DragonAvenger Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) Hello OverClocked, My name is Calvin Jung, I have been a producer and remixer for the last four years and am now starting to build a presence on the internet. I am a big fan of the Youtube series Extra Credits, which introduced me to your website. I respect the community you've built and the amount of quality content that is on the site. The reason I am contacting you is to submit a remix of the song "Fear of the Heavens" from the game Secret Of Mana, which is posted on my soundcloud page. The original version is here for reference. I hope you enjoy my submission, any critiques and feedback would highly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration. Regards, Calvin Jung (Plusol) ----------------------------- Edited March 26, 2016 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Right away I'm noticing some distortion around 0:19. Kinda strange since there isn't really that much in regards to instruments passing. Aside from that you have done fun rhythmic changes to the melody and chords and overall the beast is pretty chill. The samples overall aren't super great, the drums in particular feel pretty weak.I'd look into updating some of your sounds and work on layering some parts to fill out the soundscape a little more. The bass presence is also weak, and could be brought up and used more. The arrangement is pretty repetitive overall, both in regards to the melody and the backing tracks. I'd suggest working on adding more variation, like done drum fills and rhythmic variations to keep the listener engaged. Adding and subtracting parts to help the arrangement evolve will also help keep the listener engaged. The wind transition at 1:38 is a little strange, because it feels like it was planned to be the end of the track but another party comes in. The sample also suffers from a lack of realism. There's a lot to work on here, but I do like the mood you set up for the track, and I think it's a fun take on the original source. Keep working on your production and arrangement skills and I hope to hear more from you sometime! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 The mix is very unbalanced. There are some frequency peaks that need to be tamed in the mix and will make it a pleasant listen overall. These can be found mostly in the highs between 2k-6k hz. If you can't hear this due to inexperience or lack of proper equipment, a visual cue is always helpful, and you can grab a free tool to help you with this here. The mix would've fared better with a cleaner low end as well, as the bass pads aren't separated enough from the low frequencies of the kick. The pads are adding a lot of mud to the mix instead of helping fill the background properly, some synths are very harsh to the ears (the constant sequenced synth playing the high notes is a good example). The noise swells could be toned down on the highs as well, and the piano chords are distorting quite a bit although that could be an stylistic choice. The second section after the breakdown is lacking any bass presence. Regarding arrangement, it's very repetitive and static, although the instruments themselves change over time, there's not much going melodically. Some of the transitions need work, as the middle transition felt very barebones and lacked any sense of tension or expectation. As Deia pointed out there's quite a bit to work on here, and I hope our pointers can steer you in the right direction. For now though, NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Great points made above here. Levels were pretty hot here and need to be pulled back - especially in the freqs Nuts #2 mentioned, since they're pushing the envelope here and causing distortion in places. Def feeling the repetition comments as well. Some of the non-electronic sounds really rigidly sequenced here (piano/string backing parts. Not much to add beyond that. Good start, but more work needed. NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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