Topic: Couple of Descent Covers

[Kaiaatzl]

So, as at least one person here knows, I've recently taken up learning the guitar.  And I've been coming up with a few different ideas to make practice more than just practice.
The first of those ideas was a medium-sized collection of original tracks where each one I would write in a way that pushed myself farther and farther.  But since that's done now, I needed something else.

And until I find that, I decided to keep myself going with covers of some songs, starting with a few of Descent's simpler tunes and possibly moving on to mods for this game and others.  I've just got two right now, and while my playing certainly won't be as good as OVRLD/D2Disciple's or Allister Brimble's there might still be something here to like.
Also specifically chose songs that have not been fully remixed before.   In all of these cases I used the midis as a base and muted the tracks I recorded over, before making everything else sound up to par.
I've only got two right now, but, there definitely might possibly be more depending how much time I have to waste and how many new ideas I fail to have.

Claw'd Fusion (D1 level 4/26)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v64a7xe6po9g3ay/Claw%27d%20Fusion.ogg?raw=1

Perimeter (D1 level 17)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9p336v3gaogsl8p/Perimeter%20-%20Descent%20Cover.ogg?raw=1

Also credit to OVRLD/D2Disciple for the idea to do this in the first place.

EDIT: I waas going to move on to tracks from mods but after a request from my brother and a particularly busy week where I haven't had the time to even start writing anything original, I did one more.  This one has a little bit more reinterpretation to it and I think I did a better job on my playing in general.  Roncli said something about Class 1 Drillers having cat ears and that's where the name came from.

Caracal Ears (D1 level 6)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ysymsoup79jefwb/Caracal%20Ears.ogg?raw=1

EDIT again:
This one is from mid-last year and I forgot that I had this thread for stuff like it 
This time I defaced one of the jupiter tracks and named it for a part of jupiter

Red Spot (Callisto)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_jv_2N83aNSy2z5LDIsl1S8WVl7J1t2V/view?usp=sharing

I may go back to Perimeter sometime this year and see if I can't do it a bit better... we will see!

EDIT the third or fourth I don't care or remember:
Turnabout (Zeta Aquilae and beyond)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12o6MRtV2nCOfEmQw7bTRPA7SYlCwgvmc/view?usp=sharing

[-<WillyP>-]

 

[Scyphi]

Really liked the composition of Claw'd Fusion.  Perimeter is pretty good too, but it also feels kind of...I don't know...empty? Like it could've had more layering of melodies in it, if you get what I'm saying at all...

Of course, I'm no music expert, so what do I know? 

[D2Disciple]

I'm flattered! I've been playing for almost 15 years now and in no way sound like someone who's been playing that long. Given what I'm hearing here, if you have half an ounce of discipline and determination, you'll shred circles around me in no time flat. 

I have to give "Claw'd Fusion" two thumbs up. I really like the guitar tone you shaped. Definitely gets that industrial sound right, and fits in the mix perfectly. You basically just took the original, and made it better - I dig! 

"Perimeter" is definitely based on one of my favorite songs from the original game. This is one that positively begs for thick and juicy guitar riffage. I like how you've chosen to swap roles for the guitar and synths at various points to keep the whole thing from sounding as repetitive as the original does. I do have some constructive criticism on this one - the same tone that sat in the mix so well in "Claw'd Fusion" sounds a little thin here. I'd suggest "beefing up" the tone with some EQ boost in the low-mids, reduce the level of the effects on the guitar, and increase the distortion level and volume just a touch. 

Nice job! 

[Kaiaatzl]

Thanks.
The beauty of recording and mastering yourself is that you're free to take as many tries as you need, record one phrase over and over if you're having trouble getting it right before moving on to the next one... that's exactly what I was trying not to do here but even so each of these songs combines at least a couple different takes.

[Hunter]

Cool! You mind if I upload them to Descent Files? (or you could too)

[Kaiaatzl]

Go ahead -- I may do an update to Perimeter in a few months after I've had a bit more practice playing in time without a metronome.
So as long as it's alright if I eventually ask you to replace 'em.

[Kaiaatzl]

Added another on request from my brother.
Caracal Ears (D1 level 6)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ysymsoup79jefwb/Caracal%20Ears.ogg?raw=1

[Scyphi]

So I like this new one as a concept, the horns being a real cool idea that actually reminds me a little of D3. BUT...those horns aren't mixing well with the rest of the instruments and end up clashing with them most of the time, trying to compete with each other unsuccessfully. It's a really good idea, but one that needs a bit more refining still. 

Also, if those are lyrics that's in there, I can't make out a single word of them.

[Kaiaatzl]

Not really lyrics.  There was a brass line I cut out to make room for that longer guitar solo, but I liked the way the original part transitioned back into the meat of the song and I wanted to keep some version of that transitional melody in there somehow.
I think I say "she's strong" a couple of times and in the solo something about spiders and green-eyed things hiding in the walls.  You know the room!

As for the rest of your advice, well, I made this on request for my brother -- as long as he's enjoying it and I'm enjoying it I don't really want to go back to it.  I'll just take what you say into account for next time.

[Kaiaatzl]

Well speaking of next time... I did another one waaaay back mid-last year and seem to have forgotten to put it here!
This time I defaced one of the jupiter tracks... and named it for a part of jupiter

Red Spot (Callisto)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_jv_2N83aNSy2z5LDIsl1S8WVl7J1t2V/view?usp=sharing

[Alieo]

Been away for a long time. Finding lots of tasty Descent ear candy. Great job on these — you've really come a long way!

[Kaiaatzl]

Hey, thanks man.
It's good to see you back.

[Kaiaatzl]

So I did another one... kinda.  This is about the most ridiculously overcomplicated midi file I've ever seen, and believe me it was an achievement even being able to work with it

Turnabout:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12o6MRtV2nCOfEmQw7bTRPA7SYlCwgvmc/view?usp=sharing

Listing the planets it played on in this case would be... uninformative XD

[Scyphi]

Listing the planets it played on in this case would be... uninformative XD

Especially since Descent 2 doesn't actually list any of the planets by name--just the star systems they inhabit. 

The instrument in the segment that starts playing at 0:42 really isn't working for me. It has a little too much distortion to it, I think, making it sound off-key and muddles the melody it's trying to play. But other than that and a couple of fleeting spots where it briefly sounds a touch too cluttered with instruments all trying to drown each other out at once (I'm making it sound worse than it is--this is really a minor problem that's still worth noting, but otherwise doesn't kill the track for me), it's a good remix. That bit at around 1:43 turned out especially good, I think.