imabubble Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Hello everyone, I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but I'm working on a kickstarter project to make cello arrangements of various video game songs and someone told me it'd be good to mention it here. The link is here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2135598220/cello-densetsu Here's a list of tracks I plan to include on the album: Final Fantasy VII: JENOVA (here's a sample: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2135598220/cello-densetsu/posts) Super Mario RPG: Fight Against a Somewhat Stronger Opponent Crash Bandicoot: Wizards and Lizards Shenmue: Sha Hua's theme Chrono Chross: Scars Left by Time Chrono Trigger: Main theme Shadow Hearts: Brain Hopper Legend of Zelda: Overworld theme Super Mario Brothers Medley Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney medley Tales of the Abyss: Karma Seiken Densetsu 3: Walls and Steels Secret of Mana: Distant Thunder Anyway, if any of you could offer some input or critique, or if you decide you'd like to pledge to the project, I'd be really happy! -Mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Great initiative starting a project like this. I'm happy to crit your JENOVA take. Overall, theres some solid performances in there! Some timing issues at the start and a few bum notes throughout but as you state it's just a rough recording. There's very little in the way of your interpretations. It's great that you're doing multi-track cello covers however other than the altered instrumentation and the live performance aspects, I think you could do a lot more with the arrangement. Production is a big thing here. I'd be interested to hear what your recording set up at the moment is. The only clips i can hear (from your kickstarter) sound a little rough - are you using your webcam mic? Also what DAW are you using? It definitely sounds like you could do with some EQ/Compression and certainly a healthy dollop of reverb as it all sounds very dry right now. I've had trouble recording cello myself in the past so i'm not sure what to suggest about mic placement or types of mic but i'm sure someone here will have a better answer than that. All together, i admire your initiative and you have some impressive playing but everything right now sounds a little rough around the edges. I wish you the best of luck with your project and getting acquainted in these parts! If you smooth out the rough recording and get even more creative with arrangements I could see a lot of people being really interested in the stuff you make! And a lot of people wanting to collab with you! P.S. this would be the right place for the JENOVA clip but perhaps not posting the kickstarter. Try community? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imabubble Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Thanks a lot for your critique! I was super nervous posting 'cause I respect the quality level here so much -- now I know I made the right choice asking for advice. I think I'll try to expand more on the themes creatively. The reason I chose JENOVA is because I loved the fast pace of it, but maybe I can try to make it more expansive. Possibly more classical-sounding, like a cello cadenza? I'll do another take and try to upload it tomorrow. DAW? I'm using Audacity to put things together. It gets the job done, but without much finesse. Is there something that you would recommend over that? As for my mic, I was using the computer mic for the samples in the video as well as a small recording device I have. It's an Olympus Digital Voice recorder ... I know... x_x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Ah! I'm very glad you've posted. I would never want to discourage someone even though I tend to be fairly unreserved with feedback. You will go very far with an unrelentingly positive attitude and open ears : ) Make it sound however you like! But a cadenza sounds pretty awesome. I'd say be playful with it! Also sit down with the material - take one of the most prominent melodies (not too much of it) and play around with it - see if you can put it in a major key or a minor key - can you make that melody the bassline to a new melody you come up with? JENOVA has a lot of material in it - lots of exciting rhythmic stuff too which you can used. Audacity is a good start! One thing i found was that there was no "snap to grid" or a very user friendly metronome. You can work around it but the kind of timing issues i'm hearing could be easily resolved by having more accommodating software. I believe "reaper" is free. Others will be able to chime in on that front. oh yeah, DAW is digital audio workstation - so yours is audacity right now. You'll be open to more sequencing options with reaper or anything else which can help if you want to go in other directions. Hmmm! It's a big step up from portable recorder to mic + mixing desk (or however else you connect it to your computer). I was once using a USB Samson Go Mic which was cheap but didn't a fair job! If you think inevitably you're going to invest in some microphones then go for it! I should let others make suggestions on that front though. Out of curiosity - where are you placing your microphone in relation to your cello when you record? As for now, you could definitely do with adding some subtle reverb (so it gels, feels like its in a hall BUT not so much that you can really hear it) to some of your cello tracks. You could also use some EQ - it seems your recordings are lacking beef - mid/low end - definitely be careful not to overdo it. With the resources you have though - you're doing well! It sounds good, just a little rough and ready! I can hear the potential in this and would love to hear some soaring Yo Yo Ma lines with stellar production! Anyway! keep at it. I'm all ears if you have any updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ~ Amaterasu Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Hi there, Also wanted to provide support/encouragement for your project. Having done multiple single instrument arrangements of VGM I can understand the huge challenge and effort required. They are among the most tricky type of music arrangements I make, both in terms of timing, tuning and execution. It's also great seeing my instrument's(violin) sibling trying something similar =) Calum provided some excellent feedback. Apart from the tuning (especially with the octave section) and some timing issues there were 4 other things I wanted to add. 1. At 14 seconds in or so you can hear where you have cut the previous track quite noticeably, using fade in/fade out if you wanted to cut tracks might help in Audacity. 2. There were a few sections where the file sounded clipped, heard more in the cello track panned left. 3. The other thing that has been picked up is the sound quality and use of reverb. I would strongly suggest using a DAW/VSTs to add reverb - or to record in a room that provides natural reverb. 4. I would suggest some mixing to allow a specific part to stand out and to direct the listeners ear to where you want it. The gear used for violin and cello is of course different but maybe mine will help: Gear I use- Microphone: ATM 350 Condenser microphone (~$330 AUD) External Soundcard: MobilePre USB ~2nd hand (<100 AUD) Recording Software: Audacity (Free!!!) DAW: Fruity Loops (also use this to add reverb and mix) And then a lot of video gear/programs, but you won't be needing this added expense =) So with your goal you should be able to create some really good quality recordings I think! Some of my multi track stuff I make for YT, if you want to hear the quality of the gear: OoT: http://tindeck.com/listen/nsel Pokemon: http://tindeck.com/listen/vvko Portal 2: http://tindeck.com/listen/pfic Anyway, hope this helps - and I hope your project goes well! People here are very knowledgeable and friendly to boot - so don't be shy asking for advice/feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imabubble Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 http://umadashibayashi.tumblr.com/post/28008941602/some-composition-work-for-jenova-cello-version Here's some composition work -- done with the computer mic and Audacity. I did a little candenza in the beginning, and made it a little more "cellistic" with some arpeggios. What do you think of the arrangement? I ran out of time to tweak the intonation today, but I plan to tweak it after getting some of the tools you guys recommended. Chris -- Thank you for your recommendations! The microphone is a bit out of my price range, but *fingers crossed* if I get a job soon I'll go for it. I'm thinking of borrowing my friend's nice mic and seeing how that goes. I love your recordings! Do you play viola, too? I can see now that the reverb does make it sound like the space is better, like it was in a church or something. Calum -- I'm usually placing my microphone in front of the cello, about two feet away from the f-holes, where the sound comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorax Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 http://umadashibayashi.tumblr.com/post/28008941602/some-composition-work-for-jenova-cello-versionHere's some composition work -- done with the computer mic and Audacity. I did a little candenza in the beginning, and made it a little more "cellistic" with some arpeggios. What do you think of the arrangement? I ran out of time to tweak the intonation today, but I plan to tweak it after getting some of the tools you guys recommended. Chris -- Thank you for your recommendations! The microphone is a bit out of my price range, but *fingers crossed* if I get a job soon I'll go for it. I'm thinking of borrowing my friend's nice mic and seeing how that goes. I love your recordings! Do you play viola, too? I can see now that the reverb does make it sound like the space is better, like it was in a church or something. Calum -- I'm usually placing my microphone in front of the cello, about two feet away from the f-holes, where the sound comes out. ok, when it comes to mic positions, you have to remember that the mic picks up audio a lot better when it's closer to the sound source (voice, analog synth, cello, random trash can lid) than when it's further. However, you want to avoid clipping at the same time. As for DAWs, you will want to look for a DAW with a decent free-trial mode and/or a low msrp when the trial mode ends. I never did like FL, mainly because you can't load a saved project file. I don't know about Reaper. I use Mixcraft, which has no track limits. I know some DAWs do, especially Ableton Live Lite. Mixcraft has a 14 day trial. Once the trial ends, you can't save to mp3 or another audio codec, but there are workarounds for this. However, it has a relatively low pricetag ~$75. Is your friend's mic a USB mic or do you have an audio interface for a microphone jack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ~ Amaterasu Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Hey Madeleine, -Sorry for the late reply, I like what you did with the new recording a lot. String instruments and apeggios always sound great =D -I was thinking that with the money from your kickstarter could get a similar mic or better =) -And yes, you have a good ear - I play viola as well =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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