Cash Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Here is my first attempt at a remix, Requiem of Spirit from Ocarina of Time. It took me about a month to get this far, using FL Studio. I haven't added a conclusion yet, and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the lead synth. All feedback is welcome! Links: v1 http://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/oot-requim-of-spirit-wip-v1 v2 http://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/oot-requim-of-spirit-wip-v2 v3 http://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/oot-requim-of-spirit-wip-v3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Hakštok Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Well, as expected from a first remix, it has some flaws. The drums on this are confusing, I think you'd be better off using straightforward beats instead of trying to somehow follow the tune. The song could also use a bit more instruments to fill the space, especially pads. I would also compress the master a bit, and maybe make the bass a bit louder. I'm not really familiar with the source so I can't comment on usage or originality. This needs some work, so get onto it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Well, as expected from a first remix, it has some flaws. The drums on this are confusing, I think you'd be better off using straightforward beats instead of trying to somehow follow the tune. The song could also use a bit more instruments to fill the space, especially pads. I would also compress the master a bit, and maybe make the bass a bit louder. I'm not really familiar with the source so I can't comment on usage or originality. This needs some work, so get onto it Thanks, I think I went overboard with drum variety because I was afraid of the drums sounding boring. I definitely agree. I'm planning on adding more instruments and pads as well. Thanks for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC2151 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I agree that perhaps more "boring" drums : D could be used. Sometimes a simple beat is what is necessary to move the song forward, where special rhythmic changes being good for bridging into new sections or accenting certain passages. I also agree if could use a some more filling out - it sounds a little empty with just the main synths and the bass. This doesn't mean loading on more instruments, but using more instruments smartly: back ups here, sweeps there, whatever you're feeling. Too much and it will sound muddy (when everything just bleeds on top of one another) and you'll want to avoid that. Of course, this WIP is in an early stage and I'm sure you're aware more than I am what needs improvement. Keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 That helps, thanks. Anybody have feedback as far as arrangement and use of the source? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Hey Jim! Nice first attempt! My first observation is that the drums aren't actually keeping time with the melody. I would do as other suggested, and make a very simple drum pattern with kick, snare and hat, and paste it over the entire song, for now. Use this simple pattern to get the synth melody timing right. Then, once that is sounding right, add another element, maybe another synth playing a counter-melody, or a bell accent or something. And you just add from there. Later, you can add more drum elements, and more patterns, but start with the basic one as a backbone for your song. At least this is what I do. Is there a bassline there? If so I either couldn't hear it or it also doesn't match the melody timing. I think you have the right idea about using the source, then progressing into your solo-ish variation, this is good. But just start by matching up drums, bass and melody, then see where it takes you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks, that helps a lot! I was planning on redoing the timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Getting that timing right is job #1. After that, I think things will start to fall into place, and much more easily. If you want, you may send me the flp and I'll see if I can help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 New version is up, link in first post. Fixed the timing issues and drums. Still a lot more work to be done. I want to give a shout out to my friend chimpazilla for helping me out with my timing problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Vanilla synths, clashing rhythm stuff (but a nice and complex sound). Drums are also vanilla, consider layering something more interesting on top of them. lol, the last section's choice of sounds is hilarious. Unfortunately, the slow attack of the ribbit-y synth brass makes it sound out of synch with the rest of the tracks. Offset the notes slightly so they play a little earlier, and you should solve that problem. You seem to have some trouble picking a single style for this: there's some dubstep influence to the intro, followed by rock, both of them with synths on top, followed by early-mid-80s synth stuff. This disparity makes the whole thing seem a bit random. It's also pretty weak. There's lots you can do about that, but I'd start with getting the sound design to feel louder. Cut lows from tracks that don't need them. Separate with EQ. Layer drums. Sidechain. I can hear the source in there, but for the most part, it's pretty sparse. It's not helped by how you've chosen to treat the melody, chopped up and separated (tho I've done that myself and gotten it posted). A second, underlying take on something from source would tie it more closely to the source. Don't feel you have to stick to the original intervals for that, you can take the basic rhythm or the directions of the notes and use that. Cool start, keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Vanilla synths, clashing rhythm stuff (but a nice and complex sound). Drums are also vanilla, consider layering something more interesting on top of them. lol, the last section's choice of sounds is hilarious. Unfortunately, the slow attack of the ribbit-y synth brass makes it sound out of synch with the rest of the tracks. Offset the notes slightly so they play a little earlier, and you should solve that problem.You seem to have some trouble picking a single style for this: there's some dubstep influence to the intro, followed by rock, both of them with synths on top, followed by early-mid-80s synth stuff. This disparity makes the whole thing seem a bit random. It's also pretty weak. There's lots you can do about that, but I'd start with getting the sound design to feel louder. Cut lows from tracks that don't need them. Separate with EQ. Layer drums. Sidechain. I can hear the source in there, but for the most part, it's pretty sparse. It's not helped by how you've chosen to treat the melody, chopped up and separated (tho I've done that myself and gotten it posted). A second, underlying take on something from source would tie it more closely to the source. Don't feel you have to stick to the original intervals for that, you can take the basic rhythm or the directions of the notes and use that. Cool start, keep it up. Thanks for the feedback! I agree with everything you said. But I'm not sure what you mean by "the last section's choice of sounds is hilarious." Is that bad or good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I'm not sure what you mean by "the last section's choice of sounds is hilarious." Is that bad or good? Is oregano a good spice? It completely depends on what you wanna do with your arrangement. How well does that sound fit with the mood you're going for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Is oregano a good spice? It completely depends on what you wanna do with your arrangement. How well does that sound fit with the mood you're going for? Good question, I haven't really thought about the mood. Probably why the style is inconsistent, I need to think about it. I wasn't really going for hilarious though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirvee Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 It's a little too quiet for me. And at one point there was more in my left ear than the other or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hey everyone, a new version is up. I changed up the instruments, filled out the song a bit more, and layered my drums. I also tried to choose a consistent style, I guess it's sort of 80's synth pop. I'm still not happy with my lead synth, but I think it's an improvement. I'm not really satisfied with my drum patterns yet either, and I haven't gotten around to learning how to side chain. All feedback is welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirvee Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Volume's better =3. I can't really comment much on the music....sounds good to my ears, though a little too repetitive. Also I'm not sure if this was your intention or not, but with my headphones the claps from later in the song were all in my right ear. It wasn't too bad cuz the high-hat (I...guess that's what the sound in my left ear was...) tended to cancel out the distorting feeling, but I'm not sure if that was intended or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Volume's better =3.I can't really comment much on the music....sounds good to my ears, though a little too repetitive. Also I'm not sure if this was your intention or not, but with my headphones the claps from later in the song were all in my right ear. It wasn't too bad cuz the high-hat (I...guess that's what the sound in my left ear was...) tended to cancel out the distorting feeling, but I'm not sure if that was intended or not. Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I hear the repetition, I'll work on that. I did mean for the claps to be on the right, but I guess the hi hat wasn't enough balance on the left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Bumping this up. Does anybody have any more feedback before I continue working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Derrit Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 stop using presets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Right now I'm taking presets and playing around with them to see what sounds I can get. My next step is to start making synths from scratch. Thanks for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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