The 12th Anniversary (PRC312)

Votes (10)

Jan 01, 2016 Chalis
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. Dream of the Unswollen tooth
    esperado
  3. Basement Party [WIP]
    Trism
Every single one of these tracks are great, so tough to vote! A few words about each:

OneUp: Just really love it. Love that drop!

Esperado: Nice and soothing.

Trism: Nice sounds, plus I love that source.

Yami: Trance is always great, nice work.

toilet goat: I really love the instruments used.

FreakyT: Interesting, ambient feel.

Supercoolmike: Like the interesting sounds in it.

bundeslang: Don't know the source, but it's great and energetic.

PlanarianHugger: Ooh I love this source. Nice work combining the two.

Chickenwarlord: Love the source once again, nice work on it.

Touchstone: Like the dark feel.
Jan 02, 2016 Trism
  1. Needles
    Yami
  2. Synthesized Reality
    FreakyT
  3. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
toilet goat - I like the energy of this, very groovy. One overall issue I have is that everything sounds a bit mechanical; a bit of humanising or velocity shifting would have benefited from this very well. Your instruments sound good if a little low quality, I especially like the pizzicato strings at the beginning. The drums could have used some variation; the ride cymbal get's over-used a bit.

Chalis - Nice slow build to main melody, though it doesn't really get chance to get going before a breakdown slows everything down again. When the melody comes back in again it does so very well, though perhaps for a smidge too long before changing things up with the high-pitched beep synth towards the end. The production on this is good and the drum samples stand out nicely.

touchstone - I love piano tracks, though this one sounds like 3 stitched together with no transitions in between them. I like each melody very much, as you say I can see them fitting into specific scenes of a videogame. However my main issue is that it's extremely mechanical, especially the first section. As I said to toilet goat above; this would have benefitted greatly from humanising or velocity shifting.

Chickenwarlord - I can definitly see what you're going for here, however as soon as all the instruments start playing at once at around 0:44 the soundscape gets very cluttered with everything fighting to be heard over everything else. The pizzicato strings add a nice undercurrent to everything, however there doesn't seem to be anything in the bass section; it all seems to be in the mid or high range. I think maybe taking one of the existing instruments, transposing it down a bit and changing the intrument to an upright bass or oboe would have filled out the ranges and made things sound less cluttered overall.

bundeslang - Up the tempo a little and this could easily be a happy hardcore track! The bass is on the weak side for me, I can barely hear the kick drum, though I guess that may be because you've opted to use a non-standard drum pattern (instead of the normal dance style kick-snare-kick-snare), which is very welcome for this kind of track.
I like the synths used but by the end of the track they started to grate a little; some variation throughout the mix would have been nice.

PlanarianHugger - Nice sombre piano and square bass intro leading into a rather chilled out track. The transition between the 2 sources is pretty seamless, good job on that! The track gradually builds in intensity without any obvious changes to the tone or theme which I find quite impressive. The inclusion of a percussive synth towards the end keeps the piano melody from becoming repetitive, nice work overall!

FreakyT - Getting a late 70's sci-fi movie vibe from this, nice! The garageband instruments actually work quite well here I think, helps with the low budget movie score feel :) Can't really find anything to fault with this!

supercoolmike - Super cool vibe from supercoolmike! Nice string intro leading into the cool down-tempo beat that carries on throughout the track. There's a few different sections to the mix which keeps things moving along at a nice pace. The choice of synths works well in keeping the main melody going without overpowering anything else. There's some nice FX in the background to keep things interesting as well.

Yami - Nice driving beat right from the start, leading into an ever more drivier (that's a word, right?) beat. Excellent choice of synths throughout, when the main melody hits it hits hard. The production is excellent, this could well be something to consider submitting to OCR.

esperado - Wow, that's a weird intro! I've got no idea what kind of synth you used for that but I like it. When the main melody comes in it's a little high compared to the intro which is a bit jarring; however the synth choice works well as a lead, especially mixed with the sounds making up the soundscape. Nice understated beat underlines everything which works well. Outro is a welcome return of the strange intro synth, I'd be interested to hear what you used there.

OneUp - Love that beat! I know you said in the main thread that you where going for an 80's vibe and I can kinda see that with the bassline you've got going on, but the drum samples sound more modern than that which keeps it quite current. They synths and pads however are pure 80's awesome and the melodies themselves are excellent. Veru nice work!
Jan 02, 2016 toilet goat
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. The Space Within
    supercoolmike
  3. Basement Party [WIP]
    Trism
OneUp - Piston Pusher - Tune sounds really nice to my ear, and so I like it. 1st place from me :P

supercoolmike - The Space Within - I like the strings, pads and the bass. Atmosphere somehow reminds me of some Doom stages music, which brings some nostalgy factor. 2nd place

Trism - Basement Party - This sounds nice, could've been 2nd place but unfinished product is unfinished :). I find some Alexander Brandon-style here, with the exception of drums. Hope you can finish it. 3rd place.

All in all I found every song to be somewhat unique, and I liked em all. Keep PRC going strong! :D
Jan 02, 2016 Chickenwarlord
  1. Detective Gumshoes Shoes
    toilet goat
  2. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  3. Dream of the Unswollen tooth
    esperado
Odd how Dream of the Unswollen Tooth uses so many swelling leads.
Jan 02, 2016 esperado
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. Detective Gumshoes Shoes
    toilet goat
  3. Someone Put a Wall in my Way
    PlanarianHugger
Toilet goat: Everything felt well placed and it was interesting throughout. I cant find anything to criticize on this one . volume wasnt very dynamic in some spots (when the drums first come in for example) but thats nitpicking. well done!

Chalis: I think there should have been something else to add interest to the ending instead of just bass, like some modulation maybe? Also personal opinion: i would have spiced up that pluck that comes in at 2:12, maybe with some vibrato on some notes or some grooved notes.Otherwise , a solid trance song! hope you had a good holiday!

Touchstone: Nice and moody. Seems like some of the bass notes are louder than the higher pitched ones and they might need some humanization. However, Im not super well versed in piano arrangments. I like how it still has a holiday vibe, it makes me think of a sad orphan on christmas eve.

Chickenwarlord: The bass is a bit overpowering, maybe it has a delay on it? Also dont forget to humanize when making orchestral sounding stuff. keep at it!

Bundeslang: That arp in the intro makes me think of crazy motorcycle from FF7. The clap is super loud. digging the breakdown with the steel drums though!

PlanarianHugger:Piano volume in the intro could be moved up a bit, the bass is a bit heavy in that section. I like the piano volume when the plucky synth comes in though, the ambience is quite nice. I was kindof hoping for the energy to build to a climax though.

FreakyT: this makes me think of Dos era Strategy games. Your lead sounds a bit muffled. that saw pad screams garageband though. Overall a fun remix!

Trism: nice snares! everything kindof hits you at once and stays there though. Maybe some modulation on the synths and figure out what part is the focus in each section. pretty great for a "not finished" mix though, well done!

Supercoolmike: Some interesting sound choices here! Two things i noticed. perhaps some creative processing on the crash cymbals would have helped them fit in with the experimental vibe. You could even have just used modulated white noise instead of a cymbal. Second, the pads needed someting, maybe reverb, maybe a different patch, im not sure. Otherwise im digging what youve got! the flutter sound and the bass are sweet.

Yami: Been listening to Above and Beyond? haha. This is some pretty classic trance here. Got yourself a nice little 303 arpeggio in back there. The saw pads needed something, but i cant pin what it was, sidechaining?

Oneup: Drums in the first few seconds are a little dry, but otherwise I cant really find anything to critique.. You always have such smooth mixes. Nice Fm lead btw.











Jan 03, 2016 Yami
  1. Detective Gumshoes Shoes
    toilet goat
  2. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  3. Someone Put a Wall in my Way
    PlanarianHugger
Oh man, I haven't voted in many rounds, especially not free ones, but this time must have been the hardest one.
1) Detective Gumshoes Shoes: I don't like the original, but I really liked the feel of this tune. I'm not a big fan of jazz, but this one got me hooked
2) Piston Pusher: Synthwave is something I quite enjoy, when done correctly. You did do it, but I can only vote one first place, and toilet goat's entry was slightly better
3) Someone Put a Wall in my Way: I remember the originals faintly. This tune fits for a walk in a forest. But it's a bit loud, it even clips a bit starting about the 2 min mark and that's why I only put it on third.
Jan 04, 2016 supercoolmike
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. Dream of the Unswollen tooth
    esperado
  3. Needles
    Yami
Toilet Goat - Nice orchestrated segments going on here. When the the guitar comes in, it sounds like the Ace Attorney gang just went through the apocalypse and Phoenix is still trying to do the right thing by fighting injustice in the courtroom. XD

Chalis - not too knowledgeable on judging trance but I like it. Pacing was good so it didn't sound too monotonous, only issue for me here is that I felt the lead synth at 2:12 could've had a longer and more flourishing spotlight.

Touchstone - I was trying to hear that darkness you were talking about, but since it was a duet from a piano. I probably got a slightly different variation of "darkness" as far as emotions go. The notations were their and it indeed had a dark-ish feel to it, as if something terrible has happened. however the piano's made it sounded more like a dark setting that is trying to be uplifting. Like an aura that surges through the protagonist to only look at the good things that has come to past while skimming through the negative. Of course this only my perspective on it, but its still enjoyable to listen to.

Chickenwarlord - ya man, same here. I missed that silius theme and I kinda of regret it. This lil ensemble was decent and kinda wished you were able to put more time into it cuz it definitely showed potential.

Bundeslang - lol sorry, no idea here on where it came from. Other then that, I dig it. The melody is pretty hypnotizing and I would say that you've had a pretty sweet midi that collected virtual dust. Good to see it had a moment in the spotlight.

PlanarianHugger - I would say the mixture between the 2 songs is good rendition however, the synth that starts at 0:57 kinda rubbs me the wrong way cuz it felt like there was no variations (even though there was altering variation) or breaks from it, and It made the song feel kinda dragging on.

FreakyT - even if those were default instruments, you were still able to make things work and make a great song. I've always felt the DAW shouldn't be the reason people shouldn't or can't make music with, cuz at the end of the day your Vst's and your experience with limitations is making the music, not the DAW.

Trism - Its unfortunate you weren't able to finish this piece the way you wanted it to, but for what's here I'd say you did a pretty cool job keeping the tension of the original and making your own spin on things.

Yami - Really dig it man, Got my head bumpin to the beat and all. But you got help me out here, I swear to god I heard of the melody that plays at 1:51 somewhere before its driving me crazy for not knowing it. I need to find out if its just a conciidence or if it's actually from somewhere, lol.

Esperado - by the tone of this piece, we all know what kind of Trip thos meds have given you for those wisdom teeth lol. Very chill and hypnotic to make one think over the horizon for there future.

OneUp - sik man. catchy as all hell. now is there a line where I get into to see a trailer of this new project when it comes out? lol
Jan 04, 2016 FreakyT
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. Detective Gumshoes Shoes
    toilet goat
  3. Needles
    Yami
My favorites:

1. Piston Pusher by OneUp
I like this one! I could imagine it playing in the background of a game, where you walk down some corridor and battle a line of increasingly difficult enemies.

2. Detective Gumshoes Shoes by toilet goat
Conveys a nice amount of drama. Also, OBJECTION!

3. Needles by Yami
Not familiar with the source, but I enjoyed the trance arrangement anyway!


Some of the others:
Dream of the Unswollen tooth by esperado
weirddddddddddd, i guess the first instrument almost reminds me of a dentist drill. really has a unique sound, very trippy.

The Space Within by supercoolmike
I enjoyed the intro (with those dubstep-kinda-drum-things going on), but the second half doesn’t feel cohesive for some reason. Then when it gets to the ending, it starts getting cool sounding again, with the synthy strings coming back.

Basement Party [WIP] by Trism
Smash Bros! I really like the way the analog sounding string sound blends with the rest of the synthesized sounding instruments. It sounded like a really cool beginning to a longer song, so I’d love to hear a finished version.


Jan 04, 2016 PlanarianHugger
  1. Dream of the Unswollen tooth
    esperado
  2. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  3. Synthesized Reality
    FreakyT
toilet goat – I liked the mixture of the orchestral and guitar parts especially the bass. The balance could be better but I liked it.
Chalis – nice trance piece. The layering of the different parts worked well together but it was a bit repetive at the end.
touchstone – Bountiful piano song with nice harmonies but some of the notes sounded off to me.
Chickenwarlord – Instruments sound very unnatural and there is 30 second of silence at the end. Keep trying.
bundeslang – Intro could uses some work but once the song got going it was realy energetic and evoled nicely. Rough around the edges but I liked it a lot.
FreakyT – I wish this was longer. The groove you presented was nice and worked with the rest of the material added.
Trism – I liked the dark and brooding atmosphere of this tune. I would have like it to go somewhere as it continued.
supercoolmike – Nice mix of strings and all the effects. It worked well together and added to the space felling of it.
Yami – I fell that the intro was too long and that the melody should have moved more as the song went on. None the less I enjoy this.
esperado – This was very relaxing and dreamy and the drums added near the end realy made this song work well. Loved it.
OneUp – This was piece was incredibly fun to listen to. It was energetic and constantly move somewhere new. I enjoy this was one very much.
Jan 05, 2016 bundeslang
  1. Piston Pusher
    OneUp
  2. Hypnotic Trance
    Chalis
  3. Dream of the Unswollen tooth
    esperado
Chalis - I like the way how you put everything together. I especially enjoyed the bassline.
Chickenwarlord - This was PRC308 I think. Nice source selection, I also like what you did here, but I will forget the last 20 seconds.:)
Esperado - This song sounds very complete. It's a nice mix, I also liked the ending.
FreakyT - Good intro and a nice style.
OneUp - If this is just a demo, then I'm looking forward for the thing after it. Nice mix.
PlanarianHugger - I like the quiet part around 1:39 and the built-up from that section.
Supercoolmike - This is something different, and it has a good structure. I like the combination of stuff in this song.
Toilet Goat - The jazz-orchestral combination really paid off.
Touchstone - Great piano work.
Trism - Dark introduction but I like it. The noisy back ground works well with the source.
Yami - Nice strings around 1:20, the last part misses a little variation, but I like the sampling.

Thanks everyone for this amazing round. It was hard to make a top 3. 11 Interesting pieces.