Dew Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 http://dew-owns-it.com/oops/Dew%20-%20Feral%20Fatale.mp3 This track was composed in FL Studio using Shreddage run through FL Hardcore/Guitar Rig 4, EWQL Colossus/Stormdrum, an EWQL Ministry of Rock bass, and Drumkit From Hell. It's intended to be a theme song for some sort of badass beastly female character. I've been writing music in FL Studio for approximately a year, but I don't really have any formal experience or musical training. It's just been sort of a hobby. In truth, I've been visiting OCR since 2004, and eventually I'd like to become good enough to create worthwhile remixes of my own, although I don't really have much by which to measure my own level of musical aptitude. In any case, feedback would be much appreciated, in regards to both composition and sound/mastering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC2151 Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 The opening drum stuff reminds me a bit of Ayla from Chrono Trigger, who is indeed a badass female. But yeah, I gotta say that this is pretty good. As far as mixing and mastering goes, I will say that your drums could sound a little heavier/realistic, but other than that, everything sounds in tip-top shape. Love the guitar sound, and I love the Asian vibe going on in this piece. It's like something out of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a game with a pretty cool soundtrack. I can't give you any real pointers, since you seem to have a firm grasp on what's good and what's not. I too hope to get a mix posted on here one day, though it may be that you are a whole lot closer than I am to realizing that goal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dew Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 Thanks for the feedback, good to hear that all the time I've spent in FL has paid off. I had a good feeling that I'd finally nailed something with this one, but I find it terribly hard to accurately judge the quality of my own music, so I was unsure. As a side note, I wouldn't give me too much credit for the way the guitar sounds. That's all Shreddage, just run through a couple of amp presets. It really is an amazing tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Your drums are a bit overcompressed and up and up in the high range. There needs to be a real kick drum, a kick drum should be low and bassy. Snares shouldn't be that thin in the upper range, this song calls for something more midrange and rock snare-ish. I love your guitar sound, if it sounds as good as you say it does with just a little effort, I can't wait to get Shreddage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dew Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 I've actually been wondering how I should be mastering my drums for quite some time now. Currently I've got one drum channel with all the normal DFH mics enabled, and a second channel for the toms with all the mics disabled except the tom mics. I've got a Parametric EQ on the toms pumping everything like... 2000hz and higher. From that point I really have no idea how compressors work so I just experimented with a mishmash of presets. I believe the drums channel has a Maximus with the Master Aid preset and the toms have a combination of some Maximus and Multiband Compressor presets. I was looking around on the internet trying to find a guide or anything with tips on how to master percussion, but I wasn't able to find anything that seemed reliable or relevant to the tools I'm using. Would it be more advantageous to go through the effort of separating the kicks/snares/hats out into separate channels and EQing them individually? Or is there something simpler that I'm missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markhansavon Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Play the guitar line twice, lower the volume and pan them 50/50, then make the bass higher in volume and super compressed. I don't have the best samples in the world, but I know that rock is based off of live performance, and in a live performance of a rock song the bass is extremely....well it kicks into your body...I guess...how would someone describe it? Uncompress the drums. Make the snare and toms have more reverb than the hi-hats, cymbals and bass kick. The snare might go "PAAAHHHH" (good amount of decay). I don't know if that's what you'd going for, but it does sound great when one does do it.... I know that's not how everyone would design their sound, but that's what I would do. x_x With drums, I would listen to live performance and try to mimic it (not studio sound) because I feel that when making rock it's important to understand where everything comes from. It's not like synths, where you might have the tools at your fingertips that everyone else does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 First, you need to understand how drums work. Unfortunately, I'm not going to explain for fear of someone coming in and telling me I have no idea what I am talking about HOWEVER... You should stop doing fancy stuff with your drums and understand what each drum sound is supposed to do. http://www.zirconstudios.com/tutorial1.php This is for how to make electronic drums, but there info on what a kick/snare/hi hat is supposed to do and also how to write good drumlines. You shouldn't have all your stuff in high pass filter... that, to me, is just (and I'm sorry for this) BLASPHEMY. Kick drums should be low Snares should be mid Hi Hats should be high I usually put toms in mid low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markhansavon Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Great tips, neblix, but I don't know about using the phrase "should be". Like, for example, I like my hats lower and my toms a bit higher. And I want my toms to go BAAAAHHH (large decay) so they're like terminator drums. For me, personally, playing has always come before writing. So, I just know how to play drums on my keyboard, and drums in general, and I write what I play. I know it's different for different people, but it's another way of going about it. Whichever is easier and feels best. EDIT: Here's how I personally do it. This setup is made to sound more like it's live. Try it out, it should come out pretty good. [Volume] - [instrument] 100% - Bass Guitar, highly compressed 80% - Drums, I like to put the snare and bass kick high, then the cymbals lower like they're in the background. I actually don't like compressing my drums as much... 45%/45% (or lower) - Guitar 1 and 2, Left and Right, these cover the higher ranges. 55% - Keyboardist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernito Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I dunno, IMO the guitars sound way too loud compared to the rest of the stuff. I can hardly hear the drums. Anyway, the track sounds pretty kickass! PS: BTW, those guitars sound AMAZING, I can't believe they're sampled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Great tips, neblix, but I don't know about using the phrase "should be".Like, for example, I like my hats lower and my toms a bit higher. And I want my toms to go BAAAAHHH (large decay) so they're like terminator drums. For me, personally, playing has always come before writing. So, I just know how to play drums on my keyboard, and drums in general, and I write what I play. I know it's different for different people, but it's another way of going about it. Whichever is easier and feels best. EDIT: Here's how I personally do it. This setup is made to sound more like it's live. Try it out, it should come out pretty good. [Volume] - [instrument] 100% - Bass Guitar, highly compressed 80% - Drums, I like to put the snare and bass kick high, then the cymbals lower like they're in the background. I actually don't like compressing my drums as much... 45%/45% (or lower) - Guitar 1 and 2, Left and Right, these cover the higher ranges. 55% - Keyboardist. In the case of this remix, I believe the soundscape is way too much pushed up into the high range. There needs to be something down low, regardless of hi hat/tom placements in the frequency spectrum. The only thing I hear down there is a thick hit that sounds for maybe a single section of the remix, and of course the guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markhansavon Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Well, regardless, going by that mixing recipe has worked for me before, and I still think it sounds great. I don't know, whatever works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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