timaeus222 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Hey, what's up? Haven't posted anything new in a while, so I whipped this bad boi up (haha, whipped): Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0 Remix: https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m - V1 of 4 or 5 Totally just murdered the modwheel with this remix. What do you think? (yep, there is a tempo change at 0:00 - 0:25. xD) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Wow T... this sounds really good... great soundchoices, great mixing/soundstaging, writing, sfx. Sounds blend very well together. Really varied and exciting too! I love it! I have NO criticisms of this one, I think it's your best work so far. I can only say best of luck with the panel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spi.der.men Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 That was amazing! Everything after :56 blew me away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yami Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Wow. I really like the original, and this is really great, I don't know anything that's wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 Thanks, guys! Actually, I already submitted something else a few days ago, so I'll wait until January to submit this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 I just made some minor detail updates: - Lowered the volume on the guitar and bass slightly. - Processed the main snare more to give it more "glue". - Changed from a Stereo Shaped intro pad to a Stereo Enhanced Stereo Delay intro pad. - Fixed breakdown piano timing a little - Added slight saturation to the analog lead at 0:14. - Processed the percussion FX at 0:25-0:49 under a tape simulator. https://www.box.com/s/x3vy70mv77ux3xgoyrdj - V2 https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m - V1 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0 Ultimately the lead is slightly more exposed and the snare has kind of noticeable improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 <MODREVIEW> Right, negatives first. Let's start off with the mix. The first thing I notice off the bat is that there's very little discernible bass in the mix. The kick is weak, and the bassline is hard to hear during the main portion of the mix. Add that to the fact that there's very little in the way of bass frequencies throughout the mix, and there's a bit of a problem there. I suspect some compression will be your friend on that kick. What's your current DAW? I can give FL-specific tips much more easily, heh. The piano could really use some more quantizing, honestly. I know there's a line to balance between natural and mechanical, but you'll almost want to stray more towards the side of mechanical for a song of this genre, IMO. Do you have reverb on that open hat? I'd take a lot of that off, if that's the case. Honestly, the 909 open hat doesn't really make a good driving, rock-esque hat, so you might consider just putting it in for every off-beat. I'd take a bit of reverb off of the snare, too. You'd be surprised how little reverb is actually needed on DnB drums. Definitely lower the high-cut, as well, since those extra high frequency reverberations aren't really helping for the snare, either. Some of the drum fills are just a bit awkward, with the hat changing its rhythm just enough to sound a bit contrived. Also, just as a suggestion, I like to stick a sampled break (like an Amen break or something) or two into every DnB song I make. Just helps to fill out the spectrum a bit. Not every song needs to have this, but I like to use breaks a lot when possible. Now, let's get to the good stuff. I really like this arrangement, and the guitar work sounds really solid to me. Your synth leads are quite nice, and I love when you intertwine the leads together, whether they be guitar or synthesizer. Overall, I'd say that the lead actors in this production have really got their acts together. Now, all you need to do is focus on the supporting cast. Get a bassline in there so that we can hear it, get the drums tightened up (maybe consider different samples?), and really make this thing shine. I can think of no better example to give you than my own recently-released track from the DKC3 album, since it's almost the exact same style. Hard-driving, guitar-laden, synth-lead-toting DnB. You'd be appalled at the amount of compression I used on the kick and snare, haha, but that's sometimes what it takes. You can really change the sonic character of a drum sample by throwing it through three or four different compressors. Hopefully this helps out! </MODREVIEW> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 <MODREVIEW>The first thing I notice off the bat is that there's very little discernible bass in the mix. The kick is weak, and the bassline is hard to hear during the main portion of the mix. Add that to the fact that there's very little in the way of bass frequencies throughout the mix, and there's a bit of a problem there. I suspect some compression will be your friend on that kick. What's your current DAW? I can give FL-specific tips much more easily, heh. Yeah, I use FL (also in my profile info). I'm mixing with a Sony MDR-7502, so I guess that's why. The crossover frequency is like 1000Hz. I'll probably choose a different kick sample or add another layer. I suspect the compression algorithm I used is sufficient with a few fixes to adjust to a new sample or new sample layer. The piano could really use some more quantizing, honestly. I know there's a line to balance between natural and mechanical, but you'll almost want to stray more towards the side of mechanical for a song of this genre, IMO. Hm, okay. I'll just manually quantize certain notes, because I still don't want it to be fully quantized. Do you have reverb on that open hat? I'd take a lot of that off, if that's the case. Honestly, the 909 open hat doesn't really make a good driving, rock-esque hat, so you might consider just putting it in for every off-beat. I'd take a bit of reverb off of the snare, too. You'd be surprised how little reverb is actually needed on DnB drums. Definitely lower the high-cut, as well, since those extra high frequency reverberations aren't really helping for the snare, either. I have room reverb on both to give them some presence, but I'll lower it a bit. Yeah, that Open Hi Hat didn't feel quite right to me either. I'll probably just go for a strong closed hat for a driving hat. Get a bassline in there so that we can hear it, get the drums tightened up (maybe consider different samples?), and really make this thing shine. </MODREVIEW> What do you think I need to do with the bassline? Shift the left end of the high pass left a bit? I mainly had the bass there to beef up the guitar tone. Thanks for the review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMonz Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 This is really nice dude! There's cool stuff happening in there. It may be just me, but I feel like your lead is doing a few dissonant notes around 1:17-1:26. Sounds a bit odd to me, but if you like it this way please don't change it Really my only comment, maybe except that the track is a bit short. Keep up the good work dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 I have some ideas on how to expand the track ideas even further. I'm hoping I'll remember them the same way when I get home! xD Hm... I think it'd be a good idea to bring in the big guns... zircon's feedback? Let's give it a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Rex Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 It may be just me, but I feel like your lead is doing a few dissonant notes around 1:17-1:26 This. It sounds like you're dancing around a key for a while and can't really settle in on one key signature. The hats sound odd, especially the open one. I'd change samples. As for arrangement, I like it, but for some reason its lacking a bit in the high-energy that I think you want from this piece. Maybe add some crazy solos or work with the drums to amp up the energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 This. It sounds like you're dancing around a key for a while and can't really settle in on one key signature.The hats sound odd, especially the open one. I'd change samples. As for arrangement, I like it, but for some reason its lacking a bit in the high-energy that I think you want from this piece. Maybe add some crazy solos or work with the drums to amp up the energy. I didn't actually explicitly reference the song to help me stay in the same key. I dunno, it sounded like the same key to me when I played it on my MIDI keyboard. I just now referenced the song to check the transcribing, and I think the melody is apparently a half step lower than I meant to have it. Just because I'm not home. Okay, I'll try fixing it. I know, I was planning to change the HH sample. Yes, I was planning to upgrade the drums later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Rex Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I didn't actually explicitly reference the song to help me stay in the same key. I dunno, it sounded like the same key to me when I played it on my MIDI keyboard. I just now referenced the song to check the transcribing, and I think the melody is apparently a half step lower than I meant to have it. Just because I'm not home. Okay, I'll fix it.I know, I was planning to change the HH sample. Yes, I was planning to upgrade the drums later. I don't mean to say that its in the same key as the original (which is a non-issue) - I mean to say that there are a few notes that makes the piece seem to want to change key signature but don't really nail it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Yeah, I know that, and that's what I just said. I had the song in the same key up until then, and suddenly I decided to follow the key of the original and from 1:17 on it was a half step down. EDIT: Hm... yeah, it doesn't sound right to me without the key change... I'll keep what I had there, sorry. If everything after 1:17 was fixed by shifting up a few half steps, it wouldn't sound heavy enough. If everything before that was shifted down a few half steps, the energy wouldn't be there. EDIT2: Ooh... Using Density MKIII on the master makes everything sound so cool. The "summing" preset is pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Okay, I did some more edits: - Some compression mastering. - Quantized the piano a bit more, just enough so it's not off but also not too mechanical. - Pumped up the drum samples. - Less reverb on the "main" snare. - New "main" hi hat (instead of the "main" open hi hat) - New "main" kick (thanks, chimpazilla). - 2:04-2:16 = new arrangement. Might be a bit packed, so I might fix that later. - 2:27-2:39 = new percussion. Cinematic Synthetic Drums rocks! - There should also be more bass. I got new headphones, and compared V2 and V3, and it does indeed have a bit more bass. https://www.box.com/s/b9n2y5skr1gr480dnhri - V3 https://www.box.com/s/x3vy70mv77ux3xgoyrdj - V2 https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m - V1 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0 Note that I can't add anymore plugins, because I've literally maxed out my physical memory. I can replace some though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Okay, some more updates: - I fixed up the section at 2:04-2:16. It was getting cramped, so I loosened things up a bit, and it should sound cleaner now (whatever that means ). It also has a stronger kick. - Better balance between drums, guitar, bass, and leads. If there's not enough bass, I don't really know how I can add more. It's very loud and packed, and if I were to add more, I'd have to lower the volume on everything. https://www.box.com/s/7j1jcftj1pxtivsdjy8v - V4 https://www.box.com/s/b9n2y5skr1gr480dnhri - V3 https://www.box.com/s/x3vy70mv77ux3xgoyrdj - V2 https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m - V1 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 Bump. I'm kinda curious on what people think of the Dubstep section (2:00). I tried doing some more to the mastering since then, but it didn't work, so I left it as-is. In retrospect, I should probably have taken off that master compressor before doing any fix-it tries. xD After any comments, I might take yet another shot at this later, now that I've realized that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 I went back to this maybe about a year ago and redid it from scratch, calling it "Big Brute Force of Nature". It's up on OCR now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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