Hardbeat Acolyte Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 http://media4.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=2801 Eh, a WIP I started. Dance sorta remix. EDIT: Sorry, wrong link. Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thylacine Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Fair warning - I'm going to be critical. Okay, right off the bat I have a major red flag - voice sample. I haven't seen whatever that's from, but it sounds professionally done. Either you did it yourself (which is impressive but not right for this track as-is), or you got it from something copyrighted (which is a bad thing). In either case, it's not highly recommended. In my case, I'm completely alienated. I have no clue what that references, and it doesn't lend itself well to the source - that's the song played when you get a new ALLY, yet "no man can be trusted." The music itself isn't doing so hot, either. The "buzzy" notes are not high-quality, and you'll get dinged for that really badly by the judges. You're also not using the source material to its full potential. You're playing the notes, but eliminating why the song is good in the first place. The song was made by how it was played. Each part was dynamic. This came out sounding very flat. Part of it was the overall speed of the remix, and part of it was simply not varying notes enough. Have some fun with this. You are told what notes to play, but you have to play around with those notes. I don't know what kind of soundfonts you have, but it sounds like you're limiting yourself. Browse the forums a bit - people have discovered nifty places to get nice soundfonts (for free) to make your pieces a little more snappy. At 00:42, the exact same song, only now with... what is that? Bells? This doesn't add much to the track, and it's also really bad quality. I understand you're trying to use it for the echo effect that the song had in the original. It's not helping to build energy, though, and that is CRUCIAL in a techno remix; it just tells the listener that they'll hear the exact same thing with a new sound every couple of seconds thrown in. So, my suggestions: -Better soundfonts. -No voice sample. -Variation on main tune. I've seen tons of remixes get rejected for two of the above three reasons. You've got a great source tune, but you have to make it your own. You'll be so much happier you did, and so will everyone else. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbeat Acolyte Posted January 19, 2007 Author Share Posted January 19, 2007 Thanks for the tips Thylacine; I'll remember them for the next WIP. The vocal clips are from the english commercial for Fire Emblem 7. You're right, it doesn't really suit the song and I'll take it out or find a suitable replacement. The instruments are pretty much placeholders until I find some that will suit the song better. You're right about the melody too; it needs to me changed more. Here's the latest one, but I made it before I read your post. http://media7.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=3278 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC Ricers Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 I agree with most of the points Thylacine made. The first voice sample, the buzzy lead synth that's too plain and default-sounding, And the bells that suffer from the same problem. But I also listened to your longer 3-minute version and I think the new ideas you added have great potential. Now you've given the mix a clear direction. The "dadadada" vocals took some getting used to, but along with the rhythm I can clearly hear you're aiming for a 90's feel. The breakdown keeps it from getting too repetitive, but again those bells must go. I dunno if the male vocal works here either. When the dance beat kicks in again- nice, better percussion. But the snare still sounds too harsh. So...this remix can sound good even with the female vocals but everything needs to sound more cohesive. To do that: Fix the EQ on the percussion- it sounds very thrashy and over-compressed. Come up with a better lead synth to open with. Correcting just these things can already make your mix sound much more professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thylacine Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 I agree with JustChris. The longer version is better, and I really like the change in tempo at 1:48. The "Come on!" at that point is also a nice add-in. I didn't care much for the other vocals ("I wanna see your hands over your head!"), but that may just be my personal distaste for anything vocal other than lyrics, so I'm not going to touch that any more. My statement about the opening still stands. The change back at 2:53 is also a nice touch. Those things break up monotony, the devil of the techno tracks. The voice samples are a nifty touch which makes the track stand out a bit, so the instrument quality is your next target, especially the new snare. Judges are very critical of background loops, so if they are bad quality, your remix will be shown no mercy. The main instrument at the beginning isn't as bad with the bassline thrown in, but you do need it replaced and changed up still. I think you were considering that anyway, from the sounds of things. I like the improvement! Most of the additions you've made have been positive ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbeat Acolyte Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 The "dadadada" vocals took some getting used to, but along with the rhythm I can clearly hear you're aiming for a 90's feel. Uhhh actually I was just trying to differ the feel of the song for that part; I didn't actually have much of a direction for it. But I suppose it turned out okay anyway XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbeat Acolyte Posted January 25, 2007 Author Share Posted January 25, 2007 http://media6.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=4965 The third WIP of it. I thought maybe I'd try using claps instead of the snare but I'll most likely change it back or use claps in some places and snares in others. The part with just the drums and bass is a placeholder until I think of something else to go there XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thylacine Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Just so you know, my life just went from "doing virtually nothing" to "doing virtually everything, while sick, in a shorter window of time." I'm not ignoring this. Anyway, opening is better without the sound clip. You also vary up the notes at 0:19, which helps this mix considerably. Yeah, the musical instruments as placeholders, fix them, all the same stuff we've talked about. Won't rehash it. Claps are just as bad for some judges as poor basslines, so I'm not sure if I'd recommend them given the other option. If you can find a good snare, then go with it. Otherwise... well, I'm not sure. The thing with claps is much like the problems with the other instruments: they are very obviously pre-fab. Yes, everyone is familiar with the soundfonts available, but if you pick a mix at random, it shouldn't be blatantly obvious that it's from some music mixing kit. You can add claps to anything; add something unexpected. Again, everything past 1:48 is REALLY good. The claps work more with the track than as "background noise," so they lose that pre-fab quality to them and sound really good. 2:01's addition is quite nice. People will like that. Continuing with that music after 3:05 would work well, but the claps switch back to being background rather than part of the mix. The first half of this is where the serious work needs to be done. You've got some good stuff after that. I'll try to pop by when there's more changes, but life has finally caught up with me, so I'm going to be busy. Keep up the work, though - this mix is improving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC Ricers Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Seto, check your PM inbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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