Chimpazilla Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) Lady of the Lake - updated 9-20-13 Nearly ready for submission now. ----------------------------------------------------------- Hi all! I recently got Omnisphere and this was my first attempt at using it. This song started out as a straight cover of Lake Hylia just to try out my gorgeous new sounds. Then I got the idea for the time signature change in the second half, and added an original-ish intro. I know this needs quite a bit of production work and some of the timbres would need to be changed or replaced... no need to bust me too hard on those things. (also I'm struggling with some rendering issues) My purpose in posting it now is to see if anyone likes it, and if the second half makes up for the coverishness of the first half. Does the arrangement have any potential? If not, I will just count this as good practice. edit: source - Edited September 21, 2013 by Chimpazilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eradicate Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hello chimpazilla! Chimpazilla makes me think of a cross between chimpanzees and Godzilla...which would about be King Kong I guess. Anyways, with such a large name, you've got such a nice, pleasant to listen to song here! I always like to just comment on what I hear as I listen through, but more general things will sneak in too and at the end. I like the piano and pads at the beginning. It works well for the ambiance of it all. The sounds are pretty nice. I think particularly for the beginning, some of the higher notes (wrapped in chords) seem a little "harsh," which might be a matter of playing around with the EQ for that instrument. It's not bad at all, and the instrumentation is nice, just those higher notes stick out a bit. For more instrument-related commentary, around :25, the guitar comes in. It sounds pretty nice, but, I'd love for more reverb to it, maybe even the slightest, slightest touch of echo. Then, the drums. You have more of a "techno-ish" drum set being used. I think that the song might work better with a brush set or jazz set. I really think those brush sounds would work great here and not be too heavy of a set at all for a song like this, and you'd get a nice array of sounds. I suggest this too because some of the drumming here is a little heavy on the snares, like around :47 when it's basically a march. I just think having a fuller set could open more sonic capabilities to the song, such as cymbals, a truer snare, and even some light toms. The brush sounds would also work to blend everything in. You'd also get a snare "click" that would work well in the song. (Where you hold the stick on the snare and tap it on the side of the drum. I don't know the technical term!) Enough about the samples for now though. All the other ones sound pretty good. I like the vocals too, especially around 1:22. Starting around 2:00 until about 2:52, I'd love for this part to have some more "soloing" things going on in it. You feature the guitar after this (which is really awesome, and I'll get to in a second), but through this section, I think instead of introducing those lower strings and even the bell part, you could have some cool electric piano soloing going on. Something not so intense as the guitar part later, but something to whet the appetite, even just some rhythmic moving chords (think like what a jazz piano might do). I think it would lead into the guitar well at 2:52. Speaking of which, this section is a pretty awesome climax to the song with the choir and the guitar and everything going. Really good job. I'd keep this part as the climax of the song. It'd make for a great build-up starting from 2:00. I think that the second half could certainly help make this original enough. To aid this along, I'd concentrate on making sure that the first half is very polished. Make it an aural experience, maybe have sweeping pads doing stereo things (panning right to left), just to make sure there is enough sonic activity going on. The music is all pretty dang good to me and this is just pleasant to listen to. If there is enough meat to the first half, and you have a little more fun with the second half (maybe taking some of my suggestions into consideration), I think this could certainly be something that would end up on the site. Thank you for sharing! Be sure to post up any updates and things. I'd love to hear how this comes along! Hope that I was helpful; no one had commented yet and I wanted to make sure you got some thorough feedback. I'll gladly check out any changes that you make to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Nice to meet you, Eradicate! And it looks like a hearty "welcome back to OCR" is warranted! I have read the three reviews you have given in the past 24 hours, and I must absolutely commend you for having the ability to give a Truly Awesome Review. Few know how to do this as well as you do. I am planning to write an extensive article on how to give and receive feedback, and I'd like to use some of your words as examples of how it should be done! Your posts are friendly, thorough, encouraging, thoughtful, specific, and helpful. PERFECT. I'm impressed. Just had to say that. My handle "chimpazilla" is actually my (recently deceased) dog's nickname. Keli was a fawn boxer who constantly "chimped" (a little whiny sound that was quite annoying!) for attention, food, etc. She chimped so darned much that I nicknamed her "Chimpazilla." Then of course I liked that name so much that I stole it for myself and assumed it on the internet! So, what's up with "Eradicate?" As for my song, thanks so much for that lengthy review! Those were some amazing ideas there, definitely worth looking into when I dive back into this mix. (currently giving the final glossy coat to another track to be submitted soon) I've also just recently purchased Komplete 8, and I'm sure there are some sounds in there I could use to spiff this one up quite a bit. Thank you so much for this response, it was truly excellent. Looking forward to more interactions with you here on OCR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eradicate Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Man, "Truly Awesome Review" seems like some sort of sticker people should put on people's reviews if they are really good! Well, thank you for the sticker! Thank you very much for the kind words on my review. Feel free to take from them what you wish. I just remembered what it was like waiting for reviews to come in years ago and not hearing back for a long time, then hearing back and the review just be a sentence. A lot of work goes into these things sometimes, and proper feedback just seems welcomed. Whether the mix is perfect or not, I tend to at least try to offer "something" substantial. Komplete 8 is pretty dang nice from what I've heard. I only have free software anymore, but keeping up with reviews and all, people like that a lot. What's the other mix you are getting ready to submit? I'd love to hear it. That's a nice story! Boxers can be really great pets. As for Eradicate, it was the title for a song that my old death metal band from years ago had. Figured since we broke up, I could acquire it! I'm glad that my suggestions were helpful in some way. Be sure to keep me and everyone updated on this remix! It sounds great and I can't wait to hear what more you do with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Hey E, nice to hear from you again! *affixes "Truly Awesome Review" sticker to E's shirt* This is the other mix, it is a collab and is in the final stages now. I'm having some friends with "expert" ears help me final-balance the low end, and I'm going to post one more version of it here before submitting. Thanks for asking. Yes, giving proper feedback is an artform unto itself. You've got it down! When someone does something right, I like to let them know. You did something right. Will you be making some new music? I hope so. I still need to listen to your older mix, will do that soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Hi there, fellow Phoenix dweller Sorry I don't really have much time to leave a full-on review (I'm just listening to this on cheapo speakers on my lunch break) but this is REALLY nice Your soloing around the theme is just fantastic and you have a nice hybrid of sounds here. I could totally imagine sitting back in a nice lawn chair with a cold drink in hand, letting this song loop for hours and just drifting off into bliss. I feel like the first half would benefit from an acoustic hand percussion/shaker set instead of the electronic fills you've got now, and honestly I think you would be better off redoing the percussion overall. I think you've got a great opportunity to keep the organic vibe strong even when it goes into a dance groove by using an acoustic hand percussion kit, and I personally would love to hear how that would sound. Also, sorry for the derailment here, but kudos to Eradicate for the very amazing feedback that you've been leaving on WIPs lately. I don't comment on stuff around here as much as I used to since I've begun judging, but I really appreciate people like you taking the time out of your day to keep this forum moving You rock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanrooben Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Agreed on the drums. Some organic acoustic drums would do better here. Especially those shakers. Around 2:00 there's no solid lead until around 30 seconds into that section. Maybe if you put more emphasis on some of the backing tracks, it would feel less lead less. Great work with adding some energy in that section. The harp lead solo(?) sounds great. Nice piano at the end. It could use a bit more length there though. Overall, there's not a whole lot of higher pitches, or much low pitch stuff. The lowest I noticed in my first listen, was the warm pad. The harp, or maybe the flute would be the highest instrument, but none of them go too far from the mid-range. That gives it a watery feel, but also a semi-muddy one. All that however, is just my opinion. Great start here! The pads and choir are quite nice. They sound natural. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Thanks guys for these very kind words and really great ideas! I will absolutely try them all when I do make the time to get back into this mix. I'm so glad you guys liked it. So, Emu, you're a judge... is the first half too coverish? Does part 2 make up for it? (purely an arrangement question there) And Emu... gosh an Arizona remixer... I was just thinking this morning how much I would love to have a local remixing friend. That is truly fantastic! Friend request accepted! And Eradicate, yes I hope we will be hearing some new stuff from you. People like you (and everyone who has commented here) are what make this forum such an amazing place to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnWake Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 The first part is indeed a bit cover-ish, but it works nicely. I think the guitar sounds too dry though, maybe add a bit of delay or reverb? If you want to avoid the "cover-ness", you could try adding more little stuff to the piano lines. More fills and little alterations to the original melody. I like the introduction of the bass (it sounds like a song from Yoshi's Island lol). I feel the piano is a bit too quiet on this section though. The ending doesn't convince me much. Bass just disappears and the fade out in the drums is a bit odd. Maybe you could keep the bass and start upping the piano's volume slowly, because it is too quiet at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 Lady of the Lake I finally got around to finishing this track. I'm thinking it's just about ready for submission, what do you guys think? My big remaining concern is the bass... is it a little light, a little heavy or is it ok? Superduper thanks to WillRock, Timaeus, and Jason Covenant for holding my hand through the final mix and master of this. Wow guys, I learned so much from you in this process. I appreciate it so much. Btw, does anyone know what happened to Eradicate??? He popped in here after several years of silence, gave me that awesome critique, then three days later, he disappeared again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Okay, a few more minor detail fixes! The strings/pads at 0:47 feel a bit narrow and stuck behind the rest of the sounds. It gets lost very soon, until 1:04 when it starts gating and panning. Something tells me its wet mix is too high or its dry mix is too low. At 1:38, the nylon guitar is buried and could use some brightness to the tone. Also, at 1:59, the bells coming in sound a little weird. It's like they have a little too much comb filter feedback or something, and it sounds close to atonal, but I would believe that you wouldn't want that. Some of the percussion gets a bit buried too, at 0:53 (slightly; it's quieter than the open hi hat), 1:22 (slightly), and 1:45 (slightly). The 2:47 reverses (snares?) are also a little quiet and could use more of a transient punch. Reverse kicks tend to seem stronger. The rest is much better than before, so great fix-up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 ooooo... yeaaaaahhhh. I like dat beat it's like sex and elevators in the same song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 Ok T, I'll look into those, thanks! G-M, "sex" ok, but "elevators?" Fo realz? I will just assume you like mah song. I will further assume you enjoy sex in elevators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 elevators elevator music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 (edited) elevatorselevator music. Yeah, I get that. So, you're comparing my lovely waltz to Muzak? (badly instrumented, mono covers of old 70's easy listening songs) Edit: nitpicky little improvements made. Edited September 21, 2013 by Chimpazilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Awesome track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I like elevator music. even elevator music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 I like elevator music.even elevator music. Nice save. Cool track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 It's workinnnnnnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 It's workinnnnnnn wooooooooooooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Nice save. Cool track! that's one of those sexy tracks from the legendary Project Chaos record mmm my favorite. anyway, your mix is pretty rad, man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 anyway, your mix is pretty rad, man Thanks for that! Also, not a man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Thanks for that! Also, not a man. your mix is pretty rad, woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 your mix is pretty rad, woman. Yeah, that "Kristina" right below Chimpazilla is hard to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 22, 2013 Author Share Posted September 22, 2013 Lady of the Lake Re-linking the track in case anyone wants to skip all this silliness and just play it! Thanks for the kind words, Chris! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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