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Mako Reactor Orchestral Remix (Final Fantasy VII)


Beoulve
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I have been creating music with my beloved Playstation for quite a while with a game/program called Music 2000(mtv music generator in the US). As you may understand it has its share of limitations, so I decided to move on to the computer for further developing my music skills. I am a complete amateur and only doing this for fun, but anyways...

I got Reason a couple of days ago and I am now working on a remix of the Mako Reactor theme from Final Fantasy VII. It is obviously in its VERY early stages, but thought it would be a good idea to post what I have done to get some feedback.

You can find the track through this link (it is the one titled "Mako Infection"):

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=340570

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It sounds fine so far, maybe a bit thin, but that can be fixed with some stylistic elements such as tremolo strings moving rapidly against the pulse, or anything else that sounds agitated.

Watch out that you don't repeat too much of the accompaniment just because you're staying true to the melody. Try to change as much as possible with each successive phrase (without changing the direction of the phrase itself.)

I like the horns against the trumpets, but instead of single notes in the horns, make them chords (triads) to sound thicker.

Your timpani is sounding thin as well, so make sure it is doubled with the double basses. I think you do this in some cases, but the catch is to make those double basses play in octaves or have the cellos play an octave above that. Timpani, cellos, double basses, and bassoons playing together is probably the most fundamental orchestration technique, especially during tutti sections.

Speaking of doubling, anything the strings can do, winds can help. Staccato violins? Have clarinets play with them exactly. Unison doublings are great. Octave doublings are too, especially in the bass or violins when they have a melody.

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It sounds fine so far, maybe a bit thin, but that can be fixed with some stylistic elements such as tremolo strings moving rapidly against the pulse, or anything else that sounds agitated.

Watch out that you don't repeat too much of the accompaniment just because you're staying true to the melody. Try to change as much as possible with each successive phrase (without changing the direction of the phrase itself.)

I like the horns against the trumpets, but instead of single notes in the horns, make them chords (triads) to sound thicker.

Your timpani is sounding thin as well, so make sure it is doubled with the double basses. I think you do this in some cases, but the catch is to make those double basses play in octaves or have the cellos play an octave above that. Timpani, cellos, double basses, and bassoons playing together is probably the most fundamental orchestration technique, especially during tutti sections.

Speaking of doubling, anything the strings can do, winds can help. Staccato violins? Have clarinets play with them exactly. Unison doublings are great. Octave doublings are too, especially in the bass or violins when they have a melody.

Wow, great tips! Thank you very much for the feedback!

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I'm really liking this piece you did, and I think that Sil pretty much covered all the parts I noticed and more! I look forward to seeing your next update on this song. :)

Thanks Case! I hope I can get some work done on it tomorrow, maybe so much that I will post an update.

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Yeah, it needs something to fill up space. Maybe some sustained chords in the background? I personally think it would sound freaking cool if you used a bunch more different instruments coming in with that phrase even more and more. You know you've got a horn of here chiming in and then a horn over there chiming in, I'd like to hear that with more instruments chiming in more often. But that's just me. ^_^

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Yeah, it needs something to fill up space. Maybe some sustained chords in the background? I personally think it would sound freaking cool if you used a bunch more different instruments coming in with that phrase even more and more. You know you've got a horn of here chiming in and then a horn over there chiming in, I'd like to hear that with more instruments chiming in more often. But that's just me. ^_^

It definitely needs to fleshed out more, and needs a bunch of stuff to fill up the space. Thank you for your comments. I've been putting this on hold for the past week, but I need a break from my other remix, so I will probably take a look at this one tomorrow.

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