Music Remastered

Huh. Well that was different. Not in a bad way I suppose, but I still prefer the horns.

 

Thanks for your comment Aquaslash. Would you care to elaborate a little more please? Specifically, what about the sound of the lead is bad? According to the guidelines:

As far as I can see, I've done that. The instrument used is a trumpet, played in a particular way, which is the style of the music (kind've a mexican thing). I backed it up with guitar to make fill it out, that might be what you're hearing, but it's barely audible really. All I know is the trumpet is definitely the intended instrument. I'm not entirely happy with it myself, but I'm having difficulty in deciding how to fix it, hence why I uploaded it. In terms of timing, please be more specific. I think the bass or lead might be out in one bit, but other than that, I don't hear it, I followed the original file EXACTLY, practically traced it, so if you could more closely indicate what you're referring to, I might be able to fix it. With the information I have, I can't. In addition, you mentioned the shakers, what specifically about the shakers do you dislike? Admittedly, they're one sample, that remains consistent throughout, so perhaps it's annoying to hear the same sound repeated? I didn't think it was that noticable. Maybe they're too loud? To be perfectly honest, I DO appreciate any comments given, and thank you for your's, but I didn't find it that helpful in a constructive sense.

Thanks for your comment! I noticed the saxophone myself too, but wasn't quite sure. Is it the volume or the actual sound that's rough? As for ARZ, I'm finding it hard to see what people are saying exactly. Obviously, not on this forum, but I showed the track around before posting and most people really like it, so I'm not sure. Should I deviate more from the original track/instruments? Tone them down? Just any information would be of help, since we're all here to make the final project as good as it can be.

 

The sax on HTZ is just way too obnoxious for me... and when it multiplies and starts playing over itself half way through it's pretty ugly . But, besides that, it actually sounds very good (the drums are virtually perfect) - it just desperately needs some variety in the instrumentation. Regarding ARZ, I think the main problem is that it has some mixing issues that need to be sorted out pronto. The biggest problem is that almost everything is panned center, which is making it sound very incoherent and lack focus... when everything is piled in the center it's very difficult to pick apart the instruments (and thus is difficult to critique). Regarding those shakers... I think they would actually fit pretty well if you panned them to one side and pushed them into the background a bit - so maybe add a little more reverb and roll off some of the high frequencies. If you could tidy up the mix a little and repost it, it would help us critique it considerably .

Hmm... the choir sounds fairly good, but it doesn't really fit the style of your mix. It might work better in a slower, ambient mix (I've always thought HPZ sounds way better at a slower tempo anyhow.)

The de-muffled drum on your revised version sounds much better now, though now it's a little too loud... aside from that, I noticed that the instrument playing bass is kind of lacking definition... it sounds like it could have too much reverb on it, and/or it sounds like it has too much mid range that needs to be controlled with some EQ. Basically, it just needs some more character.

 

Ah, okay, I see what you're saying. I think it's a little harsh, but I can't hear the track how other people do since I've been working on it for so long. I don't really like the idea of copying and pasting music, I prefer to do things by ear, so I'll pass on the SMPS2XM for now, but I'll certainly consider it for reference in the future. I rather like how the track sounds to be honest, and as I said when I started, if something isn't good enough for Sonic2HD, I still enjoying working on it for my own sake, so for now I think I'll dedicate my time to another track, rather than over-work this one, which will probably never sound "right". I think a lot of what you're saying comes down to personal music taste and method. I prefer to create a reproduction of the track using the original intended instruments, and this is what I came up with, but indeed, despite the fact that the vsts I'm using are used in movie soundtracks, the brass instruments are severely lacking and I can't defend the lead any more than that. I could try eq-ing it to bits but it'll still sound weak. Amateur they are not, but in this particular execution, they probably do sound it.

Thanks scuba, sometimes your insight into the music is scarily accurate. XD I'm torn on whether or not to continue ARZ anymore, but I have to say, I didn't notice the panning issue until you said it. I was trying to follow the original track as much as possible, but it only just dawned on me that I recorded a .wav from youtube for use and I can't vote for it's quality. Might have something to do with it. I've tried lowering the shakers and panning the instruments and I think you're right, it does seem to make it a little clearer and more ambient. But there's little I want to change about the instruments themselves, like using a synth for the lead, just a personal thing, so it's probably not worth reposting.

In HTZ I was sure the saxophone was waaaaay too much, but I needed to post it to be sure. I do like how it sounds throughout the track myself, but the beginning is certainly not a good sound. I could try changing it to a softer sax, or maybe compress it a bit, I'll play around and see what works. Variety again, comes down to my take on the original instruments used, which I'm pretty sure is a sax, but I could be wrong. I've worked with midi for about 4-5 years, but not with megadrive format tracking. I added a guitar to it just to make it a little varied, but overall there's not much I can see changing about the instruments without deviating greatly from the original. But I'm glad you think it sounds good. I'll try to work on it a bit and if I think I've got it to a good point, I'll repost for your review.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

Feel free to.

 

Hey Fellas! I JUST started work on a new sonic track, and I think you guys should check out the 2 hr. demo I made of it, and tell me if I'm on the right track for a submission to the project!

http://ransomrath.com/planetskill/Ransom%2...%20started).mp3

Lemme know what you think!


(there's some other random ass projects that I've either barely started or lost interest on in there that I've worked on in the past if you even want to bother perusing.

(yes< I know I don't have the pitch bend fill in yet. Don't worry, It'll be there!)

 

First, I want to say that I love this rendition of Metropolis Zone. Now unfortunately, the instruments used stray too far from the original, all except for the needle scratch, and possibly the backup guitar. But again, I wanna say it's really great.

 

wait, so we can't do rock renditions?

it all has to be electronic?

 

hey !

just found the site and project...where can I grab the midi files to have a go at these?


for those of you who have facebook ya can check out my tracks here =]

http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/grafite/16604488258?ref=ts

Thanks,
shane

 

You can find some midi files for Sonic 2 all over vgmusic.com, in the Genesis section.
Keep in mind that most of them are fan-made and inaccurate to various extents.

 

I don't think so. In this case it's just that some parts play way too different, and we're making enhancements instead of remixes.

It sounds great overall, though. Do you think you could possibly alter those parts that don't follow the original song? The missing part at the very end is very important to this song, for example.

 

While ICEknight's concerns are valid, I love the direction that you're taking this ransomrath. As you noted, it's a very early WIP mix, so an in-depth critique will be difficult until you've got all the missing areas filled in.

 

Also keep in mind that there are VGM to MIDI converters out there; while they all have timing issues (rhythm is off) they can at least give you a decent note-for-note. Some Sonic phone games also have midi soundtracks, which may have been dumped.

 

Holy fuck, this is amazing! You have the exact tone I expected to get from this level, and so far nobody else has come anywhere near how close to how Metropolis should sound in this project than you have. Yes, yes, and more yes—please finish this!

Seriously, this is fantastic! Please finish this.

 

Or, port from S2, smps2xm and continue from there. But then again, I suck cocks.

I second this.

 

Dear god that is beyond epic ;.;

 

I posted a few smps2xm conversions earlier in this thread. If they're appreciated I will make more. Though, because of a bug in Mod Plug Tracker's XM to MIDI converter, the resulting midi files are broken. No, don't tell me that they sound fine, I know that much. They are internally broken.

This is the best thing that you could do to that track.

 

While I cannot provide a proper detailed analysis on what to improve, it certainly deserves the inclusion for reaching S2HD Standards.
Do continue to improve on it, and the following Sonic The Hedgehog 2 HD releases will feature your name, and music.