Cash Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Update: new version, 2/3/13 My entry for ReMixing With the Stars: Season 1 Episode 3, third place this time. I'm happy with it, though I'm sure it could be improved in some areas. Let me know what you think. All feedback is welcome! A shout out goes to ectogemia for being such a good star. Link: V1 https://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/sigma-has-an-electric-fence V2 https://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/sigma-has-an-electric-fence-1 Sources Elec Man Sigma 1st, MMX6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crypto_magnum Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 The percussive elements are great throughout. Nice variation and humanization in the beginning, but even more impressive are the Sigma/MMX6 sections. Those drums are so thick and meaty, complex and interesting. Love it! For me, the rest of the harmonic and melodic work going on over the drums seems a little thin in places... I mostly notice it in the Electric Man sections (where there's not as much percussion to focus on) until 2:00, where you get a nice counter-melody going. There's nothing "wrong" with any of this, but rather I think you have an opportunity to make these areas a little more interesting. It feels like there's space to do more, if you so choose. One minor thing: the ending cuts off abruptly. An abrupt cut-off can be a effective technique in some cases, but here it sounds more like a mistake because we get get pretty far into the tail of the last note and the cut happens kind of in the middle of the reverb. Your sequencer may have picked an arbitrary number of extra beats to include after the last midi event when you bounced the audio, so be sure to manually adjust this precisely how you want it so that your sequencer doesn't cut off your reverb too early. Nice work; I like what I hear so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Thanks for the feedback! I definitely agree that a few places are a bit thin. As for the ending, I was running short on time, so I just sort of threw it in. Glad you enjoyed it so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Bump, I'm hoping for more feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Any more takers for feedback? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Wedel Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 crypto_magnum's got it spot-on for the most part. This is good stuff and I say that to someone who's never heard the original. The "thinness" throughout the certain instances of the track is apparent, but I see this more as a stylistic tendency than a deliberate error. It *does* sound a bit thin at around 0:30, though... perhaps you should try adding in some synth strings to maybe give the track more of a flavor. I can imagine the result and it's sounding pretty cool in my head. If you'd like me to whip up an example, lemme know! Also, it may be just me, but the ending seems a bit anticlimatic and I feel another verse might fit right at home here. What do you think? In general, your usage of countermelodies and harmonization seems just right, to me. The part at 1:46 sounds great particularly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Also, it may be just me, but the ending seems a bit anticlimatic and I feel another verse might fit right at home here. What do you think? Yeah, I was planning on adding another verse. I threw that ending on to finish in time for the deadline. Thanks for the feedback and praise! EDIT: Sure, you can whip up an example. Why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 New version is up. I tried to deal with the thinness in some sections. A few EQ tweaks, and added another section at the end. This will be my last update before going for a mod review. All feedback is welcome! V2 https://soundcloud.com/cash-and-change/sigma-has-an-electric-fence-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Glad to see you kept out that kick intro It's sounding much better processed than it did last I heard it. The plucked guitar in the beginning is still very cheap-sounding. It possibly needs some layers. Maybe something a little brighter and sharper, maybe a teensy bit of stereo delay. Something to widen it and color it. Drums are getting lost around 1:04. That means you either need to EQ your distorted bass better or sidechain some of the drum hits into it to duck it a little so that the drums are not drowned out. At 1:46, the drums are very weak. The snare needs some pop in its fundamental frequency (~200 Hz, depending upon the sample you use. To achieve this, I would recommend putting a rather narrow EQ band on that frequency and increasing it to taste. Also, it doesn't hurt to lower the frequencies just in front of that fundamental slightly (in the 220-350 Hz range) to prevent things from getting too muddy (that 100-500 Hz range is the major muddy component of mixes; if we boost at 100 Hz, we should cut some mud elsewhere to retain clarity). Maybe a little waveshaping would saturate it enough to be heard better in the mix. To that end, the kick also needs more oomph. A little overdrive is nice for that, as is good EQing. Like the snare, if you bring out the fundamental of a kick, you'll get a much clearer hit. The fundamental of a kick is usually in the 50-100 Hz range. You'll need to sweep a narrow, boosted EQ band in that region til you hear a distinct, tonal thud. That's the kicks fundamental frequency. Now reset that EQ band to normal, narrow it a bit, and boost that particular frequency some. Also, add a little high-end EQ to add some pop and sizzle to it. It should be much clearer. All I heard of it in the mix was a click. That's not good D: AND COMPRESS YOUR STUFF MORE !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackPanther Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Hey there C&C. Interesting track you have here, interesting style, can't put my finger on why exactly I like it yet, but I do. Anyways, I'll talk about some mixing stuff. Arrangement seems pretty solid to me, I like the movement: Drums are pretty cool, a good amount of variation and the quality of the samples themselves are good. They seem to lose some energy and presence around the 30 second mark when that lead instrument comes in. If you've already done some eq'ing to those instruments to not clash as much, you could also try moving them around the spacial field just a tad. That bassy thing around the 1 minute mark is pretty sweet. If I was fiddling around with this, I would mess around with the width of that sound and see what kind of feel I'd get from widening that sound out a bit more. Maybe use sidechaining with the kick drum and have some of those other sounds duck just a tiny bit, with fast attack and a somewhat fast release so it isn't too noticeable. Maybe add some layers to your instruments as well like a little click sound to the kick to try and bring it out a little more. It seems like it has enough bottom, just not enough on the higher end to give it that presence. That's about all I can give you at this time. You may even be done with this. My apologies for just now getting to this Jim. Hope I gave somewhat of some insight, and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Hey, thanks for the feedback! I plan on submitting this, at some point. I actually replaced the drums, they come through more. I've been trying to beef up the thinner sections. Another update will be done soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I think the synth at 0:33 is unfitting for a lead sound there. Sounds like a saw lead that has a envelope on the cutoff with a long decay and no sustain. It might be better if it was softer, more like a moog lead's cutoff freqs. I've always found 0:57 abrupt. Intro it better. CSD stuff can easily sound out of place when it's not mixed well enough. In that section, the low war drum hits are kinda obscured, IMO. Could just be me and my skullcandies as I'm not yet home. Cymbals sound out of place at about 2:00. Actually, from that point on, the percussion sounds disjointed when compared to the rest of the instrumentation. Sound choice is OK, but needs some production love, smoother transitions, and more cohesiveness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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