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Man, it took me a long time to finally break away from Windows. Coming from a graphic design background, I was deep in Adobe’s ecosystem, so it wasn’t easy to let go. I eventually gave up on Windows 10 when support was ending — I was just completely fed up with the whole experience. I decided to try Ubuntu, which sent me down the rabbit hole of hopping from distro to distro until I finally landed on Debian 12. Since I’m on a budget, I’ve always used older, inexpensive hardware — stuff that often had no real support on Windows. But on Debian? Everything just worked! Sure, a few things needed extra drivers, but the community support for aging hardware was incredible. It’s honestly a beautiful thing. Plus, not having to support a mega-corporation that’s pushing spyware into its latest version feels even better. Finding a new DAW was the real struggle. I came from FL Studio and was slowly transitioning to Ableton, so switching to Linux was pretty jarring. At first, all I could find were Reaper, Ardour, and LMMS — none of which really clicked with me. I just wanted something that felt like Ableton, with an attractive, intuitive interface that was easy to navigate. After a while, I stumbled upon Bitwig Studio. One of the main reasons I chose it is because it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, so I’m not locked into a single operating system. I often see people say they can’t switch OSs because their DAWs, VSTs, and other tools are tied to one platform — and I totally get that. But for me, I want the freedom to go wherever I want. VSTs are still the one area I haven’t fully figured out yet, but for now I’m using CLAP plugins and plan to explore Winboat for running VSTs in the future. Other than that, I’m really glad I finally made the switch to Linux. It took some time to learn, but with the help of ChatGPT and the online community, the transition was so much smoother. Sidenote, this was the video that convinced me to make the switch.

I'm taking everything you've said and using it to completely redo the project from scratch with my Roland SC-88 VL. I've been watching a lot of content on velocity and dynamics to make my programming sound more natural and less robotic. On top of that, I've been diving into videos on how to build fuller, less harsh-sounding string and horn sections, and learning how to use EQ and reverb to bring out more dynamic, polished results.

Thank you for the in-depth review, this has been SUPER helpful. 1. A lot of my stuff might be stiff is due to me playing the notes on my keyboard, then manually clicking them in on the piano roll or quantizing them into place.. I guess I got hyper fixated on everything being strictly on beat--but I didn't realize that could be a negative (maybe it makes it sound less human?) 2. Yeah, it started to annoy me, as well. But it blends so well in the original track on the Genesis, I guess that's where I need to learn more and practice more mixing. 3. Yeah, some people on the Discord said to do that to make it my own. Despite this being a 1:1 learning experience, I would like to create something that I could submit for an official remix. So, for further practice, since I'm familiar with Green Hill Zone, I'll try to make an actual remix. I'm currently listening to other genres and jotting down ideas throughout the day. Seriously, thank you for the help! You've (and everyone else) has me inspired to stick with it!

I've already thanked you in Discord, but I'll say it again—thank you! Your critique really helped me identify areas I need to improve, mainly mixing and EQing, so I can make my basslines and drums hit harder. Like I mentioned in my original post, my goal was to create something pretty close to 1:1 to practice composing and understand how some of my favorite producers build their tracks. But I think it’d be cool to venture off the beaten path and create something more unique within that framework. I might take that approach with this track down the line. I'm still learning, but this feedback has been super valuable to my growth!

Hello everyone! I've recently rekindled my passion for music after a long hiatus and have started exploring it again. I used to be a hip-hop sample-based producer, but I found myself getting bored with that style. Now, I'm eager to learn how to compose video game music by remaking tracks from my favorite games. I recently remade the Green Hill Zone theme and would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism. I believe that understanding my areas for improvement is essential for my growth as a musician. Thanks!!! https://youtu.be/RK4bJ3kPt7c?si=gTmsTLUayJs95Y9n