sweet
I love the way it stops occasionally. And the instrumentation is really exciting. Lots of tension too with all the subtle crescendos and all. Good, strong main melodies. The choir thing makes it sound like it would be awesome for an adventure/dungeoncrawler game. Or maybe that idea is just a result of me playing too much skyrim lately. Not too much to criticize really. The horns sound a bit synthy maybe?
Oh hey thanks for the review man :3.
"I love the way it stops occasionally."
That stop is the one thing that inspired me to make this song. I was casually playing Legend's melody on the piano and experimented with it. Eventually I tried doing the "stopping" effect on Legend's melody and I thought it sounded cool so I made something similar to that melody, put the stopping effect on it, and hence Saga was born.
"And the instrumentation is really exciting. Lots of tension too with all the subtle crescendos and all."
Yay, thanks!
"Good, strong main melodies."
Hm, melodies sound kinda ugly to me... (yes I realise I just called a melody ugly)
Well I dunno.
"The choir thing makes it sound like it would be awesome for an adventure/dungeoncrawler game."
The choir's Magnus Choir. You can't go wrong with it!
"Or maybe that idea is just a result of me playing too much skyrim lately."
Aren't we all! Well except me... I don't have the game.
Sadfaic.
"Not too much to criticize really. The horns sound a bit synthy maybe?"
Could be. They're from East/West like all the other orchestral instruments but you're not the first to dislike their sound. Some people like it, some people don't. Like Marmite...
Thanks a lot for the review, I owe you one! And submit something new gosh darn it :D.
whoops
I wrote a whole response to your last PM, but according to my sentbox I never sent it. The only really important thing is that your tune is clipping. I'm giving you a 10 because I trust that you will fix that and upload a non-clipping version. If you don't, I'll take one star hostage in any reviews you're getting from me in the future
Anyway. I don't really have a whole lot more to add anymore. Good song. Song is good.
Ouch, it is? Oops.
I'll see what I can do when I'm done from some NGADM stuff. Thanks for the 10, and fear not, SBB's future review scores, I will not let you guys be taken hostage :3.
Thanks for all your help, man.
gonna criticize it even if you're not asking
you're onto something. A lot of awesome energy in the new parts. This warrants an 8/10 which is rather high for a WIP if I must say so myself. And yeah the stabbing horns do sound very 70s. A bit more polish and the 1:22-1:43 could totally be the a jingle for a news broadcast program. Send it to, err, Northwest Malta Broadcasting?? and see what they think seriously
Anyway, new criticismz for you! yay
Did you really fix the shaker reverb thing, I still think it sounds off
The descending guitar run you added is good but it's not really possible to play that since you have a relatively low guitar melody simultaneously. Which would require expandable fingers. To make it sound better, from 1:07 you could scratch the low melody and make some kind of melody that quickly rises in pitch so there's not a huge jump in pitch at 1:12. If you get what I mean.
I like how you shuffled up the piano notes, sounds a lot more human with that as well as all those fills. The piano could be quite a bit more prominent in the mix now though (at least I struggled hearing all of it properly), since it's taken more of a virtuoso/solo kind of role.
Wow thanks man. I didn't think you'd write a review anyway. I owe you one :3.
"you're onto something. A lot of awesome energy in the new parts. This warrants an 8/10 which is rather high for a WIP if I must say so myself."
Cool, thanks! I'm actually starting to think this is becoming one of my best recent submissions. And it's not generic orchestral like Legend, either. So I'm pretty proud of it.
"And yeah the stabbing horns do sound very 70s."
Aw come on but don't tell me this song makes you think of guys with afros walking in slow motion, right? D:
"A bit more polish and the 1:22-1:43 could totally be the a jingle for a news broadcast program. Send it to, err, Northwest Malta Broadcasting?? and see what they think seriously"
I dunno if I can beat this one though, man... (go to 0:16)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u2oOu E0tEk
"Anyway, new criticismz for you! yay"
Yay!
"Did you really fix the shaker reverb thing, I still think it sounds off"
Not really. I added some more reverb but it's not so noticeable - I'm still experimenting with the reverb until I get it right.
"The descending guitar run you added is good but it's not really possible to play that since you have a relatively low guitar melody simultaneously. Which would require expandable fingers. To make it sound better, from 1:07 you could scratch the low melody and make some kind of melody that quickly rises in pitch so there's not a huge jump in pitch at 1:12. If you get what I mean."
Alright, you're the guitarist so roger that! I see exactly what you man about the melody that rises in pitch - I'll work on that. Actually I was thinking of adding a string buildup till the guitar run thing, to make it a little more intense.
"I like how you shuffled up the piano notes, sounds a lot more human with that as well as all those fills."
That's just me trying to fix the 'stale rhythm' you mentioned.
"The piano could be quite a bit more prominent in the mix now though (at least I struggled hearing all of it properly), since it's taken more of a virtuoso/solo kind of role."
OK, good idea!
So anyway, I can't thank you enough for the review. Really appreciate it!
I have to write a title here to post the review :(
I like the intro, it's got a pretty nice sound except the reverb sound kinda grainy and well just not real. Which is a problem I run into on every song I ever make. Dunno how to fix it except playing it in a cathedral and recording that. :/
Nice groove, the "drum machine" kind of feel is a bit dominant though so maybe to make it sound more lively and intricate you could use some dotted 8th note delay stuff on a few of the percussion elements (do you have a delay plugin which lets you filter the delay? It sounds so much nicer and more natural/analog when you let the dry signal through and put a bandpass filter on the delay signal. Also since this 'thins' out the delay, you can have lots of delay effects without getting a muddy mix!). Not sure if I like the reverb on the percussion, makes it sound a bit loose. A nice, low, tight, dry kick drum would be nice at least.
Sounds like there's some reverb or chorus on the bass guitar too? Same as with the percussion, it sounds fluffy and it's got a really wide stereo field but my conventional mind prefers bass frequencies to be dry and mono. Losing the reverb/chorus would also make the pitch clearer I think (i.e you'll be able to hear notes clearly, not just the 'bassiness' of the instrument) This is more of a playful tune so I'll forgive it for now.
I don't know how I've inspire this but the piano and guitar certainly sound like they're taken out of my 2007-2008 songs. I like the sounds a lot, and I expect you to give them some nice solos and stuff later on in the song. Maybe you could make the guitar sound beefier (like take the chorus/verb from the bass and give it to the guitar if you know what I mean). Strings work nice as backing for the piano.
Flute is subtle enough for me to forgive you for it... and at least it's a real flute
I'm not sure if I get what the theme for this song is. The percussion makes it sound like a safari/jungle thing, but considering the title I guess it's about travel or something?
So yeah lots of potential and I expect awesome melodies and experiments to come out of this starting point. I can't really give a proper score so you'll get a generic 7 because you know, it's nice but there's nothing amazing in there yet (well okay the way the strings and the piano work together to make the melody sound epic, IS kinda impressive though). So work hard on it and make it a 10 will ya
man this WiP really stimulated my brain's idea-center
Wow that was quick. Thanks a lot as usual, man.
"I like the intro, it's got a pretty nice sound except the reverb sound kinda grainy and well just not real. Which is a problem I run into on every song I ever make. Dunno how to fix it except playing it in a cathedral and recording that. :/"
I just use Fruity Reeverb for everything. Not the most convincing of methods but I don't really like East/West's CPU-hogging reverb presets :(.
"Nice groove, the "drum machine" kind of feel is a bit dominant though so maybe to make it sound more lively and intricate you could use some dotted 8th note delay stuff on a few of the percussion elements (do you have a delay plugin which lets you filter the delay? It sounds so much nicer and more natural/analog when you let the dry signal through and put a bandpass filter on the delay signal. Also since this 'thins' out the delay, you can have lots of delay effects without getting a muddy mix!). Not sure if I like the reverb on the percussion, makes it sound a bit loose. A nice, low, tight, dry kick drum would be nice at least."
I went kinda overboard with the reverb this time round. I don't have any delay plugin which lets me filter the delay, though. I just use Fruity Delay...
I'll see if I can fix that reverb. The reverb on the drum kit will have to go, but I kinda like the reverb on the congas.
"Sounds like there's some reverb or chorus on the bass guitar too? Same as with the percussion, it sounds fluffy and it's got a really wide stereo field but my conventional mind prefers bass frequencies to be dry and mono. Losing the reverb/chorus would also make the pitch clearer I think (i.e you'll be able to hear notes clearly, not just the 'bassiness' of the instrument) This is more of a playful tune so I'll forgive it for now."
You're so right about everything that I think you sneaked a peak at my project file. Yes there is reverb on the bass, haha.
I'll see if I can make the bass sound better. I get what you mean about trying to get the bass's notes to be clearer, although I think I kinda masked the bass with reverb and lowering some of its frequencies because it is, after all, a soundfont, and it doesn't sound very good, I'm afraid :P.
"I don't know how I've inspire this but the piano and guitar certainly sound like they're taken out of my 2007-2008 songs."
Well, Glass Tree in the Sky certainly inspired me to make this, and I remember browsing through your old songs and finding some more inspiration there. I forgot which songs, though.
"I like the sounds a lot, and I expect you to give them some nice solos and stuff later on in the song. Maybe you could make the guitar sound beefier (like take the chorus/verb from the bass and give it to the guitar if you know what I mean). Strings work nice as backing for the piano."
Thanks and alright, I'll beef it up. I thought I already beefed it up enough with the amp, but I'll see what I can do!
"Flute is subtle enough for me to forgive you for it... and at least it's a real flute"
Yeeeaaaah no pan flute BS this time :D.
"I'm not sure if I get what the theme for this song is. The percussion makes it sound like a safari/jungle thing, but considering the title I guess it's about travel or something?"
I don't know either. That's why I called it weird in the Author's Comments. Although I did envision some sort of travelling when I was making this... I think.
"So yeah lots of potential and I expect awesome melodies and experiments to come out of this starting point. I can't really give a proper score so you'll get a generic 7 because you know, it's nice but there's nothing amazing in there yet (well okay the way the strings and the piano work together to make the melody sound epic, IS kinda impressive though). So work hard on it and make it a 10 will ya"
Sir yes sir! And yeah I am pretty proud of the part at 0:32 :3.
"man this WiP really stimulated my brain's idea-center"
And that's a good sign right?
Thanks a million for the helpful review. I'll be keeping it open when I continue the song. Can't wait to review back!
hi,
Following your work is really giving. You have a mindblowingly diverse and creative catalogue. Can't decide whether Brainstorm or You Float my Boat is my favorite on this one.
Hey man, thanks for dropping by & the kind words;)
Excuse the harshness
I imagine the guitar sound can be gorgeous if used right, which it really isn't... two big problems: 1. There's no round robin sampling, i.e identical samples are used for identical midi input. Which makes it immediately obvious that it's sampled. 2. The melody is brutally quantized and without dynamics - if there were some irregularities in velocity and timing, you could mask the first issue. I don't know if you play it on a keyboard or what you do, but if you either don't quantize (if you play), or add some artificial imperfections (if you don't) and it'll sound nicer.
Tbh the melodies aren't that thrilling either. The melody is something that could sound right on a keyboard sound, but it doesn't sound at all like it was played on an actual guitar. I was also hoping for some faster 16th or 24th/triplet runs here and there. Or at least some deeper bass notes from the guitar. (or at least some bass instrument thing, there's no bottom end in this tune, making it sound rather tinny. Fretless or acoustic bass would probably sound awesome here). Bent notes, hammer on/pull of licks, extra articulations, strumming, harmonics, etc. could also be used to spice it up. I'm not sure if whatever software you're using has all of the extra articulation features, but it should. There are a lot of things that can be added/improved/expanded upon in a fully acoustic tune like this.
But I like the groundwork if you know what I mean, it's got a nice mood but that's not really enough for a 4:21 tune to be all that interesting.
You're pretty right about the round robin sampling thing, I agree with you 100 percent about that, but I had just got the new Kontakt sample pack and instead of trying it out I got a bit carried away.
The quantization was actually and accident, I noticed the quantization late - so I couldn't undo and there was no way I could remove it for some reason, no matter how I change the velocities, but mea culpa on the timing thing, I'll see if I can sort that out. So I'll be sure to try and recreate.
Although I'm just speechlees about what you told me about the guitar. I'm the least bit experienced with the guitar, I'm just a kid with a new VST :/ So I'm sorry I can't understand you well.
The entire review is honest and detailed and I appreciate that a lot, I thanks for your time, my next guitar tune will use the tips and stuff you pointed out.
Thanks again :)
best
The guitar in the intro sounds damn low, almost like a baritone guitar. Even though you did it intentionally, the drums are a bit much on the insane side I think. That's not really a minus. Might be for some listeners.
Great sounds! Love how the guitar is just aaaalmost squealing in the verse. Bass is pretty solid too even if it doesn't really stand out.
The 4 minutes felt like they went real fast, by the way. I think that might be because after 0:50 there's little variation of texture if you know what I mean. I can drop the playhead anywhere after that and it'll sound pretty samey with the trashy guitar tone and the rough metal drums. Which is why I think there should be a little break (I don't care how long as long as it's there) with well you know cleaner guitars or something. Just for contrast and variation. Then you can have my 10. ;)
Funny story actually, originally, I hadn't planned on having any mellow parts in the song whatsoever. The intro was literally last minute, I was like, "You know what... I think I want a mellow intro" and just sort of threw it on after planning out the rest of the song.
As for the guitar sounding low, couldn't say what exactly that could be, I'm tuned to Drop C, that and I'm playing the acoustic part with a different acoustic tone than I usually use... That or maybe the fact that the bass is there is giving the illusion that the guitar is lower?
And yeah, it is more or less the same feel most of the way through. Mostly because I always seem to try way too hard to make something different all the way through, so this time I just focused on the riffs I came up with and went ran with it. Oddly enough, it may not be my most varied song, but it sure as hell is one of my most polished.
Dunno what it is, but I'm using the exact same guitar tone I've been using for the past year and a half or so, but it sounds so much better in this song than it does in a lot of my previous ones. And that's with ridiculously old strings.
Drums... well... Yeah, that's a habit of mine... I like them to sound interesting. And I'm an avid Prog metal fan, so I guess I have a way of spicing up the drums more than I should sometimes.
Anywho, thanks for the review!
crazy in the head
I thoroughly enjoyed the song. The big furry stereo riff leading into the main part was sweet as shit. There weren't any other such production-wise mindblowing moments unfortunately but your playing is wonderful all the way through the tune
Hey thanks for the quick review! ya I love the intro, but this song does'nt require a whole lot of mindblowing production moments imo. I'm glad you dug it thanks for listening!
this is great
I love it. Where are the samples from?
it's
I'd say it's far more jazzy than classical. If only due to the quality of the chords and instrumentation. I love it. Kinda like a pat metheny epic, especially towards the end. The guitar thing sounds quite wack though. I'd use a softer sound if I were you. Anyway keep going and finish the 10 minute song!
Thank you so much for the kind words, and I couldn't be more flattered to be compared to the Pat, he's my main source of inspiration!
As for the guitar, I'm trying to find the appropriate transition between the first and second passages, and that's why it's a bit wierd in the middle...
Also, it's the best sound that combines clear harmony and the least high frequencies I could find, though maybe I should look into electric guitars...
I'll definitely keep on working, it seems I'm going in the good direction!
Cheers,
Samuel Hébert
welcome to bluegrounds :))
Age 29, Male
:)
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Joined on 5/18/06
Saga (WiP) 
