Topic: A possible music contribution to Miner Wars, want opinions

[Kaiaatzl]

"Among Shards"

Details

Read on for the specific types of opinions I would like to get:

Does it sound cinematic? I'm not a good judge of that because I don't listen to movie soundtracks very much. I did get the idea for this track from Daft Punk's soundtrack for Tron Legacy (I do listen to some movie soundtracks), but I would like opinions on whether you think this sounds cinematic, as that's the type of music Dan Wentz is looking for.

Are the instruments good? Is there a place where they could be improved?

What about the music itself?

Does the song flow well?

General opinions on how good it is are welcome too, but I'm looking for these ones specifically.  If all goes well I'm planning to submit on the MW forums tomorrow or Monday.

Thanks in advance.

[Kaiaatzl]

Updated:

Details

[Mzero]

The beginning sounds industrial rock, then it becomes more eletro rock.
In my opinion
It flows well

[D2Disciple]

I am SERIOUSLY digging this track. Very atmospheric stuff man. Great work with the synths and keys. It manages to be very melody-heavy without losing its ambiance. Good mix.

Suggestions:

>> Drums: The kick drums, snares, and toms (pretty much anything from a standard kit) sound very weak. I highly recommend adding a room reverb module to them and kicking up the volume a bit. Because they sound very Sound-Blaster-16-ish, I suggest using other, more creative percussion options instead of the kit, except sparingly to make it have a somewhat "throwback" vibe.
>> The ending: The drums here just sound really random. Probably best to cut those down at the end, or make them almost identical to the intro (which is fantastic, by the way).

... More to come later.

[Kaiaatzl]

Thanks.

I'd add reverb but apparently I'm not supposed to: According to Dan Wentz Miner Wars will add differing amounts of reverb depending on where you are (in space, in an asteroid, etc).  Adding reverb to the song before that can add unwanted artifacts to the song when the game does it too (again according to Dan Wentz).

And I made this drum kit myself from scratch .  I can't modify the drum "pattern" too much, it's pretty complex piano roll stuff (and I recorded it live on my keyboard where I have a "feel" for what goes where, it's hard to emulate that with piano roll (at least for me).

What would you recommend for more creative percussion options?  I still want the kit to have the same relative heavyness.

At the end >> Symbolizing controlled chaos? (I know, I'm making excuses.)  I kind of like the five snare hits at the very end but come to think of it a throwback to the beginning could be a very good idea (though I did kind of use that sequence at various parts throughout the song).  I'll see what Dan Wentz says first (he's the ultimate arbiter) and I'll mention what you suggested.  He did say the drums should be somewhat Descent-like, so I think the sounds themselves may be okay.

I'm surprised you didn't comment on the massive volume spike on the "atmosphere" instrument at about 3:59.  I just fixed that and uploaded the fixed version about 1 or 2 minutes before I saw your comment, so you must have heard the un-fixed version.

Interestingly my friend likened the strings at the beginning to an engine revving up.

EDIT: D2Junkie, would you mind giving this mix another listen?  I think I may have messed up something in the mastering but I can't figure out what it would be.  It may just be because I'm listening to it on my mp3 player rather than with headphones on my laptop (I suspect this mp3 player's "flat" dsp still has some sort of mastering in it because the sound "quality" is very different from my laptop or my other mp3 player -- not better or worse just different).

[Pumo]

Well, it's not bad at all
In fact, I would say is one of your best songs (if not your best ).

On the other hand, I agree with most of the points D2Junkie mentioned.
And specially on the Kick drum you should use something much more energetic (how could I say it? I bit more electro-house-ish maybe?).

And yeap, definitely the intro is great. I love it!

Oh, and before I forget, the Sawtooth melody needs some more reverb (and maybe some subtle ping-pong delay with HP filter, just as a suggestion). In fact a general and subtle light reverb on the master channel (with some of the bass frequencies attenuated and a bit of damp) would also fit very well.

[-<WillyP>-]

You could make a 'release' version with reverb.

[Matthew]

Oh wow. I love this track! It has plenty of tasteful bass, and a good mix of higher melody and background. I give this the Subwoofer Seal of Approval!

[NUMBERZero]

Wow, this is golden!

[Kaiaatzl]

Thanks everyone.
I now have little doubt that Dan Wentz will like it (though the waiting is killing me, lol).

[-<WillyP>-]

I gave you five stars, it's great!

[VANGUARD]

Amazing music. Sounds pretty darn professional to me. Hate to admit it, but it sounds better than some descent music. You're getting a powerup

[Foil]

I'm impressed.  Good stuff!