts and melds right in. Well-coordinated and organic. Love it. I'm not usually one into Bluegrass / Country, but I liked this a lot. Especially the creative addition @ 1:44, that kind of turned the song into a pirate jig, a la Pirates of the Caribbean. Really cool. There's so much variety here! Also, loved the ending. Critique: Disappointed there's no dueling banjos. Also, half-expected a hurdy-gurdy or accordion to come outta nowhere in some parts. The song really didn't need it, but it was just a weird expectation on my part, especially when it began to build up to the end. I'd honestly be a nick-picky SOB if I sat here trying to find “issues” to critique on here. In reality, I can't really think of any, and on first listen-through, I was very satisfied with the finished product. Excellent job! Never thought I'd actually super enjoy a Country song for once. xD 2) 'Beats Rikashi' – TheVideoGamer Pros: I'm kinda glad and taken aback that you went the truer path of 1:1 remix this time around, aside it being the MnP standard. Usually, you'd do something much more hardcore, whether or not your tune is in keeping with the MIDI completely or not. Major props there, going outside your usual mould. Like Wassup's, I like the bombastic, cheery atmosphere in this piece. It's great to hear. Love the percussion! I think it could've had some steel hanging drums in it somewhere, since you mentioned you were trying for a Caribbean / Jamaican party, or rather, marching band vibe. The swinging synths really provoked that feeling, but yeah, good stuff. Critique: Thought the bass was a bit too..."bassy"? The reverb and volume on it, I mean... Sorry—I know what you were trying to go for but it was overwhelming from the get-go. The drums are extremely loud, too. I had my headphone volume down to < 20% and it was still kinda overmuch. Again, I get what you're going for, but balance is key I suppose. Wasn't feeling the ending, apologies, but this composition is not bad at all for something not generally “in your wheelhouse.” I enjoyed it nonetheless. :3 --BONUS-- + 'Fairwinds Festival' – Wassup Thunder Pros: Really love the happy-go-lucky, playful atmosphere you made with the song. Had a similar cadence and feel to the 'Millennial Fair' song from Chrono Trigger. It was a real joy to listen to. The strings were a wonderful addition halfway through the song, and rounding it all up with the bells / chimes at the end was fabulous. It was loud, but never felt “too” loud throughout. It felt just right for the mood you were trying to express and set. Excellent work with sound balancing, as far as I can hear. Critique: To be honest, there wasn't really much in the song I could hear or pick out that was specifically problematic. The instruments seemed fairly well-balanced between the lot, and nothing really swamped or stomped on any other track used in the composition. I think my only major concern was the lack of a discernable fore, middle, and background between instruments. A lot of it was very “in-your-face” / foreground-related, with no midground and a bit of back (the drums and percussion.) Having a few of the lighter instruments maybe more in-between things might've helped, but I wouldn't want to take too much away from the loudness and bombasticness of the song, when it's supposed to be very uplifting and joyous. Great work, though!

Have you tried: https://freesound.org/ ? It's where I get a lot of my SFX now for my songs, (like the phone sounds from the previous round's work.) Dunno if it'd help. If not, this might do as well: https://www.myinstants.com/index/ca/ If nothing else, maybe find a siren sound on YouTube and convert it to a .mp3

Here's my feedback... Sorry, again, for the delay... ---- 1) 'Cave Explorer' - MarcusG Pros: * Really like the thumping beat and percussion. * The slightly dragging piano worked very well with the bass and beat. It felt like someone was adding a smooth layer of chocolate on some rocky road ice cream filled with peanuts and almonds--funky, crunchy, and delicious to hear. * For a composition piece that you whipped up last minute before work, you did quite a bit of work, and it all meshed together nicely. Well done and big props. Critique: * Wish there was some added percussion to the synth bass and the echoey sustain / pad behind the melody as part of the harmony line. Perhaps like some added shakers or a tamb or two--something ultimately light that won't take away from the soft beat, but would add a bit more layering to the song... * Unsure if it'd work, but perhaps another kind of piano (or other string instrument) working the melody along with your dragged piano in the second half of the song? Might've been an interesting addition. Don't want too many instruments, but having another one that dragged slightly behind the piano to give the song a reverb effect could've been worked in. * Otherwise, for what it is and how long you worked on it, it's fantastic. Keep up the good work. 2) 'Coral Calamity' - Souperion Pros: * I like the spooky vibe with the shrieking stringwork and creepy organ. Didn't think 'Coral Caves' could have that kind of genre bend to it, but it's nice and very original. * Like some others have mentioned, it sounded very much like a remix of the song made for a boss fight (e.g. similar to how DK 64 and Conker's Bad Fur Day did it, where the level music tended to also be the boss music, remixed and twisted, [in hindsight, many Rareware games did that back in the SNES & N64 days...].) I enjoyed the shift @ 2:30 to the lighter tones as well. * To go along with that, your play on the dark and light-sides of the song, and incorporating different sounds and instruments between the two, especially around @ 3:20 where they started flowing in and out and meshing together, really, really worked. Was a lot of good interplay within the composition. Great stuff. Critique: * The heavy metal drum beats worked for me in the song, however the guitar at the beginning didn't (between 0:00 and 0:20 or so). It sounded too messy. Unsure of whether its the EQ or any possible add- ons to the sound (like a fuzz amp, etc) that caused it, but the dirty chord riffs just was a bit too haphazard. It sounded better with the surrounding melody and harmony and drumworks later on, but standing out on its own unsupported was weird for me, sorry. * Besides the slightly "sloppy" start, as you put it, the song is pretty tight-knit and well-meshed as it goes on. Just wished the guitar in the beginning had a better, cleaner sound quality. * This was a very close round for me in who I picked as well, to be honest. Your creativity for this was great. ❤️ 3) 'Reef Meditation with Monkeys' - Wassup Thunder Pros: * The little percs and blips from the very beginning seemed so playful, so cute, and so you. Loved 'em, and put a neat spin on the source! * For a composition that isn't your usual either Rock or Eurobeat vibe, it's very well done, smooth, and relaxing to listen to. The conga drum rolls and clavs / castanets were a nice touch as well. * Real fine jungle beat that I'm sure the monkeys and cavemen out there would love. I especially loved the bit from 2:50 onwards. I almost didn't notice the vocal choir in there either, but on subsequent listen-throughs I picked up on it, and it was a treat as well. Fitted very well with the rest of the soundscape. Critique: * I wasn't a real big fan of the "chicka-chicka" shaker sound in the background from 0:00 - 1:00. It stood out to me way more than it probably should have as a background piece. It might've been me, but my ears trained to it almost immediately, instead of focusing in on those sweet foreground and midground instruments. * The bass @ 1:00 seemed a little flat to me, and odd. Maybe it was the type of bass sound used, like a weird arpy / synthy sound, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly. Perhaps it just stood out a lot compared to the rest of the soundscape. Unsure what I'd replace it with insofar as other synths or arps... Maybe something that sounded more like an upright bass rather than a synth bass. Hmm... * Otherwise, great stuff. That flute, piano and pad(s) were, mmmah *kiss*. --BONUS-- + 'Ape on the Dancefloor' - TheVideoGamer Pros: * Ah, another one of your excellent pieces of craftsmanship in the art of Breakbeat and/or Rave tracks. ❤️ You never cease to amaze, (and I'm not being sarcastic with that, genuinely, it's always lovely to hear your work). * This round surely showed a dichotomy between "simplistic" compositions versus "complex" compositions, like yours, and either one is some real good shit. The additional complexities added to the rather oversimplified source was done with some expertise and care. I liked basically every add-on. * The beat was on-par, my man. Keep doing you. Critique: * I think the only downsides I had with this remix was the arp used for the main melody of the tune (I think it's some kind of arp anyways). It was a bit too shrill, and kind of swamped the rest of the piece. Not a whole lot, but enough to have caught my attention more than once even after a few listen-overs. * Had a smiliar issue with the bassline (starting @ 1:35). Just the way it hit me (maybe it was my headphones???) Felt "SHARP", and stabby, atop of shrill. Sharp and stabby is mostly fine, but the volume could've been dialed like a few decibels, in real small notches...like 0.-- etc kind of notches. It's no biggie, just again one of those things that kept with me as I listened. Also, didn't like the wobbly pad @ 1:57 - 2:15, at all...sorry. * Great variety, great changes, great song. Keep up the good work and the creativity.

Congrats, Marcus. Well earned. Gonna be honest on this one and say I don't agree fully with the tally up, because Gamer and I rushed it, but Marcus did very well for a song he also rushed up before work, so I'll call it even, lol. See people next round. I may sit this one out, but I'll at least try to give constructive feedback where I can. Also, thanks Bund for allowing my vote in and again, sorry for the lateness. It won't happen again, cause it's unfair to other people TBH... Sorry again. And Marcus, again, super fab job. ❤️ Really did love what you composed despite on short notice and really want to get my feedback up ASAP to show that.

That's fine, I guess. Ten seconds really isn't ideal, no, lol, cause something is bound to get the short end of the stick, but it is what it is now. Real life happens. Don't worry about it.

If the voting tally isn't too late, here's at least my votes: 1) Cave Explorer - MarcusG 2) Reef Meditation - Wassup Thunder 3) Coral Calamity - Souperion

@everyone: Sorry I had no idea that the voting was today. I thought it was tomorrow. My bad, I'll try to post up my feedback tomorrow. @TheVideoGamer I know you were in a rush but I'm very confused with your feedback for me. Maybe you'll elaborate further but my song is 90% Coral Caves...? Everything bar the pads and bassline was Coral Cave related. Pads and bassline were Redial, unless it felt more that way because of the phone SFX...? Sorry, yeah I'm super confused as to how it seemed to have more Redial than the primary source.

Done.

This might help: https://yt1s.com/youtube-to-mp3/en13 Doesn't compress too badly, TBH. I used it recently for my Battle Garegga remix in yanking some of the Cowboy Bebop samples from YT (since I couldn't find them elsewhere).