Phonetic Hero Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hey fellas, I'd like to submit pretty soon and I just wanted to get a bit of feedback so I can commence polishing. So, any thoughts/suggestions? Sources: ReMix: Mayan Malfunction Sorry about the load of sources, but they're all relatively short. Lakamul Rainforest doesn't really get going until about :30, and it's the main source, so if you only want to listen to 1, pick that one (3rd on the list) Any feedback is much appreciated pH Edit: LATEST VERSION Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 So it's been almost 2 weeks, and the whole "no feedback" thing is pretty discouraging. Hopefully it's not the mix itself. I hate bumping, but I really do need some suggestions, since I'm JUST starting to learn about production stuff (like, between this and the first version was the first time with pretty much anything; THAT new). New version: Mayan Malfunction (how cool is it that I actually got a word out of the 4 random letters at the end of the tindeck address?) Onto the real business: Yuck. Production on that last post was pretty disgusting. I fixed reverb issues (too much as well as not enough of certain instruments) and EQ'd a bunch of stuff. Got rid of the stupid clicking I was getting from the piano and one of the synths. Fixed (most of) the hissing, mainly from the pads at the beginning. Brought out my leads a bit more, and tried to even up the soundscape as best I could. It's better, but not quite there yet I don't think. Can you feedbak me plox? Tnx (Tired of parentheses yet?) pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 i'll be completely honest - it's pretty late where i am and i'm just sorta browsing the forums casually right now, so i didn't really listen to the sources with a close ear and therefore can't comment much on your interpretation. but i can say that you seem to have incorporated the three different sources well, as i didn't notice any awkward or abrupt changes in your track while i was listening. it had a natural flow and kept me engaged throughout. this is a really nice sounding remix, especially if it's your first attempt at this sort of thing. i'm digging a lot of the drum programming and the use of glitched out stuff for transitions and all that. the electronic elements are sounding good and clean, for sure, which is where my biggest issue with this comes in: the samples of real instruments sound a little weak and dry. i'm thinking mostly of the piano and the sampled bass instruments. they don't sound terrible, but when placed next to the electronic elements, it becomes more noticeable. i would try humanizing those sounds a little more and maybe trying out different kinds of reverb and effects on them - sometimes, if you can't get a real instrument to sound real, it can be cool to just get it to sound unique, that way it stands on its own and isn't distracting due to its fakeness. but i'm just throwing out ideas. overall i really enjoyed listening to this. it's got a great sound and lots of energy, and the writing kept me interested 'til the end. keep it up, dude! really impressive stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Ah FINALLY. Thanks! I'll take a look at em. I'm also thinking of changing harmonies up at the end, cause even I'M getting a little bored. Also probably going to do more variation with the piano outtro. If anyone else has any more crits, I'd love to hear em. Keep em if you're interested! (No parentheses this time) (Aw balls, nvm) pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Hello, This sounds really cool! I'm pretty terrible at recognizing sources, and I only listened to about a minute of them, but the transitions sound really good! I love 3:02, the drumwork and dubstep in that section is really slick. I definitely agree with ambinate about the sampled instruments, although my only real issue is with the bass. My suggestion would be to use a synth bass instead of a sampled one, although if you want it to sound like a real instrument it's going to need some work. Other than that, great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Alright, here we go. I tried to bring out the lower register on the piano, and fixed that in the EQ'ing. I did some stereo separation and lots of work with reverb, so I really hope it sounds better. Also, my brain's a bit fried from KU drumline camps, so if it sounds like shit, just say the word haha The thing with the bass is that I'm trying to make it sound similar to how it sounds in the OST, because it was a real tonal hook for me when I listened to it as a kid and listening to it again as a college boy. I kept the same sample as before, but did some work with the lower register so it's not so bright and pangy, and put the ol' soundgoodizer on it to give it some beef. If it's still really a problem, I suppose I can switch it to an electronic bass, but 1. It doesn't seem to cut as well because of the other stuff going on and 2. It saddens me to deviate the bass so far from the original, if only for nostalgia's sake I guess it's not THAT bad, but I do like the real instrument/plucked feel of it. Let me know what you guys think. Aside from that, I added a reversed bell to a transition, and changed some of the chord work and harmonies during the last section to make it more interesting than just 4 times through the exact same phrase. There's also a bit of deviation in the last 8 bars of piano for the same reason of making the piece more interestinger. SO yeah. Cool. Here's the new version: Mayan Malfunction again The piano is most exposed at: :10, 1:10, 2:38, 3:14, and 4:29 The bass is most exposed at: :57 and 3:21 Lastly, I'd like to apologize for the lengthy post to those of you who are too lazy to do some readin'. Looking forward to more crits! Thanks for listening pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 the mix is sounding great - really clean and it seems to be balanced well throughout, for the most part. i can definitely see the bass sample as being a stylistic choice after reading your post so i'm not as bothered by it now. i'm not sure how the judges here feel about that sort of stuff, but maybe someone else with more experience with the panel can help out on that. it's a really good arrangement and the production is way solid. i'm still not totally sold on that piano in the beginning, but i tend to prefer piano parts with a much lighter touch, so that could just be a bias on my part. but yeah, overall, this is definitely going really well, man. nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docnano Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Nice, atmospheric piece o' music you have here. Opinion: the string bass or cello at 0:57 is crying out for a staccato or spiccato articulation for added epicness. Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Agreed. This sounds great! Something about the bass still irks me, but only in a few places, so whatever Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 No worries on the bass. I'm changing a LOT, I just bought a new soundpack yesterday and a lot is being overhauled, sample-wise. I'm keeping the pluck for certain instances, but adding a synth bass and removing the plucked bass for others. A new version is on the way very soon, and I can't thank everyone enough for all the critiques. But don't stop yet!! pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Annnnnd here it is!! Really pleased with this new version, it's still not QUITE 100%, just a tad bit of fine-tuning to do, but I have a deadline set on an original for Friday and I haven't started yet haha. I ended up just cutting the piano in the beginning, and throwing in a marimba, which I like a LOT better. Sounds more jungle-y too, which is good considering the source(s). I also put the marimba in a couple more spots too, just 'cause I lahk it suh dayamn much. Also added a synth bass (!!!!) for lots of it, complete with glitch effects. But as I said, I kept the pluck for certain instances. Be completely honest about what you think of the pluck, if I should keep it as is (or close) or just trash it, because I'm sort of on the fence now myself. There's actually a section (starting at 3:26) where the synth fights the pluck for control, since that's basically what's going on in my head. The synth wins out for the next segment, but the pluck returns after that, and then they join hands and skip together for the pseudo-epic ending. There're also some minor changes elsewhere, such as pizzicato strings replacing piano, and plenty of sample-changes, like the more realistic choir "Aaaah"s in the beginning, and string changes. Sooooo >:B Mayan Malfunction Version1000000000000 (it feels like) I'm beyond appreciative of what everyone's done to spark my imagination and get this thing off the ground. Before it was like a beached whale, whereas now it's about at panicked chicken level. Still gotta transform it to badass albatross (or some shit like that), so keep em comin! pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Okay, so this might be weird, but I like the new pluck bass a lot more than the synth now :S The synth sounds good in some places, but most of the time I think the pluck sounds a lot more natural, and the new pluck bass sounds quite good; much better than the old one. As for the beginning, it sounds great! The marimba is really nice! The only problem I have with it is that having the choir that low makes the intro seem a lot darker than the rest of the track; the way it cuts off suddenly when it gets into the main section sounds kind of unnatural. I'm thinking that bringing the choir up an octave might help, but I don't know if that would ruin the feeling you're going for. Finally, and this might just be personal preference, but I liked the drums from the previous version more than the new one. They seemed more powerful and less echo-y. I hope this helps! Edit: Btw, you work fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Goddammit. Haha. After listening a few times I came to the same conclusion though. The synth bass doesn't fit when it tries to carry a section on its own. I brought the pluck back where I felt necessary, but left a lot of the synth stuff and even added a little bit, but the pluck is there to carry sections. And it turns out you were right about the choir too, and I kinda felt some of the same transition weirdness. It's weird though, because she thing that confuses me is that when the sample was worse, it was in the same octave, and it didn't sound as weird. Weird. But it definitely works better in the higher octave, especially with the marimba being pretty high up there and this way the choir is in the same octave as the lead synth. Short version, it just works better. Anyway, I'm leaving the same link, but uploading a new version with minor tweaks before anyone else can comment because I don't actually want to post a trillion versions, even with hyperbole as funny as it is Edit: Also, I beefed up the drums, just for you. It was really difficult, because I hate loud drums (that's a bit o shit. I'm a drumliner. I live for loud drums) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Amazing, I'm loving it! You've really done a great job (And you really do work incredibly fast ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Thanks Kuolema Well, it's been a few days. I made more minor changes and uploaded the new version, which was mainly for the section at :57 that sounded a bit out of place reverb-wise and lacking a transition, so I dialed back the reverb and added a bit of a string bend into it so it doesn't feel so out-of-the-blue. Also did a couple more hours of EQ'ing and reverb work. The jungle drums are a tiny bit dry in the beginning now, but I'll fix it later; the combined time for opening the project and re-rendering is more than I want to deal with right now. The only thing I'm really frustrated with now is that the reverb on different instruments seems to be clashing at some points, anyone have any suggestions on that? I guess if no one else has any crits for now, I'll switch to mod review soon. If anyone has anything else, bad or good, let me know, your thoughts are appreciated! pH Edit: Also, if anyone knows where I can get the in-game sound effect for when you defeat an enemy, it'd make the beginning transition like 100x more badass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Hello again. I don't hear any problems with the reverb...could you give an example? Also, about the sound effect, it probably depends on the version of the game you want it from. I imagine it would be pretty easy to rip from the snes version, but it might be harder to get from the windows version. Maybe try this? http://www.zophar.net/utilities/rippers/snessor95.html Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sometimes it's not there, sometimes it is, maybe it's just crappy listening equipment. When it IS there, it's mainly :57 till the drums come in, because the soundscape is a little thinner and more exposed I guess. Trying to get set up with a ROM now to rip the sound haha. Thanks dude! Also, I fixed the dry drums in the beginning. Soundin perty gud nao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Ugh, my GrossBeat plug in malfunctioned (ooooh, malfunction, get it? How unfortunately fitting) and I had to redo all the automation clips by hand. Mostly copy and paste from before, but you may notice a few new tasty fills. Added in the enemy kill sound effect in the beginning too, dig the placement, but it needs a bit more production work. I swear it sounded better in FL and the rendering just messed it up, but whatever. Time for a bit of cleaning, then mod review. As always, more crits are welcome! New Version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Aw, that sucks The new automation sounds just as good, if not better though I definitely agree about the sound effect. The placement is nice, but I can hardly differentiate it from the rest of the music :S Other than that, sounds good! This should pass for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 I played with a couple more sound effects to check the rendering of the EQ'ing and reverb and stuff on them, and it turns out that I actually really enjoy them in, so they're staying. Pitfall Harry yelling "WHOA!!" really cracks me up too hahaha. I think they all sound a bit better than before too, so good news there. Thanks everyone for all the feedback thus far! Time for some Mod Review, methinks (don't fret mods, I'm reposting the latest version on the OP as well) pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Posting here to flag this for a track I need to review, I'll be getting back to you ASAP Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Wow, this is one strange remix. I'm not sure if my usual approach to evaluating would apply here, I've gotta say I've never listened to anything quite like this. That said, I'm still gonna try and give this an objective production/arrangement evaluation by OCR standards. The writing is unquestionably energetic and fun to listen to, I really like the over-the-top glitches and breakdown sections. They're very engaging, and the synths and sounds are all pretty nicely chosen. The arrangement itself is pretty great and doesn't grow stale at all. Basically, my critiques here will probably just amount to small little instances where I think certain effects don't work as well as they could, or other small fixes, because this seems pretty solid as-is. At :58, I'm not sure how I feel about that plucked bass synth, it gets a little bit crowded in the low end when it's competing with the other bass sound. You might have to make some concessions with one sound or the other. The transition at 1:35 feels noticeably weak, and the drum breakdown section immediately after with a huge hole in the bass frequencies (even after the bass drops in, you've only got it playing in one ear which sounds very weird) is also a bit awkward. I'd suggest focusing your attention most on that section, because I'm also feeling like the drums aren't nearly as cohesive, timing-wise, as they could be there. Basically, look at that entire section and see what you can do to polish it up. Past that? This is surprisingly solid given how many risks you took with the style, and I'm having a hard time pulling up more critiques to lob at you. The transiion at 3:18 could probably serve better right before the most intense section of the song, since I feel like it's your strongest transition and would most naturally lead into something a lot more intense. This was really enjoyable, hit me up when you've got a submission-ready version cause I'll definitely want to keep this Cheers, sorry it took so long to get to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Ah, thanks! I'm glad it's a "good weird" haha. I gotta say I'm hearing everything you're hearing now that it's brought to my attention. I'll take a look at the sections you mentioned, and fix 'em up in a jiff, once I get to a break point (which will likely have more than one meaning) on my current mix. Thanks again for the crits, sorry you guys are so busy, and I'll be sure to send you a copy when it's submittable! pH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Alright, so I THINK this is ready for submission. Let me know what you guys think Yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnetic Ether Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Nice! 0:57-1:02 really surprised me because I was so used to the old version XD. Tbh, I think that part could do with a little less reverb, but we'll see what Emunator thinks. I love the string part just after that btw! Other than that, this version sounds siiick! That sound effect at the beginning especially sounds a lot nicer now, and I like the marimba addition at 3:30. Good luck for when you submit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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