jabond23 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I really like the source. Its got that epic, i just won a battle, feeling to it. I titled mine Arrival Of The Hero. I actually used a different guitar tone for this one. It seems to be crisper and cleaner. I know that the tone i was using seemed to get too muddy and hard to make out sometimes. I think this newer tone is much better sounding. I'm not sure if the outro fits or not. The track pretty much just ends after the last part. Let me know what ya guys think? Source: ReMix: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabond23 Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 Here's an update. Its got some small things fixed that i noticed after mixing it down the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theophany Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 First of all, this thread needs more love... I like the intensity with which you've attacked this piece. Aggressive guitar work, busy arrangement, quite fleshed out, lots of effort here. Some issues I'm hearing have to do with clarity. You have put a lot into the arrangement, but things sound somewhat muddy. Tere is a lot going on, but the mix still sounds empty. The issue is not the writing/arrangement; I think it has to do with the production. I'm hearing some crackling/peaks toward the middle of the song, I am not sure what is causing that. It's faint, but I'm definitely hearing it in the breakdown section toward the middle/end. I can hear the synth work you've done much more clearly in the second half, but I think you need to boost the perceived loudness of those synths to fill out the soundscape you have going hear and make sure they come through and convey the power this track is meant to. I'm not sure what guitar amps and pedals you're using, but is it possible to make the guitars sound harder? Maybe compress them and limit them to a certain wave range, and then use the synths to fill in the other areas so everything comes out more clearly? I've never mixed a power metal track, so I'm not sure how it would work... but I think the guitar theme needs to be clearer when it first comes in, it should really stand out above everything out. Maybe have a synth lead play the melody along with the guitar for added power? Lastly, I think you should look for some more drum samples, layer them on top of what you have and compress them in order to get a fuller sound, and mess with the velocities of the drum track so that the kicks aren't all at the same velocity and there's variety to the drumming. I usually check out freesound.org for samples of drums, snares, cymbals, etc, there's a lot of not-so-great recordings, but if you look hard enough you might find some decent cymbal sounds, because the ones you're using sound really hollow (though it could just be the way the sounds are mixed). Maybe the bass needs to come up a bit too to help fill things out. Also, more toms, especially toward the end with the race to the finish type section (for lack of a better term). Toms are epic, they make buildups and break downs worth doing, especially with a track that goes overkill on kicks and snare (which various genres of metal tends to do). Also, work those cowbells. Just kidding about the cowbells. Anyway, I'm really impressed with the energy and effort you've put into this remix, and personally, I think it sounds damn good, and I think it really captures the kill everything spirit of mega man in a very energetic, almost positive sounding power metal way Keep it up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabond23 Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 First of all, this thread needs more love...Keep it up... Thank you and I should add some cowbells!! LOL nah. I did fix a few things here. I cleaned up a lot of the general muddiness. I'm pretty sure i got rid of any faint hissing/clipping throughout the song. As for the guitars tone. I use a USB interface to record my guitars. I just find it easier, and mostly cause i don't have access to any other equipment right now. This is the first track i've used this tone on because the one i used to use ended up harder to mix. I like it cause it seems be a clearer and crisper than the one i was using. I took your suggestion, Theophany, and took different drum samples (kick and snare only) and layered them over the existing track. Then adjust EQ and compressor as necessary. I thought having double the cymbals would be too much. Although, to help fix the hollow sounding cymbal problem, i just increased the volumes slightly and EQed them a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theophany Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 This sounds fucking great, man. Wow. Much clearer and for some reason all the sounds just pop way more in this version. Drums sound better, but I'd still like them to have a little more power personally. I'm not sure how to acheive this, but have you done any compression on the drums? That could bring up the "oomph" a little more. Lastly, I think you should go into the drum track, and like every other measure or every third measure, especially when the drums are doing the kick/snare rapid pounding, just change up something about the pattern, add an extra snare hit or two and just see what it sounds like. The drumming is mostly solid throughout the song, but whenever it does the kick/snare/kick/snare thing it instantly gets old, and I think the judges might fault you for it. A little change up goes a long way when it comes to drums. One more thing I'm thinking about on third listen is the intro. The guitar opens by doing a series of six chords / notes, and ti's not bad, bit if you think about it, it sounds really plain compared to the rest of the song. This section comes in again before the breakdown. I'd add some other notes in there to enhance it, or add some catchy solo type riff overtop of the intro section just to really catch the listener, because the chords themselves are not very catchy. I think once the synth comes in and you have the chords and a guitar run or rapid strumming going, it will really suck the listener in. Everything else is pretty much gold. I don't know if anyone has any other suggestions, but I say tinker around with the drums and intro section little more and SUBMIT this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabond23 Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 I'm glad this version sounds much better. I actually think that some sort lead or solo in the intro would be awesome. I'll work on that and see what i come up. The intro work great as the breakdown section/riff, but not enough catchiness for the intro. As for the drums, i just fixed the drum beat to include a little more variety. I agree that intro/breakdown drum sections are too long to be that repetitive. Both drum tracks, though, are compressed already and about equal in volume. I only have one tracked EQed to have a bit more low end to it. I'm gonna boost the one track and maybe slightly on the other. That should give it a bit more kick. Its funny, cause i never thought about layering drums tracks over each other. It works wonderfully! I think this is the first time that someone actually said SUBMIT it about a remix i've done. I suppose its rightfully so, i've been learning my mixing/production skills since i've joined this forum about a year ago. I'll probably post an update tomorrow when i'm a bit more awake to write out a lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabond23 Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Alright. So like i mentioned, i added a couple extra snares into the intro and breakdown parts to vary it up a bit. I added a solo to the intro to make it stand out a bit more rather than it being a filler til the main theme kicks in. I think its sounding very close to where it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theophany Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Well, my last suggestion might be to try and run this by some people on the ocrwip channel on the irc, just because they usually have some good input. Otherwise, I can't really see a reason not to submit this. If the judges do happen to reject it for something they don't like, at least you'll know what it is from the judges decision, and then you can go back into the mix and revise the track. For example, I did an ff6 orchestral remix recently, but I get the feeling it's not going to get through. Still, once I know what the judges have to say, it takes a lot of guesswork out of resubmitting. I think your submission has a good chance of getting a YES though, it's really pretty solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabond23 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Yeah, i've gotta see what they think of it. Cause i'm just about ready to sub it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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