metaphist

What happened exactly? SSD's are supposed to be a bit more reliable, I always thought. Got a few myself but just for the OS, so I'm interested. I think someone else on the forum also had a failure recently. A good reminder to mirror all your music somewhere for safety. Good luck, hope you don't lose everything.

What you did with the intro is brilliant, but I can't discern any source in the next section (which is what should seem like the main sections, so yeah). There's not really much I can say beyond that. The groove is there, the direction you're taking it in is amazing, but I'd really like to hear some definite source in that main section. Pull this one together and there's no way it'd get NO'd in my book. That's the potential I see, definitely flesh it out.

It really does sound like an 80's cartoon theme (I think it's that brass) Perhaps you should listen to some old cartoon themes and make that your motif? As far as varying up the arrangement, try dropping out everything except the bassline and the percussion, and let those (koto?) strings play a bit. You could go in a number of directions from there, letting other elements build in the background, etc.

I find there is as much to dislike as there is to like. I feel like the intro is much too long. The bassline there is fine, but that other low synth you've got going doesn't really play any notes that conjure up the source. You then start building with stabs of the main melody, but why carry that first section so far when it really has no connection to the source? You could omit that first section all together really, considering you reset and start another build around 1:00. The main section that follows is not bad. You have the main melody played together by a high saw and the bassline - why is the saw so quite? I think you should bring that out in the mix as your main lead. I'm not sure what you're trying to do with the static/white noise that comes in and out during this section. It's really just kind of a random effect - if that's the case, it's kind of distracting and you could easily do something more interesting than that. I want to call it rain, considering the forest and all, but you can grab any real rain sample for that instead of trying to simulate it. The section at 2:50 is where things really kick off for me. That's the kind of creativity and source play I expect from a mix such as this. You need to take that inspiration throughout the whole track IMO. Both your genre and your source tend to work against you in a mix like this, since they've both been explored a lot, so you're creativity is going to make or break this (probably along with the mixing/mastering, but you can get to that later). Again, I really like what you're doing in this section particularly and want to hear some more stuff like that going on. Everything after that section is pretty good, seems like the real song happens from that point on. Honestly I'd probably be more impressed with the song if the first 2:00 or so wasn't even there lol. You should probably work on more impressive builds to more impressive drops. Really listen to some good electro house and compare it to your mix to know where you need to go. My 2 cents, take it with a grain of salt. Lookin forward to progress!

Thanks for the blessing. I'll probably revisit the ending one last time in the end, as I'm not completely happy with it myself. I'm just a little burnt out as far as details go so I left it alone. It won't be the deal breaker of the song if anything, so it'll do for now.

I seriously LOL'd at your name suggestions. I'm really liking Funky Side Up though, so if I don't come up with anything better, I'll use that The guitar riffs aren't actually from anything in particular, but they do resemble chemical plant zone a bit, so that might be what you're thinking of.

Quick reply, don't know what's already been said... The drum beat that comes in at :38 (and again at the end) is the fucking business. But, I don't think the dance kick that comes in fits in the first part. It fits the end because you go into some sparkly synths that match it, but I would leave it out in the first part. Horns, layer them a lot more, maybe some chorus, they sound a bit thin. Also some creshendo would sound really good there. If your still having trouble getting out of cover range, just start soloing over the main theme and see what comes out. You might find some motifs you can repeat throughout the track out of solo.

New version (I accidentally left it in a higher bitrate so it's a bigger file) Sorry, MarioPhreak, organ solo is gone :/ Couldn't get it to sit well, didn't feel like wraslin' with it. Didn't really mess with the slap bass either. Tried a few realer sounding ones but they didn't seem to fit as well, and I don't think I could pull off a straight FM slap bass. Added a "wah" guitar to replace the other and fill in some sections, among other things. Will probably label it finished soon then see what the mods have to say. I can't work on it much longer as it's already been a while and I have another song to get too. If anything I'll let it simmer a bit then visit it one last time before I close the books. One thing I find odd is that I usually come up with a name long before I start the remix, but that's not the case here and I still haven't come up with one

I definitely understand that, having been there (hell, I'm still there lol). Also, I kind of envy the popularity of your thread...bastard Definitely looking forward to whatever you decide to do next.

Charming and amusing story. Kinda sounds like she's locked herself up in a deep cave, content to knock back her own potion and wallow in the ephemeral atmosphere until the next weary hero stumbles in. Is this inspired by the long removed Fairy Acid mix by Aneurism? If not, definitely track that down and give it a listen. I really like your guitar lines in the intro, It'd be great if you came back to that idea later in the mix, morphing it more into the source tune. With such a minimal source, you should definitely continue to evolve the filtering and gating that you've got going on so far. I feel like your gated synths are playing out of key with the harp, but that might be intentional. However, with intentional dissonance, you usually want to make sure that the intent is clearly realized, aka it shouldn't be iffy. Definitely a lot of potential here, and I guarantee it'll be compared to Fairy Acid if you submit. I think your success here hinges on how little you hold back while still maintaining source recognition. I'm really thinking some Aphex Twin/Squarepusher madness, if you're up to that - not easy, but will turn out great if pulled off.

That's actually good to hear ^^ Ah yes, I've heard of such techniques but never actually tried it. I'm actually coming off of some FM Synthesis chiptunes as my inspiration for this mix, so I think that's why I went so synthy and was ok with the basic slap bass. It's actually quite interesting now that I think about it, because I could go full FM with the slap bass for a more chiptune feel, or try to go for believable realism instead, rather than just sitting lukewarm in the middle. I'll have to mess around, thanks for the ideas. Y'know, I've been thinking about including those teleporter ring sound effects into the mix this whole time, and you may have given me the best place to do that Awesome feedback, appreciate it.

Probably the best dubstep adaptation I've heard yet. I'm not too fond of your square wave lead, until it starts playing chords. I think you should always have it playing chords if it's the lead, it just sounds a bit too simple for dubstep as a single line. I feel like dubstep should be as ridiculous as possible, but most people seem to hold back the floodgates and it just comes off as an "attempt" rather than a success. Your's is definitely past that stage, but IMO dubstep should be completely melting peoples faces off. That's really the only nitpick that comes to mind. You did a really good job of blending the two sources together.

Let me first say that we should probably give this man his thread back! Apologies to Zerothemaster if we hijacked your thread (though the discussion is probably worth hearing). Lastly, I'd like to honestly say that I'd rather see people get shat on in the WIP forums than see these happy-go-lucky back-patting posts. You see quite a bit of that here, and I think it's mostly because new people frequent the WIP forums much more than veterans, so they're really just supporting each other rather than giving valid advice. It really doesn't help when people leave it at "Great start! Keep up the good work, can't wait to hear more!" Even if my mix was good I don't want to hear that, there's always something to be said about the mix, even if it's subjective. Ideally the feedback has both support AND criticism, but I'd take the criticism over the support any day, that's the whole point of the forum. /2cents

God we need more Happy Hardcore like this. Loved it

I feel like the section from 1:20 to about 2:13 could build a little more, and likewise for the section after that. I think what you're getting at is that "drop" feeling the dubstep hinges on, but you can definitely build to it a bit more in those calm sections. Also, I feel like that very last section is the kind of thing I would expect somewhere in the middle, leading back into the main theme. Overall I really like where you've taken this, some nice brooding harmonies and it really does remind me of Cyan's rather dark look.

I'd sooner stick my head in a meat grinder before I called that a melody I think what I meant was it doesn't have a lead. I honestly don't even know the proper definition of melody, let alone any other musical term for that matter :/

Thanks for the feedback, glad you like where it's going! I've always been a bit bad in the transition department. I think I can tie things together a bit better there. Quite honestly, I'm not sure why I'm still tring to use that damn Organ. I actually had the guitar playing that part before but for some damn reason really wanted an Organ to get in there. It is me or are they just damn hard to work with? I'm done - going back to the guitar probably . I kind of slacked off there to get another version out, but I do plan to do something. I have two ideas - end with some crazy runs of some of the instruments a la "Midnight at Club Corel" from the FF7 album (god damed amazing), or go back to the main theme one more time and THEN do that. However, If I can't pull something convincing off, I'll probably have to suck it up and leave it herp derp :/

Haha, that entire paragraph summed up how I felt after my first couple of submissions (which crashed and burned). I can almost guarantee that's how they'll come off on the panel. The number one thing is to NOT take it personal, they really are trying to help, but they go through a LOT of music and a certain tact is lost in that process I think you got the right attitude though - Just keep making music!

Fun stuff. Never played Drakengaurd, but the music sounds freaking epic. There is, however, one small problem: From the submission standards FAQ. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that pretty much sounds like what you're doing. So the question is: is this for OCR or just for fun? If the former, you'll have to start from scratch. Also, I'm not a fan of using drum-loops, though that's perfectly fine for DnB. But I'd suggest getting in there yourself with the drums to keep it original. I definitely heard some familiar sounding loops in there.

Very nice. Perhaps you could throw some more filter shenanigans in there around the middle to switch things up. Like, low pass most of it and let some twinkly lead take over, etc. Also seem like you could use some high end in general, but I'm not the best in production advice, so...

If you are indeed just starting out I'd highly cherish OverCoat's advice. It's kind of hard to get an OG to come in and comment on your WIP, and his harshness is a good thing to get NOW instead of on the panel. I will add my 2 cents by saying that the theme you chose to remix isn't a very good one if your starting out, since it lacks a solid melody. It's perfectly fine to scrap it if you can't get it to go anywhere, or better yet - do what you want with it but don't make it "for OCR", then move one to something better suited to OCR for an actual submission.

Funny you should ask, I just uploaded a new version The link again for the lazy's: Death Egg Funk I think the arrangement is pretty solid, I'm not sure about the organ near the end though. Could use some production advice as always, but any advice at all is welcome of course.

Comments are as gold as the mix Amazing.

To be honest, I think you should get straight to shove and work with the credits theme too. I see no reason why not to, I think it would bring more justice to the game to include both, since they are both short themes and together sum up the game experience quite nicely, no what I'm sayin? Having said that, this sounds like a really fun mix. I think that second section comes in a bit too loud (synth guitar?). Is that YOUR voice that comes in doing the engine sound XD? That's a cute idea, and fits well. If you REALLY want to be obnoxious and funny, you could throw in a parody of that frog ringtone crap that was trending for a while back in the day. That might be overboard, but would be pretty f'n hilarious. Anyway, this could also use some neat processing effects since it looks to be quite synth heavy. I would just go balls out with drum work and creative effects, have fun with it. I'm thinking SquarePusher, Aphex Twin, etc if you can pull that type of stuff off. But try to keep the theme somewhat intact at certain points or the judges will definitely bring that into question. Looking forward to more.

Ok, had to listen to this three times. I feel like the track on the whole could use some high-end sparkle. Maybe even a bit more prominent delay on those leads (not the solo part though). I dunno, it just feels a bit dry overall, which I'm reluctant to mention since my production knowledge is probably no where near yours, but it's how I feel. I want to say it's a bit conservative? Which is usually a good thing, but I think a track like this shouldn't be afraid to get wet. But don't take my word unless someone more notable agrees (ie don't mess it up because of me). The section you added is just what the doctor ordered. I actually think you should milk that ending for all it's worth though. In other words, don't start the fade out so soon. I think it would be great to let the atmosphere and ambiance really just sink in for another good loop or two, with the birds and maybe some nice flourish-y things. Although the fade out isn't abrupt, I felt like I wanted just a bit more, to bask in it a little... Other than that, I think your just about ready to label this finished or mod-review, as the type of advice I'm giving might be more well suited coming from the moderators. It's at that level, I think.