Score: 9

"Nice Beat"

submission: Vampira

date: September 24, 2006

I really enjoyed the overall feel of the piece, it has a great hip-hopesque sound with an almost ambient twist to it. Every part blended together very nicely, nothing sounded out of place at all.

I would have tried to introduce a new melody to help keep the piece fresh. Towards the end it began to feel monotonous. Adding in strings to give body, or another synth to help add to the complexity would be very beneficial to the piece. Besides that, I don't really see anything I don't like about the piece!

I'll be watching for more stuff from you, keep up the great work!

Thanks for your vote, DavidOrr! You voted 5 for Vampira, keeping its score at 5.00.

Hope it will stay high up on the charts as long as possible so you can get even more feedback!

If you have the time, I'd love your opinion on my track "Meltdown"!

Score: 10

"Big Improvment!"

submission: -SOES-Andras (Update)

date: September 24, 2006

Very well done, I can see a lot of progress since your first version. I'm not a fan of the snare bass pattern, it should probably be reversed. Other than that, everything sounded more realistic.

Keep up the good work!

5/5

Score: 9

"Very Nice!"

submission: For the last time

date: September 21, 2006

You've got a lot of potential, this is great stuff. I really enjoy your ideas, I can almost see how your brain works when you're writing this music. This sounds VERY close to the Batman Begins soundtrack, I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but bravo nonetheless.

You could really benefit from new orchestral sounds. Your best bet would be to go with the EWQLSO Gold samples (you can find them for $400 if you look in the right places). Your music would come to life so much more. There is some percussion in the collection I know you would love.

Keep up the great work, I'm going to be watching you!

5/5, along with a 5 to all of your other stuff. I hope you get some more attention!

Score: 0

"Great Work!"

submission: Ear Rape

date: September 18, 2006

Zero.

Thanks for your vote, DavidOrr! You voted 0 for Ear Rape, keeping its score at 0.00.

(Keep up the good work :D)

Score: 9

"Very clear!"

submission: Human Shaped Leech

date: September 18, 2006

Wow, that was very clear sounding! Very professional recording, although the snare could have had a *slight* drop in the high frequencies.

The drums sounded a little off at times, I think it is probably just the pattern programmed. It was only in a few fills, so it may be a simple fix. I loved the double kick drum, very clear sounding and crisp.

As always, a great song. Each piece keeps getting better and better in production quality, keep it up!

5/5

Score: 9

"Very trancey"

submission: {dj-N} Neue Böden

date: September 17, 2006

I really enjoyed the instrument selections in the piece, they all seemed to fit very well. I also liked the drums you used, not the standard kick + clap, it had some variation to it, which I enjoyed.

I think your bass could have a little more presence though. I could see you pumping up the low end to help add to the low-end of the piece. Maybe run it through an EQ and boost lower frequencies.

All in all, a really neat piece. Keep up the great work!

5/5

I'd love your opinion on any of my pieces, but only if you have the time!

Score: 9

"Wow"

submission: The Ancient's Glade

date: September 16, 2006

Great job, this piece has such a great atmosphere, you definately have a knack for this kind of stuff.

Main complaint, too much reverb. Since you are using Reverb, I would suggest Reducing the Size to about 1/5, but increase the wetness up about 4/5. This will give a more ambient sound, but not muddy.

Your musical imagination is very impressive, you have a lot of potential. Keep up the great work!

5/5

I'm going to 5 all of your stuff in hopes you get a little more exposure at some point.

Score: 9

"Nice Job"

submission: -SOES-Andras (Beta update)

date: September 16, 2006

There is definitely an improvement with your sample quality. There is still a sense of unrealism, mainly in the violin. I'll take a little time to describe how to increase realism.

First off, creating phrasing is crucial in making orchestral samples live. It sounded like you cut all of the velocity levels and evened them out. I rarely cut my velocity levels, I want fluctuation between each note to help give the impression it's not a sample being used over and over again, but a real player. Another trick is to make some notes *slightly* spill over into the next. This helps decrease gaps from sample to sample, which is a thing you want to avoid at all costs.

Here is an mp3 using the theme from your piece. The first time through is a relatively accurate replication of your version, and after I have my version which has velocity and note length fluctuation.

http://www.davidorr.net/Mp3/Violin/ViolinEX1.mp3

There is a noticeable improvement, but it still doesn't sound very authentic. One of the main reasons is because of the sample being used. Because this is a relatively delicate passage, using a violin sound where the player is using forceful bowing isn't the best choice. I would recommend a sustained sample with a soft vibrato.

This next mp3 has your version at the beginning, and then my version with a different sample. It sounds more convincing, but it still isn't perfect yet.

http://www.davidorr.net/Mp3/Violin/ViolinEX2.mp3

The best way to get a real sound is by using multiple samples. This is also the hardest, most time consuming, and most processor taxing, but it can yield great results. I have my own ideas with your motif, where the faster parts should be played slightly more ferociously, and the longer notes following these parts should be more expressive. This last mp3 has your version in the beginning, and then my version after, which uses two different violin samples. You should be able to notice a big improvement in realism and quality.

http://www.davidorr.net/Mp3/Violin/ViolinEX3.mp3

Hopefully these techniques will help you in the future. It takes a while to get it down, but the results are very rewarding!

Great job once again,

5/5

Score: 9

"Great Job"

submission: Hatred-Noumenon

date: September 15, 2006

It's been a while since I took a look at your stuff. You keep on churning out great sound tracks. Everything is really well written, and the recordings are quite clear. I think the bass could have been brought up slightly, but that isn't a big issue. Very crazy solo!

All of your stuff sounds pretty nice, has you band gotten signed yet?

Keep up the great work!!

5/5

Score: 8

"Midi?"

submission: -SOES-Epic Duels-Saphirre

date: September 9, 2006

The sound quality in this sounds like you used midi sounds, which is a little strange (probably the strings). Anyway, I really loved the strings at the beginning how they kept building up, it created a feeling of tension.

Why not try using some different instrument(s) instead of a solo violin for the main melody? I could see some really expressive strings playing the molody, which would give it more body. Also, try to throw in some low brass to give it a more driving sound (if that is what you are looking for).

Another well written piece and great addition to your SOES series!

5/5