MSPA Fan Music 2: Now In Cut Time

[Monobrow]

Wow... That was kinda nuts. I think you should keep attempting crazy stuff and see what happens. It's good to explore in dissonance, and w/ different rhythms. It's kinda rambly at the end, but w/, you did establish a cool atmosphere.

[Kyntello]

A thing.

I wanted it to be a kind of giygas-y theme for LE... But then I decided to implement a melody and a specific intro section I had written earlier. I also decided to make it less chaotic, focusing on juxtaposing different melodic elements rather than using freaky dissonances.

In the end it's eh. I know it could definitely be better, but I'm pretty shaky at the whole songwriting process, so I think it's as good as I could make it.

This sounds like a really awesome background for something. Otherwise, maybe swap the tom out for something heavier?

That's all I can think of, sorry. It's really good.

[Quaddy]

I've been working in noteflight for basically the whole time I've been writing music, which has been nice for learning notation and stuff but means that I know nothing about mastering and picking samples, or even what program to use. Does anyone have advice for where to start? The piece I'd like to start mastering is here (It's still a work in progress, but I like it wuite a bit so far): http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vie...9b756b1e9bbe41

Thanks for any advice!

Rnd, the piece you posted is a great example of what I have no idea how to do, or even how to start. That said, it sounds awesome!

[Rnd]

Wow... That was kinda nuts. I think you should keep attempting crazy stuff and see what happens. It's good to explore in dissonance, and w/ different rhythms. It's kinda rambly at the end, but w/, you did establish a cool atmosphere.

Thanks! Yeah, it's nuts, but hey, I like doing crazy stuff sometimes. Probably too much.

Being rambly is definitely my biggest weakness. It's something I've been trying to correct, and I think I'm better than I used to be, but I still have a ways to go. So, thanks for the critique!

This sounds like a really awesome background for something. Otherwise, maybe swap the tom out for something heavier?

That's all I can think of, sorry. It's really good.

I wrote it to be kind of a boss theme-ish thing, so it's a good thing you think that! Thanks!

Yeah, the drums are a bit weak at parts, aren't they? I used timpani for the deep parts, but this song was a pain to level properly, and I think I lowered the drums too far. :/
Also, there's distortion on the drum kit, and while it made it sound lower-bit, it might have taken some of the punch too. Oh well, I can mess with that.

I've been working in noteflight for basically the whole time I've been writing music, which has been nice for learning notation and stuff but means that I know nothing about mastering and picking samples, or even what program to use. Does anyone have advice for where to start? The piece I'd like to start mastering is here (It's still a work in progress, but I like it wuite a bit so far): http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vie...9b756b1e9bbe41

Thanks for any advice!

Rnd, the piece you posted is a great example of what I have no idea how to do, or even how to start. That said, it sounds awesome!

Thanks! It took me awhile to make, and I'm pretty happy with how some of the instruments turned out. But really, it's just some basic orchestral instruments with some basic (but gratuitous) distortion effects applied. Nothing fancy at all. You could easily do the same sorts of things with some software after using it for a little bit.

Your piece is pretty cool! I like less common time signatures, and I like the melody. I just wish it was longer (or maybe I'm only seeing part of it because I don't have an account?). As for mastering it, I would suggest making the main melody clearer if you can. It's pretty clear throughout, but it gets a little muddled during measures 13-14 just because of all the stuff going on. The volume of the supporting stuff could maybe be lowered a bit. This isn't an issue, and if you like it that way, then leave it. That's just a suggestion.

As for software suggestions, I can't say. There's just too much out there, and different people will give you different answers.

I would highly recommend getting some demos or watching videos or something to see what you might like. Some big ones are FL Studio, Cakewalk, Reaper, Sony Acid, Finale, and Pro Tools. Each one has different interfaces, different strengths and weaknesses, and depending on what you want to do some will be better than others.

So, try some out. If you already have and are still on edge, FL Studio seems to be pretty standard. People who use it seem to love it. I can't say on the matter, but there you go.

Hope my inane rambling was helpful, and good luck!

[VeritasUnae]

There's also pxtone and Famitracker for chiptunes, plus you missed out Reason and Abelton.

[Rnd]

There's also pxtone and Famitracker for chiptunes, plus you missed out Reason and Abelton.

I knew I was missing something. I also missed Cubase and Adobe Audition now that I think about it. And probably some other stuff too. -_-



I think that between what Veritas and I said, you have your bases covered. But here, so you don't miss any, this wikipedia article has a list of both commercial and free/open source DAWs at the bottom of the page. Even that is probably not a complete list, but it should have all of the most common/best options.

Not all of the examples on that page can record MIDI that well/at all (assuming you want to record MIDI), but most of them should have some capability. Though, in my limited experience/knowledge, free/open source ones tend to have significantly less functionality. Also, most of them on that page are for Linux, so not helpful.

Again, hope this is helpful.

[Quaddy]

Thanks! I have FL studio, and I think I'm getting the hang of it slightly. What soundfonts or soundfont sources do you recommend?
All I have is the one Megaman font from radiation's tutorial

[Rnd]

Thanks! I have FL studio, and I think I'm getting the hang of it slightly. What soundfonts or soundfont sources do you recommend?
All I have is the one Megaman font from radiation's tutorial

From what little I know about soundfonts and places to get them, I think these three places are good for FL Studio soundfonts.

http://www.hammersound.net/

http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=soundfonts

http://www.soundzone.info/

You'll just have to mess around and find good sites, sounds, etc.

And sorry, I can't vouch for any set in particular.

Sorry. Hope those sites are decent. If not, just search "free FL Studio soundfonts" in google or something and you'll get TONS of results.

[DoubleJoeSeven]

Satellite Physician

I made a Doctor remix. Basically my second time remixing a Homestuck song.

I feel as thought I could have made the transitions better, but that is something I will address later.

[VeritasUnae]

Agree with you on the transitions needing to be better, Joe. It's a fantastically kicking remix!

I think I had some qualms with the section before the bass comes back in with the kit. It just seemed really middle heavy, with no upper or lower, and that made the section lose support. I know you were trying to bring back the sweeping bassline, but it just felt to me like it was a little open and exposed there. Maybe some low -insert choice of wave here- that fades out as the sweeping bass fades in?

Other than that, truly a fantastic remix.

[BeerInABocks]

HEY GUYS!
Soooo I dont know if anyone remembers me talking about my release of a homestuck album a few weeks ago or so... but it's finally done.
25 free homestuck fan tracks for you all!

FOR WHOM THE BELL TROLLS



Heh, thanks for taking the time to listen (and maybe spread it around)

[Kyntello]

Hi guys!

Sorry this isn't necessarily homestuck (SHOULD be, WOULD HAVE been if Tomita had been born thirty years later), But I'm trying to do over all of Suite Bergamasque (It's been done, but the arrangement is pretty obscure) for full orchestra (as far as I'm concerned, using Descant Recorder is NOT cheating). Unfortunately, due to sibellius student's 12-saff rule, there is no percussion. There will be, but it will take a while.


Otherwise, I'm just looking for feedback, especially how I could make it better represent Debussy's work.

Cheers!

[NLTM]

I'm doing more chiptunes. I'm getting the hang of it, I guess.

[konec0]

DAT ART

unfortunately i don't have time to listen now derp. i will listen in the morning though!!!

also: crossposting this from the Universe B thread

hey guys hey
so remember Vodka Mutiny
welllll
I actually wasn't super happy with the album version because it sounded kind of washed-out
not Radiation's fault
as it turns out I managed to over-compress everything...
dumb dumb dumb

SO HERE'S A NEW VERSION

if you bought the album go ahead and replace it if you wish! If you didn't... eh. Download it anyway, why not.

however: i'm not entirely sure how to go about the proper tagging thing??? would anyone care to help with that =I

[Rnd]

HEY GUYS!
Soooo I dont know if anyone remembers me talking about my release of a homestuck album a few weeks ago or so... but it's finally done.
25 free homestuck fan tracks for you all!

FOR WHOM THE BELL TROLLS



Heh, thanks for taking the time to listen (and maybe spread it around)

The songs in this are... Quirky. I know that sounds like a criticism or an insult, but I mean it as a compliment. I like dissonance, I like odd instrument combinations, and this album has plenty of both.

One thing is that the songs seem to be mastered to different levels. Albums are all usually mastered to the same level. It's not a huge deal, as they're not widely varying.

A few notes about individual songs...

adVANCEd Cass: THIS MELODY IS SO FAMILIAR. WHY DO I KNOW IT? The song is pretty groovy, but it bothers me because I can't figure out why it feels familiar. I'm gonna be thinking about that all night now. :/

Libra Draconia: This reminds me vaguely of the Mario Invincibility song for some unknown reason. It's that part in the middle with the swung melody and the up-and-down chord changes. The later, dissonant parts are kinda crazy.

Capricopia: O_O holy crap. Those horns... So psycho...

Cantankerous and Cancerous: LOL that voice. Awesome. This is psycho crazy too, but it fits Karkat in a weird way I can't explain. I like how hectic it is. Nice.

Voluptuous Virgo: This makes me think of Runescape. It's nice and calming. The dissonance doesn't always seem to fit really well here to me. I like it for the most part, but it just seems kind of unnecessary at times.

Arsenicum - Dead Song: The melody bell that kicks in after the intro is SO much louder than the rest of the song. It was uncomfortable to listen to in my headphones. The song was cool though. I like the buzzy synth that kicks in later.

Good Job Dick Prince: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FREAKY SONGS ON THIS ALBUM?! :P
The intro on this one is kinda O_O. So is that similar part in the middle. Again, it might be a bit overboard. It's fitting, but it's kinda much sometimes for me.

OPtimus Prime - The Four: The intro is purty. I really like it. It doesn't seem to have much to do with the rest of the song though. The two parts are cool, but I don't know if they really connect enough.

Going English: scary. Scary. SCARY! OH GOD MAKE IT STOP! :P
This is like Giygas on crack. That's all there is to say on the matter.

Corporate Take-Over (Made of Life): Nice intro. I like some of the dissonances here. They're there, but they're not overwhelming. I really like this song.

For Whom The Bells Troll: Why? Why are you so good at making freaky songs? Just why?
This one is freaky and awesome at the same time. I like the heavy emphasis on piano, and some of the weird effects.

The Andrew Hussie Additive: This is really cool. I like the chord structure. It has a lot of unity, too. Very nice. Maybe a bit long, but hey, I like long.

FINAL VERDICT: Very cool. Definitely worth a listen/download. The whole album made me think "man, what kind of awesome insanity can I expect from the next song?" There are some mastering issues, and the dissonance can get to be a bit much after awhile, but overall I loved it.

This gets the Rnd Seal of Approval. I know that's worth practically nothing, but hopefully it convinces people to give this a shot.

Hi guys!

Sorry this isn't necessarily homestuck (SHOULD be, WOULD HAVE been if Tomita had been born thirty years later), But I'm trying to do over all of Suite Bergamasque (It's been done, but the arrangement is pretty obscure) for full orchestra (as far as I'm concerned, using Descant Recorder is NOT cheating). Unfortunately, due to sibellius student's 12-saff rule, there is no percussion. There will be, but it will take a while.


Otherwise, I'm just looking for feedback, especially how I could make it better represent Debussy's work.

Cheers!

I would like to start by saying I really like this. It sounds like something that would play in the Lost Woods of a retro-style Zelda game.

I would also like to say that I really, REALLY like Passepied.

I know that comparing this to Passepied is epically unfair. So forgive me if I seem a bit rough...

It doesn't seem nearly as strong. But I don't think it's your fault. I listened to the official orchestral version, and that doesn't seem as strong, either. There's a reason it's rare: I would bet it wasn't received terribly well. It doesn't pack the same punch.

What I where this arrangement mainly suffers is that the strings playing the arpeggios are too legato, especially in the beginning. If you listen to the piano version (and I know you're not trying to be like it), the notes of the arpeggio are each nice and clear. The notes are pretty staccato, it's just that they're played so fast that they blend together nicely. But they still retain a certain independence from the notes around them. I much prefer this to the legato strings personally. I think this could be fixed with percussion if you ever get it to work, unless you really like the legato strings.

Same for the recorder. Piano has a very distinct sound to it, as each note strike has almost a percussion element to it. For lack of a better description, you can almost hear kind of a beat to each played note if that makes sense. They have a high attack value. Strings, on the other hand, smoothly go from note to note. Even staccato or pizzicato strings don't have the same nice attack as piano. Recorder is the same way. Obviously not every piece needs this sensation, but I think Passepied is better with than without. It gives the piece a greater sense of rhythm in my mind, and gives each note more punch. Again, percussion accents could help rekindle this feeling.

For that matter, none of the instruments really feel like they pack the same punch, except for some of the pizzicato strings, and even those could be improved w/ drums.

Again, this is kind of unfair. Maybe I'm trying to be too close to the original. Sorry. I feel like a total jerk.

I'm doing more chiptunes. I'm getting the hang of it, I guess.

Interesting. I like how it incorporates small moments of silence into the beginning and end. Other than that, it sounds like a mega man song (especially those BOOPs in the background. I hope you know what I'm talking about). It's has a good rhythm, good melody, and I really like it. I like how it builds up on itself, an it variates a lot without ever feeling like separate songs. I'm really sorry that I can't think of anything else to say about it, other than it rocks. :/

[BeerInABocks]

Whew! Good feedback! As for the mastering, there really isnt much I can say on that matter besides: Yep, I kinda fucked that one up.

[BeerInABocks]

I'm doing more chiptunes. I'm getting the hang of it, I guess.

Ohhh, and I like this one. Were you using famitracker for this one?

[NLTM]

Ohhh, and I like this one. Were you using famitracker for this one?

Nope, just an NES soundfont in FLStudio.

[Kyntello]

I know that comparing this to Passepied is epically unfair. So forgive me if I seem a bit rough...

It doesn't seem nearly as strong. But I don't think it's your fault. I listened to the official orchestral version, and that doesn't seem as strong, either. There's a reason it's rare: I would bet it wasn't received terribly well. It doesn't pack the same punch.

What I where this arrangement mainly suffers is that the strings playing the arpeggios are too legato, especially in the beginning. If you listen to the piano version (and I know you're not trying to be like it), the notes of the arpeggio are each nice and clear. The notes are pretty staccato, it's just that they're played so fast that they blend together nicely. But they still retain a certain independence from the notes around them. I much prefer this to the legato strings personally. I think this could be fixed with percussion if you ever get it to work, unless you really like the legato strings.

Same for the recorder. Piano has a very distinct sound to it, as each note strike has almost a percussion element to it. For lack of a better description, you can almost hear kind of a beat to each played note if that makes sense. They have a high attack value. Strings, on the other hand, smoothly go from note to note. Even staccato or pizzicato strings don't have the same nice attack as piano. Recorder is the same way. Obviously not every piece needs this sensation, but I think Passepied is better with than without. It gives the piece a greater sense of rhythm in my mind, and gives each note more punch. Again, percussion accents could help rekindle this feeling.

For that matter, none of the instruments really feel like they pack the same punch, except for some of the pizzicato strings, and even those could be improved w/ drums.

Again, this is kind of unfair. Maybe I'm trying to be too close to the original. Sorry. I feel like a total jerk.

That's why I'm redoing it, to make it closer to the original. Thus, there will be bells. Bells everywhere.

Thanks for the feedback! And if you have any more tips as to make it more like the original, please share!

Cheers!

[konec0]

guys remember Mark Nabors' Jackpot, which was an entry to the Homestuck Music Contest
I remixed it
for his birthday

Jackpot (Birthday Bash Mix)

you have no idea how tempting it was to call it
CAKE MIX

[Kyntello]

Draft #2

Trying different instrumentation to see what is lightest.

Also, Konec0, that is amazing. My only complaint is that the B section (I think it's the B section at least) melody seems a bit out of place.

Otherwise, this is awesome.

...

[Ace of Dark-Hearts]

I made a song

It's inspired by the Land of Crypts and Helium. I might come back and change it later.

[Xzaz]

Jackpot (Birthday Bash Mix)

YOU REMOVED THE BIRTHDAY BOY SONG YOU- okay it's still good without it




i went ahead and got the version from your tumblr with it though

wait that was in the soundcloud version that it wasn't there


shhh

[Rnd]

guys remember Mark Nabors' Jackpot, which was an entry to the Homestuck Music Contest
I remixed it
for his birthday

Jackpot (Birthday Bash Mix)

you have no idea how tempting it was to call it
CAKE MIX

This is really cool! I have to agree with Kyntello that maybe the melody at parts isn't perfectly fitting, but it works for me. I like songs that kind of go in divergent directions. I like how fast-paced and intricate it is.

I really like the odd drum effects in the background, and the combination of synths. Really cool!

Also, that pun made my head hurt.

Draft #2

Trying different instrumentation to see what is lightest.

Also, Konec0, that is amazing. My only complaint is that the B section (I think it's the B section at least) melody seems a bit out of place.

Otherwise, this is awesome.

...

Err...

Was there supposed to be a link there? Or are you just saying you're working on draft two? I can't tell. :/

In any case, good luck and don't give up on it!

I made a song

It's inspired by the Land of Crypts and Helium. I might come back and change it later.

That is definitely LOCAH. Love the windy/distant sound to it. And the piano. And the intricate instrumentation. Awesome. It seems somewhat long, but I like long stuff.

How do you get all your instruments to sound like that?

Also, in response to the song description... I think we all feel like that. I certainly do ALL the time. I hope you don't give up/get too discouraged. Your stuff is good.

[Kyntello]

\



Err...

Was there supposed to be a link there? Or are you just saying you're working on draft two? I can't tell. :/

In any case, good luck and don't give up on it!

Whoops, sorry about that. Fixed the old post, and here it is again with some minor changes.

Thanks for pointing that out!