Artifact (Drywater, Mars Part 7) (Feedback Requested)

[Amberwolf]

 Artifact (Drywater, Mars Part 7)

Something ancient is found in the sands...and it doesn't like that, and our heroes get stuck with fixing the problem. 

https://amberwolf.bandcamp.com/track/artifact-drywater-mars-part-7

 

Rest of series thread:

 

[treesha]

I always enjoy your layering. I know you put a lot of effort into adapting sounds to how you want them. As far as feedback on the mix to me it sounds balanced. A few times the vocals went a little low and kinda behind/underneath other stuff, maybe your intention. Interesting and evocative.

[Amberwolf]

5 minutes ago, treesha said:

I always enjoy your layering. I know you put a lot of effort into adapting sounds to how you want them. As far as feedback on the mix to me it sounds balanced.

That's good--it's hard for me to do right every time.    I did make a few minor mix changes to a new version that's up there now (previous one still at https://www.soundclick.com/music/songinfo_standalone/?songID=15142673 ), including some deep sounds at beginning and end to mix with the high-only sounds already there. (they seemed lonely) 

 

5 minutes ago, treesha said:

A few times the vocals went a little low and kinda behind/underneath other stuff, maybe your intention

I'm not sure; it's hard for me to hear / distiguish some things, so I might have done that unintentionally.  Could you point out  specific times it happens? 

 

5 minutes ago, treesha said:

 Interesting and evocative.

Thanks!    What does it evoke?   (helps me figure out if I'm doing this right 😊 )

 

[treesha]

38 minutes ago, Amberwolf said:

That's good--it's hard for me to do right every time.    I did make a few minor mix changes to a new version that's up there now (previous one still at https://www.soundclick.com/music/songinfo_standalone/?songID=15142673 ), including some deep sounds at beginning and end to mix with the high-only sounds already there. (they seemed lonely) 

 

I'm not sure; it's hard for me to hear / distiguish some things, so I might have done that unintentionally.  Could you point out  specific times it happens? 

 

Thanks!    What does it evoke?   (helps me figure out if I'm doing this right 😊 )

 

Which link should I check out for vocals? As for evoking, I guess it just evokes my interest. Nothing specific your work is usually different from what I might listen to in a good way. 

[Chaps]

Good job. If they ever make a sequel to Ghosts of Mars this should be the main theme.

[timboalogo]

Amberwolf, love what you've done with this idea.

I know you and I discussed feedback, so here goes: it may just be my system and room but I'm not hearing the bass line very well. It also seems that the female vocals are a touch too forward while the percussion is too far back for my liking. I feel the percussion track has some great sounds to it but they're just not breaking through.

Let's hear what others may say.

Timbo

[Amberwolf]

38 minutes ago, treesha said:

Which link should I check out for vocals?

The vocals are the same either way, but if you want ot hear the most current mix to see if the problem persists it's the bandcamp link.  If you want to hear the one you listened to before, it's at the soundclick link.  

The primary changes are adding the deep sounds at beginning and end, and turning sub and percussion down in several places to get them out of the way of the rest of the sounds (some of them just specific individual hits, some of them several measures).

 

38 minutes ago, treesha said:

As for evoking, I guess it just evokes my interest. Nothing specific your work is usually different from what I might listen to in a good way. 

Ah, ok.   I appreciate the listening and the feedback!  

 

[Amberwolf]

Just now, timboalogo said:

Amberwolf, love what you've done with this idea.

Thanks!   

 

Just now, timboalogo said:

I know you and I discussed feedback, so here goes: it may just be my system and room but I'm not hearing the bass line very well.

Interesting; it was almost overpowering here (but I can't hear high frequencies as well, so....) so I turned it down, specifically teh sub.

There isnt' really too much of a bassline, it's mostly sustained notes or chords, though the itneractions with other sounds and percussion make it sound at this mix level like there is more going on than there actually is.

I'll play with the mix level and see what that does; and post the experimental version over at soundclick and put the link in a post here in this thread.   

 

Just now, timboalogo said:

It also seems that the female vocals are a touch too forward while the percussion is too far back for my liking. I feel the percussion track has some great sounds to it but they're just not breaking through.

Any particular places/times?  

 

General note: I pushed the percussion back because listeners have said the other Drywater, Mars tracks are percussively-heavy.   I "decided" that the "sound of the series" was going to be very percussive and rhythmic, but didn't want it to take over to the point people didn't want to listen, so have been toning it down just a little in this one and probably future ones that aren't "exciting action pieces".

[Amberwolf]

47 minutes ago, Chaps said:

Good job. If they ever make a sequel to Ghosts of Mars this should be the main theme.

Thanks!

 

I haven't seen that; I'll have to look up the music they used. 

 

Can I put your comment in the notes of the track on bandcamp?  

 

[timboalogo]

I think the female vox were too forward in the second half of the song, when things got exciting! 

As to the percussion, and I don't know how to explain myself, it's not so much the overall volume but the transients that aren't getting through and accenting the piece.

Remember this is just my old ears, wait to see what others will say.

Timbo

[Chaps]

10 minutes ago, Amberwolf said:

Can I put your comment in the notes of the track on bandcamp?  

 

Sure, but maybe watch the movie first. Not everyone liked it as much as I did.

[Amberwolf]

3 hours ago, timboalogo said:

I think the female vox were too forward in the second half of the song, when things got exciting! 

Well, at least at the moment, there really isn't much else going on under the vocals there...I could come up with something.

 

3 hours ago, timboalogo said:

As to the percussion, and I don't know how to explain myself, it's not so much the overall volume but the transients that aren't getting through and accenting the piece.

I can experiment with the compander in PX64 percussion strip to see if it can help with the insufficient transients.  Is this overall or just in some parts?   

 

 

3 hours ago, timboalogo said:

Remember this is just my old ears, wait to see what others will say.

Ok...my own ears are not young either.   If anyone else responds regarding this part, we'll see. 

 

3 hours ago, Chaps said:

Sure, but maybe watch the movie first. Not everyone liked it as much as I did.

Well, honestly if I were to get the chance, I'd take having my music used in even a crappy movie people didn't like than not having it used at all.  😆  At least a lot more people would hear it than are likely to otherwise.   

But I'll see what I can find, when I have some time I'm to wiped out to focus on doing things but can't sleep (which happens a lot). 

[FreeEarCandy]

Out of my league, but it sounded good. Has that low end theater quality (rumbles ones bones). Yeah. I can picture this as a movie sound track for sure. Nice work.

[Amberwolf]

7 minutes ago, FreeEarCandy said:

Out of my league,

Not sure what you mean?  😕

 

7 minutes ago, FreeEarCandy said:

but it sounded good. Has that low end theater quality (rumbles ones bones). Yeah. I can picture this as a movie sound track for sure. Nice work.

Thanks!   If you liked this one you'll probably also like the rest of the Drywater, Mars series of tracks. 

 

[Amberwolf]

8 hours ago, Chaps said:

Sure, but maybe watch the movie first. Not everyone liked it as much as I did.

Well, can't say it would make my top hundred list  but I've seen much worse movies, but this one could've been made better with music that better matched the mood and timing of the scenes. 

(could've done with much better editing for scene timing, too; that's an issue with most horror movies; stuff often runs too long by *just* enough to ruin the mood or scene).  

 

Not that I'd want to do it for this one, but it'd be interesting if there was some tool (AI probably) that could strip out all of the musical score and effects sounds and leave all the dialog intact...then I could re-score (and effect) some movie that I liked that had unsatisfactory score/fx.  Can't think of the specific ones ATM but there have been a few where I thought while watching...I could do better than *that*.  :lol:  

 

 

[FreeEarCandy]

19 hours ago, Amberwolf said:

Out of my league,

Beyond my ability to advise.

[Amberwolf]

8 hours ago, FreeEarCandy said:

Beyond my ability to advise.

Ah, ok.