[timaeus222]

Hey, what's up? Haven't posted anything new in a while, so I whipped this bad boi up (haha, whipped):

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0 - V1 of 3
Remix: https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m

Totally just murdered the modwheel with this remix.

What do you think? :D
(yep, there is a tempo change at 0:00 - 0:25. xD)

[chimpazilla]

Wow T... this sounds really good... great soundchoices, great mixing/soundstaging, writing, sfx. Sounds blend very well together. Really varied and exciting too! I love it! I have NO criticisms of this one, I think it's your best work so far. I can only say best of luck with the panel!

[Spi.der.men]

That was amazing! Everything after :56 blew me away.

[Yami]

Wow. I really like the original, and this is really great, I don't know anything that's wrong

[timaeus222]

Thanks, guys! Actually, I already submitted something else a few days ago, so I'll wait until January to submit this. :P

[timaeus222]

I just made some minor detail updates:
- Lowered the volume on the guitar and bass slightly.
- Processed the main snare more to give it more "glue".
- Changed from a Stereo Shaped intro pad to a Stereo Enhanced Stereo Delay intro pad.
- Fixed breakdown piano timing a little
- Added slight saturation to the analog lead at 0:14.
- Processed the percussion FX at 0:25-0:49 under a tape simulator.

https://www.box.com/s/x3vy70mv77ux3xgoyrdj - V2

https://www.box.com/s/47ba3cnfomt1n2myzs5m - V1
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvjc12new0

Ultimately the lead is slightly more exposed and the snare has kind of noticeable improvement. :D

[Flexstyle]

<MODREVIEW>

Right, negatives first. Let's start off with the mix.

The first thing I notice off the bat is that there's very little discernible bass in the mix. The kick is weak, and the bassline is hard to hear during the main portion of the mix. Add that to the fact that there's very little in the way of bass frequencies throughout the mix, and there's a bit of a problem there. I suspect some compression will be your friend on that kick. What's your current DAW? I can give FL-specific tips much more easily, heh.

The piano could really use some more quantizing, honestly. I know there's a line to balance between natural and mechanical, but you'll almost want to stray more towards the side of mechanical for a song of this genre, IMO.

Do you have reverb on that open hat? I'd take a lot of that off, if that's the case. Honestly, the 909 open hat doesn't really make a good driving, rock-esque hat, so you might consider just putting it in for every off-beat.

I'd take a bit of reverb off of the snare, too. You'd be surprised how little reverb is actually needed on DnB drums. Definitely lower the high-cut, as well, since those extra high frequency reverberations aren't really helping for the snare, either.

Some of the drum fills are just a bit awkward, with the hat changing its rhythm just enough to sound a bit contrived.

Also, just as a suggestion, I like to stick a sampled break (like an Amen break or something) or two into every DnB song I make. Just helps to fill out the spectrum a bit. Not every song needs to have this, but I like to use breaks a lot when possible.

Now, let's get to the good stuff. I really like this arrangement, and the guitar work sounds really solid to me. Your synth leads are quite nice, and I love when you intertwine the leads together, whether they be guitar or synthesizer.

Overall, I'd say that the lead actors in this production have really got their acts together. Now, all you need to do is focus on the supporting cast. Get a bassline in there so that we can hear it, get the drums tightened up (maybe consider different samples?), and really make this thing shine. I can think of no better example to give you than my own recently-released track from the DKC3 album, since it's almost the exact same style. Hard-driving, guitar-laden, synth-lead-toting DnB. You'd be appalled at the amount of compression I used on the kick and snare, haha, but that's sometimes what it takes. You can really change the sonic character of a drum sample by throwing it through three or four different compressors.

Hopefully this helps out!

</MODREVIEW>

[timaeus222]

Originally Posted by Flexstyle

<MODREVIEW>
The first thing I notice off the bat is that there's very little discernible bass in the mix. The kick is weak, and the bassline is hard to hear during the main portion of the mix. Add that to the fact that there's very little in the way of bass frequencies throughout the mix, and there's a bit of a problem there. I suspect some compression will be your friend on that kick. What's your current DAW? I can give FL-specific tips much more easily, heh.

Yeah, I use FL (also in my profile info). I'm mixing with a Sony MDR-7502, so I'm surprised there isn't enough bass. Last I saw, its frequency response graph crosses over to 0dB at 1000Hz. I expected you to say that there was too much.

I'll probably choose a different kick sample or add another layer. I suspect the compression algorithm I used is sufficient with a few fixes to adjust to a new sample or new sample layer.

The piano could really use some more quantizing, honestly. I know there's a line to balance between natural and mechanical, but you'll almost want to stray more towards the side of mechanical for a song of this genre, IMO.

Hm, okay. I'll just manually quantize certain notes, because I still don't want it to be fully quantized. :P

Do you have reverb on that open hat? I'd take a lot of that off, if that's the case. Honestly, the 909 open hat doesn't really make a good driving, rock-esque hat, so you might consider just putting it in for every off-beat.

I'd take a bit of reverb off of the snare, too. You'd be surprised how little reverb is actually needed on DnB drums. Definitely lower the high-cut, as well, since those extra high frequency reverberations aren't really helping for the snare, either.

I have room reverb on both to give them some presence, but I'll lower it a bit.
Yeah, that Open Hi Hat didn't feel quite right to me either. Should I just go for a strong closed hat for a driving hat?

Get a bassline in there so that we can hear it, get the drums tightened up (maybe consider different samples?), and really make this thing shine.
</MODREVIEW>

What do you think I need to do with the bassline? Shift the left end of the high pass left a bit? I mainly had the bass there to beef up the guitar tone.

Thanks for the review!

[DaMonz]

This is really nice dude! ^_^ There's cool stuff happening in there.

It may be just me, but I feel like your lead is doing a few dissonant notes around 1:17-1:26. Sounds a bit odd to me, but if you like it this way please don't change it

Really my only comment, maybe except that the track is a bit short. Keep up the good work dude :D

[timaeus222]

I have some ideas on how to expand the track even further. I'm hoping I'll remember them the same way when I get home! xD

Hm... I think it'd be a good idea to bring in the big guns... zircon's feedback? Let's give it a shot.