The Vodoú Queen

Got my entry done and in. I look forward to seeing how many metroid games get represented. Though I didn't help, by adding another Metroid Prime 3 track, haha!

I haven't listened to the entries yet, but we're all just here to learn and have fun. I've learned a ton by doing these over the last few years. Entering these competitions should be a low stress thing, even if the amount of work and love you put into your entry is high.

No! Stick around, please.
I'm flattered, but I understand. It is intimidating to have your work standing with other mixers. Comparison is rarely kind. Last year, I worked with Wassup T to make something for the OCR Christmas album. We had fun, but there is/was some seriously impressive stuff there. But please, don't let the comparison stop you from mixing. Keep moving forward, make new songs, learn little by little. You'll keep getting better. 

It's alright.  Up to you, it's just a guideline, really.  Not a huge No-No like voting for yourself.  Occasionally, very rarely we get outside Voters.  That's why PRC and MnP try to incentivize people to vote, but it only works if there is 3 or more entries (People who vote get a +3 score, but again, it only works if we got at least 3 viable entries). 
For 2 Entry rounds, regulars who didn't submit something, sometimes hop in to vote.  Not gonna name them, so I don't shame the ones who don't bother to Lmao.  Crap I am so tired.  Arg.  Can't sentence-make.  
Self Sabotage is my middle name** Nvm the self comparison comment I had here before...  Now is a time for more self reflection and anxiety than ever before.  Take care of yourself VQ! :3
 

Ah, sorry, I can redact or edit my post if necessary. I wasn't really meaning to say any one person's song is better than anyone else's before voting time--it's just me being a party pooper on my own party. xD ...In the respect that, simply, if I had more skill I'd I guess be more adventurous. Apologies. Wasn't trying to cause a bias against my own or for favor of other's work, other than to say everything up there so far, even the non-voter ones are good and am glad the turn out is, uh...damn what's a good word. Formidable? And creative.
Sorry, too, cause I was under the impression other people were voting outside of who entered, not we ourselves who've entered.
Again wasn't meaning it to somehow sabotage my damned self, even though I frequent that in all my ventures. xD

Yikes... The competition is fierce from the looks of things...
Guess I've got my work cut out for me. Makes me feel like I should withdraw or work on it more, but at the same time feels like I can't do much more with it.
...Really jealous of Soup's now. :/ If I had more skill I would've done Phendandra Drifts or Chozo Ruins in a similar tribal motif... >_<

Ah, sorry, I can redact or edit my post if necessary. I wasn't really meaning to say any one person's song is better than anyone else's before voting time--it's just me being a party pooper on my own party. xD ...In the respect that, simply, if I had more skill I'd I guess be more adventurous. Apologies. Wasn't trying to cause a bias against my own or for favor of other's work, other than to say everything up there so far, even the non-voter ones are good and am glad the turn out is, uh...damn what's a good word. Formidable? And creative.
Sorry, too, cause I was under the impression other people were voting outside of who entered, not we ourselves who've entered.
Again wasn't meaning it to somehow sabotage my damned self, even though I frequent that in all my ventures. xD

Huh, I was about to quote my first-post Rule Page, but I realized that I neglected to add the stipulation: "Try to avoid making comments about other people's submissions until the Voting Process concludes"...But that's my bad for not putting it in there.  Bundeslang relies on that Rule for PRC, it's to avoid seeding ideas into people's minds that someone's work isn't as good as the rest, which can create a Voter Bias of a sort.  Thanks for reminding me haha. 
Also, win or lose, I hope our feedback is helpful.  If not, then hopefully you'll have had at least a bit of fun.  Nobody here really goes by the expectation of winning, otherwise, I think they'd have dropped out a long time ago.  You'll find your groove and rest assured, you'll win something.  Can't really force it.  I used to think this way at PRC until Bundeslang gave me roughly the same pep talk. (edits)
I hope this helps and try to stay sane in this crazy ass time we live in.  

Yikes... The competition is fierce from the looks of things...
Guess I've got my work cut out for me. Makes me feel like I should withdraw or work on it more, but at the same time feels like I can't do much more with it.
...Really jealous of Soup's now. :/ If I had more skill I would've done Phendandra Drifts or Chozo Ruins in a similar tribal motif... >_<

@The Vodoú Queen
3) The very reedy, dry flute (@ 3:00) suits the song. I do agree with Soup, but I think more reed instruments could either be included, swapped out between or layered somehow. I feel for contrast, a wet-sounding clarinet or oboe would work well juxtaposing the flute at some point in the song. Or, perhaps, a violin. But I'd stick to woodwind instrumentation. Maybe instead of the flute continuing @ 3:52, try the oboe.
Oh...that's what you meant.  Derp.  That is an interesting thought.  I'll have to work it in with the other ideas.  Whenever I get the energy and motivation to spare.  Still a bit down in the derp-dumps.
5) The triangle 'dink' with the flute and at the end is cute. Sorry had to say it.  
:3 Dinkin' Doughnuts.  

Well, that's useful.  For #3, I'll be wanting to keep the flute most-likely, b/c the flute semitone pitch bend thing is a feature that's built in and not necessarily present in all my orchestral samples within Composer Cloud**, not sure how to do it using actual MIDI controllers, beyond 1st party FL synths.  FL doesn't play the best with 3rd party DAWs, unless i'm huffing paint.  The rest will be easier to do methinks.  Thanks for the feedbacks guys.  
whew...edits.  

Man...this is the kind of shit I'd listen to if I was playing Subnautica, frankly. The simultaneous vibe of wonder and awe of the depths of an ocean, clashing against the sheer mystery and fear of being in it is well-encapsulated here. I really love the background 'bubbling' and 'swirling' sfx lying behind the melody.
The piano and harp are beautiful, and I'm not saying that facetiously. Honestly can't tell what's a midi and what's a possible loop here, but it's all melding pretty well so far.
However, here are my quibbles, as I call 'em:
1) Jesus Christ, did I want more choir, damnit, lol. As much as I think the song does benefit with brief pauses of silence from the vocals, I think some areas could benefit with a continuation of the chorus (e.g. 2:23 to, say, 2:55).
2) That said, I think also some places could do with moments of just the background sfx (e.g. 1:05), albeit extremely brief, like maybe 4 beats or something. Just something of a pause, like, the bathosphere stopping its decent that brief moment, before you cross the threshold of going into the Mariana Trench (and it kicks up to the main bridge of the melody.) Some people would disagree, but I like some pauses, rests and transitions I guess. I feel they round out a song better, but it might not work here.
3) The very reedy, dry flute (@ 3:00) suits the song. I do agree with Soup, but I think more reed instruments could either be included, swapped out between or layered somehow. I feel for contrast, a wet-sounding clarinet or oboe would work well juxtaposing the flute at some point in the song. Or, perhaps, a violin. But I'd stick to woodwind instrumentation. Maybe instead of the flute continuing @ 3:52, try the oboe.
4) The harp (when it's in tangent with the flute) is a bit fuzzy to hear, yes. I think what it might need is a means of 'letting the strings settle' (reverb), I think that's how they call it when accentuating with string instruments. Let certain notes flow a bit rather than constantly being plucked, because unfortunately the plucking sounds like the flute when each note is tongued, and it's stablizing to the point they sound alike, or too layered. Just have a play around with it, see what works.
5) The triangle 'dink' with the flute and at the end is cute. Sorry had to say it.
That's all I can think of. To be fair I can't really fault this piece much, as the original is extremely beautiful even in chiptune, and this as a more ambient orchestrial piece is as well. If this isn't the final draft, I do look forward to when it's finished. :3 Please prod me when it is. ♥

Hey Souperion,
Thank you so, so much for your input. ♥
Ah yeah, I just had a listen to the places you've described and their associated issues. 1:50 (and it's similar transitions) were kind of inspired by '90s R&B, where they started mixing a bit of lo-fi / rap / hip-hop-style vinyl scratches and skips to separate segments of the song, especially when the tempo or beat had a change-up (e.g. groups like Toni, Tony, Tone and singers like Kool Moe Dee and Tone Loc used to do that in some of their songs. It's a very hip-hop thing to do, by comparison to the jazz / funk melody.) It can be jarring, especially if people aren't used to the genre, and it might warrant another look at it--either to remove it completely, or rework it somehow, if it doesn't fit. Loss of energy in the groove is a problem. Would have to mesh the bass line with it to keep that 'pumping' sensation going.
Yeah I do see what you mean about the vocal chops being a bit loud by comparison to the twins singing. Volume modulation... I'll keep that in mind if I am able to have another go at this piece, dependent on what the judges say about it, if it makes it to that point of the submission process.
Yeah the transitions to lone vocals in 3:25 & 5:00 were done purposefully, but I can sense--between what you've said and some comments I've had from others outside of OCR--that people want a continuation of 'grooviness', with no stops or silences. Unsure why, exactly (moreso cause I'm curious, not because I am doubting the critique.) I tried to envision a cymbal crash or tambourine mix-up for a full count before the vocals, and it seemed off. Might need to play with it as you say. Maybe something more subtle would work with it, rather than something loud and rambunctious (and I only say that because, in jazz, there's a lot of [sometimes very quick and short] high and low periods throughout a song. Sometimes there's silence except for the upright bass or some piano plucks. Sometimes a whole measure is quiet before the sax or trumpet builds up again.) Am trying to give the song 'breathing room' with highs and lows and pauses. It's a quandry... I need to revisit those sections.
Once again, thank you very much for your comments. I do look forward to more discourse, see what might need fixing, and how I can improve.
I'll try my hand at commenting and helping others, I just get a bit nervous about it because I don't want to seem mean or virulent in doing so. ^^;

A (really) late welcome to the composition scene! I'm not too familiar with the fine points of this kinda genre, but here goes.
On my first listen through, I felt like some of the transitions were a bit jarring as you shifted between the moods of the piece, such as it starting out with the ballad-esque intro followed by applause. That may be due to my lack of experienced appreciation for the style, though. I did enjoy the buildup from 0:28, and you used the brass quite nicely in that segment with the swells. There's a refreshing organic vibe in most of your piece.
The transition of 1:50 is a bit odd to me. You had a nice and energetic groove going up to it, then it seems to lose a bit of it's energy and fulness. Maybe I'm just missing the bass there. The vocal bit is just a tad shrill and loud, maybe try variating it's volume for that segment to keep it fresh (few measures at normal volume, a few lower, that kind of thing). Once it hits 2:35, though, it's really smooth and enjoyable. 
I feel like the transition of 3:25 to the vocals alone is a bit sudden. The part sounds good, but I think it needs something of a herald to the change, you know? A good cymbal crash with 2-4 beats of silence, for example, could punctuate the shift. Similar situation at 5:00, feels like it wants an exclamation point for the sudden silence. Try a few different effects, find your groove.
All in all, this is real entertaining song to listen to, nice work. Keep at it. I understand the feeling of working in a vacuum, hope other folks will be willing to give ya listen and some friendly direction. The best advice I can offer you is to keep mixing, share things here, and join the conversation. Comment and help other mixers, and hopefully they will reciprocate. Keep making this cool stuff.

TY!!! I made it myself. :3 ♥
Ooo, yeah, big Square-E fan here too. It's been literal years since I played a Parasite Eve game, but my god, was the soundtrack good. ^^
But then again Square rarely lets you down with their music, even if their plots and stories are sometimes waffley and weird.
Already started on the MnP for Metroid song here, but man, are midis an assache to play around with.

Ooooooooooo... METROID, yassss. My favorite game franchise ever (next to Castlevania and Mega Man). I can't wait to dig my heels into this! Just sad it's only 1 submission per person. :/
Will be my first time trying to work with a midi, and so far, it's terrible, aggrivating, and difficult. xD But, Imma try. Anything for Metroid, bay-beh!

Yeah I can try.
TY.
This is the full song (afaik):
And this is what I took from it, which is simply the acapella / mixdown version of the Devola and Popola lyrics to it:
I can no longer find the non-instrumental version of the song, but it's really complicated. People who played NieR would understand it better than I, but Song of the Ancients has about 3 different versions, and 3 different voices entwined, with Devola and Popola being the main ones, but they sing different lyrics. Fate and Atonement are the major instrumental versions of the song, unsure about the Hollow Dreams, but yeah... I used primarily the guitar beat and their singing as the basis of my remix.
I had submitted it a few weeks ago already, but any comments or criticisms would be helpful. I am always kind of working in a vacuum with any work I do, so only advice I have is primarily my own to work with, and I just started "producing music" around the beginning of September...so I know very little and am always trying to learn.

It's best to make new channels and not simply replace them with a new instrument if you are going to use a MIDI***, also, maybe use a different pattern as the MIDI, to reduce Controller conflicts (edits).   And yes...Square plots are weird (but not as dark  asAtlus games), but the music is good lol.  

This isn't the first remix from a game I've completed, however it is one I am more confident with:
https://www.bandlab.com/vodouqueenxiii/groove-of-the-ancients-jazz-funk-dance-mix
I decided I might as well throw myself into the deep-end (hope I'm doing it right), but yeah.
Any advice, pointers, or criticisms (good or bad) would be great.
Hoping to get something into submission at some point... I realize Cakewalk / BandLab is not on the usual list of DAWs to work with, by the way, but it's all I have to work with at the moment. I am extremely new to composing, arranging, mixing and mastering music on my own, (with nothing but me learning from YouTube vids, what bit of information I still have on music theory from years ago in band, and other tidbits on the internet). I'm practically a tadpole in a pond.
Don't want anyone to go easy on me despite all this, please.
Look forward to the comments. o/ Cheers!

TY!!! I made it myself. :3 ♥
Ooo, yeah, big Square-E fan here too. It's been literal years since I played a Parasite Eve game, but my god, was the soundtrack good. ^^
But then again Square rarely lets you down with their music, even if their plots and stories are sometimes waffley and weird.
Already started on the MnP for Metroid song here, but man, are midis an assache to play around with.

Ooooooooooo... METROID, yassss. My favorite game franchise ever (next to Castlevania and Mega Man). I can't wait to dig my heels into this! Just sad it's only 1 submission per person. :/
Will be my first time trying to work with a midi, and so far, it's terrible, aggrivating, and difficult. xD But, Imma try. Anything for Metroid, bay-beh!

Ooooooooooo... METROID, yassss. My favorite game franchise ever (next to Castlevania and Mega Man). I can't wait to dig my heels into this! Just sad it's only 1 submission per person. :/
Will be my first time trying to work with a midi, and so far, it's terrible, aggrivating, and difficult. xD But, Imma try. Anything for Metroid, bay-beh!

O.o
Hm... That's weird. Is it normal to have so many page views but no comments? ^^;
Hope the link / song is working.

Figured I'd also start posting artwork again.

Man, two things I absolutely love to always have a sit down and listen to: FF music and orchestral renditions of video game songs, and this one does both!
As soon as I heard the opening bars leading into the FF Prelude / Opening Theme, I got that spine-tingling feeling again as I did when I was a kid sat down playing SNES FF IV (the first of the series I played) on my own, stereo up high on the TV.
Unfortunately, busyness pulled me away from hearing the rest, but tonight I am going to take a sit down to read the text thoroughly and listen to the whole thing! You've got another subscriber here, and it's always wonderful to see a full band group performing stuff from movies, TV, and games, and not just the normal, traditional minutes and sernades. That said, I did get to read some of the text and your story of how the group got together so quick and on the cuff before Magfest, with so little time to coordinate and practice, and did this suite--it's astounding. Will and must hear more, and will comment more when I do!