ella guro

The "problem" in the first section to me seems probably not in your arrangement, but the fact that the flute and strings have a slow attack which makes them sound really tentative all of the time. The other thing about 5/4 is it's a meter that generally needs stronger rythmic emphasis on it so it doesn't sound too loose or wrong or off when it isn't. You might want to crank up those woodwins in the background at the beginning and make them more sharply emphasize the beat. The same with the strings at about :35. Other than that, I don't have much to say. I love Zelda and I think you did a good job applying the original material to this kind of arrangement.

EDIT: Disgregard what I said on this first line about Cave Story not being liscensed! There are mixes from it on this site and I'm stupid. Thanks for the correction, Hemophiliac. First thing's first: you really need to use something other than Anvil Studio if you want to do anything more than just midis. Not only can it be buggy and annoying, you will eventually need to concern yourself with stuff like effects and mixing and using higher quality sounds if you want to get on OCR. Anvil Studio has no ability to do that because it's mainly just a midi sequencer. In terms of your arrangement, this is a good recreation of the original tune slowed down. But if you want to get onto OCR you want to consider if you're adding anything to the original or doing anything different in your arrangement than what's in the original. Also consider if you're improving on the original sound quality wise. Almost all good remixes either have an interesting and well executed different take on the original or expand on it in some way, so you want to strive for that. Of course this is all assuming you want to get on OCR. Right now I wouldn't worry about that and I'd just keep working, because you will improve if you do that. Look around in the Remixing section of the forum and see if you can find something better than Anvil Studio and just keep working on remixing. Sorry if I'm coming off as a little harsh. I know this is your first attempt, but you should know this stuff now so you don't find it out later the hard way.

I thought you were sampling the original until 1:37 or so where you got some notes off from the original. I think it's pretty cool that you tried to recreate the sounds, though...you had me fooled up until then. This sounds like something you did for the hell of it and not an incredibly super serious remix. I would definitely not submit this to OCR because it's basically the original recreated with some drums, but I'm hoping that wasn't your intention. If it was, you need to have a lot more of an actual arrangement and expansion from the original here and not a recreation with looping drums on top. Even if that's not the case, I'd still cut about a minute or two off the mix because it repeats the same thing for too long.

I'd try to make the strings a little more dramatic by putting some crescendos/decrescendos in there, even if they're subtle. It's a good way to keep suspense even when there's not a lot going on. When you have the reverse cymbals come in it would also be cool to have a big timpani roll or something to that effect to build up to that so it sounds more epic. Right now they sound pretty weak. In general I think you definitely could use to play with the dynamics a lot more. Other than that, I don't have much to say. Sounds pretty good so far, but there's obviously a lot more to go.

You definitely need an upgrade when it comes to synths: these sound kind of like FL defaults. It feels to me like you have some good ideas, but they're not really coming out because the sounds are so flat and midi-ish. Branch off and try to seek out some more interesting sounds. Once you do that, it would be good to spend some time messing with modulation, filtering, and that kind of stuff to add more texture to your sounds and make them less plain. Careful use of effects like reverb, distortion, choursing, that kind of stuff could also really help. And then, subtle things to the arrangement like tweaking the volume of each section and finding a way to keep the listener more excited or in suspense and move away from sounding flat or bland. Definitely look into the remixing section here to both help you find some better sounds and get a more dynamic sound out of what you're doing in general. There is definite potential here, but there's really no way for it to be realized with the bland, unsubtle sounds you have right now.

I don't have the other version right here to compare it to but this does definitely sound like an improvement, especially in the second section. I'd still try to break out of using that gated synth so much and maybe try to change up the feel on the percussion in one or two of the sections so that rhythm in the main part isn't so dominant. In general, the percussion also feels kind of thin to me. It works for awhile as it is but I feel like it needs to be beefier to carry the whole mix. Anyway, these are just random observations and I do definitely think you've improved the mix already so take them for what they're worth.

This reallllly does need EQ. There's way too much stuff in the same frequency and it hurts my ears to listen to it. The samples should be fine, but as of right now they're not used exceptionally well. Everything is way too flat - you need to mess with the volumes of the notes to make them sound less robotic and more human. I know you say that effects aren't really good with this type of mix, but more subtle effects like EQ and some light reverb or light distortion can make it actually sound more natural and better in the end. The arrangement right now sounds fine to me and it looks like you know where you want to go. I'd suggest trying to make things sound less stiff by playing with dynamics some more both for individual notes and between sections of the arrangement, doing some EQ and subtle effects, and maybe also making every note not sound super-precise so it does have a more human feel to it. You definitely do have a good start here but I think it would really help to make those changes sooner rather than later.

I'm listening to V2, so hopefully that's the right version. The piano is pretty cool. I like how it sounds kind of distant, if that makes any sense. That lead that comes in at :30 sounds like it moves in and out of being in tune, though, and starts to get more and more ahead of the beat as it goes on. The synth that comes in immediately after that is a little too promenent and also sounds a little bit out of tune with everything else...either way, you might want to push it tp more on the high end so it doesn't bleed over some of the other stuff going on. You also could use a more promenent bass part and probably use to tone down the bass kick drum a little. It sounds like you change things up a little bit towards the middle, which is good. I like that short piano break at around 2:00 and think you should do more of that kind of stuff to let people's ears rest from that synth with the gating effect. You might want to have a section where you change up the percussion and do something different with that lead synth or just rearrange what's playing what just to mix it up a little more. I agree what you said about the high end and think some EQing different instruments to different frequencies so there's a broader range of frequencies could help the sound of the mix a lot. But I do also think you need to mess with the arrangement some more so that every part doesn't have the same sound and instruments playing. Especially do something with that gated synth so it doesn't just play the same rhythm all the time. There are some cool things there (like the piano) and I do like what you have, but I think you could definitely could do a lot more and be more creative overall.

Nice beginning. It really feels like it's building to something (though I'm not super fond of the short high-pitched synth in the background)...and then you get to around :38 and it pretty much stays that way. I think you could use a more promenent bass and I really think you need to build it up more into a stronger percussion part there at :38. The choice of flute is fine there, but the part it's playing feels a little choppy and unnatural. If it were a synth maybe it would work better, but an instrument like flute needs to flow a little more and sound like someone could be playing it. Throughout the mix, it also sounds like there's a few messed up notes in the flute here and there - I don't know if those notes are intentional or not, but either way you might want to check it out. Overall I'd suggest mixing things up a little more. The original has a b-section in between the main repeated riff that you don't really touch here, so you might want to use that somewhere. I'd also try to have stronger variation between sections - maybe completely change the background instruments for one part instead of bringing them in more slowly. And more variation dynamically could really help - try pushing the emphasis between loud and soft in the different sections more extreme and build a little bit more between them. Hopefully that was of some help. The main thing is try out some new ideas and just keep working on it some more.

Some of your samples definitely need to be improved. The drums are fine, if a little plain sounding and quiet, but the bass in the beginning could use more low end for a beefier sound. The lead at :42 also has this weird kind of resonance that bleeds over the whole mix and doesn't really work as a guitar sample. You really should find a lighter sound that emphasizes more high end and bring out drums more. There also really should be more going on at :42. Everyone's heard the melody a billion times, so it sounds a lot more interesting if there's more stuff like a counter-melody and a bassline going on. The synth that's added later is something, but you definitely need more. Also, and this is probably the most important thing, consider where you want to go with the arrangement. Right now it doesn't do much of anything - it kind of states it's case and then leaves. You want to find some new way of looking at a melody like icecap that's been done a billion times so you can make it interesting. The main thing is to flesh out the arrangement more and put your own spin on it. Don't be afraid to take it into your own territory as long as it's related and the theme is there. Anyway, sorry I'm getting a little vague with advice but I think you could definitely get a pretty cool result if you were more detailed and adventurous with the arrangement.

You could definitely use more effects to make it interesting at the beginning...maybe some more creative panning or creepier sounding strings or something along those lines. Maybe some sound fx or something atmospheric going on the background could be cool. That kind of stuff is a lot of what makes the original SM tunes (if you can even call them tunes) so interesting even when they're so minimal. Something really needs to be done with the drums. They just loop and don't really fit with the song. If you are going to keep them I'd suggest mixing them with into everything else by maybe adding some reverb or playing with effects to see how to make it mix in better. I might just try taking them out and going a different route, but it's up to you. Also putting reverb on the bass like that is a little weird, especially when there's a lot of low-end in the strings already...it kind of muddles the strings and bass together. You might want to try using the bass without reverb and then getting another atmospheric-type synth mixed more on the high end to balance things out. In general, just keep messing around with things until you find something that sounds right.

amen

You make it sound like that's a bad thing. I could listen to that FF remix forever! That was actually a big inspiration for this mix.

I like this one a lot. All the stuff going on between the saxes starting around 1:30 is really interesting. There's definitely much going on here that a lot of people just plain won't hear or at least not hear on the first few listens. Even at the weakest points in between there's a certain kind of lo-fi cheesy appeal (starting around 2:18, for example) that makes it work. Of course it's occasionally frustrating as usual, but this one seems to have at least a bit of a different approach that is refreshing.

Ok, just go ahead and sign me up for Lefthanded Wolf. I doubt anyone is going to take it and though I have a lot of stuff going on, I like the seiken densetsu 3 soundtrack too much to not try doing something.

I'm interested in "Lefthanded Wolf" but don't put me down for that yet.

A lot of people will talk about how quirky and "zany" the sound is of shnabubula's mixes are, but that's not really the strength or the attraction of his mixes. In fact, I think that sound is pushed a little too far and is bordering on irritating in this mix. But in the end, it's greatly diminished by strength the incredible complexity of the arrangement, which is not only "solid", but excellent and incredibly refreshing. The drums really seem to be a strong point here (especially around 3:54) with the amount of times they warp and shift around, changing tempo and meter. There's a lot of other things to notice going on in this mix, but pointing them out would be unnecessary and take away from the composition as a whole. And while I think the sound is starting to delve into annoying territory, there's a level of compositional complexity that you just can't get from any other artist on OCR.

Even though it is a very similar sound, I actually used a Malstrom preset from Reason with distortion that I messed around with a little bit, and the distortion is the "digital" mode of the scream distortion that sounds very reminiscent of NES sound fx and the thing you posted. Also, I was thinking about this earlier, and I've decided to just go ahead and post the Reason rns file for this mix. Everything that's in the mix is there except it's unmastered and the drums unfortunately won't work unless you have this old "linkpage vol. 1" refill that I don't even remember where I got. I put it up on my server, which is not incredibly reliable but works most of the time: EDIT: sorry, I don't have my server any longer so the link doesn't work (If it tries to save the file as a zip, just change to save as all files and type in kirby.rns). Enjoy, and thanks again for the reviews!

This was a fun one to do, so I'm glad everyone seems to enjoy it.

I thought it was Lil' Traveller too, I just remember seeing it at L'il Traveller somewhere. Ah well, as long as it's correct now. EDIT: Oh, "Li'l"? I've never seen it that way. Hm, whatever.

I agree with the criticisms of this mix in one respect - that there could be less reverb on everything and more work done on the mastering and mixing. Otherwise, I think this is compositionally pretty strong. There's a lot of subtle stuff you won't necessarily notice the first time, but comes out after a second or third listen (I remember hearing the forest of illusion music from super mario world in there somewhere). There's also a lot more attention to detail and little additions that set this apart from a typical conservative orchestral medley and make it more rewarding after multiple listens. I do think some more clarity in the mixing could've helped sections like 5:33 where the percussion feels distant and the horns feel a bit awkward and isolated. But overall, this is well done, and I feel like the main points of the couple criticisms it's been recieving aren't very accurate.

Dunno if this part is supposed to be a jab at me and the thread about the judges I made awhile ago, but if it is I'd like to say that it's a pretty erroneous conclusion to draw. I talked to Gray about this mix right after he voted in the panel, and I told him that despite my problems that I mentioned with the mix, I still would've voted "YES" on it if I were him. That being said, if I write a review of a mix, it's implied that everything I say in the review is my opinion (and I find it annoying and redundant to say "but that's just my opinion"). No one in this community is the ultimate authority, so I certainly am not and I'm not claiming to be. You also have to understand that I'm going to be more harsh on something that's been accepted onto OCR, because the review forums generally garner a lot of praise and not much else, so I want to present my opinion on things. Whether other people consider them to be valid or not is completely up to them. Obviously saying the the rearrangement was "annoying" was an opinion, and I didn't expect anyone to think otherwise of it, because using a word like "annoying" that you can't exactly prove suggests that it's an opinion. As far as the "personal vendetta" stuff, I don't know where you're coming from with that. I find Shael to be incredibly irritating and unfunny and his campaign for judge equally as irritating and unfunny. But that doesn't carry over at all to a review of his mix, and I'm a little insulted that someone would think it does. It's not like I'm going through and reviewing each of his mixes saying "this sucks". I like to see people improve regardless of how I feel about them personally, and I still think Shael has a lot of problems (a lot of which can be fixed using something like Reason to it's capability) that neither him or Compy are willing to acknowledge, or even respectfully disagree with. And the panel thing? Did you even understand what the thread was about that I made? What would I gain from posting in this thread criticising this mix only out of personal vendetta and "to make the panel look bad"? The better question is, why would I care about proving the panel wrong and why would anyone else care that I had a dissenting opinion? If you connect the dots, you'll see that none of it makes any sense. Anyway, this is assuming that was directed towards me. It's too vague and veiled an attack for me really know if it's specifically talking about one person or more than one person. If you have any issues with something I write, please PM me and you can sort whatever out with me you need to sort out. But for God sakes, don't do it here. It's bullshit to try to spend my time figuring out what I did to piss someone off and if they're making an attack at me or not. It hurts more than it helps, it makes more things vauge than it clears up, and you should know better. The only irony in this is that someone who's accusing others of being pathetic is making a lot of pathetic accusations. Do the math, talk to me, and don't make up shit.

I have to agree with Gray in his decision. The theme is definitely expanded on adequately and there's a fair amount of interesting and different things going on. But there's just something...annoying about the way everything is rearranged. I think a lot of it is due to some pretty poor mixing - the drums especially lack punch and beefiness, and the lead synth is thin and piercing in an unappealing way. Still, some of it is the instrumentation. The strings chug along without much dynamic work involved, and the melody is chopped up rythmically awkward in places, which almost makes it a worse expansion of the original. The bass and the bell synth are well done and there are other redeeming factors about the mix, but overall the mixing/effects processing needed to be reworked a lot and I think the instrumentation and arrangement should've been refined to make it less of a frustrating mix to listen to.

I'm just going to paste my review of this from the WIP board because I'm a lazy bastard:

"I think" part of the reason he said "he was confused" was because of the "excessive and unnecessary" use of "quotes" in that "post".