【初音ミクV4X】Inside death pain【オリジナル】【再録】

[dezzydream]

Okay, but seriously, this name.
It's perfect.
The song is pretty good too.
But
Let's take a moment
to appreciate this name.

Okay, actual review time.

Spoiler: "Inside death pain" Review

I like this song. This is actually one of the first original songs I've heard that uses Miku's Japanese V4x voicebanks, and it's using the soft voicebank. I noticed it has a sort of yuyoyuppe vibe, which I enjoy as a yuyoyuppe fan. The art's very pretty, it could be better, but considering that this is an obscure user, they probably couldn't get a professional artwork done. The tuning of her voice is nice. The mixing is a little bland, but she does sound pretty good. The thing that bothers me is the breaths. They sound very robotic-y. I think this is one of the first Japanese Vocaloid songs I've heard in which she actually says the name of the song in the chorus. She says, "Inside death pain can you see" in the very first line of the chorus. I can tell this producer likes using English, because in the bridge, Miku sings,"nothing for my days, nothing for your life, but I want you call..., nothing for your cry." The song is catchy. I really like the metal style, as I don't see that often anymore. It uses the same structure that I go for when writing songs, so it's a little weird to see a song like that. The PV is simply a picture of Miku in front of a cityscape(?), ans she glitches out a little.
I would say, if you're a fan of yuyoyuppe and/or Miku V4x Soft, definitely check this song out. It's a great song. I'm not sure about the meaning, but what I get is it's about a breakup.

 

[Truly]

Ahaha, "metal style."

What do you mean when you refer to "the same structure I use when writing songs?" -- this is the thing I actually am most curious about, which is why I put it first.

Spoiler: Griping

(also what is "bland" mixing? as opposed to what? Exciting mixing? Do you mean the arrangement of the song? do you mean the instrumental is bland?)
((you say the breaths sound very robotic, but I didn't actually hear any breaths!))
(((not sure what you're looking for in the art-- not sure how you determined it was not "a professional art" or what would cross that line...?)))
((((It might be a little early to start reviewing songs if this is one of the first where you've heard the title in the lyrics :O ))))
[strike](((((H-how do you know it's about a breakup if you don't know what the lyrics are...?)))))[/strike]

 

[dezzydream]

Ahaha, "metal style."

What do you mean when you refer to "the same structure I use when writing songs?" -- this is the thing I actually am most curious about, which is why I put it first.

When I write songs, I use this order:
First verse
Chorus
Second verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Chorus

That's the structure of this song as well.

(also what is "bland" mixing? as opposed to what? Exciting mixing? Do you mean the arrangement of the song? do you mean the instrumental is bland?)

The vocals don't sound like they've been heavily edited. I hear a lot of Vocaloid songs that sound like the vocals came straight out of the editor. That's not bad, but it can confuse a listener by making them think it's another producer.

((you say the breaths sound very robotic, but I didn't actually hear any breaths!))

You can hear her take a few breaths before she sings.

(((not sure what you're looking for in the art-- not sure how you determined it was not "a professional art" or what would cross that line...?)))

The art is definitely nice, it just looks like there was no time to refine it.

((((It might be a little early to start reviewing songs if this is one of the first where you've heard the title in the lyrics :O ))))

Well, I don't hear many in which the title of the song repeated in the chorus multiple times. Trust me, I've heard many, many Vocaloid songs.

(((((H-how do you know it's about a breakup if you don't know what the lyrics are...?)))))

From reading some of the English parts, she says things like,"I need your call," which implies something like a breakup.

 

[Truly]

When I write songs, I use this order:
First verse
Chorus
Second verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Chorus

That's the structure of this song as well.

It's also the structure of the song "Coward Montblanc" from DECO*27. It's also the structure of the song "Die Young" by Ke$ha. It's as common as milk on cereal. I guess I'm the one who asked in the first place, but I certainly wouldn't call it "weird" to see that song structure outside of your own work.

The vocals don't sound like they've been heavily edited. I hear a lot of Vocaloid songs that sound like the vocals came straight out of the editor. That's not bad, but it can confuse a listener by making them think it's another producer.

I'm not inherently familiar with Miku's voicebanks (including this one specifically), but it sounds like he's got some EQ to boost around 600hz (the singing range most of miku's vocals are in here), likely some compression to keep everything together and make the consonants a bit less harsh while still being clear, an audible amount of reverb, and effects like the repeat and fade out at 1:37. What exactly are you looking for to make mixing not "bland?" Highpass filters to make parts sound like they're coming out of a radio? Extreme reverb to accent certain parts? Can you give an example of non-bland mixing?

"Simple," or "Minimal," might be a better word to describe the mixing here, though I'm not sure I'd use either. It's not flashy, but it doesn't need to be. It's effective. But what you're really talking about is the song's production with specific regard to the vocals. "Mixing," refers to the whole track and is more about the instruments or parts in relation to each other. Considering everything sounds about in place, it's not a terribly busy arrangement and there's not a lot of extraneous effects muddying up the mix, I'd say the mixing is pretty damn good. For example, listen to the last chorus and notice that you can hear the piano playing chords in little falling arpeggios. It's not loud or strongly presented, but you can hear it clearly.

You can hear her take a few breaths before she sings.

Fair enough. I caught a few of them. Nothing I'd really remark on, but then, I didn't notice them on the first few listens.

The art is definitely nice, it just looks like there was no time to refine it.

I'm pretty sure that was the intended end result. Again, what about the art looks unprofessional or unrefined to you?

Well, I don't hear many in which the title of the song repeated in the chorus multiple times. Trust me, I've heard many, many Vocaloid songs.

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJuMFsSd8GE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NocXEwsJGOQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28FVxYQuLOQ

From reading some of the English parts, she says things like,"I need your call," which implies something like a breakup.

I guess that's as valid an interpretation as any. It's just a pretty vague line and one line isn't very much to go on.