~Hakurei Shrine~ > Alice's Art Atelier
[Music] Touhou music arranged by Z.A.
Z_A:
Remastered something (as promised).
https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/headless-hunter-remastered
The drums are now audible and the mix became cleaner in general. Probably.
https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/hardcore-youkai-shoujo-remastered
LOUDER. Especially the drums. Maybe even too much so...
Thanks in advance for the feedback. A new arrangement coming soon (most likely).
Z_A:
The last arrangement this year, yaay! Also, time to do some retrospection (=
https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/catadioptric-starbow-garland
Might as well begin from the fails part right away! So... I really don't like the character all that much, the same goes for her theme. However! Pretty much every Touhou arranger makes a version of this piece. It's a silly excuse, I know, but I didn't want to make a really good arrangement. And I decided to do it now, because as I am at the moment - I won't be able to be proud of this arrangement in the future, when my skill improves. Because I didn't like the original, I changed the lines a lot, to the point that it's not even instantly recognizable from the melody alone. I'd say it's about 75% an original composition made by me! =P I did diligently tag the track anyway, so look out for spoilers - besides the name - if you are willing to try and figure out the source on your own. This time, I only put most of my effort in writing the modified melody line (I changed nearly everything - the instrument, the time signature, the rhythm, the sections order, and only left some better parts with no changes), and completed the rest rather sloppily. Though I'm sure it's enough for a decent arrange - I just couldn't come up with some more or better lines. And so now I know one way to fix the SoundCloud hi-hats issue - just don't use them at all! Because this time all the rhythm I need is contained in the 3/4 vibraphone line. Huge thanks to GenericArrangements for reminding me to use the panning - if not for his last feedback post, I'd probably have skipped this part altogether, but since he asked... And he was right to do so, because it improved the sound a lot, at least in this arrangement. Mind you, this piece does not loop: the second half has one significant difference from the first. It would only loop only after the end of the track, which I didn't do just because. The name is a reference to some spellcards of this character, also, the song is slightly Christmas-y. Or so I believe, because I did make this arrangement with Christmas in mind, unlike the former one, Pristine Lead, which came out creepy AND close to Halloween only by accident. Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy, plz give feedback (= you should know how it goes by now, right?
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So... it has already been more than a year of me arranging Touhou (mostly) using DAW and other complicated stuff and sharing it with y'all. Is there any progress? Sure hope so. They're all good, but growing in variety and, I think, in the mixing quality as well. The Chaos Dial was easy and fun to do, The Final Page, an arrange on Yume Nikki's ending, was the beginning of a new genre and epoch for me, the Hardcore Youkai Shoujo - an extensive practice in using some VSTs and complex mixing techniques. The Flower Land was a certain fail, but a promising one: I'll be sure to get it right one day. In End of Daylight I tried to give some development to the ideas that I had while arranging The Final Page, and those, after a while, resulted in Pristine Lead, which I think is worth every minute of those five months I spent on it. And finally, this piece - weirdly arranged, but not actually bad, right? And that concludes the year of 2018 of my Touhou arranging. A merry Christmas to you, my comrades, and a happy New Year! See you in 2019 with new works!
GenericArrangements:
Apologies for being late about this (was busy) but here I am now!
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 09, 2018, 12:51:31 AM ---Remastered something (as promised).
https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/headless-hunter-remastered
The drums are now audible and the mix became cleaner in general. Probably.
--- End quote ---
Sounds better than before, certainly! I still believe the drums could be more upfront (particularly the snare) following the conventions of rock mixing. The arrangement overall is still really nice, though again, the piano part at 0:52 isn't really led in well. I think that could be sorted by adding a few semiquavers (16th notes) with a slight increase in volume just before it hits that section (as a lead-in) to tell the listener that a piano is going to come in. Otherwise, very nice!
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 09, 2018, 12:51:31 AM ---https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/hardcore-youkai-shoujo-remastered
LOUDER. Especially the drums. Maybe even too much so...
--- End quote ---
The drums are perfectly fine. In fact, they could be even louder, though this is fine. At 1:57, something very bass-y starts playing to the far left. Because there's no balance to that on the right, it kinda hurts to listen to there. Still, a good remix.
I'll say that in both of these mixes, the rock guitars are actually too loud and upfront. I know they're usually close, but in these mixes they're almost painfully large, flooding the mix, which is really only a problem because they're panned to the sides (though that part is correct, in that they should be panned like that). I think it might be good to experiment with EQ more over that. With EQ, it's best to remove the lower frequencies of anything that isn't a bass instrument, to avoid muddying the mix (which is especially helpful for the actual bass instrument, to give it room). This is particularly important with rock guitars, as if you don't control it, the sound fills everything. Reducing high frequency is also useful if you want something to sound a bit further away from the ears.
GenericArrangements:
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---The last arrangement this year, yaay! Also, time to do some retrospection (=
https://soundcloud.com/user-595154314/catadioptric-starbow-garland
--- End quote ---
Ooh, this is interesting.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Might as well begin from the fails part right away! So... I really don't like the character all that much, the same goes for her theme. However! Pretty much every Touhou arranger makes a version of this piece.
--- End quote ---
At first I couldn't recognise the theme but then I checked the tags. I don't like the character much either, but the theme is one of the best from that game, and still up there as one of the better tracks, I'll say. Everyone does remix it though, but that doesn't mean you have to lol.
Actually, I use "everyone arranges this" as an excuse to not arrange things.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---It's a silly excuse, I know, but I didn't want to make a really good arrangement. And I decided to do it now, because as I am at the moment - I won't be able to be proud of this arrangement in the future, when my skill improves.
--- End quote ---
I tend to be like this, though I always have big plans, so in the end I don't do anything. It's a good approach though, as it shows you're treating things like practice.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Because I didn't like the original, I changed the lines a lot, to the point that it's not even instantly recognizable from the melody alone. I'd say it's about 75% an original composition made by me! =P I did diligently tag the track anyway, so look out for spoilers - besides the name - if you are willing to try and figure out the source on your own. This time, I only put most of my effort in writing the modified melody line (I changed nearly everything - the instrument, the time signature, the rhythm, the sections order, and only left some better parts with no changes), and completed the rest rather sloppily.
--- End quote ---
I do appreciate hearing great manipulation of melodies within remixes, as long as it's still recognisable. As I already stated, I didn't recognise this at all. It's a very nice piece by itself, but it's so original you could actually classify it as an original composition. It's best to keep certain parts completely intact so that people can at least recognise one part, so that they can understand how the motif was manipulated in other section.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Though I'm sure it's enough for a decent arrange - I just couldn't come up with some more or better lines. And so now I know one way to fix the SoundCloud hi-hats issue - just don't use them at all! Because this time all the rhythm I need is contained in the 3/4 vibraphone line.
--- End quote ---
I mean, then you're missing out on the nice sounds of a hi-hat...
Well, there doesn't seem to be any percussion in this arrangement anyway (besides the vibraphone I guess). In fact, there isn't a whole lot in the arrangement at all, though the vibraphone does indeed provide enough rhythmic drive to fill in gaps.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Huge thanks to GenericArrangements for reminding me to use the panning - if not for his last feedback post, I'd probably have skipped this part altogether, but since he asked... And he was right to do so, because it improved the sound a lot, at least in this arrangement.
--- End quote ---
pfft who told you tha- oh wait that's me. You're welcome!
About your panning however, I feel like a better approach for this piece might've been to have the vibraphone in the centre, with the rock guitar(s) spread around the sides. When there's only one lead (especially one with the rhythmic complexity like in here) it's more preferable to leave it in the centre, like one would in a vocal mix. Listening to this arrangement has made my left ear a little sore, due to the harsh attack of the vibraphone being more significant than the softer attack of the guitar(s).
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Mind you, this piece does not loop: the second half has one significant difference from the first. It would only loop only after the end of the track, which I didn't do just because. The name is a reference to some spellcards of this character, also, the song is slightly Christmas-y. Or so I believe, because I did make this arrangement with Christmas in mind, unlike the former one, Pristine Lead, which came out creepy AND close to Halloween only by accident.
--- End quote ---
Looping isn't always important, and I think letting it cut off there is probably good, though maybe have a second or two of silence to let the sound fade out (and not make soundcloud throw me into a different track).
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy, plz give feedback (= you should know how it goes by now, right?
--- End quote ---
Was very nice! I think it could've gone with a little bit... "more", y'know? But for what it is, I think it's pretty solid. Just consider my feedback I wrote above. It's all the feedback I have!
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---So... it has already been more than a year of me arranging Touhou (mostly) using DAW and other complicated stuff and sharing it with y'all. Is there any progress? Sure hope so. They're all good, but growing in variety and, I think, in the mixing quality as well.
--- End quote ---
I'm seeing really great progress! I'm always seeing something get better with each arrangement you post.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---The Chaos Dial was easy and fun to do, The Final Page, an arrange on Yume Nikki's ending, was the beginning of a new genre and epoch for me, the Hardcore Youkai Shoujo - an extensive practice in using some VSTs and complex mixing techniques. The Flower Land was a certain fail, but a promising one: I'll be sure to get it right one day. In End of Daylight I tried to give some development to the ideas that I had while arranging The Final Page, and those, after a while, resulted in Pristine Lead, which I think is worth every minute of those five months I spent on it. And finally, this piece - weirdly arranged, but not actually bad, right?
--- End quote ---
That's quite a few pieces you've gone through. I feel like you're definitely on the right track, especially as you're able to identify your own experimentation, practice and development.
--- Quote from: Z_A on December 21, 2018, 02:36:28 PM ---And that concludes the year of 2018 of my Touhou arranging. A merry Christmas to you, my comrades, and a happy New Year! See you in 2019 with new works!
--- End quote ---
Well, it's 2019 now :P
Can't wait to see more! I wish I responded to this sooner actually...
Z_A:
--- Quote ---It's a very nice piece by itself, but it's so original you could actually classify it as an original composition.
--- End quote ---
Thanks! I'm actually planning to eventually make an original piece, and this is about just one step away.
--- Quote ---It's best to keep certain parts completely intact so that people can at least recognise one part, so that they can understand how the motif was manipulated in other section.
--- End quote ---
You should probably be able to recognize some of the "hooks" after you've found the source T_T
--- Quote ---I mean, then you're missing out on the nice sounds of a hi-hat...
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I know. After listening to some new year concerts I really want to add some brush percussion.
--- Quote ---When there's only one lead (especially one with the rhythmic complexity like in here) it's more preferable to leave it in the centre, like one would in a vocal mix.
--- End quote ---
I guess you are right, although I did it the other way because I imagined the vibraphone standing a bit to the left and the guitarist a bit to the right =P even so, it turned out better than when I tried to leave everything stacked in the center...
--- Quote ---Listening to this arrangement has made my left ear a little sore, due to the harsh attack of the vibraphone being more significant than the softer attack of the guitar(s).
--- End quote ---
It's kinda funny that you mentioned it, as I actually used some nice compression to get a softer attack on the guitar specifically.
--- Quote ---Looping isn't always important, and I think letting it cut off there is probably good
--- End quote ---
It would loop onto itself naturally, so it's fine to have it either way. The SoundCloud really does this annoying thing that you mentioned though (=
--- Quote ---I think it could've gone with a little bit... "more", y'know?
--- End quote ---
Like I said, that was somewhat intentionally minimalistic, but in fact I just couldn't come up with something "more". Maybe I didn't try very hard (well...)
--- Quote ---Just consider my feedback I wrote above. It's all the feedback I have!
--- End quote ---
That was amazing! And more than everyone else gave anyways. Thanks a lot!
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--- Quote ---the piano part at 0:52 isn't really led in well. I think that could be sorted by adding a few semiquavers (16th notes) with a slight increase in volume just before it hits that section (as a lead-in) to tell the listener that a piano is going to come in.
--- End quote ---
I see. Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.
--- Quote ---In fact, they could be even louder
--- End quote ---
I EQ'd the snare in as much as I could! =D
--- Quote ---At 1:57, something very bass-y starts playing to the far left.
--- End quote ---
Those are most likely the toms. I did stereo-merge the drumkit some, but evidently not enough. Or maybe I should have changed the lines there...
--- Quote ---I'll say that in both of these mixes, the rock guitars are actually too loud and upfront.
--- End quote ---
That shouldn't be the issue in the Hunter, in fact, it was barely audible before, so now it should be fine.
--- Quote ---they're panned to the sides
--- End quote ---
But... in the Hunter it's the guitar to the left and the saw synth to the right... though it's perfectly justifiable by the same point: they need to sound separately from each other due to high frequency bandwidth consumption.
--- Quote ---With EQ, it's best to remove the lower frequencies of anything that isn't a bass instrument, to avoid muddying the mix
--- End quote ---
200Hz hi-pass, no? I do that all the time.
--- Quote ---Reducing high frequency is also useful if you want something to sound a bit further away from the ears.
--- End quote ---
That, too. I guess it's just in the nature of amped guitar sound to break forward through all other frequencies, so you actually have to EQ in all other instruments to make them more audible.
...which does not really sit well with me - even in soundfonts there are some REALLY good and rich sounding samples, and singling out only certain frequencies from those would be such a waste. That's why I try to find other ways.