GoldenEye 007 'Military Depot'

[BlackPanther]

Hello, got a remix I'm workin on I actually had one before this one, a FFVII remix but I had stopped working on it but I do plan on finishing it just not till after this one is done and submitted. But anyways I guess this would be break beat, this is my first attempt at break beat so go easy on it and it's not finish. I figure if people tell me whatever's wrong with the first half then I'll know what and what not to do with the second half. If you have to be harsh with the critiques then so be it but I'd rather you not flame me I can take wise words of criticism. But yeah anyways check it out and I hope you like it. By the way if you can please use the list zircon made for reviews if not it's cool it doesn't matter how you do it as long as I get some feedback, thanks =).

Click here.

Source

ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION

[ ] Too conservative - sticks too close to the source

[ ] Too liberal - not enough connections to the source (too much original writing)

[ ] Too much direct sampling from original game audio

[ ] Borrows heavily from non-source material (eg. a theme from a movie)

PRODUCTION

[ ] Too loud

[ ] Too quiet

[ ] Low-quality samples

[ ] Unrealistic sequencing

[ ] Generic/cliche sound choices

[ ] Drums have no energy

[ ] Overcompressed (pumping/no dynamics)

[ ] Mixing is muddy (eg. too many sounds in the same range)

PERFORMANCE (live recorded audio/MIDI parts)

[ ] Timing not tight enough

[ ] Wrong notes, general sloppiness

[ ] Poorly recorded

[ ] Bad intonation

STRUCTURE

[ ] Lacks coherence overall (no "flow")

[ ] Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough)

[ ] Pace too plodding

[ ] Too repetitive

[ ] Too short

[ ] Abrupt ending

PERSONAL COMMENTS (positive feedback, specifics on checklist criticisms, any other thoughts)

[write here]

[Argle]

It seemed very bassy to me, and these headphones are very light on the bass.

The beat is cool, everything's just muddled up a bit.

[Sole Signal]

Pretty cool stuff, though it kinda reminded me more of Blast Corps than Goldeneye. I know that the riff at 2:02 is prominently featured in one of the Blast Corps levels. Good quality strings in the opening, the bongo work is good stuff, and the beat is cool. It gets a little repetitive near the end with the sustained notes and not much variation. For a first mix this is great!

[PrototypeRaptor]

I'll throw in my .02

on my speakers, yes, it is a tad muddy...but it makes my sub beat like nobody's business. Dunno if that's what you want (but I'd definitely put this in a car

Perhaps all you need to do is isolate certain low sounds with crazy eq sculpting. eg: the kick takes up only 120s and the sub bass takes up below that.

The beat is good but I don't like the other synths - I'd like to see a pendulum/dnb style reese in there.

Also, the arrangement doesn't really seem to go anywhere; at this point, all you have is a nice drum loop and some background synths. Show me the hook! (hook, hook, give 'em the hook!)

If you add more compositional things (I know, vague, right) and really "drop it" into a hard hitting section, I think this could be much improved.

Hurry up and finish this, though, I need some new stuff to listen to.

[BlackPanther]

I also put the source file in the original post so you know where I got the tune from. Uh thanks for the input guys I'll definitely get to work on those issues you guys were talkin about.

[rpgmakermail]

The bass is a bit too much for the first 0:42 seconds but it gets better after that. I'm really digging the song. Maybe just tone down the bass at the intro and you got a good song.

[BlackPanther]

Ok made some eq tweaks and changed some of the instruments. So yeah just click that link for the update. Unfortunately though I no longer have the older version for comparisons. But yeah please give this a listen and some feedback would be greatly appreciated =).

[Therapsid]

Sounds good. Keep it up

[BlackPanther]

Thought I'd bump this because I would like more feedback heh.

[Davos-Moon]

I'm really liking the sound of it my only problem is the bass that comes in around 00:21 may be a little strong. It's sounding good though

[BlackPanther]

Ok so now I know for sure that bass is a little on the jacked side. The problem is I have it all the way at 1 and if I move it to level 2 then it sounds a little too high and more on the happy side of things. Should I just change the bass sound all together or do some major tweaking to get the bass to sound right?

[Davos-Moon]

If the bass is changed don't make it too different, you're defiantly on to something with the one you have.

[progressive]

Alright, I realized I had to post on this one after I listened to it more than once.

Here's the rundown:

Start to 0:07 - Great hq train sfx, liking this already.

0:07 to 0:50 - Chord progression sounds pretty naked here. We know you're going to layer on it, but until you do at 0:44, it sounds too simple and exposed. The sounds you add are great, though.

0:50 to 1:17 - Nice beat. Fun computer blip.

1:17 to 1:46 - Bongos are kicking ass. Nice scratchy background synth.

1:46 to 2:43 - Not a huge fan of this particular synth in the foreground. Low range synth at 2:05 sounds fine, though.

2:43 to End - Whatever that woodwind is, I don't like it. It's certainly interesting, but I don't think it fits the song well enough. Imo quality dipped a bit here because of it.

I think the bass level is fine. My headphones are pretty bass heavy and I think taking it down a notch would hurt the mix. As far as progression, you've got plenty. It never gets boring, but if you wanted to just go apeshit somewhere and do some beatslicing and breakdowns, I don't think anyone would complain.

[BlackPanther]

I've updated quite a few things: The strings are a bit different, added that boop sound in there in the buildup and I made it myself lol it's a known sound but I couldn't find it anywhere or didn't know what to call it so I had to make it myself. That main bulk is pretty much the same, added the brass part at the end, and I need help with the transition with the last two bars and the ones before that because at that point the song is coming to a close. Besides the mastering tools that's available on Reason I also do some in Adobe Audition so if someone could tell me how I'm doin with that, that would be nice as well.

Edit: Song is still on the first page, for the lazy people lol, it's right here

Update

[Rozovian]

"for the lazy people" - you were expecting me? Can't, btw, download source, and I sadly don't remember the source tune from playing the game.

The train sound effect works well in the intro. 0:50-1:18 section felt too empty, you could toss in some more backing there, references to the source melody and versions of it, stuff like that.

The train... horn, thing, as a lead is awesome. It could use some more weight behind it, but conceptually, it's awesome, and it does work at its current stage fairly well. The slow attack is something of a problem at times, you might want to fix that.

Scream at 3:25... not as classy as the rest of the track. Fortunately, it wasn't very clear.

Lowercase X-es, because it works as it is. All except the ending, which obviously isn't the final ending.

ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION

can't find source host

PRODUCTION

PERFORMANCE (live recorded audio/MIDI parts)

no crits

STRUCTURE

[ ] Lacks coherence overall (no "flow")

[x] Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough)

[ ] Pace too plodding

[x] Too repetitive

[ ] Too short

[x] Abrupt ending

OTHER

[X] Good stuff

[BlackPanther]

Ah thanks for the constructive criticism, I appreciate it. As for the screams, I'll probably get rid of it. It was a hit or miss kind of thing and the first person to not like it I was gonna get rid of it unless I can find a better use for it. The repetitive mark I got though, I don't quite understand. What parts are repetitive to me I feel that I have a good amount of change throughout my song whatever the problem is though I would like to know so I can change it lol, but one again thanks.

More feedback people I would like for this to not get rejected. This would be the confidence booster that I need to keep goin in my music making lol.

Oh here's the re-upload of the source tune, it'll be in the original post as well.

Source

[Rozovian]

Source link still doesn't work. The site seems to block direct links. Here's a link to the game's page on gh, "16 - Disused Military Depot" is the right file.

Before relistening to the remix, I can spot a few similarities, so I think you're in the green as far as source is concerned. Upon relistening, source is there.

The repetition isn't as much a throughout thing, or a "repeat loop for twice as long" thing. There's changes in those sections, but they're still repetitive, so it's be nice with a lead (even a soft one) on top. You can use some backing from further on in the track as a basis for it, just so those bits don't get too repetitive. Automating filters could get you some variation without having to do anything about the arrangement.

I also got a bit bothered by the sound effect of people running, close to the end. The scream could work if it's processed to no longer sound like a scream, ring modulation or granulization or some other weird tweak might do that.

...And you might want to fix the silence at the very beginning of the track, btw. Other than that, it's not far from great, and I think this'll get a YES when it's done. After the tweaks and a real ending and all that.

[BlackPanther]

So I'm assuming you mean that within each of the w bars of segments that I have, there's repetition right? If that's the case then I'll get right on it. And the footsteps was also another hit or miss thing that I was gonna leave or take out depending on the first persons reaction to it so I guess that's gone lol. The silence I kinda did on purpose. To fade in with the train sfx. If I should change, what could I do to fix it because I don't really see any other means of altering that =/?

Once again thank you for the critiques the more the better lolz.

[Rozovian]

My english music terminology isn't advanced enough for me to just say yes or no to what you said, but let's put it like this: within a section of the remix, there's repetition. Each section has its own sound, and while the sound is good, and the style of the sections vary, those individual sections are repetitive. The worst offender is the 0:50-1:18, which would be fine if it'd be half as long. The length, however, isn't the problem, the repetitive nature of the section is. The worst offenders are that one and 2:15-2:43. Fixing those two would probably solve my problem with the repetition.

Add more melodic backing in there, change the chord it's built on, something like that would be the best solution, imo. Adding the rhythm part from the 2:15 section into the latter parts of the 0:50 section (around 1:05) could work, as it's also introducing that instrument for later use. Doesn't have to be the same melody or rhythm, just something to say that you're not just looping for length, you've varying the loop and introducing a later element.

The intro is a great idea, like I said before, it's just quiet for a little too long. It takes a second and a half before I hear anything, and it takes almost until 3 seconds in befroe I identify the sound effect as a train. You could probably cut out the two first seconds and make it fade in much faster. Or, you could just make it fade in faster, just... sooner.

Footsteps might work as an outro, if you don't have any ideas for one yet.

[Guest FoxyDawn]

Yeah, i agree with other members, the bass is a bit stronger otherwise whole quality is good,just keep it up, doing good job.

[BlackPanther]

Thanks guys appreciate all the help and comments. Anyways I don't have an actual update this time just a news update:

I'm pretty much done with the arrangement and composition of the song I'm not gonna mess with that any longer, I just pretty much changed it as the critiques went so it's a bit shorter because I took out the segments that just repeated itself and I couldn't really find anything good to do with the vocals so I just put a flanger and gated the volume everything else pretty much stayed the same.

So with all that done I am now on to the mixing part of it. At first I was tryin to master it as one whole song but then I got a tip from one of my friends sayin that I should mix all the elements seperately to get a more precise sound so this portion of the song might take a while.

Once again thanks everyone I'll make sure this comes out soundin crisp =).

[WodahsR]

I really enjoy the first half and overall a nice piece but perhaps you could have instead of the of the scream an edited Rocket Launcher sound clip because it gives a shrieking noise but it is more in place with the game an/or the train doors opening but other than that I like it.

[BlackPanther]

True. But this was an interpretation of a creepy feeling but giving it some energy so when I dropped everything and left the strings and the beat I decided that it would be a good time to add the scream to give it that creepy feeling that it's supposed to have hence the name I gave it. I already submitted it and it's in the To be judged list so I can only wait at this point and see what they think about it so wish it luck xD. Thank you for the feedback man greatly appreciate it =).