ella guro

I don't get this. I listened, I tried, and there are some cool sections thrown in throughout the mix. Too bad most of it is dominated by an incredibly minimalistic groove with a synth that isn't even interesting (more annoying than anything else). It's probably true that the claims of repetition on the panel were overexaggerated, because there are slightly different things going on in different places to accompany the basic groove. Still, this comes off as a very underwhelming arrangement. Doesn't a groove require the section being repeated to be somewhat interesting in the first place? I can see this mix still "working" as a groove, but not how it is right now, and not for over 6 minutes.

The "final" version of my mix with a few minor changes done to it is avaliable on the same vgmix wip thread: http://www.vgmix.com/song_view.php?song_id=3250 Thanks for everyone who commented on the first version (any more are still appreciated)! Good luck to everyone else who's mixing. I just hope this project manages to survive to see the end...

Ok, my mix is done. There will probably be a few mixing changes and other things done before it's finalized, but this is essentially the final. It's on vgmix as a WIP to save some space: http://www.vgmix.com/song_view.php?song_id=3250 Comments and everything are appreciated, as always.

I've made a lot of progress this weekend on my mix, so it should be done in the next couple days.

I think some of it is a matter of opinion, because the drums are kind of dry when compared to the effects-laded guitars (the way it's mixed doesn't really mesh well with me). The part works well when doing the faster runs, but it's pretty sparse and mechanical in other places and the stops and starts that sync with the rhythm guitar like at 1:04 just feel awkward.

This suffers from some mixing problems and a fairly weak percussion part that hinders some of the development of the arrangement by the occasionally awkward timing. Despite that, the energy and accuracy of the guitar playing and soloing really shine. The tone is a bit lo-fi, but it seems to be put to good use, and the layering on the guitars works really well. That solo at 2:36 kicks ass. Good work. I just wish this was re-mixed with a different percussion part...

I'd have to agree with djp when he said that he'd like to hear ziwtra take more risks. This is the same thing ziwtra's been doing since he started remixing, and it's becoming a little frustrating. As always, he has a knack for taking fairly subpar sounds and mixing and layering them in way that works. He also has an uncanny ability of making an infectious groove, and there are always a few subtle things done in the arrangement to distinguish his mixes (like those triplets in the percussion). But he's done all this before, and done it better. The effects feel a bit overused and cliche because I've heard them used so many times before. The arrangement itself, aside from the intro and a slight deviation mid-mix, is also overly straightforward and doesn't really explore any new territory. Of course, the result still is something enjoyable and pleasing to listen to. But this has nowhere near the amount of depth that made mixes like "Rain in Chicago" engaging.

um, I wouldn't quite go that far... This is, however, a great mix. The instrumental parts are arranged excellently - the percussion, though a bit repetitive, works especially well in keeping the energy level very high throughout the mix. Though the mixing seems to favor the strings (especially around 1:14) and drown out the brass. My only major gripe with this is the overall arrangement sticks pretty conservatively to the originals - the first theme is played and built upon a bit, then the next is built upon a little bit more, and then the mix trails off and ends. I would've liked a little more thought to be put into the structure. Still, that doesn't diminish the fact that this is a very good mix. Gux also made a good mix of the first theme that you can find at vgmix (though I don't remember him submitting it here), if anyone is curious: http://www.vgmix.com/song_view.php?song_id=289

Aside from some ridiculous compression on the occasionally lacerating, repetitive drums and overall muddiness on the low-end, this works well. The guitar playing is solid, with a great solo in the middle, and there's a lot of little cool ideas like the organ break and key change at the end that give this more momentum. Not a phenomenal mix overall, but the little touches and all-around solid arrangement make it a more pleasing listen. The last ten seconds is cool too...

It manages to establish the original tune, expand on it some, and still not outstay its welcome. The guitar playing is awesome, which is something people have come to expect from these types of mixes. The drumwork is also stronger than usual, especially around :47 - that brief break before the mix resumes rocking is one of the little things that distinguishes this mix from a lot of the other "NES-metal" mixes. And while it may not incredibly different in the end, it's well executed nonetheless.

As big a fan as I am of Mazedude and Commander Keen, I was a pretty dissapointed by this. The arrangement is more conservative than usual, but it's still a very good application of the "eat your veggies" tune into the genre. My big problem is this completely lacks polish - it sounds a lot like Mazedude's older mixes that I presume were done completely in Impulse Tracker with no mastering. Now I understand that not everyone has the time to commit to remixing, but the result here is still very dissapointing for someone who is used to stuff (like his cyborg blobby or street fighter mix) with a much more refined sound. Maybe it's just me, but the whole "tracker sound" wears down my ears a lot more than it used to.

For the most part, I really liked this. The ending (contrasting to what some other people feel in this forum), especially, adds to the depth for me and makes it feel like a more ...thought-out arrangement. The percussion is also a good addition, and it gives everything a little more flair. I do have an objection with the way the main melody has been changed. I understand it's done to fit the progression, and part of my objection has to do with being so accustomed to the way the original is. But the change makes me wince a little bit every time I hear it. But in the end, it doesn't detract much from a pretty excellent mix. Good work, ty.

It's a shame this only has a couple other reviews: it is a really great arrangement. It manages to repeat that same motif over and over again in a variety of ways and styles and make it interesting every time. That build up around 2:30 is great, as is the intense section with the brass at around the 3 minute mark, as is the fadeout, which leaves everything as a mystery (in a good way). I guess my only complaint would be the mixing of a few things - the cymbals, in particular, sounded really weak. I suppose it could've also been mastered more as well. Still, this is excellent work and I hope more people take notice of it.

I'm not familiar with the other surf mix in question, and while the applause here is a little stupid and the recording certainly isn't perfect, I really enjoyed this. Regardless of who this is by, the playing is solid and it's a good adaptation into the surf genre. Whether it is essentially a cover or not, I'm not sure. But it does accomplish exactly what it sets out to do.

I think Rise of the Star works, because it's both referring to kirby and the stars, whereas adding "warrior" would just make it refer to kirby and clutter up the title. I still like my title, but I was semi-convinced that it's too wordy for a kirby project.

"kirbylution" is just taking the word "evolution" and putting the word "kirby" there. Puns usually have to have some kind of double-meaning or at least sound like the original word. "Kirby's Dreamband" does, but it's a pretty lame pun and it doesn't encorporate any of the celestial-type stuff into the title. so even though my title is harder to say, I'm going with "transcendental transformations" just because it relates to the celestial-type stuff, the evolution, and the fact that kirby transforms. PS: yes, I am working on my song

rofl. how about something like "transcendental transformations: a kirby's adventure project"? The puns are too obvious to really work, and I don't see any way to incorporate the fact that kirby is a pink puffball in the title without making it sound dumb. EDIT: plus you have the whole power-acquiring thing kirby does implied with the word "transformations"

I've been meaning to write a review of this since I first downloaded it on vgmix. I really did enjoy the combination of different timbres in the mix - the steady ethnic drum and bassline do a good job of bridging the gap between the jazz piano and the more overtly ethnic world-music instruments. The plucked synth is also used to an interesting effect, though I don't really like the way it's mixed. I have also never been a fan of the choral stuff in Israfel's music (I'm just not a fan of that kind of thing in general), and this is no exception. Still, I've learned to deal with and it doesn't detract from the mix for me. Great work, dude.

Schoolwork + college applications + not feeling well = not having this one finished for awhile. I know I can make some progress on it once I have some serious time to and I'm really sorry for delaying this further, but right now those three things take priority.

Ok, the link should work fine now. Forgot to disable 'hibernate' mode on the computer, so it was disconnecting from the server every time I went inactive.

This is really cool - awesome synth programming and neat new ideas and changeups in the arrangement are thrown in throughout the mix. My only complaint is that the strings sounded slightly out of tune. That didn't bother me too much, though, and overall I'd say this is one of the best electronica mixes on this site that I've heard.

In general, the criticism of this mix is valid but exaggerated. There are problems with a lousy percussion part, some flubs in the guitar (which again, were exaggerated in the decisions), and possibly the orchestral part that builds tension but doesn't have a whole lot of bearing on the rest of the mix. Still this is very emotional and well-arranged, and the rawness gives it more of a charm that the mix might not have retained if it was more produced. Yes it's rough, but I think too many of the judges made their decisions based on what it could've been instead of judging the mix in it's current state. The arrangement and the emotion put into the parts make this very passable; and from a non-technical standpoint, I'm enjoying this much more than I have a lot of other, more cleaned up guitar mixes.

Yes, but it's not like most SNES game music composers where that concerned with dynamic contrast. The original is clearly not meant to sound like a classical arrangement for piano like this is, and it was obviously limited to the SNES sound capabilities. I think this mix would bear equally as much resemblance to the original and be a more realistic application into the genre of the arrangement with more contrast. After listening to this a bit more, I'm willing to admit that the problem is probably not in the sample but the constant repetition of some chords in a loud, choppy staccato delivery. I don't claim to know everything about piano arrangements, but the lack of subtlety in the delivery seems to be what is flattening out the sound of the piano.

I agree with a lot of the comments here that while the arrangement itself is well done and definitely passable, there is a lack of dynamic contrast throughout the whole piece (and it doesn't help that the piano sample itself isn't very strong either). If this were played live, it would obviously address those two major problems. Yes, the arrangement is good; but it's a shame that it wasn't made more listenable.

Really rough/stupid wip: http://adhesiveboy.no-ip.com/AB-doomwip.mp3 You won't hear much to do with the original yet (except just being dirgey minor key crap) and there's a lot to be added, but this is a basic idea of the intro where...i don't exactly know where to go with.