ReMix: Maniac Mansion 'Manic Mugenical'
Download MP3
Play Preview
- Game: Maniac Mansion (Jaleco, 1990, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Dandy-J, T.M. Revolutionary
- Composer(s): Chris Grigg, Dave Govett, Dave Hayes, David Lawrence, David Warhol, George Alistair Sanger, Tsukasa Tawada
- Song(s): 'Maniac Theme'
- Posted: 2000-12-16, evaluated by djpretzel
Purty cool stuff from tm revolutionary and his new collaborator, "Dandy-J" (who takes his name from the awesome and overlooked 2d neogeo fighter Waku Waku 7). Together, they've put together a kickin', heavily processed (love them phaser effects) ReMix that uses Rebirth to great effect. The filter resonance or "Q", cutoff, attack, and decay are all played with to create some wicked effects, with some noticeable improvements over previous mixes as far as variety and overall sound goes. Good companion ReMix to Zeratul's more experimental tale on the same theme, as it stays to the basic melody pretty consistently.
Discussion: Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the The source material sounds weird to me, with that many crazy synth
and percussive effects that could mistake it to be from a Genesis.
o_O
Even this remix interpretation sounds weird to me - while maintaining the same groove focus on the original, it manages to take the melody in a more ominous way with the strange high-dependant throbbing bass and experimental panned nature to the accompanying sound to it. I also thought the reversed section at 1:50 sounds rather ridiculous coming out of it, but that to me seems to add more towards the quirkiness.
Aside from the drum progression and the melody being present for 16 bars, it to me sounds really liberal though. We got this quirky setup, and it may work for more experimental listening, but to see little source being used at all tells me that it's going to be hard to see it as a proper remix, but just as what sounds more like an Acid experiment.
People may understand this quirkiness driving the mix, and for a 2000 mix it did its purpose, but attributing to changing standards it has shown a considerable amount of age over the years just for its purpose. So if you are to check this out, bear all this in mind.
- Rexy on December 14, 2011
Even this remix interpretation sounds weird to me - while maintaining the same groove focus on the original, it manages to take the melody in a more ominous way with the strange high-dependant throbbing bass and experimental panned nature to the accompanying sound to it. I also thought the reversed section at 1:50 sounds rather ridiculous coming out of it, but that to me seems to add more towards the quirkiness.
Aside from the drum progression and the melody being present for 16 bars, it to me sounds really liberal though. We got this quirky setup, and it may work for more experimental listening, but to see little source being used at all tells me that it's going to be hard to see it as a proper remix, but just as what sounds more like an Acid experiment.
People may understand this quirkiness driving the mix, and for a 2000 mix it did its purpose, but attributing to changing standards it has shown a considerable amount of age over the years just for its purpose. So if you are to check this out, bear all this in mind.
- Rexy on December 14, 2011
The drums at the beginning were interesting, and I was eager to see
what they were setting up. It felt like an intro to a chase scene
from a 70's spy movie. I liked the synths as well, and they sound
very unique. Would have liked it a bit more if you had done
something more with the mix (some soloing, or taking the source in
another direction). I just felt like the mix ended before it really
took me anywhere.
- justinj212 on December 10, 2010
- justinj212 on December 10, 2010
The drums in the introduction made me think I was listening to a
Magitek Factory mix at first.
The mix doesn't really catch my ears though, as there's not that much going on sound-wise. Mainly just a drum and a synth?
- Bahamut on September 11, 2009
The mix doesn't really catch my ears though, as there's not that much going on sound-wise. Mainly just a drum and a synth?
- Bahamut on September 11, 2009
Funky.
Still a little too "out there" and repetitive for my tastes.
Ultimately, I don't really care for this mix.
- 42 on December 15, 2008
Still a little too "out there" and repetitive for my tastes.
Ultimately, I don't really care for this mix.
- 42 on December 15, 2008
Definitely an interesting introduction. Everything hitting at 1:00
and getting louder grated on my ears for a second. The synth set-up
is very nice, but the "crunchiness" can get a little to much for
me. Other than that it seems like it has a continuous drum loop and
leads into a little sound effect section that is an interesting
portion, but doesn't really seem very impressive. The ending part
feels like the most fleshed out part of the song.
I'm not really interested in listening to the mix that much.
- Lint on December 11, 2008
I'm not really interested in listening to the mix that much.
- Lint on December 11, 2008
the synth bass is distracting. at 0:58 it really dilutes the rest
of the sound.
1:46-2:14 loses my attention really fast. this section goes on for too long.
annnd i think you may have overused the phaser a little bit...
- halc on December 11, 2008
1:46-2:14 loses my attention really fast. this section goes on for too long.
annnd i think you may have overused the phaser a little bit...
- halc on December 11, 2008
Drums are repetative throughout the mix, which is somewhat of a
turn off. I wish more had been done with them. They aren't bad,
just repetative.
The melody is catchy, and adding the 'crunchiness' makes me dig it more.
The 'sound effect' section is a bit strange, but it could have worked with more lead into it. Just a bit more of a transition.
For it's age this mix has done well, and I'm surprised there aren't more reviews to it.
- DragonAvenger on December 28, 2007
The melody is catchy, and adding the 'crunchiness' makes me dig it more.
The 'sound effect' section is a bit strange, but it could have worked with more lead into it. Just a bit more of a transition.
For it's age this mix has done well, and I'm surprised there aren't more reviews to it.
- DragonAvenger on December 28, 2007
I played this game too when I was younger. I remember not
understanding much of it, but that's about it. It's a pretty cool
synth demo, but doesn't really sound that much like a remix. Then
again, the source, that of it a quick google let me find, wasn't
much to remix anyway. Anyone working with synths should listen to
this, just for the synths. That it's a remix of the first game from
which the SCUMM engine came gives it a bonus point, too.
- Rozovian on December 6, 2007
- Rozovian on December 6, 2007
Whoo! More flanged percussion! When I was younger, I'd always play
this game with my cousins at family Christmas parties, but still I
only vaguely recognize this source. The drums are very hard
hitting, which I like. The synths sound pretty cool, but sometimes
things get a little cluttered. The reverse flange thing around 1:45
was pretty damn cool IMO. All in all, while this did tend to get
repetitive, there were quite a few cool things along the way that
prevented it from getting boring.
- about:blank on December 4, 2007
- about:blank on December 4, 2007
some of the effects, like the heavily delayed bass synth is really
cool, and a lot of the counterpoint ideas that are used are cool,
but the effects-only breakdown went far too long, and the hihats
are distractingly boring.
The rest of the drums are nice, and there is a lot of creative processing going on, so overall this comes off as enjoyable if flawed.
- OA on March 23, 2007
The rest of the drums are nice, and there is a lot of creative processing going on, so overall this comes off as enjoyable if flawed.
- OA on March 23, 2007
Not a bad sound for an old mix. For better or for worse, it still
stands alone after all this time. Not sure what the point was of
the effects from 1:45-2:14. Pretty pointless. In any case, the
arrangement was pretty simple but it has it's place in the older
stuff, even if overlooked.
- Liontamer on November 20, 2005
- Liontamer on November 20, 2005
Catchy melody. Nice rhythms on the synth thingy at the beginning.
Massive panning effects in the middle followed by a rewinding type
sound of the whole song with crunchy noises deafening it. Putting
it in this style seems like it would be hard to add something
else...without it sounding bad. Maybe an effect here and there
could have been added since it likes to screw around with things to
make it sound intense.
Download for the melody at least.
- AnotherOneBitesTheDust on February 15, 2003
Download for the melody at least.
- AnotherOneBitesTheDust on February 15, 2003
Maniac Mansion 'Manic Mugenical'
Weird little remix here.. I'm not too big on the scratchy noises, but the
drum track is kinda neat; clean and punchy.
- m68030 on May 14, 2002
Weird little remix here.. I'm not too big on the scratchy noises, but the
drum track is kinda neat; clean and punchy.
- m68030 on May 14, 2002
