Final Fantasy Crystal Clash - Congratulations to Tuberz McGee and Eino Keskitalo!

[Cash]

In electronic music you have to constantly design and re-design sounds that not only sound good but sound good together. in recording it can a huge PITA to get a good recording. If either of those areas are messed up you are in for a helluva time mixing. Crap in crap out.

Agreed. I'm usually on the side of messing up the sounds, and not being happy with the results. Not that my arrangement skills are any better.

However in alot of electronic songs you are dealing with 40-120 tracks.

Maybe a newb question, but what does 40-120 refer to?

[avaris]

The number of tracks in a song.

You could have 20 audio tracks. 20 Instrument tracks. 40 Total tracks. What DAW do you use? Will be easier to create an accurate description.

This song has a shit ton of tracks: (95 to be exact)

Edited December 18, 2013 by avaris

[Cash]

The number of tracks in a song.

You could have 20 audio tracks. 20 Instrument tracks. 40 Total tracks. What DAW do you use? Will be easier to create an accurate description.

This song has a shit ton of tracks: (95 to be exact)

Oh, I see, that makes sense. I use FL Studio, I've never actually counted how many I use for a particular project.

[Tuberz McGee]

I think I got up to 35 for my recent mix.

I've recently been trying my hardest to limit myself to 8 or so tracks...

But every single time I go "MAN THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT NEEDS A STRING ENSEMBLE!"

biggest.mistake.ever.

[Brandon Strader]

DON'T forget to VOTE, Y'ALL.. It's important!

[timaeus222]

Oh, I see, that makes sense. I use FL Studio, I've never actually counted how many I use for a particular project.

I think the most I've used was 65 pattern rows and 40-something mixer tracks. zircon's used 70~99 pattern rows and 80-something mixer tracks on Identity Sequence tracks.

[Brandon Strader]

It's more important how you use sound than how many sounds you are using... that's something I hoped people would begin to pick up with this compo. You can make something really great with a minimal amount of sounds. Sometimes less is more.

[Garpocalypse]

Over the last half year i've been cutting down on the amount of sound I use. It used to be common for me to be up around 80-100 of just audio tracks.

BTW There seems to be a ton of blood around my name on the competition graphic.

[Tuberz McGee]

It's more important how you use sound than how many sounds you are using... that's something I hoped people would begin to pick up with this compo. You can make something really great with a minimal amount of sounds. Sometimes less is more.

Solo piano mixes are a perfect example of this.

God I love solo piano mixes.

[avaris]

It's more important how you use sound than how many sounds you are using... that's something I hoped people would begin to pick up with this compo. You can make something really great with a minimal amount of sounds. Sometimes less is more.

Ding ding ding. Totally agree. Layering sounds is very complex and can screw you over. Hence a big a problem I have.

[timaeus222]

It's more important how you use sound than how many sounds you are using... that's something I hoped people would begin to pick up with this compo. You can make something really great with a minimal amount of sounds. Sometimes less is more.

True; I do keep that in mind, but even then, that's how many I've gotten up to, which details the complexity that happens sometimes. Generally I get around 10~20 layers of pattern rows for just instruments, but 20~40 pattern rows of automations to accommodate for the instrument choices at certain sections (humanization, dynamics, compensation EQ, etc.). The automations are what really take up most of my project file space, so it's not like I'm giving examples where people are doing things inefficiently.

[Garpocalypse]

It's more important how you use sound than how many sounds you are using... that's something I hoped people would begin to pick up with this compo. You can make something really great with a minimal amount of sounds. Sometimes less is more.

Getting a chance to mix those My Choice stems was a revelation as to how badly I was using my DAW all this time. Especially the drums. If something wasn't sounding right my first thought was to add more sound.

Speaking of that if anyone wants to post their stems from one of their entries i'd love a shot a mixing them. Chimpazilla. ..and Tim. ...annnnnnnndddd Avaris.

[avaris]

I've always thought about doing it. I love mixing and the science behind it. I might do this for this week's or last weeks. Those are tough songs to mix. This week's song will be a PITA to do because half of it is in Reason. Would have to re-hookup everything to individual channels.

[Eino Keskitalo]

I could put the stems up, even though I don't think I mix particularly well. The easiest for me would be to just share the Renoise project file, if anyone's interested. You can use the demo version to look at the file, and I don't use any external plugins either. Buuut I dunno if anyone's that curious to install new software etc.. Anyway, stems, yeah, when I find the time.

--Eino

[avaris]

I could put the stems up, even though I don't think I mix particularly well. The easiest for me would be to just share the Renoise project file, if anyone's interested. You can use the demo version to look at the file, and I don't use any external plugins either. Buuut I dunno if anyone's that curious to install new software etc.. Anyway, stems, yeah, when I find the time.

--Eino

Good sounce choices, panning, and volume are the most important elements IMO. Which can all be done easily in any DAW.

When I render one of the tracks out, I am going to render out all of the tracks without processing. That way it'll be fun to compare mixes if anyone is interested.

[timaeus222]

Getting a chance to mix those My Choice stems was a revelation as to how badly I was using my DAW all this time. Especially the drums. If something wasn't sounding right my first thought was to add more sound.

Speaking of that if anyone wants to post their stems from one of their entries i'd love a shot a mixing them. Chimpazilla. ..and Tim. ...annnnnnnndddd Avaris.

Sure, I could do that sometime tonight, I think. I just finished my last final just now. I'm gonna miss O-Chem. ;(

[Tuberz McGee]

Generally I get around 10~20 layers of pattern rows for just instruments, but 20~40 pattern rows of automations to accommodate for the instrument choices at certain sections (humanization, dynamics, compensation EQ, etc.).

Oh. We're counting automation as well? Yeah. I automate a lot actually.

I wish it didn't require it, but sometimes you get a perfect guitar tone, but you get too much sound of the pick in there than you want...

Gotta automate that out with EQ. :/

[timaeus222]

Getting a chance to mix those My Choice stems was a revelation as to how badly I was using my DAW all this time. Especially the drums. If something wasn't sounding right my first thought was to add more sound.

Speaking of that if anyone wants to post their stems from one of their entries i'd love a shot a mixing them. Chimpazilla. ..and Tim. ...annnnnnnndddd Avaris.

And I've posted the stems now!

http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=950337#post950337

[Brandon Strader]

And I've posted the stems now!

http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=950337#post950337

Dang, I need to comment on that mix sometime, and other mixes in the workshop. Just going to literally be butt-pounded until MAGFest with the holidays going on. They're not taking it too easy on me at work.

[avaris]

Couldn't get any of my stuff rendered last night, spend 3 hours wrapping my gf's presents. I'm wicked slow at wrapping. Gonna be busy the next few days, so it might not be for a bit.

[ParahSalin']

I just saw that your birthday is tomorrow. You're excused. HB!

[Chernabogue]

I turned my WAV, busy family weekend ahead. And... this.

[Brandon Strader]

I turned my WAV, busy family weekend ahead. And... this.

I am intrigued by what you are working on in January. I got your entry, will download when I get home in several hours. Thank you!

[Eino Keskitalo]

I haven't had the time I said I'd have, of course, but I've figured out some fun stuff on the guitar. Not sure if it'll be a complete arrangement, but I'll put together what I have.

--Eino

[Brandon Strader]

I haven't had the time I said I'd have, of course, but I've figured out some fun stuff on the guitar. Not sure if it'll be a complete arrangement, but I'll put together what I have.

--Eino

I REALLY appreciate that. Anything is better than nothing. I know you're being modest and what you are making is probably amazing.

Also if anyone revisits their songs from previous rounds for a "final version", maybe one you intend to submit to OCR, or just finished in general, please post them here so we can check them out. You can also post them in the Workshop subforum!