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13 Audio Reviews

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Nice energy, some mixing issues

I really like the energy in this- very evocative with some nice colors from the orchestra. On a mixing note, I'm hearing alot of distortion, especially whenever there's a bass drum hit- it sounds like you need to bring the levels in your mix way down so that there's room for the transients to do their thing without them clipping or getting over-compressed. I'd much rather turn up the volume to hear crisp, clear epicness than not have to turn up the volume but get something distorted and more flattened out. Would love to hear this with a distortion-free mix!

OrphenFire responds:

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I didn't really take time to master this, or even really musically conclude it. It was just a demo for the guys making the game to see what they thought of the specific theme I came up with. Thanks for the review, and don't forget to review the real version when it's uploaded (:

Nice performance

I think the strongest part of this piece is your playing- you slowed down at just the right moments and sped up/got louder at the right moments as well. You must have a good ear for phrasing. I also like how you develop the theme but still keep bringing it back in its original form, all the way to the end- it makes the piece feel very complete and well rounded. On a mixing note, you're getting some distortion- if you're not using a limiter now, I'd recommend it.
And I like the profile picture, hehe :)

Sheodon responds:

Thank you. Your comment is really, really appreciated, gave me self-confidence. I'm also really glad you enjoyed both the music and my playing. Even if I'm not the fastest player, I try to compesing it with emotion. I compose and play music with heart.
I like your picture too. :)

Nice mix!

Very nice, I like the tone you set right from the beginning, it really pulls you in, but I also feel like it's a tease since it's only a minute- I think it'd be awesome if it was longer and really built on the ideas that you started. But for an opening scene or a trailer it would fit well since something it wouldn't need to be super long and would be the part of the game that just teases you anyway before you really get into the story itself.

Great!

You really got the feel right, especially with the very ST harmonies. It could us a little more oomph in the middle when the theme plays, but I think you did the best you could with the instruments you had. Maybe if you made some of the notes shorter it would make the attacks sound more biting, if that's what you're after. Great to see someone else posting ST stuff here!

SilentTakedown responds:

Yeah, I've had a lot of problems mixing this because there are many many instruments playing. Nonetheless I learned something again from writing this. Thanks for reviewing!

Sweet and simple

I like the tempo change at 1:10ish, I know in a cue that's very short its so easy to just lock into a tempo or rhythm and stay there until the cue ends. So bravo for not getting lazy for a cue for which so many composers would! The violin sample you use in the second half sticks out a little in the mix, I know there's not alot to do when it's the sample that's the problem, but perhaps you could try lowering it in the mix, or having the violin precede the notes in the melody with a grace note from a lower octave just so there's some middle to the sound to help make the high end stick out less (youtube Hilary Hahn sibelius violin concerto part 1 and listen to 5:22 or 3:04 for an example of what I'm talking about, it's a little hard to describe).
At any rate, congrats for getting into Berklee! Its a great school for film scoring, though it's too bad there is no film school there for composers to hook up with filmmakers. Every time I visit I love to hear the music floating around in the halls, I bet you're soaking it up there!

Nice start, sets the mood!

Very Elfman! I like how you let the music slowly build and develop instead of slapping it in our faces from the start, the pacing really helps set the mood! Just when it was starting to get going though, it stopped- I'd love to hear it expand into something much bigger, it doesn't have to be loud and epic but something longer would be really cool. This much just sounds like the intro, the "once upon a time" to a longer story... it could really be 6, 7, 8 minutes or maybe more if you let it keep developing and pulling us into this world you set up for us. But a great start!

On a technical note, you use great sounds, I think the violin melody would sound great if it was more flowing and connected (especially at 1:09), I know some sample libraries sound really choppy when they play violin melodies, one way to overcome this is in Logic try to fiddle (no pun intended) with the note lengths so that they overlap just a bit, long enough so that one note sort of 'melts' into the next instead of sounding 'stop-go-stop-go'.. also adjusting the attack so that notes don't stick out.. with strings especially it's rally hard to make it sound convincing and not 'synth-y', the key I think is to pay close attention to the phrasing.. which notes are smooth, which are disconnected, to simulate the bow going down and breaking slightly as it changes direction to go back up, and down again.

Overall very nice, hopefully the feedback is of use!

Rampant responds:

Gaaaaaah wall of text! Hehehe.

I would love to do a longer version of this -- but I was entering it into one of the NAC's and I was running out of time lol But I never have the time to go back and extend it... if I have some free time over the summer, I'll probably make a longer version.

As for the technical stuff, some of it is supposed to be a bit staccato and disjointed. Other than that, there's not really a whole lot I can do in Finale to 'fiddle' the note lengths.

I've actually started reading a book on orchestration so that I can get better at good part writing for strings, brass, and woodwinds.

Thanks a lot for the feedback :)
- James

Good sounds, great mixing!

I love the sounds and mixing in this track, every part is crisp and clear and nothing gets muddy or lost in the mix. I also really like how the music fades out not with a typical 'fade everything' but by dropping the pulse slowly until the piano sounds naked and alone, a really nice effect. It would be cool to hear a 'B' theme come in, since the same chords over and over could get old.. but in a track just 3 minutes long I think it's ok, and you push the intensity up and let it drop enough that I think the harmonic simplicity doesn't become an issue, it works really well. If the track was any longer than 3 minutes, though, I'd suggest having a few other ideas in there to keep the momentum going. Great job!

Good mix!

Great mixing, you tend to use some pretty nice sounds! And I like the ethnic colors you use too, they make your music sound very down to earth, if that makes any sense. Makes for a great clip, but again I feel like you cut it short and it could have developed into something so much more!

Immersive!

I really like the color your established here, I can totally hear this playing in the background of a fantasy world in a game. To me it seems kind of cut short, I'd love to hear a longer version where you develop the ideas you have here. But great sounds and textures, to me it does what I think you wanted it to do very well!

Good layering

You gave each layer of the orchestra its own distinct role which helped make it sound more full, not the sort of 'blocky' writing some are tempted to do when using orchestra sounds but working off a keyboard. I really like the undulating/churning strings around :22ish. The trumpet sounds are pretty piercing, and they're really loud in the mix which doesn't help, perhaps use more reverb on the brass, or try using an equalizer to get rid of that tinny sort of mid-range sound? Overall pretty effective to my ear though, good job!

MaestroRage responds:

I need to get a better set of speakers. For me, the trumpets are just perfect, though I came to understand later, that on some headphones, especially those which were treble oriented, that the trumpet sounded like a tin whistle in somebodies ear at max... ouch, the image alone hurts.

I will try this out, perhaps the mid range could use some tweaking. Thank you for the review, i'm glad you liked it!

I write music for video games and film and hope to one day do so for a living.

Age 37, Male

Composer/Libraria n

Tarzana, CA

Joined on 4/23/08

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