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Hello again! I'm doing a transcription challenge for this month's February Album Writing Month and my second song was this guy here I had a lot of fun experimenting with the percussion since I'm...really bad at it to say the least haha. The vocalist within me also couldn't help himself and added some tidbits there too. I won't take this any further since I can't really fathom how to make this song OCRemix worthy in terms of adding enough of my own flavor to make it original. Still, it was fun! I also lost a lot of quality on YouTube so if you want the HQ version here is a link to that as well. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eIT-B2M19X8rm32ZCvvJBtwrwLCzbwBa/view?usp=sharing edit: as an aside, I'll say I know its rather loud of a recording (the HQ version at least). So maybe turn it down if you wish lol

Hey guys, maybe some of you guys know of this page already, but I recently discovered Vienna Symphonic Library's Instrumentology section here https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Academy/Instrumentology I often compose using at least somewhat of an Orchestral profile (not necessarily well lol) and one of the things I can struggle with is the roles of the instruments in the orchestra. My background is choir mostly so this to me has been a great help. Particularly helpful though is the sound combinations section for each instrument. I'm mostly familiar enough with the instruments individually but combinations I highly struggle with. I hope maybe some of you guys can find use in this as well! I'll probably never own their library (nor do I need it really) but what a heck of a resource. Be curious to see if it helps anyone else as well.

Thank you for your perspectives as always! I actually never use a xylo or a glock in this piece but there is a Celesta. The rest are pianos layered with effects to create a sound very similar to the the instruments you listed though. I think it helped soften the sound but still give the ringing tone of those instruments. I'll try and give some personalization for Melody and other things too in the future. As seems to be my call, I like to uhh, stay in the lines when I make things initially. I need to learn to spread my wings some more!

Thanks for the perspective! Things will open up a lot more as I go I think. I'll try and keep in mind the things you said as I develop the track!

What an amazing analogy at the end. That is so helpful in thinking about how musicians as individuals like to approach their own works. Thank you for your kind and attentive words. Thank you for sharing your experiences! It really does have this dual feeling when you have someone comment on what they like about what you're doing or what feel it has. As a classically trained musician (singer) I feel as though I need to like, be able to compose in proper orchestral settings at least sometimes and be able to succeed at it. Especially if I cite John Williams as one of my key inspirations. But on the flip side, the other three musicians I see explicitly in my music are Yoko Kanno, Nobuo Uematsu, and Eric Whitacre. I think the outcome so far is that I lean more towards a atmospheric sound a lot of the times. Like you, I want to be able to challenge myself and write other things. Not just as a challenge, but because I like all sorts of music. Michael Jackson is my favorite artist and I have musical roots as a listener in hip hop, R&B, and gospel as well. I also really enjoy prog rock and electropop. I want to make music that sounds like all that too! And yet, I haven't been successful so far. Moreover, it's not the music that tends to pour out of me to the point where I hit the keys and fire up pro tools. Maybe some of the problems I and others have is we don't know how or are unsure of ourselves when trying to Branch out. I don't know how to make beats...but I can make 30 bars of classical ish sounding music. I think it's why I get VSTs I rarely use. Hoping I'll one day just learn as I fiddle with them. I never made music with sound effects either but I learned/am learning. I guess the journey continues on! Edit: I just want to add that in thinking on it more, there may be a big difference between our musical influences as opposed to what one of the guys from spitfire coined as our musical heritage. Maybe...think of it as what or whose music is transparent in and actively affects our pieces being our influences. This is opposed to our inspirations and surroundings that we consumed and used to direct our paths toward music being our heritage. It more passively affects what we make and why. Something to think about.

Wrote this last night as just kind of an exercise but I think I want to take it to the next level. As written it's mostly just straight forward and in rhythm. Really quantized. I think though I can take some time, play some of the parts myself and really humanize it—take it slow and add feeling. There are some issues with frequencies being cluttered with the vocals but that is fixable. I'd appreciate any feedback on this take as I move forward making it feel more alive.

Right?! That piano is so awesome!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EZAkmJNGteO9CLOF74O6JhNShvK2QKf9/view?usp=drivesdk This is in the early early stages. Like maybe 5% or so done but I wanted to post it as proof of concept I guess on my direction before I really dig into it with all the other instruments and verses to come promise more updates in the future!

Finally got my headphones back so I can more accurately hear what I thought I was hearing. The 1:11 isn't harsh actually. Its just a bit choppy/inconsistent in the velocities. It causes it to sound a jumpy in the dynamics. Just something where you would need to take some time to make it more natural sounding. As far as the static strings, I would need to know what VST you are using. Probably just some time getting more familiar with the mod wheel might do it. For the tempos and stuff, I use pro tools so I cant help with FL studio. However, one thing I've learned is something you alluded to, which is that sometimes just to make it sound good, you need to play to your instruments strengths and less to your composition desires. Now, the better you get at using your program and knowing how to push your VSTs to their limit, the more you can do. But sometimes I've learned that at my current progress, I need to make sacrifices to my artistry in the name of fidelity. However, that doesn't mean you shouldnt keep trying to make it do what you want! Sometimes you can try, mess it up, let someone else listen to it, and they can tell you how to make it do what you want. Regarding the last statement, I think sometimes with VSTs, as I mentioned earlier, if we dont make them do what we want them to do properly, it can make them sound insufficient? Like maybe we need a better quality one. But here, I'm not sure that is the problem. I think the sound here is really interesting and fine for the most part.. maybe some verb here and there to make it sound less dry, but I think mostly they sound a bit stiff and lacking just because they need some more tender loving in FL studio. That being said, I know you put a lot of work into this and it is probably a lot off work to go back in and try and tidy things up more. Regardless, I'm no expert. I have my struggles as well! I hope though maybe I provided some perspective. Would love to know the vsts you use tho

Lol you are too kind. I don't know much Metroid music so I wouldn't have been able to connect!

I'm not really familiar with the source material and my headphones I use for mixing need a new cable so I'll have to stay light on those comments while I await it's delivery haha. Anywho, let's see here! Love that opening little run with the piano and it's cool that it comes back later. The strings sound a little lifeless here. I think they could use some editing to give them a bit more flow and energy. For now they just sound kinda static. The instrumentation coming in around 1:11 sounds kinda harsh to me. As if whatever sample is being used wasn't playing nice when you tried to get it to do a schwartzando type effect. I hate when that happens to me and maybe that is what happened here? What an odd little synth! I like it. Really weird and almost goofy but comes across as kinda sinister! Super cool in the beginning. I think some of the tempo changes come across as a bit harsh here and there. I really suck at that stuff so idk how to help. Maybe fiddle with the algorithm you use to get it to slow down? Also something is telling me with the cool little synth, it would be nice to have some other more modern, gritty or even kinda ghasyly synthy sounds toward the end when that motif comes back. Just to give it some more grit or something. Could even use some double reed instruments playing in their lower register possibly? For some reason Symphony of Psalms comes to mind hmm... Anyway, this was very neat. I liked the track composition wise but I think from a production standpoint it could use some more tender loving. Like I'm not even sure vst quality is a problem here? I think you can hide that behind that piano and some of the interesting motifs. I just think sometimes the sequencing doesn't do them any favors. But, that is okay in my book and doesn't detract from the amount of work you put it. Thanks for the listen~

Dude right? I'm at this point like...so what if TWO of my songs may sound similar? But at the same time I want each of my songs to be their own little butterfly ugh. And yet also at the same time, I want to establish a sound that is my own. Why do we do these things to ourselves lol?

So I guess the premise to this inquiry came from my recent works on this soon to be submission So, as you can see, I haven't even gotten a review let alone a submission, but I find that not only did I like what I did, I feel like I found a sound I can resonate with to the point where I could do it again. So I started working on a different song from FFVII and a lot of the same sound ideas came to mind and similar approach composition wise. Part of me is like...is this me finding a style/a musical voice? Or is this just me being unoriginal/lacking inspiration? I'm sure whatever else comes out will be its own thing but it would still be atmospheric, combining different orchestral/cinematic aspects together. It's very perplexing to me. Until now I never really locked into a single style in my head. I guess some examples being these three songs I think simple and atmospheric with vocals is kind of my thing when I take a closer look at the compositions...hmm. Anyway, what do you guys think of this process? Do you try to run away when you see yourself getting locked into a sound? Do you try and shake it off or do you take it as "your sound?"

Thank you for the feedback! I really do appreciate that. I enjoyed going through and experimenting. Probably the problem ended up being I had so much I wanted to do, tryi g to stuff things into the soundstage and without making it clip too hard became a project in and of itself. But I also realized...I have a lot of things in my libraries worth just making more music so I can explore them more! I have my go to's of course that I almost always use but at a few points I was like "Wait...don't I have a library for that already? Yep...yes I do lol" I've been listening for a few days and maybe agree another section before the ending would be nice. I just am unsure where to take it and the source doesn't give me much. So I'll have to be more liberal if something ever comes to mind. Maybe I'll just sit and experiment with stuff and see if something I like comes to mind.

I'm not too big on this type of music personally but the synth sound that starts at 2:07 is sick. Dunno what it is about it per se but it has this like energy to it that is both aggressive and bubbly.

....I think, I'm ready for review haha. This has taken forever and I'm sure there are plenty of flaws in the master...but I think this is my limit without feedback haha. Honestly though, I like the way it has turned out and i had so much fun. It helped me find a lot i actually enjoy about some of these more...hybrid electronic/trailer like sounds that I normally can't stand or find really cliché in like movie trailers but in some game music really can make magic. Anyway, i hope you guys enjoy the first version of the full song start to finish! And I hope whoever reviews it has fun with it as well and can help me with whatever they choose. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hZgXfRJiPTE2IllhEbNEOTqGkYNHIr5h/view?usp=sharing

Honestly where I'm at now, I'm kind of...stuck. I'm like dude I went into a whole new direction, which I like, and I think I'm doing fine with, but I am just unsure how to get home exactly without just kinda...mailing it in. I'll keep working but right now what I have isn't too much different than what I last gave. Really, I'm just trying not to do too much. I'm playing this line between cool effects and atmosphere and sensory overload. That and it's like coming down from the mountains with the climax I just did haha. Anyway, I think I just need one last visit from the muse that got me here and I'll be able to take it home.

Haha, sweet thank you so much for your help.

Thank you! If you don't mind, with a more in-depth program, what other parameters would you set? I don't mind...spending money I guess as long as it isn't too expensive and massively DRM laden like Auto-tune haha.

Hey guys I have a production question that kind of alludes me. So in the song Sins of the Father from MGSV (wonderful piece btw), there is a part at 4:25 where they run Donna's vocals through some kind of filter, which I'm guessing is a pitch correction software. I personally don't own any of the major pitch correction software like Auto-tune or Waves tune. Is that how they get this effect or is this something else? I think I picked up a free one awhile back called MAuto or something but I could never figure out how to make it do that haha. Any advice you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hmm, I dig the approach! The main synth leaves something to be desired. It is kinda plain I think? I don't know much about synths when it comes to editing and making them but I think this is just a little too dull to be the star of the show. I don't suggest going crazy with it. But I think I wish it had some more sparkle, grit, or something that just made it stand out, while still being able to carry a melody. Other than that, sometimes I wish I had some more umph in the bass but hey, that could just be YouTube not being very good quality. Also, the second verse is not varied enough from the first and could use some other layers or even just some melodic variation to justify a second go around. That being said, the sound is—at the risk of sounding super corny—groovy! Haha, I was jamming a little while I was outside. I like it and would be excited to hear a more detailed version in the future. Cheers!

Hmm, never played Secret of Mana too much but I wanna get my fox in the fray for the first time! Maybe I'll see what I can do >_<

I'm just gonna stick to the successor. I'm also gonna stick to not really commenting too much on the quality of the VSTs or anything as much as I can. I think you could better use some of the more atmospheric aspects in the very beginning I'm not sure if this was intentional or not but there is some pulsating in the strings and it kinda throws me off but I think if it moved more or had a better presence in the soundstage I would have been okay with it. Some panning would be interesting as well. Like that synth at the bottom when it first comes in around 35. Really very nice touch. It definitely screams FFVIII low synth. The next sequence though, personally I don't like the chord progresssion around 50s. The root note/bass sounds out of place. I'm not great at doing analysis off the top of my head but I think it might be some type of inversion thats clashing in an unpleasant way. At 1:13 I especially didn't like the clash. Sure, it is more interesting than a simple, consonant bass line, but I think it doesn't do it for me here personally. I do think the idea is good. Again, that bass screams FFVIII and is used often in the OST. I wonder what sample you used? The next part after though actually works really well for me in the bass line! I enjoy it! I just don't like that first part with the sort of Edea/Witches motif section. I thiink however in that last section from 2:48, the bass no longer does it for me having it there always. It just seems like it shouldn't be there? I think though from 3:01 it could make a come back though. Give us some room to breath and enjoy that beautiful chord progression starting from 2:48 and those high notes. Ugh, so gorgeous. The piano you got really did it or me with those high notes! Loved it :). But yeah, I think just...maybe let that bass go except for the part I put earlier. Maybe even just at that 3:07 part when it plays in octaves with the main line. Anywho, these are just my opinions and my approach. We all come from our different musical backgrounds with our own preferences. I don't think any of the things I mentioned were egregious at all. Just things where I would differ. I think you also have more to offer with this song too. Especially if you want as a remix or an arrangement to take it somewhere unique to you. I like this idea of what you call Uematsu bass and bringing that to this piece somehow. Would love to see the idea expanded upon. Anywho, cheers buddy! Thanks for the listen

Hmm, I think there are some cool concepts worth keeping here and building on. I like brassy take on the theme at 4ish. I think that's something that really shines. But I think—and this is coming from someone who is rather conservative in their remixes to this point—I think there could have been a lot more done to build the suspense. It just kinda felt like a long long version with some interest toward the end. I think you also use silence well too, which some people (including myself) can forget to use to add suspense. But I guess this just wasn't adventurous enough for me. Besides that, on the technical side there are some syncing issues with the Fithos Lusec chorus at times. The strings really leave a lot to be desired. Again, I really recommend BBC Discover or even Spitfire Labs as a base quality for strings these days. I'm sure you are mostly using free patches but I do believe there is room to upgrade there still. Anyway, seems like you have a decent amount of content on your channel to explore so maybe I'll go do that? Thank you for the upload and share!

Still working on this! Just hadn't been able to put in the work really hard. But I added some new progress in the original post. Still a lot of work to do but I'm in the home stretch composition wise. Then it's all the mixing and stuff I'm bad at haha.