DragonAvenger Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 (edited) resub from a DR - Deia Contact Information > ReMixer name: HeavenWraith > Real name: Antanas Palaitis > E-mail: > Website: http://www.heavenwraithmusic.net > Forum userID: 50325 Submission Information > Game: Deus Ex > ReMix Name: NYClub Sweeps > Original Name: NYC Streets > Original Author: Alexander Brandon > Link to the file: Source breakdown as requested (remix => original): 1:19-1:37 => 0:11-0:27 1:37-1:55 => 1:32-1:53 2:14-2:31 (harp sort of mimics the synthy bass in the original) 2:31-2:49 => 0:11-0:27 2:50-3:08 => 0:52-1:11 4:02-4:20 (contains snippets from the main theme) 4:20-4:56 => 0:52-1:11 Quoting my original addendum: Oh boy, my first attempt at doing techno stuff. I was pretty nervous to working out of my usual rock/metal style, but it was fun regardless. I've discovered the power and flexibility of synths, even had to learn a bit about synthesis programming myself. Couldn't help myself and included a little section of guitar solos, I'm sorry if that annoyed anyone, heh. Inspirations include Alexander Brandon, Karl Jenkins, Fukui Kenichiro and the time spent in the night clubs (not that much of it though). -------------- Edited April 3, 2014 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 The intro is just way too long. It has nothing to do with the source, and it's not captivating enough on its own to really add to the track. Cut it in half at least. This track has nothing to do with techno, for the record. It's cinematic rock that happens to have a couple synths. That said, the soundscape is extremely dense, and it doesn't vary nearly enough. You've got to have some space here and there. The strings and pads and stuff create a wash. You've got to side chain them. Your vocal pad in the background is CONSTANT. It's not adding anything because it's always there. Good first effort though, some great writing ideas, some cool sounds. You've definitely got to work on making space for everything though. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Gonna second Vig's opinion on the extended intro. I'll add that I'm hearing some sequencing issues with overlapping notes on solo instruments. Beat and many orchestral elements (like brass, some solo stuff) sound quite dry, despite the overall washed-out sound of the track. This needs a good amount of work on the overall balance to achieve clarity between parts. It gets harder to critique individual parts in sections because of the sheer amount of noise present in many of the sections. Instrument quality is a mixed bag. Some of the orchestral elements sound good, but some have pretty fakey sounding vibrato (like in the intro where they are exposed). Lead synth at 3:27 sounds awfully bland in that low register. Consider trying a higher octave (it sounds better at 3:46) and layering another lead or something to give it a bit more character and/or cutting presence. On the other hand, the guitar parts seem like they'd sound good if given room to shine out. Cool sounds at the 2:15 transition. Stuff like this establishes the mood well. Arrangement is clear and well executed. It plays it pretty close to the vest with the source treatments, but there's plenty on the additive side to make it your own. Good base here. IMO you really need to focus on your production to help this out. NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I like the idea of the extended intro, I can hear that you were trying to emulate the source's long intro. I think for your mix, it would work in the context of a much longer song, but I agree with my fellow judges that is too long here. The writing and arrangement ideas are quite good in this track. I have to agree that production is holding this arrangement back however. The synth lead work sounds good (and nice soloing btw) while the orchestral elements need quite a bit of work. You have to be so careful with orchestral samples, they need to be humanized and properly balanced, often they need to have layered articulations, and they need the right reverbs and volume automations to make them work within the context of your song. Unfortunately here they all sound quite fake, dry and exposed. The drums are suffering from similar problems, they need much better eq and effect treatments. Also agreed with my fellow judges that the entire track needs a rebalance job, and everything needs to be given it's own space in the frequency spectrum, as everything is playing over everything else. Don't be afraid to remove elements at some points where the song is too cluttered. The synth pad and vocal pad both are too present for too long. And yes, sidechaining is a great way to introduce some groove and also clear some space. I hope you'll take this as an opportunity to kick up your production game another notch, because the writing and arrangement are quite nice. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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