mattmatrice Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Well, my friends and I are huge fans of the original XCOM (as well as the new one) so I decided to do a cover of the main theme! https://soundcloud.com/matthew-matriciano/xcom-ufo-defense-theme-metal-remix don't be afraid for critique, this is my first official cover and feed back would be appreciated! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 So a few things. Guitar tones are solid I'd say. You definitely have a better lead tone going than most metal remixes around these parts do and the performance is good, but I did hear a few timing slip ups. However, the first thing I notice is how machine-gun like the drums sound at least in the intro. It's most noticeable in the kick and hats. It sounds like that synth hit in the intro is a lot louder than everything else. Also, it sounds like you have a lot of over-lapping frequencies which is muddying up the mix quite a bit - try to get everything occupying its own space as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmatrice Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 So a few things. Guitar tones are solid I'd say. You definitely have a better lead tone going than most metal remixes around these parts do and the performance is good, but I did hear a few timing slip ups. However, the first thing I notice is how machine-gun like the drums sound at least in the intro. It's most noticeable in the kick and hats. It sounds like that synth hit in the intro is a lot louder than everything else. Also, it sounds like you have a lot of over-lapping frequencies which is muddying up the mix quite a bit - try to get everything occupying its own space as much as possible. Thank you for the feed back, yea I noticed some timing slip ups as well; no biggie, easy to fix. I listened to the synth hits again and yea they are over powering, could have blended it in better. I am not very experienced at EQ, so would you maybe know of any tutorials I could follow to fix up the over lapping frequencies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Thank you for the feed back, yea I noticed some timing slip ups as well; no biggie, easy to fix. I listened to the synth hits again and yea they are over powering, could have blended it in better. I am not very experienced at EQ, so would you maybe know of any tutorials I could follow to fix up the over lapping frequencies? I don't know what DAW you use, but make sure you have a frequency spectrum analyzer as that is super handy since it shows you where all the frequencies are. The idea is that when two sounds are in the same range at similar amplitudes, they mask each other. So say you have two instruments that are both pretty strong in the 700 - 1000hz range. If you cut a little bit of frequency X in one sound, but leave Y alone and then cut some from frequency Y while leaving X alone in the other sound, it should increase the clarity. This guy demonstrates it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmatrice Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 I don't know what DAW you use, but make sure you have a frequency spectrum analyzer as that is super handy since it shows you where all the frequencies are. The idea is that when two sounds are in the same range at similar amplitudes, they mask each other. So say you have two instruments that are both pretty strong in the 700 - 1000hz range. If you cut a little bit of frequency X in one sound, but leave Y alone and then cut some from frequency Y while leaving X alone in the other sound, it should increase the clarity. This guy demonstrates it. I'm currently using mix craft 6 as my DAW. In your opinion, what instruments need to be turned down (besides what's been spoken about prior)? I'm think the rhythm guitar and maybe bass is a little strong, stronger than what they should be, but that's just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I'm currently using mix craft 6 as my DAW. In your opinion, what instruments need to be turned down (besides what's been spoken about prior)? I'm think the rhythm guitar and maybe bass is a little strong, stronger than what they should be, but that's just my thoughts. I agree that the rhythm guitars might be a bit loud compared to the kick and the snare, but on the other end of the spectrum, the cymbals feel a bit loud overall to me. One thing you could also try with that intro synth after lowering the volume a bit, is side-chain compressing it with the guitars so that when the synth hits, the guitars drop in volume slightly. other than that and previous mentions, I think it's pretty killer \m/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmatrice Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I agree that the rhythm guitars might be a bit loud compared to the kick and the snare, but on the other end of the spectrum, the cymbals feel a bit loud overall to me. One thing you could also try with that intro synth after lowering the volume a bit, is side-chain compressing it with the guitars so that when the synth hits, the guitars drop in volume slightly. other than that and previous mentions, I think it's pretty killer \m/ Alright, I was messing with it all yesterday, I think I got it a bit less muddy (definitely a lot to improve on). I'll definitely try that, and thanks for the motivation I appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmatrice Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 https://soundcloud.com/matthew-matriciano/xcom-ufo-defense-theme-metal-remix-1 Okay, so here is what I have so far. I'm hoping I cleaned it up at least a little bit. In comparison to my original it is easier on the ears xD lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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