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[ZackParrish]

Hey Zack, I thought I'd share with you my reworking of the tune that you criticized a while back: https://soundcloud.com/scorevgm/fanfare-and-jubilee-remastered. Hopefully you'll find it much more satisfying!

It's getting there.  The woodwinds definitely sound much better.  The tambourine needs work on the velocity side... pretty robotic in comparison to the rest of the track.  The volume of the bulk of instruments is pretty thin next to the drums, so I'd say nock the volume of the drums(mainly the udu or taiko, whatever it is) back a bit and bring up the volume of the other instruments.

The brass still leaves much to be desire in the punchiness of the staccato.  Sounds drunk almost the way it is now... or like the first day of rehearsals when nobody really knows how to play their parts.  Tighten it up. 

[ZackParrish]

RockIII -

It won't let me quote your post so...

Enter the Fray the percussion is overpowering everything else. I get the battle-esque aspect of loud war drums but your low string parts are changing yet the drums are so loud I can barely tell what they are actually doing.  When the higher pitched parts come in, like the staccato strings, the choir, etc... it's still a battle wit hthe percussion for room in the mix.  Kick the drums back a bit and make some room for the other parts.

Pleast Stay is charming, much better mixing/balance than the previous.  Probably wouldn't hurt to pan things a bit more... maybe run some EQ over the woodwinds to brighten their tone up a bit. They get pretty muddy as they are now.  The harp glissandi could use a touch of velocity to make the gliss sound less perfect... maybe even shift some of the notes slightly off in the timing as well. 

The Temple... oooooooooooo oooo oooooo o ooooooooooo.  Make them say something.  The first track made it obvious you have a phrase builder of some sort, so you should use it in the chordal you did for this track.  Might also consider using some reverb over the full mix because some parts sound dry and present while others sound ... dry and distant.  There is depth but like they are all standing varying distances from a single microphone in a padded room.

[ZackParrish]

Well I was going to give feedback on the last song posted on here, but it is hard for me to criticize! I suppose the fast moving falling string riff on the first track could use a different articulation? Something with a sharper attack. Also it does get a bit repetitive, especially after 3:00. It should keep evolving a bit. Why do the songs all fade out at the end suddenly? Is that something to do with the format of your "visual novel"?

Here is a song of mine that can be critiqued:
http://audiojungle.net/item/coming-this-summer/1844418

And I would greatly appreciate some responses from experienced musicians on my thread here: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=34265.0

Not sure if it's AudioJungle or you, but the track is pretty muddy at times.  The crash cymbal feels overused.  The orchestra parts are pretty generic and dull sounding, just kind "there" and not really doing much to draw me in.  The brass sounds like you were intending on using swells... but you didn't.  Just kind of teased at the possibility.  If you were going to use swells, I would suggest making the shifts more dramatic.  Sounds like a lot of the parts are dead center pan, causing a traffic jam and fudging the mix.  

There's also this woman that keeps saying AUDIO JUNGLE. (Totally kidding, I know the rules of audiojungle... damn 10 second watermark...)

[Zoe Coleman Music]

Did a sort of remixing of an older piece as I am currently trying to get my production and mixing skills slightly better. I'd really appreciate any tips on how to get it sounding better (I'm working my way through Dvorin's "Logic Pro 9 Advanced Music production" to try and get better, but I'm aware criticism of your own work can teach you so much more).

https://soundcloud.com/zoecoleman/alphabet-project-k-remastered

I'd push the percussion back and bring out the other instrumentation more.  The drum kind of overpower everything and make it difficult to enjoy this as much as I'd like to because I'm straining more than I should to hear the other parts clearly in respect to the percussion.  Guessing it's an udu?  Wouldn't worry about volume on the udu so much as just EQing it separate from the mix and trying to kill some of the oomph it's got bleeding through the mix. 

Thanks Zack - much appreciated!

[SNN135]

Thanks a lot for the thorough feedback Zack! One of the few things I've been trying to master over the past little while is handling compression and proper mixing. For a long time, I really just neglected these entirely, and I think it's coming back to haunt me. If you have any general tips at all for proper mixing/compression, I'd definitely love to hear them!

(oh, and in terms of that Water Factory track, I laughed a bit at your description of it. It's totally true though - my friend asked me to make a track for a floating aquatic factory in space with a bunch of glass tubes everywhere, and something that bizarre actually came to my mind.)

But yeah, aside from that, most of my tracks are definitely inspired by Metroid Prime's music (and Dave Wise's stuff on top of that). I'm a really huge fan of ambient work in general, and nothing portrays that style better than the DKC series and the Metroid Prime series.

Thanks again!

[ZackParrish]

Advice for mixing/compression?  Hmmmmmm... It's just something you have to keep practicing at for the most part.  The biggest mistake most people make is working all day on a song and then doing the mastering the same day.  Your ears get used to the sound after a while, adjusting to the repetitiveness of hearing the same thing over and over again, and mixing after your ears have adjusted tends to create problems.  If you take about an hour break to give your ears a rest it will help, and it also helps to have a really nice set of reference monitors and a nice set of studio headphones.  Open back phones tend to have a flatter frequency response, but some people don't seem to care about how flat it is.  Everything as far as speakers/headphones goes is entirely opinion based, though it doesn't hurt to listen to your mix on several sources to see how greatly the hardware can color the sound.

Compression is really useful in single track scenarios, to bring the volume levels of a single track up when it's too low... and for the full mix if you can avoid it if you can, and use it as a last resort... unless of course you are using it to achieve a certain type of sound.  Compression really should be used sparingly, because it... in my opinion, is just a lazy man's tool to compensate for the lack of patience when mixing/balancing everything. 

Another good thing to do sometimes is to listen to a "pro" musician's music and see how they balance things and then compare it to your own mix(es). Study the spectrum analysis for the audio and see how it compares to yours(in similar styles, don't use country to compare to techno... that's just stupid). 

That's all I've got, but I'm a little hungover and about to fall asleep... zzzzzzzz....zzzz....

[mychii]

Great chance to hear some straightforward criticism. Here's one of my latest:

https://soundcloud.com/mychiilist/look-its-amazing

Looking forward for the punch.

[ZackParrish]

Great chance to hear some straightforward criticism. Here's one of my latest:

https://soundcloud.com/mychiilist/look-its-amazing

Looking forward for the punch.

The piano part sounds extremely robotic because ... assuming I'm correct in this, the velocity is exactly the same value on every note.  Like you just left it at the default velocity of 100(or whatever your DAW defaults to).  On the snare the velocity is in the right direction, but it sounds like you only use two velocities, one for the accent, and a lower value for all the other non-accented hits.  Try and avoid using the exact same velocity over and over again especially on parts that are repeating rapidly.  You don't have to make the change quite as drastic as the accent to normal shift, but enough to make it sound less like a machine is playing it.  On the buzz rolls you might try tailing the velocity off since typically the start of a buzz roll is slightly accented in respect to the rest of the roll. That first strike of the roll is always a smidge louder than the sustained portion of it.  There is a ...bass instrument of some sort ... a timpani maybe?  In the beginning?  The timbre is so dead I'm not sure what it is... if it's supposed to be a timpani I'd look for a better sample.  Timpani's have a LOT more punch.Around 18 seconds in you have the bass playing whole notes up until the end of that section, try having the bass leading into each chord, walking two notes to the next, stepping one note, etc... On the piano trill I would shift the start times of a few of the notes as well as varying the velocity a bit on them all, to make it sound less robotic.  Using velocity on the scales would help tremendously too.

The only other comment I really have is to try and bring out the string parts more, particularly the lower register ones because they have nice parts at times, and you can't really hear them without straining... You might also try mixing things up a bit on those parts and not just using sustain strings the whole time but also incorporating pizzicato, spiccato, or marcato.

I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open so I'll just leave it at that...

[mychii]

Great chance to hear some straightforward criticism. Here's one of my latest:

https://soundcloud.com/mychiilist/look-its-amazing

Looking forward for the punch.

The piano part sounds extremely robotic because ... assuming I'm correct in this, the velocity is exactly the same value on every note.  Like you just left it at the default velocity of 100(or whatever your DAW defaults to).  On the snare the velocity is in the right direction, but it sounds like you only use two velocities, one for the accent, and a lower value for all the other non-accented hits.  Try and avoid using the exact same velocity over and over again especially on parts that are repeating rapidly.  You don't have to make the change quite as drastic as the accent to normal shift, but enough to make it sound less like a machine is playing it.  On the buzz rolls you might try tailing the velocity off since typically the start of a buzz roll is slightly accented in respect to the rest of the roll. That first strike of the roll is always a smidge louder than the sustained portion of it.  There is a ...bass instrument of some sort ... a timpani maybe?  In the beginning?  The timbre is so dead I'm not sure what it is... if it's supposed to be a timpani I'd look for a better sample.  Timpani's have a LOT more punch.Around 18 seconds in you have the bass playing whole notes up until the end of that section, try having the bass leading into each chord, walking two notes to the next, stepping one note, etc... On the piano trill I would shift the start times of a few of the notes as well as varying the velocity a bit on them all, to make it sound less robotic.  Using velocity on the scales would help tremendously too.

The only other comment I really have is to try and bring out the string parts more, particularly the lower register ones because they have nice parts at times, and you can't really hear them without straining... You might also try mixing things up a bit on those parts and not just using sustain strings the whole time but also incorporating pizzicato, spiccato, or marcato.

I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open so I'll just leave it at that...

Oh my, you really got me . I think I need more homework on repetitive parts of all stuff including the piano and variations technique (strings). And yes, the snare is exactly 2 velocities at most to give accentuation on the beat. I guess its too few

There's a timpani to give deeper accentuation of the music before the bass and after the piano solo (0:05). Do you mind to tell me what it meant to be a lot more punch? Does it means a more contrast velocity or higher volume?

Thank you so much for your time.

[Justsometoast]

Hey guys, back again! I took the criticism from last time and put it to use in this new song.

https://soundcloud.com/justsometoast/because-it-did-happen

However, I fear that I may have over-corrected...

My main focus right now is learning how to mix and master properly, so tips on that would be awesome. Don't let that stop you from judging other aspects of the song as well though!

[ZackParrish]

Great chance to hear some straightforward criticism. Here's one of my latest:

https://soundcloud.com/mychiilist/look-its-amazing

Looking forward for the punch.

The piano part sounds extremely robotic because ... assuming I'm correct in this, the velocity is exactly the same value on every note.  Like you just left it at the default velocity of 100(or whatever your DAW defaults to).  On the snare the velocity is in the right direction, but it sounds like you only use two velocities, one for the accent, and a lower value for all the other non-accented hits.  Try and avoid using the exact same velocity over and over again especially on parts that are repeating rapidly.  You don't have to make the change quite as drastic as the accent to normal shift, but enough to make it sound less like a machine is playing it.  On the buzz rolls you might try tailing the velocity off since typically the start of a buzz roll is slightly accented in respect to the rest of the roll. That first strike of the roll is always a smidge louder than the sustained portion of it.  There is a ...bass instrument of some sort ... a timpani maybe?  In the beginning?  The timbre is so dead I'm not sure what it is... if it's supposed to be a timpani I'd look for a better sample.  Timpani's have a LOT more punch.Around 18 seconds in you have the bass playing whole notes up until the end of that section, try having the bass leading into each chord, walking two notes to the next, stepping one note, etc... On the piano trill I would shift the start times of a few of the notes as well as varying the velocity a bit on them all, to make it sound less robotic.  Using velocity on the scales would help tremendously too.

The only other comment I really have is to try and bring out the string parts more, particularly the lower register ones because they have nice parts at times, and you can't really hear them without straining... You might also try mixing things up a bit on those parts and not just using sustain strings the whole time but also incorporating pizzicato, spiccato, or marcato.

I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open so I'll just leave it at that...

Oh my, you really got me . I think I need more homework on repetitive parts of all stuff including the piano and variations technique (strings). And yes, the snare is exactly 2 velocities at most to give accentuation on the beat. I guess its too few

There's a timpani to give deeper accentuation of the music before the bass and after the piano solo (0:05). Do you mind to tell me what it meant to be a lot more punch? Does it means a more contrast velocity or higher volume?

Thank you so much for your time.

Your timpani sample just sounds really muffled, but a real timpani is a lot brighter in tone.  Not sure how else to describe it...

[mychii]

Oh cool thanks mate. I'll post new ones later if you don't mind.

[Drakken]

Here's one I'm curious to get some comments on:

http://soundcloud.com/drakken/howmonica

Main background theme I made for a fun little Flash puzzle platformer. It was my first attempt at writing something with a more oldschool, very video gamey sound (though not a chiptune).

PAN.   Might also consider adding vibrato to the synth leads that fades in after a second or two of holding the pitch out.  Yeah... definitely pan things... EQ and such seem fine, just pan stuff and do more to make the sustain notes not sound so dull.  If you have the ability you might consider randomizing the panning or manually shifting the panning on the "chime" sound... whatever it actually is. 

Thanks for the critique! Can you be more specific on what you would change with the panning? I always take the time to think about how I want to pan my stuff, and the synth lead and harmony are panned (though not extreme) to different sides. I did use the vibrato once at 1:17 for effect. Could potentially use it some more I suppose.

Not entirely sure what sound you're talking about at the end, but if you're talking about the arp, that does stay relatively static - maybe panning that would make things more interesting.

[ZackParrish]

Listening again...

The panning just sounds pretty minimal even in regards to the two leads.  You have the bass synth in the center, the drums in the center, the leads barely off the center, the staccato synth in the center, etc. 

The counterpoint melodies you have coming in at times, those could definitely be panned pretty far off center(not 100% but like... 60-75% with a lower volume). 

Which side you go is entirely up to your preference really... With orchestral instrumentation I always pan things according to their position in a real setup... synth I just "feel" it.  If I feel like I'd rather hear this over there, and that over here, etc.  I always try to match the timbres from side to side as well, if I have an instrument pretty thick in the mid range, and a second instrument with similar or the same timbre, I will pan those things apart to opposing sides, usually at least 50% either direction.  If two parts are CLOSE to the same timbre but still significantly different in most regards, I'll be a little less drastic on the spacing between them, assuming there are no other parts that conflict with it.  It's like a puzzle... you just have to figure out what spots are the best locations to place specific sounds.  Pan automation can come in really handy too, but you have to be careful when using it because it can be jarring to the listener if you take a part that is really prominent and shift it in the middle of a phrase(unless of course you are doing this on purpose for effect, like shifting panning randomly or alternating from left to right every bar).

Sounds like you have your delay set to pan automatically from side to side as well, which is nice... and if it's Kontakt's delay then it will compensate automatically if you pan each part(at least it's supposed to).

My only beef with it is you can't force it to go right first, it always pans left first...

The bass synth part is tricky to move from center because typically you want the bass in the center, but if you use stereo doubling/modelling on that part, it'll broaden the sound and bring it out more.  The Drums can be handled the same way, but I usually pan that stuff individually, like...snare slightly to the left, if I'm using two kicks one left/one right SLIGHTY(like 5-10%), hihat to the left, ride to the right, toms start from slightly left to full right(floor tom), etc.

But it's really all a matter of preference.  I like the openness of evenly spread panning, but there is a point where I find it's too much or too little... I have to have it in a specific range to make myself happy. :p

[tworeddiamonds]

Give it to me straight, doc.   

For a game I'm currently working on:

It's a speedy, post-apocalyptic roguelike.  Think madmax, fftactics, diablo.

https://soundcloud.com/tworeddiamonds/running-on-empty

<3

reddiamonds

[ZackParrish]

Need to expand more on the panning, especially the sustained parts.  I think the shaker could use more dynamic variation via velocity changes.  Actually, the castanets you use later could do with the same on the velocity.  The rest of the percussion is varied enough in the timbre of each hit that the velocity being pretty much 100 straight through isn't really an issue.

The chord change at 1:24(that you hear a few more times throughout the track) I'm not a fan of the bass' chosen pitch.  The sustain parts are rather dull in comparison with the percussion.  Whole note... whole note.... another whole note... add some transition notes in between, like the 3rd beat of the measure, and instead of just repeating the same thing twice, make the second pass change up somehow.  You have it in phrases of 4 bars(really just 2 bars repeated), and I think when you get to that 4th bar, instead of playing the same thing you played in the 2nd bar, you can keep the same chord but just move the "melody" a different direction than it previously had.

Now, in respect to the constantly repeating two chords... Why not try expanding out more from that?  With a percussive backing like what you have, you could really go all kinds of directions from where you are to really enhance the mood you are after. 

[tworeddiamonds]

Zack-

Thanks a lot for the in depth critique.  I'll take a look at the chord progressions and see if I can't spice them up, and rearrange the voicing on the changes.   Funny thing about the shakers - they're live.    I'll pull back some of the processing and EQ so they can hopefully sound a little more live than they do at present.   I'll also take a look at the castanets, maybe mix up its line with some other hand percussion, or just do some wider ranges in the velocities.

At any rate, much food for thought.  Thanks again for taking the time.

<3

Red Diamonds

[bonixmusic]

Song I did a little while back. I'm not 100% satisfied with the mix, but I think it's partially due to the sample library. It's sonically lacking compared to newer samples on the marke, but anywhoo. It builds over time...critique on the mix, orchestration, and arranging welcomed for those who have an ear for it. Thanks!

https://soundcloud.com/petergunder/1-adventures-at-castle

Peter

[MattZ2007]

Here is my latest SNES endeavor.  I'm going for a very Metroid kind of feel with some DK mixed in. 

https://soundcloud.com/matt-pirtle/monolith

[bonixmusic]

Here is my latest SNES endeavor.  I'm going for a very Metroid kind of feel with some DK mixed in. 

https://soundcloud.com/matt-pirtle/monolith

I thought it sounded pretty good over all. I liked the vibe of it. My only observation is the melody / upper registered was not coming out strong enough or the bass was to hot in the mix for my personal taste, but still a cool song!