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OCR02535 - *YES* Castlevania 'Enough Time to Dance' *RESUB*


DragonAvenger
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Original Decision

Your ReMixer name: Lidawg

Your real name: Liam Charalambous

Your userid: 45748

Name of game(s) arranged: Castlevania

Name of arrangement: Enough Time to Dance

Name of individual song(s) arranged: Out of Time

Original:

Comments: Well, in advance I'd like to say thank you for the feedback. It was really useful and it was also great hearing from OCR's newest judge (congrats btw). This version may sound rather different to the last but I think its punchier, clearer and more energetic. There isn't really any change to the arrangement. What's mostly changed are the synths. They should sound more organic and human. They are better quality and I've re-recorded the parts to give them a bit of swing and soul. Andrew mentioned that he would of liked the drums to have more oomph....I think they have a little more than before. Hopefully the soundscape is a bit more exciting and atmospheric too.

Other than that I'd just thought I'd say how this mix has been a labour of love. I started the track in July for Vampire Variations and it is now almost unrecogniseable from what is was then. I've lost count of how many times this mix has been revised. I owe a lot to the guys on Vampire Variations, they were and are fantastic to work with. I really appreciated Chernabogue letting me onto the project, I can imagine I was somewhat of a risk with my limited abilities but I think it turned out okay in the end. I love the project so much and just want to show that passion by making this track as good as it can be. Whether this is accepted or not, the judges have really enabled me to stretch my abilities. Thank you again, all your hardwork is really appreciated!

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  • 2 months later...

This is indeed an improvement over the original submission. A lot of the synths are still pretty generic sounding, but with the guitar added, it gives it a lot of extra personality, and the varied arrangement helps it as well. The bass and drums definitely sound like some sortof preset, as they are pretty bland.

The filtering in the intro was pretty cool, and a good way to capture interest early, and things progressed well enough to maintain momentum, though I do think beefing up the overall synths and percussive palate would be a good idea. I think it's good enough to pass, but it could have been an easier vote. :-)

Yes

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I don't remember listening to the original submission here, though I voted on it apparently so I must just be going senile :-P Anyway...

This is pretty decent, I feel like it's just on the cusp of passable as far as simple, generic electronica goes, and the strong arrangement and pretty neat transitions are what push it over the edge. Your production sounds much improved from some of your other submissions that I *do* remember, though I think you might have gone a little bit overboard on the sub bass frequencies in your bassline, it's a little strong on headphones.

Pretty sweet though, I love the writing across the board here and the production/synths, while nothing special, definitely get the job done and don't hinder your arrangement at all. I can sign off on this.

YES

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The beats at :34 were pretty tame and didn't give much energy to the piece, and the overall production quality sounded like it lacked high-end clarity and sharpness throughout. The fullest sections (1:49-2:02 & 2:36-3:30) sections in particular sounded pretty lossy, muddy and cluttered.

The arrangement was OK, but the energy was never really there, and the track never felt driving due to the really lackluster mixing job. Gonna have to play devil's advocate, Liam, and ask for another pass at this to get the mixing right.

NO (resubmit)

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I agree with the Oji, can't say this feels quite polished enough yet. the high-end was a bit weak however some of your arpy synths got a little harsh on certain high notes, such as :24.. it's not too overbearing, but it makes me blink. :P

the busier sections Larry mentioned were quite cluttered but still managed to feel kinda sparse despite the wide stereo-spread and variety of synths.

arrangement overall was working for me, but the mixing still needs a bit of a makeover. sorry for the vague mixing criticisms, it's just hard to pinpoint as there's not really any one big issue bringing this down, but just mixing and balance issues across the board. working with your EQ on your individual instruments might be a good place to start; cut out the frequencies you don't need and emphasize the ones you do, but let each instrument have it's own place in the spectrum. this should at least help with the crowding issues.

NO(resub)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't blame anyone for going either side with this one. It's well within that Neutral Zone between Yes & No space (why the star trek analogy, I don't know... anyway)

Personally, I'm feeling both OA's & Larry's crits here. Some of the synths struck me as generic sounding, like Andrew mentioned. I also felt like the balance/mixing could've been stronger. I have trouble figuring out what to focus on in the louder sections like 3:10 with so much competing for attention & sonic space.

Overall guitar work was a nice addition to the track, while not feeling like it conflicts with the dance elements.

Drum work felt a bit stiff and, for a lot of the song, didn't seem to quite compliment what the rest of the track was doing. For example, the extra kick hits thrown in frequently struck me as a bit odd and threw off the groove for me. Also, 2:20 is an example of odd drum sequencing with snares and kick hitting at odd times and not really driving well to the big drop off and hit you were going for at 2:35.

Sorry to send this back, but there's good potential here for a strong track. Keep at it, Lidawg.

No, resubmit please

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Yeah this is just riding the borderline. After the intro, I was leaning NO, but the guitar work was a great addition and the arrangement ideas kept it interesting. I thought the song remained reasonably clear even though the mixing could have been better. Yeah, I'ma go YES on this one, but can see where the NOs are coming from. Try to improve your game on the next sub.

YES (borderline)

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Production is muddy/sloppy - too much bass, synth timing sounds wrong in several spots. Lots of cheesy Eurotrance type presets, doesn't really fit in with the more serious mood the track has sometimes. Arrangement is really cool, I like the overall idea, but the sounds need to be better and mixing needs improvement.

NO

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Fairly enjoyable but some of the choices in your percussion are strange. There's a lot of machine-gunning kick and snare which distracts quite a bit; too much attention being drawn to the percussion at times. I guess it's a stylistic thing? Percussion doesn't really lock into the rest of the piece.

Not a dealbreaker though. Sounds are good and it's a nice arrangement.

YES (borderline)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Deia,

Me again hehe. I just had a quick question. I have a mix that passed the panel (Yay) and was just wondering if it was possible for my name to be changed for whenever it gets posted. I submitted my Castlevania mix (Enough Time to Dance) under the alias Lidawg, but no longer use that name and would rather it was put under Magellanic. Anywho, if you don't deal with that kinda thing just point me to someone who does.

Other than that, thank you for the 'yes' vote on my FFX mix. It encouraged me to give it another shot and I will soon be sending in a very sparkly new version of it for the panel, so thank you again

-Liam

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