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[FFIX Crystal World] Weeping Shards


Kenogu Labz
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EDIT: See my top post on page 2 for a major update! I need someone who can play acoustic guitar to replace the Wild Arms lead.

[(Not) Final WIP] - See top of page 3 for most recent!

[Listen Here (V3)]

[Listen Here (V2)]

This is a WIP that's been 'in progress' for a looong time, and I finally just sat down and cranked the second half out. There are some known quality issues, which is why it likely won't make it on OCR, since I'm using a tracker with medium-quality samples and poor effects plugins. But I'd at least like some feedback on arrangement and direction. Any thoughts?

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haven't heard the source, its a bit low to hear at times, other than that the quality is pretty good, when the electric guitar came in i thought it was going to rock out and didn't expected it to end so quickly as if you were teasing us =O, maybe you could expand on that part more it was really good. had another thing going on at 1:50 with the choirs and ended quickly yet again... started to get good near the end with the guitars and ended fast again.....Its as if you have these nice ideas going on but can't really expand on them

i advise you to add a little more arrangements at 1:19, 1:50, 2:04 (with the solo acoustic) after that nice job at 2:24 to 3:22, best part out of the whole song imo.

i bet some people are going to criticize your slow beginning, but i thought it was pretty good has a nice mystic feel for it.

overall very potential piece you have here, can't wait for an update.

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I think Ascendancy nailed it - it's like you had a bunch of great ideas but didn't know which one to go with. Also, is that Wild Arms that I hear in the music, periodically?

Not much to say about this one - isolate some ideas and crop others. I don't think the production is bad on this track, personally. I don't know about the OCR judges, but I think it would be passable based on the production. Just remember to pass it by one of the J's, when the time comes.

It's my favorite track from that entire game, so make it great :)

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Thanks, Ascendancy! You pinpointed the main problem, I think. I'll see what I can do about shuffling some patterns around, and fleshing it out some more.

Here is a link to the main source, if you don't mind youtube audio. It's a sort of eerie, depressing arrangement of The Prelude, coinciding with an eerie, depressing area in the game.

Yes, Gario, To the End of the Wilderness makes a showing, as well as a cameo from Terra (from FF IX, not FF VI), one of the other really good songs from that track. That one's dimly audible at the beginning. Still not sure about quality, but I'll make sure to ask before I give up.

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Double-post, but I updated the mix.

[Listen Here]

I only extended the first electric guitar part slightly, to give it more time to fade out. I do still want it to be a taste for the end, so that part probably isn't gonna change much. That transition still needs some tweaking, though. It still feels intrusive.

The acoustic guitar section is extended; this made up the majority of the change. It has a lengthened solo, and remains the lead in place of having the piano, which was scrapped for sounding junky.

Fixed a couple things in the ending, including a couple of random bad instrument transitions, and an extra harmony for the guitar's final spin. Random tweaks in random places, most unnoticeable.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Forsooth! It seems my acoustic guitar sample was more grating than anticipated. Sooo, before I try to dig up some other samples to use, I'm asking around for anyone who has the time to play the line of the acoustic guitar. I also realized that leaving the guitar out on its own is a bad idea, so I've added a synth-bass to fill in some gaps.

[Latest WIP]

[Acoustic Guitar Line]

I'll render a copy with the acoustic part singled out to make it simpler to record. Also, I'm really not sure if this will be well-tuned for guitar, so please let me know how easy it is to play if you decide to fiddle around, so I know whether to keep asking or to just sample-swap. Last, I don't know how to write tabs, but if you read little black dots, or at least note names, I can transcribe the line.

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This is a great improvement from your submitted version, but it's still got a few issues. Your leads are still pretty thin for the first half of the song, a problem that is somewhat rectified later on when you make the lead a bit more prominent.

I can't tell you how much it would help to get someone to play your electric guitar part live, though. There's plenty of musicians around that would be willing to do that for you, you just need to know where to look ;-) There's a lot of potential for a very emotive, powerful performance there, and since you've got the time I think you should explore that option.

Otherwise, nice soundscape and ambiance, good arrangement... there's a lot going for this mix but I think getting an instrumental collaborator would bring this to the next level and make it a surefire pass :-)

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I really need to do something about that flute, huh? The sample is just too weak to hold itself up as a lead, but I can't anything else that has anywhere near as pure a quality.

Also, I'll certainly ask around on the collabs for anyone willing to help. Thanks for the tip!

EDIT: Sooo, not sure how much this helps, but I doubled up the flute lead at the beginning, so tell me if you think it sounds any stronger than before. I've also fattened up the beginning with some bass.

In terms of the guitar, I want to keep it unless it's completely unstandable. I do want some pieces of the tracker style to remain intact, so that's my reasoning, anyway.

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this is sounding pretty good, but i'm a little bothered by the choir and the acoustic guitar samples, and the oboe at the beginning seems a little distant as well. i don't have much for critique here (better samples never hurt), but as is I think you've got a decent shot with this on the panel. good luck!

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  • 8 months later...

Judge's Decision

Latest Version

It would seem the balance and EQ still need a lot more work. At this point, I'm pretty much stuck. I'm not sure if new samples would help, either. The judges seem fairly split on whether the synth-guitar lead is good or bad; that really hinges on how familiar they are with demoscene music, I suspect.

Either way, the most common complaint is still a matter of mixing, so I'll try focusing there first. Is it plausible to balance a song after rendering it fully, or is it more important to balance each individual part first? Or some mixture of the two?

The big problem I'm going to have is that Modplug Tracker, unlike sequencers, does not allow the composer to dynamically change effects in the middle of a song. Once you choose a reverb level, you're stuck with it. Compression? One size fits all. Effects chaining? Non-existent.

If anyone has suggestions for a tracker that works in the Impulse Tracker (.it) format, or at least can read it, and also has options for dynamic and chained effects. It would be a great help.

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I think the J's hit it pretty well, particularly with that lead. It doesn't seem to fit the rest of the mix. Either change the effects on the sample (or the sample itself) so it sounds more 'in tune' with the atmosphere, or use it more often so overall it sounds 'appropriate'. Either way, it creates an unsettling imbalance, as it is. Turning it down a pinch is a must, as well.

Yeah, turn up the master track, if they say so. I'm sure you will :-).

Well, the J's are pretty enthusiastic about it, so I can't wait until you make the changes you need to and get this one posted - it's a pretty sweet mix. If I didn't already mention it, it's one of my favorite sources in FFIX, as well :-).

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WIP v7

I really don't have anything else to fit the lead, so I took the other route: expanding the lead's role near the end, giving it more room to breathe. Unfortunately, whenever I try to fix something in a song, I always end up changing the song itself, too. :|

I also tried some elementary EQ on the samples themselves, when rendering the song, and then segment-wise in post-production, since those are the only options I have at the moment. The samples are probably going to need more work, but hopefully it's a good start.

Does it sound like it's making any progress at all? My ears are done listening to the same thing, and more experienced ones are always welcome.

EDIT: I've noticed the bass feels pretty shallow, too.

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