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VR's Music Remix School
Welcome to VR's Music School of Remixing! If you've ever found yourself wanting to learn how to become a Remix Artists and create your own remixes of music just like your inspirations then you have found the correct place, my friends! Here, you will go down the path of learning the basics onto more advanced skills and techniques of the popular music DAW program: FL Studio (we encourage you to either have version 9 or 10 as they are more recent editions and contain the features we will be using without any compatibility issues).
Don't like FL Studio and would prefer to use another program instead? Currently the alternate programs we have available are: FamiTracker and Mario Paint Composer (still in question for a MPC teacher atm). Instructors:
What basic knowledge should you know before applying? It'd be great if you knew some basic Music Theory to know what the following definitions mean:
How do you enroll in a lesson? Here, we offer various basic to advanced courses over specific areas of producing/remixing/etc. Regardless of your current level, we will need to judge where your skills currently lie at in order to properly arrange your lessons. This is the path that all skill courses go in order:
To apply, here is what you must do:
Application Form: Quote:
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If you are interested in becoming an Instructor here at the Music School then you’ll have to pass a test to prove you are capable of carrying out these tasks to help others here.
Submit Instructor Test Form Quote:
Got any questions or concerns? PM LugiaDialga for any further information! Download FL Studio Demo (It cannot open up Project files, only Midi files) Free Soundfont Instruments Last edited by Cat333Pokémon; August 29, 2012 at 07:50:41 PM. |
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If you wish to be in the Basic FamiTracker class for "8-bit" remixes, please note the following...
What you should know first Basically what you should know for the FL Studio class when it comes to Music Theory, although not quite as much. This class will require different kinds of skills in working with music editing software from FL, however. However, in the end hardly any skill is required to be successful in working with FT. If you think you may not be quite ready to work with 09243978y9we87ry934 different channels of remixing, you should come over to the FT class and start with learning how to use only 4 different channels. Enrolling: If you do decide to enroll in the FamiTracker course, please begin by stating your experience with "8-bit" remixes and/or FamiTracker itself. Based on that, you will be placed in one of the following courses...
Courses in order
You should also download FamiTracker, of course. Results Form Quote:
Your teaching exam will consist of a given remix assignment (I give you an OST, and you put it into "8-bit" format, nothing special, please), a chosen remix assignment (pick your favorite ost, or your least favorite ost, although I'm not sure why you would, and remix it. Take as many liberties as you like with this one as long as it stays relatively true to the melody), and 2 Original Compositions. (If possible, try for 2 contrasting styles) The given remix will be judged based on... --Pitch Accuracy (perfection is essential on this one) --Rhythm and Tempo Accuracy (some margin of error is acceptable) --Overall feel (sometimes, accuracy isn't enough. Does the remix feel like the OST?) The chosen remix will be judged based on... --Melodic Accuracy --Harmonic Creativity --Rhythmic Creativity --Overall feel The Original Compositions will be judged based on... --Originality (...DUH.) --Creativity --Quality --Feel Instructor Exam Form Quote:
... Prove to me that you're better than me at this. (That's not THAT hard, I've only mastered the basics on this. If I make you an Advanced teacher, I will be your first student 8P) Grading Scale All tasks are graded out of 10... 10: Fantastic 9: Great 8: Good 7: Fixable 6: Please Fix 5: Service* 4: Off 3: Wrong 2: Broken 1: Redo 0: Not even the right song .,_., All assignments' scores are out of 30 0-10: Redo 11-15: Service 16-20: Fix 20-25: Optionally fixable 26-30: Great *Service is just a fancy term for looking more closely at a song and working on problems; Servicing a song is beyond simply fixing it, but not quite to the point of overhauling it. Last edited by SyracuvatTenlii; August 8, 2012 at 09:13:29 PM. |
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Count me in. I want to learn.
Chosen Instructor: LugiaDialga (FL Studio 9.1 XXL Producer Edition User) Current abilities: I can remix a song mostly by ear, but would prefer a MIDI if I just can not figure out the melody of a song I'm remixing. I made a few tracks (including some original work) over the last year and I think they're listenable. Towards the end of 2011, I made a remix of "Party Rock Anthem"...which, IMO, is my favorite song I've made. Interests: I'm not only looking forward to learning all you have to offer, but also to test what I know about my DAW. I know some beat, synth and EQ tricks...But, I'd still like to go through all the lessons to see if I know how to do everything. There are two self-imposed drawbacks here: I've no real fondness for Pokémon music (although I would like to give remixing it a big shot...to excuse the admittedly lame pun), and I've little to no skill with Soundfonts, which I should be able to learn in about a month or two. PM Guidance?: If I need you...I'll PM you. Songs/Games: I have a big list. I've never remixed video game music, but I'm enrolling here because I want to try it out. I would like to work with music from a total of 7 video games through this course; 3 Pokémon games, and 4 non-Pokémon games. I'm interested in music from the following: *Pokémon Red/Blue/Fire Red/Leaf Green *Pokémon Gold/Silver/Heart Gold/Soul Silver *Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire *Pokémon Diamond/Pearl *Pokémon Black/White *Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (Optional) *Contra *Castlevania *Street Fighter II *Final Fantasy III/VI *Kirby's Dream Land 3 *Star Fox 64 *Beatmania IIDX 19 Lincle (The...well...19th in a series of Japanese rhythm games. I like some of the songs from this franchise, and I have the OST for most, if not all of these games) Question for LD: OP is giving me the urge to make a Tindeck account...but is it okay if I upload everything to Dropbox (I have an account there, and I don't feel like spending any money on extra space)? Last edited by GTP_NickSkyline; August 1, 2012 at 02:57:05 PM. |
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What I'll be assigning for you to do is to make a remix with a new drum beat. It can be basic or you can have fun, just have fun! To ensure that you'll add a drum-beat we shall work with a GBC game as they lack percussion. ;3 Assignment: Basic Beat Making
Here is a quick screenshot of three basic ways to create percussion in FL Studio:
Percussion in FL Studio
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Assignment: Beat Making
Just a quick recap on percussion, though you probably won't need it:
Percussion in FL Studio
And to answer your question, using Dropbox is a-okay, though Tindeck requires no money just an fyi. I personally don't use Dropbox and don't know how it works (I assume it's similar to Box.net though), thus is why it's not on the preferred list. Last edited by LugiaDialga; August 1, 2012 at 06:16:35 PM. |
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Well adding percussion would be 'original' in a sense. Although it's not required for this particular lesson (later on it will be though, don't fret), if you wish to add an original part to the song go ahead! It will help me score you in that category as well so I can assign something more for your needs next round, Plaz.
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I'm going to be applying for LD's class. ^^
Current abilities: I can pick up on and write OSTs by ear without a MIDI. Interests: I'd like to be able to actually "remix" the themes without simply switching up the instruments and style. PM Guidance?: Likely not necessary. Same as tp. Songs/Games: Pokemon, Mega Man, Mario Tennis, and just about any Nintendo game, really. |
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I'll apply for Syra's cause I'm already a bit of a FamiTracker guy.
Current abilities: Uhhh, not many. Unless you count playing by ear as an ability, because that I can do easily. I prefer to not use MIDI files but instead the MP3s on my iPod (I have many) or the actual song from the actual game. I can also make a pretty sweet bassline. Interests: Err, I don't know exactly what to put here, but I'll say I wanna be as good as Rushjet1 or Danooct. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36CxEsRRyBk (No, I do not expect to ever use the add-ons they have. Or be that amazing. Maybe a quarter as good as they are) PM Guidance?: Umm, I don't think so, I've already got some basics down and I've made 2 songs. Both BW2 spoilers, so I'm doing Fight Against Culex if you want to see my Songs/Games: Well, any game I've ever played that's on my iPod. I'd only do game music because everything else has words or is really complicated for only 4 channels. Here's a list with the series I like/have songs I'm planning to do.
Games
And... that's it I think. Please teach me, I'm desperate. |
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I am using this as an attachment, so I dont know if it will work. i am dong it this way because DropBox hate me XD.
Battle Theme.mp3 EDIT: I changed the percussion a lot... Is that good? Or bad? Last edited by teamplasma; August 2, 2012 at 04:17:12 AM. |
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Is it ok if I just leave a compliment for now as well as my opinion? This is a really nice idea teaching folks how to remix music. As it is I use FL Studio all the time. I must recommend FL Studio in any remix session and it is a great tool to teach people how to make their own. You've got my thumbs up for this folks and if I decide I need more training I'll run to you folks. In the meantime I'll share a remix here instead of in my own thread. It's a rather old remix but still a great example of what others can do once they learn what I have. I've since got better than this remix though (I would think) however.
Pokémon Black & White1 Credits Remastered Last edited by Wulf Cines; August 2, 2012 at 06:37:54 AM. |
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Coming in for Syra's FamiTracker stuff, seeing as I probably would start to get overwhelmed... FL Studio is too complex from my use.
Current abilities: Zilch. I forgot all my piano lessons! Interests: Just wondering whether I'll be able to make something good out of a remixing attempt, and not like the half-finished hackjobs that I've done in the past... that has never really seen the light of day. PM Guidance?: Sure, I think I probably need it anyway. More like, I'm going to need all the help I can get, as I'm probably tone deaf at this point. Songs/Games: I like the current gen Pokemon games. I have a soft spot for the SNES-era Final Fantasies, too. I've noticed that I freaking love Call Me Maybe for some reason. And a certain not-quite-old Chinese pop song called 簡單愛, too. And BRODYQUEST Note: I'll be using my SkyDrive account for everything, seeing as I have essentially 25 GB of space there. Better than having to micromanage more accounts. Last edited by Twiggy; August 2, 2012 at 07:44:08 AM. |
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Assignment: Beat Making
Songs: We'll use mostly basic GBC tracks here for you as well, Syra, since they lack percussion which tends to make it easier to add your own in.
And of course don't forget this screenshot if you need help knowing what to use in FL Studio for percussion.
Percussion in FL Studio
Last edited by LugiaDialga; August 2, 2012 at 12:52:40 PM. |
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Passed Score: 7/10 It was pretty good, I liked that the ending was a different set of notes rather than just the loop point of the song. My suggestions would be to use other instruments besides the Midi ones of course. The Sytrus VST Plugin is the best one that FLS comes with I think, there is much it can do. Other than that, I'd like to hear more Bass Kicks in this, even a basic kick per beat (4 in each measure on FL Studio's Piano roll). But you did certainly do a lot with the rest of the percussion, which is what we wanted here in the first place! Though I feel before we move onto another skill, I would like to see you use one other percussion type perhaps. This way we're both confident that you've got one of the most important part of any song down more than just okay. ;3 Assignment: Beat Making 2
Kicks
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Oh, yay, I get the two Turtwigs. ^^
TurtwigX Allllllllright, so you've expressed interest in learning a little bit more about NES Remixing in general. First of all, seeing that you know just about everything you need about music for now, we're going to skip Units A and B and move right along to Unit C. Unit C: Writing By Ear Lesson 0: The Interface Now, I see you've been working on a remix of your own of Fighting against Culex. That's fine and all, but I want you to pause your progress on that project and start with these lessons. The Unit Test will be the project you're working on. For now, we're going to learn a little more about the structure of FamiTracker. First of all, making the project into one long line is a little more complicated than it seems. You have these things called Frames, each one of which can hold up to 256 rows; each row has the capacity to play 4 different sounds: 2 squares, a triangle, and noise. The first square will be where you put the melody. You've probably already figured this out, but in order to play any sound at all, you need to create a new instrument, but one thing you should also realize is that one instrument in the end is not going to make your remix sound all that great, nor is it going to let you have one file last more than 256 rows, which is not as much as you might think. How do we fix this? Well,. it has to do with multiple frames. 1 frame will hold 256 lines, but 2 frames will hold 512 lines, and 4 frames hold 1024 lines! That sounds nice, right? But what happens if you write the first part of a song in frame 1? It copies onto the rest of the frames...It's good for repetition, but that's not what we're looking for here. How do we fix it? Well, what you need to do is make each frame use a different instrument. In the frame editor, set frame 00 to read only instrument 00, 01 to read 01, and so on. Then, when you write music in frame 00 with instrument 00, it will show up only there. Now, in the frame editor, we'll go ahead and set it to change the instrument readings of all of the channels for the time being, but be ready to revisit the frame editor to add even more instruments for the purposes they serve. For now, however, here's your preliminary assignment... Assignment 0 I want you to simply create 4 frames that will each play something different, and send me a screenshot of your frame editor showing that each frame will play a different instrument. Twiggy I can see you're in a completely different boat from your Turtwig friend, so I'll keep things simple to start with. We'll be jumping right in with Unit A... Unit A: "What IS that?" Lesson 1: Melody I understand that you'd be intimidated to try out FL Studio right now, I'll admit to being a little nervous about it myself. Before we being, though, there's one important thing you might already know, but nevertheless should realize. This is NOT "8-bit" remixing. 8-bit is a common misnomer for this kind of soundtrack, when it doesn't characterize the sound at all, but simply the type of processing the system is capable of. It's called 8-bit simply because it's mostly associated with that type of processing. But now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's move on. First of all, the Melody is a term you've probably heard before. By definition, the melody of the song is the predominant sound that leads the songs. If you find yourself whistling or humming a tune you've listened to, you're 99 times out of 100 recounting the melody of the song, while leaving out all of the rest of the parts that make it a song. In the case of FamiTracker, it's usually best to develop the melody of a remix or an OC, after which you can work on the rest of the song. Now, what is the melody on FT, and how do we make it? Well, to understand this, you should understand how a tracker works. A tracker consists of rows and channels. The channels are what's providing the sound, and the rows represent increments in time. These rows are counted in double-digit Hexadecimal form (00, 01, 02, ... 0D, 0E, 0F, 10, 11, 12...) and go up to FF, making a total of 256 rows you can work with (for now...). How do we put the melody on the tracker? Well, the first thing we need to do is add an instrument to even MAKE sound here. All you need to do is go to Instrument at the top and click "Add Instrument". Now, anything you put on the Square channels will create one particular sound, what you put on the Triangle channel will make a different sound, and what you put on the Noise channel will sound like crap, but we'll fix that later. Assignment 1 Before I set you off on your first assignment, I want you to make a quick change very quickly: Go to Instrument and click "Edit Instrument". Now, in the volume section, click the + button to make the volume have a size of 7. Now, in the text box, type "8 8 8 8 8 8 0". You'll find out what that does later. Also, you'll want to go to Duty, make it size one, and in the text box simply type "2". Now that you've gotten that taken care of, set the tempo to "100", click on the slot at the very top left of the tracker grid and enter this pattern of keystrokes... "E E Down E Down Q E Down T Down Down Down B Down Down Down , Down Down B Down Down C Down Down N Down M down J N Down B E Down T Y Down R T Down E Down , Down . M" Next, highlight the section from 10 to 30, copy it, and Ctrl+V at Row 30. And that's it for your first assignment. It probably won't sound quite right, but for the time being, it'll work. Now, for mid-unit progress checks, instead of a sound-file, I'll simply want you to save the FT File and upload it here. I'll download it and look it over myself. Thanks ^^ |
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So many memories - it's probably the first real video game music that I ever had heard. (I bought a PlayStation, though, in the end, back then, as it's already 1999.) Are we using different versions? Also, the tracker defaulted to 64 frames, of which I had to extend myself. Or was it rows? Last edited by Twiggy; August 4, 2012 at 10:33:05 PM. |
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TurtwigX
Assignment 0 Results: PASS (no score) Unfortunately, you cannot attach a FamiTracker file. You're going to have to upload it through a different medium, but mid-unit assignments should nonetheless be uploaded in that form so they can be more closely inspected. Now, here's your first lesson: Lesson 1: Melody As I told Twiggy in his lesson, the melody is what you can pick out to be the dominant line of music in a song, but I'm sure you knew that already. Do take note that the melody in many OSTs has a way of shifting around instruments. During one part, it'll be played by strings, during another, it's the synthesized trumpet. Whatever it is, you'll want it to go in the first column of the tracker so as not to confuse yourself. Assignment #1 This assignment consists of 3 tasks. 1.) First of all, I want you to pick out the melody in the first Overworld Theme of Super Mario 3-D Land, and put it into a single column of FamiTracker. 2.) Do the same thing, but with the battle theme of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum 3.)CHALLENGE: Pick out the melody in the Nighttime theme of Hyrule Field in LoZ: Twilight Princess Twiggy Assignment 1 Result: PASS Good job. I hope you see how the tracker works with that. You might think that the keyboard just seems to assign random keys to random...keys...but that's actually not the case. See, the bottom 2 rows and the top 2 rows both act as piano-roll keyboards. It seems a little confusing, but figuring all of this out is where Unit 2 will come in. Unit 2's goal is to give you some knowledge on Music Theory, but for now, let's move on to the next lesson... Lesson 2: Harmony Now, obviously, if a song only consisted of a melody, it'd be a nice solo piece for a dramatic ost, but that's not going to cover more than at the MOST 1 ost in an entire game. What you need, as well as a couple other things, is something that can compliment the melody's pitch by either paralleling its motion, contrasting it, or just simply adding its own rhythm to make things interesting. This is what we call Harmony. If it doesn't quite make sense from what I'm telling you, maybe it will after this assignment... Assignment 2 So, you remember what you had to do for your last assignment, right? Well, this time, instead of training your cursor on the top left of the tracker, you're going to want to train it in the same wide column, but in the column labeled "Square 2" (make a new file for this, please). Add a new instrument as before, make it's volume map Size 26, and input this in the text box: 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 8 7 5 4. Make it's Duty/Noise map, again, Size 1 Value 2. Make the tempo 80, make sure it's 120 rows long, and enter the following keystrokes... N Down Down N Down N N Down Down Down N Down Down B Down H Copy this segment (00 to 10) and paste it at row 10. Highlight the entire thing, then press CTRL+F3 Skip down to row 20 and enter these keystrokes... D Down Down D Down D D Down Down Down D Down Down S Down X D Down Down D Down D Down D Down S Down X D Now, make a new instrument. This time, make its Volume Map Size 8 with values 7 7 7 6 4 2 1 0, and make the Duty Map Size 1 Value 2 again. Now for the fun part. Enter these keystrokes... 6EM6EMUM53M53MUM Copy this strand and paste at row 50. Then copy from Row 50-57, and paste that at Row 60. Now for the final part... LEYE5M(Down)56MLEMEU6 *puff*puff* Aaaaaaand tell me if you recognize what the harmony's from, kthxbye *passes out* |
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Unfortunately, I failed at picking out what the song(s) came from. Is it just me, or did the style change abruptly in the middle? A long string of keystrokes can be prone to typos. Last edited by Twiggy; August 4, 2012 at 11:42:36 PM. |
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I did your assignment before I got a start on mine, and I have to say I've never heard that song before, but MAN did the whole feeling change at Row 40.
On to my question, I'm not the guy who does Internet file sharing unless it's zipped stuff in Emails, what site should I use? |
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My abilities are:
I have lack of:
EDIT: I changed my mind in the partaking of this school, however above is still a good example of what I am capable of. Last edited by Wulf Cines; August 7, 2012 at 03:51:56 AM. Reason: Dropped out due of application to personal reasons/matters |
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Score: 7/10 Alrighty there we go, a kick. Most songs need a kick, really I could argue that almost all songs need a kick (besides perhaps Orchestral songs, Ambient, etc.). Though, maybe it's because you were using the basic FL Studio kit, I felt the kick did not fit the song... it was like some sort of retro techno sounding kick. If it's because the lack of sounds then don't worry, I understand! Besides, sounds (no matter how good) do not define one's skills. My main problem was that the kick was just SO POWERFUL it drowned out that little.... oh that little buzzing sound was a snare. x3 So yes, if the snare's volume were a bit more louder and the kick's a little less then that would improve things here vastly! But you now understand that songs should defiantly have a kick and a snare at least, for percussion is the heart of any song. Without it, then there is not enough to keep it flowing. I shall make sure I send you some percussion samples that beat the FL Studio ones in the ground. They're amazing and heck, I'd just replace the FL Studio files with these honestly. Once I get them uploaded, I'll send you them and try to post them here as well for others in the same boat. I'm sure you'll improve with your percussion skills soon as you move along. Assignment: Basic EQ/Mixer
Songs: Use any song you want for lesson. Screenshots: Here is the Mixer and how to add a channel/instrument to it.
The Mixer
How to add a channel to the Mixer
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Okay, here you are. I accidentally saved over the SM3DL one, so if it sounds messy now, it was out of anger. And I just added in a messy bit of the insanely fast part I wasn't trying to hard for in the D/P one to show it was part of the melody. Wasn't too serious with that because it requires sheet music. And Twilight Princess... you just had to pick a song from one of the few Zelda games I've never played. No matter, it was difficult, but I put what I think was the melody.
Also John-li signed up for your class, don't ignore that. And I'll email you the FTM files later and stuff. Last edited by TurtwigX; August 7, 2012 at 09:50:40 PM. |
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john-li
Welcome to the crew, john. First of all, I'd like you to answer a few questions... 1. What's your experience in music trackers? 2. What do you know about remixing music? 3. How's your skill in music at all? Okay, right now, Turt and Twig, I need you to check my first post in this thread (that is, if I've got it edited by that point in time) to see the grading scale for your assignments... TurtwigX Assignment Results... 1. SM3DL A little short. -2 Last little part didn't quite sound accurate. = 7/10-- Fix 2. D/P/P Rather short. Misses a lot of the main melody. -4 Last little part again. Not really accurate. -1 = 5/10-- Service 3. Twilight Princess Volume control is great. +2 Misses a small part that is actually kinda the main theme of Hyrule field. -3 Higher part doesn't start on the right pitch, which kinda derails the whole thing. -2 Challenge Bonus: +1 = 8/10 Good FINAL SCORE: 20/30 = Fix a few things First of all, I need you to finish the job on the first too songs. When you remix a song, it's really best that you take all of the song into account, not just a small section. Then, you should listen a little more closely to the melody of the song compared to what you wrote on the tracker. I think you might notice a couple inaccuracies. Don't bother working on the Twilight Princess one, that's a challenge, and I don't expect you to make a masterpiece of that one, so you're A-OK there. But in the end, I do need you to look over your first two songs again , touch them up a little bit, and then actually finish them before we can move on to the next part. [COLOR="Lime"]Twiggy SCORE: Service First of all, the instrument you made for the first part is off. That might be a little more my fault than yours, but here's what you should do to fix it: First of all, delete a few of the 10s on your Volume box and make sure to also shorten the length of that whole track. We're trying to get it to sound like it cuts off before it gets to the next note, which it doesn't quite seem to do. Again, probably my fault, not yours. Second, the second half's...all screwy. I think you should look over my instructions again. If this is how I told you to put it down, let me know so I can tell you where I went wrong. Otherwise, you may have misread something. Third, once you've pulled it together, try to figure out what classic soundtrack it's from. See me if you need a hint about that. |
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SM3DL I can patch up and extend no problem. It can be done by Friday. Monday actually.
D/P... Umm... I don't think I'm too good with the extremely fast part... It takes me like 10 minutes to get a single note. Maybe if I had something to slow down the song. ...Hyrule Field has a main theme? ...I don't know what that is. |
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In the column labeled "Square 2" Add a new instrument as before Make it's volume map Size 26 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 8 7 5 4 Sounds impossibly long. There are only 24 values in there, so the last two should be 0, right? Make it's Duty/Noise map, again, Size 1 Value 2. Make the tempo 80, make sure it's 120 rows long, and enter the following keystrokes... N Down Down N Down N N Down Down Down N Down Down B Down H Copy this segment (00 to 10) and paste it at row 10. Highlight the entire thing, then press CTRL+F3 (CTRL+F3 does nothing in my FT - I think that's probably it. Tell me, what function does that map to?) Skip down to row 20 and enter these keystrokes... D Down Down D Down D D Down Down Down D Down Down S Down X D Down Down D Down D Down D Down S Down X D Now, make a new instrument. Make its Volume Map Size 8 with values 7 7 7 6 4 2 1 0, and make the Duty Map Size 1 Value 2 again. Enter these keystrokes... (Starting from which row?) 6 E M 6 E M U M 5 3 M 5 3 M U M Copy this strand and paste at row 50. Then copy from Row 50-57, and paste that at Row 60. Now for the final part... L E Y E 5 M (Down) 5 6 M L E M E U 6 (Down) means the down arrow key, and not (, Down arrow key, and then ), right? Last edited by Twiggy; August 9, 2012 at 02:38:15 AM. |
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Last edited by SyracuvatTenlii; August 9, 2012 at 09:29:36 AM. |
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Sounds cool, I'd like to apply in LD's classroom !
I use FL Studio 10 producer edition, Current abilities: I can make some parts of a song without midi (depending of which song), uuh, I think that I'm a great beat-maker if you look at my poor remix collection, I can link my instruments to the mixer and stuff, personalize a song a little bit, I however don't use patterns & playlist, I prefer to do my remix like a midi, because I usually use one, I know how to change the velocity, and to use the EQ ( but I'm not very good with it, so I'd not refuse a training ), and finally, I'm a noob with original stuff, but it interest me a lot ! Interests: I'm interested by learning DnB, Breakbeat, Drumstep and Hardstyle ( that's why LD's a good teacher ! ) and also interested by learning to use some VST like Massive and Nexus to make my own sounds ( I'm tired of those presets... ). I have some basic knowledge of Music Theory and FL Studio, but I want to become a great remixer/compositor and bring some joy or eargasm to those who listen to my remixes ! ^^ PM Guidance?: Yes of course ! Songs/Games: Pokémon ( all of them ), Final Fantasy, and one or two songs from Kirby, that's all actually If you have any question, feel free to ask ! Last edited by RaytwOST; August 12, 2012 at 11:11:45 AM. |
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john-li
Ok, john, I think I know where to start off with you, but please be patient here. I need to figure out how to do your lessons, but I'll get back to you soon. Twiggy SCORE: PASS Alright, thank you for fixing that up. Now it's time for things to get down low... Lesson 3: Bass Oooooookay, Twig, so the 3rd and final pitched part of a basic NES tune is the bass. This part of the song carries the chord of the song. If a melody or harmony is off-tune, it sounds weird, but you can tell it's a mistake. If the bass is off-key, the whole song just doesn't sound right. As you can probably tell, the bass is pretty freaking important to get exactly right. The bass shouldn't require much further explanation, so I'll just cut to the chase here and give you the assignment Assignment #3 Okay, I need to go at this with a different approach, so here are your instructions... 1.) Create a new instruments. No new settings this time, just keep it default. 2.) Make the song 256 rows (maximum amount for one frame) 3.) Click the little icon at the top bar called "Settings" and set note cut to "-" and note release to "=" 4.) Enter the following keystrokes at their respective rows... 00: G /// 10: C /// 1A: - /// 1C: C /// 1E: G 20: M; Ctrl+F3 /// 2A: S /// 2E: X 3E: V 40: G 50: C 60: X 76: - /// 78: X /// 7A: C 80: G 90: C /// 9A: - /// 9C: C /// 9E: G A0: M Ctrl+F3 /// AC: - /// AE: S B0: X C0: G /// CA: - /// CC: G /// CE: V D0: C /// DA: - /// DC: C /// DE: D E0: X F0: L Last edited by SyracuvatTenlii; August 12, 2012 at 05:47:45 PM. |
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Don't forget that - is also assigned to Clear Field by default. By the way, your finished file's here. Last edited by Twiggy; August 12, 2012 at 07:01:33 PM. |
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Here's my remix of this song: "YAKSHA" by Neulakyussra (alias of L.E.D.?). Here's the original song as a reference/proof that I'm not stealing anything.
This covers Lesson 2, but I think it goes all the way up to Lesson 9. Modified the Amen Break's mixer channel equalizers to give the Amen Break that "oomph", when mixed with the kick, clap, ride, and other various sounds. I increased the treble a little, and layered a Compressor on top of Soundgoodizer. (Covers Lesson 2) Eight synthesizers used (some of which are layered on top of one another), including five instances of Nexus. I use Albino 3 for my bass lines, if you're wondering. (Covers Lesson 3) Personalized like crazy towards the end, because the orignal melody wasn't enough for me. (Covers Lesson 4) 22 patterns used...along with some Automation clips. The setup I have covers 11 tracks on the playlist. Also added in some sounds from VEC4 to personalize it a little more. (Covers Lesson 5) I didn't have a MIDI to work from, so I had to remix this entirely by ear. (Covers Lesson 6) I put in a couple of snare rolls, and a fade out on a hi-hat loop towards the end. I wonder if a Saw Pad layered on top of another synth with a low-pass/high-pass cutoff filter counts as something getting quiter or louder. (Covers Lesson 7) Like the original, this starts on a dark, grim tone. Towards the end, the tone of the song changes to a much lighter one. Kind of like ascending to the Hall of Origin... (Covers Lesson 8) I adjusted the EQ on some mixer channels to make them stand out, but also so I could hear everything that was going on. (Not sure if this covers Lesson 9) I believe anything can make or break a song, and I'm pretty sure I did mostly everything right here. I'm not sure if I want to apply to be an instructor...I'll give it a few months. Last edited by GTP_NickSkyline; August 31, 2012 at 03:43:44 PM. |
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Passed Score: 9/10 Everything was balanced out EQ-wise and I could hear all of your instruments in the piece well. The quality was not muddy either. My suggestions though would be to bring up the bass just a hair more so it does not get too left behind the rest of the instruments. I liked the synths chosen were rather good as well and the percussion you added was nice as well and fitted perfectly for the type of sound you were going for I assume. I have no complaints and can tell now that your current skills put you in a bit more of an advanced position. The thing I hear the most that you could try working on is panning and playing with Stereo Separation a bit to really enhance the sound of your mix and add more liveliness to it. Quote:
Passed Score: 10/10 Okay I'm not going to lie... this made my jaw drop a bit. I'm really surprised you don't upload your pieces anywhere such as youtube, newgrounds, art sites, etc. Because you really need to share this love with everyone and gain the feedback you deserve. Heh, I will gladly admit that you do surpass my abilities. I would not be able to transcribe a song like this by ear (I can transcribe but... last I tried something like Hardstyle or Hardcore it was... yeah). The ONLY thing I could really find in this was the Amen Break sounded off at one part at 0:58 and the cymbal crashes playing up to this part sounded reminiscent of the BW Samples, which could fit in other gritty songs and maybe this is just me, but I did not think it fitted in quiiiiiite as well as everything else. Perhaps it was the pitch? Or just a dab of delay or a pinch of more reverb would help? It's not a biggie honestly. I was glad to hear more panning overall in this piece compared to your previous Castlevania one, that was nice and a small amount of improvement all on your own! *laughs* There is not much I can teach you, unless you yourself personally feel shaky in any one certain area at all? Feel free to tell me what that my be, if anything. Really though I feel almost as I could be learning from you. I just suggest playing more with Panning and Stereo Sound. Broaden the sound overall of your tracks to make the quality top-notch. You can pan instruments to sound as if they are coming from to the left from "behind" you and things of that nature. I suggest you take a peek into iZotope Ozone 4 or 5 perhaps. If you don't use this already you will fall in love with it instantly I assure you, Nick. If you wish to continue with "lessons" just to make sure you got the panning down or anything else that comes to your mind, feel free to let me know here and we can get this arranged. I will be more on top of things here now due to my work schedule going to Weekends-ONLY now (with School taking up the rest of the week except Fridays until October; meaning I have more time available where I will not be too tired to pass proper judgement). Btw you would definitely make a great teacher, if you do so wish to decide to take one more test for that then pleaseeee let me know~! If you wish to wait a lil' bit on that, I understand completely even if you wish to not take it as well! |
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Chosen Instructor: LugiaDialga (FL Studio 9.1 XXL Producer Edition User)
Current abilities: none i am horrible at remixing V.V Interests: I'm looking forward to learning. PM Guidance?: If I need you...I'll Pm you soon, as much as i can. Songs/Games: POKEMON! i'd like to try Primal Dialga's music first. link me to FL studio! I'm interested in music from the following: *Pokémon Red/Blue/Fire Red/Leaf Green *Pokémon Gold/Silver/Heart Gold/Soul Silver *Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire *Pokémon Diamond/Pearl *Pokémon Black/White *Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (Optional) |
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Score: 8/10 Pianos are always nice, but if you are to add percussion I think you should have added some strings in there or at least an array of other instruments... at the bare minumim something for the bass would be great! String Chords are good as well. The percussion was the main thing in this mix though. The cymbal in the intro was a teensy too loud I thought, you can decrease the "Velocity" to fix this easily! Through the rest of the song the second percussion which was a bassdrum was a little too low in volume. I suggest adding a Compressor to it in the Mixer. ;3 But I feel your starting to grasp percussion a lot better now, Plaz. Which is good! Just don't forget the ol' faithful: Snares~! For your next lesson we shall do one more Mixer-related piece just to make sure you grasp this Mixer and adding ALL the instruments to it! Lesson: Mixer
Songs: Choose any song you wish to right now, Plaz! |
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How about we start easy for ya just to see your beat making skills, eh? Then we can move on don't worry! ^-^ Lesson: Beat Making
Songs: Feel free to choose any of the listed songs below!
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Lesson: Basic Beat Making
Songs: You may use any song you wish to from Pokemon RBY and GSC games.
Percussion in FL Studio
PM me if you have any trouble and good luck, Resh! :3 |
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I appreciate the feedback you've given me. The only reason I haven't messed around with Panning and Stereo sound very often is because, as an aspiring Hardcore Techno musician, I haven't seen a lot of other people do it myself save for maybe a few of the bigger names. I thought the Fruity Limiter + Maximus combo was doing all of the mastering work for me, but then I picked up iZotope Ozone 5 Advanced (which you recommended to me), and I have to say that I'm in love with it. My favorite parts of it would have to be the Harmonic Exciter and Stereo Imager. One of my great ambitions is to find my way onto a compilation CD, especially one from the Japanese Hardcore TANO*C label (Information here). I just had a listen to Hardcore Syndrome 6, and I actually like a lot of the songs on this CD. For me, it had that subtle mix between Happy Hardcore and Gabber I'm familiar with here, a lot more of a Vocal Trance influence, and a few of the tracks even had some Dubstep wobbles in them (I'm integrating Dubstep into my FL Studio Advanced course if I ever decide to teach it). It makes me want to whip out Massive and mess with the Cutoff filter (and I guess now would be a good time to mention that I have a bunch of Massive presets made specifically for producing Dubstep). Personally, my favorite song from this CD would have to be "Project" by USAO. It's a Hardstyle track (and, IMHO, an unique one at that), with some of the heaviest distortion in a kick I've heard in a long time. It also mixes in a very nice melody in the middle of the song as well. To me, it's actually very bright compared to most other Hardstyle songs I've heard. I'm not sure what to call this song, but if I had to pick something accurate, I'd go with Uplifting Hardstyle. Basically, my process of making music goes like this: I listen to a bunch of music at one time. Then, one day when I get bored, I open up FL Studio and try to create something just like what I heard. It doesn't really matter if I'm trying to remix one song into another, just plain goofing around, or making some original content. The thing is, Hardcore TANO*C has been doing this for years, and I just started. So, I can't expect to compete at the level of these musicians for a while. Thus, when I export something in FL Studio, I end up getting about 70% of the result I want. I felt my remix of YAKSHA gave me about 80-85% of the result I wanted. So, I conclude that I'm trying to emulate the average J-Core artist without directly ripping them off, while adding my own unique flare to what I do. It may not be that good compared to what I've heard, but I'm really glad that you like it and want me to share my work.
And speaking of me sharing my work...
Last edited by GTP_NickSkyline; August 24, 2012 at 07:49:50 PM. |
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Like I said before, I'm actually in France ( holidays ), I'll do my lesson as fast as I can, I promise !
I think that I'll try 02 or Seymour battle theme, but I'm not sure about that... Well, I'll see ! Last edited by Cat333Pokémon; August 21, 2012 at 07:55:47 PM. |
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john-li
So...Twiggy's almost up to your level in the classes, and since it'll be my first time doing something like that, it'll be easier if I just have to come up with a single assignment for both of you, so hang tight just a little longer. Twiggy Assignment Result: FIX Excellent work following the instructions, Twiggy, but I would like you to do something extra before you move on to the next assignment: Can you identify what this baseline is from? Anyway, that'll be an addendum to your next and final assignment, but here's the lesson to go with it: Lesson 4: Noise So, you turn on the TV and it's for whatever reason on an unresponsive channel. What do you hear? Noise. Specifically, I believe this is referred to as "white noise", but don't quote me on that. Either way, it's loud, it's obnoxious, and yet, it's somehow used by game companies to make a percussive beat to an NES tune. How? Well, we're going to find out in... Assignment #4 STEP 1) Make a new instrument STEP 2) Set this instrument to Volume size 3, values "15 15 0" STEP 3) Make another new instrument STEP 4) Set this instrument to Volume size 8, values "15 14 13 10 7 5 2 0" STEP 5) Press "I" in the Noise column on the following rows: 00, 12, 14, 16, 18, 2A, 2C, 2E, 30, 42, 44, 46, 48, 4E, 54, 5A, 5D STEP 6) While all of these are assigned to instrument 00, set lines 00, 18, and 30 to instrument 01. STEP 7) Guess the tune this percussion track comes from |
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Assignment 4's here, but you forgot to mention the expected tempo and speed, so I left it at the defaults. As for the number of rows, I chose 96 because that would round up to the last note and loop seamlessly. Again, this is because it was unspecified, and 64 (default) was too short. Also, you forgot to mention "pick instrument 00" right before inserting all the notes. One thing I've noticed about the volume/pitch/noise sizes is that you can just type the values directly, and its size will automatically expand. This might save some time and prevent errors. Nope, can't tell either. I think I must have big trouble picking out anything not the melody unless pointed out. |
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Sorry for the waiting, I was on holidays, but now I'm back, so I did it in a hurry, and so it's probably not fabulous but... Yeah, whatever, I'll do something better next time...
Your Lessons goal: Mhhh... I tried to do a drum beat with a soundfont ( I usually use Slicer and a sample ), and to keep a structure... And like I expected, I miserably failed. Your finished MP3: Here it is ! I was thinking about doing it DnB-style, but like always, I had my lack of creativity and a bit of laziness, so it's just a MIDI with some synth/soundfont on it. :/ |
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I know I'm not your teacher, and therefore can't give you a score. But, the melody of the battle with Seymour Omnis in FFX is awesome indeed, and the drums sound nice enough, even though Fruity LSD was involved (seeing as this is your first lesson, I'll let that slide). And the synth that comes in before the soung starts to fade out...that sounds a bit cliché, yet I find it's one of "those", that you just have to follow in electronic music production. You can't have just a beat, a lead melody and a bass melody. Otherwise, the next single you produce might sell like Pluto Nash's Box Office reception. That said, this isn't that bad for your first remix, and I kind of like it. I'd like to point out a few problems that I have.
Honestly, it could have been worse. |
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To be honest, that was not my first remix, but the lesson's purpose was just to "make a beat", so I did. ^^'
The synth before the fade out : I just put a fade out at the moment where I was too lazy to continue, in fact. The fact that the fade out come just after the synth is just a coincidence, that was not my intention. For the high-pitched melody at the beginning : Yep, but I didn't found a decent VST presets/soundfont on my computer, so it would have been worse if I had put it. But I totally agree with you for the rest. The fact is, LD gave me a lesson to do like 1 week, so I did this in a hurry, but I admit that even if I had had more time, it wouldn't be much better than this. The problem with me is that I can do some good stuff, but only when I am motivated, it's random... Some evenings, I feel hyper ambitious and stuff, and I do a good work. But apparently, it doesn't apply to this evening ^^' ( By the way, even if you're not my teacher, you can give me a note for the lulz ) |
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Score: 7/10 Well, Nick may not be an instructor (yet) when he replied to this post, I shall just ellaborate off of what he has said. I agree here 100% anyways. Yes, your lesson was simply to make a new beat instead of copy/pasting the original to other drums or drum loops and such, which is exactly what you did! It's just a nice way to switch things up and learn new methods besides "ol' failthful" of sorts. The percussion did get a bit loud at times but perhaps all you need to do is tone down the vleloctiy for those specific parts (such as at 0:21 like Nick mentioned), then that would help it a ton! I can't really add more here, Nick got it all said rather nicely. You made a new beat, I feel you just need more practice in this area to ease you into some other things besides just drum loops~! ;3 Otherwise, good job despite your little amount of time spent on it, Ray. As for your next lesson, we shall just do one more in Beat Making so you can get more comfortable with it. And don't sweat it if you are busy, take your time if need be, Ray! Lesson: Beat Making
Songs: Please chose any song of your choice for this second lesson. Last edited by LugiaDialga; August 24, 2012 at 08:34:30 PM. |
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From the sounds of it, you're going to be teaching the Advanced versions of the lessons I teach which go more in-depth. I heard a lot of nice things in this perfect example of a song. Teaching people how to carry the song and transition the moods smoothly to give it life is VERY important. I think you've proven your skills more than anyone else could have ever done. I'm not even a fan of this original song yet you've made a remix that actually lets me listen to it and like it. The use of the pitch-bending amen break break-beat segments were really nice, kinda reminded me of Renard's pieces again. Excellent job on this Nick, I can't really think of any suggestions honestly. I shall be fixing the top post on this thread it looks like as you passed without a doubt. Your ability in FL Studio is excellent and you can definitely handle teaching others as well as you've already shown as well. |
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I apologize for taking so long with my classes' assignments, and unfortunately, I'm going to need to ask for more time. This week's looking pretty busy, but the good news is that once it's over, I should probably have some great lessons ready for Unit 2. Until then, hang tight guys.
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Your Lesson’s goal: This time, I used a drum loop, and tried to not put a lot of Amen Breaks, and I succeeded ! I also used the mixer to enhance my instruments/VST and used the EQ. The drum beat is also more structured
Oh, and last but most important : I tried to not be lazy. Man, that was hard... Your finished MP3: Tadaaaaa ! PS: I don't know why, but I have the feeling that the exported files from FL are worse than when I listen to them in FL...
And for the screenshot, click here
Last edited by RaytwOST; August 26, 2012 at 07:56:51 PM. Reason: Screenshot |
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Unlike your previous song, I have only one complaint this time; and that has to do with the Amen Break. I found it was a little repetitive, partly due to that I heard it throughout the entire song (I think it's hypocritical of you to do this, even though you said you wouldn't put that much Amen). There was the occasional glitch, but overall, I thought it was okay. While it is okay to be ashamed of your own work, it's even better to be proud of your finished product. And the effort you put into this remix is starting to shine through. You're doing a good job so far. Keep it up! Quote:
Your screen's resolution can never be too big, Ray. Last edited by GTP_NickSkyline; August 26, 2012 at 08:27:33 PM. |
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I admit that in the middle/ending part, there's a lot of repetitions, you're right... I could make an other version with a drum beat who sounds more like the beginning. ( except if you're talking about the whole song? ) Quote:
Lawl xD I guess you're right Last edited by RaytwOST; August 27, 2012 at 04:04:43 AM. |
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I guess... Also... ANNOUCEMENT LugiaDialga has granted me with the honor of saying that I'm perfectly fit to teach an Advanced FL Studio course. This goes beyond what she teaches, and the intent is:
If you want to enroll in this course, PM me, and we'll go from there. Last edited by GTP_NickSkyline; September 14, 2012 at 10:46:51 AM. |
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I'm dead... I won't give up my project, but I'm slowly loosing hope.. I tried to remix and I still have nothing... I don't know anything but audio editor and editing sound files. I also downloaded Lavender Town so I can remix it, but I'm not sure it's going to be soon when it's actually worked on.. i'm just that suckish. Maybe if I understood WHAT to do, even though I read the instructions 20 times, I'd finally get it... I'm just so dissapointed in myself for not being able to even remix when that has been what I've wanted to do... I've wanted to follow in LD(LugiaDialga)'s and PRS(PokeRemixStudio)'s remixes... and also NS(NickSkyline)'s.. Cat333Pokemon is who I want to be like in 8-bit music remixes. I'm trying out stuff now, but people are learning faster than me, and I'm seriously discouraged... I've tried to check out FL again and it's still seeming hopeless.
Last edited by ReshZek200; March 31, 2013 at 03:16:45 PM. |
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I would love to learn from you, Master Sensei Shifu. But if you do decide to teach, could I not be in a full class? I don't really... cooperate well with teachers. I know I'll need assistance, but I'd prefer to handle my stuff myself, it feels better that way.
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Enrolement
If this is still going I would like to enroll.
I'll work with FL studio. Current abilities: Have 5-6 years of general music knowledge and classes and self-taught guitarist, but have only spent the past 6 months using FL studio, again mostly self-taught. Some original composition attempts are on my soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/sonix431 Interests: I hope to learn how to do more complex drum patterns, how to master songs and how to create more complex synths. Any knowledge that LD feels that I may also need is appreciated. Final goal is to hopefully make better OC and remixs. PM Guidance?: If at any point I need help I will try and remember to ask for it. (Something that I need to work on) Songs/Games: Pokemon is a primary series that I would like to learn, usually the battle themes from the various generations. Other classics such as Zelda, Megaman and the like, and any tracks that LD will think are appropriate for me. As for genres that I would focus on, primarily I want to learn Happy Hardcore, but also DnB, House and other electronic genres. |
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Current abilities: I was in concert and marching band for all of middle school and high school, so I know basic music theory. I downloaded Linux Multimedia Studio a month or so ago (because it is very easy to work with) and made a remix for Dark World from A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I decided that I love making music so much that I told my friend I would make the soundtrack for a beat-em-up flash game he's working on. The first level of his game takes place in the city. I pictured it as taking place at night, so I came up with City Jam (For my music, there were no pre-recorded interval samples like automatic arpeggios or anything like that; each note you hear was hand-picked on a piano roll, including the intervals you hear in the percussion near the end of Dark World).
Interests: I would like to learn Famitracker. PM Guidance?: Sure, why not! I'll take all the extra help I can get. Songs/Games: Skyway - Mega Man X Corrupted Final Boss - Sonic 3 Magus Theme - Chrono Trigger Last edited by Ya Dad; June 28, 2013 at 10:34:12 PM. Reason: added hyperlinks for Songs/Games |