[FFIX Crystal World] Weeping Shards

[Feep]

I've posted on this board, like, 20 times in nine years, but I'm posting now to say your track is the first ever WIP I've added to my collection.

Keep submitting to get it through. It would be a shame if most never got to hear this.

Edit: Okay, 36 times in 7 years. Still.

[Kenogu Labz]

Thanks, Feep! I'm glad you enjoy it. I'll keep chipping at it, until the problems specified by the judges are gone.

Speaking of which, here's a WIPIP (Work-in-progress in-progress):

WIP v7 (Gamble Edition)

Most of these changes have been made based on Gario's suggestions, and those of Obtuse, Skrypnyk, and Fishy over IRC. I haven't done any post-processing to balance the different parts of the song, yet, but I have worked on balancing the instruments within the song, so that should be a big step towards balancing the song as a whole. Please, PLEASE shout out anything you hear that sounds off, imbalanced, or annoying. I'm trying to pull it all together this time.

[Gario]

Balancing the lead 'guitar' onto the left ear was a bit annoying, but otherwise it sounded like it blended much better. Center it and I think that instrument is in the clear.

The Unreal/Deus Ex instrument at 1:52 sounds like you could lower the attack on it by roughly 20ms. A softer entrance would help it blend greatly, and it would clear up the section in 2:24, too. All the 'strike noise' is cluttering that section needlessly.

Otherwise, soundin' great. I understand you're looking for a critical ear, though, so gushing about how I've loved this track isn't going to do you any good. Let's instead make the final push to the front page!

[Kenogu Labz]

[WIP v7 (Final?)]

Guitar rebalanced to center. I'd agree there; that suggestion just didn't really feel right in the long run.

I take it you mean the crystal pad at 1:52? There technically isn't an attack on it, but I sheared off the beginning of the sample by a few milliseconds. I also changed up the entrance in post-processing, so tell me if it sounds clean enough. (I still need to play Deus Ex. Only past the first mission!)

The white-noise strike has been reduced a bit to serve as background, too.

This upload has been post-processed, so each section should be at its final volume.

Anything else that sticks out? Is it still too quiet in the beginning?

EDIT:

[WIP v8]

An off-note fix and a new snare added.

[halc]

really liking this. neat willrock-esque lead in there . i really liked the sections with those subtle glitchy drums underneath but I thought they could have been brought forward a bit and provided more of a backbone to the mix. overall though, this is a great arrangement with pretty slick production, and it has definitely come a long way since the earlier versions.

[Nutritious]

Production stuffs:

Cool start here. Good use of reverb and spacing. The leads were a bit weaker than the rest of the sounds. That double reedish (bassoon?) that starts at :12 has some overlapping notes, which makes it sound unnatural and I'm assuming is just a sequencing mistake. It's also a bit back in the soundscape, so a bit hard to hear.

Sounds like an oboe lead at :38? The pitch bends make it sound fakey, but i guess if it's not an oboe (or other "real" instrument), this isn't a problem? I didn't see it mentioned in the judges decision thread.

Cool section at 1:08 with the beat coming. Wish that beat stuck around longer

Another lead with overlapping notes at 1:34.

I think there are some balance issues that could be addressed here as well. On the whole, the leads sound too quiet, and the beat (esp the kick) is also pretty soft. On the Master track, the overall levels could come up a bit, but at the least, try to achieve good balance between supporting elements, percussion, and leads and I think you'll be set there.

I'm not sure I agree with the snare panning at 3:32 as it's a bit distracting from the elements I really want to hear.

Personally, I would've liked to hear a bit more clarity in the general soundscape. The soundfield is generally washed out in reverb. I understand it's a stylistic choice as well, so that's up to you.

Cool track with a kind've old school, spooky feel. Really liking it here. Good luck.

[Kenogu Labz]

Thanks for the feedback, Nutritious, halc!

The reverb is, unfortunately, on the necessary side of washed out. Many of the samples I have don't sound that great without heavy modification.

The oboe/bassoon is actually one sample. The big problem with turning it up is that its volume level quavers dramatically; it has some pretty harsh spikes, some of which you can hear in the rendering. I've tried to minimize it, but bringing it up too much more would definitely be painful. That's been the trickiest part about balancing that first section.

In terms of it sounding like a real instrument... it's just your imagination. Treat is as a synth, and it goes down a lot more smoothly. Now, if I had good woodwind samples...

I'll see if I can bring forward the drums a bit more, that seems to be a universal comment I've had. I'll see what I can do about further balancing the support and leads.

[Kenogu Labz]

WIP v9

Several changes, here. Snare's been swapped out, a lot of background has been pushed back to make room for the leads, and the intro and ending have a new sound that better fits with the glassy pads the rest of the song uses. Does the balancing seem to be improved at all?

EDIT:

With advice from Bahamut and Palpable, I bring you the [final WIP]. Volume ramped up through compression, and post-production almost removed entirely in favor of pre-prod balancing.