Anti-Syne Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 It's another laguna remix! but bare with me, it's got a twist to it. Thought i'd try something abit fun, never really tried to mix two songs together as much as this. What does everyone think? how can it be improved? Sorry the ending is a bit brief, it still needs working on. Edit: Newest Version Source 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2vpqd9gKXk Source 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SaDOoEspNI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 ...AAAAH HA HA HA! That's the... um... 7th or 8th Laguna remix I've heard in here, this year. That's freakin' awesome. All that aside, let's hear what's goin' down. I think you've merged them together pretty damn well, here. Not quite flawless, but pretty well, nonetheless. Some of the notes don't work too well together (like at 0:54), but it's a pretty damn good arrangement, despite the few odd areas (especially the great little ditty at 2:58, lol). The soundscape is very hollow, throughout the track. You really need to fill it out with pads, strings, textures of instruments... whatever fits your fancy. It's just too hollow, atm. The drums are annoyingly repetitive. Some of the synths are piercing, but that might be blunted after the soundscape is filled out a bit more. I think this mix is hilarious, myself, and it has some potential to be a really great remix on this site. The arrangement is freakin' brilliant, but the rest of it is lacking, atm (production, instrumentation, mastering). I want to see this happen, bro. If you don't continue with it please submit it to OLR as is... Actually, submit this version to OLR, right now, then continue working on the track, because it's just too awesome as it is not to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Escape Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Gario's dead on with his review. The soundscape is a little bland, some of those synths hurt my ears, and (something he didn't mention) The constant high hat is too dry and too hot. Maybe toning it down at 3k and 10k would help to make it less tiring to listen to. He was right that the composition was really innovative and the transitions were pretty smooth. This track has a good amount of potential, just keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Syne Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Cheers guys, im definately going to keep at this now that i've got the main arrangement down, not sure how i missed that mistake 0:54... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Syne Posted August 2, 2010 Author Share Posted August 2, 2010 Finally got version 2 done Biggest changes are: Improved drum patterns Fuller soundscape Less harsh sounds Again please let me know what you think of it and how it can be improved Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Escape Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Much better this time around. Easier on the ears no doubt. One thing that I noticed really stuck out were the contradicting synth lines (prevalent right in the intro). I can tell this is intentional, but I personally think they clash just a bit too much. I'm probably just nit-picking, because I know a lot of people dig overlays like that, but just something to think about. The hi hat still seems like it's at the same velocity throughout the entire song, so it feels a little off to me. Actually, I'm not sure it's the velocity, but rather the lack of change ups on it. It either plays on the up 4/4, or doesn't at all. I would add some variation to it, like build ups or quick little double hits. All said, it's much better than last time, so I can only assume it'll keep getting better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I'm not gonna lie - I really like this track. It just has a unique quality about it that's quite amazing. However... It feels like this would've been a great track for pre-OCR1000, not post-OCR2000. The sounds, although greatly improved, still seem too thin for the track. You need some thicker samples to apply to this track - the sine wave + saws just aren't enough to cut it, here. As for what No Escape heard in the beginning, try matching the bass to what's going on in the primary theme. For example, look at 0:29. The bass is playing an 'A', there, when a 'D' would make for a more appropriate bassline. This problem occurs primarily in the beginning, though - for most of the track it's not a problem. Again, I really like it, but the samples you're using seem weak. I'm sorry I can't give much advice on that, but that's a weak point of mine, really. Ask around for some advice on what synth to fill out the sound better with and see what you come up with. Even putting it on Mod-Review might not be a bad idea - they may be able to help more than I can, right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Syne Posted August 2, 2010 Author Share Posted August 2, 2010 Version 3 done now Changes made: Simple single oscilators synths replaced (apart from the one section where i've kept them to add contrast) Different hi hat patterns with more velocity changes Please keep your opinions and advice coming, i'm determined to get this track up to scratch and I reckon i'm getting there thanks to you guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Interesting take, blending both of the themes here. Very creative. Source use was very clear throughout and good handoffs between both themes. The chocobo bit was amusing . My only beef on arrangement was the ending felt pretty weak. Honestly, though, most of your synths felt pretty basic/vanilla. I'm definitely no pro at synth design, but I'd recommend doing a lot of listening to some of the artists here and how they use synths to see how you can improve. SGX immediately comes to mind. I'd say this is the most pressing issue right now for the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Not really much I can add to what Nutritious or Gario stated, the synth choices just feel generic and thin It's not doing the arrangement justice, but I don't think it'd be impossible to get this up to OCR level if you just did some more experimenting with thicker-sounding synths. Also, I found the ending to be lackluster, as Nutritious did. Something more conclusive, such as a more interesting drum breakdown, would definitely give closure to your solid arrangement. Don't quit on this one now, I think it's got a lot of potential Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Syne Posted August 9, 2010 Author Share Posted August 9, 2010 Thanks for all your help with this guys, seriously it wouldn't be half as good as it is now without your critiques. I'm going to take a break from this piece and work on others (more than likely more FF8 pieces...) for a few weeks then come back at this with a fresh perspective, so hopefully you'll hear a further improvement sometime in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hewhoisiam Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Oh wow, this thread already feels like it's in pretty good hands with Gario and Nutritious on the case... BUT SINCE IT'S LAGUNA! Bring out the hi-hats some! Give the kick some oomph. Louder 2 and 4 when you've got things going even with those ghost notes. The main Laguna theme has a nice drum riff that I kinda like, well, everywhere for effect. It might be neat if it came in somewhere. (me just wanting to hear it, that one) Thickening sound and sound design. My advice for these is to learn them the way I did. And my secret is just, uh. A search engine + youtube. I have learned things though, mostly from techno and the people here at OCR. Making a bland repeating better is done with cutoff filter automation. I found out how to do this and it was like Christmas for me. Most of my long winded posts can be boiled down to 'what do I suggest you automate, because that's what I want to hear...' (yes, that is my terrible secret) I do love texture in general. Some of the thinner sounds can be made better with some simple tricks. 1) If you have a simple synth that's using, like 2 saw waves? De tune them. One down, one up. Sometimes you can add some dissonance here too, for added effect. I more or less play with it till I like what I've got. 2) Sometimes more and quieter is a better sound than less and louder. If you play the note on C5, play it an octave off as well. C4. You can do some neat things with that as well, when/if/how you humanize them, you can have the higher or lower notes louder, they can come in slightly off time (1/64 note delay, etc) I do all this on the piano mode. Good stuff! Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 agreed with pretty much everyone else- the arrangement and part-writing is pretty strong, but the synths/sound design is too vanilla. you've gotten a lot of good feedback out of this thread, so keep putting it all to good use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anti-Syne Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 It's been a while since I updated this track, but in light of my Mako Cannon track I thought i'd put the final version of this up to be done with it. That's it for this one, so I hope you all enjoy it! Over and Out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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