k-wix Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) Hey guys, I've been working on an Ocarina of Time Remix for awhile now and finally ready to show it off. Critiques are definitely welcome, trying to push my current orchestral sample library to it's limit. This has always been my favorite of the ocarina theme's and I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could turn it into a full-blown track, it ended up turning into a really dark imperialistic marching theme. A good chunk of the song is also completely original. Original: Remix: Edited June 9, 2013 by k-wix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 This is very nice, k-wix, it is full of expressive layers of orchestration. I really like the marching drums. That snare in particular sounds quite good. The instruments are well balanced. Very dark and moody piece, I like it. The song takes nearly 30 seconds to get going though, I thought my speakers were failing, as I heard almost no sound until about 0:25. The intro needs to come up in volume much quicker. At 0:30 the jump in volume is jarring. It takes awhile also until I hear the source tune, and when I do, it is played verbatim. Maybe you could change the cadence of the main theme here or there, to add interest? Move some of the notes around, forward or back? Add some 1/8th or 1/16th notes even? The flute or another instrument could play the source melody verbatim in the background while up front, some variation of it is playing. The song is highly quantized with the notes always hitting right on the beat. Also, most of the instrumentation is lacking in humanization: the strings, the flute, and the brass, all sound very mechanical. It is a tremendous pain to humanize these orchestral parts... but makes all the difference. PM me if you want some tips on doing this. I also use FL Studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byproduct Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Heh, the original is just 23 seconds. You manage to keep it not too repetitive though, nicely done. I agree with Chimpazilla, the intro is too quiet. Even if you want to do a startling volume jump, it still needs a little more there in the beginning. At around 2min it sounds imbalanced when there's a lot of stuff going on on the left and just a few long notes on the right. Overall pleasant to listen nevertheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) Way too quiet until 0:30. I could barely hear stuff on my headphones. I don't think the volume jump from 0:29 to 0:30 is too sudden, but 0:30 crescendos too quickly into 0:32 and on. 0:39 staccato violins/violas sound mechanical to me. The articulation is fine, but the phrasing and timing sounds static. The background legato cellos are pretty static too from being legato the whole time. This takes a long time to build, IMO. 1:10 flute is buried behind strings. 1:25 sounds a bit overcompressed somehow. 1:36 sounds better than 1:25. A lot of the articulations remain the same even now. 2:27-2:59 is overcompressed. 3:17 harmonies sound a tad cliche and simple to me. The sounds are realistic; you just need to figure out how to use them. Edited June 10, 2013 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V___ Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 From a processing perspective: You need a lower threshold and a lower ratio on your master bus compressor - at the moment the peaks are cut out, totally. Orchestral music is meant to be dynamic, but you sucked alot of the emotion out w the processing.... pull the threshold down another -6db maybe, but reduce the compr. ratio by at least half - give it a bit of room to breathe. Arrangement perspective: Its not overly complex, fairly straightforward. Honestly its fine to me, as a listener, but I dont think this would get past the judges. Theres no definable interpretation, its more re-interpretation than remix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Yeah I'm definitely hearing a lot of pumping on the mix, which I don't like at the best of times but is completely out of place in orchestral music. Ease up on your bus compressor, or preferably get rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnWake Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 This sounds like trailer music... Especially with how long it takes to become interesting. However, it sounds nice to me. Arrangement is a bit cover-ish, you could at least change up the chord progression or the key of the song, I don't know, add something more to it than arpeggiated chords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-wix Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Whoa, there is a ton of feedback here. Thank you guys for the criticisms. Much appreciated. The song takes nearly 30 seconds to get going though, I thought my speakers were failing, as I heard almost no sound until about 0:25. The intro needs to come up in volume much quicker. At 0:30 the jump in volume is jarring. Way too quiet until 0:30. I could barely hear stuff on my headphones. I don't think the volume jump from 0:29 to 0:30 is too sudden, but 0:30 crescendos too quickly into 0:32 and on. I agree with Chimpazilla, the intro is too quiet. Even if you want to do a startling volume jump, it still needs a little more there in the beginning. Wasn't expecting so many comments about the intro, but I guess I'd have to agree with you guys. At the time, i was thinking of it as a good way to just build up some ambiance and sorta get people in the mood, but apparently this is just to much. Needs to be reworked. Also, most of the instrumentation is lacking in humanization: the strings, the flute, and the brass, all sound very mechanical. It is a tremendous pain to humanize these orchestral parts... but makes all the difference. PM me if you want some tips on doing this. I also use FL Studio. Always interested in seeing how people go about humanizing stuff. We should talk, exchange tricks/tips. Theres no definable interpretation, its more re-interpretation than remix. Could you elaborate on this a bit? I'm not even sure I understand what you mean with this. However, it sounds nice to me. Arrangement is a bit cover-ish, you could at least change up the chord progression or the key of the song, I don't know, add something more to it than arpeggiated chords. Thanks, I'll try playing with the theme more and see if anything comes from it. I feel like the 2nd half of the song does a nice job of mixing things up, especially when compared to the original song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Base Desire Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I think this sounds swell, what orchestra samples/VST library you using? Love that flute. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Always interested in seeing how people go about humanizing stuff. We should talk, exchange tricks/tips. Just listen to real instruments playing, and imitate how they sound. i.e. Fast passages could be true legato or staccato flute, or spiccato strings with varying velocities, etc. Could you elaborate on this a bit? I'm not even sure I understand what you mean with this. He/she has the same intention as jnWake, basically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.