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Maple Story 'Maple Syrup'


Vortigon
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Hey guys, Could use some feedback. This just got rejected on the judges panel (http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45785) and as much as I'd like to resubmit it with a few changes. I don't have the original source file anymore since . My only option is to rebuild start from scratch, but before I do that, i'd like to know what the biggest problems are.

I feel that if I do this again, I should focus on getting the right samples. should be easy enough, but since I know nothing on music theory I'm having a bit of trouble understanding some of the judge's feedback.

What exactly is soundfield and how would one make it deeper?

What is roomsound?

How can I make this less two dimensional, should I try experimenting with balance and reverb?

Original songs:

Main theme:

Lith Harbor:

https://soundcloud.com/vortigon/maple-syrup

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  • 3 weeks later...
Hey guys, Could use some feedback. This just got rejected on the judges panel (http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45785) and as much as I'd like to resubmit it with a few changes. I don't have the original source file anymore since . My only option is to rebuild start from scratch, but before I do that, i'd like to know what the biggest problems are.

I feel that if I do this again, I should focus on getting the right samples. should be easy enough, but since I know nothing on music theory I'm having a bit of trouble understanding some of the judge's feedback.

What exactly is soundfield and how would one make it deeper?

What is roomsound?

How can I make this less two dimensional, should I try experimenting with balance and reverb?

Original songs:

Main theme:

Lith Harbor:

https://soundcloud.com/vortigon/maple-syrup

Personally I have no idea what OA's talking about when he mentions "soundfield", although I think he's talking about the stereo field and imitating depth (which would be using reverb somewhat, as well as some EQing. The roomsound reference is probably exactly what reverb is - the ambient sound a room makes. As you probably know, reverb is used primarily to imitate something being played in a certain-sized space.)

Lack of knowledge of music theory isn't the problem here, because music theory is the guidelines for writing music (the notes themselves). Here they're focusing more on production itself.

As for my own notes, I will have to agree with the judges that the intro was rather lengthy, and you will want to brush up on EQing.

My suggestion is, when recreating this mix, determine the frequency range of each instrument (within the track itself, not in general), and use EQs on other instruments to lower the other instruments' volume at that range. For instance if I had a hand drum sound and a cello on a song (I can't think of a plausible application of why I would have those two instruments at this very moment, but bear with me), I want the hand drum to stand out. I figure out that the hand drum has the strongest frequency range at 850Hz and 15000Hz. Now, the cello covers up the drum because it also exists at 850Hz (as well as other frequencies). What I can do is put an EQ on the cello and "scoop out" the 850Hz range a little bit so that the cello isn't so loud there. Because the cello is now quieter, the hand drum stands out more. You can think of this as "subtractive EQing". This helps build the clarity that the judges were talking about without trying to make an instrument louder, which can eventually lead to distortion.

Edited by Anorax
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I'm not sure what some of the judges are referring to but the piece does feel very one dimensional to me. Sonically it stays the same throughout but most importantly, it doesn't change dynamically.

I would start with a rewrite and develop more ideas around the central theme, with a focus on instrumentation. Don't rely on the same sounds, be creative and explore other textures and feels. I think what you had was a strong foundation, and with some added depth it could be stronger.

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Thanks for the feedback.

things.

I had no idea, I'm gonna experiment with that. It's probably why most of my tracks feel flat as soon as too many instruments are playing at the same time.

stuff.

Yeah I agree, it's too samey throughout the whole track. I should probably try to build more on the theme next time instead of a simple break in the middle. I'll get some better instruments next time.

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