Rexy

Chipping in with a happy birthday before it's too late Have an actual pretzel for us!

I'll try my best. I've managed to find a herbal remedy and will see how it goes, and just hope that I can improve from here. Though, that second vid did make me chuckle a lot x)

WUT. A megamix actually HAPPENED?! That's it, I'm hearing THAT before I go to sleep Still, thinking about the suggestions though, I'm not sure if my mental state right now is that deep it can only be resolved by medication, or even if I know of anything that gets served over the counter at the local pharmacy. It's going to take some time to heal, provided I can actually FIND anything to try and break away from it. [A whole 10 minutes later] Heard the mega mix in full. Sir Jordan, YOU are the MAN.

I know that it came so suddenly, but my mental health has become really messed up. It's gotten to the point that I'm A) either seeking for attention, or feeling so low that I can't do anything at all. And I tried to get counselling for it in the past month, but I was refused due to lack of general interest on the part of the organisers. Say what you like about my moves being dickish, but in regards to my mental attitudes throughout the compo, I'm back to square one - the person so afraid that they'd stumble early. I never really gave the post much thought until randomly reading through the mix's posts a couple of months back, so I don't really see it as an ambition per se, but just a complete missed opportunity. All I want is a resolution for this problem, other than 'not taking part in compos again', which I know for sure is a given. I'm not saying that Amph wasn't at all the right person to win - in fact, he certainly fought his way through. But the hostility throughout the compo really took its toll and brought me down with it. I'm still going to keep a hold of a handful of the songs from this compo, as a reminder of the amount of fun I had doing the whole thing. It's not going to change my moodset, but it's my way of acknowledging how well it came through on a musical level at least. You all did well... and in many, many cases, musically better than me

Now you see why I feel down, and why I consider myself not a part of this community anymore. You guys will all benefit if I just leave, I know it.

Pardon my depressing streak again, but... That makes me really sad that I couldn't do the Sky Sanctuary matchup. With all the shit I got on "Tomorrow's Wake" early on (and all the difficulty getting past the panel again), I was kind of hoping to get the chance to go against Gario in the final. Sure, it was nice I did Planet Wisp, but it breaks my heart that I can't make anything like this possible.

(Don't mind me, looking for an excuse to post that link)

More Jordanius loving?! Man, though I was gutted that you went out in the first round, it's great to see you bouncing back too. It'll be cool to see what you've got

Brandon, the people around me actually benefit from my presence and you know it. Before this escalates to another conflict, I honestly feel it would be a lot better if we wait until Matt replies in the thread. Keep your pants on, y'all.

Maybe so, but no matter what I'll still be remembering this stage as Lucavi versus the World. I definitrly enjoyed the music making component of the contest, and the support both in and out of the community has been neat. But in the end, I can't see myself doing another tourney style compo of this caliber for the sake of my mental health. I do still want to make mashups like this, so what would be the best suggestion for the future? That probably might have been the stupidest question I ever asked o.o

That's exactly what I will keep saying about all of my compo entries. You pancakes certainly don't understand lizard humor.

Yeah, but that ALSO could have been just fine without it. But I have respectfully let it slide because you're Mr. Cage's biggest fan.

Shut up Brandon - your Nicholas Cage packed track proved that clips alone are not a valid reason for a song to be rejected. It WILL make it, and I will do everything possible to make it happen.

And I said it in the wip thread and I am saying it here too. I am refusing to changing it.. At the end of the day, I'm an artist, and it's the vision for the track that needs to remain intact. In fact, Lucavi was blunt about a LOT of things in that IRC conversation that night, not just me. So basically, his point is invalid.

Eino, it had been updated for the past hour. I was just really slow trying to edit the first post with nothing but mobile internet a few blocks down the street. It's there either way. No modification was done to the koto though, if that answers anything.

Heya Eino Thanks for the commentary on Hogging Molly earlier! Well, I took a look at some of those concerns, though off the bat here's some I can't address. The pads at the beginning were part of Impact Soundworks's Resonance library (yes, one of the two prizes I asked for as a result of the FF6 contest). I've looked into the framework of the pad, but in the end it's a bowed metallic pad that relies on loops, and I can't really take out any grating noises that came with it. I did have a go at EQing out some of the frequencies past 2500 though, seeing if that kind of helps things. Coming in at 1:01, that's not an acoustic guitar - that's a koto. I was originally intending to go for a shamisen there but there was just too much high end and not enough body. I went for that because when trying to integrate the guitar power chord breakdown with the Emerald Hill chord structure, I realised it had a pentatonic progression, hence the need for something Eastern. As for the chords at 3:35 and 3:42, the chords go into diminished, which was present in the original source tune. I have indeed rectified it by making a slight modification on the synth lead over the top of the first one. Finally in regards to the pace, having realised that I need to do a lot to make sure this thing passes, what I am understanding is that there needs to be some added tension going through the acoustic drum section. So taking it into account, I've ended up cranking the drums and bass into double speed prior to the arpeggiated synth area, and indeed it calms down before the end. I'm actually not sure if it's even going to be likeable myself, but hey, if the Goo Goo Dolls can make it work... x_X Either way, uploading with newest version now. Will update the first post accordingly.

Another mod would be helpful, but no matter what, I feel that changing the form is just going to destroy the vision that I had for the track. If I want this thing to pass the panel, then I definitely don't want that vision compromised because that would just make me feel even more unhappy than the rejection. I still want to get this out there - I am taking a serious amount of pride in it, though that to me is now sounding like an understatement considering how upset I am in myself right now. But alas, took a look into the track again before going to work, according to the crits layered out. Two things I'm not doing is putting in synth guitars due to my general dislike for them, or even compromising the portamenteau section with any form of piano part; I cite Steve Vai's 'For the Love of God' for the builded climax for the synth line going throughout the last couple of minutes. And it's usually that kind of music that rubs a chord on me and brings out that kind of expression. The new version is in the first post. Go grab it.

It's not really a stream of thought; I found it hard enough to fit in every single one of my ideas when going through my initial notes on how to go about it. This is practically the structure I agreed upon: * Subdued intro * Planet Wisp melody gently coming in * Reference to Brandon's opponents * Planet Wisp repeat with fitting in of the Emerald Hill melody * Intense synth solo, moody for 16 bars * Synth solo becomes more triumphant at end * Dream Theater style string fakeout * Minimal piano outro Basically my low moods were able to carry the track forward; I couldn't really envision creating something like this in any other way. But I just feel really disheartened if you're thinking that the panel would 'no' it on arrangement grounds. It's making me think that I give myself way too much credit than I actually deserve. I'll address the other components bit by bit after having eaten, but I still can't see myself altering the structure unless there seems to be something that needs to be taken out. [EDIT: Okay, started going through a few things. I'm mainly paying attention to Blue Magic's thought about the delay on the first voice clip; this is its settings as it currently stands. There was some awkward feedback on the second ping which I soon took out for consistency, but is there something else that is making the delay stick out? (And yaaay... that's Reaper's ReaDelay. )]

Fixed. Go to bed, Tuberz.

Beth is a goddamn pancake, you crepe

@Shake: Just for the record I found it hard to initially condense my ideas within 6 minutes without breaking apart the artistic vision. So I can't cut it any shorter, I'm afraid. :\ @C7: Managed to take a look into the feedback. We addressed bits together in the IRC and I managed to get some of the ideas into the track... including replacing a few synth sounds and reshuffling/texturing some near the end. I'm kind of unsure about doing glitching though; I'm looking for a more natural and expressive sound as opposed to Katamari-style chillout. So either way, the first post is updated with some of the feedback taken into consideration. Is this an improvement? Can other things be changed? Or is there something else I'm just not hearing? o_O

I am letting you guys know that I am refining my Planet Wisp bonus track for OCR submission. I would definitely love all the feedback I can for it to make it onto the front page. Go on, make the greatest female lizard ever happy

UPDATE 4: http://instaidgrace.com/freqrexy/junk/soniccolors-gointothelight.mp3 It's at this point that I consider the track done. Fixes in this version: * Bass lowered, again. * Timings fixed on the strings, and automation fixes on them in the beginning. * Mid-EQs boosted to fill in some space. * Piano lowered again due to distortion induced by the above point. This is pretty much the version that I sent off to the Submissions Inbox. Let's see how things go --- UPDATE 3: http://instaidgrace.com/freqrexy/junk/gointothelight11.mp3 Current fixes to the previous version are as follows: * EQ cut on pads at beginning. * After being annoyed with 3 patch changes that went nowhere, I just replaced the square in the call-and-answer section with a piano. o_O * Changed a bum note near the end of the electro kit segment. * Added some liveliness to the drums and bass near the end. Not sure if this is what Eino means...... * Took out the bass EQ boost because it sounded horrible with the above section. * In response to the structuring, I boosted some of the rhythm parts in the background past the 4 minute mark that were also present in the beginning. Also I should have said this at the start; the 4:15 section shares chord progression with the 1:15 section, and the climax at 4:35 started by sharing chord sequences with the 0:50 area before going in a more dynamic route. So there's food for thought regarding any more irks regarding the general progression. Thoughts? --- UPDATE 2: http://instaidgrace.com/freqrexy/junk/gointothelight9.mp3 * Wetness on the delay for first clip reduced by 4db. * Bass varied in first couple of minutes. * Volume boosted by 2db on lead synth at around 3:30; that synth also had a cut in portamento by 6% to make it sound less like a "bird chiruping", which volume there was reduced by 2db. * Flanger added on synth in acoustic drum section and added a phaser to alter the tone to something a little less grating. * Threshold on limiter boosted by 1.5db. Tried to do it higher, but it just killed my piano for some reason. * 800-1200 frequencies brought in on strings. I usually have a problem fitting them in so that they don't clash with other rhythm parts... o_O * Cut out a few 32nd notes in the last synth solo, particularly one of the portamento based wobbles. That ultimately got replaced by a brief 16th note sweep. Apparently, there is concern about my structure. That is something that I really do NOT want to compromise for the sake of passing, but I just don't know how else to manage Gario's remark by that. I have done every bit of squeezing in and condensing as I could while making it in the first place, so I just feel really stuck by that. --- UPDATE 1: http://instaidgrace.com/freqrexy/junk/gointothelight6.mp3 * All Zebra synth sounds completely changed to some thicker equivalents. (Note to self: never use the Arksun soundbank again...) * Pads at the beginning extended and blended in more with the first instance of the Planet Wisp melody. * Weaving of pads and strings at 3:00. * Chord prior to Green Hill piano section changed from a D Major to a D Major 7th. * Synth texture changes thickened near end, particularly after the arpeggio segment. * Acoustic snare drum volume lowered in the mix. Seemed to get a bit too much attention for my liking late on. ORIGINAL POST: Well, thinking about it as hard as I can, I really want to start getting one or two tracks I entered to Sonic Zone onto the site. I did my best with my source pick of Emerald Hill 2P from Sonic 2, and I want to make sure it FINALLY gets some representation on OCR - something to compliment my S&K and Sonic 1 movements. So let's start with the little bonus track I worked on and sent as a bonus entry last week. http://instaidgrace.com/freqrexy/junk/Go_Into_the_Light_(Emerald_Hill_2P_&_Planet_Wisp).mp3 I wrote this as something more calming/thereaupic than my other 4 main entries, and really wanted to bring up what I felt expresses me as an artist, particularly going as far back as 2005. Even if you're trapped in yourself, there will be someone who will help grant you a way out, even if it's someone you don't expect. First things first and foremost: the voice clips are staying. First one is Sonic's infamous copyright statement prior to the Planet Wisp boss (keeping in as a sense of irony lol), and like my other Sonic Zone entries, the second one has a Gex voice clip ("What this place needs is color"); an intentional nod to Colors and the lifting moods as the track goes on. I'm cutting straight to Mod Review because I have poor confidence with the workshop as it is, and I really want to make sure this baby will actually pass the panel. So yes, fire away!

I do understand it by the figuring out who to vote for part, though they still bolded their choices. Granted, I may have gone by the excess word count myself, but I still had something to say and wanted to stick by it. Didn't think that others would be in a similar boat o_O

Nah, I counted that as a vote for Gario. But if he is still insisting that he had no part in Greg's track, I can't tell what he is thinking