Invisible Concrete - Mega Man 9 Remix

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Hi. So this was my contribution the Mega Man 9 Concrete Man Remix Album, which I tried out for OCR. It didn't get accepted unfortunately.

Here's the version on the album:

 

Update 2: http://www.box.com/s/b8m6ecan65clrpas36u4

LATEST UPDATE: https://app.box.com/s/uslv4x4h12i0e72hrcozfmaya8y25o6m

Read latest post for details.

here's the source

gosh i want to get rid of these youtube boxes

[ectogemia]

Hi. So this was my contribution the Mega Man 9 Concrete Man Remix Album, which I tried out for OCR. It didn't get accepted unfortunately.

Here's the version on the album:

Here's my latest version: http://www.box.com/s/b8m6ecan65clrpas36u4

I wasn't planning on re-doing this seeing as it was already part of an album, but I got extremely inspired lately and thought I'd at least try.

The main issues brought up on the judges panel were that the soundscape was too sparse, not many change up in the drums loops, and that the arrangement could use some changeups, or maybe adding some soloing.

So yeah, I would absolutely love some feedback ideas. I'm addressing these core issues as of now, but anything else brought up would be awesome.

here's the original btw:

Intro drums are just a bit corny-sounding and exposed. They need a little processing and perhaps some compression. The piano has similar issues and is quite robotic. The crash at 0:54 is nearly silent, but I'm partial to huge crashes myself. The little chromatic roll at 1:10 is a fine idea, but it sounds a bit exposed as it is. Perhaps add a little flair to blend it in to the melodic line better. The counter-melodic music boxy thing at 1:38 sounds a little bit off, harmonically speaking. The kick and snaps around 2:15 also need some treatment. Compression for sure, here. The kick needs more frequency punch in general. Try experimenting with different EQ configurations and maybe add some overdrive after the EQ. Around 2:46, the pizzicato string part is clashing harmonically with the other parts.

The arrangement itself was very smooth, and the sound choices were solid. That said, I wasn't a fan of the piano you chose, though; just sounded a little bit low-quality. Nice outro.

Aaand it's done.

Yep, not a bad job, just need to address the compression issues, harmonic issues, and that's all I've got for ya.

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Haha, ok, so I've finally got a new version in.

For the most part, I think I did all the things you mentioned. I think the kick has the extra "punch" now after messing with the EQ a bit. It definitely shows up on the frequency bar as such. The intro drums, I processed them a bit, and added some pitch automation. I don't actually have as much pitch control as I wanted, so I wasn't able to go too low in that sense, but maybe I'll find a way to make that idea work better. Just to give it a bit of variety.

The bells show up fine harmonically on FL piano roll. I think it's just the fact that they're layered in two different octaves? The same thing with the pizz strings, though I changed them up. Or maybe I'm missing what you're talking about completely? Haha.

I made the drums sound better in the bridge section and spruced it up a bit.

Also, for the ending I decided to bring in a filtered high hat. I was told it needed to be a bit more climatic, and I'm not sure if I pulled it off or not, but hopefully I did. Maybe it needs something else haha.

And also I have a kind of sword slicing sound in there now rather than that last weirdly phased snare sounding thing I put in, so it's not as distracting but still fills out space. Hopefully.

So yeah, I think I mentioned everything. Anybody else have anything to say before I put this on mod review?

http://www.box.com/s/b8m6ecan65clrpas36u4

edit: oh yeah, I realized that the strings at 2:37 sound off. I'm going to render another version tomorrow with a fix, it's kind of late haha.

[DaMonz]

Your latest version is definitely a big improvement I really like most of the details you've added throughout the song

My mixing headphones are broken so I can't really comment on the production, but the arrangement is definitely better.

I still have a few issues with it though, so here goes:

- The first melody played by the clarinet sounds "forced" to me. I feel like you're breaking its flow in order to repeat the theme over and over. I think you should tweak that and put some originality in it, so that the melody feels more natural.

- The minor chords played by the slow-attack strings are cool and surprised me, but imo they clash with what the clarinet is doing. Maybe this could be fixed at the same time as the first problem I mentioned?

- Near the 2:50 mark I'm hearing a few dissonant notes. This is very nitpicky though, it doesn't sound loud.

- I think there's a lot going on in the highs/high-mids compared to other frequency ranges, especially at the end. I think you should try exploring the other frequencies a bit more, especially more low-mids. It could add some good meat to this. (Maybe it's just my crappy earbuds fooling with me though)

Take this with a grain of salt, as it's all very subjective

Nice ending, btw!

Oh and I think that what's causing the problem with your bells is that it sounds like the sample's got a pretty loud, high-pitched harmonic when it plays. Maybe there's a way to EQ that out?

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http://www.box.com/s/b8m6ecan65clrpas36u4

Alright, so I think I fixed those strings for good.

I tuned down backwards hat thing.

I also turned down the velocity of some of the bells hitting, at least the ones in the lower octaves since they have some sort of harmonic on them like DaMonz mentioned. It wasn't that much of a change, but it works I think. I also tweaked the pizz string notes at certain parts. I think they're better now.

Also I'll ask around what people think of the oboe section in the middle. Nobody seemed to mention that arrangement wise but I might tweak it a little bit.

Also I added a more climatic kick towards the end so hopefully that works well.

Uhh yeah, think I mentioned everything haha.

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I think I'm putting this up for mod review now, haha. I honestly feel like it's close to being ready, but that could also just be me wanting to go ahead and get this song out of the way. I've done a lot since the EP version and I think it sounds good.

Also I've talked with a few people outside of the WIP forum, and they think it's doing good. So that too, heh.

[Rozovian]

Snare gets a really weird pan effect with so different samples hardpanned. Ease up on that. Drums are repetitive. The part with just kick and snap, no snare, doesn't sound quite right imo. That kick doesn't have the right sound to stand on its own like that. You can try adding a soft, heavily reverbed or filtered snare or something to fill the hole in the rhythm.

There's some odd note choices in some of the melodies. Nice sound choices, but the whole thing sounds a bit empty. You could bring up the mids to fill out that range a bit more. Just be careful in the parts that get more mid action, like the crescendoing strings around the middle of the track.

I like the arrangement. It's a bit bare-boned-y, being mostly a chord sequence from source and a single instrument repeating the lead melody, but it works. It could be more elaborate, and the judges might reject it over that, but I can't think of anything else, so you can sub it and see what the judges think. It could be more elaborate than I give credit for, but the many high bell and pluck sounds make it seem more sparse.

These are the checklist items I can apply to this:

STRUCTURE

-Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough)

-Too repetitive

Nice work.

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I wasn't sure if I'm supposed to wait for multiple mod reviews, but I went ahead and changed this back to finished. I'm gonna start working on those things you mentioned though, maybe changing the groove during the chorus' and having a different pad play throughout the song. Thanks for the feedback! : )

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I spent about 4 hours putting this thing together again. I'm definitely planning on resubmitting it to the panel, I just wanted some other ears on it. I haven't made any music in a looong time due to not having a computer. There are some things I'll need to change, especially that synth solo thats in the background towards the end. Just don't have any ideas for it at the moment.

Let me know what you think. I'm still not sure what to do about the drums. The panel said they were too repetitive even after adding a bunch of fills and variation. Let me know if you got any ideas... even if someone wants to collab on this that would be cool.

https://app.box.com/s/uslv4x4h12i0e72hrcozfmaya8y25o6m

[Eino Keskitalo]

Sounds like the basis for the song is quite solid, the arrangement structure, drums bass etc are in a pretty good place. It has some flaws, but I largely enjoy it.

Biggest problem to me is that the piano lead is quite mechanical on monotonous as the lead for the most of it. Basically all the sections that aren't led by the piano sound really good to me. The second problem is some of the writing has a couple of things that hamper the flow of the melody.

0:26 the "other" piano note/chord sounds strange, like it was too close to the lead melody note. I like the backing piano 0:30-0:37. Maybe the "lead" piano didn't need to play that little bit of the melody (or it could be played by another instument). The way the lead piano is used from 0:43-1:07 sounds good. The off-scale note on the piano 1:10 sounds really ulgh to me.

The wind instrument writing in 2:07-2:37 bothers me a little; the way the melody starts (every four bars) on a little higher note than expected (man I need some better vocabulary to express this). It feels like a good idea but maybe the backing chord doesn't fully support it? I think it sounds the nicest after 2:22 when the synth comes in to double it (and the sound is really nice there too).

Generally there's some jumpy intervals in the melody writing here and there, which sound a bit like forced (instead of natural) variation.

I could agree that the drums are a little bit stiff/blocky. The main snare seems slightly high-pitched/could have a "darker" EQ/could be slightly lower in the mix so it wouldn't punch through the mix quite so eagerly. There's some woody percussion during and after the wind instrument solo that sounds good but would improve a lot with some velocity humanization. This really nitpicky though.

The intro is a bit sparse, esp. 0:08-0:22. Not that everything needs to be filled up, but there could be something, like the bass could build up to a cool bass fill in the end. (Could also perhaps jump to the next section at 0:15 already). Generally the soundscape is really nice. You have some great support synths/lines going around the mix. Looking at the judging of the first iteration, you've improved the mix well in that front. It still has a kind of solemn, spacious feel overall, but definitely not empty. I liked the ending!

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Wow. Thanks for such a detailed response! I'll start working on those things next.

[k-wix]

Hey there ! I can offer some feedback:

 - Great stuff - I really like the intro a lot, and yea - I'm right there with evktalo, it feels a bit sparse. It feels almost too tame - like your scared to dial things up - which leaves the mix sounding a bit uninspired. Don't be afraid to be brave with your samples. 

 - at about 1:10 in the mix, the piano has a pretty off note. It sticks out big time to me! Watch out for that!

 - Things don't change enough. Your instruments feel static. What about a sweet piano solo section, or a part where the bass gets crazy - things feel static. Mix it up! Literally!

- I Absolutely LOVE what you do with the synth/chord addition @ 3:23 - its subtle but really well done - I'd love to see that come into the mix a bit earlier, and for you to build off of it - turn it into something more than the ending! 

- Generally, I dig what you have so far, its a good listen. I think the structure of the song is too simple - wheres the climax? Wheres the building? It feels nice and chill, but it gets a bit boring. Looking forward to seeing the final version, hope the advice helps!