worldsbestgrandpa Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 (edited) [EDIT] NEW VERSION HERE --> https://soundcloud.com/worldsbestgrandpa/soggy-carousel-song-of-storms This time I'll post here for feedback before I submit to the judges The crowd favorite, "Song of Storms", on autoharp, accordion and toy piano with some pokemon card on a spinning bike tire action... https://soundcloud.com/worldsbestgrandpa/soggy-carousel Everybody seems to love this tune even if they don't know it's vgmusic. I play this tune every time I go busking with my button-box accordion (NY/CT/MA areas). People that do recognize it usually do a triple take. If you've ever given me a dollar, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! No compression or equalization - just mixed down. I'd really like someone's opinion about mastering this song. I'm using a Shure Beta57A microphone and the Tascam DP-02 portastudio. I'm worried my first sub might not get accepted because of some compression issues, so I'm trying to do it right this time. Any feedback would be helpful, thanks! Edited March 4, 2013 by worldsbestgrandpa new version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 You had me at 'soggy'. This, like your Kakariko Village one, is fantastic. The recording is an issue though, much more so than your previous sub. I don't do live stuff so I can't comment on how to make it better, maybe someone else can help with that. So, that clicking sound at the start/end is a Pokemon card hitting the spokes of a bicycle wheel?! Bizarre! I get the feeling if you videoed this you'd probably get a million YouTube views faster than you can say "Go around, go around!!!" As for actual crits, hmmm, the arrangement seems really cool, I think there should definitely be enough interpretation for it to pass. The clicking sound is a bit weird, and I'm not sure it works totally well in the background of the mix, or maybe it's just the way it's mixed right now. Love that tempo change midway through - looks like that kid played that bloody song again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Kirby Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 The pokemon card sound is dragged out a bit too long in the beginning; I would start the track from around 0:15, where the clicking picks up a bit. Arrangement-wise, this seems okay. Have you considered implementing drums? They could spice this up considerably if done well. I'd focus on getting a better recording quality; right now this is too "raw" and distant. I really like this, though! You should definitely keep working on this. By the way, do you ever hang around the NYC area? I'm sure you'll turn many a head playing this there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Great execution, recording and mix leave something to be desired. Sounds totally mono to me, a bit of panning would be nice, and maybe some stereo reverb. Maybe consider stereo micing in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nOkbient Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Everything has already been said that I want to say for the most part. I LOVE the sound of the card on the bike wheel, but you should have used something more creaky/wooden sounding. The other thing is that I felt you could have done more variations, but that's minor. I love the fact that this sound so organic though. Really, this is great! I think you nailed all the instumentation perfectly! Don't think you should add any rhythmic percussion, but some more creaky wooden type sounds would work well. Also, get a better quality microphone. This needs one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldsbestgrandpa Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Thanks for the responses! I'm re-recording it now in a MUCH smaller room using 2 mics this time to get some stereo sound, which is new to me and actually pretty fun. It's definitely a lot "closer" and more full sounding. The only drawback is that now you can hear every little creak and click of my crumbling button box, but maybe that will just add to the charm. Hopefully the card on bike tire will blend it all together. I really wish I had something more creaky - there's a really noisy old door in my apartment I might try using. Added some heavy stomping in the new recording, but that will probably be it for percussion. Also trying variations on the toy piano but it's barely playable! Every time I'm in nyc I always hit up union square, the bedford ave stop on the L, or on st marks right near a cool game shop. Once the weather is warmer, I'll be out there a lot more. I'm just waiting for the day I see someone with an OCR shirt while playing a game cover! I should have a new version of this song in a day or two. Thanks again for the crits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldsbestgrandpa Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Latest recording: https://soundcloud.com/worldsbestgrandpa/soggy-carousel-song-of-storms This version has some creaks and the spinning card is buried deeper in the mix. Stereo micing on the accordion and some panning on other instruments. I also went ahead and added light compression and some EQing. Let me know what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 What a difference this recording makes! It's just a shame the toy piano is so quiet. Any way you can gain that up without it sounding horrible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanohi Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Oh wow! I really loved this whole thing! The name pretty much describes the feeling of the song, it's wonderfully characterized! Great texture and unique arrangement, and the tempo-change was awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 (edited) Big improvement! There's an instrument in the center, not sure if it's the autoharp or toy piano, has a peaky resonance sticking out. Try EQing somewhere in the 300-500 Hz range. Edited March 5, 2013 by Argle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkbrandflake11 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 This is awesome and has a very Banjo-Kazooie Witchyworld feel to it in the beginning half and then transcends into a fast riding circular spin. This is very nice and is the best song to crack open some overly salted peanut shells. The toy piano also a nice feature. The old time awesomeness is too much! Thank you for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nOkbient Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 All I can say is this is really really great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldsbestgrandpa Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks for the feedback! The autoharp is definitely the most problematic in the EQing. I'll try to tweak this and up the toy piano before I submit this song to the judges. I'm working on a whole vgmusic cover album with crusty old instruments. Probably won't sub most of them to OCR.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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