I would so love to hear this performed by live orchestra. It's brilliant!
Reviews for "AIM - Bellowers of Grief"
Everratic responds:
I would too! Thanks :D
The most important part is ticked: it 100% matches up with the artwork. As mentioned in other review(s), it does have immediate TES Skyrim vibes, which is excellent since that's one of the greatest orchestral-ambient OST's in VGM history, so being able to do something comparable with ease like that is a testament to your skillset!
Since I'm always a big fan of cranking the volume up and basking in the fine-detailing of layered texturing, I do want to give a special shoutout to 2:34 to 2:57 as being one of the best orchestral ambiences I've outright heard in a long time, from anyone
Since you're after some useful feedback from another pair of ears, the main things which I'd say are worth double-checking and potentially revisiting in a track update would be the following:
- The piano used and primarially featured at 0:51 to 1:11. While it does sound nice, from my perspective of the soundstage towards the right side, it feels like the lower notes are jumping too far away from the mid-notes, and are diverting off abit too far to the right, making it sound more like you've got two piano's positioned there next to each other instead of one (which is fine if you've duplicated instances and performed some extra positioning to DIY a Piano Ensemble AGE-style, but not something intentionally sought after from a single instance). Also around 2:43, it sounds like the low notes are diverting off to the left-side of the soundstage randomly. I do also feel as if the sound is a tad too full on it considering it's perceived position x distance, and it could benefit from being thinned out abit (but not so-much as to destroy it's warm-rich tone), or alternatively made more distant
- The signal noise situation in the quietest part of the tracks (mainly 0:50 to 1:11, and the outtro). It is understandably a pain to deal with and something which I've noticed in particular with certain Spitfire Libs in other works/demo's I've checked out, but any attempts to reduce it without a negative influence on detailing is always a big plus. Acoustica Standard or RX Standard may be the best two options to consider, and both can be demo'd to see which of their DeNoise algo's you prefer. Or a Waves option such as X-Noise can also help here!
- I'm detecting something going abit odd at 2:26 to 2:28 in that two second window. While the slow vibrato coming from the ensemble is playing, it actually sounds like it's 'warbling' the room noise in and out in an unnatural way alongside it. Which makes it very strange as that's the only tiny part of the track which does that. Possibly signal noise being dragged along for the ride and interfering?
Overall, a top-tier AIM piece with only a few small bits to mention <3
Everratic responds:
Thanks for the detailed mix feedback and review!
'Atmospheric' is what comes to mind upon hearing this piece. Definitely not an easy achievement with a purely digital orchestra and such subtle dynamics. I can tell that some smart choices were made here to avert muddying everything in reverb and still ensure that each layer carries enough presence and emotional punch in the mix, the lack of which is a rather common mistake. I had to relisten to this a number of times just to catch some tiny detail I may have missed in my previous runs. That's the mark of an intentional, controlled piece that is a joy to listen on both monitors and headphones. Jeremy Soule vibes all the way through, except that compared to the Skyrim soundtrack, I can actually hear every instrument crystal clear.
Everratic responds:
Thank you, this means a lot coming from you!
I actually like how some Skyrim songs have so many layers that it creates this large multi-timbral ensemble sound. I have no idea how to create that effect in a pleasing way.
i wonder how it will sound if you got an actual orchestra to play this
This track is a masterclass in subtlety, there’s so much going on but it is not overwhelming in the slightest. You have a consistent vibe throughout the whole piece and yet it is still dynamic and rich. This is some fantastic stuff!