Series 5 theme remake
 

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I don't like that at all. It's a pity because the bassline and 'oo ee oo' is rather nice, if a little over bassy but even that sounds like a direct recreation of Dominic Glynn's theme.

Those ghastly midi strings don't blend well with it at all, they sound out of time, out of tune, wavery and grating. The levels also seem rather screwed up and the very worst part of this mix, the terrible melody, is far louder than the bassline and sounds badly mixed, almost pasted on. Also, those stringy bits, which are new sections of the theme created by Murray overpower the 'original' aspects of the theme and makes it sound less like it should.

Opening sting doesn't sound nice, almost as though it was recorded straight out of your speakers on a low quality dictaphone, and the intensity of it doesn't suit the more subdued music that follows it.

EDIT: and what do you mean "not like the "it's shit" from Ronnie Rowlands" you little tit. yes I did say that but I at least told him what else I thought was wrong with it, you make out like I swanned in and said that and nothing more.

You offend my violin for calling it midi. In fact I recorded a C in audacity, wav'd it, and put it in Sampler. But I've replaced them now, I redo the link soon.

Oh. I just assumed it was because it sounded sampled in some way.

The term "MIDI" is so fucking overused. Look it the fuck up. It does not mean "played using a shitty built-in computer soundset." It refers to the transmission of notes (note on, note off, how hard the key is pressed, etc.). It has nothing to do with sound itself.

alright alright, I'll use it differently in future but don't get snippy with me for that, it's a common mistake.

and "melodrama" means "drama set to music"

get over it son

To be fair, I sang as I typed the comments that Danny said was melodramatic

The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work which exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions.

Yes, it does today. Originally it meant drama set to music, as a portmanteau of MELODY and DRAMA.

From the exact same Wikipedia article you copy/pasted from:

Next time, read the whole article, genius.

My point, that you seem to have missed, is that although MIDI literally refers to the means of creating music, it has come to mean music (to paraphrase the esteemed Mr. Stewart) "played using a shitty built-in computer soundset" due to its association with MIDI files. Just as the meaning of melodrama changed, so has the meaning of MIDI. The evolution of language, my friends.

You're no fun when you're being reasonable :P

you're just an idiot

No

NOT the Series 5 Theme Remake
 

Right I'm now making a theme that isn't really based on the other themes. I have got the bassline and Melody the same of course and I have this new violin intro bit.

It doesn't have any background instruments until the end but it's not finished yet so what do you expect?

I haven't thought of a name yet so for now I will call it: remix.mp3

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8989588/remix.mp3

:tardis:

Getting better but I suggest a lot less bass and maybe turn the volume down a bit overall. I'm sure others will have better feedback than I.

Oh sweet jesus what the bloody hell is that? The entire thing sounds flanged, negative and ghastly. Please please finish it first, and for God's sake match up the bassline and the melody properly so that it isn't all clunky and messy.

Mind you, you'll probably quit because of that remark because you're a flouncey puss. Don't deny it. I was the same at 14.

It kinda sounds disjointed and disconcerting. I liked some aspects of it, but I didn't really take to the second melody sound you used (the really tinny one). The timing of the melody also seemed very off, it fitted out of place over the bassline. It sounded like you were racing to punch in out as fast as you could.

I agree that the sound levels are way off (my mum just complained that she couldn't hear the telly 'cos it was that loud), but I think for the main part, it was due to a very minimalistic feel that it had due to the lack of much instrumentation used. If you were going for a minimilistic style then it would have worked, but the strings at the beginning suggest a fuller sounding piece, then the strings fall out and it just leaves the theme falling flat afterwards.

Now, others may disagree here, but I think it would make it sound much more atmospheric if you used more reverb, especially towards the end.

The scream seemed pretty cut off at the beginning, as well as too quiet and trebley, I suggest getting maybe a different sample of the scream which sounds louder and more appropiate.

A similar problem is the end, the last notes seemed to be punched out as fast as possible as well. I can tell you're a young musician because of your troubles with tempo and sense of timing, but please dont take that as an insult, 'cos I'm a young musician (albeit, a one who's studying music at college) and I and many other suffer from the same issue.
I think if you held the final note a little longer, it would seem much less rushed.

That's pretty much all I can think of right now, if I think of anymore, I shall let you know. But don't be too put off, I like the concept and the basic arrangement, it just seems rough around the edges. I really think if you want it sounding its fullest, it is well worth working on.

Yeah, I completely agree with you on that, I'll try and get a better one that fits the piece.



Well, that's the trouble with having a MIDI2USB adapter and not a USB midi keyboard. I see if I can make a perfect re-record though.





Blame the fucking trailer maker. I'll look for another one.



Thanks for your help btw.

No problem, glad to help.
Might I suggest first getting the theme top notch first, then focus on the scream last. If you ask really nicely, Danny might put a scream sample in himself.

yeah ok. I might take a very long time since I'm also working on my TARDIS build but I'll have a bit of time at night like now

Well, I do think you've got an arrangement with potential, and that's the most important thing at the moment, so good luck :)

What the bloody hell is all this about?

They're Lines. When I was doing all those quotes it got confusing so I put lines in to split them up

EDIT: Ben, I've edited that second melody to a different voice, can you tell me if it's better pls. I haven't edited the levels or background voices but I'm going to start that soon.

I think the voice is closer, but not quite there. Maybe deepening the sound, and if possible, anding a wobble effect would make it sound more alien. I think the general voice sounds alright, but needs a slight tweak.

If I lower it one octave is sounds nearly exactly the same as the melody does and that's not what I want, so I kept it the same, but I put like a wobble-thing on, I think that's what you meant, but tell me if it's not. it's still the same link btw.

EDIT: sorry anyone who listened to that before I edited, I forgot to add in my new mp3 (with the wobble) it's added now

Did you add the wobble to the organ sound?

not yet, im playing around with it to make it sound better.

Cool, I'll listen when you upload :)

ok I've done it now. same link, sorry for the wait, Dropbox was messing up so much.

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant about the wobble. It sounds pretty cool.
Now just spend some time sorting the timing and I think you'll have a pretty good remix there, just remember not to rush it too much. Have a listen to some of the official themes that were actually used in the series, that might help you in getting a better grasp on the timing.
It's a work in progress, but I've definitely heard an improvement. :)

Not a bad start, but the Murray Gold-inspired melody over the bassline intro is seriously starting to get annoying. So many people are using it (or derivatives based on it) in their themes now. Let the bassline intro stand on its own, people.

Basically my biggest problems are to do with mixing. The bass is a bit too loud and bassy, and the whole thing is a bit too compressed and loud. Quiet everything down a bit and allow individual elements to shine through a bit more. Aside from that, Ben's giving you some pretty good advice.

P.S. Those lines between quotes were annoying as hell. If you need to use them to not get confused, at least have the decency to take them out before hitting Post.

P.P.S. Dropbox doesn't mess up. I blame this on user error.

P.P.P.S. awesome.mp3 is an annoyingly arrogant filename.

I might. Let's see how nice you can be.

It was messing up, it wouldn't upload it till like the 20th time I put it in. it kept failing

EDIT: I have changed the bassline and sorta changed the volume levels. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8989588/remix.mp3

The sound levels sound a lot better now, the different parts sound much more equally placed now (with some sounds, you'll find they're louder than others, so need to be quieter when mixing than the quieter ones, it's all about finding the right balance that doesn't make a certain part sound too bombastic).
Now Danny may differ on this, but my main problem now is just the timing.

yeah I'll try. I've got to continue my TARDIS build now so I'll start later

Nice improvement good job. :)

I might be able to get it myself, remember the Series 1 trailer music? for some weird reason the theme started as soon as the scream finished, not like halfway through. I need to find some clean trailer music.

Well, although that is fair enough, and I commend you attempting to obtain it yourself, Danny will have a much cleaner and usable copy than a sample recording of trailer music. It may sound a little off as well, 'cos the series 1 trailer theme was either a semitone or a whole tone lower than the original key, so I'm not sure how that soundbite of the scream would fit over your recording.

:/ I'm going to go read a wikipedia article about persuasion so i can get Danny to give me a sample.

EDIT: I really like those mixes that have like a drum beat in it, because it keeps the mix alive, but I'm terrible at drum beats so im kinda screwed there. :s

No persuasive techniques needed, just ask nicely for him to put the scream in at the opening. It's hardly a long job and won't take Danny 5 minutes.

Then I suggest just sticking with what you know for now, there's no crime against experimenting once you're happy with achieving something that's in your capabilities already. In fact, experimenting would be a good thing to do.