Donkey Kong Land - "Dexy Kong" (Temple Level) - New version 9-18-12 - Looking for feedback!

Update 9/18/12: New version: http://soundcloud.com/drakken/dexy-kong-donkey-kong-land/s-Bk1s3

Feedback is much appreciated. I'd like to mark this for mod review in the next few days.

Original post: SOURCE:

This is a remix that I've been working on for way too long considering how much work still has to be done. The source is track 3 from the Donkey Kong Land .gbs, which is apparently from the temple level. "Voices of the Temple" from DKC shares a very small part of the melody, but track 3 is the sole source track for this.

I started off one day (about four months ago) with an 8-bit ska rhythm in my head. The 8-bit quickly changed to a piano, and the song ended up turning into a groovy piece (at least in the beginning). The first 1:45 was written a long time ago. The mellow synth part came prob a couple months ago. The solo piano section I just did yesterday. The song still needs a lot of work (mostly production-wise), but I wanted to put it up here to see what people think about it.

The volume is pretty low, so be sure to turn it up to fully enjoy it!

Comments/self-criticisms:

-Nothing has been EQed

-There's some clipping; have to work on individual track volume levels. Need to get the overall level much louder.

-Not cohesive enough? I love prog rock so that might creep into my music with the different sections.

-Could get a better piano sound for the ska rhythm sections (during the beginning and piano solo sections).

-Need a transition from the rockin' section to the mellow synth part after it at 1:48

-Could improve synth sounds

-Piano solo would be better as actual recorded acoustic guitar perhaps? I'd have to get someone to play it.

-Dual-piano part after the piano solo is... awkward?

-Synth solo at the end isn't really complete; just repeated the arp for the 2nd half of it

-Need more of a transition into the percussion outro

-Percussion outro is kind of placeholder. I don't want to do anything too complex but definitely something better than what's there.

-The track title is tentative and is a nod to Dexter , which my brother says I must have been watching before I worked on this.

Wow You pretty much seem to know what you're doing here, don't cha? Btw I was expecting for this to become some type of hip-hop mix, based on how it starts (excellent drum work!)... Dunno, this has some hip-hop elements, but this style sounds quite unique for me. Maybe it's an astronaut that raps about how a broken heart is comparable to a supernova.

Get those issues you've already addressed fixed, coz I'm totally looking forward to the finished thing

EXCELLENT SOURCE! This game has very well composed music.

My initial reaction was that your arrangement is good, but conservative (although with all the instruments and harmonies it is not even a problem.)

My main suggestions would be to focus on either transitioning from each section to the next, or to get rid of some of them -- it was almost like a theme and variation of sections which had their own genres.

I've now listened to this on my cell phone and my dad's crappy work laptop, and the bass is completely inaudible. Granted, neither of those have good bass capabilities, but I would at least expect to hear something. It was jarring to listen to, as the bass is really important in establishing the groove. I'm thinking it's an EQ thing, cause the volume seems fine on my home speakers, with headphones, and in the car.

At the risk of seeming impatient, I'd love some more opinions!

My main suggestions would be to focus on either transitioning from each section to the next, or to get rid of some of them -- it was almost like a theme and variation of sections which had their own genres.

Yep, the transitions definitely need to be shored up. I don't even have one for the end of the first "chorus" (if you will) into the synth section.

EDIT:

OK, finally revisited this one, as I'd really like to finish it up for good. Spent a lot of time on it today, making a number of tweaks. Here's the updated version:

http://soundcloud.com/drakken/dexy-kong-donkey-kong-land/s-Bk1s3

Looking for some thoughts on this before marking it for mod review.

Might be worth noting that I applied some more compression and limiting, though it's still not as loud as I'd like (I suck at getting songs loud). Hopefully I didn't overdo it.

Hey Drak, i'll post some thoughts for you:

- I like your intro a lot. piano, bass, and drums all work pretty okay here. The first 5 seconds is a nice touch.

- The synth that hits at 0:25 is a bit odd sounding. It fits well enough and honestly works, It's not bad or anything, just feels slightly out of place. I'd try experimenting with something that might fit a little better.

- 0:47 marks the first spot that I really don't like. That piano just doesn't flow and ruins pretty much everything. Try something different.

- You've got a good build going through the first half mark, Loving the synth at 1:29 - this is a lot better - your piano works better here too. My only criticism for this section is that pad that starts up @ 1:20 - It feels very 'washy/whispy' if that makes sense.

- Not sure about the whole section that starts at 1:55ish. Feels plain and kinda boring. I completely loose interest in your track as this plays through... however -

- You recapture it at 2:19 - The twin synth solo is super cool. I can dig this part. Unfortunately after that ends, you have this big stretch that starts at 2:44, and once again I get pretty bored. The piano just isn't cutting it, the composition itself isn't really that interesting, but I think whats really killing it here are the samples, they feel super dry and just don't flow.

- Once you get into the final climax of the track, things pick up and start grooving again. Not a fan of the drum solo at the end, It feels kinda attached and takes way to long to end.

- Overall this is alright in my book, I think your biggest issue is samples and synth work. The composition is alright. There are a lot of 'I like this -its fun to listen to' moments, which is great, but conversely, there are a lot of 'meh, this is pretty boring' moments. I'd suggest looking at those and consider gutting them or changing them up.

Hope it helps. <3~