Music By ZADE

[madchao]

hello
i am new to this forum but was talking to ninja and what not on the irc chat yesterday and asked if i could produce some piano music or something for Overgrowth.
They did say that you guys could not afford to hire any more musicians so i have offered to do it for free.
here is some links to stuff i have made and i can do a range of styles and would appreciate any feed back.

http://www.youtube.com/user/orochichao# ... m4e-MVLyU4 -
classical style piano piece(original)
http://www.youtube.com/user/orochichao# ... ZIw-KT5n0g -
piano cover of kh1 and 2 theme
http://www.youtube.com/user/orochichao# ... CEXuzj6aoo
sonic 3 carnival zone cover

i have a lot more but need to upload them to youtube when i can.




i learn by ear with no lessons and at the moment have no projects or assignments on the go.

let me know what you guys think if you have the time thanks

[Healey]

Wow, you're really good, that sounds like super-pro man. Good luck with whatever turns out!

[TheBigCheese]

I'm always a fan of piano pieces for background music. Hopefully you can find a good way to mesh the piano with the tribal sounds of some of the Overgrowth themes.

Good luck.

[Endoperez]

Accepting free stuff for a commercial thing isn't something I would like to do myself. Even with permissions and such, it doesn't feel quite right.

That said, you could try joining a modding group. I presume the biggest problem you would encounter would be trying to understand what the other people are trying to tell you. No understanding of the music terminology, but a very strong view about what should be changed/doesn't fit...

Hope you keep enjoying what you're doing!

[Anton]

Accepting free stuff for a commercial thing isn't something I would like to do myself. Even with permissions and such, it doesn't feel quite right.

I both agree and disagree with this statement... In all honesty working on a project has to be worth something to you, but sometimes what you receive in payment is not as definable as money. When I first inquired about adding to the Overgrowth music, I wasn't looking to get paid. I knew they were a small company, without a lot of money to throw around. Instead, I was looking for a way to meet more people in the game development community. And so far, it has really paid off for me. Networking is crucial to working in the entertainment industry on any level, and I have met a lot of people because of these contacts. I wish I had started 10 years ago, like Zade is doing now...

Zade, keep working on the music, and keep developing your contacts. It will lead to work. Here are my hopefully constructive criticisms on your tracks:

Twisted Through
This piece has some interesting ideas, and I like that it changes and develops almost like a story. As for the performance, I'm assuming that you still have the MIDI pass of this, and can clean up some of the mistakes. Since it's not a live performance, there's no reason to keep them in when the timing gets a little loose (1:12 to 1:30). There's also some weird velocities that really make notes stick out. In any sequencer, it should be easy to smooth that out.

Dearly Beloved
This has a few of the same issues as the first, but overall seems more consistent. My only complaint relates to the actual sounds you used, but don't take that personally. The string arrangement also sounds like it was written by a keyboardist, and not written for strings. That would be something you'd have to study more to learn.

Carnival Night Zone
This is a lot of fun. Unfortunately the mix makes things very muddy. There is way too much reverb, or else the releases on some of the synths are too long (especially the lead line). I like the sounds you used a lot in this one, and find them very appropriate. I do think you could spend more time eq-ing, compressing, panning, and mixing. Have you noticed that the reverb cuts off very abruptly at the end?

Keep up the good work.

[Untadaike]

That said, you could try joining a modding group. I presume the biggest problem you would encounter would be trying to understand what the other people are trying to tell you. No understanding of the music terminology, but a very strong view about what should be changed/doesn't fit...

I used to play piano, I played for almost 10 years. (never got anywhere as good as you, btw). However, I can communicate in musical jargon, lol.

[Sandurz]

The string arrangement also sounds like it was written by a keyboardist, and not written for strings. That would be something you'd have to study more to learn.

I quite agree. Please take this as constructive criticism. I couldn't quite place what was wrong until I read Ariehl's post, but once I did, it all became clear. Strings sound really pretty when doing straight up chords, but they usually sound best with a distinct melody and harmony. If you want just a harmony to the piano, then use a single instrument, not, what I assume to be, a "strings" effect. Also, this is coming from a string player (violin and 'cello) who's in the middle of a music theory class so I'm not just some random forums guy giving you advice.
Otherwise, I really love you music! Keep it up man!