CC Ricers

I definitely notice the difference in reverb chains. Nearly all my channels use FL Multiband compressor (I only use freebie plugins) and boost the gain in the frequencies I want and reduce it in the ones I don't. Sometimes I also decrease the compression ratio if I want the output to be pushed more. If there's any reverb, I typically add it before the compressor. The master track has the Blockfish compressor, I usually have the compression level around 60% fast attack and usually don't need to touch anything else. I turn off "opto" because that sounds way too harsh. I don't know if it's typically an okay idea to route a second compressor on the master on top of the channel compressors. Also I have started to put a filter on the instruments that don't need bass. I'll work on the mixing, but I think I'll have to outsource the mastering to somebody else. A lot to ask for a free track, I know. I have been working on remixes for almost 10 years. Some people here are quicker than me (like started 5 years ago) and get front paged like easy shizz!

Yeah, I really haven't gotten around to noticing that in the waveform much until I compared it to some other ReMixes. Your Smashinarium ReMix has more dynamics. So my big question is, how to keep the loudest parts sounding very loud while easing off on the compression as well? I am not sure if this is just perceived loudness, but the kick drums in my remix sound about 25% quieter. Reducing compression on my track actually makes the entire composition sound a lot muddier.

Here's a remix in progress of DKC2's Forest Interlude, which shouldn't need more introduction. https://soundcloud.com/ccricers/test/s-WNMKA Source: Any feedback is welcome!

Every popular dance track right now.

I missed the deadline, but I still got the parts I'm still going to upload my mix to soundcloud very soon. Your melody is more original than most of the entries I've heard. Good luck in the contest!

I love DIY studio projects. My friend is trying to make his own wooden coffin for a desktop DJ setup, he wants the computer encased in it

Gotta love Expert Village. The long haired guy with the drum set also has some "quality" advice on playing hip hop and latin beats.

Hooray for more moombahton There should be a moombahton remix for a Shantae game. Tagging this to listen to later.

I've DJed before every now and then, usually with a friend but also just small-ish gigs and some impromptu events. I'm no BLiND but I can go on a lot about equipment and how we dealt with setting up. Over the years I've gotten more into DJ hardware than music production hardware. Not my own music, but others, yes. Yes, see above I don't DJ professionally- my friend and I just do it for the fun, and look for audiences/events that we feel fit with what we offer. My friend is looking to get one of those, but I don't use them exclusively. They don't fit my style of playing very well, and would feel more comfortable with an "old school" setup. But as an add-on for existing equipment I find them useful. I don't have my own equipment anymore, had to sell it all off. I use my friend's setup, Traktor Kontrol S2 though he's wanting to get more serious and get some CD players. My setup consisted of a Pioneer mixer and turntables (Stanton and Technics). Later I got Serato SL1 which is basically a specialized sound card which allows control of digital music over turntables. I started playing drum & bass in 2005 and one of my first records was a Pendulum single I would have started even sooner had I had the money before, and probably have been more of a house music guy. Eventually I delved into other genres like hardcore, dubstep and moombahton but I'm happy with what I started with. Despite my equipment, at this day and age I recommend getting a low-cost MIDI controller. It's just less upfront cost and risk to deal with. I mentioned low-cost but not cheap in quality. Vestax Typhoon and VCi-100 are good ones. Or even Numark Mixtrack Pro. I would browse sites like Digital DJ Tips to get the latest info on controllers and their feature sets. But in general walk before you run, don't buy a $1000 one as you won't need all of its features until you feel you "outgrow" more basic ones. Most of your workflow will actually be tied to the software more than the hardware. Most popular ones are NI Traktor Pro 2, Virtual DJ, Ableton Live and Serato. Personally I can't get used to Ableton's interface for live DJing, but others swear by it. I would recommend also going to a music store and trying out the demo equipment. Some gigging tips? As said before, I haven't gigged much but I've been through bumpy roads in setting up and playing live, and on reducing/preventing mishaps. One good thing is to be there early than you expect, to give you time to set up and make sure everything runs well, and give yourself plenty of time to test things out. Bring backups of smaller things like cables, CDs, USB media, etc. Bring a mini-flashlight for dark places so you can quickly find your stuff. Say your setup relies on a laptop (and many performers do), if that freezes and you need a few minutes to reboot- how are you gonna deal with the audience in that idle time? That's where it's best to break out an mp3 player and play something else. Point is, keep dead air to zero if at all possible, and keep the energy going. In my first time playing out I actually managed to get a group of dancers in front but made the mistake of playing a song with a long-ass quiet breakdown. People were confused and thought the music was cut. Also if you can, find a partner with more experience that you can trust and handle for such situations. Also it depends on whether the event calls for bringing in some of your own equipment. For gigs at parties or other small venues, you're usually expected to bring your own stuff. In-house equipment doesn't come into play much unless it's at established clubs and bars.

The good ol' Senns HD-201. Best bang for my $25. I recently had to replace one after five years due to the long, stringy cord getting pulled one too many times, but that's my only gripe with them. They're good for everyday use, and even for some home DJing.

DuckTales re-master announced as ex-WayForward employees run Shovel Knight Kickstarter? Wassup with that?

Hey, awesome work. About time it got posted. Everything from the piano to the drums and vocals blend in perfectly. It was already top notch when I heard it way back when too.

This and your other mix has a dark ambient-ish feel which I like. Just don't overdo it with the reverb as mentioned before. The original was drum & bass, so yes, you gotta make your remix stand out more. It kind of plays safe with the style. I would like this more if you took the style more into a modern dnb style, to reflect how much dnb has changed since the release of the original. Some of your drums sound modern, but when you fall back to the amen loop, here's where I think it is actually more conservative.

Just okay? Man, I have a ways to go, then. Fade-outs can work. I removed instruments one by one and then looped the last sample through a high-pass filter. You can tell it's within the context of the song, which sounds different from someone turning down the volume of a music player, which falls outside of the song's context. So I will work on the 2 minute and 4 minute sections more. They are starting to transition better, but it could be improved.

Haha, that does sound very familiar. I, too, would like to see more Hospital-inspired remixes. As for crits, I think the overall sound is still pretty flat. I'm not hearing a lot of bass which would really fill up my ears nicely.

I agree with that part. It does sound a bit weak, so I removed it. But now, update time! The mix is almost finished. It has a proper beginning and ending now. Now it just needs some additions to the arrangement. I've also used more filter and stuttering for some of the sampled parts. Listen to it here!

This remix is inspired by Mykah's own remix of Bynn The Breaker. It's in the same style but I recreated almost everything from scratch and put my own spin on it. I give Mykah credit for providing the Stranger vocals. Due to the gravelly nature of the voice, it was hard to mix it in properly. Eventually I went with stereo-separating the voice samples, made it a whole lot better sounding. The intro will have to be re-done to make it stand apart from the original more. Remix rev. 2 -m "Almost done, proper beginning and end" The remix Feedback always appreciated!

0:14 is a drastic jump in energy with the lead coming in. Everything before that would be a good time to create some sort of a build-up to build the anticipation better. Maybe some ambient swooshes or simple bassline to draw in the listener. I'm also not hearing much of a bass instrument to begin with. The section between 1:23 and 1:37 sounds too much like the section before the break. A change in the lead instrument or an accompanying melody would be nice to make it sound more like you're in the "meat" of the track. Overall this sounds clean and well thought-out in arranging the melody. Just need some those extras here and there to make it flow better.

The quickest way to go from repetition to variation is chopping up your existing drum patterns and re-arranging the pieces in a new way. I often use this approach to throw in an extra snare or hi-hat when doing a short fill or ending a musical phrase. To me this has two benefits to your work space: you don't pile up too many patterns in your project, and you don't make overly long patterns that contain all your variations.

Maybe you're used to hearing bLiNd's other works, and this has been a big departure from his usual style. Sure it's not close to being his personal Magnum Opus, but I think it's a refreshing change for him. It's very upbeat, bouncy and in general sounds more like a "fun" approach rather than a serious approach to the source material. When it's not full-on dubstep mode, it goes to this nice, funky swinging beat, which is the best part of the track.

Yes, Ruku made it on here! I've been liking his laid back dance grooves since I first found him on the forums. This pretty much on point with his other stuff.

Man, to have come up with those sources for sound, I have no idea how they started. But seeing other people working in the studio really does it for me.

Teaganbear once said about his posted remix, "I thought it would be okay to use a drum machine similarly [to a rock drum kit], with crap drum samples. I also had no patience or appreciation for production techniques." So did just I stumble upon the secret for having a mix the judging process altogether and get directly posted by DJP?