[DragonAvenger]

Submission download link:
Your ReMixer name: meccaneer
Your real name: TJ Ryan
Your email address:
Your website: http://www.facebook.com/TheMeccaneer
Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile: 2452
Name of game(s) arranged: Gradius 3
Name of arrangement: Hero of the Flame
Name of individual song(s) arranged: Fire Scramble
Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site)
Harumi Ueko, Kazuhiko Uehara, Kazuki Muraoka, Yukie Morimoto
Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site)
Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.
This game has one of my favorite soundtracks, but it's just so fast! I needed to slow things down to really hear the grittiness and intricacy.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyjbqV4d5SI

[DragonAvenger]

Pretty sweet source with a lot of anxiety in it. I think you captured that aspect of the original well. To be honest, though, this overall is very similar to the original in terms of structure and melody. There are some differences, like how you simplified the melody in many parts, but I think overall it needs to be further from the source in terms of arrangement to be on par for our standards. Adding more original material of your own will be a good start, and maybe some additional harmonies or countermelodies. I'd also like to point out the ending, which is honestly pretty weak. Having the track end as-is feels like it was taken from the source and cut off before the repeat. Endings are very tough, but I'd love to hear you experiment more with having the track come to a stronger conclusion.

There are some production aspects that are sticking out as well. The first thing I notice is the drums, which are feel like they are on autopilot for a lot of the track. The other big thing that sticks out is that the soundscape is pretty sparse. The first half and end area of it is drums, bass, and piano lead, with some other backing synths. The part in the adds some extra synths, which I think are a good start, although I'm not crazy about the sound choices as is.

Honestly, overall, there is a lot of work to be done here. I do think you have some good ideas that you can put into use and develop further, but it is going to take some major overhaul. I'd suggest using the WIP forums to work on this and get some feedback from the users and mods there.

NO

[OA]

Good source choice, but it definitely needs some additional polish. Deia has some great critiques, and I pretty much second them. I will add that things are sounding very stiff as well, with the velocities and timing on each note dead on and static. Mixing it up would give it a lot more flow. I think some time spent in the WIP forums will give you some great pointers and direction.

No

[WillRock]

Source tune is awesome, but thats to be expected from gradius music :D

Arrangement wise, this feels rather conservative, and alot of the compositional complexity of the original is gone. The arrangement could be improved with more variation on the theme, don't be afraid to spice things up a bit! Also, add a proper ending to this, what you've got just doesn't cut the mustard right now :P

Production is the deal breaker here however. The synths sound generic, and the piano sample is weak, which isn't helped by the unrealistic sequencing.
The drums are also an issue due to overcompression. Bring down some of the compression on the kick and this will sound a lot better imo.



This is an interesting base but it needs more work before this can pass. Keep working at it!

NO