Icarus Flies

Hi everyone,

This is composed for the monthly competition of July hosted by Impresario.

It is a short piece describing how Icarus makes his wings, takes of and flies! The ending known to all is not yet to be heard in this piece, I might continue it once, haha.

This is the first time I used a DAW (reaper) properly for a piece, so any feedback on the mixing part would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Hugo

Icarus Flies

I noticed the upload doesnt function so here is a link to youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoKaomnXms (old version)

Newest version:

Apparantly a score can't be reuploaded so here's the new score: http://www.2shared.com/document/BS3plv1s/Joyful_score2.html

I think you got a pretty good intro there, but I don't think it's any more than that, I really hope you make some explosive mid section with full orchestra. The sound is pretty good, so I think you started to get along with reaper fine :)

Hey,

Thanks for your comment.

I guess I have to agree with you about the mid section, I will think about how to change it so the piece works better.

greetz

I agree, too. Completely. It's got almost every quality of an intro.

Ever been to SeaWorld? It sounds like an intro to the 'Believe' theme.

BTW, I really like the overlapping sixteenth note motives in the background.

This is amazing! I love how great it sounded, and how much it made me think of Icarus and Daedalus flying over the ocean! I agree completely that it needs more though. I think what Phantom meant was not to change the middle section but to ADD a middle section - take what you have and make it the intro for a full orchestra beginning, and than add an ending. It could be more happy flying music, or perhaps you could write the end to symbolize Icarus getting too close to the sun and then dying. That would be cool. Can't wait to here more from you!

Ah ok :P I think I misunderstood it then, well impresario, allow me to try and compose more for this piece. If i find the time for it to do it before the deadline, I'll post a link to the newer version in your topic.

Anyway: Thanks for the very kind words everybody, I am glad you like it!

Greetz

Nice track, jijgaat. Congratulations on your first DAW! How did it feel? Frustrating? Fun? Exhilarating?

Your transition into 0:30 is lovely. The little percussion roll into it sounds great.

Your little ostinato feels really good in the track as well.

Turn up those brass 'round 0:39.

One thing I am not a fan of are those brass and string combinations you have. They sound like a growling trumpet.

The whole track should be a bit louder. Have you ever played around with limiters yet? Try adding one to the entire piece. It will let you turn up the track without peaking your mix. You always wanna have a limiter on your track.

Oh yeah, watch the cut-off of your track. It sorta sliced through the ending.

Nice work, jijgaat!

-John

Hey John,

Thanks a lot for the comments :) working with the DAW gives me mixed feelings, it is kind of frustrating, but fun at the same time. It just takes a lot of time, and the problem is I dont feel like I am being creative, I am just trying to make something sound better. However, that is the fun part at the same time, because when there is some result, that puts a smile on my face :).

Never played around with limiters yet, I will see if I can use that one!

Greetz

Keep working at it. Get comfortable enough with your DAW until it becomes invisible. It'll take a little time to get used to it, but it comes with practice :).

It definitely sounds better!

Here's a brief history of limiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war I couldn't find any links on how to use it or apply it, but maybe you'll have better luck.

Peace on Earth,

-John

This is a beautifully done composition - such a magical one. I love how you used the staccato to make the transition.

If I'm feeling nitpicky, I think some notes in the clarinet solo is a tiny bit loud - it should be really quiet and serene, and i felt that it peaked a little. I'm not sure about that though, since I'm listening with headphones. Perhaps at 0.46, you could have made the strings a little bit more fuller. Apart from that, I too really look forward to seeing more of this!! I really hope that you show us the rest of this once it's completed.

Great work!! Thanks for sharing :D

This is great work! Don't mean to offend but I thought the intro sounded a bit like the Titanic soundtrack. (Mainly the similar theme and instrumention) But I was completely wrong... you made it your own. Can't wait to hear it when its finished.

Hey everyone,

I decided to continue the piece, some more flying expressed in the music :P I hope you like what I have done with the piece.

Here is the link

Be sure to listen in the highest quality!

@ John: about the limiters, I found one and I used it, but I wasn't quite glad with the result, because it seems to increase the volume of the song, but it decreases its climaxes, which I think isnt a good thing sometimes. So this upload is again without a limiter. I increased the master volume a little, though.

Sepharite, I understand what you mean, but I think it´s only very little influenced by it, to be honest I didnt think of that theme before you mentioned it, so I think it isnt really similar.

All tips and comments are very much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Hugo

wow , i really liked your piece , very emotional , and i loved your orchestration ! it sounded very professional! keep up the great work! -Abd

Hey abd,

Thanks for your kind words. I am glad you liked the orchestration, since that was a thing I really focussed on this time. I am really curious how you think about the "MIDI orchestration" did it sound real? Anyone have comments about the mixing part?

Kind regards

Hey JijGaat,

What a great piece! I especially love the transition at 1:12-1:22. I can't really say anything about the mixing, because I've just started learning that myself. But in my ears it sounded very convincing and professional. Please extend it!

Gr,

Vla

Hey Vla,

Thanks for your kind words :) Thoughts about extension are there, but I don't yet know which way to go with this piece.

@everyone: the new score is uploaded, you can download it via this link: http://www.2shared.com/document/BS3plv1s/Joyful_score2.html

I have edited my first post, so the link is there too.

Kind regards

Hey Hugo!

Just listened to the newest version on YouTube, so that's what these comments are based on.

I really like the patient introduction and slow volume gain — very well. The brass is probably the weakest in terms of convincingness, along with the legato strings. I think just a bit more sequencing polish might squeeze some more realism out of them. In terms of the mix, John has already pointed out the fact that you still have some volume headroom you could make use of, but I would also add that there's some extra depth and convincingness that you could squeeze out by properly panning the instruments and adding reverb per section to achieve virtual depth. Sounds a bit flat at the moment. Still, overall it was very nice to listen to. Reminded me of the original Shrek score a bit.

Good work! :)

Hey Marius,

Thanks for the reply :). I can really do something with that!

Only 1 question, you said I could add reverb per section, what do you exactly mean by that? Should I have different amounts of reverb for the sections? And do I edit the reverb in EWQL play, or with a plug in in Reaper?

About shrek: I indeed got inspired by some tracks of Harry Gregson-Williams, and the beginning was really inspired by the main theme of forrest gump.

Thanks again, this really helps me out!

Kind regards,

Hugo

Heya,

That's exactly what I mean. If you're pleased with PLAY's reverb then you can use that, otherwise set up Reaper's reverb plugins to handle it. Either way, think about your virtual instrument sections as if they were real and on a stage — where would you put them? How far back? That kind of thing will help a lot with realism.

This is very nicely done! Great orchestration and movement. I especially like when the strings come in at the beginning with the sixteenth notes.

I keep getting popups when I try to download the score, any chance of putting it on YC, or at least box.net?

Hey,

I was away for holiday last week, so when I am home tonight, I will post the score on another site.

Greetz

Hey guys,

Here is the link to the score in box.net

http://www.box.net/shared/px7jmazr0h

Hope it works.

Greetz

Really nice piece!

The opening is very effective. I love the string ostinato you bring in, it works really beautifully. I feel like 0:45 and on could be bigger and more powerful. I think throughout the piece after the opening, a more prominent lower string section would help a lot, and I would consider ramping up the percussion, with powerful timpani, tasteful crash cymbals, and snare drum.

Also, along the lines of the snare drum, at 0:43 for the transition, the snare feels very bland compositionally in my opinion. The movement in the whole opening is wonderful, and the snare drum's very basic rhythm takes away from that in my opinion, and it feels like you've kinda just stuck the snare in without caring too much about it. I would try to really work on the snare part and make it more interesting, so that it complements the overall rhythm of the piece.

At 1:02 it realllly drops out. The build needs a lot more power. It certainly needs some suspended cymbals! Again, more percussion like timpani and snare would also greatly help, as well as more powerful crescendos in the brass I think. It needs to come out more powerful than before in my opinion.

I like the quieter staccato transition, but at 1:18 when you repeat it I think it could use some sweeping legato strings, or maybe just at 1:21. Thinking of the 'story' of this piece, as I understand it (and I might be wrong! :P) Icarus is in flight for the latter of the piece. I can picture the quieter section as Icarus becomes comfortable with the flying and is kinda relaxing out a bit, but with that relaxation I feel it needs to have a 'soaring' sound, which the legato strings could provide. Similarly, at the very end with the last note, I would accompany it with legato strings and maybe a quick crescendo to finish off the piece. That's very much my own interpretation though, so maybe that's not what you want.

Overall, great stuff! I really liked it :)

Hey man,

Thanks a lot for the advices! I think I am soon going to look at my score and production with all the advices I have gotten from all of you until now. I think I can make this much better :)

BTW I think you are very right about the percussion, especially the snare, I don't know, I just put it in, and never cared about it, because it sounded ok. I think the cymbals will greatly enhance the climax, so let's see if I can add some :)

greetz