YoshiBlade Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Original- Remix- https://soundcloud.com/yoshiblade1/hail-from-the-present-45-tbp-2 So, This one's going in the queue in the next 5 days, So I need your help. If there is anything that is acting as a lead weight hold this down lemme know. If the mix was DOA lemme know. If you just don't like me and want to hurt my feelings lemme know. Seriously it's very difficult to take art, put it up, hear other artist written critiques about your art, including any technical aspects of the presentation of said art, take said input and revise your art and start the processes over again until it gains.......universal approval, general approval, Vanguard approval? So i guess what Im trying to say is, any input is vital AND Greatly Appreciated, but the hardest part for me is the taking the technical critiques and trying to engineer them to sit comfortably with the artistic inspiration...just a nagging thought that sticks in my head. As always, Thank YOU for your time to read and listen and have a great day!! ONE MORE THING!!!!! There's a mini-story behind this mix here ya go!!!! Oxford University, Suite 1987 Oxford, England Dec 5th, 1936 "Esteemed colleges, I present to you the most peculiar occurrence I can recall in all my years. Approximately 10:31 P.M. I attempted to reach Cairo Relay Station. I felt it best to contact, Dr. Carter and report on our current situation, when as quickly as I have ever seen, an errant sandstorm blew in from the East. Our radio produced nothing but static on frequencies I know to be valid, until I heard the most haunting sounds that, I should think, have ever existed. My immediate reaction was to engage my personal wire recorder and capture these bizarre sounds. The wave like squelching seems to be a warped radio signal, yet I clearly hear a violin and drums that beat with a rhythm I found to be irresistible and drives with a spirt I have not yet encountered in my travels. There seem to be an interaction between a one Jonathan and Claire and a yet unknown female ( who’s voice is like that of a siren to my ears) The strange effects, which I can only deduce are of an electronic origin (which are of no discernible origin, at least no current origin) clip and stutter, twisting the waveform of these fantastical sounds, as if one were fumbling with a tuning knob, which is very apropos, due to the nature of my interaction with this erie encounter, the likes of which may very well change not only how we Egyptologist understand this mysterious place, but our very understand of the past, present and future” Prof. Harker PhD. Esq. MD. Rev. LMNOP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APZX Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Typing as I listen: Perhaps a touch gentler transition in the very beginning (slightly longer reverb decay ought to deal with it). Add some life to that 808 hat (simple volume variance is all you need really). Digging that synth stab though. The strings are also very nice. Good job bringing in the bass too. Not sure how I feel about the wobbles though. The transition at ~1:28 was also quite nice. Really the thing I'm noticing is the that the transitions are a bit on the "rough" or "abrupt" side. But good grief did you do a good job with those neat little sounds all through out. Okay, so mixing wise I find not too much to complain about really. Most of the things I have are really minor things. The strings are one of the more prominent things. They sound like they're in a different space all together. Just compare them to that bassline thingamajig. Some other things you might want to consider. The amount of low mids in the track. Slightly on the weak side. Not that is necessarily a big deal or the likes. Also, take into consideration of possibly adding some more highs to the synths as well. I like how the track is more reserved in that regard, but having some brighter elements I don't think would hurt and would also assist with clarity some. Other than that I loved the composition. The only two things I have to say are: That darn hihat and the transitions. But other than that I have to admit I rather like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Basically... Those strings are mechanical and a touch too distant. Nice effects and sounds. Needs clearer transitions and less mechanical 808 hi hat sequencing. The sound effects are a little cheesy, but since you don't depend way too much upon them, I guess it's kinda OK. Mostly the transitions and the hi hat velocities. Strings should be addressed anyways, but they're not a priority IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Thanks for the feedback, all of you are my guides for this fellow traveler. Yeah the hi-hats are the bane of this mix's existence, when i take them out they're the mix is flat, leave them in and it's almost like they're poking you in the ear every 1/16th beat, so Im currently retooling those,( a little echo seemed to help). Timaeus, for the mechanical and distant strings....I'm not trying to force the concept i.e. old timey (1920's or maybe 30's) radio picks up spooky radio sounds, but all the movies string/ orchestra from the 30/40's had this grainy mechanical feel to them and I was trying to emulate the zeitgeist. If they sound just plain ol' bad, then lemme know, you won't hurt my feelings:lol: and I'll have at 'em again. Does that change your feelings towards them or they are still in need of adjustment? I just don't want the concept to overshoot the mark, the mark being a pleasant listing experience. Anyway, I should have a retooled version up tonight or tomorrow. Thank YOU for taking the time to listen and I'll be back. ps, submission has been delayed, to give myself a little more time to tweak it. Here are some links to videos I found that encapsulate the feeling of the 20's and 30's strings I was aim for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQMhFJ14hik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Thanks for the feedback, all of you are my guides for this fellow traveler. Yeah the hi-hats are the bane of this mix's existence, when i take them out they're the mix is flat, leave them in and it's almost like they're poking you in the ear every 1/16th beat, so Im currently retooling those,( a little echo seemed to help). Timaeus, for the mechanical and distant strings....I'm not trying to force the concept i.e. old timey (1920's or maybe 30's) radio picks up spooky radio sounds, but all the movies string/ orchestra from the 30/40's had this grainy mechanical feel to them and I was trying to emulate the zeitgeist. If they sound just plain ol' bad, then lemme know, you won't hurt my feelings:lol: and I'll have at 'em again. Does that change your feelings towards them or they are still in need of adjustment? I just don't want the concept to overshoot the mark, the mark being a pleasant listing experience. Anyway, I should have a retooled version up tonight or tomorrow. Thank YOU for taking the time to listen and I'll be back. ps, submission has been delayed, to give myself a little more time to tweak it.Here are some links to videos I found that encapsulate the feeling of the 20's and 30's strings I was aim for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQMhFJ14hik Okay, so like in black and white movies. That in and of itself is fine, yeah. But they should still feel less rigid, more humanized, and be a little louder, just speaking independently of the era. Something can sound old, but not fake or too quiet, at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uffe von Lauterbach Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Aside from what has already been addressed, I can't wait until this is finished. I loved the OST in Portrait of Ruin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Ok, save for the strings, I'm gonna hit those tomorrow, how's it sounding? Better? Worse? No Different? It was terrible then and it's terrible now? Remix- https://soundcloud.com/yoshiblade1/no-4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 It's pretty similar to how it was before. Some things changed a little, but it's kinda subtle. The hi hats sound fine now. Still needs clearer transitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Thanks for the update Timaeus. While Im working on these strings, can you elaborate on the transitions that need to be addressed? maybe cite me an example of some good transitions? Im having a difficulty know what to tinker with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) Seems like: - 0:50 can use a sweeping sound to add a little more motion to that part, signaling that more action is going to happen. - 0:56 had a reverse cymbal coming up to it, but no actual regular cymbal. It can be fine, but in this case, there's a substantial volume difference between the two sections, so it feels like you're climbing up the stairs, and then the stairs end and you fall down a foot to the destination. - 1:12 changes energy, and so it's a new section, but it's missing a sweep, cymbal, or anything with some motion to connect a higher energy section with a lower energy section. - 1:24 has a loudening clap that can kinda distract from the rest of the track, but no riser sound otherwise. 1:28 would then call for a cymbal or some other similar smooth-sounding long-decay hit. - 1:38 loses the drums, so another transition would help. Or at least, some sort of ambient hit at 1:40 (would imply a high passed sample is fine, but one that's not high passed would also still be fine). Personally I would just try a quiet splash cymbal (rather than crash). - 1:48 has an odd click. It seems to stop when the bass stops? Another weird click at 1:56, but that one's really, really quiet. 2:00 has another one of those, and it does seem to be from the bass. - 2:06 can have another reverse or riser sound, while the timing of the sound doesn't seem on-sync with the tempo of the remix. It sounds like something is gating, but then maybe half a gate occurs before the drums come in, so it feels like it's slightly faster than the actual tempo. It basically sounds like how it would normally, but plus a few ms of extra sound. - 2:24 can also use an ambient hit. - There are more clicks, at 2:50, 2:52, 2:54, 2:56, 2:57, 3:00, 3:02, 3:04, and 3:12. 1. Submissions should be cleanly and clearly produced. Recordings should be reasonably free of distortion, hum, clicks, pops, or other unintentional audio artifacts. Volume levels should be normal compared to the average recording. ... 2. Your arrangement must be substantial and original. Submissions must be different enough from the source material to clearly illustrate the contributions, modifications, and enhancements you have made. Acceptable arrangement often involves more than one of the following techniques: Modifying the genre, chord progression, instrumentation, rhythms, dynamics, tempo, or overall composition of the source material Adding original solos, transitions, harmonies, counter-melodies, lyrics, or vocals to the source material Taking the original game audio and simply adding drum loops or using an existing MIDI file and assigning new instruments does not qualify as substantial or original arrangement. Submissions must not include any sampled audio, including sound effects, from material owned by Square Enix or its subsidiaries. Submissions should be long enough to convey arrangement; generally, this requires at least two minutes of material. Edited September 11, 2014 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) retouched version- https://soundcloud.com/yoshiblade1/test The strings.....those strings.....Im 50/50 here. I like the distant incompleteness of them.....I wish I had a more Egyptian oriented string patch, the string patches I have make it sound like your jumping from a big music hall to a desert. The ones I have here sound like a lonely violinist playing in an ally way in Cairo, then jumping back to the desert...maybe not you be the judge. Nixed the popping and added some cymbal hits, a few more tweaks. *edit "1:48 has an odd click. It seems to stop when the bass stops?" Hey Timaeus, I just reread this....I'm not ignoring your suggestion or the Bass for that matter, I'm trying to making it seem like the radio is mashing the violins of the time (1920's) with the Bass-from-another-World(cue thunder FX)!!!!!!!! However if it's not happing...ok, Ill hit it on my next mix down. Edited September 11, 2014 by YoshiBlade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Some of the cymbals are somehow off. The one at 0:56 didn't line up with the first beat. Also, I actually didn't suggest a cymbal at 1:36; it didn't feel like that one was necessary; plus, it was too loud. The click at 1:48 is gone enough, though the one at 3:04 is still there. 2:15 ended up muddier than before, and there's a weird dissonance until 2:27 that muddles the harmonies. There's something with a long release that's doing that, and the notes are clashing with basically everything else. So, basically, some things got fixed, but some things were overlooked accidentally, and some other issues were introduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 "and there's a weird dissonance until 2:27 that muddles the harmonies." Could you consider that a......Harmony of Dissonance Is it tonal or the beat that's causing the dissonance, or an effect I really didn't change any notes in that area, maybe the timing on a note or beat got knocked loose? I''ll get on it tonight, have a great day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 "and there's a weird dissonance until 2:27 that muddles the harmonies." Could you consider that a......Harmony of Dissonance Is it tonal or the beat that's causing the dissonance, or an effect I really didn't change any notes in that area, maybe the timing on a note or beat got knocked loose? I''ll get on it tonight, have a great day! There are just a bunch of notes from that long-release sound that bleed together, and clutters up the harmonies from the other instruments. Imagine a piano with a million slatherings of reverb on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Retouched- https://soundcloud.com/yoshiblade1/test-3 Okay, now Im not yet ready to decide the fate of these strings, you the audience and you musical mavens are my yard stick, measure my talent. There is a larger point I need to address. If it seems like I may be ignoring certain suggestions believe me I am not. My DAW( Reason 7) is suffering from from severe slow downs which make it near impossible to play the whole track in Reason ( it just degrades into a garbled mess of sound) so my only option is a very time consuming mix session, hope it sounds ok, translate to Wav. format and listen, then repeat process to adjust. So if I don't address every issue, I apologize, but please stay on the point of contention, if you're not satisfied, I'm not satisfied. However, until I can find the source of the problem, it's a stick in my eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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