Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /storage/content/49/145849/famitracker.com/public_html/forum/classes/dbHandler.php on line 29
FamiTracker
Not an overly bad start. You have the main notes. That's something.
Volume control is a mess, however--nothing mean or anything, but it's tied with harmony as one of the biggest things to master with Famitracker.
Attached is a 900 BPM example on a few things.
Echo: The echo in VRC6 Square 2 is far too high, for one. You can also keep the echo to a single channel on top of that, if you wish for it to be in a channel. Sure it limits how you can echo with things (especially how you want it to and how you want notes to collide with each other), but it can do the trick in a pinch.
In the attachment is an example of two kinds of echo: Single and Dual channel, with volume taken to a bit of an extreme. VRC6 Square 2 compliments the entirety of VRC6 Square 1 with a very slight echo on top of the existing echo (did a similar thing with 3 channels in my Wave Man cover, but with a bit of a different purpose with all of the notes in harmony). The catch is, VRC6 Square 2 has an echo within itself, meaning both channels have an echo inside of them, but VRC6 Square 2 is the designated echo channel.
The Triangle and Sawtooth need significant work in only one aspect: Too high of an octave. The Sawtooth's prime bassline is to keep it at octaves 0 and 1, with some slight deviations at 2 to mix it up from time to time. Triangle is best below 4, but it can deviate up there from time to time in a...basic song (I don't want to list specifics, but Ninja Gaiden 3 did it and it was...awkward).
That's without me getting to main part of the song--just listening to the beginning. Honestly couldn't get past it without toning the bass down.
Then I actually got to where the rest of the channels play something.
I know we're supposed to be constructive here and help the fellow man, but...MAN. You could've done something better with the harmony accompaniment. It's not just the volume control...it's this and "same note, different octave". Any time you play a similar note use the PXX command to very slightly alter the pitch, negating most unnecessary earache (lesson I had to learn the hard way before). Be weary, however, for altering the pitch on high octave notes can be...troublesome. Attempt to avoid that on pitches higher than 4. It won't sound right.
Maybe I should follow my own advice and take this down to a 2A03 since I'm not using any of the other channels. It's just an example, not a finished work, and I just wanted to show how echos can be used properly with the correct PXX command placement.
tl;dr: Volume control, don't want to sound rude about it. Some kind of effort was given, so I won't hurt anybody for that.
_______________________
Smogon, Famitracker, YouTube...
So many places, so little creativity left...
I agree with everything PaulMannIV said in the previous post. However, I felt I should re-explain the echo shown in the example before.
I attached my own FTM with the following comments:
Frame 00: The base pattern
Frame 01: The base pattern is copied to VRC6 Pulse 2, but delayed
Frame 02: VRC6 Pulse 2 is lowered in volume
Frame 03: Both channels are merged into a single channel. (CTRL+M to paste without overwriting)
Frame 04-05: Repeat the process on Frame 01-02, but adding another layer of echo.
**I added a P81 detune to make the echo sharper, to prevent note clashing
EDIT: Added Frames 06-0A, to demonstrate adding an instrument Attack in the instrument volume's envelope to create a "fade-in" effect for the echo notes.
Never knew that about the CTRL+M, and I think I might make it better with the criticism given; I think I should practice more on volume control and harmony a bit more because it seems that everything off more than I thought it was earlier.
The above comments have covered the gist of it, but maybe I can add a few things. Attached an edit to illustrate.
1) Your echo changes sound a bit less garish than before, but now it's as if there's no echo at all. If you don't want to make such a complex "bouncy" (for lack of a better word) echo, then the suggestion of simply dialing down the following channel's volume will more or less suffice. I personally think too pronounced an echo for this piece sounds a bit weird, so I'd try to create more of a reverberating sound: Soften the attacks a bit, change the duty cycle on the following channel so it doesn't twang as much, give each frame a dynamic shape to smooth it over and make it sound a bit less robotic, stuff like that.
Also, I don't know which version of the Prelude you're going off of, but I'm fairly sure the first pass is harp only (all the more reason to make sure the VRC6 pulse parts are interesting enough to stand on their own); my edit demonstrates this if you'd like to hear it.
2) The ritardando is a good decision but it's not easy to make it feel natural in a medium like Famitracker. I certainly don't profess to be any good at it, but there are a few fixes that sound nicer to my ears (notably, easing back into the original tempo after the slowdown finishes). Have a listen to frames 07-08 and see what you think.
3) The moving parts in the latter half of this piece are kinda... off. I can't tell if the error is systematic, but it seems like every non-bassline note is off by a half- or whole-step or something wonky like that; listen hard to the voices in the original and how they interact. As for when all the notes are fixed, this is still pretty difficult music to cover with limited channels as the harmonies are richly structured and the shifting in the various parts is moderately intricate.
I roughed up how I'd go about the first four frames (08-0B) in my attachment as an example. I finagle an extra mid-range channel out of the triangle, making it soft enough to more or less blend with the other voices using the DPCM counter (Zxx command, DPCM channel only). Regardless of how you go about it, I'd say the goal with this music is to get the channels sounding as balanced and harmonious as you can. As mentioned above, volume control is extremely important.
I think what really happened is that the 2A03 Pulse 1+2+Triangle were all in a different tonal center/key from the rest of the channels. Try transposing (changing all the note pitches) down those 3 channels (2A03 Pulse 1/2/Tri, but not the VRC6 ones) by 5 semitones. Even then, the notes around 0E-0F still sound off, and the rhythm throughout the melody needs to be adjusted.
The tempo ramp sounds like could also be more gradual. Try to slow the tempo down much earlier than you have it, almost double the rows you did it with.
The Triangle and Sawtooth also seem to move above/below each other in terms of pitch, making it confusing which of the two is playing the bass. Try to avoid crossing pitches like that, and remember that the bass is the most important part of fleshing out the chord! (Basically, try to avoid doing this among all of your channels: [url=http://imgur.com/beF5Hca]http://imgur.com/beF5Hca)
I'd suggest using the Triangle for the bass, then using the Sawtooth to help the pulses out with the chord harmonies, because I think it can blend in better than the Triangle can.
Finally, I think you should delay your echo notes by another 2 rows. I think it gives the song a deeper feel by having a longer echo delay.
I've attached an example demonstrating all of these. (Oh and one more note: I fixed "Nobuo Uematsu" in the song tagging)
Some important shortcuts to remember:
- You can drag an instrument and drop it over another one to re-order it
- CTRL+F1/F2 transposes your notes up/down by semitones, while CTRL+F3/F4 transposes it by octave
- Take advantage of the "Step" under Speed/Tempo/Rows/Frames. That will allow you to fix all that echo quickly, as well as quickly notate some songs you spread out!
Hmmm ... from frame 08 onwards (where the actual melody kicks in) my gut tells me your melody chords are horribly out of key with the arpeggios (which sound fine, props).
I can isolate this down to two problems, IMO:
- Pulse 2 plays a harmony role but it's striking higher notes than Pulse 1. Listener perception generally favors the higher notes, i.e. it sounds like Pulse 2 is the melody and Pulse 1 the harmony when it's actually the other way around.
- Not even striking the correct chords. For example, the first chord you hit (frame 08 row 00) is a C sus4 (C-F-G) when it should instead be a C major (C-E-G).
Out of curiosity, what are you using as your source reference?
_______________________
Where to find me:
YouTube: [url=http://youtube.com/user/stratelier]http://youtube.com/user/stratelier
DeviantArt: [url=http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/]http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR9wQqL9aMo
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfzT0SIYv8M
Most of it by ear except for the harp part which I needed a music sheet for which is why it is not as bad as the harmony and its sheet is based on the preludes from the nes/famicom triology.
[quote=Mralbinoelf]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR9wQqL9aMo
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfzT0SIYv8M
Most of it by ear except for the harp part which I needed a music sheet for which is why it is not as bad as the harmony and its sheet is based on the preludes from the nes/famicom triology.[/quote]
There are also various renditions of it played in Synthesia, so you can get the exact notes from Synthesia's keyboard visualization.
What I do when I need a source reference is find an acceptable video on YouTube then record the sound into Audacity. Then you can really get into dissecting individual measures and figuring things out.
_______________________
Where to find me:
YouTube: [url=http://youtube.com/user/stratelier]http://youtube.com/user/stratelier
DeviantArt: [url=http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/]http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/
)