Harmony

You know, the bitrate is low but that’s not really the significant problem with this track imo. First off, the piano sample is pretty nice. I can only imagine what the encoding process hacked off in terms of quality. It is decently sequenced as well with phrases like those around the 5:10 mark coming off as delicate and airy, as they should. Some points strike me as mechanical, like 8:45-9:04, but generally it’s not bad. The waltz section with the subtle flute accompaniment is rather enjoyable. While the last five minutes pick up steam in terms of variation and creative arrangement ideas, the first seven minutes seriously drag, as Shna pointed out. The last five minutes also takes the hardest hit from the low encoding since more orchestral elements are added which have a heavy reliance on the higher frequencies for sound clarity and quality. Even without sound quality issues, the lengthy and largely unexciting composition killed the cat this time around I’m afraid. If you decided to work on shortening this piece up, I’d certainly start with the first 4/4 section. NO

This is fun stuff and definitely embodies the Mario vibe. That being said I’m all for the first two minutes of this mix where the dry piano (which I enjoy), omm-tss beat, creatively placed SFX, attention to panning and decent lead synth make for a body-moving bubbly dance track. I love the carnival-esque sections at 1:10-1:37 and the outro. They are full of pure hoedown fun. I even like the cluttered section at 0:58-1:04 where the soundfield is packed with orch hits but doesn’t stay long enough to be offensive. Unfortunately, come 2:45 my attention wanes as I realize that the last minute of the mix is going to be repeated material. For the genre, that’s to be expected and I realize that plenty of music in general thrives on repeated sections but in this instance, this repeated section loses me and for over a minute I’m left wishing that some new themes or arrangement ideas were introduced to spice things up. My decision comes down to how much that bothers me. Oh how I wish that the last section was more creative but for what I feel are the strengths of the first portions of the mix I can see my way to a borderline YES

Great interpretation of the great source. The original elements are all here but they are stretched, twisted and contorted in that amazingly creative Shna style that’s so easy to love and so easy to hate. Whatever side personal preference puts you on it has to be conceded that this represents an expansive and skillfully executed tribute to Takenouchi’s work. The bass-play at 0:57-1:20 is chilled magic. Throughout the track the bass is alive with variation and it’s wonderful to follow it as it takes the lead, then morphs into almost a supporting pad then is reborn with a the cleanest of funky slap styles. It meshes well with the seemingly endless array of other sounds that laugh in the face of repetition. One would think that with this many elements present clutter would be inevitable but the hard panning, distinctive EQ on each instrument, sparse reverb and variety of textures keeps the entirety of this mix as clear as a bell…a clear bell anyway…not a busted bell or something. Eh, this YES is as easy as the easiest of NOs. Great stuff man. YES

Agreed. More so for the encoding but your "poof" rearrangement argument is tough to ignore. Sound quality-wise, what’s here sounds good though. The 128 kbps VGMix version sounds a little better but I think a radio edit and >128kbps may be the best bet to get under the size limits (although I hate suggesting that artists cut up their tunes).

I agree that the mood and texture created by the instrument selection is interesting, although I can't chalk that up to the remixer's creativity since similar instrument combinations are used often in the Chrono series. Sound quality really isn’t an issue here since the samples are above the bar and the panning and slight reverb works to give the piece a bit of depth. The EQ could use a bit of tweaking as the low end feels a little flat though. The biggest problem is the sequencing. Not only is it amazingly mechanical but this piece offers up some very odd, and I'm going to have to go with unpleasant, harmonies. Even if the sequencing was better humanized, the melodic phrases that are weaved together, especially during the first two minutes or so, are very repetitive and plain. At one point during the first 2:00 the supporting harp goes on eight-note mode and even when it interrupts itself with a triplet or two, the other instruments take up the plodding slack. The plodding is greatly reduced by welcomed tempo shifts around 2:00 and 3:00. Unfortunately after 3:00 (and to a great extent for much of the piece) the piano and some of the supporting instruments have almost no velocity variation making them feel static and uninteresting. Remco, humanization comes in 3 major forms: note timing, volume and length (in that order or relative importance IMO). In order to create a more realistic performance you have to vary those throughout the piece keeping in mind the way that they would vary if a human was actually playing the instruments. Although it's not required of all pieces, for a mix like this that attempts to keep the same old world acoustic Chrono vibe, it is an absolute must. A little work in this area could really bring out the charm in this mix that’s hiding just beneath the surface. Work on the performance and then we can discuss the arrangement but great work for a first submission. Keep working at it. NO

Thanks Larry, I stand corrected.

Great clean intro with a smooth ride, a decently punchy kick-bass combo and creamy supporting synths that I really enjoy. Can’t say that I enjoyed the generic break to the delayed staccato melody at 0:52 though. It’s just so common compositional tool for this genre that it doesn’t have the impact that it might have had at one time. Once things get moving after 1:37 we’ve got a pretty standard but enjoyable vibe. The soundscape is pretty packed which isn’t a bad thing but in general nothing is very distinct. Consider that after the first 40 seconds or so the legato strings play almost non-stop without any processing variety which makes for a pretty plodding feel at times. Like Gray said, the texture lacks a certain amount of sparkle and EQ and possibly some variation/processing of the supporting synths could help give this mix a less mushy feel. Many of the drum fill transitions during the trance sections were pretty nice but what happened to that same attention when the ballad section comes in? The transitions into and out of it feel very forced and lend to the ‘identity crisis’ of this mix. Honestly I don’t think that the section was bad as a separate entity (harpsichord bias). The processing on the drums wasn’t too hot though as the distortion seemed to restrict rather than enhance their power. Also more generous reverb and a helping of EQ work would beef them up a little. The return to the same trance vibe after the ballad was disappointing since that would have been a good time to really cut loose with the lead or work in some interesting FX or something other than a repeat of the first section to a give-up ending. Not bad overall but plain in terms of sound and arrangement. You have the skills to make the foundations of a really cool dance track. Now just focus on composition and the smaller processing details that will make your mixes shine. NO

There’s a lot to enjoy about this sinister devil of a mix. The lead synth in the intro has some really cool FX thrown on it and is crazy dynamic. The distortion is especially hot when it’s applied to the melody synth starting at 0:43. The percussion in the intro is a little discombobulated and I think a more controlled groove would serve as a better intro to the mix. After the bass drops at 0:39 the mix comes into its own though. The automation on the high hats, those industrial hits that are peppered throughout and the synth work all worked to keep things moving along. Unfortunately the groove, the melodies and the synth work that’s setup after the intro linger for the rest of the mix. Make sure to keep the ideas and sounds in your mix fresh. To help, you might try randomly skipping around to a few points in your mix. If they sound too similar to each other then you might have a problem. In general I think that the level of arrangement is good but the repetitive composition brings it down. The bass and percussion samples are good but they could be better. Although it doesn’t significantly affect my decision, for future reference you might want to head to the ReMixing forum and search for some upgraded percussive samples and also get some tips on bringing some life to the bass (it’s pretty plain as it is). Good first effort Corey but I think the repetitiveness drags this too far down to pass. Hope you keep working at it. NO

Source tunes: http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/dkc.rsn - (track 11) “Mine Cart Madness” Ah, the excellent source material that is DKC. It’s good to hear that this mix isn’t a straight cover and also attempts an interesting presentation of the source. The two melodic sections are sprinkled on top of a soup of ambient pads, crunching guitars and sparse percussion. Some of those transitional pads are pretty enveloping such as those through 1:32-2:03, and act as a welcomed break in the rhythm guitar work. I wish the percussion behind them was a lot more interesting though. 0:19-0:41 features a bone-dry kick snare combo that really needs some work and percussion in other transitional sections is very subdued and sparse. The percussion sequencing/samples in the Mine Kart Madness section (0:41-1:32) isn’t bad but could still use some punch and variation. The transition into DK Island Swing is non-existent leaving the entire last half of the mix feeling disjointed from the rest of the tune. The biggest tie between the two halves of the mix is the rhythm guitar which plays the same power chord from 1:42-2:31. That really gets stale right around 2:13 when the energy builds as if leading to something and then oddly drops back off leaving weak percussion and those honestly wonderful pads to fill the void. The rhythm guitar also feels very synthetic and lackluster from 1:42-4:20. Even if it’s not actually synthetic, it’s obviously a lot less dynamic and intense that the one from 0:42-1:32. What happened man? The leads during the last half have a good crunch although the performance feels relatively lazy at points (aside from the intentional sluggish vibe of the first portions of the solo). The solo work picks up steam towards the end and some of the shredded riffs are slick. Sadly the monotonous rhythm guitars start to get overwhelming at about the same time. Needless to say, a more gratifying ending would be nice. The Mine Kart Madness section isn’t bad and if the DK Island Swing was better integrated with the rest of the mix we might have something. Sadly the two themes don’t work together here and the spaces between them are packed with ambiance that isn’t strong enough to stand on its own. NO

Excellent work. This has got a crystalline chill vibe that easily carries the listener through all 7+ minutes without feeling repetitive or being a pure ambient track. The melodies from the many sources flow together effortlessly and the original sections are inspired. I wish that I was more familiar with some of the tunes because the source material that I’m judging with is wonderful on it’s own but I’d also love to have an even greater appreciation of the amazing arrangement. Some of the instruments are really amazing. The bass certainly stands out and acts as a reminder that try as we might, good live bass is difficult to find a substitute for. It’s a little loud and jumps out of its place at a few points during 3:06-3:47 but like I’d forgive a beautiful woman for just about anything, so it is with that bass. The accordion, the congas and the piano are equally as forgivable (although little forgiveness is required). I’m trying to place those drums…Sonic Implants? Wherever they are from, they are pretty slick as well. I would have liked a little more full of a sound during The “Last Battle” jazz style melody at 4:43 is a great subtle touch that keeps the arrangement flowing right along and 5:20-6:33 is beautiful guys. Alright, enough praise. I was looking for Shna’s theory breakdown of this one but I guess that’ll have to wait. In the meantime, I’ll happily close this with the fourth YES

So glad to hear that the unruly bass that came in after the intro has been calmed down. It now blends a lot better with the other instruments. I still enjoy the arrangement, particularly 1:25-1:53 which really grooves things along with the percussion switch up and cool layered lead. Unfortunately this version still carries many of the problems that I mentioned in my first decision. The track is still muffled with most of the problems resting in the background elements and the percussion. The elements that do peak out are pretty interesting though, such as the panned square wave deal. The piano at 0:55 still needs some work, this time in humanization. The velocities on the notes feel pretty unnatural as they skip around somewhat wildly at points. A good helping of EQ work wouldn’t hurt either. Mastering is the missing ingredient here. Individual track as well as global EQ and compression are being begged for to bring some kick to this mix. Stop by the ReMixing forum for help with that. Otherwise, keep working at it man. NO

There are some interesting SFX as well as FX automation towards the beginning but after 0:23 there’s little to keep this track from sounding bland until the break at 2:43. The dynamic panning of the beeping background synth is cool but everything else is very close to center and a little dry for my tastes. 2:43-3:26 has some groove appeal and I wish that it played a more prominent role other than an outro. Arrangement is at cover level but for a straight cover it’s not bad. Next time Gabriele, get a little more creative with the source and really take it somewhere. In addition, work on creating more interesting sounds, synth processing/design, and sequencing more engaging percussion and you should be on your way. Be sure to check out our ReMixing and WIP forums to help you with your future mixes and your music in general. NO

I couldn’t find the source either but I think that this mix needs a little more work to pass on the sound quality side of things before we get into arrangement. That’s not to say that there’s not some good stuff here including a nice thick bass, solid beat and some interesting SFX. The biggest problem is that they don’t change at all throughout the song. The buzzy lead that first enters at 0:47 is cool for a while but it slightly overpowers the background elements and doesn’t let up after its introduction. By 2:38 we have at least 3 more similar synths all playing at once which mashes for something of a synth mush. I could say that more drastic panning might help matters but there’s only so much it can do. There is also the problem of relatively sparse section at 1:19 that could have a lot more going for it, even thought it builds to something. Some of the synth sequencing (lead and supporting) in the first minute sounds a little loose so you might want to look at cleaning that up. Other than that, variety is the key Tyler. I’m all about lyrics so I think a rapper or a vocalist would be an interesting way to replace some of the lead synths. Keep working at it. NO

This one is a mixed bag for me. On one hand there is plenty of stuff that just doesn’t work for me, theoretically sound or not. On the other, a casual listen doesn’t reveal anything too atrocious and the groove will get your head a-bobbin’. The dissonant intro fortunately resolves itself quickly because the odd harmonies were approaching leaning-on-the-keyboard level by 0:08. Given the chill almost organic nature of the rest of the mix, I’d say a clean harmonic intro would work better. However, once the main groove kicks in, the very cool dynamic percussion, simple bassline and non-obtrusive leads are pleasant indeed, even though slightly repetitive. I’m definitely feeling Larry on the melody at 1:26 and 3:04. The lead synth smears the melody with an all eighth note rendition of the familiar source which sounds somewhat random. Those sections are kept alive however both by the subtle phaser/flanger on the lead and the interesting background organ synths and short strings. The extended groove of 2:07-2:48 was pretty nice leading up to 2:48-3:20 which was basically a beefed-up version of 1:10-1:43. And then at 3:20 all heck breaks loose, heck I say. The key change is completely random with nothing more than a reverse cymbal to lead us into it resulting in some brief clashing notes and melodic ambivalence. Turns out that the key change is really an outro because little develops after it leaving me to feel that it is unnecessary and obtrusive to the vibe of the first 3 minutes. A gust of wind could push me to either side but I think that in spite of the problems, the solid production, interesting textures and decent arrangement are hard to ignore and eventually push me towards a YES (oh so borderline)

Good beginning effort Jim but there’s a lot of work to be done here. The sounds are not only generic but they are underprocessed. The only real effect that I hear is the delay on almost everything. While in some cases this creates some interesting textures, the cross-panned delay on the claps for example only accentuates the fact that they are bone dry amongst the other fluid, dreamy synths and bells. A little reverb can go a long way. Although I do hear some compositional and instrument additions, the arrangement was too conservative as well. Also, it’s unfortunate that in the sections where we do hear some of your creativity, the out-of-tune bells spoil the experience. Visit the ReMixing forum and read up on layering your samples, acquiring new samples and processing what you do have. You also might consider stopping by the WIP forum for some feedback on your future mixes. Keep working at it. NO

Nail on the head.While I really like the arrangement, percussion and some of the samples I can't get past how cluttered and mushy large portions of the mix feel. 0:52-1:06, 2:13-2:27 stand out as major offenders but working on clearing the distinction between individual elements throughout the entire mix is a must. I would especially work on the guitar that has been mentioned as well as the organ that just doesn’t have much life to it and sounds slightly over-reverbed. The panned pandemonium of 2:27-2:49 rocked the house! I’m actually pretty borderline on this but with what can be the hardest part out of the way, composition and arrangement, working on the sound issues that I and the other judges have mentioned doesn’t seem like too much to ask. Good stuff so far. NO (Please Resubmit)

Use generic ingredients to make a cake and you get a generic cake. Some ideas that might help with your next trance mix: - The chord changes on the intro pads are way too slow allowing chords to bleed together which in this instance sounds sloppy. There’s a similar but less pronounced problem with the bass when it enters. Make sure that doesn’t happen or that it works with the mix. - That overused open hi-hat rarely sounds good unless it’s processed to death or layered with something. Make all of your sounds more interesting using FX processing and layering. - Watch the delay on the sawtooth synth . It’s a little much throughout but especially towards the end which causes a lot of mushiness. - Try for more interesting dynamic variety than slow section, fast section, slow section,…. Also, the transitions here are OK but they could be improved. - Head to OCR’s ReMixing and WIP forums for some good tips and feedback. Keep working at it. NO

agreed

There are plenty of really creative arrangement ideas packed into this short mix. Like Shna mentioned, the first minute or so holds a lot of potential. The melting of the bassline into the main theme at 0:25 was slick and I was looking forward to more of that same give-and-take but it never really happened. Much of the remaining arrangement ideas were interesting and non-repetitive however the production made them feel lifeless. With the solid ideas, I would be borderline on this one if the mixing was better. 0:12 was a huge letdown as the lead synth is field-mouse quiet and the hi-hats are not well integrated with the other elements. The section from 0:57-1:20 is a bit cluttered and the drums again feel disjointed from the synths. If a little quiet, the ending from 2:03 was mixed fairly well I must say. There are some cool ambient effects and sound FX scattered throughout and the sample processing is decent as well. For the resubmit, bring the global levels up and work on more effectively managing the balance between elements. NO (Please Resubmit)

Good crisp sounds for the most part. As Vig mentions, the exception are the vocals which I think would work better with a creamier feel, especially when they are exposed towards the beginning. Not bad at all though. The development through 1:11 was a little slow. The intro synth and vocals are interesting however the other supporting elements in the understandably extended intro feel rather flat. A thicker bass and a layered or more punchy kick would help to fill out that section. In any case the build is steady and the song gets really engaging approaching the breakdown at 2:23. There is a good amount of creative arrangement, especially given the genre so no complaints there. I think that the cut-off ending worked well in this mix. The limited criticisms I have are easily outweighed by the cool lyrics, clean production and decent arrangement. Good stuff. YES

For this genre I don’t have a problem with the limited level of arrangement. There is a great drive to this mix that screams “Doom” and while more development would have been nice, I think the mix does it’s job. I do however agree that the rhythm guitars are overwhelming for too much of the mix and in general the mid-range is over-stuffed. All-in-all this is a simple and enjoyable track. Fix the sound balance issues and send this one back. …oh snap, unintentional rhyme. NO (Please Resubmit)

Cool title and I really enjoy this mix. The arrangement ideas are straightforward but interesting, the guitars are cleanly recorded and I don’t think that the production needs that much work to bring it around. The major production problems are the clarity during sections like 1:05-1:47 and power during the drum sections. The power can be improved by making the strings more prominent and working on the percussion. I think one of the largest contributors to the mushiness is the delay that is not set in sync with the tempo. As a result, instruments step on themselves and each other, especially during busier sections. In Home Studio 2002 I don’t think that the default delay plugin allows you to sync the delay with the tempo; instead it requires you to specify delay in milliseconds. If this is the case, try this for your delay next time: divide 60,000 by the tempo of your song. If your tempo is 120 then this gives 500. Using 500 ms of delay (or any multiple thereof) will have the echoes line up with the tempo. The drum samples have a good acoustic feel to them but I agree with Samuel that some greater variety would help this mix. Bring in a ride or toms on some sections. On some sections you might try a subtle fill beat instead of cutting the drums altogether. Hit the remixing forum and look for Zircon’s Groovy Drums tutorial for more tips. Composition needs to be improved as well. With the limited variation on the theme it’s going to be difficult to sustain interest for 5 minutes. Thus, cut/shorten/revamp some of the sections that drag on (1:04-1:47, 2:30-3:33,…). The section at 3:57 was pretty fun, although it should have come much earlier. The transitions between sections are somewhat choppy so you might also work on making them more interesting. Good stuff but with some fundamental problems. Nothing that I don’t think a little practice and some more tweaking can’t fix though so keep working at it. NO

Lack of clarity is a big issue here. In addition to the comments from the other judges I would work on cleaning up the guitar. The performance is not tight enough to fit nicely with the electronic elements. 1:36-1:52 stands out as obviously off but the other rhythm guitar sections (90% of the rest of the mix) aren’t much better. This fast paced power chord work can be difficult to nail so consider going behind your performance, slicing up the guitar track and making sure the chords fall on tempo. Essentially, manually ‘quantize’ your guitar. Put more work into creatively arranging the source as well as cleaning up your sounds and your mixes will fare a lot better. Keep working at it. NO

The drumloops themselves are good but in the context of this mix they are very generic, they overpower the leads and are not well integrated with the rest of the elements. Using a limited number of loops is fine but you have to work with them. Slice them up, switch them around, creatively mix and process them; don’t let them sound like simple loops. Variety my friend, variety. Not really that bad but could be much better. NO

The piano is taking a lot away from what would be an interestingly mellow take on the source. With “limited resources” you might consider hiding the average quality of the piano sample by not allowing it to serve as the key exposed element in the mix. The higher piano notes especially sound plain when played alone, however when combined with the other instruments the piano quality is hardly distracting. Sound quality aside, the repetition in the piano part is another factor that’s hurting this. Variation is a key to interesting music. Keep working at it. NO