DragonAvenger Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 hey everyone. got a mix here that emunator told me to submit. remixer name: prophetik real name: Brad Burr website: http://prophetikmusic.net userid: 8761 name of game arranged: DKC3 name of arrangement: mojo gogo individual songs arranged: jangle bells comments about the mix: "a while back, wes invited me to take part in this project. i said that i'd be happy to fill in whatever tracks people weren't interested in taking, but pointed out that since i hadn't played the game i didn't want to take a track someone else had their heart set on doing. he contacted me again recently and asked me to take a look at Jangle Bells. i listened to it once, sat on it for two months, and then carved a few hours out on a day off to do my take on it. he specifically requested some "saxy goodness" on the track, so i knew i had to approach it from a jazzy standpoint. i didn't want to approach it from the standard jazz approach that i've recently been taking to tracks, though, so i sat there for a bit trying to decide what direction to take the track. i eventually settled on a goofy 60s style mixed with some big band elements. i used a ton of elastik, as well as some trilian, liquidinstrument's horn section library, and my trusty old salvation-army tenor sax." enjoy =) BRAD --------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Sounds really quiet unmastered, we should definitely get Flexstyle's mastered album version in here if Brad is okay with using that instead. This is a really surprisingly good track in a style that I've never heard proph tackle before, but it works great for the source. I can sort of tell that this one was rushed, there's lots of sections that seem directly copied/pasted, but there's plenty of solos and jazzy supporting instrumentation that dances around the melodies to keep things interesting. I don't have any serious problems with the fadeout ending here, even though it's admittedly a rather weak choice. For a 2-hour remix, this honestly feels pretty damn polished to me. It's not spotless, on both the arrangement and production side of things, but it definitely gets the job done as far as I'm concerned. I've done a timestamp check and can definitely hear all the source there used frequently (the B-melody from the source is played around :52 on the sax [i'm going by the album version so this timestamp may be a few seconds off, give or take] a bit in the background, but still audible enough to count) but if someone needs a specific breakdown I can certainly oblige. It's more than obvious enough for me to go ahead and pass this, though. Really fun arrangement, not at all what I was expecting when I went to Brad asking about this track but I think this will really sit well with listeners. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I'm down with hearing the album version if it is mastered better, although right now most of my crits are arrangement based. Some of your ideas are pretty awesome; love the opening, and the overall stylistic idea you have going here. That side of things is putting me strongly in favor to pass it. And against that, I have the fact that overall this feels rushed, as Emu pointed out, with some of the sections feeling copy/pasted, and overall things just not gelling together like I think they should. The chord progression feels altered, which is fine except the melody doesn't feel like it's fitting as well into it, and it's making things feel a bit awkward. The solo sections also feel a little too far disjointed from the source; maybe that would be the place to really bring the chord progression direct from the source and maybe some other factors to tie them in better. Production is overall pretty good, but the sax feels a little pasted on top and overpowering. Gotta say, overall this is just coming up a little short for me. I'm very curious to hear what the other judges think. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Some timing issues with the drums put a damper on the otherwise great intro. the oooh-waaahs sound good until it's obvious they are completely cut and pasted; really ruins the feel for me. Sax playing is nice, and the arrangement is generally good for the first half, but the polish on the track isn't really there, mixing-wise, and in the details. The second half of the track is just like a solo where you are losing breath support because you are trying to rock out so many notes. I think this has promise, but it feels like a good WIP rather than a complete track. I think some additional revision would do this good. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 honestly didn't notice the vocal bits were copy-pasted but now that OA mentioned it, I won't be able to unhear. wouldn't say it ruins the feel, but it's noticible. really though, I didn't see any glaring issues with this; thought the mixing on this was fine overall, source usage checks out. pretty groovy stuff. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 During the "nah-nah, nah-nah-nah" section (:51-1:16), the sampled trumpet stabs sounded completely off-key. What happened there? Just take them out, they sound silly and merely detract from the piece. Over time, the drums during the verses were veering toward being plodding and borderline metronome-ish. It's a little weak that the oooh-wahhs were too obviously copy-pasta'ed in the second half; perhaps try to produce them in a way that sounds a little bit different than the opening, so that it sounds more like a spontaneous live performance. All I really have to add is that I co-signed enough with DA & OA's POVs enough to copy-pasta them. If you get the mixing sound more cohesive, and iron out some of the other kinks, this could make it. Right now, it's still in the WIP stage, albeit pretty far along. Definitely touch this up, Brad, you generally know how to bring it. And against that, I have the fact that overall this feels rushed, as Emu pointed out, with some of the sections feeling copy/pasted, and overall things just not gelling together like I think they should. The chord progression feels altered, which is fine except the melody doesn't feel like it's fitting as well into it, and it's making things feel a bit awkward. The solo sections also feel a little too far disjointed from the source; maybe that would be the place to really bring the chord progression direct from the source and maybe some other factors to tie them in better. Sax playing is nice, and the arrangement is generally good for the first half, but the polish on the track isn't really there, mixing-wise, and in the details. The second half of the track is just like a solo where you are losing breath support because you are trying to rock out so many notes.I think this has promise, but it feels like a good WIP rather than a complete track. I think some additional revision would do this good. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 PRODUCTION [X] Needs more mixing/'glue' on vocals [X] Drums have no energy [X] Mixing is muddy - needs more compression/eq carving for glue PERFORMANCE (live recorded audio/MIDI parts) [X] Poorly recorded - vocals only, sax good STRUCTURE [X] Not enough changes in sounds (e.g. static texture, not dynamic enough) WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE TRACK [X] Creative arrangement ideas [X] Good live performances [X] Instrument choices NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I really don't see a problem with cutting and pasting backing vocals. Is it really detracting so much from the mix that it warrants a NO vote? Not in my book no. This is a pretty creative arrangement and I like the sax performance. Nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Feels a little unpolished in the mixing, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable despite that. Nothing felt like a major problem, even the cut-and-paste vocals (which I might not have noticed if I hadn't read it first - hard to say). I'm good with it. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I do agree that this sounds like it could use some more polish. For me, it's mainly in the mixing department - sax stands out a bit too much over everything, other elements are relegated a bit too much in the background (drums). Better balance would help. Ending fadeout was a bit too sudden. However, the track has a lot going for it, creative arrangement, good performances, nice samples overall. The copy pasta ooh aahs really didn't bother me, even after reading about them here and listening to them after. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Man you shred that sax. Drums are a bit quiet/weak but sound well written/sequenced. Not even remotely bothered by the copy pasta vocals. There is a lot going on in the arrangement considering it feels a bit rushed, very creative. It's not the most polished mix but I think on balance none of the issues individually detract from the track as a whole, so I'm coo. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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