FreeSpace 2 wip

[Rozovian]

This one's been sitting in my remix folder for long enough. Just picked it up and started working on it again. Any thoughts?

Remix

[Gario]

Sorry, man; I'd love to comment and/or critique it but I can't download it.

Nope, I tried that. The computer I'm on doesn't like that host, I guess. I didn't think that answer was worth a bump

[Rozovian]

Can't right-click and select download target as?

[jabond23]

I had no prob downloading it...oh well.

I like this, but i'll admit i'm not terribly familiar with the source. I did check out the source vid on youtube to learn. I like this, its very ambient yet moving. The only thing i noticed is that the bass boosts towards the very end sound like they might be too overpowering. But to be fair, my speakers suck, even though i have subwoofer. So might just be a thing on my end.

Otherwise, it sounds very good. Everything is presented in a finely produced fashion and is easy on the ears. Plus, you've heard of a lot of my stuff so i thought i'd return the favor.

EDIT: n/m, it is my damn speakers!! lol

[Nutritious]

Wow, FS2 coverage, such a great game.

-The pad starting at :07 has some resonant freqs which are a bit hard on the ears. Esp :21 - :25. Cut back around 2k maybe or so. Also, it's a bit exposed, might try pushing it back in mix with some verb or pan spacing.

-Cool general vibe here, esp 1:02. I'm still not really hearing a hook here, but it would be great BGM for a game soundtrack similar to FS2. Kind've an old school feel.

-It's a great feel, though the song kind've slowly/minimally evolves over time. First real change was around 3:24 to a new feel, so that was good, though maybe slightly overdue.

-oooh cool sub hit at 3:41, makes me hope for some sort of break/d'n'b groove to really start kicking in and pick up the energy.

Good sounds and feel throughout this. Again, it sounds a lot like BGM rather than standalone piece, but not necessarily a bad thing. Ok, so personal taste-wise, I'd say cut down a bit on length of that first section, and kick up the energy more with a good beat on the buildup later. But hey, it's your song, do what you want

[hewhoisiam]

I'm loving the tension at the beginning.

Ehm. This is sort of a matter of personal taste. I like where the song goes, and I like the ideas; but the changes to get there takes place too slowly for me. It seems to me like about a 3 minute song drawn out longer. That being said, liking all the parts its kinda hard to really settle on saying what I think should move over and shorten to let the song change more quickly.

Also, I selfishly want to hear suspended cymbal rolls and snare in this to help offset the hi hat type sounds. Less hats and more varied orchestral type stuff. Not for any good reason mind you, just because it's what I want.

This sort of reminds me of blue man group type PVC instruments. I wonder if there is a PVC instrument synth... Anyways, hope this helps

-H

[Rozovian]

Everything here is synthesized, including the "hi hat type sounds", the drop bass... everything. I'll only add snares and cymbals and stuff if I can synthesize those as well - that's part of the challenge I've given myself with this track.

Thanks so far for the feedback, everything with numbers (no pun intended) has been especially useful (if not else then at least to boost my ego). Not dissing the rest of the feedback either, thanks everybody. Except Gario.

Updated, see first post.

[Gario]

Har, it was the computer I was using (or the fact you re-uploaded the link ). Alright, listening to it now...

May I say that you really know how to make a mix sound really clean? I mean damn, man - I'm pissed that I can't do something like this (yet ).

It sounds a bit atmospheric, perhaps a bit too much so, for my tastes. I don't know if this would count as 'ambient' for the sake of OC standards, but it may cut it a bit close throughout (although it picks up at the end enough to make me happy). It's probably just me, though - I could use a little more sometimes (just try not to lose the open feel if you add some texture to some parts of it).

I like it in general, though. It's got a vibe that makes it perfect to listen to if your working on something (other than music). It's got enough movement to (generally) keep my interest while not enough to distract me if I'm doing something else . I still think it's a touch too empty right now, at the moment. Keep it up!

[Dj Mokram]

Uh? I didn't even knew about that game Freespace2.

I really thought it was your new rendition of Starship area for Holonic.

Anyway, very clean sound, as expected from the sharp advisor!

Probably due to my headphones set, bass freq. sounds really proheminent in the soundscape.

Song seems generally centered around bass/mid freq.

Only complain is, I don't know how to explain it but, the sound seems close (=near).

I thought it may eventually be more scattered & distant for an 'outerspace' experience.

The high freq melody reminiscent of the begining, which enters at 3:20 balances the song and its onslaught of mid/bass frequencies.

Maybe it was done on purpose, but I felt it was introduced a bit late, and instantly overshadowed by the returning of low atmospheric pads.

Overall, great ambient track.

[hewhoisiam]

Okay, The first thing that sticks out to me is the bass drums at 3:43 don't seem right to me. When they go with that powerful bass, they sound great, but out there on their own, it's a bit, I don't know how to say. Very punchy and sharp and doesn't seem mix well with the soundscape. In the first version I think it was better because it sounded like it had a note, rather than just a bass hit.

Now, since ambiance isn't really my thing, for some reason, the more I listen to this, the more I want to hear some sort of echo (more toward the middle, after the initial ambiance) of the sparse melody type sounds. There is a slight echo, but I picture a very very delayed, very quiet but long (length) echo. Or even used more as a sound effect... Course, I could also be crazy. It's one of those things I say, but I know that I'd have to really hear it to make up my mind, so, yeah, don't worry much about this one, just my ramblingnesses

As far as where the sound is coming from. One of the things I read about doing along with adding different reverb, is to use the track panned one way, then add a send of that track panned the other way. I think it's a mastering technique; and I haven't really played with it much, but it essentially gives you 2 things to play with to fatten up the sound or w/e depending on how much you change each thing.

The 20 seconds of silence on the end is very reminiscent of another remix work in progress that I can't put my finger on it... (did that on my last one, had one track envelope hanging over)

-H

[WillRock]

Ok, first off the kinda weird lead and pads at the intro are a little high in frequency, its a little piercing.

Also I find it interesting that the piece shifts from highs to lows and mids.

I think EQ is the big problem here, its a little too overdone, its a little unpleasant in my headphones

Arrangment: I haven't listened to the source, I will say that it I got a little bored at the 2.30 mark when the high hats come in, it picks up again around the 3.15-ish mark. I think that the arrangement is nice, its calm, and somewhat menacing at points, cools emotions put into it. I thought that it ended a little abruptly tho.

Like I said before, its a little grating to listen to on headphones, work on the EQing in general, its not one instrument thats the problem...

Its good so far but needs work, keep at it

[Top Gun]

FreeSpace 2 is just about my favorite game ever, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this pop up on the front page. I don't have any real formal knowledge of music, but I can at least try to comment on it.

The production side sounds great to my untrained ears; very clear and crisp. As for the arrangement, I like the use and variation of the four-note main hook of the original throughout the song. I can pick up elements of the source's background chords in a few places throughout, including what I think may be key-changed instances of it (like I said, no formal knowledge). The one main issue I do have with it is that it doesn't seem to really evolve or play with the main themes all that much over its length; I kept waiting for things to get more dynamic or complex, and I felt like it mostly remained at the same level throughout the song. For all I know, that could be exactly what you're going for; I'm not sure of what the general patterns of the ambient genre are. I did like the ending section that starts around the four-minute mark, since that varied things up nicely, and I think that this current version is definitely more dynamic overall than the original you posted.

All in all, I think it's a fairly good adaptation, albeit one in a very different vein from the source. I'm used to having the original blasting out of my speakers while hitting the afterburner and slamming down my joystick trigger, so to hear it in a laid-back ambient style was a bit of a shock at first.

[Rozovian]

Not all missions are all that active, hence the name. This was just the source I wanted to use. I do know the feel you're describing, albeit on a lower volume. Shields and engines up, tempest on dual fire, a Shivan in the crosshairs. I'll see what I can do about evolving the track more, but I kind'a like the arrangement I've got. perhaps layering stuff more would be the best of both worlds, then.

Already dealt with hewo's crits and suggestions, gonna take on Will's crits next, and then update.

edit: updated, see first post.

Minor update, but an update anyway. Should be a recent version in case someone walks in on this and would otherwise point out a lot of things already fixed.

Also found those frequencies you're talking about Will, they're some kind of dissonance. The moving pitch must be because the harmonics seems to change in intensity over time, so with a few different notes, those frequencies just stick out wherever they feel like it. I'm not really looking forward to either solution I have for this: one is to replace the sampler with a synth and tweak it to sound pretty much the same... which I already tried, will perhaps try more tomorrow; the other is to separate each note to its own track and cut down the specific shrill frequencies for each note. Not fun, but it should work.

[HoboKa]

Mmmm nice starting there Rozo...I love atmospheric pads

Then those bass drum samples Nice touch.

I'm not sure if this is just me, but I think there's some dissonance between the percussives and the organ, but it doesn't occur very often.

To be honest though, I was hoping for a bigger build up...haha y'know what Rozo?? This is somewhat like my own composing =p, minus the fact that your melodies are sensical, it's just, it seems to meander until about 3:45 and up. But you've already been posted so I've faith in you

Keep at it Rozo Joe.

[Rozovian]

Haha, maybe you should sub it. Yeah, I'll give it more of a dynamic buildup in the second section, that should do it.

Update, see first post. Got some great feedback from Willrock and Tensei-San. A bit of levels fixing, EQ, stuff like that.

Anyway, I'm not far from calling it finished. Just needs a bit more dynamics and a few remaining problems fixed... found and fixed, and then I'll sub it.

[HoboKa]

So, you don't mind if I submit it then?

(good to know it's almost done =p)