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11/5/2013 4:10:00 PM

Hello All,

This thread will be used to provide feedback for each other's work. As we are all on the same time, I'm going to set some ground rules.

1. When giving feedback, be completely honest, but don't be rude. We're all on the same team, and if something needs to be addressed there is a way to do so without belittling the composer.

- Everyone seems to be doing a great job with this, keep it up.

2. Label your post as follows:

Title: (Composer's Name) - (Song title)

Body: 1. point one

a) feedback

2. point two

a) feedback

etc.

Example: Brandon Leon Channel - Walking

1. Around 58 seconds the "gong" sound seems incredibly unrealistic. I suggest adding reverb to counterbalance the current sound with a more realistic sound.

2. The piano around 30 seconds sounds awesome. What plugin did you use.

etc.

3. When replying to the post, please respond an an equally organized manner, labeling your response to point one as #1, and so on. Because of how the website is set up, it's easy to reply to specific posts, and it's easy to create a new chain of posts. If you need help, ask.

4. Remember everyone is from different walks of life. Golden Rule, treat everyone the way you would want to be treated, Platinum Rule, treat others the way they want to be treated.

Be respectful. Help each other. Have a good time.

Leon

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Just most recent draft of my work:

https://soundcloud.com/alexjonescmt/the-war-is-mine-draft2

Obviously a lot of things aren't finished yet, I'd say this is about 65%, but of course any feedback is welcome although I'm just putting it up as evidence I'm working :P

By : 11/7/2013 3:41:00 PM

Hey, Alex,

I'm going to reserve judgment because it is in its infancy, but it needs a lot of processing. It's not melodically strong (and that's not a bad thing!), so it needs to be balanced by flashy production and rhythm.

Also, there are sections, like 0:40 to 1:15 that get sappy. There needs to be more going on there, because it sounds melodramatic; if they player won, or is about to get into the game, they'll want to feel awesome, and have music that evokes triumph (unless it's BioWare; where it's all about sap and emotion- again, not a bad thing).

Your syncopated rhythms in the lower strings are fantastic; I would build upon that motif, and maybe save the expansive brass for later after a buildup (it gets a tad repetitive, and that explains why you use the mellow sections to balance your work).

Again, because the piece has no real melody (unless you count the ascending brass line), you have to rely on rhythm and production, which is why breaking the rhythm for the emotional mid-sections is dangerous. Keep it up; I look forward to hear what the final version sounds like.

By : 11/8/2013 8:06:00 AM

Alex Jones - The War is Mine

1. During the Meeting, this was the one that we decided would be a great Credits/Ending Theme. It is perfect for that. There is a nice variety in texture changes to keep the ears happy and it holds a "yeah I did it, I completed the game" feeling throughout.

2. As a credits theme, I don't imagine it would be played during any actual gameplay, which gives you a lot of freedom to move around with the emotional content. I really enjoy the changes from the rhythmic to the calm string/piano sections. It might be worth experimenting with a counter-melody with another string instrument on those sections (40) to see if it adds anything neat.

By : 11/8/2013 11:40:00 AM

Nathan Bruce - Build That Deck

1. It's awesome. I can totally imagine myself sorting through cards while listening to this. It's very motivating and makes me anticipate what comes next.

2. I know it's still in the works, but at :50 the melody drops out very suddenly. I can't tell if this is for an effect that will sound better with the final instruments or intentional. Seems like the notes should resolve into something.

Great work, can't wait to hear the final version.

Brandon Leon Channel - Act of Desperation 2nd Draft

1. Oh man that's cool! Gave me chills listening to those swells in the horns.

2. I love the chimes around 1:42.

3. The variety is perfect. Just enough of everything, never too much. It's very obvious how hard you worked on this. I have no complaints.

BTW all, I am uploading part of my Brazilian Theme right now and would love some feedback. This first version is only the introduction to the piece, and I recorded each part individually live (except for the looping) with no quantization on my Workstation, so I'm aware that the rhythms don't line up perfectly. I'll do that in the final stages. This is just to give an idea of where I'm at.

Some things I'd like to fix/add/change- I want to do something different with the drum before the flute comes in the first time, the entrance is a little awkward. I want to have a smooth transition from the flute solo to the marimba entrance.

I'm excited about the next section, it's going to be a Capoeira inspired breakdown.

Let me know if you have any neat ideas, thanks!

By : 11/8/2013 11:49:00 AM

Hey Leo,

Would anything you say be different if you knew it was for the end credits?

By : 11/8/2013 1:39:00 PM

Salutations, Ms. Jones:

Absolutely not; indeed, I was aware it was for the end credits. In my opinion it needs more; but it is just an opinion, and can be easily discarded.

Also, everyone, feel free to rip my music apart.

I'm from NYC, so I can take it.

By : 11/8/2013 6:07:00 PM

Hey Leo,

That's fine I shall probably keep my sappy melodramatics but perhaps not break the rhythm as such. As much as it's a victorious thing to finish a game, I kind of figured it should reflect the general struggle etc as well as the victory.

And yes in my creative process melody is usually on the latter end! (Hence the lack of it so far)

Although I doubt anyone will sit through the credits anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter!, I very rarely do ;)

Thanks for your feedback,

Alex

By : 11/8/2013 6:59:00 PM

Alex, you're a good sport (and composer).

Austin is next. ;)

By : 11/8/2013 9:56:00 PM

@Alex you'd be surprised how many people sit there and smile as the credits role. Well me and my friends do anyways haha.

@Leo your compositions are all superb, I can't wait to hear from you on some advice! Speaking of which I've been meaning to ask, if you get the time could you share a little about your writing process? It sounds like you have a nice and organized manner to go about each piece. I feel like I could use some tips on effeciency with my time writing. I'll usually record like 23 different parts of the song ideas at random after writing down a general flow chart, and then try to piece it together with whatever fits in. Thanks!

By : 11/9/2013 2:10:00 AM

Austin,

I just listened to the Brazilian theme. I think it's very good but I think it ended too early! Were you planning to add some more?

By : 11/9/2013 11:50:00 AM

Yes, I have at least 3 to 4 more minutes of music to put together for it. Thanks for the listen!

By : 11/9/2013 12:14:00 PM

Hey everybody,

I uploaded what I have so far of my deck theme to the server. If you check it out and it blows your mind or if it annoys you beyond belief, let me know.

By : 11/14/2013 4:25:00 PM

Hey, Austin!

Haven't forgot about you. I did take a listen, but that was a while back. I'm going to listen again. Sounds pretty good, so far.

Everyone else, feel free to listen to the Spanish Theme.

Word hard.

By : 11/18/2013 8:48:00 AM

I have begun uploading my various mixes of Nathan's "Build That Deck".

ORIGINAL: Speaks for itself.

VERSION 2: With atmosphere and cymbals.

VERSION 3: Version 2, with a bass drum addition.

Version 2 is probably my favorite.

If any of you guys would like me to take a crack a mixing your work, let me know; I can use the practice.

Thanks, and sleep when you're dead...

By : 11/18/2013 8:47:00 PM

Just realized there's an audio crack and glitching. Will work on it an reupload mixes.

By : 11/18/2013 10:19:00 PM

Austin Williams, well done, my friend.

The opening, in my opinion is well balanced. You might want to add what I call "noise" to fill in the partials, making a "bare" sound seem "fat". Generally what I do is have an ambience or synth pad sustaining at a very low volume; almost undetectable. What happens is that you get more resonances (vibrations) per pitch; but this is up to you.

The flute, vibes, and drum are all well-balanced throughout, and your melody is supremely interesting; reminds me quite a bit of the soundtrack from "Nicaragua" (or the "Candyland Approach on Horses" scene, from "Django Unchained" for those not familiar with the original application of the score).

My only (nitpicky) critiques (especially considering it's only a first draft) are that the shaker (starts at about 0:59) needs to be better mixed (add reverb, and perhaps mess with it's EQ) drum should not be a strict ostinato (vary the pattern up a bit; it's very easy to get lazy, and allow a drum pattern to be identically repeated; I know!).

That's all for now; when I hear the later version, I'll have more to say.

Work hard!

By : 11/20/2013 10:32:00 AM

Hello, All.

I am curious as to your thoughts on my mix of Nathan's piece.

Thanks.

By : 11/20/2013 10:40:00 AM

Hey, I finally got around to listening to Leo's rendition of my deck theme and Iulia's piece, and I figured I would put in my two cents since I rarely post on the Feedback forum.

On Leo's mix of my "Build That Deck"

1. I like the fade-in; it adds a different flavor that I never thought to add myself.
2. The bassoon may be a bit too drawn back, in regards to what I was going for, which was basically a constant clash between the bassoon and the violin.

3. The violin may send a bit too wet, but maybe that's just my imagination because I spent two weeks or so with it sounding more dry.

4. The harp is far too drawn back.

5. I think the high notes should sound a tad more harsh, especially in the "chorus" for lack of a better term (the part where it starts hitting higher notes). Besides that, the overall tone of it is really nice.

6. The cymbal is perfect.

7. From one mixer to another: the space you made is fantastic.

Thanks for taking a spin on it though, I'm curious to know what others think of both versions in comparison.

On Iulia's "The Battle Has Begun"

1. That build-up is beautifully terrifying. I really like it.

2. The song gives off the emotion of realizing that one is about to go into some sort of battle.
3. The way the strings and horns blend and the way the first horn notes sort of swell into the melody is great too.
I don't know what else to say on it.
4. The instruments are a bit on the fake side, but they sound alright and if this is just a draft, it's brilliant.

You guys are all coming up with really cool stuff, and it's so interesting to see a relatively large team of composers work on one cohesive soundtrack. It's really coming together though and I would love to hear what pieces come up next.

By : 11/20/2013 5:27:00 PM

Iulia, well done.

I agree with Nathan; the only issue is that the instruments sound a bit fake. If you can correct this, we have a real gem on our hands.

Nathan, I intentially made it wet and etheral because it's Deck-Building music. My opinion was that if it's too deliberate, it can become a distraction. It's funny because the aspects that you found disagreeable, the opposite was true on my side!

You: Needs to be dry

Me: Needs to be wet

You: Bassoon needs to stand out more

Me: Bassoon needs to be in the background

-Do you want me to create another version to your tastes? Or leave it be?

By : 11/20/2013 6:58:00 PM

Leo has made another version of his mix on my deck theme and I just got done listening to it. I like it a lot better than the last, and everything I liked about it is still there too.

I still like my version that I uploaded last week but I don't really favor my version over Leo's or Leo's over mine. I think I would rather leave it to others to decide which one best fits the game overall.

Great mix, thanks for taking a stab at it.

By : 11/21/2013 3:19:00 PM

Nathan and Leo - Build That Deck

1. It sounds really awesome. It sounds very atmospheric which is great for background music...funny. I think it's just my personal taste, but having a contrasting section (not vastly different because it's just deck building) would benefit in keeping the listener entertained for a bit longer.

2. I didn't hear the harp as much as I would have liked, in comparison with your original version, however, this one (v 1.01) uses more dynamics and "modern" sounds. As mentioned, the use of a more "modern" sound is very good. I do think a contrast to the rest of the soundtrack would be good too though.

Overall, great work. Technically speaking, you've done mostly everything right, so keep it up. As far as sound goes, that's all subjective so, do your thing!

Leon

By : 11/24/2013 7:07:00 PM

Mr. Rick Ross - Various Sound FX for Cards

The sounds I most feel fit with the environment of the game as far as card sounds go, are these:

Card deal 4_3
Card deal 4_4
Card Shuffle 4_2
Card Shuffle 4_3
Both Card Flip sounds
**but I hear
Card Flip 4_1
as more of a "draw card" sound

Overall, the card sounds are very realistic, I'm assuming you did them all in real life, which is sweet.

The gun SFX aren't properly encoded, or properly uploaded to the server. I downloaded them twice and they can't be played in a number of programs. Perhaps reupload those.

It will be tough to know exactly what sounds to make at this point, but using the design document could help.

Leon

By : 11/25/2013 10:18:00 AM

This may be a tad bit late to the party (things have been picking up here at home), but I figured I would post some feedback on the library of songs that Mr. Channel has brought to the table.

Act of Desperation 2nd draft:
    1) The way the song swells and dives and swells again is gorgeous.
    2) The horns and bell sound very nice too.
    3) I'm not sure how I feel about the snare, but I think I like it because it doesn't pop out too much, but just enough.
    4) The melodies are actually pretty catchy too.
    5) The toms sound great as well.

Ehrgeiz Der Nacht 2nd draft:
    1) The horns in this one sound very sweet, which I like, because they lure you in, and then the intensity catches you.
    2) Everything meshes together, I especially like the jingly sytnh that creates a nice backdrop.
    3) I like the cymbal change up a lot too.
    4) I think players will appreciate the beat changes you use. They create more of an atmosphere than they do one set beat.

Untimely Decision
    1) The piano sounds really punchy. I would think it to sound more bassy on lower register notes, but punchy is also awesome, I don't have a real problem with it. On the higher notes of the piano it definitely works with that bite to it.
    2) The melody sounds great and the horns respond well with it.
    3) Dat beat too.

Wasteland
    1) I like all of the synths.
    2) The piano fits really well and sounds super pretty.
    3) I think the overall sound of the piece as a whole is a great combination of being somewhere one doesn't want to be but knowing it has purpose. So it sounds both draining and calming.

Player Victory
    1) I think it swells a bit too loud at the end, or maybe just sounds too warm.
    2) I also think the end is a bit too abrupt.
    3) Musically I really like it. The low horn near the end comes in delayed, and I think that adds even more original flavor to the whole thing.

By : 12/5/2013 4:34:00 PM

Thank you very much, Nathan.

Leon

By : 12/5/2013 9:36:00 PM

Hey guys, I only came around the read your comments on my draft just now (these past days have been so craaazy busy for me!!). I'm happy there's good feedback, that means I can continue working on it, not just scrap it :)

I know what you're saying about the sounds, I've only used the SX24 in Logic, which is not amazing. But I should be able to get some better sounds, got some stuff on my computer that I haven't had the chance to play around with yet and apparently we've got the Vienna Symphonic Library at uni, so I'll give that a try at some point. So yeah, thanks, keep up the good work all of you and I'll also be more active starting with next week, after this manic weekend is over :D

By : 12/6/2013 10:59:00 AM

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