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I don't think it was even possible to grow up with a Super Nintendo and not be a fan of Nobuo Uematsu. Stupendous music.

For shame, djpretzel: You completely missed the fact that this was remix #2,000 in the "All Remixes" list.

Saw this earlier and thought it was cool enough to mention: Musicians unlock mystery melody in chapel

It would appear that I owe all of you a resounding "Thank you!" -- you've been extremely helpful. A few more follow-up questions, if you don't mind, though: 6) This is directed mostly at Kanthos -- does the Benward book discuss percussion as well? I'm having the most trouble with good rhythm lines and drum loops. 7) SnappleMan, I'm curious about your "daily plan" suggestion. I've sorta spent the last few days focusing on individual parts of the process -- e.g. yesterday was spent one some mixing and effects tutorials and playing with some of the production details (panning, volume, clipping, etc.) I'll need to learn. However, I don't know that I've got a coherent plan on what to learn when and what process to follow. Do you have a broad outline that you might suggest? (By the way, your 'start with a simple tracker' idea has been quite useful -- I already feel that I'm a bit better at getting down a melody as it's in my head. So thanks again for that.) 8.) I didn't see this on Tweak's site, and a couple of Google searches didn't turn up anything recognizable or free; so do any of you know of a good, in-depth discussion of how various types of filters work? (I'd prefer to err on the side of too much physics than too little.) I'm getting a lot of clipping when I work with low, resonant sounds like bells or deep ambient pads; and while I know in general terms what I should do, I don't yet know how to do it. EDIT: Scratch that -- http://www.tweakheadz.com/EQ_and_the_Limits_of_Audio.html has some great primers in the "Cool Links" section at the bottom. So there we go. Again, thank you all for your help; I know these are rather basic questions, but I'm trying lay a good foundation I can build on at my own pace -- without, as Avaris suggested might happen, having to unlearn bad habits.

Wow. Kanthos, Avaris -- that was both very quick and very helpful. Many thanks. I'm working my way through the TweakHeadz guide now; since I'm 100% software right now (excepting my PC, of course) I hadn't thought Tweak's focus on hardware would be too terribly helpful, but not only has this helped address my recording question, but I think I understand the flow of the software I'm using a bit better. So thanks again for that link, Avaris -- yeah, it's a long read, but that's no bad thing when you need something to read at work. Kanthos: The book recommendations look especially useful. I admit I'm not interested (yet!) in purely classical compositions, but knowing it as well as orchestral arrangement seems invaluable. Besides, I'm sure that as I learn it I'll become more comfortable with it and want to do more with those influences.

I've discovered -- much too late in life, really -- that the idea of making new music is far too entrancing to leave alone. Having had no real musical training aside from a couple years of middle school band classes and some very musical friends, however, I'm having trouble making the transition from "humming tunes and tracking them as best I can for my own amusement" to "writing out all the parts of a song and making a finished production." I've taught myself some music theory from online sources, which has helped a little bit, but I've hit a bit of a wall. The hardest part for me right now is trying to put down into writing a melody I've heard someplace else. Without formal training, I can't listen to a measure and say to myself "Oh, that went E-G-F-F#". If I hope to start contributing to OC Remix, this obviously has to change, and that leads nicely into my questions: 1) Are there any good websites or other sources that offer good ear-training lessons for free or at a relatively low cost? 2) Is there a way to import an existing game soundtrack into a tracker (staff or scroll is fine) or FL Studio so that I can see the music laid out note by note? It really helps me to have it written down -- I'm very visual and see patterns well, and that might help to initially compensate for my lack of ear training. EDIT: 3) To expand on question #2 a bit: Any sites, lessons or (gasp!) books on arrangement that you might recommend? I'm guessing that that's where my next problems will come from; again, up `til now I've just jotted down what sounds good, but I'm sure that I'm breaking a lot of the "rules" of music composition -- techniques to add emphasis or inspire a particular emotion. 4) Most of my friends were actually in one of our college's 'a capella' groups and sang together (they even have a CD that they've said I could sample from.) I'm currently only working with a PC; but if one or more of them agreed to do some voice work for a track, what kind of investment would I be looking at to get an acceptable recording? Bear in mind that I'd be asking for long, sustained vocal sounds for backgrounds or part of an ambient melody, not lyrics. (Think Brian Eno's "Music For Airports".) 5) I've somehow been unable to find a tutorial on synthesizers that's proved useful. I've read things like Zircon's guides, but I can't really find a tutorial or guide that says "If you're looking for a sound like X, try a square wave and some settings like A+B+C". Suggestions?