Black Mage Dub (Final Fantasy IX)

[Da2dbm]

My first remix, definitely a WIP. Let me know how it sounds thus far. I still have to add the other elements of the song haha

Source:

http://www.ffshrine.org/ff9/ff9/ff9-03-05-black_mage_village.mid

Remix:

Black Mage Dub Updated 10/21

[Da2dbm]

Updated, I will change the drum EQ tho, don't like it after hearing it a few times...

[hewhoisiam]

First things first, the sound quality on YT is shite. You need to get somenfing else. mediafire is free and good. Lots of people use tindeck.

Some interesting ideas. But before you get to any of that, you need to lay down a song to be changing. This is more like 2 minutes of sound effects than a song. 12 seconds in idea starts, 6 seconds later, it's gone. There is just nothing developing in this.

Also, the stuttering effects are way over done in my opinion. It makes the song feel draggy, like 60bpm when it should be 100.

The really grinding bass sound that I hear at 18 seconds isn't carrying pitch sounds very well. It's just loud and angry sounding. And it's not working here.

Places where you have just the stutter sounding lead are not working due to not having anything developed to reference. I mean that if I hear a neat effect on a melody, I need to have heard and established melody first.

There are a few places where you have kinda a double time break. They feel like a Drum n Bass bit here just before you'd go into a quick double time feel. But as they are they build up and then just fall off into nothing...

Hope this helps.

[Da2dbm]

Any feedback helps and I appreciate you took time to give me some. I know there's alot to work on and I will implement these pointers in v3

[Arcana]

Says video was removed by the user.

[Da2dbm]

fixed!

[hewhoisiam]

That I can nod my head to, It's getting there.

Right now this is sounding pretty thin though. Just 1 or so instrument at a time over the drums. The drums are very sparse, so you still get the feel that this is going too slow. Listen to the original and how they fill up the sound playing the hi hats and using sound effects. You'll want to pay attention to why the original works and either fill the sound here or change your idea/style (from the original to whatever you're going for)

Now, in the original while it's not sustained notes, the xylophone playing 16th notes is basically filling the sound with sustained chords in places. There's also some neat panning work on some of the sounds that bop from left to right in ear with some sustained sound. (a YT link to the original is a good idea so people don't have to download a midi, helps with us lazy folk and we're not critiquing Nobuo Uematsu, so the quality doesn't matter as much) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYsJUXh5Iec

It's a good time also to consider how you plan to lengthen or modify this. Lengthen some of the ideas that you have and sections that you like, add sounds that complement the idea you're going for (one at a time).

The intro is fast, then it goes into almost a half time feel. The idea there could be pretty solid, but that first transition right into your melody sounds off. Needs a more subtle way to go from double time to standard time.

Some harmony would really help this out, maybe some sustained chords. It's a big jump in instruments you use here, one is that pluck sort of lead and then the low bassy scratch. You'll likley need something to tie it together throughout the piece. The fewer instruments you use, the better quality they have to be in terms of quality and structure.

As far as time and the drums... Consider adding straight (but quiet) 16th notes on the hi hat, at least part of the time and see if you like the speed. It's a good meter to decide if you want the whole song faster or slower. Remember too, you can change tempo in more than just half standard and double. If you go with a DnB sort of theme, a few 32nd notes here and there on the hi hat can make a world of difference. It's a very DnB sort of intro, then it sort of has an identity crisis.

Some of the samples that you're using when you have the stutter effect have a messed up attack that's too strong. It makes them seem louder than they should be. That's more of a mixing thing. Putting a compressor on it should help.

The back and forth question and answer bit you have now is short and choppy. A good way to add length to this is to expand that and put more of an emphasis on trading off ideas, rather than 1 melody juggled between 2 instruments. Especally with the effects you're using, you need a lot of exposure to the melody to appreciate the changes. (if that makes any sense >.>)

In listening to the original, this could really use some personality. Adding things making it unique is what I have the most trouble with, so... Sort of decide what you want the final product to be like. Pick a genre and idea and work to make it like that. What I tend to do is pick a song I like, and make a mix of it. My personal weakness is the more I change it to the way I like it, the more it resembles the original. You prolly won't have a successful mix with the idea of taking a midi and changing it as you go without a strong idea to work towards. At least I don't, but other people may be different. Do some research and find out what other people have done that you liked, and do it.

-H