Slimy Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Older Version: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/t3gokd2swuyfd1i/The Beautiful Wilderness.mp3?dl=0 Original: ____ When you exit the Earth Cave, ("Frozen Depths of the Earth" is what the song is called in my personal copy of the 7th Saga ost,) the above music begins playing, and although the world of Ticonderoga is mostly brown, I can't help but think that it must look really beautiful, in a Mediterranean sort of way. Especially after being stuck in a cave. Anyways, any criticism is welcome for this. Ganaé 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Love this track - understated and beautiful. Almost makes me forget the fear of it being interrupted for a battle. Only point: It seems a tad busy once it reaches 0:38. I find part of the beauty of this song is the long, sustained tones; the little ... I don't know what to call it, the flute-y arpeggio-ish bit? ... fill that complements the intro seems a little too much for me at that particular point in the build-up, but matches perfectly after the 1:00 mark. Other than that, this is pretty darn amazing. Now, I'm off to Bruno ... or Zellis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 Ok, I removed the crazy flutes - they don't fade in until 0:48 now. I'll probably try tweaking a few of the chords later. Is the overall volume too quiet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 If you're referring to the overall volume of the song, no, I don't think so. In fact, I like all the gentle crescendos and decrescendos I hear throughout the track. The original track has a bit of a warm tone to it anyway which I think you've already captured here. If you're referring to the flute, no - love the way it fades in then out. Listening to it another bunch of times, although I hear timpani and muted crash, I'm becoming not sure about the big cymbal crash at 1:25. It works well with the moment, but maybe not with the overall feel of the song - you stick with the muted crash through most of the song, so the big crash seems sharp in comparison. This, however, is a personal preference; listen to it a few times with and without and you may feel otherwise. Man, how do you mix in so many different instruments at so many different times and make them sound so good together? I've heard Deadly Furniture and Dracula's Secretaries and you have a real talent for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 I changed many of the chords during the 1:24-2:12 section to be less messy, and I replaced the cymbal crash with a timpani. I also slightly changed the lead instruments at 2:48. If anyone wants a compassion, I put an older version in the OP. On 6/10/2016 at 10:58 AM, The Nikanoru said: Man, how do you mix in so many different instruments at so many different times and make them sound so good together? I've heard Deadly Furniture and Dracula's Secretaries and you have a real talent for this! Subtlety? An instrument doesn't necessarily have to be noticeable to contribute. I also played in my high school band and orchestra, attended a few concerts, and enjoy listening to orchestral music anyways, so I guess I have some experience with what instruments go together? And thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Hey, this sounds pretty great! I like the atmospheric/underwater feel. I would say to check the bass mixing at 0:12 - 1:25. It sounds a bit muddy. Maybe try raising the low cut on the reverb for the more bassy instruments. I'm finding your bass to kinda blend in a little too well. I like the low dynamics at 1:54 - 2:12. Goes to show that atmospheric music can have dynamics. The background plucked instrument at 2:15 - 2:48 that repeats the same arp pattern feels a little weird in the soundscape. I think the spatial position is good, but it feels a little "cheap"/tinny in comparison to the rest of the soundscape, IMO. Maybe replace it with something with more body or round robins? Other than that, I would suggest maybe playing around with more upper-treble ambiences to contrast the low-midrange/midrange-heavy warmth in most of the remix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted June 12, 2016 Author Share Posted June 12, 2016 43 minutes ago, timaeus222 said: Hey, this sounds pretty great! I like the atmospheric/underwater feel. I would say to check the bass mixing at 0:12 - 1:25. It sounds a bit muddy. Maybe try raising the low cut on the reverb for the more bassy instruments. I'm finding your bass to kinda blend in a little too well. The reason I mixed the bass in quietly is because it's basically just playing the same thing over and over again, while the pizzicato cellos are playing the "rhythm" stuff that was in the original. Less bassline and more background, I guess. Though I suppose I could give both those instruments a collective boost and see if it's improved. 43 minutes ago, timaeus222 said: I like the low dynamics at 1:54 - 2:12. Goes to show that atmospheric music can have dynamics. Hah, I wasn't planning that ahead of time. Writing good chords for the strings was painful, so I decided to not have any for the second half of that section. And it was impossible to keep up intensity from the beginning without sounding awkward, so everything just sort of quiets down as that section goes on. 43 minutes ago, timaeus222 said: The background plucked instrument at 2:15 - 2:48 that repeats the same arp pattern feels a little weird in the soundscape. I think the spatial position is good, but it feels a little "cheap"/tinny in comparison to the rest of the soundscape, IMO. Maybe replace it with something with more body or round robins? Concerning round robins... none of my guitar (or synthesized koto in this case) sounds have them. Maybe I could try getting an actual acoustic guitar player to record something for me, then tinny up the sound just enough to fit the soundscape, but not sound like a regular guitar? 43 minutes ago, timaeus222 said: Other than that, I would suggest maybe playing around with more upper-treble ambiences to contrast the low-midrange/midrange-heavy warmth in most of the remix. Are you just talking about EQ, or new instruments? And are there any specific pasts of the song where you think this is a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 17 minutes ago, Slimy said: Are you just talking about EQ, or new instruments? And are there any specific pasts of the song where you think this is a problem? New instruments. No specific problem parts, just something in general you could try. Maybe around the second half of the remix? You did have some shakers going on. So for example, you might add more auxiliary percussion (like tambourines, fingerbells, shakers, sleigh bells, etc) with a long-decay, high high-cut reverb. Slimy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Update. I gave the bass a low EQ boost, and added some variations now that it's more noticeable. The flutes are now brighter in certain parts. I didn't get a actual guitar player, but I did try using some better guitar sounds at 2:12. Changed the instruments at 2:48 slightly again. Added more percussion at 3:00 - 3:24, continued the guitar at 3:12 and added violins as a pad. Added a flute at 3:26, and more chimes. Basically I tried to make it more interesting and add some high frequency stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 13 hours ago, Slimy said: I gave the bass a low EQ boost, and added some variations now that it's more noticeable. Wow, I really notice the difference. I also hear a few variations to the bass line in the intro that weren't there before. 13 hours ago, Slimy said: The flutes are now brighter in certain parts. Sounds great! 13 hours ago, Slimy said: I didn't get a actual guitar player, but I did try using some better guitar sounds at 2:12. I hear the new guitar bits. I like the sound better, but I think the volume is still a little low between 2:12 and 2:24. Just a little. The guitar at 2:48 to 3:00 could do with a bit more too. 13 hours ago, Slimy said: Changed the instruments at 2:48 slightly again. Also sounds good. 13 hours ago, Slimy said: Added more percussion at 3:00 - 3:24, continued the guitar at 3:12 and added violins as a pad. Added a flute at 3:26, and more chimes. Basically I tried to make it more interesting and add some high frequency stuff. I hear what sounds to be a mild finger snap on the offbeat of the fourth measure after 3:00 - subtle, yet effective. And, are those finger cymbals I hear at 3:12? The guitar/violin combo is awesome, love the texture it creates. I think that's a single note on a clarinet at 3:21 - also effective. Really like all the changes and additions! Once again, this is a beautiful track. I could listen to this for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 Small update. Increased the volume of the guitar a bit. Lowered the pitches of some of the notes of the plucked instruments at 2:25. It sounded off and it was bothering me. Added a gong at 3:34. On 6/15/2016 at 0:37 PM, The Nikanoru said: I hear what sounds to be a mild finger snap on the offbeat of the fourth measure after 3:00 - subtle, yet effective. And, are those finger cymbals I hear at 3:12? The guitar/violin combo is awesome, love the texture it creates. I think that's a single note on a clarinet at 3:21 - also effective. I used a quiet tambourine sample. Tough I might have tried a finger cymbal with a real orchestra. Anyways, I'm going to try getting a mod review on this before I submit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 EVAL Wow, this is a really subdued track, and that atmosphere really holds it together. In the beginning the woodblock seems to pierce a little bit, but otherwise I think this is a very well written and produced track. One suggestion before submission (if you haven't submit it already - it HAS been two weeks, after all ._.) would be to take the wave to something like Audacity and max the amplification option, in order to push out as much volume as you can. In Audacity, at least, if there are no points where the mix peaks the program will automatically max the output without introducing clipping, and from what I can tell there isn't really a place where this mix peaks - you could probably gain 0.5 dBs without introducing any distortion at all doing so (I can't tell exactly since it's a soundcloud file - can't do it myself). The overall arrangement is a little quiet, so it would only benefit you to do so. Yeah, otherwise this is a great arrangement to submit - I think it'll pass. Nice work on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slimy Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 On 6/10/2016 at 10:58 AM, The Nikanoru said: Man, how do you mix in so many different instruments at so many different times and make them sound so good together? I've heard Deadly Furniture and Dracula's Secretaries and you have a real talent for this. After combining everything into one track out of curiosity, it seems that I'm actually quite terrible at the thing you complemented me on. Oh and the track's submitted now, in case anyone was wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 2 hours ago, Slimy said: After combining everything into one track out of curiosity, it seems that I'm actually quite terrible at the thing you complemented me on. Heh. BS. You remember when we all used to play our games on tube screens? Well, I found that part of the 'magic' in the 8 and 16-bit visuals is all in the ol' Sharpness control on the TV. Those graphics looked a lot more pixel-y, blocky, rigid, and hard-edged if it was turned up too high ... if you're picking up what I'm putting down. Great to hear you submitted. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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