Coolest Way (Doom Remix)

[vr_jadison]

Good day OCR Community,

today is a great day for me because I finished a cool remix for a very cool game. Its a very free interpreted remix of the first levels in Doom 1 & 2 (& another short tune from another level ^^) and it is made from scratch without using any source music.

Important to know about the song: IT IS ACTION! IT IS EVIL! IT IS A MARINE RUNNING BERSERK ON MARS AND EARTH TO SAVE THE WORLD! -> Its about the coolest way of playing and thinking about Doom.

Song: Coolest Way (Doom Remix)

Genre: Minimal Electronic (Maybe not so minimal at all...)

Length: 4:18

File: 224kbps mp3

Album: The Unrecognized Powers

Listen to the song quickly without wasting time: http://www.last.fm/music/Paul+Ograbisz/The+Unrecognized+Powers/Coolest+Way+%28Doom+Remix%29

Download the song together with the whole album: http://vultracide.net/

- I don't like long songs (greather than 3 minutes), but there was nothing left to cut out, and even the first long part couldn't be shortened because it sounded strange and would make chaos in the listener's song structure during play. So please forgive me that 4:18 =D But at least its full of usable content!

- The song is basicly divided in two parts. The song's structure is easy to understand and although I tried to be minimal where possible there is very much variation. Most people will be bugged by the first main part, because it's the first part with few changes. But just hear further and i think you will be pleased.

- Real Doom music freaks will recognize some nice elements in this song.

- There is one sound error (clicking) in the change of main part 1 to part 2. I simply don't care.

- Without bass or good headphones this song could be very boring.

Leave a comment if you are thrilled positively or negatively. Also try to check out my other old and terribly underrated epic remixes when downloading the mp3 or at last.fm.

Thank you all for your interest. Yours faithfully,

Paul R. Ograbisz.

[AMT]

The synth in the beginning starts out well enough. I'm two minutes into the song and it's basically been the same thing over and over. The soundscape is really empty and it doesn't draw you in at all; there's nothing interesting going on, specifically in the percussion. If this had some sort of driving rhythm behind it it would be improved substantially. Keep working on it and post again!

[vr_jadison]

Hello,

thank you for your impression. I thought a lot about it, because I expected such feelings could be evolved due to the song's minimal and simple design. But after I listened to it today again (after more than a week of not thinking about it) I find it really good. There might be some reasons why your experience was so bad:

1. You don't like Minimal music. ^^

2. Pay attention to the song's structure:

Part 1 - until 0:47 - Intro - Cool and quick

Part 2 - until 1:51 - 1st Main - Minimal and maybe disturbing

Part 3 - until 2:23 - Split - This is where the song changes to the NEW main part 2

Part 4 - until 3:59 - 2nd Main - This is the EVIL part which is a little more complex and contains some sounds from Doom. This is what makes the song so cool.

Part 5 - until E:ND - Ending. Acually not really an autonomous part.

If you don't listen to it all, you loose something. Lo Wang's sentence "No pain, no gain" is true here. Please be patient. Your stop after 2 minutes was unlucky. Unlucky for me, because my song couldn't convince you fast enough - or at all. But I know thiss issue. For people not into Doom, Minimal Music and/or Regular People's Music it may be very difficult to like.

3. The song is not good on headphones. It's boring sometimes. But with my small sound system it really rocks the house. Its true.

Besides, the song is completed for eternity. There will never be any editing or resubmission. This is what the people have to get to grips with. ^^ It's a nice and strange song. I hope a hand full of freaks out there on the planet will like this and discover it someday, for they are my target group.

AMT, thanks again for posting a reply. I was very happy to get some real feedback. The rest of you please be welcome to enjoy this song and say something if it touches you heart - positively or negatively.

And another specific question for all those of you who don't like game samples in songs: How do you like the faint samples used in the main part 2? (="Part 4" in the list above.) They are almost inaudible, are they? ^^ I think they fit in very well!

Yours faithfully,

Paul R. Ograbisz.

[AMT]

I did listen to the whole thing, I just said that particular comment when I was two minutes in. If you want to improve as a musician and artist, you have to be able to accept critiques about your work and honestly consider them. Don't blame the listener for "not getting it." It's not a personal attack or anything like that. My critiques are probably flawed too, so I'm not saying I'm 100% right. Still, you can always improve and realizing how far you have to go is the first step of getting there. We're all still learning and progressing.

[Rozovian]

Clashes at 1:24 in the background. Hm, not having played much Doom, I do recognize some melodies from DSoP or DQD.

Like AMT, I'd call it empty. And repetitive. Consistent in style and mood, but technically lacking on both the arrangement and the production side. Learning to balance your sounds would benefit you a lot; you've got a heavily reverbed creepy string flutter something in there with a dry saw synth. Writing a more interesting arrangement would help too, it's mostly repetition with addition, which isn't really a winning formula for arrangements. It's far from terrible, but it's not very interesting either.

Let me, btw, adress your assessment of why AMT doesn't quite "get it":

1. It _is_ too long and/or doesn't have enough substance. Deal with it.

2. There is no such thing as Regular People's Music. The closest thing to that would be either pop music or newb music. Don't try to defend your music by saying "it's not bad, it's my style". Judging from your track, you're still a newb. Learn more, get better, make awesome.

3. Don't mix for your own sound system, mix evenly so it works on as many sound systems as possible.

As for what you asked me, the game samples used, I didn't notice them on a first listen. Still dunno after a second, so they're well integrated into the sound. For better or worse, I guess.

[vr_jadison]

Well, I can understand all this you both mentioned. And thats not just a sentence to knock your critics away. I really know (!) why the song is bad for probably most people.

Let me answer with a song from "Robert Hood" called "Rhythm Of Vision". This is minimal style and consists of repetition: "

". Check it out to see what is a nice and perfect song to me. (Besides big stuff like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin etc. of course... But thats another world.) And don't say Mr. Hood is a newbie. ^^

Some people can't stand the first minute of his song. I can listen to this half an hour without getting bored. This is the crux. Its not that I never made other and quickly accepted/liked songs than this Doom remix, but to say it in clear words: Sometimes it must be exactly cheesy to be good.

#Line inserted by editing afterwards: Also the Severed Heads' song "Dead Eyes Opened" is a very good example for the music I try to make. ("http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTSxc3z-Ems&feature=related") I'm not trying to copy a style, I just like simple minimal repetitive music and as a result make such music. By the way: This song is an early indepentend godlike masterpiece of the 80s! Enjoy!!!#

What the heck is "DSoP" and "DQD"? ^^

Only thing that bugs me a little: The mixing/mastering of the song is not good.

Oh, I'll take the chance and answer directly to your points @Rozovian:

1. Roger. Accepted and understood. Doesn't bug me.

2. Pop Music? Good Lord. Please... Thats not right. See Robert Hood's nice song for explanation. And: Well, seems like above I'm defending the way you dislike. ^^

3. Mixing/Mastering is not good on this song. It's clumsy.

@AMT, I did not feel attacked. It is good that you all give me your opinions very clearly.