tschiefer Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hey! The song is Chrono Cross' opening theme in rock style. I've submitted this last year but got NO'd, and I don't really know how to get it sounding "pro" enough. I could really use some help. http://www.4shared.com/audio/wfi4DD-u/scars_of_time.html Soooooo... waiting for tips, opinions and the like (This is my first post in the WIP board, hope everything's alright) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Gill Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 This is one of my favorite songs to be remixed, so I'm glad to see it here . But here are my thoughts... For starters, some quick business. If you want a good place to host your music, the most recommended places would be a place like tindeck (where you can have music that stays available forever, I believe) or the OCR WIP storage by Fireslash (which I like because its quick and easy to both upload and listen, and the songs automatically delete after a few weeks, so only the most updated version is still around.) Oh, and for people unfamiliar with the tune, it's a good idea to link to the source on YouTube or OCR's chiptune archives. And even though it shames me that someone here might not recognize this song, here is is for this one. Also, I assume this is the judge's response to the submission, correct? Usually, their advice is the best to follow (as they're the ones in the end who, well, judge it). And I must say, my main critiques would be along the same lines as theirs. The bass is almost non-existent throughout most of the song, which for this genre is a problem. It doesn't need to be a blow-your-ears-out loud bass, but increasing the EQ or even just the volume on some of the bass parts would really help to balance the song out. I hear hints of some background accompaniment, but usually its being drowned out by the lead. Personally, I really like the arrangement. It's not super different from the source, but it does feel like there are some variations (like the great solo around 1:50). But you can never go wrong with changing it up even more if you have more ideas. Production-wise, I'm far from an expert, but I'd say the main problem is just the EQing. Bring out some bass somewhere, and balance the mix out, and I think it has a TON of potential. (To be honest, I'm impressed for a first submission to the WIP boards. My own have all been much worse ) And finally, welcome to the board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Oh gosh, where re my manners? Thank you very much SuperSlacker! I'm trying to rework the mix, I guess it's starting to get better. Unfortunately I don't have monitors (they're pretty expensive in Brazil), so it's dificult to get good results with my consumer speakers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 It's been some time, but I've finally been able to mix this song again - now with good equipment. I think it still needs adjustments, so I'd be really happy to get some feedback on it. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I am sorry, I won't be much help on this one, since I do not have enough expertise to advise on mastering for a rock arrangement, but I just wanted to say that I really like what you have done with the theme. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 I am sorry, I won't be much help on this one, since I do not have enough expertise to advise on mastering for a rock arrangement, but I just wanted to say that I really like what you have done with the theme. Great job! Thank you very much for the kind words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guifrog Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Olá! That's some kickass intro you've got over there, and I was definitely expecting for something pretty crisp as I kept listening! Then, my problem with this starts exactly when the beat gets settled - drums come in, and they seem to lack energy. Kick could use of more oomph, snare and hihat too. Apparently the guitar goes backwards too? When those elements get mixed, the low-end gets somehow less noticeable. Arrangement has some nice texture variations, and I really that break at 1:20; the bass also sets up a killer mood for the comeback! So yeah, overall it's pretty good, but I'm just not too fond of how the lead guitar's written here - it has a cool sound, but that's quite an amount of soloing, which makes me wonder if the track doesn't need something else too keep the listener's attention to what's going on. I do like the work on the theme too ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 Thanks! But I didn't fully understand 2 of your points: Kick could use of more oomph, snare and hihat too. What do you mean by "oomph"? Should I bring up the low end? (I'm not really a pro at mixing, hehe) Apparently the guitar goes backwards too? When those elements get mixed, the low-end gets somehow less noticeable. When you say "backwards", you're talking about the boost in low and low-mid frequencies? Should I EQ the guitars with more focus on the highs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guifrog Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 First off, sorry if I kept you waiting too much! Y'know what, I'm not the best jargon user either. By oomph tho, I just mean that snare lacks some TAH!, kick some BOOM! and hihat some TISS! (and some humanization, as far as I can hear). For snare and hihat, I'd say that's mostly the used samples' fault than EQ thingies. As for the guitar, when the beat sets up, I actually feel like the harmony could have more focus on the lows, specially after such a killer (good!) n' heavy intro. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 First off, sorry if I kept you waiting too much!Y'know what, I'm not the best jargon user either. By oomph tho, I just mean that snare lacks some TAH!, kick some BOOM! and hihat some TISS! (and some humanization, as far as I can hear). For snare and hihat, I'd say that's mostly the used samples' fault than EQ thingies. As for the guitar, when the beat sets up, I actually feel like the harmony could have more focus on the lows, specially after such a killer (good!) n' heavy intro. ? ! I'll try out these hints, thanks! Does anyone find the mix "muddy"? It sounds so in my hi-fi, but not in my monitors... that's pretty odd, ain't it? And I don't know how to fix that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 I found out I had over-boosted some bass frequencies... here it is once again! Also modified stuff based on some of the advices Guifrog has given me =) (now it's on TinDeck... it seems FireSlash's server is down) So, waiting for more tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 The first few seconds of bass now seem overdone. Otherwise, still sounds great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschiefer Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 The first few seconds of bass now seem overdone. Otherwise, still sounds great! Thanks! I'm gonna check that out. Does anyone else have another opinion or tip? =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.