WIP: Double Density Commercial / Gone

[I_R_on]

While trying to find a sid to cover/remix I've gone through the ones that I liked the most. Instead of everyone's famous tracks from games there were these depressed / sad sounding tunes in my list to go through. (yet for some of them I even wrote lyrics in the past)

I chose the Double Density Commercial by Markus Schneider... As you'll see though the arrangement I've created it became much of a mediocre cover than a remix. (Don't be harsh on me for that since I've just started two months ago.)

1. What I use, free VST plugins (mainly DSK at the moment) and OpenMPT and even MIDI instruments when DSK plugins just doesn't go to the range either below or above.

2. I've no idea about mixing at the moment (Actually slightly I have but it feels tedious with the current setup)

3. I definitely lack good percussion stuff (couple it with a bad sense of rhythm)

4. Sid2Midi didn't produce well enough output (Or I think so I don't know) so I transcribed the notes through Audacity. (Analyze / Plot Spectrum)

5. The hardest part of the whole job was I guess transcribing the bass / percussion part... Since they were all tied together, sometimes it sounded kicks also had the base notes and sometimes not.

Double Density Commercial



I'll leave this as it is possibly since I've already moved to a new project.

Gone



Gone by Thomas Mogensen (DRAX) ... This is also a very sad tune isn't it? Definitely not for EDM style which also I have very little intention to choose as the genre... I thought it would be an easier job this time but arpeggios+heavy pitchbend* ruined it for me and then the quick succession of notes again with heavy pitchbend made it much worse... Definitely not a good pick for a beginner. The single remix on kwed for this tune uses the instrument of natural choice, guitar.

So I chose a different instrument Qanun as the lead. Qanun (DSK world stringz) is definitely not best known with it's pitchbending characteristics but has the dramatic feel and suitable for quick succession of notes so might go along with this tune. I've turned arpeggiated lead supports in the voice 3 into piano chords with which I'll have some variation along the way. Also instead of legato I've repeated long notes, I don't know if this sounds quite right and pleasant at the moment. Maybe I should tweak the repeated notes volumes / expression.

Any comments, suggestions, criticisms are more than welcome. I think remixing / covering is a good way to learn about composition / arrangement and of course about music in general. It's almost like or is reverse engineering and probably tickles the same set of neurons.


* : Can't do this properly with all VST instruments on OpenMPT at the moment... (Need a lesson to do it properly with samples too though )

[LaLa]

Re: Double Density Commercial

I'll be brutally honest with you: this just does not sound very good.I admire you for sticking with free plugins and an open source DAW, but it sounds more like a random selection of instruments that were thrown together.

For example, the plucking sound in the intro has lots of reverb on it, which already washes the notes together, but when the chords come in at 0:30, those are dry and are being held long - and these two sounds just don't go together. When the chords switch to a lower octave at around 1:00 they sound even more unnatural, like when a singer is trying to sing an octave or two lower than their natural voice.

I don't think any amount of mixing would be able to "save" this tune. I think you would need to re-think your instrument selection from the ground up.

Sorry, just being honest.

[LaLa]

Re: Gone

The original SID has a lead that is played on that beautiful, pulse-width modulated square wave the SID is well known for. On top of it, Drax added filtering to it, and some really clever pitch bends to bring even more emotional content to the lead. You decided to replace all that with a plucked sound instead, which is fine, but then IMHO you need to bring the same emotion to that instrument as Drax did with that humble little square wave. Simply repeating the same note multiple times at the exact same velocity just won't cut it.

Watch some videos of professional qanun players to hear all the articulations they put into that instrument to make it come alive: dynamics (soft and loud plucks), lots of trills and rapid runs, subtle pitchbends, microtonal vibrato - just a wonderful, wonderful sound. Unfortunately, all that is missing from your soundbite.

I know it's a TON of work to try to recreate all those subtle articulations of a real-world instrument purely by programming it in a DAW. But the end result can be really rewarding.

PS: Thank you so much for introducing me to the qanun! I am ashamed to admit that I was not familiar with this instrument before, but after I watched some YT videos of it, I am absolutely mesmerized by it! it's actually very similar to the zither, or "citera" as I've come to know it in my native Hungary.

[LaLa]

Here's a fantastic video introducing the qanun to newbies like me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h81283r_cJ8

[I_R_on]

Re: Double Density Commercial

I'll be brutally honest with you: this just does not sound very good.I admire you for sticking with free plugins and an open source DAW, but it sounds more like a random selection of instruments that were thrown together.

For example, the plucking sound in the intro has lots of reverb on it, which already washes the notes together, but when the chords come in at 0:30, those are dry and are being held long - and these two sounds just don't go together. When the chords switch to a lower octave at around 1:00 they sound even more unnatural, like when a singer is trying to sing an octave or two lower than their natural voice.

I don't think any amount of mixing would be able to "save" this tune. I think you would need to re-think your instrument selection from the ground up.

Sorry, just being honest.

Thanks for honest comments!
Actually for my own stuff I don't change the lead sound too often but in this work since it was the first, it did take a bit long to transcribe the whole notes, trying to find similar sounds and stuff so different sections somehow got a bit of change in the lead sound. Also, let alone mixing I haven't made any volume adjustments in this track. Now I do realize that I should have done most of the volume adjustments / tiny makeups while getting the notes transcribed. Still, I've turned the chords down a bit and now the lead is much more in the front. A lot of adjustments still needed to polish this tune but for the time being I'll leave it as it is.

Here is the new version

Re: Gone

The original SID has a lead that is played on that beautiful, pulse-width modulated square wave the SID is well known for. On top of it, Drax added filtering to it, and some really clever pitch bends to bring even more emotional content to the lead. You decided to replace all that with a plucked sound instead, which is fine, but then IMHO you need to bring the same emotion to that instrument as Drax did with that humble little square wave. Simply repeating the same note multiple times at the exact same velocity just won't cut it.

Yes actually qanun players employ a subtle vibrato or up/down pitch bend occasionaly. Getting it right would possibly be easier with the short notes and this tune has only 80 seconds of original content. I'll surely try it.

Watch some videos of professional qanun players to hear all the articulations they put into that instrument to make it come alive: dynamics (soft and loud plucks), lots of trills and rapid runs, subtle pitchbends, microtonal vibrato - just a wonderful, wonderful sound. Unfortunately, all that is missing from your soundbite.

I know it's a TON of work to try to recreate all those subtle articulations of a real-world instrument purely by programming it in a DAW. But the end result can be really rewarding.

Well, it should be impossible to recreate the performance of a virtuoso even with all the underlying controls to the sound is available. (Even half the performance of a virtuoso is impossible I think. If actual instrument is recorded then we would be in the game again )

You can see my favourite artist here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q5YcjOgCec

He uses it as the sole instrument to cover a pop song, in some parts he even uses the instrument as a percussion. Lots of mastery tricks.
With the band, he uses it in another way (bass, percussion, other rythm) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtbTENbttzg

PS: Thank you so much for introducing me to the qanun! I am ashamed to admit that I was not familiar with this instrument before, but after I watched some YT videos of it, I am absolutely mesmerized by it! it's actually very similar to the zither, or "citera" as I've come to know it in my native Hungary.

You're welcome. Hungarian Zither as I've just learned by the way imho seems a lot different both in shape / sound and so on. Interesting one!

[LaLa]

Here is the new version

Yes, this one definitely sounds tighter, especially the second half of it. But I doubt that even this version would get anything higher than a grey smilie from me...

Well, it should be impossible to recreate the performance of a virtuoso even with all the underlying controls to the sound is available. (Even half the performance of a virtuoso is impossible I think. If actual instrument is recorded then we would be in the game again )

You would be surprised what one can accomplish with a good sample library - and with a lot of patience - these days... But yes, if you really want to do it right, hire a qanun artist.

You can see my favourite artist here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q5YcjOgCec

This sounds fantastic! Thanks!

With the band, he uses it in another way (bass, percussion, other rythm) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtbTENbttzg

This is really, really nice, too! You can't imagine how much I appreciate you expanding my musical horizon with these videos! Love it!

[I_R_on]

Here is the new version

Yes, this one definitely sounds tighter, especially the second half of it. But I doubt that even this version would get anything higher than a grey smilie from me...

Thanks! Not a candidate for upload to kwed for sure. I need to improve a lot.

This is really, really nice, too! You can't imagine how much I appreciate you expanding my musical horizon with these videos! Love it!

Those 3 man called Taksim Trio, you can check out their other performances too, they do great music with their instruments...

As a side note, I was sure that two of the band members are Roman and I was not sure about the qanun player Aytac Dogan and I just looked him up and he is half Roman. (from his Mother side)
I love going to flea markets and one of the attractions there for me is old electronic keyboards... Unlike similar electronic stuff they are always used up and then thrown into the flea market which takes me to the conclusion that Roman people sell many things they collect but hold on to the musical instruments hence they educate themselves from the very childhood... (this is a personal observation / theory and might be wrong)

One such find from those flea markets, a Technics SX-K250, one key not functioning : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-RzYuMBlF0

[I_R_on]

Gone is abandoned too by the way... When I have the means to record vocals I may revisit it again, I have some lyrics for this tune...

Here is the version with velocity / filter / envelope variations on the qanun...

[I_R_on]

Not to clutter the forum with another topic, here are a few more cover attempts of mine,

Original is here : https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUS ... s_Part.sid
Coincidentally this tune was my first sid rip attempt.



Original : https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUS ... tevalp.sid